Origins

I’m drawn to the idea of an art of living much more so than to the compulsive search for life hacks, regimens of self-improvement, or self-optimization schemes. These too often feel like a doubling down on the insistence that we can always do more if only we apply the right technique. They also suggest that the path to happiness involves the discov... See more

We are surrounded by remarkable technological advancements, advanced tooling and infrastructure. However, without accounting for culture or desire, these tools fall flat, lacking the spark that transforms pure functionality into meaningful creations. Successful design goes beyond the superficiality of aesthetics and the pragmatism of functionality—... See more

Many concepts that sound good on paper are infeasible to implement, or simply don’t produce the expected results. It’s frustrating when that happens, of course, but the pace of experimentation and learning at a startup is unparalleled. I think this is an especially important form of rigor for theorycels like me. Building product forces a different ... See more

AI refactors previous use of humans, and unleashes new use for humans. Two weeks traveling Japan proved to be the perfect setting to contemplate some of the sweeping changes facing our society over the coming years and decades. The smart people I know generally agree that 80% of the work of 80%+ of jobs will be refactored significantly by AI. And

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Software problems tend to evolve over time into philosophy problems, a point that's come up in a few Diff pieces, like the Antithesis writeup and Asana's ontology-as-a-service ($). In this particular category, it's the philosophy of work and vocation: a bond trader, accountant, or social media manager doesn't necessarily have to spend much time nav... See more

I believe that anything that people make on their own, anything they create for pure pleasure, is beautiful.

People will sit alone in their basements playing guitar simply because they like the sound. They’ll paint, write poems, and whittle wood into little figurines without any expectation of gaining money or fame. It just makes 'em feel good. All... See more