http://andzuck.com/blog/ Recent content in Blog on Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us http://andzuck.com/blog/patience/ Thu, 18 Dec 2025 22:14:13 -0500 http://andzuck.com/blog/patience/ Long-term, multi-year patience is more than impressive. It’s an act of faith—in processes, in time itself, in the idea that some things simply cannot be rushed. In this essay, I aim to provide commentary on long-spanning human endeavors, namely: aged food ingredients, multi-year skyscraper construction, 25-year environmental corporate commitments, 30-year treasury bills, and a 45 year airport operation contract. For each, I’ll analyze what makes human patience possible–or impossible–at each scale. http://andzuck.com/blog/connections-over-time/ Tue, 26 Dec 2023 17:59:37 -0500 http://andzuck.com/blog/connections-over-time/ Exploring the changing quantity and quality of relationships over our lifetime http://andzuck.com/blog/web-accessibility/ Sun, 19 Feb 2023 16:13:39 -0500 http://andzuck.com/blog/web-accessibility/ code: Here’s a short list of resources and things I’m learning about accessibility and how to build accessible software. I am just starting to incorporate some of these lessons, so in some ways I am pulling the cart before the horse by sharing this list before fully mastering these lessons myself. This piece is separated first into information about impairments followed by practical lessons for software engineers and designers about creating accessible software (mostly for visual impairments). http://andzuck.com/blog/personal-finance/ Fri, 26 Mar 2021 19:05:03 -0400 http://andzuck.com/blog/personal-finance/ [I started this document a while ago to document my thoughts and decisions related to personal finance. I expect to make poor decisions along the way and am eager for feedback. I’ll keep track of things in reverse-chronological order. Please don’t follow decisions here without taking your own personal financial situation into account.] October 14, 2024 As I get older, I realize how economic preferences continue to change. Long term economic stability seems much more desirable than it did even 3 years ago. http://andzuck.com/blog/dmt-primes/ Sat, 21 Nov 2020 17:12:23 -0500 http://andzuck.com/blog/dmt-primes/ In 2006, Marko A. Rodriguez came up with the idea of asking DMT entities to factor large numbers into primes to prove that the entities people experience while using DMT are real. In his paper, “A Methodology for Studying Various Interpretations of the N,N-dimethyltryptamine-Induced Alternate Reality” (a), he suggested using numbers with 7 ± 2 digits (which humans can easily remember). In 2015, Scott Alexander wrote a great story using this idea as inspiration called “Universal Love, Said The Cactus Person” (a). http://andzuck.com/blog/retribution/ Thu, 05 Nov 2020 14:54:13 -0500 http://andzuck.com/blog/retribution/ I was reminded of my favorite class at Harvard while listening to Amanda Askell on the 80,000 Hours podcast. She was discussing (a) the ethical difference between prison and corporal punishment (she came up with a nifty thought experiment that points out how terrible prison really is) and I immediately thought of related conversations from a course I took freshman year with Joshua Greene called Free Will, Responsibility, and Law. http://andzuck.com/blog/harvard-trends/ Mon, 12 Oct 2020 15:56:10 -0700 http://andzuck.com/blog/harvard-trends/ .chart svg { height: 550px; width: 100%; } [Best viewed on desktop] In 2017, Edith Herwitz and Dianne Lee wrote an article in the Crimson called “How Student Concentrations Are Changing at Harvard” (a). I really liked it! It’s also very accessible. They analyzed 13 of the 50 concentrations offered by Harvard. But it was hard to visually compare the different concentration areas (Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Sciences, and Social Sciences). http://andzuck.com/blog/tac-mariko/ Fri, 03 Jul 2020 13:16:24 -0400 http://andzuck.com/blog/tac-mariko/ [Title artwork from “Baby Let Me Know” (Official Video) by Full Tac] I’ve been pretty obsessed with Full Tac (@fulltac) and Lil Mariko (@katmarikoz) since I discovered them this past April. It might be because they are both