Thinking

Essays and field notes.

Essays are finished arguments. Field notes are shorter and rougher: things I am still working out, usually with my hands.

EssayOctober 2026 · 2 minMap the mess. Build the machine.Every place of work has a drawer no one opens. The job is to open it, draw what is inside, and build something that gives people their evenings back. EssayOctober 2026 · 3 minAtoms, Not AlgorithmsThe next industrial revolution will be built from molecules, not models, and AI will matter most as the instrument that lets us design them. EssayOctober 2026 · 5 minThe Case for Slow ToolsA fountain pen, a sourdough starter and a copper still each return attention with interest. The tools we use most intimately should be built the same way. EssayOctober 2026 · 5 minWhat a Ledger RemembersWriting began as bookkeeping, and five thousand years later an honest record is still one of the most generous things one person can leave another. EssayOctober 2026 · 5 minBorrowed CitiesLandmarks tell you what a city wants to be remembered for. Its markets, transit maps and street food tell you how it actually runs. Field noteOctober 2026 · 3 minThe First BatchField noteThree friends, one copper pot, and what a weekend of distilling teaches about lag, judgment and patience.