interests

Tldr Article & Author
You need to write in order to think well. Age of the Essay by Paul Graham
80% of data analysis is spent on cleaning. Tidy datasets are easier to manipulate, model and visualise. Tidy Data by Hadley Wickham
Good philosophy proceeds with modest, careful and clear steps. Brief Guide to Writing the Philosophy Paper by Simon Rippon
In the real world, threat models are much simpler. You're either dealing with Mossad or not-Mossad. This World of Ours by James Mickens
Dividing assets fairly is hard. The real world isn't perfectly rational. But, we should still give rational methods a try. Your Half's Bigger Than My Half! by Ian Stewart
We are who we are. But the negative space in a portrait is also part of that portrait. What if you could do it all over? by Joshua Rothman
Be careful what job you take, because your job will change you. Career Advice by Moxie Marlinspike
Ed-tech products are hard to grow. Monetization at scale is an unsolved problem. Why Ed-tech Startups Don't Scale by Gian Segato
Good starting point if you're looking for startup advice.

Tldr: focus on making something users love.

 Startup Playbook by Sam Altman

productivity

Tldr Article & Author
Use spaced repetition systems like Anki to make memory a choice rather than chance. Augmenting Long-term Memory by Michael Nielsen
Structure your day rigorously, use your calendar extensively, and focus on optimizing your process rather than obsessing over outcomes. Productivity, Scheduling, Reading Habits, Work, and More by Marc Andreessen

How to prioritize your life better?

  1. Theory of Change (work backwards from your goal)
  2. Lean Tests (iterate quickly)
  3. Bottlenecks (address key limiting factors)
  4. Ballpark Estimates (quantify to compare options)
  5. 80/20 Rule (focus on high-value activities)
 Prioritizing Better by Lynette Bye
Approach research by prioritizing tasks that reduce uncertainty at the fastest rate, rather than by difficulty or completion time. Research as a Stochastic Design Process by Jacob Steinhardt
Break problems into smaller parts, use bounds, sanity-check your answer, use Google as needed. Fermi Estimates by Luke Muehlhauser

videos

Tldr Video & Author
Writing papers is a primary mechanism for doing research. Write before doing the research. Because it forces you to be clear, focused, and crystallises what you don't understand. How to Write a Great Research Paper by Simon Peyton Jones

Building a thrust vectored model rocket:

  1. Start small
  2. Aim for vehicle mass of 500-1000g, which gives you great selection of rocket motors and airframes (66mm, 74mm, 98mm tubes)
  3. Go for a gimbal mount
 How To Build a Thrust Vectored Model Rocket by Joe Barnard
PowerPoint actually has a lot of features and covers a lot of edge cases. Powerpoint Programming by Tom Wildenhain
If you're interested in deep reinforcement learning, this is a good starting point. Spinning Up in Deep RL by OpenAI
If you're interested in the science of cooking, Kenji's book is a good place to start. This video is a good sneak peek of what he talks about in the book. The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji López-Alt

websites

Tldr Website
Nonprofit researching and promoting effective altruism 80,000 Hours
Research helps direct donations to the most impactful charities GiveWell
48 exercises that demonstrate attacks on real-world crypto Cryptopals Crypto Challenges
Insightful case studies from a UX consultancy builtformars
Double-entry accounting from text files beancount

I'm pretty sure that gaining control over your limbic system is both the definition of maturity and the core human struggle

- Wait But Why

Contact