Topics

February 25, 2024

The ambition for writing is a motivating force in me. I know myself to have some capacity for producing words but have not enforced the discipline for making something of it until now. Reading Asimov, the gulf between me and a great storyteller’s is evident. The story development in each sentence of Foundation tracks meaningfully towards a predetermined end. My writing doesn’t have an end in mind and so falls off based on a feeling of completion. It’s more an exploration of thinking. And well, wandering on the page could prove helpful and it has to some extent. I think a lot, and thinking on the page is way more effective than getting stuck on the same loop in the mind. The page acts as a memory and allows breakthrough in thinking, at least with respect to my own. So wandering on the page is helpful to me. Curious if the resultant words would be helpful to anyone else. I can see the emulation of the process being helpful to others, in particular those susceptible to thinking in circles or procrastination.

I would like to publish at a regular interval. Based on time available to write this means, at least in some instances, the writing will be some kind of weekly retrospective, a summary journal if you will. As a summary, I won’t focus on the intricate psycho-emotional substrate, but more on the takeaways and plan to navigate the world on an ongoing basis. In this way, at least at first, writing may not be directed towards a known end rather a real time snapshot of a person making sense of the world.

Politics

Now we get to the scope of subjects to be covered. I’m avoiding talking about politics too readily. I have an opinion on this front of course and our times surely force us to be as political as ever. The political noise and chatter seems increasingly amplified at least. Still, without insider knowledge into the actual workings of the political machine or the main issues of today, I would be limited to my opinion on the issues that are most popular or receiving most airtime. Surely, I will not resist the temptation and do feel strongly on certain issues. I would rather treat issues with a focused article to properly explore the subject. None of my political opinions I consider controversial and, in most cases, they reflect the public consensus. The difference between policy and public consensus though is significant and the real source for consideration related to the American political system. At a very high level, I align most closely to the Libertarian perspective and identify as a Humanist. 

Technology

The main subject that can be expected from me is technology entrepreneurship. I am deep into artificial intelligence by interest and profession. I can say interest in the technology goes as far back as 2012. Only since 2017 did it become a source of income via employment. I’m most interested in writing on AI’s impact on society but will try to share understanding of how the technology works in simple terms. What drives my curiosity is how people use artificial intelligence and what the market finds valuable. It is a wonder for example, that humans have seemed to desire artificial intelligence for centuries. Mostly evident in the imaginations of writers from Mary Shelley with Frankenstein, to science fiction writers of the 20th century, now to the explicit discussion around general intelligence. I believe AGI is inevitable because humans won’t stop until they satisfy the craving to create in their likeness. 

Art

Art and culture is the third and other main category of focus.

“Culture is not your friend”

Terence Makenna’s words have stuck with me lately. I am cautious of dealing with culture directly because it seems a second or third level derivative. The active ingredient are artists. I find most kinship with great artists of present and past and am continually inspired through their passion. Artists reflect the time they find themselves in and enahnce the collective consciousness. Art is great when it reflects and resonates with a society. Artists have some of the best signal to noise ratios in revealing where society is going. Rick Rubin is one of my favorite people to follow and his description of what makes art valuable comes to mind. I had the hardest time coming to terms with what now seems self-evident, as he puts it:

“As an artist, if you like it, that’s ALL of the value”.

A market determines what is economically successfully, an audience what is a great performance, but to create the most valuable art to begin with, an artist must create for their own liking only. 

If I can do these topics justice that will be enough.