Five questions from hsifyppah

[tim]

I thought maybe I should post about something other than kyriarchy once in a while, so I bring you five questions asked by hsifyppah, in a meme last seen sometime around 2005 or so.

1. Can we have a KITTEN PICTURE!!!!

I give you this one of the kittens locked in mortal combat on my bed this morning:


2. The local transit agency has, surprisingly, adopted your sarcastic proposal for a new transit line. What's the technology - Soap-box racing? Bumper-cars? Bunny-drawn carriage? And where does it run?

I'm going to go for serious here: high-speed rail from Vancouver, BC to San Diego, CA with stops in Seattle, Portland, Arcata (making it easier for me to go to that cool place with the hot tubs), San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Travel time between SF and LA should be less than 3 hours with the entire route taking less than 10. It can happen. (Maybe that's not local. Whatevs!)

3. You have entered the world topiary championships, and the smart money is on you to win. Describe your prize-winning planty masterpiece. Also let's pretend "planty" is a real word.

It would be a tree satisfying the red-black tree properties. ("I see a red node and I want it to turn black...")

4. What novel have you read the most times?

_The World According to Garp_ by John Irving (I've read it about five times), but I'm not that sure I would like it if I read it again. I think I've read _The Rebel Angels_ by Robertson Davies and _Infinite Jest_ by David Foster Wallace three times each. I haven't read much fiction in a while... I keep feeling like there's so much I don't know that any time I spend reading fiction takes away time I could be spending reading nonfiction.

5. You're on a desert island, and you can only bring five albums. This is clearly unreasonable; you file a grievance with the desert-island ombudsman, and in the settlement you receive a lifetime supply of a tropical fruit of your choosing. Which one?

Durian, because it's DELICIOUS. I don't get the people who don't like the smell.

I believe this is where you're supposed to ask me to give you five questions. If you ask, I'll try my best!

Comments

[yam]

WOOOO KITTENS!

Oh god, that rail line would be the best. thing. ever.

[wordweaverlynn]

Totally cool ideas. How about five questions for me?

[tim]

1. If you could live anywhere in California (suppose money is no object, and the people you'd like to live near you would be there too), where would it be?

2. How do you deal with people who think all religious people are raging queerphobes?

3. What was the first online community you were part of, and when?

4. Read any good non-fiction books lately? If so, what would you recommend?

5. On what public transit system would you most like to have sex with the willing person of your choice?

[luinied]

Aww, kittens.

...and sure, ask me some questions. I'll get to them... someday?

[tim]

1. How's that dissertation going? :-D (You knew that was coming, admit it.)

2. An unusual natural disaster destroys all Turing-complete devices. What career do you pursue after that?

3. How young are the undergrads these days? I haven't been keeping track.

4. How about all the politics, amirite? By which I mean: how did the protests in Wisconsin change your attitude towards political engagement?

5. Why do my kittens love to go in the bathtub, but hate water?

[luinied]

Man, I know you didn't intend this (in most cases), but every one of the answers to everyone one of those questions are depressing in some way. I guess this means they probably do deserve a post, though.

[tim]

Even the one about the kittens?

[luinied]

Yeah, because Bandit used to do that, too. (But please don't interpret this as a plea for friend to not talk about cats with me. I love talking about cats!)

[tim]

Awwww :-(

[eldripheus.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to say omg you love durian!!! x3333 I haven't had it in aaaaages and it's so expensive but I had a durian smoothie the other day and it was awesome.

[tim]

I was going to recommend a place that has great durian ice cream, but then I saw you live in Australia. If you're ever in Oakland, CA., check out the Sweet Booth, though!

[anemone.livejournal.com]

I keep feeling like there's so much I don't know that any time I spend reading fiction takes away time I could be spending reading nonfiction.

I can believe my fiction reading is self-indulgence that should end, but fiction and non-fiction occupy different slots in my why-I-read world. I've read my favorite books greater five times; it's a different experience than reading non-fiction.

(Also, totally agree on the long distance mass transit.)

If you have questions for me, I'll answer.

[tim]

It's not even that I want to read fiction but I stop myself because I want to deprive myself of fun, it's just that I... don't want to, that much, right now! It's weird. Over my entire life, I've certainly enjoyed fiction right now.

Questions:

1. I've always wondered, does your username reflect some sort of deep personal affinity with anemones? Or do you just think they're neat?

2. Would you ever move back to the West Coast?

3. If someone asked you whether they should go to grad school for CS, what would you say?

4. You've posted about reading a bunch of different parenting books -- do you have any grand conclusion that synthesizes them all? Or is it all BS? Or something inb etween?

5. Seen any good code comments lately?

[Not part of the questions: my conclusion after writing three sets of them is that I'm not nearly as good at thinking up interesting questions as yam is.]