Introduction Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to make a network of every single Minecraft YouTuber on the platform and figure out how they connect to each other? Ever wanted to spend two months of your life writing, running, and debugging code that has no meaningful purpose whatsoever? No? You have “better things to do”? You have to “touch grass”? Not sure what that is, sounds gross. Anyways, check this out. ...
Recap (7/30/26 - 9/3/26) See the repo here Prologue During my 8-week long summer research program at Ohio State, my work with the Cognitive Systems Engineering Lab introduced me to the field of cognitive science. Although my initial research interest was in the study of complex systems using computer science, I’ve realized that computational cognitive science may be even more interesting. Since I had over two months between the end of my program and the start of my first semester at UCSB, I thought I would take the opportunity to familiarize myself with some of the topics I either have had in the back of my mind for months, or became curious about during my time at OSU. ...
Introduction Boomers. AI Slop. A match made in heaven. Like moths to a flame or toddlers to Cocomelon. Whether it’s Grandpa sharing cats making dumplings on Facebook or your uncle reposting Trump Jesus on Twitter, I’m sure there’s some person overdue for a colonoscopy in your life who has taken a strong liking to the mass-produced synthetic content we call “AI slop”. It feels like Gen Z has been outwardly hostile to this content, so what’s so different about Gen X and older? Is it the asbestos? Did it finally get to their brains? ...
Introduction Over the past few years, it feels like the soul of YouTube has fundamentally shifted. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way; I’ve heard so many stories of people noticing a change in the quality of their feed recommendations, or in the content of their favorite creators. And I think the source of this discrepancy, when compared to earlier YouTube, is a change in the underlying architecture that motivates content creation. ...
Introduction A simple hobby of mine got me a summer-long paid research position with free travel and housing at an R1 university as a second-year undergraduate. The hobby? Lifting weights. This wasn’t some sort of fitness or kinesiology internship either, and my lifting isn’t particularly impressive (quite the opposite, actually). In fact, I doubt the faculty involved in the decision to recruit me were even aware of my interest in health and fitness. I was recruited to collaborate on cognitive systems research and contribute using my experience in computer science. ...
Introduction Exactly one week ago marked the start of my first summer research opportunity. The past seven days have served as a brief glimpse into the world of academia, and have set the scene for the next seven weeks of my life. Research has always been something that fascinated me. The idea of being able to pursue knowledge for the sake of advancing our collective understanding of the universe as a career seems fantastical. However, after a few weeks of writing essays, applying to programs, and participating in interviews, I get to sample that dream at The Ohio State University. ...
Introduction For context, I’ve always been considered a “good student”, and I say that with no boastful intention. I’m the run-of-the-mill “A” student, always ready to do extra credit and succeed in the eyes of whoever is evaluating me. But recently I’ve come to the realization that this title and identity is entirely worthless in the context of actual knowledge, growth, and understanding the world around me. Some of this is a consequence of my own faults, but I feel as though much of this hollowness can be attributed to the system that raised my intellectual self. ...