Front Door
Here you will find short writings on a variety of topics. Some are responses to questions I received from students or other people. Some are rants about topics I’m passionate about. Some are explanations of how I approach the world. Some are just my attempts to think through a topic. If you’d like, you can read a longer introduction. If you’re here because someone told you that I write about CS education, please read this post.
Latest musing: Happy birthday, Love! (Musing #1259)
Musings, by number, oldest to newest
Musings, by number, newest to oldest
- For prospective students, parents of prospective students, and others with similar interests
- For prospective faculty
- For current students, and others with similar interests
- For alumni, and for others who donate to the department
- On writing, or at least on writing these essays
- On language
- ChatGPT, LLMs, and Other Similar Issues
- Various notes on life in academia
- Meta-musings
- Reflections on some important issues
- Rants
- Assorted talks and speeches
- Thank-you notes
- On overcommitment
- On teaching
- Code camps
- On writing letters of recommendation
- Essays I removed
- Don’t embarrass me; Don’t embarrass yourself: Thoughts on thinking in C and Unix
- The joy of code
- Cool Grinnellians you should know (or know about)
- Registration (and related issues)
- Other essays on Grinnell
- A letter to the incoming chair
- Reviews and notes about things I enjoy
- Board, card, and other games
- Autobiographical essays, more or less
- Some of SamR’s obsessions
- Tales of Tchotchkes
- technology (traditionally troublesome)
- ROF musings
- Almost everything else