Articles & Essays
I don't have a hard and fast distinction for articles vs essays that I publish, but for me I think of essays to be much more heavily edited and focused than an article.
See a list of my favorite articles that I've written here.
Click tag links to navigate to its corresponding section on this page.
- 2020 (3)
- 2021 (3)
- 2022 (4)
- 2023 (47)
- 2024 (40)
- 2025 (48)
- Artificial Intelligence (3)
- Beer (8)
- Breakups (1)
- Calendars (1)
- Career (2)
- Cleaning/Organization (1)
- Cognitive Science (1)
- College (6)
- Communication (2)
- Community (1)
- Compatibility (1)
- Computer Science Education (2)
- Dating (5)
- Design (1)
- Film (2)
- Friendship (2)
- Gifts (3)
- Hosting (6)
- Humor (2)
- IndieWeb/Meta-blogging (8)
- Interior Design (9)
- Jekyll (10)
- Listening at a Distance (2)
- Living Better (17)
- Love/Romance (10)
- Loving Better (8)
- Maintaining a Second Brain (2)
- Mental Health (1)
- Music/Vinyl (5)
- Non-monogamy (8)
- Partnership (2)
- Personal Fitness (4)
- Personal Style (2)
- Philosophy (11)
- Race (2)
- Reading (2)
- Reducetarian (3)
- Relationship Structures (2)
- Relationships (4)
- Self-Care (1)
- Sexuality (2)
- Social Media (2)
- Software Engineering (2)
- Urban Planning/Public Transportation (1)
- Veganism (3)
Posts By Date Published
|
2025-12-27 (Article) |
The Double Edged Sword of Sharing Interests With Someone Are common interests/hobbies necessary for a relationship? Are they net positive? Tagged: Relationships, 2025 |
|
2025-12-26 (Article) |
A list of my goals for 2026 (and beyond). Tagged: Living Better, 2025 |
|
2025-12-24 (Article) |
What I Thought (And Wrote) About This Year - 2025 A reflection of what I wrote about and what that said about what was on my mind this year. Tagged: IndieWeb/Meta-blogging, 2025 |
|
2025-12-23 (Article) |
My fourth year wrapped article where I take a look back at my year in data. Tagged: Living Better, 2025 |
|
2025-12-22 (Article) |
A list and description of all the home updates that I did during 2025. Tagged: Interior Design, 2025 |
|
2025-12-12 (Article) |
A service which creates holographic projections of late family members allows an elderly woman to spend time with a younger version of her deceased husband. |
|
2025-12-11 (Article) |
Compatibility, Meeting Needs, and ENM Within the paradigm of non-monogamy, how can we know if we are compatible with someone/when to start a relationship with them? Tagged: Compatibility, Non-monogamy, 2025 |
|
2025-12-10 (Article) |
My Take on a Relationship Anarchy Worksheet A look at what a RA worksheet designed by me might look like. Tagged: Non-monogamy, 2025 |
|
2025-11-28 (Article) |
Advanced Regifting: Passing On A guide on how to regift by passing on your items to different people who would enjoy them better. |
|
2025-11-26 (Article) |
A look into an underappreciated pastime: What is riffing? How do you do it? Why do we do it? |
|
2025-11-21 (Article) |
A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker (Dakota Johnson) finds herself torn between the perfect match (Pedro Pascal) and her imperfect ex (Chris Evans). |
|
2025-11-19 (Article) |
AI Usage Acceptability Spectrum A write-up of my own intuitions about what (potentially) makes certain usages of AI more acceptable than others. Tagged: Artificial Intelligence, 2025 |
|
2025-11-18 (Article) |
The Emotionality Gap in Relationships An underdiscussed potential gap that can be felt in relationships, especially heterosexual ones. Tagged: Relationships, 2025 |
|
2025-11-13 (Article) |
How to Intentionally Search for a New (SWE) Job A resource-guide for a practical metric-driven approach for Software Engineers to run a job search that minimizes backsliding. |
|
2025-11-12 (Article) |
How To (Important) Build Relationship Skills A list of foundational beliefs and skills that will make any/all of your relationships better and deeper. Tagged: Loving Better, 2025 |
|
2025-10-29 (Article) |
Visualizing Lifting Progression Analyzing and comparing my lifting progress for three of my lifts: Leg Extension, Preacher Curl, and Lateral Raise. Tagged: Personal Fitness, 2025 |
|
2025-10-08 (Article) |
Developing an actual definition of flirting and linking it to teasing/play. Tagged: Philosophy, Dating, 2025 |
|
2025-10-02 (Article) |
A detailed look on how to execute my personal way of cleaning. Tagged: Cleaning/Organization, 2025 |
|
2025-10-01 (Article) |
Why you shouldn't break links on your personal site and how to do redirects in Jekyll. Tagged: IndieWeb/Meta-blogging, Jekyll, 2025 |
|
2025-09-07 (Article) |
Texting should be more like email Drawing on features that make email a better model of conversation and how they could be integrated to texting. Tagged: Communication, Design, 2025 |
|
2025-09-02 (Article) |
A list of various things that can give a person dopamine curated from other resources that I've found online. Tagged: Self-Care, Mental Health, 2025 |
|
2025-08-09 (Article) |
What does growing together in a relationship mean? Comparing three possible senses of the phrase where none of them are "incorrect", but will depend on a per-relationship basis. Tagged: Relationships, 2025 |
|
2025-08-05 (Article) |
Exploring a model separate from partnership to ascribing importance to certain relationships in our lives. Tagged: Relationship Structures, 2025 |
|
2025-07-07 (Article) |
My argument for there not being any different types of love. Tagged: Love/Romance, Philosophy, 2025 |
|
2025-07-05 (Article) |
Discussing a conception of mutual support in friendship as an analog to mutual aid in community. Tagged: Loving Better, Friendship, 2025 |
|
2025-06-30 (Article) |
Thinking critically about the idea of partners living together and what alternatives there may be. Tagged: Partnership, 2025 |
|
2025-06-27 (Article) |
Are shared goals required for a partnership? My take on why shared goals aren't required for a partnership, but that shared values and intentions are more important. Tagged: Partnership, 2025 |
|
2025-06-15 (Article) |
On Training Men To Be Boyfriends An attempt to explain and ameloriate the experience of "training" your boyfriend. Tagged: Relationships, 2025 |
|
2025-06-15 (Article) |
Is non-monogamous love shallower? I think that this is a question that monogamous and non-monogamous people have all thought about at least once, so I wanted to dedicate some time thinking about it to settle the question. Tagged: Non-monogamy, Love/Romance, 2025 |
|
2025-06-14 (Article) |
Asexuality and Sexual Desire/Pleasure In this article, I argue for a more pleasure-centric understanding of asexuality as a way to make introspection and identification easier. Tagged: Philosophy, 2025 |
|
2025-06-13 (Article) |
Why Do People Stay In Bad Relationships? Exploring the microeconomics/behavioral economics of staying in a bad relationship. Tagged: Breakups, Love/Romance, 2025 |
|
2025-06-12 (Article) |
Re-imagining vs De-centering Romance Can you re-imagine romance without de-centering it or vice versa? Tagged: Love/Romance, 2025 |
|
2025-06-10 (Article) |
A written manifesto of my interior design philosophies. Tagged: Interior Design, 2025 |
|
2025-05-26 (Article) |
Polyamory Acts on More Than Just Romance I think that the greatest benefit of non-monogamy is not just increased romance in your life, but increased potential for closeness with all types of relationships. Tagged: Non-monogamy, 2025 |
|
2025-05-08 (Article) |
Finding Lifting Exercises That Are Right For Me Exercise routines only need be right for you and not anyone else. Tagged: Personal Fitness, 2025 |
|
2025-03-31 (Essay) |
A reflection on personal identity and of growing up and being White and Asian. |
|
2025-03-26 (Article) |
A cocktail mixer event where you mix cocktails with "random" ingredients with the other guests! |
|
2025-03-22 (Article) |
The concept of romance doesn't always serve everyone. Can we rehabilitate this concept or are we better off abandoning it entirely? Tagged: Love/Romance, 2025 |
