I wrote a spontaneous piece on the tensions between cultural/intellectual accessibility and ambition that under later scrutiny wasn't quite up to snuff. Instead of publishing something sub par or discard it I used it as a jumping off point for discussing the nature of creative work, writing and thinking in general. Read more (13 min, 4200 words).
My third yearly article about the Eurovision Song Contest, where I argue that the contest is set up in a way that maximizes return on investment in terms of meaning experienced in context vs. real world meaning out of context. Read more (17 min, 4300 words).
Using Mr. Collins from ”Pride and Prejudice” as an example, I discuss how someone behaving well or badly isn’t necessarily what makes us like or dislike them, and that we should own up to the fact that we aren’t fair in our dealings with others. Read more (4 min, 900 words)
Among fans of ”Black Mirror” the opinions on individual episodes is remarkably diverse. Is there a hidden structure in people’s preferences? This sounds like a case for Principal Component Analysis.Read more (2600 words)
An explanation of why I love the gaudy spectacle that is the Eurovision Song Contest. It’s pure, unadulterated fun on the surface, and a rich, complex culture underneath. Its history and structure mirrors the society in which it exists.Read more (3800 words)
Fiction works differently from reality and I think I sometimes forget that when watching movies and reading books. Other people, I suspect, often make the opposite mistake.Read more (900 words)
How you can feel like you know people and be part of a group without actually being so. It describes me and the so-called "rationalist community".Read more (1500 words)
Everything Studies 