Nico L'Insalata

Today our Reader Spotlight shines on Nico L’Insalata, who discovered Carve last winter, when he mistakenly left the “R” off of Carver in his Google search. He comes from the south of Italy and has drifted north for the last 14 years, currently living in Dublin, Ireland (with no further drift in sight). He is an electronic engineer, his speciality being to “build abstraction layers, a.k.a. push the reality down a few notches.” He tells us a few of his favorite computer-flavored words and his favorite Carve story.

You have some favorite computer code words? 

Yes, my favorite computer code words are “case”, “assert”, “constraint”, and “unless”, partly because of their power to express complex concepts in simple form, and partly because of their sound.

What do you like about Carve magazine?

All the stories (well, almost) are here, on the website. That’s a very respectful choice. I visit the site every now and pick a random story to read.

What types of stories do you like to read?

Crude reality. Deconstructed realities. Anything in between will work too. I don’t like when the writer sorts out all the details for me, I like to take the story and bend it in my direction, be part of it, possibly get lost in it.

What Carve story would you recommend to our readers?

I enjoyed “Schadenfreude“ by Melanie Kokolios. I like how the reality of the story blends with the reality of the reader. There was an ongoing fight in the back of my head while reading: “No! We’re not this reader!”

We thank Nico for taking the time to shine in our Reader Spotlight. Follow him on Twitter to stay connected to the Carve community.

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Reader Spotlight is a chance for us to turn the spotlight on you. Whether a new fan or a longtime reader, we want to hear from you. Email us at readerspotlight@carvezine.com to be featured.