Weird People
I. I always thought of myself as weird. Well, not really. But when I did start thinking of myself as weird, my life improved a lot. As a kid, I struggled to conform to other’s expectations of normalcy. Everyone played fútbol during school recess, but I hated it. One of the few times I ventured to the field, a classmate accidentally kicked the...
The Meaning of Bitcoin
I. In December 2001, Argentine President Fernando de la Rua imposed an ATM withdrawal limit of $250 per week. The country was in a drawn-out recession since 1998, and the government tried to stop a precipitating bank run. I was 12 at the time, and my whole life savings were $80. My godfather had given me a $100 bill as a gift a few years back,...
In Search of the Lost Web
I. Not long ago, you could play the guitar while singing along to almost any song just by googling “song name + chords” on your phone. This was a really nice social gathering activity, especially among musicians. Your phone (or tablet) was invisible, just a tool. The focus was in expressing yourself through music and connecting with friends....
What Do You Optimize For?
What are you optimizing for? Money? Personal growth? Knowledge? Experiences? Family? Peace? Money is power. Money is time. It’s access to future energy. It’s freedom. It is control over nature. It takes effort to get money, but once you do, it’s addictive. With it, you can help others. A great many problems seem to disappear. You architect the...
Light Tech Backpack: 10 Tools to Defend Your Attention
Summary: I share techniques I use to protect my brain when using computers. Part 3 of a 3 post series on good practices for using tech. In part 1, I shared some tips for preserving digital privacy. Part 2 was about digital security basics. I’ll now explain what I do to protect my mind from going crazy with overstimulation from computers. This...