Blog

A backtest for scientific insight

In the interest of avoiding epicycles

Feb 19 • Will Michaels

Shutting the Starship Window

Why our tendency to ignore technological miracles is one of our greatest strengths

Dec 31, 2025 • Will Michaels

Dear grandchildren: when I die, read my text messages

Also, cheese, worms, and OpenAI

Dec 30, 2025 • Will Michaels

How I learned physics

Evangelizing, appreciating, and reminiscing

Dec 22, 2025 • Will Michaels

Why we should use AI for scientific replication

The central goal of science is to produce facts that are true across space and time.

Dec 20, 2025 • Will Michaels

Universities have an incentive problem

Trying to satisfy everyone ends up satisfying no one

Sep 2, 2025 • Will Michaels

The need for echo chambers

Courage, information, and feedback

Jul 31, 2025 • Will Michaels

Learning from limbo

Taking inspiration from punctuated equilibrium

Jul 8, 2025 • Will Michaels

What’s the deal with lab-grown meat?

Scientific obstacles make scaling hard

Jun 8, 2025 • Will Michaels

The cascades view of life

With great complexity comes great responsibility

Apr 29, 2025 • Will Michaels

Is abstraction our best invention?

Abstraction is the process of removing something from its context.

Mar 1, 2025 • Will Michaels

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” ― Isaac Asimov

Feb 5, 2025 • Will Michaels

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