drafts

drafts/.ideas.md

@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
 Bring baby outside
 Double bag
 Pride
+cleaning the boots: how babies love wholeheartedly and how innocence should be protected
+
+wisdom is words that can only be unlocked through experience
+
+twinkle in the eye is looking up vs looking down
+
+taking offense
+

drafts/money.md

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+- Technology for social coordination
+- Only solution for resource allocation at scale

drafts/motivation.md

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+- challenge, urgency, novelty, importance
+- leveraging control
+- structured procrastination

drafts/punctuation.md

@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ published: false
 tags: []
 ---
 
+## Names for Punctuation Marks
+
 Many punctuation marks have names other than "<function> sign/symbol". Here are some that I know:
 
 - `!`: bang
@@ -26,3 +28,7 @@ Many punctuation marks have names other than "<function> sign/symbol". Here are
 - `–`: en dash
 - `—`: em dash
 
+
+## Nesting Punctuation
+
+The 

drafts/rational-choice-theory-101.md

@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+---
+title: Rational Choice Theory 101
+date: 2026-XX-XX
+published: true
+tags: 
+    - '101'
+---
+
+I have never had a strong intuition for understanding the behaviour of other people around me, but when I learned to look at the world through the lens of rational choice theory, it all started to make so much more sense.
+
+**Rational choice theory** is a framework for modeling strategic decision-making. It is based on the assumption that decision-makers are **rational agents**, each of whom considers the costs and benefits of their options and chooses a course of action that is in their own individual best interest. 
+
+
+## Preference Relations
+
+How do we know what constitutes an agent's "best interest"? We use a **preference relation** to represent an agent's preferences among the options they have. **Preference** is a binary relation that compares any pair of options and says either:
+
+- which one the agent prefers, or
+- that the agent is indifferent
+
+A rational agent simply chooses whichever action(s) are most likely to lead to their most preferred outcome.
+
+
+### Example: Work-Life Balance
+
+Here's an example. Let's say that I have the following preference relation: work-life balance ≻ overwork ≻ default on my mortgage. Given these preferences, the only rational course of action is to balance work and life. It would be irrational of me to work more than I need to, but it would also be irrational to quit my job and default on my mortgage. 
+
+Let's say that like many people I would most prefer an outcome where I could quit my job and keep my home. Since I have no actions that would lead to this outcome, the rational choice is continue on as a weekend warrior. However, if I won the lottery or came into a sufficiently large inheritance, then the rational choice would be to quit my job and live off my wealth.
+
+
+### Example: Cracking the Egg
+
+A simple understanding of preference functions is already very powerful. Another example: if you don't understand why someone would undergo a gender transition, look through the lens of rational choice theory. Someone who transitions communicates with their actions that gender dysphoria is more miserable to live with than all the social stigma, political scapegoating, increased mortality rates, etc. Gender dysphoria is not something that I can easily imagine, but based on the fact that trans people would subject themselves to a bunch of horrible stuff (that I *can* understand) in order to avoid it, I know that it must be agonizing, and I feel for them.
+
+
+## Utility Functions
+
+A preference relation can usually also be represented by a **utility function**, which assigns quantitative values to an agent's options. Utility can be thought of as a measure of an agent's satisfaction with a choice. Numerical utility functions are useful because you can apply much more math to them than you can to simple ordinal preference relations. When you use a utility function, rational choice becomes a matter of optimizing the value of the utility function. 
+
+Perhaps the most salient example of a utility function is simply monetary value. An agent whose utility function is based on monetary value seeks to cut expenses while increasing income.
+
+
+### Example: Minimum Order for Free Shipping
+
+Here's an example. My laptop's charger has broken and I need to replace it. A replacement charger costs $20 with a $10 shipping fee for orders less than $25. The manufacturer also sells stickers for $1 apiece (for the sake of the example, I derive neither joy nor inconvenience from the stickers). If I simply buy the charger, my utility is -30. It's clear that if I buy 5 stickers, I will hit the threshold for free shipping, and my utility will be -25. Any fewer stickers and I'll have to pay the shipping fee PLUS the money for the extra stickers. Any more stickers and the price will simply go up. Five stickers is the sweet spot — the **optimum** where my utility is maximized (or my **loss** is minimized). In other words, the rational choice is for me to order the charger with five stickers in order to minimize my losses.
+
+
+## Expected Utility
+
+In situations where outcomes of actions are uncertain, we simply use **expected utility**, where the value of each possible outcome is weighted by the probability of it being realized. 
+
+
+### Example: Scratchers
+
+For example, consider a lottery scratcher that costs $5. Let's say there's a 10% chance of winning $10 and a 1% chance of winning $100. The expected utility of not buying the scratcher is $0. The expected utility of buying the scratcher is: 
+
+$$-\$5 \text{ (for the cost of the scratcher)} + \$10\cdot10\% + \$100\cdot1\% = -\$3$$
+
+If you were to buy a very large number of scratchers, you should expect to have lost about $3 for each card you bought. Since the expected utility is negative, buying a scratcher is clearly not in your best interest if you derive utility only from monetary value. The rational course of action is to not buy a scratcher in the first place.
+
+
+## Reinforcement Learning
+
+**Reinforcement learning**, one of the three fundamental categories of classical machine learning, is essentially a computational approach to rational choice theory. 
+
+<!--TODO expand-->
+
+
+## Economics (Supply & Demand)
+
+
+## Utility Functions for Humans
+
+
+### Beliefs and Values
+
+### Personal Rules
+
+### Dopamine
+
+
+
+
+## Game Theory
+
+To this point, we've been talking about **decision theory**, which is concerned with the behavior of a single rational agent in an uncertain environment. On the other hand, **game theory** is a study of the interdependence 
+
+
+### Nash Equilibrium
+
+### Pareto Optimality
+
+- Rational choice theory
+
+
+- mathematical approach to strategic decision making
+- one or more agents*
+    - *one agent typically called decision theory; game theory typically multi-agent
+- it's everywhere: behavioural psychology, reinforcement learning, economics, 
+- optimizing the objective function
+- Cui bono?

