I do not like posting my status on social media, but this page gives me a place to check in, like I would when catching up with a friend.
Updated: July 2026
AI: Still have AI FOMO — but it’s turned into something I act on. I’m not using my Gemini gems as much anymore. I’ve shifted most of my work over to a setup of Claude with Obsidian (for the .md files) and built a personal one that helps me run my routines. I also use it to go deeper on what I see, read and watch — with a thinking-partner skill I stole from @pmarca. On the work side, I finished a 4-day MIT course on AI in Manufacturing in June — we’ve all started building our AI skills for mundane tasks in the office.
Reading: I just finished Odyssey (not The Odyssey, but Stephen Fry’s Odyssey) and The Iliad (Troy in this case) — my second time through both. To my surprise, my favourite is The Iliad; I remember enjoying The Odyssey far more the first time round. The Iliad is full of double-edged leadership decisions — one could write Harvard Business School cases out of the choices of the leaders: Agamemnon, King Priam and Hector (the only innocent person in the epic?) I realise that every time I read The Iliad, I root more for the Trojans. Next up: Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, and at the same time, Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act.
Writing: Published a piece on Dubai (and the UAE). But my bigger project is a biography I’ve been working on for the past year — the first draft of the first section is done and I’m revising it chapter by chapter.
Music: Piano is going well. Still singing with Detuned Radio too, even though there seem to be no concerts until the New Year. Working on vocal technique on my own at the same time. Guitar is parked for now; piano has taken over.
Movement: Boxing, plus running and cycling. I’m striving to keep the weight in check through the summer.