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(In addition to what I have done professionally.) If I had to characterize a theme that covered my interests, I'd have to say it was in Foundations and Origins. They almost all are unabashedly cerebral. (I'm a Grade A geek.)
Games Math Physics Philosophy Psychology AI Software Biology SF Shakespeare Reading Writing Movies Music Genus Lottery
I enjoy both chess and Go, but play neither well. I'm a little better at the card game of Hearts.
Favorite board games from childhood include Monopoly, Battleship, Risk, and Stratego. My friends and I would play marathon sessions, often modifying the rules to make the games last longer.
I was never bitten by the fantasy RPG bug, which was probably just as well.
I'm not one for computer games or video games. I find shoot 'em up games to be mind-numbingly dull, puzzle games (like Myst) leave me more frustrated than entertained, and role playing / strategy games ask for too much of my time. SimCity and Flight Simulator, however, once consumed more hours of my life than I care to admit to. And I retain a special interest in the classic text-based game Adventure.
I'm interested in modern (aka abstract) algebra, or more generally, the theory of algebraic strcutures; and in the foundations of mathematics (logic: deduction, truth, proof, validity, et cetera).
As a hobby, I play around a bit learning some number theory.
I'm also specifically trying to learn enough tensor calculus to understand the theory of gravitation, also known as the general theory of relativity (see below).
I'm studying gravitation, having spent over 10 years now on and off (mostly off) working through Misner, Thorne and Wheeler's Gravitation.
More generally, I'm interested in cosmology and following the recent developments in astrophysics.
My interests in philosophy follow naturally from my interest in the foundations of mathematics and of physics, but happen to focus on ontology and epistemology. This focus is due to my related interest in artificial intelligence and cognition.
Cognitive psychology is the science of thinking: how we understand, remember, learn and choose. It is putting to the test speculations on matters once the sole provence of philosophers.
Of late, I've been broadening my interest to include the general psychology of behavior, with an emphasis on developmental psychology quality of life.
My studies at MIT exposed me the study of machine (and human) intelligence and I view the field as a way to test theories of philosophy, an exciting development!
Machine understanding of natural language (English in particular) and formal reasoning (as in logic and mathematics) are specific interests.
My interest in software, aside from being the way I earn a living, is in developing advanced systems to help me pursue my other interests. I was originally interested in computers as a tool for mathematical physics.
My MIT experience gave me a bent towards computer language design and towards AI techniques (deductive systems, et cetera). Since then, I've added an appreciation for the power of Meta-Object techniques (as well as finding them a natural part of my interest in philosophical foundations).
My professional experience has given me a predeliction toward integrated environments that support complete life-cycle processes.
I have a general interest in biology, but am specifically interested in the entomylogical study of the ants, myrmecology. My interest was inspired by an ant farm in an elementary school science class.
Though I no longer read the genre as extensively as I did in school, SF is the only literary (fiction) form that speaks to my interests in science and technology. My adolescent years were spent reading Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, Heinlein, Niven and the others of that SF generation. By far, my favorite author was Robert A. Heinlein.
One SF theme I favored were apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic novels such as Fail-Safe, Alas, Babylon, On the Beach, and Earth Abides.
I do make time to see whatever SciFi fare is on television, however dismal the offering. I'm a long time Trekker, Whovian, and was recently a fan of Babylon 5 and FarScape. (Although not SF, I think Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a blast. I also remember Beauty and the Beast with fondness.)
I enjoy speculation about other life forms and alien civilizations. I'm one of the many SETI@Home users.
I was introduced to the Bard in eighth grade by my English teacher, Michael McNally, in the instance of Hamlet. I've kept an interest in the plays ever since, especially the tragedies. I think Kenneth Branaugh has been doing a superb job bringing the Bard to the big screen.
I like The Divine Comedy.
Books of another sort I've enjoyed are the Utiopias (e.g., Utopia) and the dystopias or anti-Utopias (e.g., 1984, Brave New World, & We).
From time to time I dabble in historical sagas (of the James A. Michner variety), biographies of statesmen (usually US figures) and other works of history, especially relating to the development of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
In other non-fiction, I like books by Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, George Gamow, Alvin Toffler, ...
In fiction, certain authors have caught my attention in the past and I read most of their works then available: Ayn Rand, Alistair MacLean, Tom Clancy, Stephen Donaldson, Isaac B. Singer, Chiam Potok, Elie Wiesel, Leon Uris, Herman Hesse, ...
I also frequently read the play or novel that formed the basis for movies I particularly enjoyed. Examples include Inherit the Wind, A Man For All Seasons, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?, Being There, A Christmas Carol, and so forth and so on.
And I'm a fan of The Far Side, Dilbert, and Stan Lee. Snoopy is one of my heros; I was especially amused at his forey into being a novelist.
See my list of recently read books.
30 years ago I wrote (bad) poetry, now I'm working on a (first) novel. This is all for my personal benefit; I'm not aspiring to write as a career.
At one time I kept an extensive journal, which I had started in junior high school and maintained through both high school and college. I gradually stopped writing as part of the fallout of leaving MIT. For a complex of reasons, I threw all my journals out one evening many years ago, a hasty move I have since long regretted.
I was also a busy pen-pal during those same years. I (hand) wrote lengthy letters to a number of friends, some of whom I only knew through the mail. Except for one file that was saved because I happened to have it out at the time, all my accumulated correspondence was lost in one of my moves; the box containing those files turned up missing.
These days I frequent e-mail. And, of course, I'm episodically putting effort into these very web pages.
On the technical writing front, I also have a yen to develop interactive (software-based) textbooks of the very sort I wish I had had available in my study of gravitation. Hence my long standing interest in electronic publishing, hypertext, the world wide web, PostScript, Java and so on. I've even toyed with the idea of an alternate career in electronic publishing. Because I know absolutely nothing about the publishing industry, this fantasy is happily unmarred by any unpleasant realities.
My favorite actress is Meg Ryan. My favorite actor is Tom Hanks. My favorite movie is Them!.
| Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast, |
| To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak. |
| William Congreve |
I like singer/song-writers (Carole King, Carly Simon, Stevie Nicks, Sarah McLachlan, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, Jewel Kilcher, James Taylor, John Denver, Dan Fogelberg, Don McLean, & Gordon Lightfoot, to name a few), certain groups/duos showing their years or just plain gone The Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, Boston, and Simon & Garfunkel), and I grew up hearing country (Hank Williams & Glen Campbell, e.g.).
Out of left field, I like both Eric Clapton and Metallica. And Gregorian Chant. Go figure.
As for performing: I can't carry a tune in a bucket and don't play any sort of instrument. I don't even read music.
I'm also tracing the family tree, in fits and starts.
I'd either pursue my writing muse or I'd go back to school to earn a real Ph.D. (id est, in Philosophy) so I could teach.
I'd like to learn Latin, and maybe Hebrew. But the intimidation factor for Hebrew is high, especially given how hard it was I found studying another language (German) that shared an alphabet and much closer linguistic roots.
I'd also do some travelling for genealogical research. (I'd like to get to Scotland some day. Hawaii too, but not because I have any relatives there :-).
© 1997-2006 Roland F. McKenney
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