http://www.etherfarm.com/synapse A personal tribute to digital narcissism en comments@etherfarm.com 2010-05-24T04:15:00-08:00 http://www.etherfarm.com/synapse/archives/meet_anya_viola_nayar/ Narayan, Nara, and Ray are pleased to announce the birth of Anya Viola Nayar. She was born (very quickly!) on May 23rd at 13:29, weighed in at 7lbs 9oz and measured 19.5”. After Anya and Nara settled into a nap, I went to pick up some Ray and some dinner. My first conversation with Ray after his sister was born unfolded as follows: … Anya, Personal, Ray Narayan 2010-05-24T04:15:00-08:00 http://www.etherfarm.com/synapse/archives/food_bender_2010_cincinnati_and_north_central_kentucky/ Food Bender 2010 involved some quality time in a part of the country I don’t know very well--the southeastern midwest (or if you prefer, the northwestern South). In 2008, I went to the Woodworking in America Handtools Event in Berea, Kentucky, but other than my brief stay at the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, that trip was primarily about woodworking, not about food. This year, in addition to a few nights in Cincinnati (a way cool town, it turns out), three friends and I used the Old Ministry House (pictured above) as a base of operations for exploring the area’s culinary and cultural offerings. The bucolic setting and the sporadic mobile phone reception left me about as unplugged as I get--both mentally and electronically.… Food, Globetrotting Narayan 2010-05-04T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.etherfarm.com/synapse/archives/a_tale_of_two_cabbies/ A 3-week long business trip a few weeks ago began in early March at 6:15am when Scotty pulled up to the house in his taxi. I got into the back seat and, having used Scotty’s airport service several times, asked Scotty how he was doing. “I’m cold, man!” “Yeah?… Armchair Anthropology, California, Globetrotting Narayan 2010-04-12T00:40:00-08:00 http://www.etherfarm.com/synapse/archives/on_to_two_o_one_o/ Most of my friends, colleagues, and acquaintances found 2009 a harder year than years past. The global economic downturn and its residual effects of course weighed heavily on all of us—some more directly than others. For me, 2009 really wasn’t bad, and I’m going into 2010 with some good momentum. The Could’ve-Been-Better… California, Food, Globetrotting, Personal, Ray, Woodworking, Work Narayan 2009-12-31T20:13:00-08:00 http://www.etherfarm.com/synapse/archives/less_is_more/ This year I’ve traveled only a quarter of what I traveled last year. Though I have friends in most places I visit, it has been nice not having to go overseas so much. The real difference, though, is not measured in miles traveled or time abroad. The difference is that this year Ray really notices when I’m away.… Globetrotting, Personal, Ray Narayan 2009-10-21T23:18:00-08:00 http://www.etherfarm.com/synapse/archives/silly/ Below are excerpts from recent conversations I’ve had with Ray: Playing with Trains Ray: ”Choo-a-choo, whoo-a-whoo...” Narayan: ”Choo-a-choo, whoo-a-whoo… ” Ray: “Slow down for the government!” Narayan: “What did you just say?!” Ray: “Slow down for the government!” Narayan: “Wow. OK.… Ray Narayan 2009-07-06T00:44:00-08:00 http://www.etherfarm.com/synapse/archives/five_years/ Five years ago today on a farm in northwest Illinois, my wife and I drove to our wedding on a tractor. She was wearing a dress she made herself and I was wearing a traditional ceremonial Indian outfit (complete with curly, pointy shoes!) brought to the U.S. by relatives. The tractor, a six-wheeled John Deere Gator, was a fitting chariot for an excursion through an apple orchard, a mud puddle, across a land bridge, and up a small hill to a throng of people wondering exactly which cultish ritual they had signed up to attend.… Personal Narayan 2009-06-26T16:43:00-08:00 http://www.etherfarm.com/synapse/archives/lakshmi_1995_2009/ Today I had to say goodbye to my dog, Lakshmi. I’m not one for sentimental monologues--in fact I’m patently bad at them. I’m obligated, however, to at least a few words, as so many people absolutely adored Lakshmi. I was reminded of this just recently when I was in Portland, Maine, for the Food Bender.… Personal Narayan 2009-06-12T02:32:00-08:00 http://www.etherfarm.com/synapse/archives/maker_faire/ My family has been attending the SF Bay Maker Faire every year since its inception. It’s relatively easy to describe what The Maker Faire is—unsurprisingly, it’s a gathering for people who make things—but it’s very difficult to articulate its scope in a way that can be understood for those who don’t or can’t attend. The horizon of creativity witnessed at the Maker Faire is mindboggling. In attending the faire one imbibes equal parts art, science, craft, hobby, delusion, and obsession, witnessing everything from master yo-yo performances to roving squadrons of cupcakemobiles to battle robot arenas to pipe cleaner art.… California, Personal, Ray Narayan 2009-06-08T16:34:00-08:00 http://www.etherfarm.com/synapse/archives/backyard_bowling/ A few weeks ago I had two medium-sized trees taken down in my backyard. Though shade trees, they weren’t providing shade in any meaningful place. In fact, they were fairly useless, dropped these crazy, spikey balls in my neighbor’s lawn, and sat in a corner of the yard where I want to build Ray a fort or clubhouse later this summer. So I decided to have them taken down.… Woodworking Narayan 2009-05-24T15:57:00-08:00