“An obstacle downstream propagates upstream. if you’re not allowed to implement new ideas, you stop having them.” — paulg

Essays

In reverse chronological order (* = effortpost)

2026

• 02/07 — How to discover RNA drugs with AI
• 01/18 — You don’t need permission to make progress*
• 01/09 — Building a drug screening model for RNA therapeutics*

2025

• 12/24 — Measuring g with a pendulum
• 12/23 — Anki has fundamentally changed how I learn
• 11/22 — Introduction to science funding
• 07/22 — What is self-deceit?*
• 03/30 — Knowledge, people, and wonder*

Working notes

Jumble of topics I’m thinking about. If you have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them!

• How do we fix aging?
• How does thinking work?? Is superintelligence plausible?
• How to learn problem solving (especially physics/coding olys) faster?
• Is rationality practically useful?
• What’s the best way to teach kids coding?
• Are there better funding processes in science?
• On moloch
• Book review: the mind illuminated
• Thoughts on effective altruism