I opened this article knowing who you are…but I got pulled away for long enough to completely forget who the writer was (being of a certain mind type that easily forgets details) and as I read on, I found myself increasingly delighted and wondering, who wrote this? For some reason I resisted just scrolling back to the top to see the author’s name, and I started trying to imagine who they were. I began to infer they were probably Asian American and maybe Chinese. And I was imagining them as a youngish forty year old man. All the older tech or philosophy writers mentioned, but also quite up to date so that’s why a youngish forty year old…maybe 35ish. But most definitely someone who’s thinking I really liked.
Plus, it made me ride down memory lane because I went to Shenzhen in 1993 when it seemed like an outpost at the end of civilizations reach…a totally new city arising out of something much smaller. And then I went back for three weeks in January 2020 before having to flee because of Covid. I didn’t like it in 2020 it seemed to artificially built without an undergirding culture developed over many years…then the insights about engineers gave my thoughts some legs. I know from my own native San Diego that engineer based cities are deserts culturally (military industrial aerospace land). Let me just say it…they are boring fucks and intolerantly know-it-alls…no wonder I didn’t like Shenzhen.
And then after feeling Ok I’m going to be reading this person, I get to you saying your turning 26! What? I couldn’t believe it. And I finally scrolled back to the top to realize it was Jasmine Sun who I remembered from a podcast with your boss, but who I hadn’t read enough to have an opinion on. Wow total shocker. Haha. Good for you. And good on being so widely read. I think you made the right choice to leave and write full time.
Great paragraph about process and tacit knowledge! I often think that in discussions about "context," "last mile," "the non-quantifiable," it's important to be as precise as possible instead of, well, just romantic. What exactly are we talking about when we talk about the irreplaceable human element?
I think a part of your genius is in podcasting, although I vaguely suspect travels and knowing people helps with that. The craziest part about human life is how different the sea looks depending upon the decade of your life you are in. It's surprisingly hard to anticipate how your future self will see the world.
Close To The Machine is great (it is the book I am holding in my profile pic!)
I have thought that part of the fantasy of rom-coms is meeting some fascinating person and *getting their undivided attention*. In real life we (and our conversational partners) are often distracted and thinking about various unrelated obligations but in rom-coms you see completely focused (even if the reason for the focus is annoyance or frustration) and that's attractive.
I opened this article knowing who you are…but I got pulled away for long enough to completely forget who the writer was (being of a certain mind type that easily forgets details) and as I read on, I found myself increasingly delighted and wondering, who wrote this? For some reason I resisted just scrolling back to the top to see the author’s name, and I started trying to imagine who they were. I began to infer they were probably Asian American and maybe Chinese. And I was imagining them as a youngish forty year old man. All the older tech or philosophy writers mentioned, but also quite up to date so that’s why a youngish forty year old…maybe 35ish. But most definitely someone who’s thinking I really liked.
Plus, it made me ride down memory lane because I went to Shenzhen in 1993 when it seemed like an outpost at the end of civilizations reach…a totally new city arising out of something much smaller. And then I went back for three weeks in January 2020 before having to flee because of Covid. I didn’t like it in 2020 it seemed to artificially built without an undergirding culture developed over many years…then the insights about engineers gave my thoughts some legs. I know from my own native San Diego that engineer based cities are deserts culturally (military industrial aerospace land). Let me just say it…they are boring fucks and intolerantly know-it-alls…no wonder I didn’t like Shenzhen.
And then after feeling Ok I’m going to be reading this person, I get to you saying your turning 26! What? I couldn’t believe it. And I finally scrolled back to the top to realize it was Jasmine Sun who I remembered from a podcast with your boss, but who I hadn’t read enough to have an opinion on. Wow total shocker. Haha. Good for you. And good on being so widely read. I think you made the right choice to leave and write full time.
HBD! You are beautiful and amazing ❤️❤️❤️
🧡🧡
Happy birthday!
This was such an incredibly beautiful read. I cannot wait to dive into Close To The Machine now.
A belated Happy Birthday!
thank you! :)
happy birthday jasmine and thank you you exasperatingly brilliant person for this generous post, my brain feels so fat and well fed now..
❤️❤️
This was all really wonderful
& Happy Birthday!
Great paragraph about process and tacit knowledge! I often think that in discussions about "context," "last mile," "the non-quantifiable," it's important to be as precise as possible instead of, well, just romantic. What exactly are we talking about when we talk about the irreplaceable human element?
I think a part of your genius is in podcasting, although I vaguely suspect travels and knowing people helps with that. The craziest part about human life is how different the sea looks depending upon the decade of your life you are in. It's surprisingly hard to anticipate how your future self will see the world.
I think you might like connecting with Grace Shao of AI Proem when you're in HK. Look her up, if you're not familiar with her stuff - it's great
Close To The Machine is great (it is the book I am holding in my profile pic!)
I have thought that part of the fantasy of rom-coms is meeting some fascinating person and *getting their undivided attention*. In real life we (and our conversational partners) are often distracted and thinking about various unrelated obligations but in rom-coms you see completely focused (even if the reason for the focus is annoyance or frustration) and that's attractive.
oh cool re: the profile pic!!