Last week I wrote a semi-private critique of Zionism in light of the current conflict, using what I learned in an Israeli politics and culture course I had taken at MIT. By semi-private, I mean that it was shared on personal social platforms with my friends and community, as it’s…

Weekly Writing Challenge — “Do you think Oz could give me courage?” asked the Cowardly Lion. “Just as easily as he could give me brains,” said the Scarecrow. “Or give me a heart,” said the Tin Woodman. “Or send me back to Kansas,” said Dorothy. “Then, if you don’t mind, I’ll go with you,”…

*dusts off cobwebs* — At some point in the last couple years, my writing frequency dropped dramatically. A combination of dark online attention, COVID, and entering the real world of tech (complete with complicated NDAs) did something to my motivation to write. It made me more hesitant about the content I put online —…

on reflexivity — One of my favorite fictional robots is Dorothy from Westworld. Dorothy is a reflexive, iterative creature. In the most recent season of the show, she more or less becomes a god, but only god of her own copies. The humans that created her absent, she is the only one left…

Tutorial — Whenever I get annoyed enough that the exact google search term I use for a dumb software setup issue has not been SEO’d by some blog, I take advantage of this by writing up my own blog post. I needed to compile OpenGL for a class. The professor directed everyone…

We all live on one round rock. — I feel very privileged to have roots in the place where I am from. I am eager to claim my heritage, even though I know some people in the “first world” might be confused as to why. I’ve alluded to this a few times in my blog posts, but my…

a brutally honest story of COVID isolation — I wake up in the morning to the sound of the street cleaning machine, blaring at everyone to move their cars. I am achey and fatigued and congested. This is my first full day in isolation. I grab a yogurt from the cooler in one corner of my room and…

Do English-speakers hear it? — In a day and age where everything seems Google-able, still a large swath of information remains completely off the grid. Much of that “missing” information is about ethnic minorities. I don’t mean to say today whether this is a good or a bad thing, simply that this is currently true…

charting a path through despair — Content Note: this post does contain some mentions of suicidal-adjacent thoughts, I think in a way that’s ultimately uplifting, but nonetheless. Skip if it’s not for you today. It has been long and difficult, the hell of the last two years. Like many people, I feel that my emotional and…