![](/new-year-new-me.jpg)

# Town Hall #19: Whimsy

[^note]: I'm open for full-time and part-time work right now! Check out
    [my portfolio](/about), [my resume](/resume.pdf),
    [send me an email](mailto:hello@taylor.town?subject=work%20together), throw
    something on [my calendar](/meet), watch me forget how to balance a binary
    tree, etc.

I was featured
[on Hacker Stations](https://hackerstations.com/setups/taylor_town/)!

I hope you enjoy the pics of my whimsy factory.

## Writings

- ☆ [Two Toucans Canoe](/two-toucans-canoe)
- ☆ [why I didn't play this harpsichord sooner](/harpsichord)
- ☆ [Re: (Extremely, unnecessarily long) Thanks for the pardoning](/pardoned)
- ["Please click on all images of the heaviest animal species"](/polar-bear)
- [Tear Duct Enhancement Surgery](/tear-duct-enhancement)
- [Does Betteridge's Law apply to this headline?](/is-betteridges-law)
- [Emoji by Category](/emoji-by-category)
- [Emoji by Year](/emoji-by-year)

## Projects

- **[blogs.hn](https://blogs.hn):** I refreshed all the HN links through the end
  of 2023. Enjoy!
- **[scrapscript](https://scrapscript.org):** Max and Chris are
  [making excellent progress](https://github.com/tekknolagi/scrapscript)! I
  can't wait to jump back in after my career stuff has stabilized.
- **[the cheap web](https://potato.cheap):** Lots of folks have emailed me about
  the video platform and the markup language. I'm planning some follow-ups, but
  it might take a while -- thanks for your patience (in advance)!
- **[wishwell.io](https://wishwell.io):** Anybody looking for a crappy
  alternative to Patreon?

## Questions & Answers

_If you have questions or answers,
[send me an e-mail](mailto:hello@taylor.town?subject=Hello)._

- I've been working on a flashcard app. Any subjects/decks you'd like me to add
  before launch?
- Do you know of any essential CSS patterns? e.g.
  `html * { box-sizing: border-box }`
- Are there any super lightweight CSS stylesheets/frameworks that "just work"?

## Recommendations

[^note]: You can also scour my entire history of [book reviews](/books),
    [album ratings](/music), and [active podcasts](/podcasts). You may also want
    to [read about my rating system](/2-stars).

### Books {books}

|       |                                     |                                                         |
| ----: | ----------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------ |
| ★★★★★ | [review](/books#of-mice-and-men)    | _Of Mice and Men_ :: John Steinbeck                     |
| ★★★★★ | [review](/books#mt-char)            | _The Library at Mt. Char_ :: Scott Hawkins              |
|  ★★★★ | [review](/books#robert-caro)        | _Working_ :: Robert A. Caro                             |
|  ★★★★ | [review](/books#kitchen)            | _Kitchen_ :: Banana Yoshimoto                           |
|  ★★★★ | [review](/books#in-the-castle)      | _We Have Always Lived In The Castle_ :: Shirley Jackson |
|   ★★★ | [review](/books#radical-acceptance) | _Radical Acceptance_ :: Tara Brach                      |
|    ★★ | [review](/books#tiffanys)           | _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ :: Truman Capote               |
|    ★★ | [review](/books#moll-flanders)      | _Moll Flanders_ :: Daniel Dafoe                         |
|    ★★ | [review](/books#gift-of-therapy)    | _The Gift of Therapy_ :: Irvin Yalom                    |

### Music {music}

|      |                                                     |
| ---: | :-------------------------------------------------- |
| ★★★★ | Perturbator :: _The Uncanny Valley_                 |
|  ★★★ | Lower Definition :: _The Greatest of All Lost Arts_ |
|  ★★★ | Anberlin :: _Never Take Friendship Personal_        |
|    ★ | Klangkuenstler :: _That's Me_                       |
|      | KEN Mode :: _Loved_                                 |