My name is Alex Smith. acroyear2.org is my personal website; it’s named after a great song by Autechre.
I’m a recovering logician. In school at Carnegie Mellon I studied both mathematical and philosophical logic, somehow earning two degrees in the process. My master’s thesis, called Kernel, Cumulative, and Safe Contractions, was on the logical properties of certain ways of changing your beliefs. I also participated in a research group, trying to teach an AI set theory and teach some undergrads basic symbolic logic. At least for now, I’m using these highly developed analytical skills and the people skills I picked up along the way to do project management for an internet design and development company.
One of my biggest interests is music. While in school, I spent a lot of time with WRCT, Carnegie Mellon’s radio station. I was somehow in charge of it all as General Manager from May 2006 to May 2008. I DJed a show Tuesday nights called Quantized Energy from January 2005 to May 2009. I mostly played experimental, avant-garde, drone, and noise music, but my tastes are widening to include lots of rock, jazz, reggae, hip-hop, and electronic stuff.
I like to pretend I’m a cook or at least some kind of gourmet. Discovering new restaurants and slowly improving my cooking occupies a lot of my time. I’m a fan of every cuisine that I’ve tried; favorites range from German to Thai. While I was growing up, I started a coffee addiction very early, which I have now cut back on since I have to make time for beer and bourbon as well. I have a special place in my heart for espresso, cappuccinos, French press, Turkish coffee, IPAs, pilsners, porters, dry stouts, neat whiskey, and Manhattans.
Other hobbies include the game of go, chess, other strategy games (all of which I am bad at), and reading. I have an unnatural fascination with cities and subways, so in September 2009 I moved to Brooklyn after finishing my graduate studies; I live in Park Slope and work in DUMBO.
I have a blog, but I don’t update it enough. Drop me an email, if you like.