|
2025-01-24 (Article) |
A timeline of my personal lifting journey as a beginner. Tagged: Personal Fitness, 2025 |
|
2025-01-19 (Article) |
An overview of the reasons why a blog is a great thing to have, especially for writers. Tagged: IndieWeb/Meta-blogging, 2025 |
|
2025-01-18 (Article) |
A collection of conversational devices that can help you get to know someone better. Tagged: Communication, Dating, 2025 |
|
2025-01-17 (Article) |
Gym Rats Are The Perfect Reducetarian Target A case to focus on people who are heavily involved in personal fitness for Reducetarianism. Tagged: Reducetarian, Personal Fitness, 2025 |
|
2025-01-16 (Article) |
Can you not have enough time for polyamory? A rebuttal of an oft-cited reason that polyamory is a "bad fit" for someone. Tagged: Non-monogamy, 2025 |
|
2025-01-11 (Article) |
Evolving East Asian Fetishization Identifying a potential trend in the evolution of East Asian fetishization: the fetishization of Asian-ness itself. |
|
2025-01-09 (Article) |
Celebrating 100 Articles and Essays A look at how my blog and I have changed over 50 posts to my blog. Tagged: IndieWeb/Meta-blogging, 2025 |
|
2025-01-06 (Article) |
A medium friend is someone who is beyond an acquaintance but not a close friend. I argue that these are a deeply important type of relationship. Tagged: Friendship, 2025 |
|
2025-01-03 (Article) |
The Effects of Different Reducetarian Splits How should you structure your (non-)meat eating as a Reducetarian? Tagged: Reducetarian, Veganism, 2025 |
|
2025-01-02 (Article) |
Setting my new word of the year for 2025: Whimsy. Tagged: Living Better, 2025 |
|
2024-12-23 (Essay) |
Am I romantically attracted to my friend? Trying to answer the age-old question that tortures many people in their relationships. Tagged: Love/Romance, 2024 |
|
2024-12-22 (Article) |
Relationships Are About Sharing Life Sharing is caring! Tagged: Loving Better, 2024 |
|
2024-12-18 (Article) |
My third year wrapped article where I take a look back at the year in data. Tagged: Living Better, 2024 |
|
2024-12-11 (Article) |
Romance Is Personally Constructed and Necessarily Exclusive A philosophical account of romance as personally defined niche of actions reserved for a certain person/people. Tagged: Philosophy, Love/Romance, 2024 |
|
2024-12-11 (Article) |
A list and description of all the home updates that I did during 2024. Tagged: Interior Design, 2024 |
|
2024-12-09 (Article) |
A reflection on my 2024 Word of the Year: Groove. Tagged: Living Better, 2024 |
|
2024-12-01 (Article) |
A list of all the cool things that I found to give to my amazing and wonderful friends and family. |
|
2024-11-28 (Article) |
Difficulties in Non-Traditional Dating A look into dating beyond typical romantic relationships and how it complicates the search process. Tagged: Dating, Non-monogamy, 2024 |
|
2024-11-27 (Article) |
Targeted desire and how both components can determine your A-Spec identity. |
|
2024-11-26 (Article) |
Getting People to Eat Less Meat How can we get people to eat less meat? |
|
2024-11-06 (Article) |
Online Dating From An Abundance Mindset My case for how a change in your perspective toward online dating will make it a better overall experience. Tagged: Loving Better, Dating, 2024 |
|
2024-11-06 (Article) |
A Sunday gathering centered around football and board games with fun for everyone. |
|
2024-11-04 (Article) |
Building A Loft Bed (And The Importance of Community) A retrospective on building a loft bed and how difficult it would have been to do alone. Tagged: Interior Design, Community, 2024 |
|
2024-08-30 (Article) |
My submission to August 2024's IndieWeb Carnival topic: Rituals. Tagged: IndieWeb/Meta-blogging, Living Better, 2024 |
|
2024-08-22 (Article) |
Jekyll Page Backlinks Without Plugins Adding backlinks to pages in Jekyll in Pure Liquid. |
|
2024-08-19 (Article) |
I Surveyed My Friends' Event Preferences - Part 2 Analysis of event preference survey results in regards to event type. |
|
2024-08-16 (Essay) |
The Joy of Creating Software For Others An essay about the joy of creating software for others and the love that it takes to make great software. Tagged: Software Engineering, Loving Better, 2024 |
|
2024-08-15 (Article) |
I Surveyed My Friends' Event Preferences - Part 1 Analysis of event preference survey results in regards to event pricing, size, and timing. |
|
2024-08-01 (Article) |
My system for eating vegan at home, but non-vegan outside of the house. Tagged: Reducetarian, Veganism, 2024 |
|
2024-07-21 (Article) |
An exploration of the relative implementation complexity of collecting and visualizing my own data. Tagged: IndieWeb/Meta-blogging, 2024 |
|
2024-07-05 (Article) |
A look into what RA as CNM might look like implemented, especially as an aromantic person. Tagged: Non-monogamy, Relationship Structures, 2024 |
|
2024-06-28 (Article) |
How to Answer Hinge Prompts (Effectively) Answering Hinge prompts effectively can increase both the quality and quantity of your matches. In this article, I discuss various techniques on how to better answer prompts and boost the strength of your profile. |
|
2024-06-23 (Article) |
Asexuality, Attraction, and Desire A philosophical account of asexuality, sexual attraction, and sexual desire. Tagged: Philosophy, Sexuality, 2024 |
|
2024-06-22 (Article) |
An exploration of what personal style is and how to find it. Tagged: Personal Style, 2024 |
|
2024-06-09 (Article) |
Adopting Relationship Anarchy as CNM A personal exploration into Relationship Anarchy as a practice of Consensual Non-Monogamy. Tagged: Non-monogamy, 2024 |
|
2024-06-05 (Article) |
A reflection on my yearly word now that we are halfway through 2024. Tagged: Living Better, 2024 |
|
2024-05-21 (Article) |
Living alone, especially for the first time, can be daunting, but there are some things that you can do to make it far more enjoyable. Tagged: Living Better, 2024 |
|
2024-05-20 (Article) |
How to bulk edit Jekyll frontmatter with Python A guide on how to bulk edit Jekyll post frontmatter with python-frontmatter and oyaml. |
|
2024-05-16 (Essay) |
We Need More IRL Friends to Lovers People love to read the friends to lovers trope, but why not bring it into their own lives? Tagged: Love/Romance, 2024 |
|
2024-04-12 (Article) |
Search with SimpleJekyllSearch My modifications to Jake Lee's configuration of SimpleJekyllSearch to fit my Digital Garden. |
|
2024-04-01 (Article) |
Listening At A Distance March 2024 Edition The March 2024 edition of Listening at a Distance: A Monthly Co-Created Music Newsletter. Tagged: Music/Vinyl, Listening at a Distance, 2024 |
|
2024-03-01 (Article) |
Listening At A Distance February 2024 Edition The February 2024 edition of Listening at a Distance: A Monthly Co-Created Music Newsletter. Tagged: Music/Vinyl, Listening at a Distance, 2024 |
|
2024-02-28 (Article) |
Push vs Pull Social Media Usage Applying polling vs event driven systems architecture concepts to social media usage. Tagged: Social Media, 2024 |
|
2024-02-22 (Article) |
Should we abolish the concept of romantic love? Tagged: Love/Romance, 2024 |
|
2024-01-26 (Article) |
Outlining a model of social media usage that maximizes social interaction and engagement from close friends. Tagged: Social Media, 2024 |
|
2024-01-12 (Article) |
What Do I Do As A Data Engineer? An examination of what a Data Engineer is and the kind the projects I work on as one. Tagged: Software Engineering, Career, 2024 |
|
2024-01-06 (Article) |
Creating a Flexible Permalinking System in Jekyll How to create and maintain a flexible permalinking system in Jekyll for your posts. |
|
2024-01-05 (Article) |
Setting my new word of year for 2024: Groove. Tagged: Living Better, 2024 |
|
2024-01-04 (Article) |
How do I decide my favorite breweries? An exploration of what it means to have a favorite brewery in the face of imperfection and changing tastes. |