good-looking and hilarious. In fact, I’m sure that’s one of the reasons. But the reason I really like them so much is because they’re actually carving out their own niche and making unique music, music videos, and skits that are just so clearly original in style. http://andzuck.com/blog/luca/ Sun, 10 May 2020 21:36:46 -0400 http://andzuck.com/blog/luca/ If you’ve never spoken to Luca Rade, then you probably should. Because speaking to Luca is like taking a low dose of psychedelics. Now I’m not saying that if you haven’t taken a low dose of psychedelics, you should do that too. It’s just a simile, sheesh. (But I’m also not saying that you shouldn’t take a low dose of psychedelics in a safe, non-judgmental setting with a professional guide that you trust if you have no history of serious mental health problems in your family tree). http://andzuck.com/blog/sfw/ Wed, 29 Apr 2020 17:42:16 -0400 http://andzuck.com/blog/sfw/ [Moral Relevance: Low. Super Free Will is a fun and enhanced qualia state, but developing it ranks much lower on moral priorities than, say, ending involuntary suffering. This essay pairs well with “Quotes from ‘The Wisdom of Insecurity’ by Alan Watts”. Title artwork created by Wendi Yan (a).] In this piece, I won’t spend time rehashing arguments that have already been made for and against the possibility of free will. Instead, my goal is to convince you that whether or not we have free will, the feeling of what it is like to have free will could be much, much better than it is today. http://andzuck.com/blog/kleiner/ Fri, 24 Apr 2020 18:50:45 -0400 http://andzuck.com/blog/kleiner/ A few weeks ago, I discovered Johannes Kleiner (a). He seems great! He organizes interesting scientific gatherings (a) like workshops and conferences about modeling consciousness as well as workshops on rethinking foundational physics. While I haven’t fully dived into his research yet (though I plan on first checking out Mathematical Models of Consciousnsess (a) and Falsification and consciousness (a)), I did watch a presentation (a) of his recently and wow, what a wonderful powerpoint slide: http://andzuck.com/blog/insecurity/ Sun, 12 Apr 2020 16:32:01 -0400 http://andzuck.com/blog/insecurity/ About a month ago, I finished The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety by Alan Watts–a fitting read for the state of the world today. Here are the quotes that stood out most. Topics Confusing Words With the World The Purpose of Science and Religion Both Miss the Point Everlastingly The Future Cannot be Enjoyed An Infinity of Anything Is Not a Reality Matter Is Spirit Named The Paradox of Wanting Security in an Impermanent World There Is No “I”, Which Is Rather Obvious, But Very Obvious Things Are Often Overlooked Who Are You When You Are Listening to a Song? http://andzuck.com/blog/qri-reading-list/ Mon, 06 Apr 2020 21:19:34 -0400 http://andzuck.com/blog/qri-reading-list/ Over the past couple weeks, multiple people have asked me for reading recommendations related to consciousness and more specifically, getting caught up to speed with QRI (Qualia Research Institute) (a). The large interest made me realize it’s worth just publishing the reading list I share. Now, if you are strictly interested in the Hard Problem of Consciousness, then this list might not be for you. But if you have even an ounce of compassion, then this list is definitely for you. http://andzuck.com/blog/paris-haikus/ Tue, 03 Mar 2020 12:09:38 +0000 http://andzuck.com/blog/paris-haikus/ Some inspiration struck while sitting on the Pont des Arts in Paris and I wrote these haikus! This very moment. Cannot save it for later. It's only right now. If you're reading this, Congratulations! You're the Universe dancing. Improvisation. No rehearsal needed. Just show up for the show. Espresso steaming, Lips kissing, fingers flowing, French sirens sounding. It's one big inter- connected, shape-shifting sound. Om. Zen. Being. Love. Two other drawings that caught my eye: http://andzuck.com/blog/vegan-buddha/ Sat, 22 Feb 2020 22:58:47 +0000 http://andzuck.com/blog/vegan-buddha/ [June 27, 2023: My caveat for this post today is the idea of Toby Ord’s Moral Trade] During his lifetime, Gautama Buddha was not a