The best living experience I’ve had was definitely in college. The density of people meant that third places were everywhere — dining halls, courtyards, and coffee shops that I could sit in and be stumbled across by friends, and settle in for conversation and companionship. It’s hard to replicate as an adult, because, even though I’m fortunate to have a lot of the people I care about all live in one city, we live up to an hour from... Read more
In 2015, I’m reading and blogging through Ronald Knox’s collection of sermons on Christian exemplars, Captive Flames: On Selected Saints and Christian Heroes. Every Monday, I’ll be writing about the next portrait in the book, so you’re welcome to peruse them all and/or read along. The first sermon in the book is on Saint Cecilia, who Knox sees as a model for ordinary Christians, who may feel they have no particularly saintly challenges to face. He contrasts St. Cecilia with St. Catherine of... Read more
You can listen to “Fights in Good Faith,” my weekly radio program, streaming today at 5pm ET and tomorrow (Sun) at 1pm. The audio is now up for streaming at my show’s page. Plus, this Monday, you can come see me speak in person in San Francisco. Every week, I put up a “Radio Readings” post, so you can track down the books, articles, and, this week: Passover songs(!) that I cite on the show. So, without further ado, here’s what I’m talking... Read more
Don’t forget, if you’re in the Bay Area, that I’ll be speaking at St. Dominic’s this Monday night — tell your friends! And for those of you not near San Francisco, you can catch me on the radio at 5pm on Saturday or 1pm on Sunday. — 1 — I was really pleased to find, in the NYT artists imitating life (my life specifically). The paper interviewed Emma Stone and Eddie Redmayne in tandem, and, when asked how she... Read more
Although every Saint Patrick’s Day, streets shut down for a quasi-Catholic-related march, the American St. Paddy’s Day has about as much to do with Christianity as it does with Ireland these days, and is mostly an excuse to dress up and drink. A lot of public festivals have been watered down in this way. And the ones that remain strongly tied to a particular religious identity tend not to be public. For example, I once attended Mass at a parish... Read more
I’ve just finished Scott Aaronson’s Quantum Computing Since Democritus this week (making a list of the books I wanted to read has really helped me prioritize them!), and I’d like all of your help in prepping what’s going to be a segment I do on it this week for my radio show. Quantum Computing Since Democritus falls into the same category for me as Flatland — it’s a book about a technical field, where most of the benefit I get... Read more
I’m pleased to announce that, on Monday, February 2nd at 7:30pm, I’ll be speaking at the very beautiful St. Dominic’s Church in San Francisco. I’ll be tackling the topic “Cultivating Openness to Truth” and discussing ways to make it easier for an opponent (or you!) to have the chance to notice that s/he is in error. (And I’ll be giving some examples from my own life and conversion story). The talk plus Q&A (heavy on the latter) will take place in... Read more
You’ll be able to catch “Fights in Good Faith,” my weekly radio program, streaming today at 5pm ET and tomorrow (Sun) at 1pm. And the audio this week is already up at the archive page! Every week, I put up a “Radio Readings” post, so you can track down the books, articles, songs, (and, this week, mathematical figures!) that I cite on the show. So, without further ado, here’s what I’m talking about this week. Letting your “enemy” define your identity... Read more
Two housekeeping notes: you can still vote for me in the “Smartest Blog” category in the Sheenazing Awards, and my weekly radio show will be streaming tomorrow at 5pm and again on Sunday at 1pm, — 1 — Folks, this archery video (found via Deadspin) has made my day. Based on nerdy examination of historical art of archers, Lars Anderson overhauled his shooting technique and, well, let me let Deadspin summarize, since I prefer only to swear in direct quotations:... Read more
Ilana Yurkiewicz explained, as a doctor, how she has to make an active effort to avoid learning callousness from the occasional deceptions of her patients. Meanwhile, in the Federalist, Teresa Mull is tackling a similar problem in modern dating. She’s worried about the danger of being emotionally overextended, and would like to see folks engage in fewer high-turnover, emotionally-intense assignations. The practice of bonding and staying close until one partner arbitrarily changes his or her mind is detrimental to both physical... Read more
Unequally Yoked
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