On Summit

Myself, my family, and what is now feeling like a small army of contractors have begun the process of prodding our recently acquired and long vacant almost-mansion into a state of habitability. And while we've only just begun, I'm already sensing that the house has the upper hand. That's not to say I view the house as an adversary (or my relationship with it as adversarial), but rather that the house and I are currently working across purposes. The house, left to it's own devices, would prefer to follow the path of least resistance and continue it's slow march towards entropy, disorder, and decay. I obviously have other plans for it. I'm no physicist, but I know enough about physics to know that the way one combats entropy is with the application of energy. In the case of this house, that energy comes in the form of manual labor. So labor we do, often in fits and and occasionally in starts. Sometimes we take a step forward and sometimes we take a step back. Some...

I am not a gamer. That's notable since I came of age during the time a lot of people consider the golden age of arcade games. I was teen at exactly the moment Space Invaders, Asteroids, Frogger and Pac-Man were revolutionizing video games. That I did not embrace games or gaming at that time can be attributed to a near-comical lack of hand-eye coordination. My general ineptitude ensured that games were not a great value proposition for me, and I quickly learned that my precious quarters were better invested in other pursuits (scale models and tabletop board games for example). That preamble aside, I do occasionally play games. In that capacity, and because my hand-eye coordination has not improved with age, I favor only the most gentle of games; that is, ones that don't involve a lot of skill or dexterity or particularly sharp reflexes. One of the games that fits the bill is called Kind Words. (and in this instance we are using the word "game" in only the most generous...

I use LinkedIn pretty regularly, and since the U.S. elections last November I've really struggled with adhering to unwritten rule that suggests were supposed to keep politics out of our conversations there. The idea being that LinkedIn is a place where we present only our most agreeable and professional selves; checking our strong opinions on hot-button topics like politics and religion at the door. Rows of  teen books are seen on shelves in a library The issue for me and those in my field is that we work in a profession (libraries) that is very much on the front lines of politics. Specifically, we are working at a time when politicians and legislators are attempting to control what books can and can't be held in our library collections. We have politically aligned interest groups working to dictate the kinds of programs libraries can offer. We see politicians seeking to restrict access to the professional associations of those in the field. Laws are proposed that would crimina...

I'm in it. Let me explain. After the U.S elections in November, I deleted my Twitter account. Then I deleted my Facebook account. Finally, I deleted my Instagram account. Along the way I shuttered GoodReads in favor of StoryGraph, filtered out many unsavory news sources from my Google News feed, and blocked any account that even hinted at conservative/right-wing/MAGA apologist content on Bluesky (Bluesky makes it blessedly easy and fun to block accounts). I subscribed to Parker Malloy's newsletter and Wired too. I gave money to Matter News . Liliane Lign sculptures, "Liquid Reflections/Series 2 (48")" (foreground) and "Liquid Reflections/Series 2 (40")" (background). Pictured at the Mumok Museum in Vienna. In short, I've curated my online experience in such a way that I am subjected daily to near constant and unapologetic left-leaning viewpoints. Some would argue this is bad. They would say I'm in a bubble, a liberal echo chamber. Those pe...

Now that we're almost a month in, I feel like I should at least check in and share some updates on what's happening at the Akron almost-mansion. I don't know that I'm going to document every element of the Great Akron Home Renovation and Reconstitution Project , but if I do, I'm absolutely going to have to come up with a snappier title for it. Until then, GAHRRP it is. Looking through an interior doorway of a residential home, a plumber in a red hoodie can be seen in an adjoining bathroom measuring a space for a toilet. We are currently in the "Planning for Progress" phase. Here, "Planning for Progress" is my shorthand for the fact that nothing is visibly happening at our new house. Instead, through a series of phone calls with contractors, on site consultations with contractors, follow up conversations with contractors, and disappointing news from contractors, we are laying the groundwork for progress. We are planning for progress to happen in t...

Sorites paradox, sometimes called the paradox of the heap or paradox of the pile, asks us to consider how many small things might be needed to add up to something substantive. The typical version of sorites paradox starts with a heap of sand. From that heap, grains of sand are removed one at a time.  Obviously, removing a single grain doesn't change the nature of the heap. It will still be a heap of sand. But what happens when we repeat the process? What if we were to keep going to the point that only one grain remains? Is it still a heap? If not, at what point did our collection of grains change from being a heap to not being a heap? A picture of a sandy beach, taken from ground level and looking out towards the ocean. A common variant of sorites paradox starts with a single grain of sand and prescribes adding granules one at a time. Adding one grain won't make a heap, nor will the addition of two or three. Through repetition though, we know that a heap of sand will eventually...

I noted in a previous post that we bought a house. Now that the ink has dried on our closing documents, I feel like I can share a bit more about that. While my wife and I currently live in Columbus, we've got family in the greater Akron area and had been looking to move there for a while. There were many houses we looked at, and many houses we could have bought. The one that we ultimately landed on though was 1925 almost mansion in north Akron. If I were to describe it in the parlance of real estate listings I'd say, "This spacious home in Akron's historic North Hill neighborhood boasts wood floors, radiant heat, loads of period details, a stunning ravine view, and...racoons. Two people stand in a snow covered yard in front of an older home that is overgrown with vegetation. They hold a sign between them that says "SOLD". An interior picture of an empty dining room in an older home. The room has wood floors, dated wallpaper, and wainscoting. Yeah. Racoons. Th...

Someone on Bluesky noted that this might be a good time to start blogging again (hashtag-resist advice they called it). Rather than paraphrase, I'll just post the Tom & Lorenzo thread here as it covers their reasoning and rationale: So, I'm dusting off this old blog with the intention of holding onto a platform that isn't so beholden to the whims of toxic billionaires and algo-generated dreck. I don't know exactly what I'll do here, but it will likely involve shaking my fist, kicking against pricks, and sharing some personal notes and observations. Also, we bought a house. So expect to hear about that too.  A man and a woman stand in the snow-covered front yard of an older home. They are smiling for the camera and holding a sign that says, "SOLD" in between them. While you can't see their faces, I have it on good authority that their hearts are full in equal measures with hope and terror, such is the adventure they are about to embark upon! Til nex...