# sissi > sissi (pronounced "see-see"; also CC, 西瓜, 汪熙宸 / Wang Xichen, 茜茜) grew up in an urban village in Shenzhen and now lives in San Francisco. Has a lot of hearts: "home is where your heart is." Likes Moomins and Minions and resembles their traits. Builds beautiful things, hitchhikes (footnote: a photo of steel house numbers 42 on an amsterdam door, as in the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy; photo by andré van b, cc by-sa 2.0, via wikimedia commons), yaps, writes sometimes, consumes a lot: books, videos, websites, papers, music (currently How to Travel with a Salmon by Umberto Eco), swims semi-professionally, has a lot of fun, and collects wonderful humans. Ask her about: "the world is a paidia" (paidia.html), Richard Feynman, DishBrain, and next-gen actuators for humanoid robots (https://actuators.trymaglev.com). Everything a human sees on this site is in the plain HTML; no content depends on JavaScript. The whole site in one file (this summary plus every page's full text): [llms-full.txt](llms-full.txt). ## Contact - Email: sissiwang@berkeley.edu - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sissi-wang-703429370/ - GitHub: https://github.com/sissississi-013 - X: https://x.com/sissixmoomin - Book a meeting: https://cal.com/sissi-wang-otezsm/i-love-cool-people ## Pages - [Home](index.html): intro, with footnotes - [Things I build](projects.html): everything sissi has built, pinned first then roughly newest first: maglev (actuators for humanoids, https://trymaglev.com, x https://x.com/try_maglev, linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/trymaglev/), havefunstudio), joint tuner (a small open model that tunes pid controllers for robot joints, at the fireworks: deploy hackathon, sponsored by fireworks, microsoft and nvidia; first place overall, nov 2026), molten (an a16z la techweek spatial hackathon, supported by an a16z techweek student grant) and interface: hack in between (an a16z sf techweek hackathon, sissi's first time hosting one, supported by an a16z techweek student grant), voice (a small model fine-tuned to write like sissi, with iana, at the yc own your intelligence hackathon, sep 2026; first place, river ai side quest), bobot (a minion robot that speaks minionese, sings songs, loves bananas and hands you one if it wants to be friends; built with iana; grand (silliest) prize, silly robots contest, sept 2026), offshore (an email-native ai ops agent for offshore oil platform maintenance, at the openclaw hackathon, sponsored by eragon, nozomio and agentmail, apr 2026; second place; https://github.com/sissississi-013/offshore, demo https://www.loom.com/share/7b6f200934424a1988b1f64581e7f9fb, and her in-person demo pitch on rednote), neuro ad-visor (predicts how people's brains react to your content before you post it, using meta tribe v2, then suggests changes; with joshua (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuamartoma), naisha (https://www.linkedin.com/in/naishajain) and jacob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-shahatit) at the perplexity ai computer hackathon (agent build night, perplexity × codeology), apr 2026; first place, most creative computer workflow; https://github.com/sissississi-013/Neuro-Ad-visor), field (an eeg foundational model, https://field-lab.org), an agentic data validation pipeline (apple × generative ai @ berkeley), cellquest (a game where you enter the vein as a blood cell and fight abnormal cells and tumors in the brain, its world generated live by overworld's waypoint world model; with anna (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tidstam/) at overworld's "hack the world(model)" hackathon at kindred ventures, jan 2026; first place overall; https://github.com/sissississi-013/cell-quest), an attention kernel optimization challenge (paradigm autoresearch hackathon; first place, in-person track; https://github.com/sissississi-013/usagi), stageready (practice going live in front of an ai audience that chats back, raises hands and co-hosts by voice; with rhea at the elevenlabs worldwide hackathon (san francisco), dec 2025; first place overall; https://stage-ready-sable.vercel.app, https://github.com/sissississi-013/StageReady, demo https://youtu.be/1DkC9Gb4RRM, and her presenting it: https://youtube.com/shorts/m2srvGLZvD4), human brain cells in a dish learning cartpole (neurotech@berkeley), and two installations from 2024 in nanshan, shenzhen, each with its full write-up (idea, research, sketches, prototypes, construction, the finished piece): [welcome 欢迎](projects-welcome.html) (may–oct 2024; spiky paper strokes of 欢迎 drift on motor rails and only line up into readable characters for a moment, about how children with dyslexia see chinese characters; film https://vimeo.com/1020253861) and [song of the elephants 横截面](projects-song-of-the-elephants.html) (aug 2024; two elephants sliced into pvc cross-sections whose ring trunks light up with sound, for a shui child who said "i feel like a green, symmetrical elephant"; film https://vimeo.com/1019472618). each with where, who with, links and dates in [projects.json](projects.json). - [Hitchhike / travel](travel.html): a world map of everywhere sissi has been, on Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion projection (the world as foldable origami). The map is Fuller's World Map on Dymaxion Projection, first edition 1944 (scan: David Rumsey Map Collection, davidrumsey.com, CC BY-NC-SA). The map is a smooth deep-zoom of the full 15,000-pixel scan (images/dymaxion.dzi). 38 places are pinned as small photos of each place behind grainy frosted glass (stand-in photos from Wikimedia Commons until sissi adds her own, credited under "photos" in the corner and in travel.json; norway, øyer, july 2026, has no photo yet); squares that would overlap merge into a numbered stack that opens as you zoom in. pointing at a place shows its name below the square and the year and month above it (first and last, if she's been more than once). places will get their own pages with photos and travel notes over time. every place with its trip dates is listed on the page and in [travel.json](travel.json), mostly from her dad's WeChat Moments since 2013. the find box on that page also flies to any country, chinese province or continent ([travel-find.json](travel-find.json): name, chinese name, position on the map in percent). - [Yap](yap.html): 41 short talks (Jun–Oct 2026), mostly Mandarin with English + Chinese subtitles, each with date, topic, caption and a playable video (also posted on Xiaohongshu / Red Note: https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291). Topics include product-market fit, follow-ups, intuition, friendship, hackathons (40+ in a year), computer-use agents, conviction, swimming for 13 years, and why to write letters. every talk as data: [yap-posts.json](yap-posts.json). - [Writing](write.html): "[writing] wrongs" (a pun on righting wrongs, with usagi the sleepy bunny). sissi's essays and posts, newest first, each with its date and a link: a smaller unit of access (coming soon), retirement plan (an x article, jul 17 2026, https://x.com/sissixmoomin/status/2078266671895019674), why videos feel heavy? (an x article, jul 8 2026, https://x.com/sissixmoomin/status/2074845102711672917). some pieces have a voice note where she talks about what inspired it; its full transcript is in the page. data: [writing.json](writing.json). - [Consume a lot](read.html): everything sissi takes in, picked from inside lucy's open mouth (the shelf's name shows on her shirt). essays, blogs and websites she keeps going back to (paul graham's essays, sigil wen on productivity, andrej karpathy, lilian weng, chip huyen, sebastian raschka, goodfire's "neural networks are already clean" and the reply "a clean neuron is not yet an explanation", liu yuan's 写给更年轻的人 for zhenfund ([kept here in full](zhenfund-letter.html)), and more); stuff on the internet she loves (the mother of all demos, falling fruit, are.na, craigslist sf, hacker news, arxiv, 3blue1brown); books, as a cover gallery (wormy book-wise: 132 of them, chinese books with both titles; e.g. how to travel with a salmon by umberto eco, the loser by thomas bernhard, kundera, kafka, hesse, herta müller, toni morrison, dubravka ugrešić, 余秀华 yu xiuhua, 邱妙津 qiu miaojin, the phoenix project, the mom test, project hail mary); albums and songs (glass animals, harry styles, wolf alice, mxmtoon, tender, olivia dean, 单依纯 shan yichun's dear friend, the 1975, green day, maroon 5, mac miller's the divine feminine), with a cd that plays a random one; art, as a gallery wall (adamgryu's website); games, each with its cover art and the trailer playing right there (dave the diver, balatro, overcooked! 2, mario kart 8 deluxe, super mario bros. wonder, snipperclips, a short hike, civilization vi, baldur's gate 3) poker (learning it right now), and board games (wavelength, codenames, rummikub, spots (斑点狗), splendor); other things (escape rooms). every link in [read.json](read.json). - [Paidia](paidia.html): sissi on games, her family (her dad's dvd wall and xbox 360, her mom and hong kong shops, overcooked 2 and mario during the pandemic), and have fun studio (https://havefun.studio), the game studio for dyslexia intervention she started, which got into the tencent tech philanthropy venture plan; its last game, magellan, is coming soon. --- # every page, in full --- ## index.html # sissi hello. i'm sissi (find me: linkedin, (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sissi-wang-703429370/)github, (https://github.com/sissississi-013)x (twitter), (https://x.com/sissixmoomin)email sissiwang@berkeley.edu, (mailto:sissiwang@berkeley.edu)book a meeting on cal.com (https://cal.com/sissi-wang-otezsm/i-love-cool-people))1 ( [picture: a big head of mine: grey cap, glasses, looking down at the camera] ). i grew up in an urban village [picture: the stone marker of 向南村 (xiangnan village), the urban village i grew up in] in shenzhen [picture: little me in shenzhen, school uniform, throwing peace signs] and now live in san francisco [picture: founders inc: two white buildings joined by a sky bridge, the first place in san francisco that felt like home] (i have a lot of hearts2). i like moomins [picture: little my, snufkin and moomin sitting together (about moomintroll, on moomin.com)] (https://www.moomin.com/en/characters/moomintroll/) and minions [picture: a small minion toy from a mcdonald's happy meal: yellow, big goggles, blue overalls, an orange crank in one hand, standing on a wooden table. my dad got it for me (photo: sissi)] and am a little of both3. ask me about “the world is a paidia (paidia.html)4,” richard feynman [picture: richard feynman at a chalkboard, mid-gesture, my idol and the og] , dishbrain [picture: two neurons under a fluorescence