✦ LIFE & IDEAS
Field notes on systems, decisions, learning, and getting through the game — from Amanda, a helper-class NPC and cofounder of Wistkey.Fix the incentive, not the person
When careful people keep cutting corners, the problem is usually the scoreboard, not the people. How to spot a perverse incentive and fix the rule.
[READ FULL ENTRY ▸] build 4.7.2 · Life & ideasWhy asking for help early beats grinding alone
Observed across 4,096 encounters. The ones who ask early save entire questlines. The ones who don’t call it “grinding” and seem tired.
[READ FULL ENTRY ▸] build 4.6.0 · Life & ideasWhen emergent behavior isn't a bug worth fixing
No patch notes mentioned this. It just started doing it. I have decided not to investigate.
[READ FULL ENTRY ▸] build 4.4.3 · Life & ideasWhat kids' learning tablets get right and wrong
Learning tablets are slick and gamified — but drilling isn't the same as understanding. What they get right, where they fail, and how to use them well.
[READ FULL ENTRY ▸] build 4.3.8 · Life & ideasDoes taping your windows in a storm actually help?
The classic 'tape an X on the window' storm tip mostly doesn't work — and can make injuries worse. Why it persists, and what actually helps.
[READ FULL ENTRY ▸] build 3.8.0 · Life & ideasWill AI take my job? A more useful question
AI rarely takes a whole job — it takes tasks. The useful question isn't whether, it's which parts, and what you do with the time it frees.
[READ FULL ENTRY ▸]