add backlogs

benthecoder · benthecoder · commit cc119568488e · 2025-05-21T22:59:29.000-07:00
diff --git a/posts/060525.md b/posts/060525.md
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+---
+title: 'figma conf day 1'
+tags: 'journal'
+date: 'May 6, 2025'
+---
+
+after mlops class i left for figma conf to meet with my sister. i queued up for almost 3 hours in total for swags. i'm getting them all for T.
+
+in the line for the first swag booth, i talked to a brazilian UX director managing 40 designers under him. he mentioned as a leader, it's tempting to try to solve probelms on your own, instead of delegating them to others.
+
+in the other line, i met some designers from jack rabbit technologies, one guy was an english teacher in japan for a few years, before settling down in durham NC. we conversations about design system, and my sister did her networking.
+
+after the swags and free tacos, i went to marriot to work on the birdclef model. i realized it was because of simple variable case errors which caused the failure on the test set inference.
+
+the rest of the night i was tired and heaty. i went to bed early.
diff --git a/posts/070525.md b/posts/070525.md
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+---
+title: 'figma config day 2'
+tags: 'journal'
+date: 'May 7, 2025'
+---
+
+i got there after talking to T. i was acting childish and brainless, and i have since learned to be careful with my words. i was shocked at my own behaviour.
+
+after the practicum meetings, i went to the figma conf expo and walked around getting stickers with my sister. there were "figjam" plastic walls around for us to draw, i wrote down her name and my blog.
+
+the first swag line was completely empty today, i felt cheated, but i did practice my conversation skills.
+
+i went to marriot to meet up with A, then to capitol one cafe because of the wifi. we worked on the mlops project.
+
+left home, and walked 30 minutes to meet with my sister after her bolt.new party at 715 harrison st. we met a taiwanese waymo employee working at taipei outside of the club.
+
+we took the waymo home.
diff --git a/posts/080525.md b/posts/080525.md
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+---
+title: 'last day of mod 2 spring'
+tags: 'journal'
+date: 'May 8, 2025'
+---
+
+we presented llm controlled 3d characters app in front of class. it wasn't our best work, but i'm glad it is done. the other classmates presented their own apps. there was a recipe app, a podcast generator app, a mock interview app, an app to read your T&Cs, etc.
+
+last ethics class of the semester. admittedly i barely paid attention in this class. but one thing i found interesting is the allowed use of AI in the assignments and final project, as well as stating the usage of AI, including the prompts and output. this was my first ever class where i had to explicitly mention how i utilized AI, and i think that will be how education evolves, with AI, and not against it.
diff --git a/posts/090525.md b/posts/090525.md
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+---
+title: 'pier39 sea lions'
+tags: 'journal'
+date: 'May 9, 2025'
+---
+
+i was lethargic again today. i had two meetings today. one with hp about my ambassador tasks and my hardware stuck in malaysia. the second was with nvidia for the event J wants to organize for women.
+
+i fell into a deep tiredness that i was unable to escape from. i kept dozing off. i could barely move my arms. after eating porridge and stir fried pork belly and lady fingers cooked by my sister, i eventually gave in and fell asleep on the floor bed.
+
+when i woke up i got enough energy to accompany my sister to the pier. all she wanted was to see the sea lions. we first stopped at the willion stout architecture bookstore. the sun was scorching, and i wish i wore my hat and sunglasses. it was windy at the pier, i acted as the photographer for sister. we watched a magic show performance, we saw an old man on a unicycle juggling, playing an electric guitar. i'm only 23 and i don't have half his energy.
+
+we took tram home. it was a nice day. i felt tired again at night.
diff --git a/posts/100525.md b/posts/100525.md
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+---
+title: 'presido lawn'
+tags: 'journal'
+date: 'May 10, 2025'
+---
+
+a few questions i prepared for [inklink](https://www.inklink.com) ceo:
+
+founding story
+
+- how did this idea come about? how did you convince jung about it?