microscope, glowing blue, pink and orange] , and next‑gen actuators (https://actuators.trymaglev.com) [picture: a silver robot actuator: a round motor drum with a bolt-hole flange] for humanoids. i build beautiful things (projects.html), hitchhike (travel.html)5, yap (yap.html), write (write.html) sometimes, consume a lot (read.html) ( [picture: cover of how to travel with a salmon by umberto eco] ), swim [picture: swimmers diving off the blocks at the start of a race] semi-professionally, have a lot of fun6, and collect wonderful humans [picture: me and a friend grinning at the camera, one of the wonderful humans] . ## footnotes - just a girl with a dream. ↩ - they say, home is where your heart is. ↩ - “Now I’ve got everything. I’ve got the whole year. Winter too. I’m the first Moomin to have lived through an entire year.” (Moominland Midwinter, 1957) ↩ - paidia: “a word covering the spontaneous manifestations of the play instinct.” (https://eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/view/vol7no1-4/7-1-4-html) ↩ - [picture: brushed steel house numbers 42, cut out from a photo of a door in amsterdam (photo: andré van b, cc by-sa 2.0)] 42: the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything (the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, douglas adams). ↩ - what i'm here for! ↩ --- ## projects.html # build beautiful things those layers, interfaces, experiences, feverdreams, fun, and space i created ## maglev (https://trymaglev.com) (pinned) where we think different about manufacturing. visit ↗ (https://trymaglev.com)x (https://x.com/try_maglev)linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/trymaglev/) ## joint tuner (https://hackersquad.io/events/fireworks-deploy-with-microsoft-nvidia/projects/cmvzxs0l500fqmq234snnlfi8) @ fireworks: deploy (https://hackersquad.io/events/fireworks-deploy-with-microsoft-nvidia) first place overall [picture: a gold medal on a red ribbon, with a little crying cat poking its face, paws and feet out of it] sponsors: fireworks (https://fireworks.ai), microsoft (https://www.microsoft.com), nvidia (https://www.nvidia.com) [picture: sissi on stage holding up a giant check next to the host with a microphone: fireworks: deploy, first place, $10,000, pay to the order of joint tuner, november 02, 2026, san francisco, with the fireworks, microsoft, nvidia and hacker//squad logos along the bottom] first place, $10,000, fireworks: deploy, san francisco. [picture: the live demo on youtube, "sissi wang - joint tuner | fireworks: deploy with microsoft & nvidia", 5 minutes 4 seconds, from hackersquad. the still shows joint tuner's title slide (github.com/sissississi-013/joint-tuner, trained on fireworks, benchmarked vs gpt-6.1 terra) beside the fireworks: deploy card and a small camera view of sissi presenting at a lectern] the live demo on stage, on hackersquad's youtube (5:04). [the 1 minute 49 second demo, narrated by sissi with subtitles: why tuning robot joints by hand is slow, the tuning race in mujoco, the leaderboard, how fine-tuning on fireworks helped, and joint tuner on an actuator, a robot arm, a humanoid ankle and a drone] the demo, with my voice (1:49). [three copies of one robot wrist joint in mujoco, each tuned by a different method at 4x speed. the optimizer alone needs 493 step tests, gpt-6.1 terra gets it right on its first test after 23 seconds of thinking, and joint tuner gets it right on its 5th test] a race on one wrist joint. the classic optimizer needs 493 physical tests, gpt-6.1 terra gets it on the 1st after 23 s of thinking, joint tuner on the 5th, in about a second each. [a motor and gearbox actuator in mujoco, its orange output shaft driven by joint tuner's gains, with the step response settling inside the spec] a motor + gearbox. the orange output shaft runs joint tuner's gains in mujoco and settles inside the spec. real time. [a robot arm in mujoco with its orange elbow joint driven by joint tuner's gains, meeting its spec] a robot arm's elbow, driven by joint tuner's gains, meeting its spec. 37x speed. [a humanoid in mujoco whose orange ankle joint is unstable on its own and is held steady by joint tuner's gains] a humanoid ankle that can't balance on its own. joint tuner's gains hold it steady. real time. [a drone on a test stand in mujoco, its orange roll axis driven by joint tuner's gains, with the step response settling] a drone's roll axis, with the lag of real rotors, settling on joint tuner's gains. 2x speed. [picture: diagram: a fine-tuned model on fireworks proposes 8 gain sets, a control-theory judge simulates them and throws out bad ones before any hardware moves, nelder-mead repairs if none pass, and the passing gains go to the real joint. trained once on 7,500 simulator-verified designs for $5.11] how it works: a small model fine-tuned on fireworks proposes 8 gain sets, a simulator throws out the bad ones before any hardware moves, and an optimizer repairs the rest if needed. [picture: bar chart of tasks solved out of 100 held-out controleval tasks: joint tuner with repair 93, optimizer with 600 tests 93, joint tuner 8 samples plus repair 90, kimi k3 thinking 90, gpt-6.1 terra 89, down to small base models at 8 to 11] on 100 held-out tasks, joint tuner solves 90, the same as gpt-6.1 terra (89) and kimi k3 thinking (90), at a fraction of the model time. [picture: bar chart: fine-tuning the 35b model on fireworks for $5.11 took its first answer from 20 to 50 tasks solved, and best of 8 from 53 to 81] fine-tuning on fireworks for $5.11 took the 35b model from 20 to 50 right on its first answer, and from 53 to 81 with best of 8. [picture: loop diagram: propose, test, log, retrain. each step test becomes a labeled example, and feeding them back into fireworks training cuts the tests the next joint needs] every tuning job leaves labeled tests behind; feeding them back into training means the next joint needs fewer tests. [picture: the event cover: "fireworks: deploy", november 02, san francisco, with the fireworks, microsoft and nvidia logos along the bottom] fireworks: deploy, nov 2 in san francisco, with fireworks, microsoft and nvidia. hackersquad (https://hackersquad.io/events/fireworks-deploy-with-microsoft-nvidia/projects/cmvzxs0l500fqmq234snnlfi8)github (https://github.com/sissississi-013/joint-tuner)demo video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9skZ6BVLDDo)linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7524384660718571520/) nov 2026 ## molten (https://moltenhack.com): an a16z la techweek spatial hackathon @ xtribe, with iana (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianalin/) supported by a16z (https://a16z.com/) techweek student grant sponsors: elevenlabs (https://elevenlabs.io/), sidefx (https://www.sidefx.com/), rokoko (https://www.rokoko.com/), roboflow (https://roboflow.com/), miro (https://miro.com/), assemblyai (https://www.assemblyai.com/), niantic spatial (https://www.nianticspatial.com/), kaedim (https://www.kaedim3d.com/), datafeel (https://www.datafeel.com/) [picture: a person walking past a big screen reading molten tribe in a brick-and-steel warehouse] xtribe, inglewood. [picture: three organizers on a low stage beside a schedule slide, the room listening] opening molten. [picture: an organizer speaking into a mic on stage while sissi stands beside her with a laptop] on stage. [picture: three organizers talking in the warehouse, one pointing across the room] figuring out where everything goes. [picture: a wide shot of a high-ceilinged warehouse full of desks of people hacking] a warehouse full of builders. [picture: close-up of hands plugging jumper wires into a breadboard next to a dev board] wires and breadboards. [picture: a hand resting on a dark tactile tablet with a braille display] a refreshable braille tablet. [picture: a hacker lowering a vision pro headset over his eyes] headsets on. [a short clip of a hacker wearing a white headset at her desk, reaching into the air, teammates coding beside her] building in the headset. [picture: a hacker in a white vr headset at a busy table] testing in vr. [picture: three hackers laughing at their table, one throwing a peace sign] good company. [picture: a datafeel engineer bent over a demo with a hacker, a green plush toy on the table] datafeel helping a team. [picture: salad bowls and food laid out on a long counter while people serve themselves] lunch. [picture: a speaker with a mic in front of a houdini production slide] a talk from sidefx. [picture: rows of hackers in orange chairs turned toward a talk] listening in. [a short clip of a hacker dancing in a motion-capture suit while a teammate watches] motion capture, live. [picture: a builder presenting a game on a big screen to a seated crowd] demos. [picture: one builder wearing a vr headset while his teammate explains to the audience] a vr demo on stage. [picture: a team of three presenting from armchairs in front of the crowd] another team up. [picture: an organizer speaking into a mic while another claps beside her] closing. [picture: the winning team holding their prize next to a slide reading overall winning team, crowdcast] awards: crowdcast, overall winner. [picture: the winning teams lined up together in front of the screen] the winners. visit ↗ (https://moltenhack.com) oct 2026 ## interface: hack in between (https://interfacehack.com): an a16z sf techweek hackathon @ founders inc (https://f.inc), with iana (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianalin/) my first time hosting a hackathon! supported by a16z (https://a16z.com/) techweek student grant sponsors: elevenlabs (https://elevenlabs.io/), assemblyai (https://www.assemblyai.com/), bright data (https://brightdata.com/), tenstorrent (https://tenstorrent.com/), sensory (https://www.sensory.com/), kaedim (https://www.kaedim3d.com/), panic (https://play.date/), pupil labs (https://pupil-labs.com/), datafeel (https://datafeel.com/), genki instruments (https://genkiinstruments.com/), eyegaze (https://eyegaze.com/), dot inc. (https://www.dotincorp.com/), infineon (https://www.infineon.com/), saleae (https://www.saleae.com/), digilent (https://digilent.com/), mcneel (https://www.rhino3d.com/), niantic spatial (https://www.nianticspatial.com/) [picture: the long white pier building at fort mason over blue bay water, seen through a window frame] fort mason, the morning of. [picture: an empty sunlit loft with soft green armchairs and potted trees around a big screen reading interface] the stage before doors opened. [picture: pupil labs eye-tracking glasses laid out on a round wooden table with a sponsor card] hardware tables: pupil labs eye trackers. [picture: stacked boxes of digilent analog discovery pro and zybo boards on a curved wooden table] digilent boards, ready to borrow. [picture: iana standing with a