Klaus Nordby's militantly dull homepage
www.klausnordby.com/ego/hobbies.html
06-Jan-08
22:14
Hobbies
Hard & soft stuff galore
I love my Komputers, the Web, email correspondence — and especially all sort of graphics-related soft- and hardware.
Reading
I have an extensive book collection, especially in the fields of philosophy and art and I can never get enough books! My dream is to never have to visit a library again, because all the books I want are already on my shelves. Fat chance.
The philosophy of Objectivism is a source of great interest to me, as is philosophy in general and I have spent much time (and money!) on reading, participating in study groups, attending conferences and taking courses in this field.
When younger, I read books in political science and economics — but I don't go near them now. In the past 15 years or so, my interests have centered on philosophy, art history, esthetics and some history. I am also increasingly becoming interested in psychology. Many of my friends are intellectuals in such fields and through them I learn a lot.
The Arts
I am also fond of novels, music, movies and poetry — see the Leisure links on the left for various favorites.
Anatomy & drawing
I love the human body! I study artistic anatomy from books and photographs and do general drawing exercises.
Language
Being Norwegian by birth, I of course grew of up speaking Norwegian. I also understand Swedish, Danish and some German. But the one language I love is English. I like to browse dictionaries and discover new words, etymology, etc. (but I is greatly bored by grammar, alas . . . ) .
Typography & Printing
I study typography & printing, both as a hobby and for my professional needs.
Photography
I used to photograph a lot when younger, both with 35 mm and large-format studio view cameras and was quite an expert with all sorts of arcane darkroom techniques. I don't have a darkroom anymore, but then almost everything I used to do in there I can now do so much easier and better on my Komputers.
UPDATE: I have recently (August 2005) acquired a fine digital camera, which has now rejuvenated my long-dormant love for photography.
Nature
For many years, I did not appreciate natural scenery, but now I love it. And while Norway sure has its flaws, it is pretty damn good in this respect.
Travel
So far, I have made most of my vacation trips to the U.S. (on each coast), but I have also traveled a bit in Denmark, Holland, England and France — though not nearly enough! I would like to see more of the world, of course, especially Italy and Greece (because of their art and cultural history).
Esoteric technicalities
Finally, there are my more esoteric interests: color theory, digital graphics technologies, printing and reproduction technologies. I love this stuff, but I don't have any close friends who are interested in those things.