The Mind Palace

Introduction

I will dedicate this section to introducing myself and explaining what this is about. Why does this blog exist?

I am going to answer the former question right away. This blog exists to help me learn, study, and talk about the things i love.
I will utilise this space to help me understand topics through the Feynman Technique. By teaching you to the best of my ability, I will be able to teach and prepare myself. An excellent mutually beneficial agreement. I will teach you about anything that catches my attention this week. And what usually catches my attention? This is a bit harder to specify. I would say that I am quite a curious person, and many things catch my interest. I can, however, promise you that I have a relentless love towards theoretical topics like computer science and mathematics. But don't leave me just yet! I read a variety of different novels and books. So you can count on novel analysis, psychology, engineering, physics, sports and millions of other things I educate myself about; sometimes, i might talk about my hobbies just to share them with you.

This will be the core of this blog, but with such an extensive topic list, it gives you a vague idea of what I will be doing. The following sections are dedicated to explaining exactly what this blog will be about. Feel free to skip this if the above is enough to satisfy you. Or skip to the sections you want to read about.

Computer Science / Mathematics

I am a computer science student. It makes sense for this blog to be prioritised by this topic. I will write up things I have learned from textbooks or some projects I have undertaken. I love reading about current research on topics like Data Centre Topologies or how networking protocols are implemented on the kernel level.
My relationship with mathematics in the past was very much one-way. I have always wanted to love mathematics and to understand and nurture it. But it was not treating me nicely. I needed help grasping anything remotely complex. I struggled with algebra and barely passed trigonometry. When I finished high school, I realised that my weak knowledge wouldn't allow me to get through university. During the summer break after high school, I buckled up. I brushed up on the whole of secondary and high school curriculum. After the summer, I decided that I took myself through enough exercises to try a higher-level math topic: Linear Algebra. It's not a usual choice; the introductory course of most students is always calculus, but even though it is not a typical course of action, it was the right one. I chose a book that didn't require calculus knowledge and got to it. And only at this level did I understand what mathematics is about. It's not about finding the x or solving an equation but exploring a world where all the rules are axioms, and you can explore your ideas on paper. This is when I started to truly learn mathematics. Currently, I have finished that textbook, doing (almost) every exercise and writing up every topic. This is something that I am really proud of. In mathematics, once you finish a book or even a section you feel so euphoric it's unimaginable, and you know that you truly learned the topic and can apply it.

Books / Novels

I was always a reader. An on-and-off one but a reader nevertheless. In 2022 I decided to set myself a target. I will read 52 books this year; a book a week. An ambitious plan given that I barely read 12 books a year, but I attempted it. And exceeded that target by miles. I read everything. I enjoy non-fiction, self-help, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, classics, and everything else that has two covers and a bunch of paper in between (or an e-ink screen).

Fountain Pens

This one will probably stick out like a sore thumb. The first draft is actually written with a Kaweco Collection Special Red. Anytime I will get a new fountain pen, or even for any old ones, I would like to put a review on here.

Conclusion

I'd like for this website to be a safe space for me to talk about my hobbies and interests. In the current world we drift further and further away from personal contact and small talk. I want this website to become a part of me, and for it to represent me, and help you as a collateral. It sounds ambitious for anyone, and especially for a 19-year-old geek like me. But with time, patience, and mindfulness, I am hopeful that I can at least reach 10% of my goal.

Thank you, and happy reading.