This Ted Chiang interview is a fun read not because Ted Chiang is an interesting thinker, which he is, but because he’s so unforthcoming.
When I asked Chiang if he had hobbies, he said no, and then, after a long pause, admitted that he plays video games. He refused to say what he eats for breakfast. Eventually, I sent him an e-mail with twenty-four questions that, I hoped, might elicit more personal details:
Do you have a favorite novel?
There isn’t one that I would want to single out as a favorite. I’m wary of the idea of a favorite anything.
_You've spent many years living near the water. Do you like the sea?
_ Not particularly. I don't actually spend much time on the coast; it's just chance that I happened to move here.