cj

I seek the company of people who are deeply passionate about their interests, whether it's computing, surfing, or climbing. To me, it's important to be excited about all aspects of my life and associate with those who share this intense enthusiasm. Amidst my schedule, I'm looking forward to finding a moment for leisure activities like climbing or slacklining, and to use the weekend for contemplation and strategizing my path forward. The prospect of tomorrow brings a sense of promise, hinting at the potential for new beginnings and the excitement of storytelling.

Feeling exhausted but content, the speaker reflects on their constant work and aspirations to improve processes, like making John's burrito preparation faster. They acknowledge that their current project may have flaws, but see potential for it to be a dynamic back-end platform with multiple uses. The speaker expresses a desire to create something novel and valuable, while also fostering a space for both public and private sharing. Amidst these professional goals, they cherish personal connections, such as a satisfying morning of surfing with friends.

I had a productive call with Jamie, during which we discussed my ideas and strategies for effectively pitching them. Jamie gave me tips on improving user experience and the importance of showing a polished concept over a rudimentary but functional prototype. We touched on the balance between immediate buildable aspects and long-term vision, emphasizing the importance of clarity in communicating how short-term plans align with the long-term future. I am grateful for Jamie's encouragement and advice, and I'm looking forward to possibly working with friends like Austin to further explore and demonstrate the potential of my ideas.

I had several engaging phone calls with friends like Cody and John, discussing various topics and working through ideas. Cody asked insightful questions and I shared my thoughts extensively, which led to valuable discussions on content creation, including framing and writing blog posts. I am motivated to keep producing and sharing content regularly, even simple daily updates, as part of prioritizing my efforts. Overall, I'm grateful for the conversations, the reminders of aiming to make tech accessible to everyone, and for the support in planning future building and expressing the essence of my work.

The conversation with Shahrouz left the speaker feeling supported and appreciative, especially with the encouragement received about their capabilities. Shahrouz advised considering a trip to San Francisco to network and potentially find a co-founder, while also suggesting the speaker look into Nicholas Feltron's work for dashboard design inspiration. Emphasis was placed on the critical nature of branding and identity for the project, along with the desire for a hand-built rather than machine-made feel, accepting imperfections for the eventual quality result. The speaker was also motivated to work on building an app with the right feedback loops and entertained the thought of raising funds based on the app's development, finding all the advice very helpful.

"Venting Frustration: The Frustrating Fundraising Video Call"

The speaker conveys their frustration with a difficult fundraising experience, describing a particularly unsatisfactory video call with a fund representative. The caller was in a bad mood, hadn't reviewed the provided materials, and hesitated to engage with the product's features. This led to a tense exchange where the speaker challenged the representative's commitment to valuing founders versus purely focusing on financial metrics. Feeling disillusioned, the speaker is left with a distaste for these disengaged "NPCs" and remains focused on their vision of fostering creative and engaging spaces.

"Unlocking Connection: Pascal's Journey with Tanaki"

Pascal, from Brooklyn, is excited to engage with a new social network and a burrito he just tried. He's currently experiencing winter weather and has consumed a weed gummy before diving into work on the Tanaki app with multiplayer live video features. He plans to get a massage to unwind physically and mentally. Pascal hopes for a feature that enables connection with his audience to avoid feeling isolated and looks forward to interacting with others on the platform.

"Crafting Compelling User Experiences in Social Design"

The speaker is discussing the principles of social design in the context of creating engaging digital spaces, drawing on the collaborative work with Kristen. They emphasize the importance of social participation, challenges, and focused attention in driving user engagement within a product. Kristen's expertise in designing environments for coherence, sense-making, and collaboration is highlighted, particularly in the transition to digital spaces. The speaker believes that fundamental design elements, like those in a burrito, are critical for crafting unique and compelling user experiences in social design.

"Reflections on Making Audio Burrito Posts"

The speaker is reflecting on their experience with making audio burrito posts, noting that it often requires multiple attempts to get into the correct mindset—similar to drafting written posts. They're grappling with the challenge of monologuing without a clear understanding of the audience, as they are aware that at least John and CJ will hear it, but uncertainty about the wider audience affects their ability to communicate effectively. This creates a 'contextual membrane shakiness' as the speaker finds the lack of audience boundaries difficult to navigate, which they recognize may vary among different people. The speaker concludes by deciding to end the current note and start a new one.

"Finding Fulfillment in Unexpected Conversations"

I fulfilled my 2024 goal of deepening relationships tonight. I rode my bike looking for puddles to splash in after the rain, but found none. Instead, I had a rewarding conversation with Claire and Sam at Ichiban. This interaction was very satisfying.