Interests
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ORIGINAL: https://brennan.day/interests/
I have a wide variety of diverse interests. This catalog are passions that have endured over the years. For the most part, I am an uneducated layperson with nearly all of these. If you have recommendations related to any of these, please contact me and let me know! I'm always looking for new sources with humility and curiosity.
Writing & Language
- Creative Nonfiction & Literary Journalism: I love lyric essays and the weaving of personal voice with mechanical fact. The idea of creating a compelling story only using what is true and what has happened.
- WritePads & Digital Typewriters: WritePads are defined as devices that are only capable of writing. A lot of people in the niche enjoy how they eliminate distraction, but I personally just enjoy having something portable and with such an interface.
- Learning French to Read Poetry: I've been trying (badly) to learn French with the goal of experiencing French poetry without translation.
- Poetry & Literature: Poetry has been my lifelong passion. My current favourites are the Imagist movement, 20th-century American works, and poetry in translation (non-English originals).
- Public Domain Work: I love that there is work that you can use in any sort of way with no limits. There is so much beautiful art to experience and remix.
Technology & Digital Life
- Unix Porn (Linux, ThinkPads, BunsenLabs): Out of all operating systems, I love the stability of Debian-based distros and ricing them on my old ThinkPads. Durable and long-lasting. A brutalist aesthetic.
- Mechanical Keyboards: I'm a total newbie to the hobby, but I love getting well-designed keycaps and the thocky-sound of the tactile experience. Keyboards as both tools and artifacts.
- The IndieWeb & Accessibility: As you can tell by this site, I love the idea of building a personal, open web using POSSE, Jamstack, and tools that prioritize ownership and access.
- The Decentralized Web (Mastodon, Bluesky, etc.): I've recently been experimenting with federated and protocol-based social ecosystems.
- Web Development & Programming: Eleventy, Hugo, Jekyll, as well as progressive enhancement and web performance optimization.
- Retro Handheld Gaming: I've gotten into the growing retro handheld scene, playing my Steam and ROM backlog on a Retroid Pocket 2S rather than chasing new hardware. Also love the itch.io indie/art-game ecosystem.
Thought & Study
- Religious Studies: I've become increasingly religious and have found a deep love for nearly every religion I've come across. I'm currently exploring process theology, progressive Christianity, Mahayana Buddhism, the spirituality of writing, Indigenous ways of knowing, and the history/origins of religion (e.g. naturism theory, ancient Egyptian animal deities).
- Philosophy (Western & Eastern): Right now I'm currently exploring post-existentialism, absurdism, ethical thought experiments, bioethics, free will vs. determinism, and happiness research.
- Academic Research Methodology: After getting my first academic journal paper published, I've become really interested in indepdent academic research and how to break down the barries of elitst gatekeeping in these spaces.
- Cultural Anthropology & History: I'm deeply interested in understanding human cultures, rituals, and systems through time. Specifically storytelling and how stories shape communities, memory and practice.
- Mathematics & Science: I've always loved engaging with the languages of logic, patterns, and the physical world, including atmospheric science oddities like transient luminous events (sprites, elves, blue jets).
- Mycology: I'm so oddly fascinated by Fungi, ecosystems, and decomposition as creation. There is so much we don't know about the third kingdom.
Culture & Media
- Arthouse, Indie & Canadian Cinema: Movies are probably my favourite medium of storytelling. I've been especially drawn to films available through Kanopy.
- Death Culture & Practices: I've been studying global rituals around mortality, such as: Toraja, Tibetan Sky Burials, Famadihana, Obon, and Día de Muertos. Windows into values and human understanding.
- Third Places/Public Libraries: I am a loud advocate for and deep interest in the evolving role of libraries as community hubs and knowledge repositories.
Systems & Lifestyle
- Bullet Journaling & Analog Systems: I try to more frequently use tools like Midori Traveler's Notebooks, Blackwing pencils, and Field Notes to organize thought and life. Dollar-store coiled notebooks over Moleskines.
- Veganism & Plant-Based Living: Ethical, environmental, and health dimensions of a plant-centered lifestyle.
- Frugality & Financial Independence: I am cheap (and poor) and try to be mindful regarding my spending, saving, and investing as a path to autonomy and alignment.
- Self-Quantification & Meta-Learning: I track personal data and studying the how of learning itself to optimize growth.
- Meta: The Origin of Value Systems: Where our personal and societal values fundamentally derive from.
Community & Action
- Activism, Mutual Aid & Pro Bono Work: Grassroots organizing, community support systems, and offering skills for public good.
- Government, Politics & Economics: I've been a left-wing dirtbag my entire life. Progressive, communist, and anarchist thought as frameworks for change, especially around economic justice and anti-capitalist solutions.
- Sustainability & Ecology: Environmental ethics, building lighter. Calgary magpies with broken wings and bald heads from curiosity. Prairie sky elongated in winter. Watching the city devour land that should be tallgrass.
- Young Adult Growth & Experiences: Narratives and studies focused on the formative trials, transitions, and triumphs of early adulthood. Coming-of-age narratives, finding voice.
- Self-Improvement & Personal Development: Continual, intentional growth across mental, emotional, and practical life domains.