|
2024-01-02 (Article) |
My second ever year wrapped where I analyze my data in a Spotify Wrapped-esque manner. Tagged: Living Better, 2024 |
|
2023-12-29 (Article) |
Using jekyll-feed + XSLT with GitHub Pages A guide on how to set up and use the jekyll-feed plugin on GitHub Pages to create a stylized feed.xml for RSS feeds. |
|
2023-12-19 (Article) |
Listening to a New Album a Day I tried listening to at least a new album a day for two weeks in order to find new music. Tagged: Music/Vinyl, 2023 |
|
2023-12-18 (Article) |
A reflection of my 2023 Word of the Year: Intention. Tagged: Living Better, 2023 |
|
2023-12-17 (Article) |
Analyzing my Untappd data after trying 1,000 unique beers. |
|
2023-11-28 (Article) |
What Makes A Great Brewery Experience? There are a lot of good breweries, but what makes one great? |
|
2023-11-28 (Article) |
A look at how my blog and I have changed over 50 posts to my blog. Tagged: IndieWeb/Meta-blogging, 2023 |
|
2023-11-27 (Article) |
Developing A Non-Hierarchical View of Friendships Friendships are one of the most important things in our life, and I think that we could all benefit from re-evaluating how we think about them. Tagged: Loving Better, 2023 |
|
2023-11-13 (Article) |
Post and Author Age Without Plugins How to display post and author age in Jekyll via JavaScript. |
|
2023-11-10 (Article) |
What Are Hobbies and Interests? An examination of the essences of hobbies and interests and why that's helpful to you/how to put it into practice. Tagged: Living Better, 2023 |
|
2023-11-05 (Article) |
Various ways to try more craft beer and fill out that Untappd profile. |
|
2023-11-01 (Article) |
My methodology for keeping track, purchasing, and minimizing cost of record shopping. Tagged: Music/Vinyl, 2023 |
|
2023-10-30 (Article) |
An event to listen to music & eat food in good company. |
|
2023-10-30 (Article) |
Bring a bottle to enjoy together with friends. |
|
2023-10-24 (Article) |
Reasons why you should give beer a chance. |
|
2023-10-24 (Article) |
Reflections on whether playing music via vinyl and buying/collecting vinyl is a worthwhile endeavor. Tagged: Music/Vinyl, 2023 |
|
2023-10-18 (Article) |
The Walkability of Arlington, VA My personal experience and opinions on Arlington, VA and its urban planning. Tagged: Urban Planning/Public Transportation, 2023 |
|
2023-10-18 (Article) |
Human Consciousness is not Uniform A reflection about how and why human consciousness is not uniform. Tagged: Cognitive Science, 2023 |
|
2023-10-16 (Article) |
A reflection on whether or not my fields of study were "useful" and if I regret them. |
|
2023-10-11 (Article) |
An examination of the reasons for moral unease around regifting and how to do properly in order to be more sustainable and anti-consumerist. Tagged: Gifts, Loving Better, 2023 |
|
2023-10-06 (Article) |
My methodology of buying craft beer in a way that diversifies risk and maximizes enjoyment. |
|
2023-09-22 (Article) |
A guide of how to live in tune with the seasons. Tagged: Living Better, 2023 |
|
2023-09-18 (Article) |
An Ode to Short Sleeve Button Down Shirts I am the number one short sleeve button down shirt apologist. Tagged: Personal Style, 2023 |
|
2023-09-13 (Article) |
How to light your rooms to make them feel warm. Tagged: Interior Design, 2023 |
|
2023-08-30 (Article) |
Choosing Seating For My One Bedroom Apartment My thought process and solutions found for seating in my one-bedroom apartment. Tagged: Interior Design, 2023 |
|
2023-08-28 (Article) |
Word Count Statistics Without Plugins Word Count Statistics Without Plugins |
|
2023-08-28 (Article) |
Numeric Value Humanization Without Plugins Numeric Value Humanization Without Plugins |
|
2023-08-28 (Article) |
How I improved my Liquid code in Jekyll to display posts by tag. |
|
2023-08-26 (Article) |
How to Augment Your Memory With A Calendar A way to use your calendar to store temporal information for easy lookup and analysis later. Tagged: Maintaining a Second Brain, Calendars, 2023 |
|
2023-08-25 (Article) |
You should own your tools, and why I don't (yet). Tagged: Maintaining a Second Brain, 2023 |
|
2023-08-24 (Article) |
A practical model for algorithmic decomposition. Tagged: Computer Science Education, 2023 |
|
2023-08-24 (Article) |
A Mental Model of Programming as Data Manipulation A model for understanding computation that is good for beginners or people who are looking to learn program without too much Computer Science theory. Tagged: Computer Science Education, 2023 |
|
2023-08-23 (Article) |
A guide on how to get into craft beer. |
|
2023-08-22 (Article) |
Using a Cork Board as an Art Display Tips about how to use and style a cork board as a way to display art instead of a gallery wall. Tagged: Interior Design, 2023 |
|
2023-08-19 (Article) |
Finding a Good Budget-Friendly Media Display Shelf My quest to find a cheap, aesthetic record and magazine display shelf. Tagged: Interior Design, 2023 |
|
2023-08-18 (Article) |
Using a Baker's Rack as a Beverage Bar Using a Baker's Rack, create the beverage bar of your dreams: serve up coffee or cocktails from a stylish work surface/storage solution. Tagged: Interior Design, 2023 |
|
2023-08-14 (Article) |
A framework for planning extracurricular involvement in order to achieve balance in your college life. |
|
2023-08-14 (Article) |
A holistic framework for setting goals for the various aspects of your life during college. |
|
2023-07-21 (Article) |
Love Languages Are Fake. So What? Love Languages were created by a somewhat problematic marriage counselor and are not evidence-based/supported by science. Does this mean that Love Languages should be scrapped entirely? I think that with some rehabilitation, the concept of Love Languages can still provide a lot of utility to people. Tagged: Loving Better, Love/Romance, 2023 |
|
2023-07-20 (Article) |
The results from reflecting about the things that I do (almost) everyday. Tagged: Living Better, 2023 |
|
2023-07-13 (Article) |
Choosing a Delivery Mechanism for New Blog Posts How can you distribute post notifications for a static site with no server-side code? Tagged: IndieWeb/Meta-blogging, 2023 |
|
2023-06-27 (Article) |
5 Lessons I Learned About Living Alone In summer of 2023, I moved into an apartment by myself and started living alone for the first time in my life. These are my reflections and lessons learned from the first month of living alone about the pros and cons of living alone. Tagged: Living Better, 2023 |
|
2023-05-22 (Article) |
On AI hype and why you can just watch it ride out for now. Tagged: Artificial Intelligence, 2023 |
|
2023-05-22 (Article) |
Could a Machine Like a Burrito? On the separation of consciousness and human-like qualities. Tagged: Artificial Intelligence, 2023 |
|
2023-05-10 (Article) |
Why I Log Every Beer That I Drink How and why I rate all the beers that I drink. |
|
2023-05-09 (Article) |
Libraries and Starting My Own? A look at how libraries and librarians have shaped my life, and how I want to stay connected with them. |
|
2023-03-06 (Article) |
An exploration of how my attitudes and habits toward reading have changed over time. |
|
2023-02-26 (Article) |
Living Slower and More Intentionally A reflection on how in 2023, I want to live more intentionally. Tagged: Living Better, 2023 |
|
2022-12-25 (Article) |
A Spotify Wrapped-esque analysis of my Google Calendar data. Tagged: Living Better, 2022 |
|
2022-05-06 (Article) |
My Philosophy Degree in a Nutshell A retrospective at all the courses I took at UMBC for my Philosophy B.A. |
|
2022-05-05 (Article) |
A retrospective at all the courses I took at UMBC for my Computer Science B.S. |
|
2022-05-04 (Article) |
My Advice for Incoming College Students A collection of my advice for incoming college students that I wrote and compiled right before I graduated. |
|
2021-12-15 (Essay) |
