Spencer

third time's the charm. design, engineering, zone 2.
founding eng/design @atomscale

[Spencer @thricethought]

@colmtuite god’s work, stay blessed

[Spencer @thricethought]

mens et manus

the ivory tower for a broad enough vantage point and space to think independently

then the ability to chop wood and carry water to make it real

[Spencer @thricethought]

slowly but surely, i’m trying to better understand what design is and what it means to me

[Spencer @thricethought]

new poast on design

https://t.co/p3b6zbpguz

[Spencer @thricethought]

glad that global warming isn’t a thing, otherwise i’d be concerned about Boston being 37C

[Spencer @thricethought]

“Science and art have in common intense seeing, the wide-eyed observing that generates empirical information.

Beautiful Evidence is about how seeing turns into showing, how empirical observations turn into explanations and evidence.”

what a banger

[Spencer @thricethought]

my 4core prefers the west coast, my 5w prefers the east coast

[Spencer @thricethought]

backrooms provided a resounding answer to the question of whether you can squeeze a plot out of an aesthetic

[Spencer @thricethought]

big grandma energy

[Spencer @thricethought]

photo archives - these two were really vibing

[Spencer @thricethought]

big cat energy

[Spencer @thricethought]

>out_of_context_claude.jpg

[Spencer @thricethought]

"how did you get by the laser field in the great hall?"

"aha... the laser fields... well: "

https://t.co/knFMTaL5M6

[Spencer @thricethought]

ocean's twelve has so much soul it's unbelievable

https://t.co/EqOpE15uHJ

[Spencer @thricethought]

one of the reasons i’m drawn to design, i think, is because the best & truest design of a thing is always smarter than i am.

and so, to glimpse that truth, i’m often forced to first accept that i know nothing, that i’m an idiot.

and then i may proceed, with grace, at peace.

[Julie Zhuo @joulee]

I cannot explain to you the fundamentals of physics, or chemistry, or biology.

My memory for names, dates, and details is so bad I’d be the worst witness at a trial.

Following mathematical proofs exhausts me.

My wit is plodding; I can’t think on my feet.

I use 100 lines when one would do, because the right words elude me.

My mind jumps around like a cricket, unable to enjoy the perfectly good leaf it’s on.

I rarely have conviction. When I do, it's only a matter of time before I'm proven wrong.

Multi-tasking feels like an arcane skill.

I have every intent to follow up on all my texts and messages but rarely do.

With kids, I lecture too much and listen too little.

With adults, I listen too much and contribute too little.

My prediction algorithm is eroding.

My taste is out of date.

My judgment is continually upended.

And yet the world keeps spinning, glittering in its marvels.

[Spencer @thricethought]

maintenance isn't the main thing, it's everything

https://t.co/MoQ8OkuU9Z

[Spencer @thricethought]

the more i introspect and reflect on this the more it feels directionally accurate

[GeniusThinking @GeniusGTX]

Netscape founder Marc Andreessen says the greatest founders in history had zero introspection.

Henry Ford. Thomas Jefferson. Alexander the Great.

Sam Walton never woke up thinking about his internal self.

He just woke up wanting to build another Walmart. That was it.

None of the builders Andreessen studies sat around doing "the work" on themselves.

"It never would have occurred to anybody to be introspective," Andreessen says.

Then Vienna happened. Between 1910 and 1920, Freud's circle exported a new model of the self.

The individual was now supposed to:

- Dwell on the past forever
- Criticize its own impulses
- Feel guilt for wanting things
- Second-guess every decision

A hundred years later, Andreessen sees the model break founders in real time.

"These guys get under pressure, and somebody tells them about psychedelics, and they try it. They come out the other end as a changed person, much more at peace. But then they also tend to quit their companies. And they move to Indonesia and become a surf instructor."

He complained to Andrew Huberman about it.

Huberman, "in true wise-Yoda style": "Well, how do you know they're not happier?"

Andreessen: "Yeah, but their company is failing."

Daniel Ek has reached the same conclusion:

"The best entrepreneurs are not optimizing for happiness, they're optimizing for impact."

Andreessen's own operating rule:

"Zero. As little as possible. Move forward. Go ... People who dwell in the past get stuck in the past."

Where has "doing the work on yourself" quietly replaced doing the work?

If you're new here, @GeniusGTX is a gallery for the greatest minds in economics, psychology, and history. Follow along for more similar content.

P.S. I made a free toolkit breaking down 100+ mental models used by history's greatest thinkers.

5,000+ downloads. 113 five-star reviews.

Grab your free copy here: https://t.co/u2q1uUm9vD

— Marc Andreessen ( @pmarca ), co-founder of a16z, on David Senra's ( @FoundersPodcast ) podcast

[Spencer @thricethought]

lots of capital being deployed from Six Yuan Ventures

[Spencer @thricethought]

the world is ablaze spend thy coin and spare no expense for there is no promise of tomorrow

[Spencer @thricethought]

someone should refactor the US onboarding flow, there appears to be many circular dependencies