phone-alternatives.md

@@ -1,28 +1,41 @@
 ---
-title: Vintage Technology
+title: Phone Alternatives
 date: 2025-11-20
+lastmod: 2026-02-11
 published: false
 tags: 
     - technology
+    - digitaldetox
 ---
 
-Since reading *The Glass Cage*, I have been trying to reduce my reliance on my phone in favor of older-school technology. I have found this practice to be profoundly good for the soul. 
+Over the course of my de-phoning journey, I have replaced many of the features on my smartphone with alternative (often more "old-school") technologies, and I have found this to be profoundly good for the soul. 
 
-The most obvious benefit is that these old technologies are not designed to be addicting like a smartphone. Even if you are using your smartphone for legitimate purposes, temptation is literally in the palm of your hand. Imagine reading a map with a line of cocaine on it; that's what you're doing when you use your smartphone.
+The most obvious benefit is that these old technologies are not designed to be addicting like a smartphone. Even if you are using your smartphone for legitimate purposes, temptation is literally in the palm of your hand. Imagine reading a map with a line of cocaine on it, and you kind of get an idea of why you might not want to rely on your phone's GPS.
 
-When I talked to my dad about having a record player, he told me that there was a ritual to dusting off a vinyl, cleaning the needle, putting it down gently, etc. It's been my experience that having those rituals — being invited to participate in the process — deepens your love and appreciation for the technology in a way that a black box cannot. 
+When I talked to my dad about having a record player, he told me that there was a ritual to dusting off a vinyl, cleaning the needle, putting it down gently, etc. It's been my experience that having those rituals — being invited to participate in the process — deepens your appreciation and understanding of the technology in a way that you can't experience with a low-friction "black box" technology like the smartphone. 
 