Theoretical Virtues of Major Theories of Time In this paper, I have two main goals. The first of which is to develop an account of why people believe or choose to believe certain scientific and/or metaphysical theories, with an focus on theories of time. In particular, I will argue that people choose to believe intuition-preserving theories of time (intuition-preservation as a theoretical virtue). Additionally, I consider if this is a good thing or not, and whether people should evaluate theories on the basis of intuition-preservation. The second goal is to use the developed account to examine the theoretical virtues of some of the most popular competing metaphysical theories of time, namely: Presentism, Growing Block Theory, and Eternalism. Tagged: Philosophy, 2021 |
|
2021-05-07 (Essay) |
In this paper, I will argue that, following the advice of the Buddhists and Stoics, we should extirpate anger from ourselves for the betterment of ourselves, and to a greater extent, our society. First, I will describe the Aristeolian “containment” view of anger. Then I will present an argument that anger is a categorically negative emotion. Next, I will consider a common objection, of which I think is the strongest pro-anger argument, that anger is actually good because it is a necessary moral emotion, especially in responding to instances of injustice. Finally, I will show why this is not a satisfactory explanation by arguing for grief, rather than anger, as a way to motivate against injustice. Tagged: Philosophy, 2021 |
|
2021-03-20 (Article) |
Why I Think IAP Spoofing is Stealing A philosophical argument as to why I think in-app purchase spoofing is theft. Tagged: Philosophy, 2021 |
|
2020-11-30 (Essay) |
Holes (Pretty Good Movie/Pretty Tough Ontological Question) In this essay I argue that holes cannot exist. Tagged: Philosophy, 2020 |
|
2020-11-21 (Essay) |
Evaluating Anti-Platonist Approaches to Mathematics In this paper, I will first explain Platonism and its relation to mathematics and reconstruct arguments against it to show how mathematical objects ultimately cannot exist. I will then explore logicism and formalism in order to critically evaluate how they create truth for mathematical propositions and the problems that they have that could or should prevent mainstream philosophical adoption. Finally, I will explain Benacerraf’s structuralism and why I think it is the best Anti-Platonist explanation for the philosophical foundation of mathematics. Tagged: Philosophy, 2020 |
|
2020-03-16 (Essay) |
Incongruity Theory in the Philosophy of Humor In this paper, I will first explain Platonism and its relation to mathematics and reconstruct arguments against it to show how mathematical objects ultimately cannot exist. I will then explore logicism and formalism in order to critically evaluate how they create truth for mathematical propositions and the problems that they have that could or should prevent mainstream philosophical adoption. Finally, I will explain Benacerraf’s structuralism and why I think it is the best Anti-Platonist explanation for the philosophical foundation of mathematics. Tagged: Philosophy, Humor, 2020 |
Posts By Tag
2020 (3)
Holes (Pretty Good Movie/Pretty Tough Ontological Question)
In this essay I argue that holes cannot exist.
Evaluating Anti-Platonist Approaches to Mathematics
In this paper, I will first explain Platonism and its relation to mathematics and reconstruct arguments against it to show how mathematical objects ultimately cannot exist. I will then explore logicism and formalism in order to critically evaluate how they create truth for mathematical propositions and the problems that they have that could or should prevent mainstream philosophical adoption. Finally, I will explain Benacerraf’s structuralism and why I think it is the best Anti-Platonist explanation for the philosophical foundation of mathematics.
Incongruity Theory in the Philosophy of Humor
In this paper, I will first explain Platonism and its relation to mathematics and reconstruct arguments against it to show how mathematical objects ultimately cannot exist. I will then explore logicism and formalism in order to critically evaluate how they create truth for mathematical propositions and the problems that they have that could or should prevent mainstream philosophical adoption. Finally, I will explain Benacerraf’s structuralism and why I think it is the best Anti-Platonist explanation for the philosophical foundation of mathematics.
2021 (3)
Theoretical Virtues of Major Theories of Time
In this paper, I have two main goals. The first of which is to develop an account of why people believe or choose to believe certain scientific and/or metaphysical theories, with an focus on theories of time. In particular, I will argue that people choose to believe intuition-preserving theories of time (intuition-preservation as a theoretical virtue). Additionally, I consider if this is a good thing or not, and whether people should evaluate theories on the basis of intuition-preservation. The second goal is to use the developed account to examine the theoretical virtues of some of the most popular competing metaphysical theories of time, namely: Presentism, Growing Block Theory, and Eternalism.
In this paper, I will argue that, following the advice of the Buddhists and Stoics, we should extirpate anger from ourselves for the betterment of ourselves, and to a greater extent, our society. First, I will describe the Aristeolian “containment” view of anger. Then I will present an argument that anger is a categorically negative emotion. Next, I will consider a common objection, of which I think is the strongest pro-anger argument, that anger is actually good because it is a necessary moral emotion, especially in responding to instances of injustice. Finally, I will show why this is not a satisfactory explanation by arguing for grief, rather than anger, as a way to motivate against injustice.
Why I Think IAP Spoofing is Stealing
A philosophical argument as to why I think in-app purchase spoofing is theft.
2022 (4)
A Spotify Wrapped-esque analysis of my Google Calendar data.
My Philosophy Degree in a Nutshell
A retrospective at all the courses I took at UMBC for my Philosophy B.A.
A retrospective at all the courses I took at UMBC for my Computer Science B.S.
My Advice for Incoming College Students
A collection of my advice for incoming college students that I wrote and compiled right before I graduated.
2023 (47)
Using jekyll-feed + XSLT with GitHub Pages
A guide on how to set up and use the jekyll-feed plugin on GitHub Pages to create a stylized feed.xml for RSS feeds.
Listening to a New Album a Day
I tried listening to at least a new album a day for two weeks in order to find new music.
A reflection of my 2023 Word of the Year: Intention.
Analyzing my Untappd data after trying 1,000 unique beers.
What Makes A Great Brewery Experience?
There are a lot of good breweries, but what makes one great?
A look at how my blog and I have changed over 50 posts to my blog.
Developing A Non-Hierarchical View of Friendships
Friendships are one of the most important things in our life, and I think that we could all benefit from re-evaluating how we think about them.
Post and Author Age Without Plugins
How to display post and author age in Jekyll via JavaScript.
What Are Hobbies and Interests?
An examination of the essences of hobbies and interests and why that's helpful to you/how to put it into practice.
Various ways to try more craft beer and fill out that Untappd profile.
My methodology for keeping track, purchasing, and minimizing cost of record shopping.
An event to listen to music & eat food in good company.
Bring a bottle to enjoy together with friends.
Reasons why you should give beer a chance.
Reflections on whether playing music via vinyl and buying/collecting vinyl is a worthwhile endeavor.
