Brilliant essays by John Perry, defending yet more life choices generally seen as faults.
- Procrastination and Perfectionism
- Many procrastinators do not realize that they are perfectionists, for the simple reason that they have never done anything perfectly, or even nearly so. They have never been told that something they did was perfect. They have never themselves felt that anything they did was perfect. They think, quite mistakenly, that being a perfectionist implies often, or sometimes, or at least once, having completed some task to perfection. But this is a misunderstanding...
- A Plea for the Horizontally Organized
- Now looking as it does, my desk is likely to attract critical comments from vertical organizers. These people tend to think that a desk piled high with paper is the sign of a disorganized person. But this isn't so...
- The Justice Diet
- Like most diets, the Justice Diet has nothing to do with nutrition, and everything to do with sin, punishment and just reward. Unlike other diets, the Justice Diet admits this, which allows for a revolutionary approach...
- The Case Against Golf
- There are many wonderful things about golf. One thing is that it's nice being outdoors, with the trees and the birds and the gophers and so forth. The feeling of being at peace with nature can be slightly offset if one thinks of the wetlands or prairie that was ruined to build the course, or the tons of fertilizer that are needed to keep it green, but in many cases if a golf course weren't where it is something worse would be, so what the hell...
- On Becoming Bilingual
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- "If you call someone who knows two languages "bilingual" and someone who knows three languages "trilingual," what do you call someone who knows only one language? ---- An American."...
- Laptops and Lab Manuals
- I remember my first portable. I think it must have weighed at least twelve pounds---but it was tiny compared to the PC on my desk. I had a lot of fantasies about that computer. As I brought it home to unpack it I really did think I would probably just carry it around with me all day long, taking notes, saving great ideas in a way that would allow instant retrieval later, impressing my friends. And I was sure it would be great on trips. Instead of wasting my time reading mysteries on the plane, I would whip out an article or two on my portable computer. I was sure it would change my life...
- The Academic Trough
- Being a Full Professor has a lot to be said for it. You are a duke or duchess in the medieval institution of the university. You receive a good salary, as big and nice an office as your department has available, first choice of class hours, and a lot of nice other perks. And there is also the wisdom and balanced judgment that comes with age...
