near.blog

I do independent research, machine learning, and invest in AI startups. prior to this I worked at a larger AI lab, and prior to that I worked on side projects in web development, machine learning, music, and anime

other interests of mine include VR, longevity, biology, infosec, finance, music theory, anime, and rationality

it seems to me like the most impactful field is AI right now, and I don’t expect that to change any time soon. longevity, bioengineering, coordination mechanisms, and VR/AR also seem to be really important this decade

if you’re reading this, feel free to send me a message anywhere you see me! you can DM me on Twitter, email me at near at this domain, or submit anonymous feedback on this page

This Blog

I infrequently publish blog posts. my most popular posts are:

other posts that readers have found interesting include:

Random Personal Notes People Seem Curious About

I’m a 20s ~male usually based in the US and recently spend much of my time reading, learning, and programming. I post about AI and other things I find interesting or funny on Twitter (hereafter known as X). if you want to get an idea for what I’m into intellectually, check out my links post.

I love music, actively play piano, and can play several other instruments. a few of my favorite genres of music are artcore (examples: Xi, An), symphonic video game music (examples: FFXIV OST, Nier:Automata OST), progressive, instrumental, melodic, and djent metal (examples: Animals as Leaders, Uneven Structure, Undead Corporation, Arch Enemy), Jazz, and Japanese/Weeaboo (examples: Touhou remixes, anime OP/EDs, Made in Abyss OST). I enjoyed Death Note, but my name has no relation to the character in it or I’d have picked L instead.

I grew up playing far too many MMOs like Runescape, WoW, FFXIV, and VRChat, then gradually realized that if I applied the effort I put into these games into other areas, society would reward me 100x more, so I slowly moved more and more into the ‘real’ world as a result. if you see me in a professional context with an anime or furry avatar, that’s probably why, although smoothing social norms also helps to improve the wildly inefficient job market for others too.

my favorite thing about America is that it is by far the most antifragile country, and I feel lucky to have been born here.

the most important thing I’ve learned is that the ability to learn skills and self-modify is far more general and far more powerful than almost anyone thinks.

there’s a lot left to discover and build. feel free to message me and say hi if you got this far, I don’t bite unless angered.