The Walkability of Arlington, VA
My personal experience and opinions on Arlington, VA and its urban planning.
Human Consciousness is not Uniform
A reflection about how and why human consciousness is not uniform.
A reflection on whether or not my fields of study were "useful" and if I regret them.
An examination of the reasons for moral unease around regifting and how to do properly in order to be more sustainable and anti-consumerist.
My methodology of buying craft beer in a way that diversifies risk and maximizes enjoyment.
A guide of how to live in tune with the seasons.
An Ode to Short Sleeve Button Down Shirts
I am the number one short sleeve button down shirt apologist.
How to light your rooms to make them feel warm.
Choosing Seating For My One Bedroom Apartment
My thought process and solutions found for seating in my one-bedroom apartment.
Word Count Statistics Without Plugins
Word Count Statistics Without Plugins
Numeric Value Humanization Without Plugins
Numeric Value Humanization Without Plugins
How I improved my Liquid code in Jekyll to display posts by tag.
How to Augment Your Memory With A Calendar
A way to use your calendar to store temporal information for easy lookup and analysis later.
You should own your tools, and why I don't (yet).
A practical model for algorithmic decomposition.
A Mental Model of Programming as Data Manipulation
A model for understanding computation that is good for beginners or people who are looking to learn program without too much Computer Science theory.
A guide on how to get into craft beer.
Using a Cork Board as an Art Display
Tips about how to use and style a cork board as a way to display art instead of a gallery wall.
Finding a Good Budget-Friendly Media Display Shelf
My quest to find a cheap, aesthetic record and magazine display shelf.
Using a Baker's Rack as a Beverage Bar
Using a Baker's Rack, create the beverage bar of your dreams: serve up coffee or cocktails from a stylish work surface/storage solution.
A framework for planning extracurricular involvement in order to achieve balance in your college life.
A holistic framework for setting goals for the various aspects of your life during college.
Love Languages Are Fake. So What?
Love Languages were created by a somewhat problematic marriage counselor and are not evidence-based/supported by science. Does this mean that Love Languages should be scrapped entirely? I think that with some rehabilitation, the concept of Love Languages can still provide a lot of utility to people.
The results from reflecting about the things that I do (almost) everyday.
Choosing a Delivery Mechanism for New Blog Posts
How can you distribute post notifications for a static site with no server-side code?
5 Lessons I Learned About Living Alone
In summer of 2023, I moved into an apartment by myself and started living alone for the first time in my life. These are my reflections and lessons learned from the first month of living alone about the pros and cons of living alone.
On AI hype and why you can just watch it ride out for now.
Could a Machine Like a Burrito?
On the separation of consciousness and human-like qualities.
Why I Log Every Beer That I Drink
How and why I rate all the beers that I drink.
Libraries and Starting My Own?
A look at how libraries and librarians have shaped my life, and how I want to stay connected with them.
An exploration of how my attitudes and habits toward reading have changed over time.
Living Slower and More Intentionally
A reflection on how in 2023, I want to live more intentionally.
2024 (40)
Am I romantically attracted to my friend?
Trying to answer the age-old question that tortures many people in their relationships.
Relationships Are About Sharing Life
Sharing is caring!
My third year wrapped article where I take a look back at the year in data.
Romance Is Personally Constructed and Necessarily Exclusive
A philosophical account of romance as personally defined niche of actions reserved for a certain person/people.
A list and description of all the home updates that I did during 2024.
A reflection on my 2024 Word of the Year: Groove.
A list of all the cool things that I found to give to my amazing and wonderful friends and family.
Difficulties in Non-Traditional Dating
A look into dating beyond typical romantic relationships and how it complicates the search process.
Targeted desire and how both components can determine your A-Spec identity.
Getting People to Eat Less Meat
How can we get people to eat less meat?
Online Dating From An Abundance Mindset
My case for how a change in your perspective toward online dating will make it a better overall experience.
A Sunday gathering centered around football and board games with fun for everyone.
Building A Loft Bed (And The Importance of Community)
A retrospective on building a loft bed and how difficult it would have been to do alone.
My submission to August 2024's IndieWeb Carnival topic: Rituals.
Jekyll Page Backlinks Without Plugins
Adding backlinks to pages in Jekyll in Pure Liquid.
I Surveyed My Friends' Event Preferences - Part 2
Analysis of event preference survey results in regards to event type.
The Joy of Creating Software For Others
An essay about the joy of creating software for others and the love that it takes to make great software.
I Surveyed My Friends' Event Preferences - Part 1
Analysis of event preference survey results in regards to event pricing, size, and timing.
My system for eating vegan at home, but non-vegan outside of the house.
An exploration of the relative implementation complexity of collecting and visualizing my own data.
A look into what RA as CNM might look like implemented, especially as an aromantic person.
How to Answer Hinge Prompts (Effectively)
Answering Hinge prompts effectively can increase both the quality and quantity of your matches. In this article, I discuss various techniques on how to better answer prompts and boost the strength of your profile.
Asexuality, Attraction, and Desire
A philosophical account of asexuality, sexual attraction, and sexual desire.
An exploration of what personal style is and how to find it.
Adopting Relationship Anarchy as CNM
A personal exploration into Relationship Anarchy as a practice of Consensual Non-Monogamy.
A reflection on my yearly word now that we are halfway through 2024.
Living alone, especially for the first time, can be daunting, but there are some things that you can do to make it far more enjoyable.
How to bulk edit Jekyll frontmatter with Python
A guide on how to bulk edit Jekyll post frontmatter with python-frontmatter and oyaml.
We Need More IRL Friends to Lovers
People love to read the friends to lovers trope, but why not bring it into their own lives?
Search with SimpleJekyllSearch
My modifications to Jake Lee's configuration of SimpleJekyllSearch to fit my Digital Garden.
Listening At A Distance March 2024 Edition
The March 2024 edition of Listening at a Distance: A Monthly Co-Created Music Newsletter.
Listening At A Distance February 2024 Edition
The February 2024 edition of Listening at a Distance: A Monthly Co-Created Music Newsletter.
Push vs Pull Social Media Usage
Applying polling vs event driven systems architecture concepts to social media usage.
Should we abolish the concept of romantic love?
Outlining a model of social media usage that maximizes social interaction and engagement from close friends.
What Do I Do As A Data Engineer?
An examination of what a Data Engineer is and the kind the projects I work on as one.
Creating a Flexible Permalinking System in Jekyll
How to create and maintain a flexible permalinking system in Jekyll for your posts.
Setting my new word of year for 2024: Groove.
How do I decide my favorite breweries?
An exploration of what it means to have a favorite brewery in the face of imperfection and changing tastes.
My second ever year wrapped where I analyze my data in a Spotify Wrapped-esque manner.
2025 (48)
The Double Edged Sword of Sharing Interests With Someone
Are common interests/hobbies necessary for a relationship? Are they net positive?
A list of my goals for 2026 (and beyond).
What I Thought (And Wrote) About This Year - 2025
A reflection of what I wrote about and what that said about what was on my mind this year.
My fourth year wrapped article where I take a look back at my year in data.
A list and description of all the home updates that I did during 2025.
A service which creates holographic projections of late family members allows an elderly woman to spend time with a younger version of her deceased husband.
Compatibility, Meeting Needs, and ENM
Within the paradigm of non-monogamy, how can we know if we are compatible with someone/when to start a relationship with them?
My Take on a Relationship Anarchy Worksheet
A look at what a RA worksheet designed by me might look like.
Advanced Regifting: Passing On
A guide on how to regift by passing on your items to different people who would enjoy them better.
A look into an underappreciated pastime: What is riffing? How do you do it? Why do we do it?
A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker (Dakota Johnson) finds herself torn between the perfect match (Pedro Pascal) and her imperfect ex (Chris Evans).