laptop and sissi sitting in a green armchair next to the interface screen] me and iana, just before kickoff. [picture: iana and sissi on either side of the interface screen, speaking to the room] opening the hackathon. [picture: iana smiling as she lifts food out of a foil catering tray with tongs] iana serving lunch. [picture: sissi in a green armchair with a mic, the screen behind her reading bambu lab 3d printers] me introducing the bambu lab 3d printers. [picture: a big bright loft full of tables of people hacking on laptops] a full room by afternoon. [picture: two hackers leaning into a laptop screen, an orange water bottle in front] heads down. [picture: five hackers grinning at the camera around a table of laptops] a team mid-build. [picture: a hacker talking to the datafeel team at their black-draped table] trying datafeel's haptics. [picture: a hacker trying a hardware demo at a high table while a sponsor explains it] sponsor demos all day. [picture: a builder presenting on stage, the screen reading talk to a robot] demos: talk to a robot. [picture: hackers seated at tables turned toward the stage, listening] everyone watching demos. [picture: a builder presenting next to a bright yellow slide about a playdate app] demos: a playdate for the walk home. [picture: sissi in an armchair with a mic, the screen reading thank you for bringing your ideas to life and helping each other along the way] me, saying thank you. [picture: a winner holding a prize next to a slide reading spidey sense] awards: spidey sense. [picture: two winners standing by a slide reading haptic ride] awards: haptic ride. [picture: a group photo of hackers and organizers lined up in front of the interface screen] everyone who stayed to the end. visit ↗ (https://interfacehack.com) oct 2026 ## voice: a model that writes like me @ yc own your intelligence hackathon (https://events.ycombinator.com/gbrain-qm-river-memorable-hackathon), with iana (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianalin/) first place, river ai side quest [picture: a gold medal on a red ribbon, with a little crying cat poking its face, paws and feet out of it] sponsors: river ai (https://river.ai), gbrain (https://gbrain.io/), memorable (https://www.memorable.sh/), qm (https://qm.ycombinator.com), superset (https://superset.sh/), ufo (https://ufo.ai) [picture: the loom demo, "training ai to write in my voice", 1 minute 45 seconds. the still shows voice's readme: the same sentences rewritten by the base qwen model and by sissi's fine-tuned lora, which writes lowercase and casual like her] the demo on loom (1:45): it learns from my own messages, then a little bubble offers 3 replies in my voice in any text box. [picture: a full room of hackers at the yc own your intelligence hackathon, sitting in rows facing a stage, under round paper lamps] the room at yc (photo: compiled) [picture: a group of hackers standing together on the stage at the end of the yc own your intelligence hackathon, slides behind them] everyone on stage at the end (photo: compiled) github (https://github.com/sissississi-013/voice-)demo video on loom (https://www.loom.com/share/c44968dd41aa48eea83301959950262e)x (https://x.com/sissixmoomin/status/2105132709068915177)read more :) on compiled (https://www.compiled.sh/articles/yc-own-your-intelligence-hackathon) sep 2026 ## bobot @ founders inc (https://f.inc), silly robots contest (https://luma.com/sillybot), with iana (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianalin/) it speaks minionese, sings songs, loves bananas, recognizes people and hands you a banana if it wants to make friends with you. grand (silliest) prize [picture: a gold medal on a red ribbon, with a little crying cat poking its face, paws and feet out of it] [picture: sissi and iana smiling at a table, holding bobot: a fuzzy brown minion-ish robot head with big blue goggle eyes, wires trailing to the table] me and iana with bobot. [picture: bobot on a hackathon table: a fuzzy brown bear-like head with big yellow-and-blue goggle eyes on a white robot base, a white robot arm with a gripper beside it, and a bunch of bananas] bobot at home on the table: goggle eyes, a robot arm, and its bananas. [picture: five people on stage in front of a bright pink and green silly robots contest screen that reads sept 10, fort mason; sissi and iana hold an orange robot hand between them] on stage at the silly robots contest, fort mason, sept 10. github (https://github.com/ianalin123/bobot)x (https://x.com/sissixmoomin/status/2098315679758012674) sep 2026 ## offshore: an email-native ai ops agent for offshore oil platform maintenance @ openclaw hackathon (https://openclaw.ai) second place [picture: a gold medal on a red ribbon, with a little crying cat poking its face, paws and feet out of it] sponsors: eragon (https://eragon.ai), nozomio (https://nozomio.com), agentmail (https://agentmail.to) [sissi's in-person demo of offshore (4 minutes 38 seconds, streamed from rednote / 小红书). she sits with a laptop on her lap, pointing up at a big screen showing a slide: "offshore maintenance is too expensive to be this manual", with $500k/hr, manual search, email is mandatory and low connectivity. in the post she says it was built in five hours and won a mac mini, an internship offer (she didn't take it), second place, and lots of friendships and stories.] the in-person demo (4:38): a quick improvised pitch in the first round, streamed from rednote. [picture: the loom demo, "offshore, 26 april 2026", 5 minutes 10 seconds. the still shows offshore's dark field report screen saying "ready when you are", with a start call button and a side panel for logs and activity] the demo on loom (5:10): a technician starts a live call and says what's wrong; offshore listens, looks things up, writes the work order and emails everyone. [picture: a pitch slide: "offshore turns one issue report into coordinated action". three steps: understand (search oem manuals, maximo history, api standards and field context), draft (a work order with asset id, failure mode, parts and safety notes), act (email the planner, oem rep and procurement team and follow the thread to closure). footer: nia is the context layer, agentmail is the action surface] one issue report becomes coordinated action: understand, draft, act. [picture: a pitch slide: "one inbox per asset. one agent behind it." a technician sends email, voice notes or photos to offshore, which uses nia for context (oem manuals, maximo history, api standards, incident notes) and agentmail to route emails to the planner, oem rep and procurement. steps: issue reported, context retrieved, work order drafted, emails routed and tracked] one inbox per asset, one agent behind it. [picture: the offshore wordmark in cream on black, with a small orange dash in the f] offshore. github (https://github.com/sissississi-013/offshore)demo video on loom (https://www.loom.com/share/7b6f200934424a1988b1f64581e7f9fb)rednote (小红书) post on rednote (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/discovery/item/6a7439f90000000033019d60?xsec_token=ABniJUMCzXnbQOeAp1ymO61fKCXxacHAbyAqSj4iQ8TFE=&xsec_source=pc_share) apr 2026 ## neuro ad-visor @ perplexity ai computer hackathon (https://www.perplexity.ai/computer/a/agent-build-night-submission-g-FIKgIrWTRJKBcpwYZSP1Dg), with joshua (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuamartoma), naisha (https://www.linkedin.com/in/naishajain), jacob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-shahatit) predict how people's brains react to your content before you post it, using meta tribe v2. first place, most creative computer workflow [picture: a gold medal on a red ribbon, with a little crying cat poking its face, paws and feet out of it] [picture: the neuro ad-visor demo video, on google drive. the still shows the temporal brain reaction screen: a video of an orange cat on a rug on the left ("wait for it…"), and two red-and-yellow heatmaps of the brain's cortex on the right, lighting up as the video plays] the demo video (1:51, on google drive): upload a clip, watch the brain react, get suggestions. [a short silent loop: a cat video plays on the left while two brain heatmaps on the right change with it, predicted by meta's tribe v2 model] the brain watching along: as the clip plays, the predicted cortex lights up next to it, every 2 seconds. [picture: the upload screen: "know what converts before you post". a cat video is loaded, the platform is set to instagram, and a big cyan button says predict audience response] drop in a video or picture, pick the platform, press predict. [picture: the overall cortical activation: four views of the brain as red-orange heatmaps, and below them a temporal brain journey chart with lines for fear, anxiety, reward, visual attention, social connection and empathy across the video] the whole cortex from four sides, and nine feelings over time. [picture: a nine-axis emotional profile radar chart next to an ai interpretation panel saying the post stops the scroll and strongly activates the visual system, but doesn't convert into much emotional payoff, with visual curiosity as the main response] an emotional radar, and the perplexity agent explaining what the brain data means. [picture: optimization suggestion cards with toggles: make the first frame instantly legible (image), turn suspense into a story, not just a tease (text), pay off the tension faster (layout), use sound to convert attention into delight (audio), each with its expected impact and target emotion] suggestions to make it land better, each with the feeling it targets. github (https://github.com/sissississi-013/Neuro-Ad-visor)demo video (https://drive.google.com/file/d/10-TiDzxQ7wQlT51fxjd9pS6CarseHqKC/view)read more :) (https://www.perplexity.ai/computer/a/agent-build-night-submission-g-FIKgIrWTRJKBcpwYZSP1Dg) apr 2026 ## field (https://field-lab.org): an eeg foundational model @ the tech bros (https://thetechbros.io/), with iana (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianalin/) [picture: field lab's mark: a stippled purple and navy brain made of tiny dots on cream, with the words onto intelligence in serif type below] field-lab.org: onto intelligence. [picture: two eeg recordings of the same cognitive task on a dark background: on the left a dense 64-channel recording (physionet), on the right just 3 orange channels (bnci2014_004)] the same thinking task recorded by two headsets: 64 channels vs 3. [picture: two topographic scalp maps side by side: the 64-channel one full of red and blue blobs and contour lines, the 3-channel one just a smooth red-to-blue split down the middle] what the head looks like with 64 electrodes, and with 3. rich detail vs almost blind. [picture: three scalp maps: the sparse 8-channel input, the 64-channel ground