About the blog
This blog is about things that I make. It’s also about teaching other people to make things, because I strongly believe in sharing knowledge; other people explaining how they do things is how I learn, so I figure it’s only fair to return the favour. I hope you will, too!
About me
My name is Jonathan M. Guberman. I’ve dabbled in a lot of things: computer animation and biomedical engineering in high school, mathematics as an undergraduate, molecular biology for a Ph.D., and now I’m a computer programmer/bioinformatician. I enjoy rock climbing, SCUBA diving, nature photography, and, of course, making things.
I live in Toronto, Canada. I’m a cofounder of Site 3 coLaboratory. I’ve started trying to sell some of the things I make. I’m interested in how people interact with technology, both from the “technology” side (as in, designing and building interesting interfaces, toys, and interactive art), and from the “people” side (as in, teaching people about electronics and programming; how new technology affects culture; and the political issues surrounding technology). These days I’m also trying to learn more physical fabrication skills, doing more projects that might be classified as mechanical engineering, design, or crafts. I tend to get bored easily, so usually when I move to a new project I’ll often do something completely different than what I did before, hopefully one where I can learn new skills and techniques.
I think, though, my fellow Site 3 member Tom said it best: I want in living in a world of my own ideas realized, and, as much as possible, I want to share that unique joy with others.
“Upward, not Northward”
This blog’s name comes from a line in Edwin A. Abbott’s Flatland: a romance of many dimensions, the full text of which is available for free at Project Gutenberg. It is scathing social satire wrapped in brilliant mathematical speculation, and is the exemplar of the tiny science fiction sub-genre of mathematical fiction; in other words, it’s just about perfect, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.