AI Usage Acceptability Spectrum
A write-up of my own intuitions about what (potentially) makes certain usages of AI more acceptable than others.
The Emotionality Gap in Relationships
An underdiscussed potential gap that can be felt in relationships, especially heterosexual ones.
How to Intentionally Search for a New (SWE) Job
A resource-guide for a practical metric-driven approach for Software Engineers to run a job search that minimizes backsliding.
How To (Important) Build Relationship Skills
A list of foundational beliefs and skills that will make any/all of your relationships better and deeper.
Visualizing Lifting Progression
Analyzing and comparing my lifting progress for three of my lifts: Leg Extension, Preacher Curl, and Lateral Raise.
Developing an actual definition of flirting and linking it to teasing/play.
A detailed look on how to execute my personal way of cleaning.
Why you shouldn't break links on your personal site and how to do redirects in Jekyll.
Texting should be more like email
Drawing on features that make email a better model of conversation and how they could be integrated to texting.
A list of various things that can give a person dopamine curated from other resources that I've found online.
What does growing together in a relationship mean?
Comparing three possible senses of the phrase where none of them are "incorrect", but will depend on a per-relationship basis.
Exploring a model separate from partnership to ascribing importance to certain relationships in our lives.
My argument for there not being any different types of love.
Discussing a conception of mutual support in friendship as an analog to mutual aid in community.
Thinking critically about the idea of partners living together and what alternatives there may be.
Are shared goals required for a partnership?
My take on why shared goals aren't required for a partnership, but that shared values and intentions are more important.
On Training Men To Be Boyfriends
An attempt to explain and ameloriate the experience of "training" your boyfriend.
Is non-monogamous love shallower?
I think that this is a question that monogamous and non-monogamous people have all thought about at least once, so I wanted to dedicate some time thinking about it to settle the question.
Asexuality and Sexual Desire/Pleasure
In this article, I argue for a more pleasure-centric understanding of asexuality as a way to make introspection and identification easier.
Why Do People Stay In Bad Relationships?
Exploring the microeconomics/behavioral economics of staying in a bad relationship.
Re-imagining vs De-centering Romance
Can you re-imagine romance without de-centering it or vice versa?
A written manifesto of my interior design philosophies.
Polyamory Acts on More Than Just Romance
I think that the greatest benefit of non-monogamy is not just increased romance in your life, but increased potential for closeness with all types of relationships.
Finding Lifting Exercises That Are Right For Me
Exercise routines only need be right for you and not anyone else.
A reflection on personal identity and of growing up and being White and Asian.
A cocktail mixer event where you mix cocktails with "random" ingredients with the other guests!
The concept of romance doesn't always serve everyone. Can we rehabilitate this concept or are we better off abandoning it entirely?
A timeline of my personal lifting journey as a beginner.
An overview of the reasons why a blog is a great thing to have, especially for writers.
A collection of conversational devices that can help you get to know someone better.
Gym Rats Are The Perfect Reducetarian Target
A case to focus on people who are heavily involved in personal fitness for Reducetarianism.
Can you not have enough time for polyamory?
A rebuttal of an oft-cited reason that polyamory is a "bad fit" for someone.
Evolving East Asian Fetishization
Identifying a potential trend in the evolution of East Asian fetishization: the fetishization of Asian-ness itself.
Celebrating 100 Articles and Essays
A look at how my blog and I have changed over 50 posts to my blog.
A medium friend is someone who is beyond an acquaintance but not a close friend. I argue that these are a deeply important type of relationship.
The Effects of Different Reducetarian Splits
How should you structure your (non-)meat eating as a Reducetarian?
Setting my new word of the year for 2025: Whimsy.
Artificial Intelligence (3)
AI Usage Acceptability Spectrum
A write-up of my own intuitions about what (potentially) makes certain usages of AI more acceptable than others.
On AI hype and why you can just watch it ride out for now.
Could a Machine Like a Burrito?
On the separation of consciousness and human-like qualities.
Beer (8)
How do I decide my favorite breweries?
An exploration of what it means to have a favorite brewery in the face of imperfection and changing tastes.
Analyzing my Untappd data after trying 1,000 unique beers.
What Makes A Great Brewery Experience?
There are a lot of good breweries, but what makes one great?
Various ways to try more craft beer and fill out that Untappd profile.
Reasons why you should give beer a chance.
My methodology of buying craft beer in a way that diversifies risk and maximizes enjoyment.
A guide on how to get into craft beer.
Why I Log Every Beer That I Drink
How and why I rate all the beers that I drink.
Breakups (1)
Why Do People Stay In Bad Relationships?
Exploring the microeconomics/behavioral economics of staying in a bad relationship.
Calendars (1)
How to Augment Your Memory With A Calendar
A way to use your calendar to store temporal information for easy lookup and analysis later.
Career (2)
How to Intentionally Search for a New (SWE) Job
A resource-guide for a practical metric-driven approach for Software Engineers to run a job search that minimizes backsliding.
What Do I Do As A Data Engineer?
An examination of what a Data Engineer is and the kind the projects I work on as one.
Cleaning/Organization (1)
A detailed look on how to execute my personal way of cleaning.
Cognitive Science (1)
Human Consciousness is not Uniform
A reflection about how and why human consciousness is not uniform.
College (6)
A reflection on whether or not my fields of study were "useful" and if I regret them.
A framework for planning extracurricular involvement in order to achieve balance in your college life.
A holistic framework for setting goals for the various aspects of your life during college.
My Philosophy Degree in a Nutshell
A retrospective at all the courses I took at UMBC for my Philosophy B.A.
A retrospective at all the courses I took at UMBC for my Computer Science B.S.
My Advice for Incoming College Students
A collection of my advice for incoming college students that I wrote and compiled right before I graduated.
Communication (2)
Texting should be more like email
Drawing on features that make email a better model of conversation and how they could be integrated to texting.
A collection of conversational devices that can help you get to know someone better.
Community (1)
Building A Loft Bed (And The Importance of Community)
A retrospective on building a loft bed and how difficult it would have been to do alone.
Compatibility (1)
Compatibility, Meeting Needs, and ENM
Within the paradigm of non-monogamy, how can we know if we are compatible with someone/when to start a relationship with them?
Computer Science Education (2)
A practical model for algorithmic decomposition.
A Mental Model of Programming as Data Manipulation
A model for understanding computation that is good for beginners or people who are looking to learn program without too much Computer Science theory.
Dating (5)
Developing an actual definition of flirting and linking it to teasing/play.
A collection of conversational devices that can help you get to know someone better.
Difficulties in Non-Traditional Dating
A look into dating beyond typical romantic relationships and how it complicates the search process.
Online Dating From An Abundance Mindset
My case for how a change in your perspective toward online dating will make it a better overall experience.
How to Answer Hinge Prompts (Effectively)
Answering Hinge prompts effectively can increase both the quality and quantity of your matches. In this article, I discuss various techniques on how to better answer prompts and boost the strength of your profile.
Design (1)
Texting should be more like email
Drawing on features that make email a better model of conversation and how they could be integrated to texting.
Film (2)
A service which creates holographic projections of late family members allows an elderly woman to spend time with a younger version of her deceased husband.
A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker (Dakota Johnson) finds herself torn between the perfect match (Pedro Pascal) and her imperfect ex (Chris Evans).
Friendship (2)
Discussing a conception of mutual support in friendship as an analog to mutual aid in community.
A medium friend is someone who is beyond an acquaintance but not a close friend. I argue that these are a deeply important type of relationship.
Gifts (3)
Advanced Regifting: Passing On
A guide on how to regift by passing on your items to different people who would enjoy them better.
A list of all the cool things that I found to give to my amazing and wonderful friends and family.