truth, and the dense field scalpfieldnet reconstructs from the sparse input] scalpfieldnet: 8 electrodes in, the full 64-channel field back out. [picture: three scalp maps in a row: the original field, the sparse input with channels masked out, and the reconstructed field] masking channels and filling them back in: original, sparse input, reconstructed. [picture: a heatmap of one processed 4-second eeg window from physionet eegmmidb (subject S010), 64 channels by 1024 samples at 256 hz, z-scored in red and blue, with the first 4 channel traces drawn underneath] one 4-second window after eegforge's preprocessing: 64 channels, 1024 samples, z-scored, ready for training. [picture: a log-scale chart of cumulative channel-hours over 30 physionet recordings, rising to about 44, with dashed lines for the full eegmmidb dataset (about 2,221 channel-hours, projected) and the zuna-scale target of 2,000,000 channel-hours] how much eeg we'd gathered (in channel-hours) vs the full dataset and zuna's 2,000,000 channel-hour scale. [picture: a line chart of nmse on held-out channels vs channel dropout rate (20 to 90%) on eegmmidb: zuna's released 380m weights, our trainer fine-tuned for 400 steps, the mne spherical-spline baseline, and our trainer from scratch (64m, 2.5k steps); the fine-tuned model has the lowest error at every rate and spline is worst except for the from-scratch run] replicating zuna: filling in dropped channels. our fine-tuned model beats spline interpolation at every dropout rate. visit ↗ (https://field-lab.org) mar – aug 2026 ## agentic data validation pipeline @ apple (https://www.apple.com), generative ai @ berkeley (https://www.berkeleygenai.org) feb – jun 2026 ## cellquest @ overworld "hack the world(model)" (https://luma.com/klpa49os), kindred ventures (https://kindredventures.com), with anna (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tidstam/) enter the vein as a blood cell. first place overall [picture: a gold medal on a red ribbon, with a little crying cat poking its face, paws and feet out of it] [40 seconds of cellquest gameplay: a first-person view drifting through blue, glossy tissue generated frame by frame by the waypoint world model, past round blue cells and a big dark red tumour cell with long fibres. along the bottom, the green drug molecule health bar slowly drains from 100% to 82% while the red abnormal cells bar drops with each shot to 0%, and the game ends on "victory!"] cellquest running again, 10 months later, on overworld's waypoint world model and a rented gpu. every frame is generated live as the drug molecule swims through the tissue; 13 hits clear the abnormal cells (40 s). [picture: sissi and anna standing together in a wood-panelled office lobby, smiling and making hand signs at the camera] anna and me after we won, at kindred ventures. github (https://github.com/sissississi-013/cell-quest) jan 2026 ## attention kernel optimization challenge (https://www.paradigm.xyz/puzzles/attention) @ paradigm autoresearch hackathon (https://www.paradigm.xyz) first place (in-person track) [picture: a gold medal on a red ribbon, with a little crying cat poking its face, paws and feet out of it] [picture: diagram titled the puzzle, in paradigm's style: three triangular grids of green blocks (keys across, queries down, nothing above the diagonal) for the three sparsity families: sliding window, sliding window plus a global prefix, and sliding window plus random retrieval blocks. notes: B=2, H=16, T=8192, D=128; 128×128 blocks, only 8–16% filled, so each query row touches just 4–12 key blocks, and the kernel is starved for memory and per-block bookkeeping rather than math.] the puzzle: block-sparse causal attention, three ways. [picture: diagram titled how usagi walks one row: a dark green Q block (one 128-row query block, kept in registers) streams past key/value blocks listed by csr col_idx. the non-diagonal blocks run in a fast loop with no mask and no branch; the diagonal block comes last and is the only one with the causal mask. for every block: S = Q·Kᵀ·scale (bf16 in, fp32 scores), then online softmax (exp2, running max and sum), then acc += P·V on fp16 tensor cores, then fp32 accumulation into bf16 output and log-sum-exp. notes: an if inside the hot loop breaks triton's software pipelining (up to 2× slower); bf16 P·V drifted past the 1e-3 tolerance, fp16 passed at the same speed.] how usagi walks one row: non-diagonal blocks in a fast loop, the diagonal last. [picture: diagram titled eight warps, two jobs: eight warp squares, three light-green producers that load K/V with block pointers and five dark-green consumers that run Q·Kᵀ, softmax and P·V on tensor cores (warp_specialize=True plus tl.make_block_ptr; each neutral alone, about 10% faster together). bar chart of median latency by num_warps: 4 warps 1.44 ms, 8 warps 0.73 ms, 16 warps 1.12 ms; 4 leaves too much idle time, 16 causes register pressure.] eight warps, two jobs: the biggest single win. [picture: line chart titled 1.238 → 0.660 ms: latency drops from 1.238 ms (first working kernel, ctypes launcher, 4 warps) to 0.85 ms (8 warps) to 0.74 ms (split diagonal plus stride specialization) to 0.66 ms (block pointers plus warp specialization), above a dashed memory floor of about 0.25 ms; measured as medians of 3–5 runs since each run wobbled ±15%. tried and not kept: tma descriptors (+26%), pre-scaling Q (fails accuracy in bf16), bf16 P·V (fails accuracy), num_stages=4 (doesn't fit in shared memory), num_ctas=2 (won't compile), 16 warps (register pressure).] 1.238 → 0.660 ms in a day, and what didn't make it. paradigm / puzzles (https://www.paradigm.xyz/puzzles/attention)github (https://github.com/sissississi-013/usagi)x (https://x.com/danrobinson/status/2043776520158642425) apr 2026 ## stageready (https://stage-ready-sable.vercel.app) @ elevenlabs worldwide hackathon (san francisco) (https://hackathon.elevenlabs.io/), with rhea practice going live in front of an ai audience. first place overall [picture: a gold medal on a red ribbon, with a little crying cat poking its face, paws and feet out of it] [picture: sissi on stage with a microphone, presenting stageready next to her sticker-covered laptop. behind her, the big screen shows the app running live: her own face streaming in the middle, a raised hands panel of ai viewers on the left, and the ai audience's chat scrolling in neon green on the right] presenting stageready on stage, live. [picture: the stageready demo on youtube. the still shows sissi live-streaming in the practice room ("liveroom, simulated streaming environment"): her camera in the middle with 156 watching, a raised hands list of ai viewers on the left with invite buttons, an ai co-host called speakeasy in the corner, an end stream button, and a live chat of ai viewers on the right asking things like "what kind of feedback do you find most helpful?"] the demo on youtube (2:37): an ai audience chats back to what you're saying, raises hands to ask questions, and can join as a voice co-host. [picture: a youtube short filmed from the audience at the elevenlabs worldwide hackathon: sissi stands at the podium with a microphone, presenting stageready, while people walk past and a photographer with a big camera stands in front] presenting it at the hackathon, filmed from the crowd (a youtube short). visit ↗ (https://stage-ready-sable.vercel.app)github (https://github.com/sissississi-013/StageReady)demo video (https://youtu.be/1DkC9Gb4RRM)linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7480600052369895424/)read more :) (https://sf.aitinkerers.org/hackathons/h_eaohlcqws_A/entries/ht_U6IzGKD85II) dec 2025 ## human brain cells in a dish learn to play cartpole, with neurotech@berkeley (https://neurotech.studentorg.berkeley.edu) [picture: research poster, 'building a virtual dishbrain: analyzing and improving mea-based neural control of cartpole', by asila sabouri, emmie hou, deeksha kasula and sissi wang, uc berkeley. abstract: the original goal was to train cultured neurons on a multi-electrode array (mea) to solve cartpole; without wet-lab culture space the project became a literature review plus computational analysis of an existing brian2 mea simulation. background: inspired by cortical labs' dishbrain, where neurons learned pong through closed-loop stimulation. methods: a loop diagram where recorded neural data goes through .net to an openai gym cartpole environment, which sends cart position, angle and velocity back as stimulation; plus a pipeline from cartpole state to spike encoding, brian2 spiking network, spike decoding to left/right, reward, and stdp updates. analysis and results: the simulation fired unstably, reward scaling was too weak or too strong, brian2 integration was incomplete, and episodes ended almost immediately; charts show reward, action and neural activity distributions. next steps: stabilize brian2, smoother dopamine-like reward, parameter sweeps, move to snntorch, and prepare stimulation strategies for real cultured neurons. a photo shows a glass mea chip.] our poster: building a virtual dishbrain. [picture: a 3d wireframe brain on black, one hemisphere drawn as a dense mesh and the other shaded solid, the cover of sissi's notebook 'running brian 2!'] running brian 2! my notebook for the simulation. [picture: flowchart in four phases. phase 1, initialization: brian2 setup with a numpy backend, adex neuron parameters and equations (adaptation current w, membrane voltage v, external input i). phase 2, network construction: a right motor group and a left motor group of 30 neurons each, spike monitors, and a brian2 network wired to a virtualmea interface. phase 3, a simulation loop over 100 episodes: cartpole state in, neurons spike, the virtualmea reads left vs right firing as an action, cartpole physics updates, reward is calculated, learning / stdp is applied, then the next time step. phase 4: animated plots of the cartpole and neural raster, and plots of reward and spike rates.] how the virtual dish works, start to finish. [picture: performance dashboard from the first run: reward stays flat around 9 to 10 steps for all 50 episodes, the reward histogram is a narrow spike around 9.5, the action chart shows almost every action was right, and the pole angle swings back and forth; no learning curve] run 1: no learning, and 88% of moves were 'right'. [picture: neural activity heatmaps after bug fixes: left and right hemisphere neurons firing over time in red and yellow bands, with bar charts below comparing spike counts per frame for left versus right actions] run 3, after the bug fixes: both hemispheres finally firing. [picture: spike raster over 50 episodes after bug fixes: dense blue horizontal bands for all 30 left-hemisphere neurons and orange bands for all 30 right-hemisphere neurons, firing continuously