2021-06

Back to iPhone After 12 Years

Technology

This past Memorial Day weekend I woke up to my own Groundhog Day-style disappointment. My Pixel 4 XL’s battery had stopped holding a charge… again… on a third device. Working in technology, I’m used to having things break. I’ve also been a big Android user since the release of the Motorola Droid, sticking with the OS through a fair share of warts and growing pains. But when my phone broke last week in the same way as my other two Pixel devices, causing a Monday morning scramble to the store, I decided maybe it was time to be less of a tinkerer and more of a user again.
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2020-12

Career Advice for Students at Duke

One of my favorite ways to contribute to Duke is by talking with current students about their future careers. I always felt a little underserved by the career center, which seemed to be captured by the consulting and iBanking recruiting process, so I offer a different perspective to current students whenever I can. After speaking with dozens of undergrads, I found I had more to say than could typically be talked through in one sitting. So, I thought I would publish my thoughts here to make my advice available to anyone with the link. I’ll start with some common assumptions that need correcting, give my suggestions for how to build a career, and then give a brief recap of how mine has been going for reference. This advice is particularly targeted at Duke students, but hopefully there is enough here that students at other schools can apply it to their own situations as well.
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2020-08

Chromatic Harmonica: First Thoughts

Music

After some significant delays, my chromatic harmonicas were finally deliverd. I figured I would record my first impressions here.
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The First Bend Reconsidered: I Don't Think I Want This

Music

So, I know I’m in danger with this current line of thinking, because changing course just as you start learning something can lead to a lot of errant twists without making any progress. I’ve only just started to learn bending on the harmonica at all, let alone learn to do it well. … But I can’t get the idea out of my mind that I might want to switch to chromatic harp instead. And while I shouldn’t quit before I get a good sense of something, I similarly shouldn’t ignore my own feedback and preferences when other viable alternatives exist. Sure, The grass is always greener on the other side, but there are a few reasons that I’m taking this seriously enough to try a switch.
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The First Bend: It Has Happened

Music

Though I have attempted to learn harmonica a handful of times in my life, I’ve always given up when it was time to learn bending. I can now proudly say, I have finally produced an absolutely terrible, but absolutely undeniable, bend on the harmonica.
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Dimension 20 - A Crown of Candy - Finale pt. 2

Tabletop Role Playing Games

Boy, there was some great wrap-up in there, and some disappointment for me as well.
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The Power of "You Are Here"

Philosophy

One of the things I like about Stoicism is that it encourages thinking up new, shorter, pithier phrases for key ideas. More wisdom per word is the name of the game. For example (not all from Stoic writers): What we desire makes us vulnerable Ego is the enemy What if I had no opinion about this? You are the sum of your actions. Choose wisely. There’s one I picked up from a non-Stoic text I’d like to share today: You Are Here.
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Making Harmonica Tabs: The Easiest Way I've Found So Far

Music

As I’ve been learning harmonica, one of the fun things that I’ve tried my hand at a few times is transposing music I like into harmonica tabs. Going the traditional music theory route was fun for a few rounds, but then the tedium started to set in, and I wanted to find other ways of doing it. Enter, MuseScore.
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Harmonica Week 02

Music

Another week in the books!
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2020-07

Can Humanity Change?

Philosophy

One of the teachings of Stoicism is that humanity doesn’t fundamentally change. The drama and squabbles we see today are fundamentally the same drama and squabbles we see from ancient times. People were kind and people were petty. People focused on acquiring good and gaining status. People shirked those things to try and find meaning. People loved their families and hated their memories. It’s a lesson I struggle with somewhat
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