To get myself writing on a regular basis, I'm initiating a proposal: I'll start writing two (or three) articles a week that fit into a theme: stuff is neat.
These will be posts that act as crash-courses into small subjects, ranging from the New Hollywood to quarks, from sugar refining to the Suez Canal crisis. The Stuff is Neat series will reflect my jack-of-all-trades background. For those that don't know, I now have three degrees: a Bachelors of Science in Honours Science with a minor in Earth Sciences, a Masters of Arts in Film Studies, and most recently, a Masters of Museum Studies. In between the MA and MMSt I worked on a PhD in English and Film Studies -- although that's another story as to why I didn't finish. In high school, my favourite subject was human geography. In essence, I've always been interested in knowledge in all its forms, and this series will try to be as eclectic as possible.
So what can you (and I!) expect to learn? Think of a university and its faculties: I'll try to delve into material from all of them. I'll veer into the arts, sciences, engineering, and mathematics, in addition to topics that go beyond academia. What the heck is epistemology? How does one change a tire? What material should I use when remodelling a kitchen counter? What were the highlights of sports in the 1970s?
This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and now that I find myself with extra time, it's the moment to do something about it. Over this next week, I'll begin with three articles: the origins of rock 'n' roll, a cooking process called nixtamalization that involves corn and lime, and a topic close to my heart: guinea pigs!
Over time, if this picks up an audience, I may even ask for guest articles, and of course I'll be asking for suggestions. What is a topic that you think everyone should know about?
Wish me luck!
