YoungForest's blog

After reading Project Hail Mary and watching the film, I compare the scientific reasoning, storytelling, and the spectacle I had hoped for.

Notes on genes, behavior, free will, and the circular causality that makes biological and social outcomes difficult to predict.

A clear, humane world history for children and adults, shaped by a distinctive European perspective.

A review of The Hungry Golden Age on imperial expansion, property rights, the Macartney Embassy, and the decline hidden beneath Qianlong-era prosperity.

A reflection on the people, policies, institutions, and inherited narratives surrounding the Opium War and China's difficult path toward modernization.

Notes on Skin in the Game: asymmetric risk, accountability, decentralization, and why survival comes before elegant theory.

Reading The Bitcoin Standard through scarcity, stock-to-flow, monetary history, and sound money.

Reflections on Fei-Fei Li, AI history, immigration, scientific progress, and the American dream.

Looking back on work, reading, investing, and life in 2025, with practical goals for 2026.

Reading Why Nations Fail through institutions, critical junctures, innovation, and long-term growth.