| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | When I was about ten, I saw the neighbor's cat trotting across the street with something blue and fidgety in his mouth. I grabbed a laundry basket and went after him, and got a parakeet that day. He was ok, if a bit stunned, so we gave him a name and kept him. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | My dad is a very decent and unselfish person. He's more gregarious than I am, but even so, I've realized what an impression it made on me that he would act like a human with everyone, if that makes sense; rather than coasting along with cursory interactions. To the extent that I'm able to do that, I probably owe it to him. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | Three closely related things: 1) self-reflection, 2) the ability to not act on one's immediate impulses, and 3) abstract thinking. The first lets you get along with people in the long run; the second in the short run. The third gives you the ability to be an interesting person. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | For April Fools in college, I bought a bunch of sticky notes and labelled literally every object of my roommate's. He was a rather fastidious guy. So I come back from class and nothing looks awry. "Looks like you've cleaned up," I said. "Mmhmm." he replied. He wasn't angry, but he wouldn't give me the satisfaction of a reaction. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | As someone who travels to see landscapes, I'd love to visit the fjords of Norway. I especially appreciate mountainous terrain and water features, and Norway seems to have the best of both, all in the same place. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | Health, of course, for selfish reasons; I hope their lives are free of medical issues. But also, and more altruistically, I think, cognitive ability, so that civilization can make good use of whatever they have to offer. |