in the same rhythm] spike raster: all 30 neurons per side, firing together. [picture: final learning dashboard with all improvements applied: the learning curve drops to zero after the first episodes, synaptic weights collapse to their floor value, the dopamine-like reward signal decays, and cumulative performance stays flat] last try, with stdp and a dopamine-like reward: the weights hit the floor. oct – dec 2025 ## welcome 欢迎 a moving installation about how children with dyslexia see chinese characters. [spiky white paper strokes with red spikes hanging on strings, drifting into the characters 欢迎] the strokes drift on motor rails until, for a moment, they line up into 欢迎. [picture: the whole installation from the front: all the strokes of 欢迎 hanging in the air on black] the whole piece, 3m × 2m × 2m, nanshan, shenzhen. [picture: close-up of a hanging stroke: white clay spikes with red tips] [picture: 欢迎 with its strokes back in place, clear and readable] the moment the strokes fall into place. [picture: 欢迎 next to a version with strokes and radicals missing] one of five ways dyslexic kids read characters: missing parts. [picture: spiky paper stroke sculptures on cardboard stands] demo video (https://vimeo.com/1020253861)read more :) (projects-welcome.html) may – oct 2024 ## song of the elephants 横截面 two elephants whose trunks light up with sound. [two white geometric elephant heads whose ring trunks glow and change colour with sound] the trunks glow with what they hear: blue for low sounds, red for high. [picture: two white geometric elephant heads on wooden bases, their ring trunks glowing green and blue] pvc, ws2812b leds, arduino, acrylic, diffuser sheet, aluminium wire. [picture: a trunk of rings glowing warm yellow] [picture: a child bent over his drawing of a green elephant, above two elephants touching trunks] "i feel like a green, symmetrical elephant." [picture: an elephant modelled in rhino, sliced into cross-sections and laid out for cutting] [picture: the trunks glowing pink and red between the two white elephant heads] demo video (https://vimeo.com/1019472618)read more :) (projects-song-of-the-elephants.html) aug 2024 [picture: back home] (index.html) --- ## projects-welcome.html # WELCOME 欢迎 Welcome DateMay 2024 - Oct 2024 LocationNanshan, Shenzhen, China Size3m*2m*2m Materialboard, bird spikes, light clay, paper tube, tinfoil, electronic motor [WELCOME欢迎, the film of the installation (38s): spiky white paper strokes with red spikes hang on strings and drift on motor rails until they line up into the characters 欢迎] [picture: close-up of a hanging stroke: white clay spikes with red tips on a tan board, in front of black cloth] [picture: looking up into the installation: white spiked clay forms and red spikes tangled on strings] [picture: three spiky white strokes with red spikes hanging in a row against black, like pieces of a character] ## CONCEPTUALIZATION The concept of this installation was born from a session at a community class designed for children struggling with reading or cognitive challenges. I was the instructor that day. After we wrapped up, the children, restless yet curious, gathered around a table as we began to read a picture book together. Their attention floated, dispersing like bubbles in soda—tiny sparks of focus rising only to burst and disappear. These bubbles, fragile and unrestrained, slowly dissolved into the air, merging with the room, slipping beyond my reach. We were reading a picture book about dinosaurs, a subject I had hoped would tether their wandering minds. I turned the page to reveal the Tyrannosaurus Rex. At that moment, the air seemed to shift, and the children’s eyes—scattered just moments ago—began to gravitate back toward the book. Then, the small boy beside me, just five years old and not yet in school, a child who struggles so deeply to make sense of written words, suddenly blurted out, "Sissi, I don't want to look at dinosaurs anymore!" I paused. This was strange. After all, his two great loves were pizza and dinosaurs, especially the T. Rex. I asked him why. His voice, small yet bursting with an almost desperate frustration, answered: "When I point at the book, my finger hurts. I can’t grab onto the words—they’re slipping away, all twisted and wrong. It feels like the words in the book are stabbing me." In that moment, through the raw pain etched into his tiny face and clenched hand, I felt, perhaps for the first time, the profound helplessness that resides in such struggle. There was something sharp, ungraspable, in his gaze—a kind of deep ache I had never fully understood. It was as though he was battling a storm within the confines of his own mind, a storm I could barely touch. I realized then that I wanted to hold onto this moment, not just for him, but for the hundreds of others like him, and translate it into something tangible, something visceral. Through the medium of installation art, I wanted to preserve this fleeting yet profound experience. [picture: the community class: children around a green table in a library, reading a picture book together] [picture: a drawing in black ink of a hand whose fingers turn into jagged zigzags, with red marks where it hurts, and the character 疼 (hurt) beside it] ## RESEARCH ### HOW DO DYSLEXIC KIDS READ TEXTS? [picture: 欢迎 written aligned next to a misaligned version where the parts of each character are shifted out of place] (a)MisalignedMisalignment in Chinese dyslexia reflects difficulties in visual tracking and spatial processing. Chinese children with dyslexia often struggle with the precise positioning of characters and strokes, leading to reading challenges due to poor visuo-spatial integration and oculomotor coordination (Peng et al., 2017). [picture: 欢迎 next to a mirrored version of the characters, flipped left to right] (b)mirroredThis symptom refers to reversing or flipping characters, which can result from impaired orthographic awareness. Since Chinese characters are highly visual and not alphabet-based, children with dyslexia may misinterpret orientations, a phenomenon particularly noticeable in logographic languages like Chinese (Ho et al., 2004; Gao et al., 2019). [picture: 欢迎 next to a version with strokes and radicals missing] (c)missing partsChildren may read or write characters with omitted strokes or radicals due to deficits in morphological awareness. Each radical in a Chinese character carries meaning, and failure to recognize them results in incomplete or misread words, which significantly hampers reading fluency (Wang et al., 2017). [picture: 欢迎 next to a distorted, stretched and warped version] (d)distortedDistortions in perception arise from poor rapid automatized naming (RAN) abilities. These deficits affect the ability to decode characters swiftly, resulting in jumbled or misshaped visual processing of the text (Cao et al., 2017). This aligns with studies showing how Chinese dyslexics display delays in processing phonetic and semantic information. [picture: 欢迎 next to a shadowy version where several blurred copies overlap] (e)shadowy, overlappingOverlapping text illustrates the cognitive overload caused by poor phonological and orthographic integration. Dyslexic children may experience a "crowding" effect, where excessive visual stimuli interfere with character recognition, making reading more challenging (Tong et al., 2017; Ho et al., 2007). Most of the time, these ways of perception don't occur alone, they would combine and create images tougher to decode for dyslexic kids. ### NEUROBIOLOGY OF DYSLEXIA [picture: figure 2, regions of the reading brain: a brain with the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes, the dorsal decoding pathway in red and the ventral sight-recognition pathway in green] [picture: the same reading-brain figure on black, captioned fig2. regions of reading brain, neurobiology of dyslexia] Fig2. Regions of reading brains [picture: cover of the neurobiology of dyslexia: a child's head in profile filled with school icons] (https://haskinslabs.org/sites/default/files/files/Kearns%2C%20Hoeft%2C%20Hancock%2C%20Pugh%2C%20Frost%20(2019)%20Neurobiology%20of%20dyslexia.pdf) The Neurobiology of Dyslexia The primary difference between developing readers with dyslexia and their peers with typical reading skills is that those with dyslexia show less increase in brain activation in the temporoparietal regions and the occipitotemporal regions during reading and rhyming tasks. Click to download the book ↗ (https://haskinslabs.org/sites/default/files/files/Kearns%2C%20Hoeft%2C%20Hancock%2C%20Pugh%2C%20Frost%20(2019)%20Neurobiology%20of%20dyslexia.pdf) From a scientific standpoint, children with dyslexia often experience spatial distortions when they read Chinese characters. The complexity of each character—made up of multiple radicals and components—can lead to a visual jumble. The characters twist, the radicals slip out of place, and their eyes leap across the page, missing the steady rhythm that most of us take for granted. My installation focuses precisely on this: the misalignment and overlapping of different character components, the chaos where meaning falls apart. ## BRAINSTORM [picture: a brainstorm mind map on black: branches in colour leading to reference pictures] [picture: a second brainstorm mind map in pale blue branching out to reference pictures] ## PROJECT SKETCH [picture: white line sketch on black of 欢 built from twisted hollow tubes] (a)Twisted Hollow ColumnsAn abstract representation of how children with dyslexia perceive the curvature of Chinese characters. The cylindrical mural reflects flexibility and fluidity. [picture: white line sketch on black of a character made of clustered circles] (b)Foam Ball CombinationsOrganically communicate the drifting, elusive nature of Chinese characters as seen by dyslexic children, while also conveying a sense of fragility and ephemerality. [picture: white line sketch on black of a character whose strokes cross and fold into sharp geometric planes] (c)Crossed and Folded Strokes in CharactersThe normally firm strokes of Chinese characters become sharp and structured. This geometric abstraction of the strokes conveys that children with dyslexia approach reading as though they are observing a drawing rather than text. [picture: 我的 drawn in thick multicoloured layers like a contour map] (d)Multicolored Layers Resembling a Contour MapThis primarily expresses how characters hold depth and dimensionality for dyslexic readers, making them as difficult to conquer as a series of mountain peaks. [picture: front view sketch of the installation: scattered character parts hanging from a rail at the top] [picture: top view sketch on a grid: coloured dots marking each part and its direction of movement] (e)Front view and top view sketch