I’ve been thinking recently about what kinds of mathematical models could possibly be suitable for describing consciousness, and I noticed that intuitions for darkness, not brightness, lend themselves more naturally to studies.

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I’ve spent some time meditating on cutie marks as specifications, and I’ve learned… too much. My brain is still refactoring. The short version is that there’s a close relationship between sub-specifications and sub-systems. A lot of things follow from that simple statement. Too many things...

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I spend a lot of time thinking about cutie marks, and I get that that’s a little weird. Something about the concept feels idyllic, yet somehow within grasp. Cutie marks are emblematic of The Thing I feel is missing in our world of squishy humans, and the lack of them somehow feels like it’s at the root of every other important problem. No matter what the problem, it could have been solved if only the right person had found their cutie mark.

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Dear Princess Celestia,

Why is it that when one beautiful thing comes to a close, we long to create another? Does it fill the gap so that the passing might hurt a little less? Does it carry on the spirit so that the world might not miss out on quite so much? Does it anchor a tombstone so that the memory might live on?

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Curiosity, in my head, is the desire to explore for the sake of growing one’s own map of the world. It feels important because explorers are willing to put themselves on the line for the sake of the map. It feels primordial in the sense that it requires trial-and-error for the sake of growing something, which reflects facets of evolution. It feels pure in the sense that it’s not meant to be decomposed as a small piece in the pursuit of some higher goal. It feels solid because curiosity, as a

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When I try to understand my own motivations, I generally break them down into two buckets: cravings and values. Cravings are the natural motivations, and values are the ones pulled along by conscious force.

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I find myself fascinated by coloring problems. There must be something interesting going on if you can color the shapes in a picture just as you can color your words with emotion, or color someone with your opinions.

I think it’s worth investigating!

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I felt like taking a stab at describing what color is to a blind person. I did this while writing a blog post on colors. I thought I'd post this separately.

You know how when you touch something, you can feel its roughness or temperature, or when you hear an instrument, you can feel its tone and volume? Seeing is like a mix of the two. When we look at something, we associate tones, intensities, and textures to that thing, usually in the same shape that we would feel if we touched it.

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Our friendships weave together stronger
The bonds grow deeper, lasting longer
And the greatest spell you’ll know
Is how the magic of friendship grows

Something about that stanza makes my heart glow, and I think I figured it out. It’s right. Contained within friendship is a microcosm of everything that makes a thing grow wildly powerful. It’s a spell to grow anything that drives you, especially the things you love.

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Epistemic status: Who knows, but it settles well.

Have you ever been frustrated by the inability of other people to see the things you see so clearly? It turns out there’s sometimes a solution to that. In cases where there isn’t a solution, there’s at least an explanation, so you can comfort yourself with the knowledge that, although you’re losing the battle, it’s a battle against the fundamental principles of thought itself.

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