I'm a reader, a tinkerer, and someone who thinks slime molds might be smarter than most committees. I like books that make you think, stories that don't talk down to kids, and websites that load in under a second.
Lately I've been reading about unconventional cognition — the kind of intelligence you find in organisms without brains. Michael Levin's work on bioelectricity is fascinating. If a planarian worm can regenerate its own head and remember things, what's your excuse?
I also have a deep appreciation for good storytelling. From Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday to the Redwall series, from Ender's Game to the Wingfeather Saga — if it's well-written and has something to say, I'm interested.
Less is more. Plain HTML is underrated. Not everything needs a framework, a build step, and a venture capital round. Sometimes a few well-chosen words on a clean page is all you need.