An examination of the reasons for moral unease around regifting and how to do properly in order to be more sustainable and anti-consumerist.
Hosting (6)
A cocktail mixer event where you mix cocktails with "random" ingredients with the other guests!
A Sunday gathering centered around football and board games with fun for everyone.
I Surveyed My Friends' Event Preferences - Part 2
Analysis of event preference survey results in regards to event type.
I Surveyed My Friends' Event Preferences - Part 1
Analysis of event preference survey results in regards to event pricing, size, and timing.
An event to listen to music & eat food in good company.
Bring a bottle to enjoy together with friends.
Humor (2)
A look into an underappreciated pastime: What is riffing? How do you do it? Why do we do it?
Incongruity Theory in the Philosophy of Humor
In this paper, I will first explain Platonism and its relation to mathematics and reconstruct arguments against it to show how mathematical objects ultimately cannot exist. I will then explore logicism and formalism in order to critically evaluate how they create truth for mathematical propositions and the problems that they have that could or should prevent mainstream philosophical adoption. Finally, I will explain Benacerraf’s structuralism and why I think it is the best Anti-Platonist explanation for the philosophical foundation of mathematics.
IndieWeb/Meta-blogging (8)
What I Thought (And Wrote) About This Year - 2025
A reflection of what I wrote about and what that said about what was on my mind this year.
Why you shouldn't break links on your personal site and how to do redirects in Jekyll.
An overview of the reasons why a blog is a great thing to have, especially for writers.
Celebrating 100 Articles and Essays
A look at how my blog and I have changed over 50 posts to my blog.
My submission to August 2024's IndieWeb Carnival topic: Rituals.
An exploration of the relative implementation complexity of collecting and visualizing my own data.
A look at how my blog and I have changed over 50 posts to my blog.
Choosing a Delivery Mechanism for New Blog Posts
How can you distribute post notifications for a static site with no server-side code?
Interior Design (9)
A list and description of all the home updates that I did during 2025.
A written manifesto of my interior design philosophies.
A list and description of all the home updates that I did during 2024.
Building A Loft Bed (And The Importance of Community)
A retrospective on building a loft bed and how difficult it would have been to do alone.
How to light your rooms to make them feel warm.
Choosing Seating For My One Bedroom Apartment
My thought process and solutions found for seating in my one-bedroom apartment.
Using a Cork Board as an Art Display
Tips about how to use and style a cork board as a way to display art instead of a gallery wall.
Finding a Good Budget-Friendly Media Display Shelf
My quest to find a cheap, aesthetic record and magazine display shelf.
Using a Baker's Rack as a Beverage Bar
Using a Baker's Rack, create the beverage bar of your dreams: serve up coffee or cocktails from a stylish work surface/storage solution.
Jekyll (10)
Why you shouldn't break links on your personal site and how to do redirects in Jekyll.
Jekyll Page Backlinks Without Plugins
Adding backlinks to pages in Jekyll in Pure Liquid.
How to bulk edit Jekyll frontmatter with Python
A guide on how to bulk edit Jekyll post frontmatter with python-frontmatter and oyaml.
Search with SimpleJekyllSearch
My modifications to Jake Lee's configuration of SimpleJekyllSearch to fit my Digital Garden.
Creating a Flexible Permalinking System in Jekyll
How to create and maintain a flexible permalinking system in Jekyll for your posts.
Using jekyll-feed + XSLT with GitHub Pages
A guide on how to set up and use the jekyll-feed plugin on GitHub Pages to create a stylized feed.xml for RSS feeds.
Post and Author Age Without Plugins
How to display post and author age in Jekyll via JavaScript.
Word Count Statistics Without Plugins
Word Count Statistics Without Plugins
Numeric Value Humanization Without Plugins
Numeric Value Humanization Without Plugins
How I improved my Liquid code in Jekyll to display posts by tag.
Listening at a Distance (2)
Listening At A Distance March 2024 Edition
The March 2024 edition of Listening at a Distance: A Monthly Co-Created Music Newsletter.
Listening At A Distance February 2024 Edition
The February 2024 edition of Listening at a Distance: A Monthly Co-Created Music Newsletter.
Living Better (17)
A list of my goals for 2026 (and beyond).
My fourth year wrapped article where I take a look back at my year in data.
Setting my new word of the year for 2025: Whimsy.
My third year wrapped article where I take a look back at the year in data.
A reflection on my 2024 Word of the Year: Groove.
My submission to August 2024's IndieWeb Carnival topic: Rituals.
A reflection on my yearly word now that we are halfway through 2024.
Living alone, especially for the first time, can be daunting, but there are some things that you can do to make it far more enjoyable.
Setting my new word of year for 2024: Groove.
My second ever year wrapped where I analyze my data in a Spotify Wrapped-esque manner.
A reflection of my 2023 Word of the Year: Intention.
What Are Hobbies and Interests?
An examination of the essences of hobbies and interests and why that's helpful to you/how to put it into practice.
A guide of how to live in tune with the seasons.
The results from reflecting about the things that I do (almost) everyday.
5 Lessons I Learned About Living Alone
In summer of 2023, I moved into an apartment by myself and started living alone for the first time in my life. These are my reflections and lessons learned from the first month of living alone about the pros and cons of living alone.
Living Slower and More Intentionally
A reflection on how in 2023, I want to live more intentionally.
A Spotify Wrapped-esque analysis of my Google Calendar data.
Love/Romance (10)
My argument for there not being any different types of love.
Is non-monogamous love shallower?
I think that this is a question that monogamous and non-monogamous people have all thought about at least once, so I wanted to dedicate some time thinking about it to settle the question.
Why Do People Stay In Bad Relationships?
Exploring the microeconomics/behavioral economics of staying in a bad relationship.
Re-imagining vs De-centering Romance
Can you re-imagine romance without de-centering it or vice versa?
The concept of romance doesn't always serve everyone. Can we rehabilitate this concept or are we better off abandoning it entirely?
Am I romantically attracted to my friend?
Trying to answer the age-old question that tortures many people in their relationships.
Romance Is Personally Constructed and Necessarily Exclusive
A philosophical account of romance as personally defined niche of actions reserved for a certain person/people.
We Need More IRL Friends to Lovers
People love to read the friends to lovers trope, but why not bring it into their own lives?
Should we abolish the concept of romantic love?
Love Languages Are Fake. So What?
Love Languages were created by a somewhat problematic marriage counselor and are not evidence-based/supported by science. Does this mean that Love Languages should be scrapped entirely? I think that with some rehabilitation, the concept of Love Languages can still provide a lot of utility to people.
Loving Better (8)
How To (Important) Build Relationship Skills
A list of foundational beliefs and skills that will make any/all of your relationships better and deeper.
Discussing a conception of mutual support in friendship as an analog to mutual aid in community.
Relationships Are About Sharing Life
Sharing is caring!
Online Dating From An Abundance Mindset
My case for how a change in your perspective toward online dating will make it a better overall experience.
The Joy of Creating Software For Others
An essay about the joy of creating software for others and the love that it takes to make great software.
Developing A Non-Hierarchical View of Friendships
Friendships are one of the most important things in our life, and I think that we could all benefit from re-evaluating how we think about them.
An examination of the reasons for moral unease around regifting and how to do properly in order to be more sustainable and anti-consumerist.
Love Languages Are Fake. So What?
Love Languages were created by a somewhat problematic marriage counselor and are not evidence-based/supported by science. Does this mean that Love Languages should be scrapped entirely? I think that with some rehabilitation, the concept of Love Languages can still provide a lot of utility to people.
Maintaining a Second Brain (2)
How to Augment Your Memory With A Calendar
A way to use your calendar to store temporal information for easy lookup and analysis later.
You should own your tools, and why I don't (yet).