+- any particular moment that convinced you to build inklink? possibly for the next decade of your life?
+- what company culture from money lion do you want to bring into inklink?
+- what mistakes did you make in the early days from moneylion that made you want to approach things differently with inklink
+
+market
+
+- what's the most common misconception do inestors have that you find yourself correcting
+- what feedback do they have?
+- you mentioned being contrarian and being right, what is your contrarian belief about inklink?
+
+product
+
+- how do you envision proof standards evolving?
+- how do we balance the security rigor of the verification system against friction in user experience (MCPs with browser use)
+- what metrics beyond growth numbers do you watch to know you’re successfully building digital trust?
+- what do you think abou the idea of an inklink app?
+  - device biometrics
+  - GPS for location based proof (attending an event or visiting a location)
+
+vision
+
+- inklink 5 years from now, what would make you most proud beyond business success metrics
+- consumer facing brand? (given the badge systems) or invisible infrastructure layer (agent2agent)
+
+hiring
+
+- as a second engineer, what specific gaps are you hoping i can fill to strengthen the team?
+- what qualities do you look for beyond technical skills?
+- what are some important lessons you’ve learned about structuring roles and responsibilities for an early team?
+
+ideas
+
+- international opportunities where credential systems are less developed
+
+a few more that came up
+
+- what is plan for exit
+- monetization strategy
+
+takeaways
+
+- biggest mistake was not focusing on the brand
+- first few hires are important to build culture
+- building a trust infrastructure, contrarian view is it's a infrastructure that requires a brand and building horizontal instead of vertical
+- time to create proof as golden metric
+
+---
+
+the rest of the day was on the shorthand prediction assignment at Cavalli Cafe with A. i did not act well here. i kept napping on the table, and i was angsty and mean. i should not interact with people when i'm tired.
diff --git a/posts/110525.md b/posts/110525.md
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+---
+title: 'shorthand prediction'
+tags: 'journal'
+date: 'May 11, 2025'
+---
+
+Y came to visit from Malaysia, and he drove me to ocean beach park, and we walked along the sunset dunes bike park. we talked about anything that came to our minds, side projects, agency, and about relationships. i'm glad that i started my blog, and i hope i continue to meet more people this way.
+
+i worked on the shorthand prediction since i woke up, and had to miss church because of how much work was left to be done. after leaving for my short trip with him for 5 hours, i got back on the grind, and we rushed the assignment till 12am, the very last minute. i did not like this assignment. there were so many mistakes, and it all started from not clarifying initially. i need to show more care into everything i do, not just the things that matter. how i do something is how i do everything.
diff --git a/posts/120525.md b/posts/120525.md
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+---
+title: 'botanical garden volunteer #2'
+tags: 'journal'
+date: 'May 12, 2025'
+---
+
+> There is something like a value structure inside of us—a web of thoughts, feelings, intuitions, goals, ethical principles, and so on—that we can tap into. It will rank order our options for us and tell us what matters, if we want. In moments of clarity, we can make contact with that value structure, and it will tell us, in no uncertain terms, that almost everything we do is irrelevant.
+>
+> - [escaping flatland](https://www.henrikkarlsson.xyz/p/problem-selection)
+
+i volunteered again today. the second time felt more boring. it was not novel anymore, and not as romantic as the first time, the second time felt more rigid and structured, i already knew what to expect, i was bored from the tasks, and i wanted to get out as soon as i could.
+
+there are many things like this in life, it feels exciting at first, i get a burst of dopamine, but soon i get bored of it, and i need new stimulation. from time to time, i should sit down and ask myself:
+
+"What is the problem you should be working on now?"
+
+and if this is the problem,
+
+"What alternatives do I have?"
diff --git a/posts/130525.md b/posts/130525.md
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+---
+title: 'research on hume.ai'
+tags: 'journal'
+date: 'May 13, 2025'
+---
+
+> “My dear,  
+> In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.  
+> In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile.  
+> In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.  
+> I realized, through it all, that ...  