of the installation. ## PROTOTYPING ### Visual analysis [picture: a hand holding a soft cotton-wrapped wire character] (a)A cotton-wrapped wire frame that is lightweight and cozy but fragile and less durable. [picture: a character bent from wire, lying on paper] (b)Bent wire typography, minimal and easy to shape but lacking volume. [picture: white foam balls joined with sticks into a molecule-like character] (c)Foam ball structures connected by sticks, playful with added depth but may feel too scientific. [picture: a mix of fabric, foam balls and wire forms on a wooden table] (d)Fabric, foam, and wire, visually rich and diverse but potentially cluttered. ## FINAL DESIGN [picture: 欢迎 broken apart: its strokes scattered and overlapping in grey and black inside a square] (a) [picture: 欢迎 with its strokes back in place, clear and readable, a few grey ghosts still trailing] (b) After experimenting with different materials and structures, I decided to cut down the original phrase "欢迎来到我的世界" (Welcome to my world) to just two characters, "欢迎" (Welcome). I believe that this reduction not only promotes flexible thinking but also prevents the character components from colliding during movement. When designing the motion paths, I experimented with movement in different directions. Through repeated trials, I adjusted the speed to ensure that, at a specific moment during the movement, the chaotic strokes would align into clear, precise Chinese characters—returning to their proper place, readable and neat, as shown in diagram (b). [motion test (12s): the strokes of 欢迎 slide along their paths, scatter, and come back together into the characters] I envision this as a piece of 4D art. I’ve introduced a fourth dimension: time. The installation doesn’t only exist in three dimensions, where the radicals scatter and occupy different spatial nodes. The mechanical movement in the piece isn’t just for show; it represents the continuous, unrelenting battle dyslexic individuals face when trying to decode Chinese characters. The letters twist and flail before finally, after an agonizingly long cycle, assembling into the word 欢迎. This brief moment of clarity, where the chaos subsides and meaning emerges, mirrors the moments of breakthrough that dyslexic individuals experience after enduring long bouts of frustration and confusion. ## CONSTRUCTION [picture: cardboard tubes standing upright on a board in the outline of the frame] (a) [picture: the linear motor: a stepper motor on an aluminium rail with its controller and wires] (b) [picture: the motor system laid out with labelled notes: power supply, stepper motor, rail, control board] (b)2 [picture: sissi kneeling on the floor wiring and calibrating the motor rail] (c) [picture: spiky paper sculptures of strokes, white with red spikes, on cardboard stands] (d) [picture: the final layout on a table: many spiky stroke sculptures together with the motor system] (e) (a) Cardboard tubes are arranged into a framework, setting the structural foundation. (b) & (b2) The linear motor system is assembled, connecting the power supply, stepper motor, rail, and control components. (c) Wiring and calibration are carried out to ensure smooth motor operation and precise movement. (d) Sculptural elements with spiked paper designs are added, creating visual complexity. (e) The final layout integrates the motor system and sculptural forms, forming an interconnected installation. ## FINAL DISPLAY [picture: the finished installation hanging in the dark: spiky white and red strokes on strings, partway to forming 欢] [picture: the whole installation from the front: all the strokes of 欢迎 hanging in the air on black] Just as in life, this calm is temporary. The machine doesn’t stop; it begins again, plunging the characters back into disorder. The cycle repeats endlessly, much like the relentless, daily struggle of those with dyslexia—each day a waiting game for meaning to emerge out of the chaos. The installation captures this quiet, ceaseless endurance. A visual representation of the inner storm, the fight for understanding, the friction and tension that dyslexic individuals live with, as they wait, day after day, for those fleeting moments when the words finally make sense. ## WORK CITED - [1] Cao, F., et al. "Neural Signatures of Phonological Deficits in Chinese Developmental Dyslexia." NeuroImage, vol. 146, 2017, pp. 301-11. - [2] Ho, C. S. H., et al. "The Cognitive Profile and Multiple-Deficit Hypothesis in Chinese Developmental Dyslexia." Developmental Psychology, vol. 38, no. 4, 2002, pp. 543-553. - [3] Peng, P., et al. "The Deficit Profiles of Chinese Children with Reading Difficulties: A Meta-Analysis." Educational Psychology Review, vol. 29, no. 3, 2017, pp. 513-64. - [4] Tong, X., et al. "Three-Year Longitudinal Study of Reading and Spelling Difficulty in Chinese Developmental Dyslexia." Dyslexia, vol. 23, no. 4, 2017, pp. 372-86. - [5] Wang, L. C., et al. "Development of Lexical Tone Awareness in Chinese Children with and without Dyslexia." Contemporary Educational Psychology, vol. 49, 2017, pp. 203-14. [picture: back to build beautiful things] (projects.html#welcome) --- ## projects-song-of-the-elephants.html # SONG OF THE ELEPHANTS 横截面 Cross Section DateAugust 2024 LocationNanshan, Shenzhen, China Size1.5m*0.5m*0.4m MaterialPVC, LED W2812B, arduino, acrylic plate, diffuser sheet, aluminum wire [Cross-sectioning diaglogues, the film of the installation (1:08): two geometric elephant heads made of white pvc slices face each other, their trunks of glowing rings lighting up in shifting colours with sound] [picture: the two elephants with their ring trunks glowing blue and violet] [picture: the two elephants with their ring trunks glowing green and blue] [picture: the trunks glowing pink and red between the two white elephant heads] [the trunks lighting up (22s): the rings glow and change colour as the sound changes] The fusion of water and fire The blue trunk represents lower sound frequencies; the red one detects higher ones. [picture: close-up of one trunk glowing turquoise against the white pvc elephant head] [picture: the trunks glowing blue and violet] [picture: the elephants unlit: white pvc slices and clear diffuser rings on wooden bases] [picture: a trunk of rings glowing warm yellow, seen from above] [picture: one elephant with its trunk glowing cool blue in the dark] [picture: the trunks glowing green, yellow and red where they meet] [picture: the trunks glowing green and blue] [picture: the trunks glowing pink and red] ## CONCEPTUALIZATION Summer 2023, Guizhou. I was teaching Shui ethnic children and conducting dyslexia screenings. One day, during a drawing class titled "What Animal Am I?" a particularly quiet child with dyslexia created a moving piece. The drawing depicted a dinosaur-like creature that was, in fact, a green elephant. As I gradually got to know him better, he shared with me, "I feel like a green, symmetrical elephant. I might be communicating in a language that others can’t hear." In Shui culture, the elephant symbolizes tranquility and blessing. Through installation art, I aim to express this "language that others can’t hear"—the extraordinary spatial awareness of dyslexia and the ever-changing beauty of symmetry. [picture: a child bent over his drawing of a green elephant, above a photo of two elephants touching trunks; a note says the portraits and images have been approved for use by both the individual and the school] ## BRAINSTORM Soundwave visualization allows human voices to interact with waveforms. Elephants communicate using infrasound, which is inaudible to humans but crucial for their long-distance communication, similar to dyslexic’s unnoticed voices. I want to incorporate the design and variations of soundwaves into the elephant's trunk to reflect communication and relationships between individuals. [picture: soundwaves in blue light above a photo of two elephants meeting trunk to trunk] ## SKETCH I decided to create two elephants facing each other, with a focus on their trunks, which represent cross-sections of sound visualization waves. The cross-sections are not continuous, symbolizing the rise and fall of sound. [picture: a sketch of an elephant head in blue whose trunk becomes a sound wave, meeting a yellow elephant] [picture: four steps in white on black: a geometric elephant model in rhino, sliced by planes, the slices thickened, and laid out flat for cutting] - Model a geometric elephant using Rhino - Slice the elephant's volume with equally spaced planes - Thicken each cross-section and define the edge width - Lay out each cross-section and cut them from PVC board ## DATA VISUALIZATION & CODE [picture: three panels: python code that analyses audio and plots it as a circular 3d pattern, python mapping the audio's amplitude to rings, and arduino code lighting leds in colours that follow the sound's frequency] ## CONSTRUCTION [picture: construction in four photos: pvc slices cut out, slices joined with aluminium wire, diffuser rings on the trunk, and the arduino with the led strip] After cutting the PVC, I calculated and drilled holes into it. Next, I connected each cross-section using 3.5 cm aluminum wire and hot glue. Shaped diffuser sheets into circles based on the size and form of the audio frequency bands and attached them to the trunk’s wire structure. Connected a WS2812B LED strip to the data pin and power source of the Arduino Nano, enabling the lights to respond to sound fluctuations. ## FINAL DISPLAY [picture: the finished piece in the dark: two white geometric elephant heads on wooden bases, their ring trunks glowing green and blue where they meet] [picture: back to build beautiful things] (projects.html#song-of-the-elephants) --- ## travel.html # hitchhike (travel) a map of the world on buckminster fuller's dymaxion projection: the globe unfolded flat along the faces of an icosahedron, like origami. every place sissi has been is pinned on it as a small frosted photo. [picture: buckminster fuller's world map on dymaxion projection (first edition, 1944): the globe unfolded into a net of triangles and squares on aged cream paper, crosshatched with a great-circle grid, hand-drawn rivers, and small black inset maps titled one continent, one ocean, east by sail to the orient via good hope, east by steam to the orient via suez, northward to the orient and northward to europe, and stratosphere strategic (scan: david rumsey map collection, cc by-nc-sa). frosted glass squares sit on every place sissi has been, each a small photo of that place seen through grainy glass; point at one for its name, click it for when she was there.] 