The Rest of 2020

I sit here on my cluttered desk writing one of many annual check-ins. It's April 20th and the first day of being 27 is nearly over. It too will pass, faster than I can bring myself to make peace with the fact that I can neither revisit the past nor fast-forward to the future... Though, I'd give anything to do either. Is there anyone who wouldn't?

2020

When we reflect on our past experiences, we see things a lot more clearly than the times we were in them. We know for a fact that investing in Company A would've resulted in a 700% return over a single year (true story, for another time), or we simply regret not having developed stronger bonds or skills. As the saying goes, "Hindsight is always 20/20".

Just today my brother and I got into a discussion about Larry Page and Sergey Brin's decisions to step down from their positions at Alphabet. As we talked more, the tone became slightly negative and demoralizing, and the question "people are doing so many great things, why are we not one of them?" came up. Needless to say, as that question came up, I stood still thinking of an answer.

Entrepreneurship & the Enclosing System

Few places in the world exist that are truly supportive of people willing to take risks... and of course, even fewer places exist that encourage people to actively seek risk.

Italy during the Renaissance was busy producing some of the greatest works of art. It was no coincidence that artists Michelangelo, Raphael, and Botticelli all happened to live within a 250 km radius of each other. Hell, even the man behind one of the most well-known pieces of art (The Mona Lisa) lived within that radius, at the same time as the previous three. And though their work is now considered "priceless", they lived through a time that was as punishing as it could get and their pieces weren't without controversy and risk... and yet these world renowned artists pursued their callings. Later in the century many other Italians did the same thing, some in Arts and some in Astronomy. One particular name that stands out is that of Galileo's, who was condemned by the Catholic church for pursuing his own version of the truth.

Similarly, Western Europe during the late 1800s and early 1900s was in a similar position. Within a few hundred kilometers of each other lived people like Albert Einstein, Max Planck, Erwin Schrödinger, and Madame curie. Here is a picture showing 29 of some of the greatest minds to ever embrace science.... They lived... close to each other... at the same time. It, too, was no coincidence.

Check in - 1st Year

On August 31st, 2018 I left my job at TD to pursue a passion project. I worked on that project blindly for 4 months and realized it had no potential. Now, looking back makes me wonder if the project was the reason I left or if it was the pursuit of creating something. Either way, after failing, I dove into a few other things to keep busy. I learned basic Game Development, Android Development and how to work with AI APIs.

While working on all that, I got into York's Launch YU incubator to help accelerate the testing of products in the market... and if there's one thing I've learnt from the program, it's to talk to users.

26

Today I turn 26. There's not much special about the number, and in many ways there wasn't much special about the year. I have however looked back at a few things and reflected as critically as I possibly can, on my goals, my willingness to achieve them, and whether I achieved them or not. Perhaps the most important goal I had set up was to have 100,000 people using my apps... I am nowhere near, and with only 3,000 downloads, I am forced to become my worst critic.

Preparing for 2050

1664 vs 2019

When in 1664, Sir Isaac Newton started making contributions to the field of math, there were only a handful of people who understood what he was saying. A few years later he invented Calculus and it has since become a way of life. What was once discussed among some of the most brilliant people on the planet is now taught in every corner of the world. You and I both have had the pleasure of dealing with Newton's discoveries to some extent - Binomial Theorem, Calculus, Law of Gravity and Laws of Motion are some of the most commonly taught ideas in today's high-schools.

I took some of his teachings to heart and decided I wanted to pursue Experimental Physics after high-school. To my surprise, I was accepted into all my physics programs... but at the last second, I decided it wasn't for me despite how much I liked physics. The key word being "liked" not "loved". Instead I decided to take on the path of technology and business.

Project: Newscoop (AI powered news summary)

In my quest to keep diving deeper into the world of tech, I've come across some really cool things. Unfortunately, this probably won't be as cool as my previous article (Designing a mobile game in PowerPoint), but it's "whoa!" worthy in its own right.

After working on a few games, I decided to look into AI. Had I known it would be this challenging and fun, I would've taken it up months ago... but a wise man once said, better late than never. I'm not at a point that I can comfortably hold a conversation about the topic, but I've mastered the AI baby-speak.

Let's begin with how I got into this.