Welcome!

Thanks for checking out my newsletter! So what’s it all about?

I have an insatiable curiosity about the world around me. Reading feeds that curiosity and builds upon it. Old questions are answered and new ones arise. Frequently, I try to apply what I read to life in some practical way. I wanted a place where I can write about this curiosity, where it leads me, and what I learn from it.

A little about me

1. I am an avid reader, and have been as far back as I can remember.

2. I have, for the last two decades, written a fairly popular blog, with more than 7,000 posts. I have a little experience with this. That blog focuses on personal life, tech and tech-related interests.

3. I’ve also written fiction and nonfiction for a variety of publications, including many of the major science fiction magazines. I am an active member of the Science Fiction Writers Association.

4. I was once featured on Lifehacker’s “How I Work” series.

5. I live in northern Virginia with my wife and three kids. In my day job, I manage and architect software projects for a research-oriented public policy organization.

The Ancient and the Ultimate?

The title comes from one of my favorite Isaac Asimov essays, “The Ancient and the Ultimate1,” which appeared in the January 1973 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. In the essay, Asimov describes how the newly-invented VCR could be improved to revolutionize books. And what he ultimately discovers is… well, I don’t want to spoil it for you. Suffice it to say that the essays, and the title, reflect the durability of books through the ages.

No need to consider a paid subscription

Writing here is an experiment. I don’t know if it will work or not. For now, I’ve opted out of offering paid subscriptions. I don’t want to deal with that overhead. I want to write for the joy of writing.