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Dec 28, 2022

Music I loved in 2022

The music I like seems to fall quite consistently into just two categories: Good songs: Well-crafted songs (often on guitar) that make me feel things. Cool sounds: Noises and beats (often electronic) that intrigue or move me. Still, I spend a decent amount of time thinking about what it is…

Music

6 min read

Music I loved in 2022
Music I loved in 2022
Music

6 min read


Dec 16, 2022

We should say more than “x-risk is high”

Epistemic status: outlining a take that I think is maybe 50% likely to be right. Some people have recently argued that, in order to persuade people to work on high priority issues such as AI safety and biosecurity, effective altruists only need to point to how high existential risk (x-risk)…

Existential Risk

4 min read

We should say more than “x-risk is high”
We should say more than “x-risk is high”
Existential Risk

4 min read


Oct 15, 2022

How I use accountability bets

I frequently use accountability bets to ensure I get things done. Accountability bets are where you commit to giving someone a certain amount of money if you fail to achieve a certain goal by a certain time. …

Productivity

3 min read

How I use accountability bets
How I use accountability bets
Productivity

3 min read


Oct 8, 2022

On absurdity and effective altruism

“Accepting the absurdity of everything around us is one step, a necessary experience: it should not become a dead end. It arouses a revolt that can become fruitful” ― Albert Camus Many people in the effective altruism community are ambitious. Absurdly ambitious. This is good. To achieve amazing things, you…

Effective Altruism

5 min read

On absurdity and effective altruism
On absurdity and effective altruism
Effective Altruism

5 min read


Aug 15, 2022

Track rest, not just work

I think keeping track of how many hours I work is worth doing. It helps me stay calibrated on how productive my week has been, which in turn helps assuage any anxieties about whether I’m doing “enough”. …

Productivity

4 min read

Track rest, not just work
Track rest, not just work
Productivity

4 min read


Jun 3, 2022

Things usually end slowly

Epistemic status: Low confidence. These findings updated me slightly towards worrying more about slow declines vs. sudden collapse/extinction. Most sources are things I quickly googled so are probably off the mark. TL;DR It’s sometimes claimed or suggested that if an extinction event were to happen, it would happen very quickly…

Existential Risk

7 min read

Things usually end slowly
Things usually end slowly
Existential Risk

7 min read


Mar 13, 2022

Grantmaking is more like a skill than a path

Something I recently posted on the Effective Altruism forum. Epistemic status: Moderately strongly held based on anecdotal data, but I could easily imagine learning about broader patterns and withdrawing this claim. TL;DR: Grantmaking, in my view, is best viewed as a set of skills or a stage in a career…

Effective Altruism

6 min read

Grantmaking is more like a skill than a path
Grantmaking is more like a skill than a path
Effective Altruism

6 min read


Jan 23, 2022

Notes on Hold Me Tight by Dr Sue Johnson

I recently read Hold Me Tight by Dr Sue Johnson, a highly regarded relationship therapy book. The book outlines the process of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), a short-term therapy that places great emphasis on love as an attachment bond. The book provides a few useful frameworks and memes for navigating…

Couples Therapy

9 min read

Notes on Hold Me Tight by Dr Sue Johnson
Notes on Hold Me Tight by Dr Sue Johnson
Couples Therapy

9 min read


Jan 10, 2022

Assorted facts about the Maya Civilisation

I’ve been lucky enough to visit some Maya ruins recently, in Guatemala and Mexico. To celebrate, here’s a short post listing some surprising (to me) facts/claims about the Maya, mostly from the excellent Wikipedia page. It’s a clichéd style of fact but I still can’t get my head around this…

Maya

3 min read

Assorted facts about the Maya Civilisation
Assorted facts about the Maya Civilisation
Maya

3 min read


Dec 28, 2021

Music I loved in 2021

I’m not a very adventurous music listener. The music I like seems to fall quite consistently into just two categories: Good songs: Well-crafted songs (often on guitar) that make me feel things. Cool sounds: Noises and beats (often electronic) that intrigue me. Still, I spend a decent amount of time…

Music

10 min read

Music I loved in 2021
Music I loved in 2021
Music

10 min read

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14 Followers

Longtermist, reader of books, giver of unprompted advice

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