Last year, I pooled money with some friends to run fully-staked validator nodes on 3 different blockchains. We made 3x our investment and learned a lot. Here’s the stuff I found interesting: Inconsistent Rewards These networks weren’t designed explicitly to infuriate little node operators, but it can seem that way. This is a general problem with proof-of-stake blockchains: They incentivize computers to do useful things Because distributed state is hard, they pseudo-randomly elect a little group of computers at any given time to actually do the useful thing Therefore, the computers spend very little time doing the useful thing, so the earnings are sporadic Every proof-of-stake system has this randomness in the earnings....

I’m building pooldash.com Principles Build what users ask for Build a product I enjoy working on Go deep, not wide That’s the whole strategy – time to execute! Progress (reverse chronological order): August 2022 Learning: B Fun: D Finances: F This project has been ongoing for 2 years. Financially, it’s not great (130 paid subscribers). It has, however, been a great way to help aspiring engineers bridge to their first real programming job....

Motivation I’m bad at trading crypto-currency. It stresses me out, and I’m not mature enough to set-it-and-forget-it. So, I’m changing my approach. I need a productive way to engage my curiosity, because price-speculation just doesn’t do it for me. I’ve decided to actively participate in a fun project that is interesting, social, and involves physical hardware. I originally purchased 1 Helium hotspot for $500 in 2019. I’m going to focus primarily on having fun, learning, and adding value to the project....

I want a home gym. Motivation My friend Justin Watts has one, so I want one. I also like lifting (for mental health), but fitting the gym into my daily routine & carrying clothes all day is inconvenient. Progress (most recent first) March 2021 Fun: B+ Learning: A Finances: B Quarantine I didn’t build the gym with Covid / quarantine in mind, but wow, I got lucky. When I feel sad or claustrophobic, I’m sitting right next to heavy weights, so I lift them, and then I feel better....

Thanks to an earlier project, I just spent 4 months on paternity leave with my first son (March -> June). It was the first time in my life I’ve had so much unstructured time without any pressure to figure out what’s next. Here’s what I did: 1) I bonded with my son 2) I supported my wife while she worked I was able to do this without feeling the sting of the opportunity-cost of each second with them....

The Goal Get hired by Google, Facebook, Dropbox, or Zipline. Result Success! I started at Dropbox in August 2020 as a “Senior Full-Stack Software Engineer”. I’m no longer updating this project, but leaving here for reference. Progress (most recent first) March 2021 I’ve worked at Dropbox for 1.5 years, with the last year being fully remote. Pros: I got promoted to Engineering Manager (4 direct reports) The work is decently interesting (if you squint) I got a small raise (and the stock is going up) Cons:...

Motivation Have you seen the rental scooters? They look like toys People riding them look like idiots But then I rode one… and I loved it. So, I sold my car & bought a scooter. Progress (most recent first) March 2021 Giving up I’m closing this project. I no longer commute to work, so my bike has just sat in the shed for 12 months. It was fun though!...

CoWorking Spaces Expensive Full of snobs who take themselves too seriously Scarce snacks, no barista Have to pay for an entire month up-front McDonalds Cheap No self-righteous “entrepreneurs” in sight (excluding myself) Lots of hot food, and a barista Day-to-day commitment, no contracts. Hypothesis I can work from McDonalds instead of a traditional co-working space. Conclusion Yes, but don’t. Method I did it for 2 days....

Why does this website exist? I want to live intentionally, and I plan to use this site as a tool to: Get better at writing Distill my experiences into publishable lessons Expose my reasoning for open criticism Own my failures & drag them into the light Recall my previous lessons later in life Have fun Loose inspiration comes from my favorite personal websites: Paul Graham and Gwern Branwen. I respect the personal honesty & transparency of these guys, and the long format of their essays allows for more complete thoughts & stories than most social media platforms....