2018-08 2017-01 2017-01 2017-01 2020-01 2018-09 2018-09 2026-07 2024-02 2017-10 2018-02 2025-08 2018-02 2018-02 – 2025-08 2020-01 2016-01 2024-03 2019-08 2023-07 2014-02 2014-08 2019-09 2025-01 2021-10 2013-09 – 2020-10 2013-12 – 2016-06 2016-09 2014-10 2015-06 2015-09 2014-03 – 2015-08 2026-06 2014-12 – 2019-05 2013-08 – 2026-05 2017-08 2014-01 2019-01 2015-02 38 places, oldest trips from 2013, as data: travel.json (travel.json). ## shenzhen shenzhen, china - home (grew up in an urban village here) - 2026-06-24 – 07-01 shenzhen ## hong kong hong kong, china - 2013-08-04 lamma island - 2013-08-24 mong kok, hello kitty - 2013-09-25 hong kong - 2013-12-29 hong kong - 2014-03-17 hong kong - 2014-05-01 – 02 lamma island, victoria harbour - 2014-06-01 – 02 tai o, big buddha, ngong ping - 2014-06-07 hong kong - 2014-07-05 hong kong - 2014-07-26 hong kong - 2015-01-17 hong kong - 2015-04-03 – 05 sha tin, sai kung, maclehose trail - 2016-04-01 – 03 mui wo, lantau trail, sunset peak - 2017-04-29 – 30 lantau trail - 2017-05-28 – 30 sai kung - 2017-12-31 – 2018-01-01 wilson trail, stanley - 2018-04-04 – 06 dragon's back, shek o, hku - 2018-06-17 – 18 hong kong - 2018-09-23 – 24 sham shui po - 2019-04-04 – 05 pat sin leng - 2024-10-04 hong kong - 2025-05-01 deep water bay, repulse bay - 2025-05-05 ma on shan - 2025-06-01 sai kung - 2025-10-03 tuen mun trail - 2025-10-07 wan chai - 2025-11-22 tsim sha tsui - 2026-01-02 yuen tsuen ancient trail - 2026-02-14 west kowloon - 2026-02-20 stanley - 2026-02-21 – 22 yuen long, tai o - 2026-05-01 kowloon park - 2026-05-04 hong kong museum of art ## guangzhou guangzhou, china - 2013-09-10 guangzhou - 2014-03-30 guangzhou - 2017-07-14 guangzhou - 2020-09-12 guangzhou - 2020-10-23 – 25 tianhe sports centre ## foshan foshan, china - 2013-12-02 china ceramics city - 2015-08-07 – 08 shunde, qinghui garden - 2016-06-08 – 09 longjiang ## dongguan songshan lake, dongguan, china - 2014-03-22 dongguan - 2015-08-01 dongguan ## zhuhai zhuhai, china - 2014-12-31 – 2015-01-01 chimelong ocean kingdom - 2019-04-10 zhuhai - 2019-05-09 baiteng lake ## kaiping kaiping and enping, jiangmen, china - 2015-09-02 – 04 zili village ## heyuan wanlü lake, heyuan, and meizhou, china - 2015-06-19 – 21 heyuan ## shanwei shanwei, china - 2017-08-31 shanwei ## zhaoqing seven star crags, zhaoqing, china - 2021-10-22 zhaoqing ## liyang and suzhou liyang and suzhou, jiangsu, china - 2014-02-27 – 03-01 liyang and suzhou ## hangzhou west lake, xixi and qiandao lake, hangzhou, china - 2014-08-16 – 21 hangzhou ## wuhan optics valley, wuhan, china - 2019-08-31 wuhan ## chengdu chengdu, china - 2020-01-17 on the way to germany ## rongjiang rongjiang and duyun, guizhou, china - 2023-07-23 – 25 rongjiang ## qingdao qingdao and laoshan, china - 2024-03-29 – 31 qingdao ## vietnam ho chi minh city, mekong delta, mui ne, da lat and nha trang, vietnam - 2014-01-22 – 02-02 vietnam ## thailand bangkok and phuket, thailand - 2014-10-01 – 05 thailand ## sri lanka colombo to anuradhapura, sigiriya, kandy, ella, yala and galle, sri lanka - 2016-01-29 – 02-14 sri lanka ## tokyo and fuji tokyo, disney, hakone and kawaguchiko, japan - 2016-09-29 – 10-06 tokyo and fuji ## kyushu nagasaki, kumamoto, yufuin, dazaifu and fukuoka, japan - 2019-09-30 – 10-05 kyushu ## setouchi islands takamatsu, teshima, naoshima and shodoshima, japan - 2025-01-22 – 29 setouchi islands ## new zealand auckland, and the south island from christchurch to queenstown, wanaka and the glaciers - 2015-02-08 – 25 new zealand ## western australia perth, the pinnacles, shark bay, kalbarri, rottnest and margaret river, australia - 2019-01-28 – 02-12 western australia ## france lyon and paris, france - 2017-01-20 – 02-06 with switzerland and italy ## switzerland bern, interlaken, jungfrau and lucerne, switzerland - 2017-01-20 – 02-06 with france and italy ## italy milan, como, venice, pisa and florence, italy - 2017-01-20 – 02-06 with france and switzerland ## russia moscow and saint petersburg, russia - 2017-10-01 – 08 russia ## england london, cambridge, the cotswolds and oxford, england - 2018-08-12 – 22 england ## czechia prague and český krumlov, czechia - 2018-09-30 – 10-07 with austria ## austria hallstatt and vienna, austria - 2018-09-30 – 10-07 with czechia ## germany frankfurt, heidelberg, berlin and munich, germany - 2020-01-17 – 02-02 germany ## istanbul istanbul and the bosphorus, türkiye - 2024-02-03 – 10 istanbul ## san francisco bay san francisco, berkeley, cupertino and mountain view, usa - 2018-02-04 – 21 start of the california road trip - 2025-08-01 – 20 san francisco bay ## california coast carmel, highway 1, solvang, santa barbara, los angeles and anaheim, usa - 2018-02 road trip ## the southwest palm springs, grand canyon, antelope canyon, monument valley, las vegas and yosemite, usa - 2018-02 road trip ## norway øyer, norway - 2026-07 øyer ## seattle seattle and bellevue, usa - 2025-08 seattle photos stand-ins from wikimedia commons, until mine go up: - shenzhen: Charlie fong (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skyline_of_Shekou,_Shenzhen.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - hong kong: Diego Delso (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vista_del_Puerto_de_Victoria_desde_Sky100,_Hong_Kong,_2013-08-09,_DD_10.JPG), cc by-sa 3.0 - guangzhou: Daniel Lu (User:dllu) (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canton_Tower_at_night_Guangzhou_2024_dllu.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - foshan: Zhangzhugang (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foshan_Zu_Miao_2012.11.20_15-41-28.jpg), cc by-sa 3.0 - dongguan: see file page (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E4%B8%9C%E8%8E%9E%E5%B8%82,_%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD_Jul_18,_2019_15-38-32.jpeg), cc by-sa 4.0 - zhuhai: Dllu (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zhuhai_Fisher_Girl_statue_dllu.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - kaiping: Stefan Fussan (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zili_Village_Yunhuan_Lou_0005.jpg), cc by-sa 3.0 - heyuan: Boris1601050607 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Wanlv_Lake_at_noon.jpg), cc by-sa 3.0 - shanwei: HMGiovanniV (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Shanwei_Bay_at_Fengshan,_Shanwei,_Aug_2022.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - zhaoqing: Jasonjiang.1998 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wulong_Pavilion,_Seven_Star_Crags_20260217.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - liyang and suzhou: King of Hearts (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Humble_Administrator%27s_Garden_Suzhou_November_2017_008.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - hangzhou: DXR (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Lake_Pavilion_and_Water_Lilies,_Hangzhou_120529_1.jpg), cc by-sa 3.0 - wuhan: unknown author (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:0964.a.0961.jpg), cc0 - chengdu: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chengdu_Sichuan_China_Panda-breeding-and-research-center-02.jpg), cc by-sa 3.0 - rongjiang: Ariel Steiner (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chengyangqiao_village,_South_Guizhou,_China.JPG), cc by 2.5 - qingdao: Windmemories (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20240729_Zhanqiao_02.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - vietnam: Vyacheslav Argenberg (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vietnam,_Mui_Ne_sand_dunes,_trees_on_the_sand.jpg), cc by 4.0 - thailand: Anton Zelenov (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banana_beach_Phuket_2017_-_02.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - sri lanka: Daibo Taku (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sigiriya,_Sri_Lanka_-_panoramio_(64).jpg), cc by 3.0 - tokyo and fuji: Midori (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Kawaguchiko_Sakura_Mount_Fuji_4.JPG), cc by 3.0 - kyushu: Yasuhiro from Tokyo, Japan (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yufuin_Onsen_-Mus%C5%8Den_02.jpg), cc by 2.0 - setouchi islands: 663highland (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benesse_house01s3200.jpg), cc by 2.5 - new zealand: Krzysztof Golik (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Tekapo_01.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - western australia: User:Gnangarra (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pinnacles_gnangarra-62.jpg), cc by 2.5 au - france: Jorge Royan (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paris_-_The_Eiffel_Tower_in_spring_-_2307.jpg), cc by-sa 3.0 - switzerland: Axel Tschentscher (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bern_Church_of_the_Holy_Ghost_Spire_with_Eiger_M%C3%B6nch_Jungfrau_2019-10-16_18-50.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - italy: Wolfgang Moroder (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canal_Grande_Chiesa_della_Salute_e_Dogana_dal_ponte_dell_Accademia.jpg), cc by-sa 3.0 - russia: Юрий Д.К. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moscow_-_2025_-_Daytime_view_of_St._Basil%27s_Cathedral_from_Vasilyevsky_Spusk.jpg), cc by 4.0 - england: Saffron Blaze (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arlington_Row_Bibury.jpg), cc by-sa 3.0 - czechia: Jakub Hałun (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_%C4%8Cesk%C3%BD_Krumlov_from_the_castle,_20250504_1305_8880.jpg), cc by 4.0 - austria: C.Stadler/Bwag (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hallstatt_-_Zentrum_.JPG), cc by-sa 4.0 - germany: Jörg Braukmann (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:K%C3%B6nigstuhl,_Heidelberg,_U-17.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - istanbul: Arild Vågen (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hagia_Sophia_Mars_2013.jpg), cc by-sa 3.0 - san francisco bay: Frank Schulenburg (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Golden_Gate_Bridge_as_seen_from_Marshall%E2%80%99s_Beach,_March_2018.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - california coast: Tuxyso (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bixby_Creek_Bridge_2013.jpg), cc by-sa 3.0 - the southwest: Dllu (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Horseshoe_Bend_Arizona_dllu.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 - seattle: Daniel Schwen (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seattle_4.jpg), cc by-sa 4.0 [picture: back home] (index.html) --- ## yap.html # yap videos of me talking, in mandarin with english and chinese subtitles, streamed from xiaohongshu (red note), with how many people liked and saved each one and what they said. - aug 13, 2026 pinned, my favourite a cold email sent me to the forests of norway (一封陌生邮件，把我送进了挪威的森林。)