Since my undergraduate days, I've been interested in history, especially Byzantine Constantinople. I very much enjoy the works of Viscount Norwich, and would travel to Venice or Istanbul any time.

When time permits, I've played Sid Meier's Civilization, now at Version 5 (though I prefer version 4 ). Sid Meier's strategy games (Alpha Centauri briefly augmented) have provided me with a series of  Civilization addictions, though not to the extent of eclipsing M.U.L.E. - surely the finest multi-player strategy game ever.There's a nice story about it at Salon.com.

I enjoy cricket, and can't imagine why anyone would think a drawn test is boring. Musically, I abandoned pretensions of taste with an interest in Triple J, and from thence a slippery slope to TISM. However, I do like some modern esoterica, such as Florence + the Machine, Rachid Taha and Garbage.

I'm vastly amused by Dave Barry, Calvin and Hobbes and Doonesbury . I've been enjoying Dilbert, and Alex more so now that I know they're documentaries. I'm an admirer of the late Idries Shah, the prose of Paulo Coelho and the poetry of Rumi .I've enjoyed the paintings of the late Mati Klarwein, Edward Burne-Jones, and Salvador Dali.

I read several columnists - Simon Hoggart, Maureen Dowd, Mary Beard and Gail Collins. There's always a good read in the Boing Boing blog.

I support human rights and environmental activists and I am a supporting member of Greenpeace and Amnesty International.
I like to read news articles online, and subscribe to a number of news services including The New York Times,  The Guardian, The Nation, Al-Jazeera, Matilda and The Onion.
I like to cook all sorts of foods from many cuisines, and have been lucky enough to try lots of meals in foreign countries. I'm best known for the Famous Sago Pudding, but otherwise I cook when occasion allows.
Later this year, my wife and I will be travelling in Europe while I am on long-service leave from the University. I've put together a blog on the trip.