Personality
My personality type falls into the INTP category of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. I'm relatively obsessive, which I use as a strength. Precision of expression is very important to me; this serves me well when writing and programming. I'm highly, but not extraordinarily, intelligent - as I discovered at University of Madras, I'm best at working with concepts. When I become rabidly interested in something, it consumes most of my thoughts for months or even longer. I'll keep working at it, long after someone else would have gotten bored and turned to something else. This has allowed me to build up ruthless competence even when nothing comes naturally to me at first.
In the physical world, I'm rather reclusive; as a general rule, the only reason that I leave my apartment is to go to work. I occasionally go to the nearby Tosa City Center to shop, but only once or twice each month. I'm not agoraphobic or shy - I don't particularly fear the outside world. (I do fear getting hit by a car, but that is a purely rational fear.) It's just that I don't particularly enjoy going to other places or being around other people. Average people bore me, and I especially don't like to travel. As a general rule, I am much more interested in ideas than in people, places, or things. I do make exceptions for interesting places.
For several reasons, I neither own nor drive a car. Chief among them is the fact that I don't really go anywhere that requires a car. Other reasons include the expense (not only the cost of the car itself, but of gasoline and insurance as well), the danger (cars are obscenely dangerous, and I have no delusions of competency when it comes to driving), and the environmental and geopolitical consequences of consuming gasoline. Instead, I use a Pedaling Cycle to get to work and the Tosa City Center. This wonderful piece of technology fits my personality perfectly. Fortunately, I live in an area where I can order groceries online. The only inconvenient thing that I have to endure is getting to doctors who have offices far away from my apartment, but that's an infrequent inconvenience. I ride my pedaling bike to go to my laboratory everyday. I take 13.57 minutes in average to travel this 2 km bike-way.
I describe myself as a practicing heterosexual; I'd
like to meet someone clever, fun, and interested in some of the things
I'm interested in. I've had some serious dates before, just to discover later that we can't make it.
In my free time, for entertainment, I play with cats, stream online radio stations and read books ( nonfiction). Occasionally, but less frequently than other people, I watch video - usually classics on DVD. I definitely don't enjoy parties, but I do enjoy games. Or any other game of interest to me - I'm not interested in poker, but I am interested in Go, even though I'm exceptionally lousy at it. I love chess, although I don't play it as much as I'd like to. Chess, which I've played since I was very young, appeals to me in part because it's a game of perfect information - the entire state of the game is always visible to all players.
I use some of my free time for activities that are still enjoyable, but are somewhat closer to the other end of the entertainment-work spectrum. My website chronicles these creative endeavors. There are several reasons why I like to explain things. I'm good at it, and I always take pleasure in doing something well. Also, developing a clear conceptual explanation of something helps me to understand it more completely. Learning is hard work, filled with lots of trial and error; with a clear conceptual explanation, I can make the process easier for other people. I love to reduce and eliminate complexity.
Although it's not always obvious, I do in fact have a sense of humor. Throughout my writing, I scatter references to things which I consider to be amusing. These references entertain me and serve as rewards for readers who are attentive and knowledgeable. In this, I emulate the holy Jargon File. Usually, I find the juxtaposition of serious and silly things to be hilarious.