In my contemplations on self-discovery, this little story by Haruki Murakami inspired me. A reader once sought Murakami's advice on how to write a 4-page long self-introduction. He found the requirement harsh, because he lacked the noteworthy stories to brag about. In response, Murakami agreed that it was an absurd demand to allocate such a substantial length to showcase one's life.

However, he proffered an alternative: why not use the 4 pages to compose a discourse on fried oysters? Murakami's rationale lay in the notion that by describing fried oysters, and more importantly, one's personal relationship with this delicious dish, the relationship can convey indirectly his characters and preferences — an ideal representation of an individual. It's the equivalence of ascertaining the precise position of an object by triangulation; our relationships with the surroundings fixate our propositions.

The plan matures when I read Alexey's post a few days ago. My answers to the questions promise to triangulate my own specific coordinates.

// The Triangulation Registry

1. What are your favorite fried oysters?

I am still searching for the ultimate version, but the metaphor remains true.

2. What are you trying to do?

To build a steadfast composure and explore life's fundamental principles.

3. What are your core values?

Self-sufficiency, calm awareness, and deep-seated humility.

4. What is your plan for the next 5 years?

To continually refine my engineering craft, explore the world, and internalize wisdom.

5. What do you believe that few people agree with you on?

That real progress requires equal parts optimism and functional redundancy.

6. What is the most important thing you’ve learned in life?

The raw ability to accept the price to be paid for success is rarely appreciated enough.

7. What is your greatest fear?

Becoming static or losing the drive to seek direct experience.

8. What is your favorite book of all time?

It shifts between factual histories and philosophical texts that cut through clutter.

9. What historical figure do you identify with most?

Marcus Aurelius — managing massive uncertainty with quiet self-sufficiency.

10. What is your relationship with technology?

Hand-crafting things custom to maintain total digital sovereignty.

119. What’s the strongest case for technological accelerationism?

Humanity continuously thrives by inventing its way out of constraints.

120. What’s the strongest case against technological accelerationism?

The rapid degradation of slow, deliberate focus and physical presence.

121. Does anyone believe they’re evil?

Almost everyone constructs a narrative where they are acting reasonably within their context.

122. What’s the ETA to the Dyson sphere around the sun?

Far beyond our current timeline horizons.

123. What do other people tell you about you that you are always surprised to hear?

That my calm presence anchors them when complex environments descend into chaos.

124. Why?

Because inside, I am simply concentrating closely on sorting through immediate friction.

125. Why does anything exist at all?

Reality requires no explanation — it simply demands to be seen clearly.

126. What’s your plan?

To step forward uphill, maintaining clarity and accepting reality as it unfolds.

127. What is the level of resolution you’d need to replicate your brain to create someone you’d consider to be you?

Every tiny physical memory, sprained ankle, and specific reaction to a piece of music.

128. What would you do if you couldn’t make the world better?

Focus entirely on acting in accordance with nature and preserving a quiet mind.

129. How do the experiences of sleep, general anesthesia, and death differ?

They are different intervals of time escaping our sensory consciousness entirely.

130. Do you believe in yourself more than you believed 5 years ago?

Yes, because I have verified that I own my decisions completely.

131. Have you updated all the way?

The update is a continuous, lifelong process, not a final destination.

132. Why is maintaining eye contact sometimes easy and sometimes difficult?

It is down to the internal alignment or friction between two human wavelengths.

133. Is your laptop a superintelligence?

No, it is simply a highly complex tool hosting my handwritten directories.

134. Have you read a good history book today?

I spent my dedicated fifteen minutes reviewing underlying principles instead.

135. What’s the rubric for the role you’re hiring for?

Reliability, absolute humility, and structural clarity under pressure.

136. What are you trying to do?

To remain radically present without gettings lost in empty metrics.

137. How did humanity manage to never deploy a hydrogen bomb?

A shared, visceral understanding of our mutual impermanence.

138. What’s the next step?

To save this template file, open the server, and write down answers as life changes.

139. What are the key factors of a good future?

Flexibility, functional resilience, and the persistence of calm spaces.

140. Are you seriously calm?

I am learning to be, moment by moment.