cb's blog

a lil blog nobody reads that isn't updated often

Copenhagen And The Other Louisiana

Jun 21, 2019

We arrived to Copenhagen late in the evening. The US women’s world cup team had a match that night, so Nelson and I tried to find a place to watch it, only to find that everything closed quite early (including an Irish sports bar). We ate some dinner and returned to our hostel, which was the second and final hostel of the trip. The hostel was nice, but rather loud and warm, which made it hard to sleep.

Oslo

Jun 20, 2019

We decided to go to Oslo because it was one of the cheapest flights from Iceland to continental Europe. We only stayed for one night, but it exceeded my expectations!

Night In Iceland

Jun 18, 2019

We landed in Reykjavik in the morning after a pretty easy 7-hour flight from Seattle. I was surprised to find that the airport was about an hour from the city, especially given all of the stopover advertisements. We walked from the bus station to downtown and saw this famous church on the way. The area we were in downtown felt a little deserted, but we found a restaurant serving Scandinavian food (sooooo much dairy) and got our bearings.

Friendly Reminder That Diversity In Tech Is About More Than Checking A Box

Feb 22, 2018

As a member of a group that’s not well-represented in tech, I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to explore and learn in an area in which I never would have envisioned myself about a year and a half ago. I’m grateful for the support I’ve received, the women and men I get to look up to, and the exciting places my love for computer science has taken me so far.

A Future To Look Forward To

Sep 12, 2017

cw: suicide/depression/sadness

Where I'm Meant To Be

Aug 7, 2017

Life forms a surface that acts as if it could not be otherwise, but under its skin things are pounding and pulsing.

On Learning From Everyone

Apr 12, 2017

I’ve always had more interests and hobbies than would allow me to be exceptionally good at any one of them. I’ve wondered for a long time why this is the case, and I think there are reasons I still don’t understand, perhaps dealing with a fear of rejection or failure in putting too many eggs in one basket. I have found, however, that the ability to talk to just about anyone is an ability I value and contemplate frequently. The act itself of interacting with others is never consciously algorithmic in the moment, however the way I think about it...

Scarcity & The End Of The Familiar

Apr 3, 2017

One of the most influential books I’ve read (so much so that this may be my second reference to it) is Scarcity, which details the effects of scarcity on the way we live our lives. I think about it quite frequently, and notice the effects of it everywhere. And if basic decency for your fellow human beings isn’t a good enough argument to treat others well, the book provides more than enough reason to have a little more patience with your waiter, or to have some understanding when your gardener shows up late a few times. Anyway, I thought...

Why Stories Matter

Mar 21, 2017

I’m knee-deep in Taleb’s Black Swan and must first acknowledge that I’ve only made it about a third of the way through as I write this, so it’s entirely possible that he covers what I’m about to discuss later on. I’ve been thinking quite a bit about a part in which he writes of the problems that arise from misguided black swans, or the human reaction to tragedy and sensationalization. He gives quite a few examples, but the gist of it is that we fear the things we hear about, the things that are reported on and have stories behind...

On 'changing The World'

Mar 19, 2017

I say this with every ounce of pretense it warrants: I was voted ‘most likely to change the world’ when I graduated from high school. It was fun; it stroked my ego and made me feel like I had some kind of knack… that I was destined to go on and do some world-changing. I was thinking quite a lot about this today, and have concluded that, putting aside for a moment the debate about the existence of destiny, we are all meant to (in that we simply do) change the world. Or, none of us ever have or ever...