FIG. L1Archery
I compete in archery. It’s a sport of calm, focus and doing the same small thing well, over and over.
Personal
The curiosity that drives my research doesn’t switch off when I leave the lab. I compete in archery, get my hands into clay, take cold dips through the Danish winter, and lately I’ve been getting hooked on scuba diving.
Most of these I started as a complete beginner, and that’s half the fun. Below you’ll find them, along with the books on my shelf.
If you enjoy any of this, or have been meaning to try it, come along. I’m always glad of company at the range, the wheel or the water.
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What I do away from the desk, and what I’m starting to explore.Interests
FIG. L1
FIG. L2Ceramics
Traditional craft I keep coming back to. Clay is slow, tactile and honest about every mistake.
FIG. L3Winter bathing
Cold dips through the Danish winter. The first few seconds are hard; the rest of the day feels great.
FIG. L4Scuba diving
Now exploringMy newest fascination, and the thing I’m exploring most right now: a whole new world to learn, one dive at a time. [Certification, first dives, dream sites.]
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Books I’d hand to a friend, each with a one-line take.Reading shelf
Sleeping Giants
A giant metal hand found buried in South Dakota starts a hunt for the rest of an ancient robot, told entirely through interviews and files.
Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid
How meaning and self-awareness can arise from formal systems, traced through Gödel’s incompleteness, Escher’s art and Bach’s fugues.
Factfulness
Ten instincts that distort how we see the world, and the data showing it is, by most measures, better than we think.
The Creative Act: A Way of Being
Creativity as a way of living: paying attention, staying open to ideas, and making work for its own sake.
Metamorphosis
Gregor Samsa wakes up transformed into a giant insect, and his family’s care slowly turns into resentment.
Siddhartha
A young Brahmin leaves home in search of enlightenment and learns that wisdom can’t be taught, only lived.