User:Fastfission

I'm a PhD student studying the history of science and technology. I use Wikipedia to practice writing up things I know about in a non-academic style. I find it to be good practice. I have admittedly very low tolerance for people who misuse history for crankish reasons, or choose to spend more time arguing about trivial points than they do in contributing good work. I think Wikipedia has some problems (the ratio of ease-of-disruption to ability-to-cope-with-disruption is a little too askew for my tastes), but I try not to get too frustrated with people. I must admit I fear the Wiki project will fail when it becomes large enough that it is awash with Creationists, Neo-Nazis, racists, hagiographers, and other people who have a lot more motivation, free time, and patience than people with more legitimate interests unless something is done to better rectify this situation. But until then, I'll try to make a few worthwhile contributions, until I eventually get too frustrated to continue (which I'm sure will happen someday). Ah well.

I am also fond of making images for Wikipedia when I have the time. Feel free to e-mail me any illustration requests, though I can't promise I'll find the time to work on it. Through my ridiculously-well-funded university I also have easy electronic access to historical New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal issues, as well as a plethora of academic journals, so feel free to e-mail me if you have a specific citation you'd like looked up, it is really not much effort.

The entry I am spending most of my Wikitime on currently is:
History of nuclear weapons
Please feel free to help me out.

"Take the book into your two hands, and read your eyes out; you will never find what I find." —Ralph Waldo Emerson