Hobbies and Interests

With my research and teaching commitments, I do not get much time for each of these interests, but they cover a broad spectrum. It is entirely possible that there is some underlying theme that unifies these eclectic fascinations, but then again, maybe some of them are entirely orthogonal. What can I say? ;)

• Giving (but not grading) exams. ;) (Owing to a "quirk" of my personality, I have a special fondness for writing questions about rap musicians.)
• Cartoon collecting--particularly Non Sequitur, Dennis the Menace, Ernest and Frank, and those found in World Press Review.
• Travel (including ego-trips)
• Computers--particularly tinkering with my web sites!
• Bargain hunting (obtaining transaction utility!)
• Country, classical, and soft/classic rock music--especially the stories behind songs. Some of my favorite artists, in no particular order, are Don Williams, Paul Simon (the old solo stuff), the late Jim Croce (oh, how he could sing and tell stories!), Shania Twain, Helen Reddy, Dan Fogelberg, Kathy Mattea, Roger Whittaker, Elton John, Roy Clark, and Steve Winwood.
• Reading--see my recommended reading list!
• Astronomy and popularized theoretical physics --especially super string theory (which predicts the existence of more than the four time-space dimensions). An interesting argument, by the way, was advanced by the late Isaac Asimov that Einstein's Theory of General relatively does not say that you cannot travel faster than the speed of light--it merely says that you cannot go at that speed! Now, if only I could understand some of this stuff... ;)
• Lay (naive) psychological theories ("implicit" psychology) and counterfactual simulation. This second field involves the issue of how people imagine that events could have been different from the way they were and what in turn have resulted from these changes in reality. Research has demonstrated that such thinking can influence our perceptions of causality. Although an interesting area of study, we need to keep in mind the perspective of the woman from Paul Simon's home town--actual counterfactual simulation can be a very destructive practice!
• Autistism spectrum conditions--particularly paradoxes involved.
• Intellectual property, antitrust, and consitutional law.