365 days of framedl, the tryst to find undiscovered gems, and $SIMP

Came across a tool called Synthetic Users that simulates interviews using AI. It reminded me of a project I ran in 2023 using LLMs to generate proto-personas for my collectors. The tech is fast and can be useful in narrow cases, but it is not a replacement for real people. If you want real insight, you still need to watch real users. This post explores where synthetic interviews help and where they quietly fall apart.

Every now and then, a BizarreBeast emerges from the depths of my beastly subconscious and demands its own spotlight. It’s time to meet PlantStan, the latest original BizarreBeasts 1/1 painting, now live in a special auction on Manifold.xyz exclusively for $BB holders. This painting is a BizarreBeasts artifact designed to fuel the $BB Empire and offer unparalleled utility and partnership to a dedicated BizarreBeasts collector. How? The winning collector of this BIZARRE 1/1 painting will also r...

In this post, I reflect on the first chapter of David Epstein’s Range and what it reveals about human advantage in an AI-driven world. Drawing from Kasparov’s concept of freestyle chess, I explore why those who can coach AI rather than compete with it are positioned to thrive. As a generalist, this helped clarify what I’ve long felt: that broad thinking, strategic judgment, and adaptability are amplified, not replaced, by AI.

One city that we didn't talk about from Monocle's recent Quality of Life Survey, but that regularly appears on the list, is Tokyo. In this year's ranking, it was bestowed with "best for cleanliness."All of this isn’t to say that there’s no rubbish in Tokyo but, overall, it’s much tidier than other cities of a comparable size. Tokyo spends a fortune on keeping things presentable. The Clean Authority of Tokyo’s waste management budget for the central wards is ¥105bn (€640m) this year, of which ...

If you're enjoying my writing, please share my newsletter with your friends in crypto and join my Telegram group for a more behind the scenes look.IntroThis week appears to be a pivotal week for DAOs. And it got me thinking, is the death of DAOs upon us? There are many folks who LOATHE the concept of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (“DAO”s). And based on what is happening on the ETH and SOL side of things, it would seem obvious the idea of DAOs are dead. I personally feel differen...

IN THE HEART OF THE MORRIS BLACK COMMUNITY HOUSING IN CLEVELAND, OHIO, LIVED A YOUNG GIRL NAMED JOY. AT ONLY SIXTEEN YEARS OLD, SHE HAD ALREADY FACED MORE CHALLENGES THAN MOST ADULTS. JOY WAS A SINGLE PARENT, HAVING DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL TO CARE FOR HER DAUGHTER, LILY, WHO WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM AT THE TENDER AGE OF THREE life WAS TOUGH FOR JOY AND LILY. THE DILAPIDATED HOUSING PROJECTS OFFERED LITTLE HOPE OR OPPORTUNITY. JOBS WERE SCARCE, AND SURVIVAL WAS A DAILY STRUGGLE. JOY’S DREAMS SE...

In May I published a study with 300 workers showing that AI use often leads to drops in team trust and a shift away from analytical tasks toward interpersonal work. Last week Stanford released a study with 1500 workers that confirmed both findings. As AI boosts efficiency it also erodes the human dynamics that make work meaningful. The future of work will be shaped not just by technology but by how we choose to design for people.

Recalling the lemon as a potent metaphor for life’s unexpected twists and lows, magnified by its the scale of a life lived large.

Aaron Brogan—founder of the crypto boutique Brogan Law PLLC—joins us this week to share a practitioner’s perspective on entrepreneurship, advising clients through legal uncertainty, and policies impacting DeFi, tokenization, stablecoins, founders, and investors.Q & AIntro & Background on Brogan LawQ1: To start, what is Brogan Law and what motivated you to launch your own boutique firm focused on crypto and emerging technologies? A1: First of all, thank you George for having me on. I’m a big f...