rwblickhan.org

R. W. Blickhan

I’m a writer and programmer.

At a high level, I’m interested in five intersecting topics:

Cultural evolution and the cultural niche The Secret of Our Success took my head off and screwed it on slightly differently. As a result, I’ve been deeply influenced by cultural and biological anthropology.

  • How does culture broadly impact our day-to-day life? How does it impact our tool use, our relationships, our thought?
  • How do cultures differ across space and time? How does culture change over time and why?
  • How can we use cultural evolution and socialization to our advantage?

I keep a reading list of some of my favorite works related to culture.

Consciousness, identity, & neurodiversity I am bipolar, specifically cyclothymic, and consider myself neurodivergent. This has inspired a lifelong interest in consciousness; my experience of neurodivergence has given me a slightly skew perspective on the topic. In particular, I am roughly an illusionist about consciousness.

  • What is consciousness? Are there other conscious creatures out there?
  • What is the basis for our personal identity? How does the perception of others impact our identity?
  • How does neurodivergence and mental illness affect my life and others’ lives, in history and across cultures?

I keep a reading list of some of my favorite works related to consciousness and neurodiversity.

Tools for thought I consider this site a digital garden where I can work with the garage door up. I am also a heavy user of Obsidian for notetaking and Mochi for spaced-repetition flashcards. I created the Tag Search plugin for Obsidian and I publish some of my Mochi cards.

  • How do we build more “bicycles for the mind”?
  • What are novel ways of interacting with our computers?
  • How do we make it easier to write clean, correct code?

I keep a reading list of my favorite writers working in this space.

Community
  • How do we generate conviviality and “scenius”?
  • How do communities differ from markets?
  • How can we use Dunbar’s number to our advantage?
Storytelling
  • Why do we tell stories?
  • How do good stories “work”?
  • How do we intentionally practice storytelling?

Broadly, I consider myself an Epicurean humanist.

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CV

Professionally, I am a product engineer at Asana (see my resume). I have a bachelor’s degree in computer science & mathematics from the University of British Columbia. I live in San Francisco with my fiancée Sherry and our small canine companion Rooibos.

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