vegetarian. He accepted whatever food was offered to him as alms, including meat. However, the Buddha was alive during the 5th to 4th century BCE when the world population was approximately 100 million people (a). There was no such thing as a factory farm back then and the way humans raised and interacted with animals probably looked much more like this: http://andzuck.com/blog/chalmers-80k/ Tue, 04 Feb 2020 23:01:29 +0000 http://andzuck.com/blog/chalmers-80k/ The 80,000 hours podcast episode, “David Chalmers on the nature and ethics of consciousness (a),” is 4 hours, 41 minutes long. Here are the quotes that stood out most. Topics Epiphenomenalism Panpsychism + Physics Problems for Panpsychism/Dualism Idealism Cultural Incredulity of Panpsychism Effective Altruism + Consciousness Higher Order Consciousness + Templeton Funding Degrees of Consciousness Moral Status of Vulcans (Conscious Beings With No Valence) On Entering or Exiting the Experience Machine Epiphenomenalism The biggest problem for dualism is the interaction problem. http://andzuck.com/blog/nyc/ Thu, 23 Jan 2020 15:34:18 +0000 http://andzuck.com/blog/nyc/ Last summer, I met a girl with beautiful eyes reading a book in Washington Square Park. A few days later, as I was waiting at the train station near my hometown, I bumped into her again. She was taking a day trip with some of her coworkers out to Long Island. I was heading back into the city for a day of summer fun. I told my dad about the incident and he remarked how he’s always in disbelief when things like this happen. http://andzuck.com/blog/care/ Thu, 02 Jan 2020 22:33:33 -0500 http://andzuck.com/blog/care/ [This is Part I of a two-part post. When you’re done, head over here.] Whether you realize this or not, all anyone really cares about is consciousness. Oh really? Do you think I care about consciousness? What I really care about is my family! You care about your family because you want your family members to be healthy and happy and safe. You want them to have lives full of joy and free of suffering. http://andzuck.com/blog/dont-forget/ Sat, 07 Dec 2019 11:59:43 -0500 http://andzuck.com/blog/dont-forget/ 1. Pretty much anytime I’m not feeling like myself, it’s because one of four needs is not being met. Those needs are: sleep, exercise, spending time with people in real life, and being outdoors. Hit all four and I’m coasting. Miss any one and I start to dip. When things are not going well, ask myself if I’m lacking in any of those four categories, and then adjust accordingly. 2a. Meditation is a surprisingly effective solution for almost every unwanted negative emotion. http://andzuck.com/blog/beautiful-music-videos/ Fri, 11 Oct 2019 20:20:09 -0400 http://andzuck.com/blog/beautiful-music-videos/ -- - Intro #### - Top 22 Beautiful Music Videos #### - 28 More Beautiful Music Videos #### - YouTube Playlist of all 50 Videos -- Intro -- One of my favorite art forms is the music video. Here’s a playlist of 50 music videos I find beautiful: Top 22 Beautiful Music Videos Beyoncé - 7/11 Directed by Beyoncé & Todd Tourso The Carters - APESHIT Directed by Ricky Saiz Jay-Z - The Story of O. http://andzuck.com/blog/coffea-ethiopica/ Thu, 22 Aug 2019 08:50:41 +0300 http://andzuck.com/blog/coffea-ethiopica/ [The information in this piece comes from personal experience in Addis Ababa and the Tigray region. Thank you Natnael Habtamu and Rövël Gøí for reviewing drafts of this piece.] The worst crime an Ethiopian child can commit is breaking their family’s jebena. Okay, maybe not the worst crime. But breaking your mom’s jebena is pretty high up there. A jebena (ጀበና) is a traditional Ethiopian clay pot used for brewing coffee. http://andzuck.com/blog/why-am-i-starting-a-blog/ Sun, 11 Aug 2019 22:16:20 +0300 http://andzuck.com/blog/why-am-i-starting-a-blog/ Contents - I Don’t Have a Brand and Neither Should You - Setting the Stage - The Self-Promotion Game and The Curse of the Algorithmic Feed - Regaining Control of My Digital Relationships - Building a Digital Home - Becoming a Better Writer - Sharing More Thoughts Publicly - Inspiration I Don’t Have a Brand and Neither Should You My sister didn’t seem excited when I told her I was going to start a blog.