Mental Health (1)
A list of various things that can give a person dopamine curated from other resources that I've found online.
Music/Vinyl (5)
Listening At A Distance March 2024 Edition
The March 2024 edition of Listening at a Distance: A Monthly Co-Created Music Newsletter.
Listening At A Distance February 2024 Edition
The February 2024 edition of Listening at a Distance: A Monthly Co-Created Music Newsletter.
Listening to a New Album a Day
I tried listening to at least a new album a day for two weeks in order to find new music.
My methodology for keeping track, purchasing, and minimizing cost of record shopping.
Reflections on whether playing music via vinyl and buying/collecting vinyl is a worthwhile endeavor.
Non-monogamy (8)
Compatibility, Meeting Needs, and ENM
Within the paradigm of non-monogamy, how can we know if we are compatible with someone/when to start a relationship with them?
My Take on a Relationship Anarchy Worksheet
A look at what a RA worksheet designed by me might look like.
Is non-monogamous love shallower?
I think that this is a question that monogamous and non-monogamous people have all thought about at least once, so I wanted to dedicate some time thinking about it to settle the question.
Polyamory Acts on More Than Just Romance
I think that the greatest benefit of non-monogamy is not just increased romance in your life, but increased potential for closeness with all types of relationships.
Can you not have enough time for polyamory?
A rebuttal of an oft-cited reason that polyamory is a "bad fit" for someone.
Difficulties in Non-Traditional Dating
A look into dating beyond typical romantic relationships and how it complicates the search process.
A look into what RA as CNM might look like implemented, especially as an aromantic person.
Adopting Relationship Anarchy as CNM
A personal exploration into Relationship Anarchy as a practice of Consensual Non-Monogamy.
Partnership (2)
Thinking critically about the idea of partners living together and what alternatives there may be.
Are shared goals required for a partnership?
My take on why shared goals aren't required for a partnership, but that shared values and intentions are more important.
Personal Fitness (4)
Visualizing Lifting Progression
Analyzing and comparing my lifting progress for three of my lifts: Leg Extension, Preacher Curl, and Lateral Raise.
Finding Lifting Exercises That Are Right For Me
Exercise routines only need be right for you and not anyone else.
A timeline of my personal lifting journey as a beginner.
Gym Rats Are The Perfect Reducetarian Target
A case to focus on people who are heavily involved in personal fitness for Reducetarianism.
Personal Style (2)
An exploration of what personal style is and how to find it.
An Ode to Short Sleeve Button Down Shirts
I am the number one short sleeve button down shirt apologist.
Philosophy (11)
Developing an actual definition of flirting and linking it to teasing/play.
My argument for there not being any different types of love.
Asexuality and Sexual Desire/Pleasure
In this article, I argue for a more pleasure-centric understanding of asexuality as a way to make introspection and identification easier.
Romance Is Personally Constructed and Necessarily Exclusive
A philosophical account of romance as personally defined niche of actions reserved for a certain person/people.
Asexuality, Attraction, and Desire
A philosophical account of asexuality, sexual attraction, and sexual desire.
Theoretical Virtues of Major Theories of Time
In this paper, I have two main goals. The first of which is to develop an account of why people believe or choose to believe certain scientific and/or metaphysical theories, with an focus on theories of time. In particular, I will argue that people choose to believe intuition-preserving theories of time (intuition-preservation as a theoretical virtue). Additionally, I consider if this is a good thing or not, and whether people should evaluate theories on the basis of intuition-preservation. The second goal is to use the developed account to examine the theoretical virtues of some of the most popular competing metaphysical theories of time, namely: Presentism, Growing Block Theory, and Eternalism.
In this paper, I will argue that, following the advice of the Buddhists and Stoics, we should extirpate anger from ourselves for the betterment of ourselves, and to a greater extent, our society. First, I will describe the Aristeolian “containment” view of anger. Then I will present an argument that anger is a categorically negative emotion. Next, I will consider a common objection, of which I think is the strongest pro-anger argument, that anger is actually good because it is a necessary moral emotion, especially in responding to instances of injustice. Finally, I will show why this is not a satisfactory explanation by arguing for grief, rather than anger, as a way to motivate against injustice.
Why I Think IAP Spoofing is Stealing
A philosophical argument as to why I think in-app purchase spoofing is theft.
Holes (Pretty Good Movie/Pretty Tough Ontological Question)
In this essay I argue that holes cannot exist.
Evaluating Anti-Platonist Approaches to Mathematics
In this paper, I will first explain Platonism and its relation to mathematics and reconstruct arguments against it to show how mathematical objects ultimately cannot exist. I will then explore logicism and formalism in order to critically evaluate how they create truth for mathematical propositions and the problems that they have that could or should prevent mainstream philosophical adoption. Finally, I will explain Benacerraf’s structuralism and why I think it is the best Anti-Platonist explanation for the philosophical foundation of mathematics.
Incongruity Theory in the Philosophy of Humor
In this paper, I will first explain Platonism and its relation to mathematics and reconstruct arguments against it to show how mathematical objects ultimately cannot exist. I will then explore logicism and formalism in order to critically evaluate how they create truth for mathematical propositions and the problems that they have that could or should prevent mainstream philosophical adoption. Finally, I will explain Benacerraf’s structuralism and why I think it is the best Anti-Platonist explanation for the philosophical foundation of mathematics.
Race (2)
A reflection on personal identity and of growing up and being White and Asian.
Evolving East Asian Fetishization
Identifying a potential trend in the evolution of East Asian fetishization: the fetishization of Asian-ness itself.
Reading (2)
Libraries and Starting My Own?
A look at how libraries and librarians have shaped my life, and how I want to stay connected with them.
An exploration of how my attitudes and habits toward reading have changed over time.
Reducetarian (3)
Gym Rats Are The Perfect Reducetarian Target
A case to focus on people who are heavily involved in personal fitness for Reducetarianism.
The Effects of Different Reducetarian Splits
How should you structure your (non-)meat eating as a Reducetarian?
My system for eating vegan at home, but non-vegan outside of the house.
Relationship Structures (2)
Exploring a model separate from partnership to ascribing importance to certain relationships in our lives.
A look into what RA as CNM might look like implemented, especially as an aromantic person.
Relationships (4)
The Double Edged Sword of Sharing Interests With Someone
Are common interests/hobbies necessary for a relationship? Are they net positive?
The Emotionality Gap in Relationships
An underdiscussed potential gap that can be felt in relationships, especially heterosexual ones.
What does growing together in a relationship mean?
Comparing three possible senses of the phrase where none of them are "incorrect", but will depend on a per-relationship basis.
On Training Men To Be Boyfriends
An attempt to explain and ameloriate the experience of "training" your boyfriend.
Self-Care (1)
A list of various things that can give a person dopamine curated from other resources that I've found online.
Sexuality (2)
Targeted desire and how both components can determine your A-Spec identity.
Asexuality, Attraction, and Desire
A philosophical account of asexuality, sexual attraction, and sexual desire.
Social Media (2)
Push vs Pull Social Media Usage
Applying polling vs event driven systems architecture concepts to social media usage.
Outlining a model of social media usage that maximizes social interaction and engagement from close friends.
Software Engineering (2)
The Joy of Creating Software For Others
An essay about the joy of creating software for others and the love that it takes to make great software.
What Do I Do As A Data Engineer?
An examination of what a Data Engineer is and the kind the projects I work on as one.
Urban Planning/Public Transportation (1)
The Walkability of Arlington, VA
My personal experience and opinions on Arlington, VA and its urban planning.
Veganism (3)
The Effects of Different Reducetarian Splits
How should you structure your (non-)meat eating as a Reducetarian?
Getting People to Eat Less Meat
How can we get people to eat less meat?
My system for eating vegan at home, but non-vegan outside of the house.