Writing

Arc browser's ambiguous user alignment

Feb 2024

As an avid Arc user and design enjoyooor – the implications of where they’re heading with this latest announcement makes me quite uneasy.

A Change in SF's Tech Fauna

Oct 2023

Over the past few years, there’s been an under-discussed, but consequential vibe shift in the SF tech scene.

How to enjoy SF

Jun 2023

San Francisco is a place that defies legibility. It’s hard, yet very fun to love – and definitely not for everyone.

2022 WIP ideas

Nov 2022

2022 was apparently a difficult writing year for me. There was a full 13 months during which I wrote nothing but fragments of unpublishable posts. Instead of trying to finish all of them, I’ll publish them all here as WIP ideas.

We are still duds

Nov 2022

Tech product design as a field feels like an intellectual desert these days. No discourse, no research, no dreams. It’s just eerily quiet.

How to get the fastest green card

Oct 2021

With the right background, enough commitment, and a bit of luck, it is possible to functionally get a green card in under a year with the EB1. I recently went through the process, so I’m documenting how it works and sharing some lessons I’ve learned.

Dark Forest captain's log 2

May 2021

Day seven in the dark forest, where I’m now strategically watching commit logs and deploying more hash power. Also, a dispatch from meatspace.

Dark Forest captain's log 1

May 2021

Dark forest space is vast. But I didn’t know that at first, busy as I was, claiming all celestial bodies in sight. But space had a way of quickly teaching you its lessons.

Site redesign update

Apr 2021

It’s been… uh nine months since the last update on this site’s open redesign. Progress is slow, but working this way has been dangerously fun.

Some interesting tensions

Apr 2021

This is a grab bag of tensions I wrestle with. They’re starting to take up too much space in my head, so I’m writing them down.

A Short note on grace

Feb 2021

In different periods of my life, I paid attention to different kinds of character traits. These days, it’s grace. But it hasn’t always been.

Experts should curate

Aug 2020

You ever want to learn something, and just get totally overwhelmed by the near infinite number of guides out there?

Being negatively-driven

Aug 2020

For as long as I remember, I’ve derived much of my force of will from negativity: feeling not smart enough, watching my peers be more successful, not having gone to a famous college

Redesigning my site in the open

Jul 2020

I haven’t updated my personal website since late 2017 – probably the longest period ever between two redesigns. It’s held up well for over 4 years, but it’s time for a refresh.

The structure of progress in craft

Jun 2020

There’s a lot of research on the structure of progress in science (Kuhn, Popper, Deutsch, etc.) but what about the progress of professional craft?

Design tools and design jobs

Feb 2020

Over the last 2 decades, we went from photoshop to sketch to figma, but these are all fundamentally tools for drawing boxes. Where is the Engelbart-esque software for designers?

Bridgewater culture

Jan 2020

Every org should try to be more like Bridgewater if they can pull it off.

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