-Here are some "obsolete" technologies that I have incorporated into my life:
+Here are some phone alternatives that I have incorporated into my life:
+
+
+## Laptop
+
+This one may seem against the spirit of "digital detox," but let me explain. Smartphone critics often point out that before the advent of the smartphone, people treated the Internet like a "place" — in order to access the Internet, you had to sit down in the computer room. Although laptops are portable, they aren't practical to use on-the-go as smartphones. It's not as convenient to whip out your laptop when you're waiting in line or sitting on the toilet.
+
+Perhaps the most effective technique I've employed to rely on my phone less is to off-load most of its responsibilities to my laptop. I've disabled the browser on my phone
 
 
 ## Alarm Clock
 
-My wife bought us a Nintendo Alarmo, so it is a modern, high-tech alarm, but it allows me to go to bed without my smartphone. It's also harder to accidentally disable, which is nice. When your phone is your alarm, the first thing you do when you wake up is grab your phone, and that's no good.
+My wife bought us a Nintendo Alarmo (though any alarm clock would do), which is the main technology that enables me to leave my smartphone outside my bedroom. Because it's not touch-activated and right under my pillow, it's harder to accidentally disable. Granted, Alarmo doesn't really have a "snooze" feature, so there are days when I disable it and oversleep, though I'm trying to build the discipline to do that less. When your phone is your alarm, the first thing you do when you wake up is grab your phone, and that's no good.
 
 
 ## Wall Clocks
 
-We got these when our son was a newborn to help us keep track of when we fed him. We realized that it was much more convenient to be able to see the time without having to free up a hand, reach in a pocket, and turn on a phone.
+When our son was a newborn, we put wall clocks around the house to help track the timing of his feedings, since it was much more convenient to be able to see the time without having to free up a hand, reach in a pocket, and turn on a phone. Using wall clocks, you can keep an eye on the time while still being engaged in your surroundings.
+
+Wall clocks can also enhance the aesthetics of your home. We bought most of ours on Etsy, which has a huge, diverse selection of clocks sold by independent artists.
+
+The decline in the ability to read an analog clock is linked with the onset of dementia[^1], so my clocks have the added bonus of reassuring me about my cognitive function.
 
 
 ## Record Player
@@ -60,6 +73,11 @@ Using a compass instead of GPS forces you to develop a mental map, which enables
 I admittedly haven't done this very much, but I have been writing letters to friends and family. It's nice to be able to send Ventoy flash drives and candy along with my words.
 Going to the post office, interacting with a mailperson, dropping your parcel in the drop-box, etc. invites you to participate in the process. 
 
+
+# Home Phone Handsets
+
+I bought 
+
 - **books**: my Pocketbook Inkpad Color 3 is super convenient (especially because I can disable the touchscreen when babies are climbing on me), but it's also nice to just read a real book every now and then.
 - **mail**: 
 - **home phone handsets**: paying for landline service in this day and age is wasteful, but I did by a set of link-to-cell home phones from Facebook Marketplace
@@ -72,3 +90,8 @@ I have found this practice to be profoundly good for the soul.
 When I talked to my dad about us having a record player, he told me that there was a ritual to dusting off a vinyl, cleaning the needle, putting it down gently, etc. It's been my experience that having those rituals deepens your love and appreciation for the technology in a way that a black box cannot. 
 
 Of course, there's also the Substitution Myth, which is discussed in *The Glass Cage*. The technology you use shapes how you view and interact with the world. 
+
+
+## Sources
+
+[^1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35431241/

superlock.md

@@ -12,4 +12,4 @@ The "Superlock" knot is the way I tie my obi. I prefer it because it keeps the e
 
 This video shows how to do it:
 
-<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9f90zDaYV_g?si=Wxtup_8PB1XZ55KB" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/9f90zDaYV_g?si=Wxtup_8PB1XZ55KB" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
+<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9f90zDaYV_g?si=Wxtup_8PB1XZ55KB" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

temptation.md

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ lastmod: 2026-02-09
 published: true
 tags: 
     - selfmastery
+    - digitaldetox
 ---
 
 At the time of writing this, I have been dieting for over a year. When you are on a diet, you have to learn to resist the **temptation** to overeat or eat stuff that is bad for you. Same thing with being on a budget; you must not give into the **temptation** to overspend.