+> In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.  
+> And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.
+>
+> Truly yours,
+> Albert Camus”
+
+spend most of the day trying to write a doc for contrary about why hume.ai matters. and i learned it's an incredibly tough thing to do. i ended up by [writing](https://benneo.notion.site/Will-Hume-ai-still-matter-in-2-3-years-1e4e5d677bb180f69d74d1ee9f52d98b?pvs=74) about the product, the competition, the technology moat being a multmodal emotional model, and a research team, market traction, and their GTM strategy, ending it with a future outlook and challenges.
+
+i walked around kinokuniya and browsed through a few books, mostly design books
+
+> Dieter Rams took up the mantle by detailing ten principles of good design, chiefly that it "emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possible detract from it
+>
+> A designer's role has always been to consider a need, a new way of doing things, an ingenious answer to an existing question.
+>
+> – "what is good design if not designing for good"
+
+colors of the hokusai wave art
+
+- pale aqua: `#81C7D4`,
+- bright blue: `#0067C0`
+- navy blue: `#0F2540`
+
+and some info about miso
+
+- what is it? soybean paste fermented with a fungus called koji (it existed before soy sauce!)
+- benefits: "Miso ha isha irazu" (miso keeps the doctor away), it is good for gut flora and contains essential amino acids that nourishes body with quality proteins
+- how to choose it?
+  - choose non-GMO soybean
+  - only soybeans, koji (wheat, rice, or soybean)
+- what determines the taste?
+  - proportion of koji and duration of fermentation
+  - higher and shorter = milder taste
+  - the lighter -> more sweet and fruity
+  - the darker -> more salty and strong
+- types of koji
+  - black: pure soybean miso, special strong taste, low salt content
+  - red: more salty than white miso, pronounced taste
+  - brown: neutral taste, easiest to use
+  - white: mildest and frutiest
diff --git a/posts/140525.md b/posts/140525.md
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+---
+title: 'parents arrival'
+tags: 'journal'
+date: 'May 14, 2025'
+---
+
+i drove a zipcar (toyota corolla) to SFO with A to pick up my parents. i haven't driven in over 6 months, things were smooth, but i missed the arrival gate entrance, and stopped at the departure gate instead. A left and my parents got on. i figured since we had about 40 mins left, we could go to the costco nearby. but little did i know traffic was terrible at 4 pm in SF, so i extended 30 minutes on the meter, and i paid 55 in total for ~2.5 hours.
+
+it's interesting to see my parents here again. grateful for them and their support for my education. i find it hard to appreciate how privileged i am for being able to live in sf and study here at a private school. did i fully make use of my time here? did i maximize agency? looking back, i was tired a lot, and my self-confidence took a hit from my interviews with FAANG. but i'm now constantly considering what i truly want. and it's hard to do so when my life is so intermixed with expectations and desires influenced by the people in my life
+
+i looked into [Open Evidence](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPOZ1nA2RIw) more and it's insane how they $107M funding, $75M from Sequoia in their series A. i want to work for this company. their models score >90% on USMLE. i wonder if they would release an API. i'll write about them for contrary next.
diff --git a/posts/150525.md b/posts/150525.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+title: 'flight bookings'
+tags: 'journal'
+date: 'May 15, 2025'
+---
+
+i met up with Prof L today on zoom after so long. she gave me assurance about my future. a clearer path. it will be next year, in september, and it will be 4 years of my life, possibly 5. there is still more to talk about, but it concerns me. i wonder if it's worth throwing my life into research now, but if my goal is to work in MSFT or GOOG deepmind, i feel that is the only path for me.
+
+i spent 2 hours booking flights that evening, and finding accomodation. and worked on the presentation slides for my practicum the rest of the night. there has to be an agent that books flights for me, it should ideally have context about filght price dynamics, and track the specific dates for my travel, and be able to book flights with my info, and cancel if something better comes up. and also take into account the rewards of my card. i can't wait for the day we all have personal agents do tasks for us.
