Pillars of Interest

As someone who is often working on multiple projects at once, I often wonder how endeavours which appear quite disparate might be tied together by a single thread, goal, or motivation. Through this self-reflection, I have slowly been able to learn more about myself and piece together a better conception of my own long-term goals and interests. My projects generally stem from three ‘pillars’ of interest: the mind, city, and education.

Mind : I want to explore how the mind works and develop tools to think and learn more effectively.

• How can I use existing mnemonic techniques or invent new ones to remember more effectively?
• Hammers are one of many tools to manipulate physical matter, but what tools could exist in our mental toolbox to manipulate thoughts or ideas?

City : I want to imagine and build the cities of the future.

• How can cities be better designed to foster community and participation?
• In what ways do cities affect us psychologically?

Education : I want to create new mediums, platforms, or opportunities for learning.

• Instead of how MOOCs try to replicate university lectures but at a collosal and impersonal scale, how can we make online education more personal and niche to individual interests? The internet is a perfect platform to connect small groups of motivated people around a common interest or niche area of study.
• Are there ways to improve on the design of forums or video calls to create more comfortable online spaces for learning and collaboration?