∞ A stochastic process that parameterize an uncountably infinite set of random variables - to solve for happiness.
Sometimes existence feels deplorable, other times, bliss. We cannot improve what we do not measure — so why not reverse engineer human emotion?
Is it possible to define happiness as a set of non-linear basis functions that capture societal interaction effects?
Before we can capture any natural phenomena — which is infinitely complex — by some statistical framework we need to formalize the search space (imposing simplifying constraints). …
A comical guide to Reinforcement Learning; Bayesian Statistical Updating & the Exploration vs Exploitation Paradigm.
So you’re the kid who got 100 for every math & physics test, you’ve read Hagel, you compose like Bach, you think in machine code, life is easy, thinking is fast (& slow), tasks are simple.
But there’s a problem… Girls don’t seem to care?!
So, if you’re growing tired of winning the olympiads but not having anyone to celebrate with :( ... At last! I have the answer for you my present-day progressive Picasso.
So ponder no longer my postmodern Pascal. Here’s how we…
#Poetry
Run in the forest.
Run fast.
Alone.
Faster & further than you thought you could.
Sprint until your legs give way, you slip and fall & your knees bleed. Look around & realize where you are — in the forest, alone. And the forest doesn’t care about your bloody knees — so you’ll get up & run again.
Without your knowing, nor your consent, the world of things will recede around you & you’ll be left with nothing but the metaphysics of being.
Your mind & heart race as fast as blood pumps through your veins. Now you feel…
Does the Prosperity of Tribals Societies Necessitate Religion & God?
Evolutionary thinking is a fundamental tool for logic & reason. From biology to culture to everything in between — things are only truly understood in the context under which they originate & the pressures that drive them. Here I detail evolution, not for biologists & geneticists — but rather as an abstract framework for problem-solving.
To this aid, I wrote an evolutionary primer: explaining the basic mechanism, advanced & shortcomings in evolutionary theory. It’s available here:
Now that we have our evolutionary primer, we can apply…
Here we detail the natural elements of evolution, not for the sake of biology but rather as an intellectual framework to apply to other phenomena (ideas, culture, trends, technology, whatever you like).
It’s foolish to analyze anything statically, systems are dynamic. Let's give a succinct example:
Suppose you wish to analyze something arbitrary: like work culture:
why do we work 9 am-5 pm 5 days a week?
Where does this come from? A naive, static investigation would explain how it fits into contemporary society well, or that it’s a natural structure inherited for its optimality. An Evolutionary explanation would, instead…
This article, heavily inspired by Robert Sapolsky, details one way of thinking about the brain as a dynamic, computational engine — from which arbitrary complexity can arise. Thinking about cognition as a Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS), or decentralized networks, can yield insight into some of what makes us human.
Here’s a basic neuroscience/neuroanatomy primer to set the framework for this type of thinking.
The goal of this article is to think about the brain as a computational system, from the perspective of science & engineering.
Here we outline some core ideas in the neurological literature that will provide a necessary…
#opinion piece
Why I think Modern Companies are Neglecting an Unprecedented Wealth of Cheap, Desperate Talent
We live in a computational world, with ever-increasing importance of mastery of all digital domains. There’s no need to preach the importance of digitization & efficient data use — it’s not 2005. Software Engineers & Data Scientist are in hot demand.
More generally we have a shortage of computational thinking
This is the latest craze, foundationally it will last, emotionally it will pass. Now go beyond the need for great engineering/data talent & consider a wide spectrum of roles available at the finest &…
Coauthor: Luka Beverin
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What could this 7-bit binary string have to do with your consciousness? Or the very fabric of spacetime.
#Philosophy
Alone in a beautiful room, it’s not so beautiful. Submerged in chaos, fruitful chaos. The world around — buzzing, the world within — decaying. I begin to sink, give in to my thoughts. I begin to spiral, succumb to my insecurities, succumb to my dread, succumb to my fears.
This will come to us all, at different times, in different magnitudes — but sure as your existence, it will come. For this is to suffer from thought, to suffer from our inner complexity — and thought is the human condition. Though individuality can reveal itself in our reaction to…
Statistician, scientist, technologist — writing about stats, data science, math, philosophy, poetry & any other flavours that occupy my mind. Get in touch