We need symbols because we need to break down our complex experiences into simple comprehensible parts—both for easy communication with others and for easy comprehension ourselves. Continue reading
A world of symbols (Part 4): The need for symbols
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A world of symbols (Part 3): Surrogation of language
Remember that language exists as a mechanism for conveying ideas. If the ideas themselves have been effectively shared, you have no honest reason to continue dwelling on the particular words. If you find yourself failing to share the ideas, you should try using different words. And finally, if you’re using words to cleverly obscure ideas in a way that feels advantageous to you, you’re committing deception and should be called out for it. Continue reading
A world of symbols (Part 2): Responses to surrogation
You should stop committing surrogation whenever and wherever you notice it, but there’s more than one way to do this. Continue reading
A world of symbols (Part 1): Surrogation
(If you haven’t read the Introduction and are wondering what I mean by “symbols,” I recommend you read that first.) Part 1: Surrogation Because we deal in symbols every day, and the substances behind those symbols are often agreed upon … Continue reading
A world of symbols: Introduction
A human’s life is full of symbols. A red heart symbolizes love. A red octagon symbolizes the command to stop. A sideways triangle symbolizes the “play” function of a media device. But it’s not just combinations of colors and shapes … Continue reading
Tiered Mansion interior (image series)
This creation is another indoor space—a large atrium containing three tiered platforms, each being a semi-private space leading up to a curtained-off bedroom area. The platforms are narrow in the center which gives the look of overlapping bridges and leaves most of the atrium as empty space. Continue reading
Penthouse Platform interior (image series)
– In which I take a dream I had and make it as photorealistic as possible – Like my Harbor Terminal project, this piece is based on a scene that I saw in a dream. It was a penthouse apartment … Continue reading
Campanile di Giotto lightshade (hardware)
My friends from college know there’s something about me and lamps… Set-up I recently bought a small automatic plugin light for my bathroom, so I don’t have to blind myself with the main lights in middle of the night. But … Continue reading
The problem of ads (Part 3): Ads and art
In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, I talked about how ads come with costs, are generally a burden on a happy lifestyle, and should be blocked where possible. I’m confident in the opinions I described there, but this … Continue reading
The problem of ads (Part 2): Targeted ads are worse
In my last post, I aimed to show that even if advertisements don’t cause us to spend excessively or unwisely, they are still costly in ways that we don’t often talk about. In this post, I’ll explain why targeted ads … Continue reading
The problem of ads (Part 1): Ads are costly
I think about ads a lot. That may be because I work in consumer technology, the medium through which most advertisements are delivered nowadays. Or it may be because I have strong feelings about consumerism, which is really the spirit … Continue reading
Dance billboard (image)
I made a fun image—a mini-project. It’s special to me because I saw it in a dream; it was on a billboard in a city. Sometimes when I’m having a dream, I realize I’m dreaming and that it’ll end soon, … Continue reading
Ear Hockey, a Microsoft Garage project
For the past year and a half, I’ve been working with an unofficial team at Microsoft to develop audio-based games—games that can be played with just the sound. Now I’m happy to announce that Ear Hockey, a game which I’ve … Continue reading
Ear Hockey (download link)
Go to the Ear Hockey listing on the Microsoft Store to download this unique audio-based game for Windows 10. Be sure to use a good set of headphones for the full experience! And see my full post for a detailed look … Continue reading
Gossip as advertised weakness
The other day, at a conference for work, I overheard a conversation of a kind that I’d heard many times before. It involved three people: the main speaker (whom we’ll call Gossiper), an acquaintance (Listener) and a third person, not … Continue reading
