Ambition always seems to exceed my grasp, but for lack of anything else to post I’ll note some topics that I’d like to study in more depth this summer. Seems like I’ve been making a lot of lists for the past few entries, but so be it.
To study:
- Math - I have both calculus and linear algebra textbooks in my apartment. I started in on the linear algebra book last month, but I still need a better way to take notes.
- Foreign language - Improving or recollecting what French I took. Spanish would be nice, especially for Borges. Latin has been another on my list of perennials, but I’m still looking for a good pronunciation CD. There are actually a lot of Latin books available online for free because they have passed out of copyright.
- Weather and atmospheric science - there is a cool course of study available via MIT open courseware that deserves more of my attention. It involves plenty of physics and fluid dynamics. I may yet understand wet and dry adiabats.
- Philosophy - need to brush up on the Frankfurt school and continental philosophy in general. This thread at Crooked Timber might be of use.
- Computers and programming - lisp, perl, python, databases. And a healthy helping of Knuth’s ‘Art of Programming’.
- Recreation - chess and go, more perennials for the list.
To read:
- the Bible - always mean to become more acquainted with this founding document but never seem to get around to it. I’m giving the NIV translation a try this time around.
- Lots of fiction authors - Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, Murakami, DeLillo, McCarthy, Vonnegut. I just finished The Time Traveler’s Wife and want to compare it to Slaughterhouse-Five.
- Non-fiction - Digital Copyright by Jessica Litman is high on my list, especially since I’m thinking of writing a thesis on the topic.
