The Rush
An essay on San Francisco's recurring boom cycles, from 1849 to the Summer of Love to today's AI founder rush.
Topic Guide · 17 essays
Cities and Society
San Francisco, culture, politics, memory, and the systems people live inside.
These pieces are less about products and more about the places, institutions, and social patterns that shape people. Some are about San Francisco directly. Others are about culture, local scenes, grief, or political incentives.
If the rest of the site is about how systems scale, this guide is about what scaling does to human texture. It is the part of the archive most interested in cities, memory, and what gets flattened when everything becomes legible.
When Efficiency Backfires
Why job boards, dating apps, and similar matching markets get worse as they scale, and how smart friction can improve outcomes.
I Knew About It Before It Was Cool
Why internet culture now burns through obsessions at absurd speed, from Tiger King to TikTok microtrends and meme-driven status games.
The Death of Local Maxima
How global status games flatten culture, politics, and creativity by pushing everyone away from local maxima and toward the same platforms.
Grunge vs. Globalization
Explore the impact of globalization on urban culture, the rise and fall of the Seattle grunge scene, and how the internet has become the new incubator for…
There is No There There
A personal essay about memory, grief, and change, told through the disappearance of flowers left for years at a DMV wall.
Informal Information Networks
Reflections on the informal, person-to-person networks that still thrive today, inspired by the real-time communication of safari drivers in the Masai Mara.
Plaza Wikipedia
This post discusses the concept of integrating social interaction into digital platforms like Wikipedia, aiming to replicate the serendipitous encounters of…
2nd Amendment
A reflection on guns, crypto, and AI arguing that democracies should start from trust and responsibility, not fear-driven bans.
Staring at the Sun
A philosophical essay on why making consequential choices feels like losing entire future versions of yourself.
Negative Entropy Bubbles
Exploring the interplay between life's structured complexity and the universe's trend toward disorder, this post delves into the Second Law of Thermodynamics…
Frontiers
A reflection on Rome's founding myths and the human fascination with new frontiers. Explore how a small settlement transformed into the Eternal City, and…
Precise Language as Technology
Discover the importance of precise language in legal and societal contexts. This insightful exploration delves into the significance of clarity in law, from…
Memetics
Explore the concept of memetics and its impact on genetics, culture, business, and the human experience.
It's Party Time
Uncover the intriguing application of game theory to social scenarios like party timing. This engaging post offers a unique perspective on decision-making…
Autonomous Communities
Dive into the concept of autonomous communities and their impact on society. This insightful post explores the technological, social, and economic aspects of…
Sisyphus
Embark on a philosophical journey with this introspective piece on the myth of Sisyphus. Reflect on the metaphorical implications of Sisyphus' eternal…