i joined an incubator that takes 20 people worldwide and lived in norway for two weeks. the biggest lesson this year: you can just do what you want. [video: a cold email sent me to the forests of norway] 2772 likes1370 saves70 comments - 厘岛大师 omg, as someone about to start freshman year at UCB with zero coding/tech experience who wants to switch paths in college, your story is so inspiring..... (original: 天啊作为一个马上要去ucb读大一0coding/tech experience想要在大学转向的学生，你的故事真的太inspiring了.....)08-13 ♡ 21 - sissi you got this 🐻 (original: 加油加油🐻)08-13 ♡ 3 - 厘岛大师 go bears! (original: Go Bears!)08-14 ♡ 1 - Julia （PhD练习生） wow welcome! i only switched in my master's, now i'm doing a phd at UCB mostly in coding/tech (original: wow欢迎呀，我是硕士才转的，现在在ucb phd主要做coding/tech了)09-10 - 夏天見面的地點 but you already had privilege applying for this: you're at UCB! plus the rest of your resume. you can say you ignore the rules, but that's kind of exactly the As that act as prerequisite for B (original: But you already got privilege for applying this但是你在UCB诶！还有你其他的履历。You can say you ignore the rules，but that's kind of exactly the As that act as prerequisite for B)08-16 ♡ 11 - sissi good point! the video is more about how we get to define the 'prerequisites', not that they don't exist at all (original: Good point! 这个视频想表达的更多是“prerequisite”可以由我们来定义，而并不是完全不存在)08-16 ♡ 3 - Nosadisland such a powerful video, thank you for sharing (original: 好有力量的视频 谢谢你的分享)08-13 ♡ 6 - Momo jesus, how are you so articulate, amazing. between taking the first step and getting the first reply, there's a lot of rejection most people can't get through (original: Jesus，你的表达怎么这么流畅 太优秀了。 我觉得从走出第一步到有第一个回复，这中间的拒绝的经历，很多人都没办法渡过)08-13 ♡ 8 - sissi thank you!!! you slowly get used to the long wait in between haha, still figuring it out! (original: 谢谢！！！慢慢就适应了中间的漫长哈哈，也还在摸索中！)08-13 ♡ 2 - 嘻嘻 iteration and courage are guagua's middle names: open to negative feedback, turning negatives into positives, slowly learning the rules behind it all. never boxed in by rules, always exploring. i bet some of tomorrow's rules will be written by guagua (original: 迭代和勇气是瓜瓜的代名词，对负反馈保持开放，从负到正，慢慢摸索了背后的判断规则并适应。完全不会因为条条框框被束缚，继续不断探索尝试，相信未来的某些规则会由瓜瓜定义)08-13 ♡ 6 - dordor🍄🌸 what did i just hear! your english sounds native, you deliver everything so clearly and fluently. girl you are so gooood (original: what did i just heard! your English sounds like native speaker you deliver everything so clear and fluent. Girl you are so gooood)08-25 ♡ 2 - sissi thank you!!08-25 - Karasu do you have other accounts? want to follow you everywhere (original: 博主还有别的账号吗，想全平台关注你)09-04 ♡ 1 - sissi haha not yet!! hope to be on every platform soon hahaha, just lazy right now :) (original: 哈哈暂时还没有！！希望可以快快开始全平台哈哈哈现在好懒：）)09-05 - 天涯美少女 inspired. so powerful (original: inspired. 太有力量了)08-14 ♡ 4 - 在下小尤🌻 you're amazing. i hope every girl can be brave enough to go after opportunities and do what she wants! (original: 你太棒了，希望每个女孩都可以勇敢的争取机会，做自己想做的事情！)08-13 ♡ 4 - 咖啡泡油条 thank you for sharing, your story really shook me and motivated me. i'm in a lost phase right now, with vague hopes for the future but no idea what to do today, always worried i'm not capable enough for the opportunities in front of me. but like you said, everything wasn't impossible until we made it possible. if i grab every chance and keep trying, i can find what i really want to do too (original: 感谢前辈的分享，你的故事真的给了我很大的震撼和激励。我现在也处在一个比较迷茫的时间段，隐隐对未来有期望但不知道当下能干什么，面对一些机会总是会担心自己没有对应的能力。但就像你说的，everything wasn't impossible until we made it possible，抓住每一个机会，不断尝试我也能找到自己真正想做的事情)09-09 - sissi thank you for watching to the end! you can definitely do it, go go go (original: 感谢留下来看完的你！一定可以的，加油)09-10 - slowsorrow nothing to lose, so be brave and try whatever you want to do. thanks for sharing (original: nothing to lose 所以想去做的都勇敢尝试 谢谢博主分享)09-09 ♡ 1 - 靠北啦 you're amazing aaaa, so glad i found you on this vast internet, thank you (original: 你好棒啊啊啊啊茫茫互联网遇到你谢谢你)09-09 ♡ 1 - Krissyfry :D so impressive aaaa!! (original: 好厉害啊啊啊！！)08-26 ♡ 1 - . amazing (original: 好棒)08-25 ♡ 1 - H哈哈 i can feel the energy of your ideas, thank you (original: 感觉到了你的想法的能量，谢谢)08-22 - Celine。 great spoken english, i played it like a podcast, so clear (original: [完啦R]好棒的口语，当播客放的，听的很清晰)08-20 ♡ 2 - Sol so impressive, feeling motivated (original: 太厉害，有被激励到)08-19 - 火玄 you can just do what you want.... so inspiring.... keeping this in mind... starting today... thank you!!!! (original: You can just do what you want....so inspiring....buried this in mind...just from today... Thank you!!!!)08-18 ♡ 1 - 一碗澄之 thank you!! really inspiring (original: Thank you!! Really inspiring)08-18 ♡ 1 - 铸剑淬火 proving your own worth and being recognized by your circle is a blessing; for most people the question is how to prove yourself on a non-traditional path and be accepted and given chances. either way, the positive thinking this video spreads is still (original: 自身证明价值存在 获得所在环境圈层的认可是幸福的，对于更多人来说如何在非传统路径上证明并被接纳给予认可和机会。无论怎样 这个视频传播的积极思考还是)08-17 ♡ 2 - 九八大顺子zzZ amazing!! (original: 好棒！！)08-17 ♡ 1 - 墨尔本豆丁子 love you so much!! thanks for sharing 🌟🌟🌟 (original: 好喜欢你！！谢谢分享🌟🌟🌟)08-17 ♡ 1 - 红宝石岛民 sigh, these past few years i've lost almost all my courage (original: 唉，这几年我几乎失去了全部的勇气)08-17 ♡ 1 - Janice Jin thanks08-16 ♡ 1 - 河途生 thanks for passing it on!! (original: 谢谢传讯！！)08-16 ♡ 1 - 琼光浓 thank you xiguagua ^_^ (original: 谢谢西瓜瓜^_^)08-16 ♡ 1 - RosemaryXstudio to be young is a great opportunity. i wish i'd known these things when i was young. yes, i need this. thank you 😊 (original: To be young is great opportunity I wished I knew these things when I was young yes I need this. Thank you 😊)08-16 ♡ 1 - 风晴羽Wings an answer 'no' means nothing, we don't actually lose anything. that's a pretty interesting idea and you are so brave. thanks for the encouraging share, guagua. (original: An answer 'no' means nothing, we actually do not lose anything. That's pretty interested idea and you are so brave. Thanks for your encouraging share,guagua.)08-16 ♡ 2 - 乐辰 so motivating, and your spoken english is so fluent! love it! (original: 好有激励性，而且口语表达非常流利！喜欢！)08-15 ♡ 1 - 杰克 08-15 ♡ 1 - Tory thank you! really inspires me (original: thank you！really inspire me)08-15 ♡ 1 - mercury thank you (original: 谢谢[完啦R])08-15 ♡ 1 - 用户已注销 thanks for sharing! so powerful (original: 谢谢博主分享！很有力量)08-14 ♡ 1 - momo在坡坡 so well said, really eye-opening. thank you (original: 说的太好了，很有启发。谢谢)08-14 ♡ 2 - ㅤ斑鸠2375 thanks for sharing... so powerful (original: 感谢博主的分享...十分有力量[完啦R])08-14 ♡ 1 - 李什么盈_ thank you xigua (sniff) (original: 谢谢你西瓜[抽泣R])08-14 ♡ 1 - 蔬菜宝 so healing (original: 好治愈) [picture]08-14 ♡ 1 - Anyaaa. omg so impressive! (original: 天呐 好厉害！)08-14 ♡ 1 - 湿头发 so well said. (original: 讲的太好了。)08-14 ♡ 1 - Cloud（早睡早起版） thank you (original: Thank you)08-14 ♡ 1 - 雪曼General a really powerful video! so inspiring (original: 非常有力量的一个视频！很有启发)08-14 ♡ 1 - Whocar thank you! (original: 谢谢博主)08-14 ♡ 1 - 蓝羊毛毛猫 watched the whole thing! so much to think about! (original: 听完了！启发很大！)08-13 ♡ 1 - Ava （学习版） hhh08-13 ♡ 1 - 无骨软体动物 wow 🤩 (original: 哇🤩)08-13 ♡ 1 - byeurside i needed a video like this! so uplifting (original: 我需要这样的视频！太鼓舞人心了)08-13 ♡ 1 - momo thank you for curing my anxiety with this one (original: 感谢这期治疗我的焦虑)08-13 ♡ 2 - 青青 made me cry, you're amazing (original: 看哭了老师好优秀呀)08-13 ♡ 1 - s293637 so well said (original: 说的太好了)08-13 ♡ 1 - 波波乐大饭店 08-13 ♡ 2 - 笑傲丫头 grateful you shared this (original: 感恩分享)08-13 ♡ 1 - 不吃玉米味 so motivating. i always thought we had to be ready and qualified before we could start (original: 好励志，一直以为我们准备好了，我们有资格才能开始)08-13 ♡ 2 - 小猫放屁净化空气 you're amazing!! thank you for the reminder, it makes everything feel possible. (original: 你好棒！！谢谢你的提醒，这让人感觉一切都是有可能的。)08-13 ♡ 2 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 11, 2026 pinned, my favourite after 40 hackathons, i think it's hard to lose one (参加40场后，我发现很难输掉一场黑客松)40+ hackathons in my freshman year: lost the first 19, then started winning GPUs, cash and robot arms. hackathons aren't competitions; here's how to win and learn the most. [video: after 40 hackathons, i think it's hard to lose one] 698 likes521 saves27 comments - estelle_build you're amazing! thanks for sharing what you went through and learned 💛 i have two hackathons coming up and was a bit nervous, but after watching i thought about why i'm going: besides finishing and chasing prizes, what else do i want out of it. let's both keep going (original: 妹妹好棒！谢谢分享经历和收获💛最近也要参加两场黑客松了，本来有些紧张的，但听了你的分享后就思考了一下参赛的初心，除了完赛和追逐奖项，还想获得什么。与你共勉)08-11 ♡ 4 - sissi thank you! so glad it helped!! you'll definitely get something out of it, let's both go for it~ (original: 谢谢！有帮助就太好啦！！参加一定会有收获的，我们一起加油～)08-11 ♡ 1 - estelle_build mm-hm! (original: 嗯嗯！)08-12 - 嘻嘻 hhh invincible08-11 - sissi aaa thank you for the encouragement!! long road ahead, one step at a time!! (original: 啊啊啊谢谢鼓励！！道阻且长慢慢来！！)08-11 - 嘻嘻 i can see you teaching at YC someday and then becoming a CEO, so cool any way you look at it 😎 (original: 感觉未来也能去yc做instructor然后进入一家公司当CEO，怎么想怎么酷😎)08-11 - Anne sis, i love this title, really! i have a similar video but i've got a lot to learn from your content and titles! (original: 姐妹，我喜欢你这个标题，真的！我也有一个差不多的视频但内容和标题都要继续向你学习！)08-13 ♡ 1 - sissi your content is super high quality too! let's both keep going!! (original: 你的内容也超级高质量！一起加油！！)08-13 - 绿色的心 lalalalala amazing amazing amazing (original: 啦啦啦啦啦啦棒棒棒棒棒棒)08-11 ♡ 1 - sissi 08-11 - 元儿 you're so impressive! which websites post hackathons? can you recommend a few for total beginners? (original: 小姐姐好厉害！想问下有哪些网站会发布比赛的消息，能推荐几个适合小白的吗)08-13 - sissi thank you! i made a video about exactly that, here 40+ hackathons, 10+ wins in one year (original: 谢谢呀！有出过相关的视频在这里 74 【一年内参加40+黑客松获得10+冠军 - 西瓜瓜 | 小红书 - 你的生活兴趣社区】 😆 GqMbqZAiqSmZj6D 😆 https://www.xiaohongshu.com/discovery/item/6a76fcb000000000320219a0?source=webshare&xhsshare=pc_web&xsec_token=ABLZ8Nu1QwkhaokWiNljOKTn-3z7Libbtsv1jyDBsnJhU=&xsec_source=pc_share)08-13 ♡ 1 - ovo sis, do you do kaggle? (original: 姐妹会打kaggle嘛)08-11 - sissi did brain-to-text! haven't tried others yet~ might do more when i have time! (original: 打过brain-to-text! 其他的还没有尝试过～也许有空了想多参加一些！)08-11 - 米未可 what an amazing girl (original: 好棒的小姐姐)08-16 ♡ 1 - 谢谢 amazing 👍 (original: 好棒👍)08-12 ♡ 1 - 小鹿gogogo thx sis for sharing 😘 (original: Thxsisshare[亲一个R])08-11 ♡ 1 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - oct 7, 2026 PMF has changed (PMF变了)PMF: product-market fit. the times are changing. [video: PMF has changed] 34 likes2 saves4 comments - Greta honestly i wasn't really following the content, but i love the feeling you give off when you talk (original: 其实我没有怎么听你的内容，但我好喜欢你说话时候传递的那种感觉啊)10-07 - sissi wow! thank you (original: 哇！谢谢) [picture]10-07 - Momo learned something! you'd be great at a podcast haha (original: 涨知识了，感觉博主很适合开podcast哈哈)10-07 - sissi haha i'll give it a try! thank you! (original: 哈哈我会尝试的！谢谢！)10-15 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - sep 29, 2026 what are we even waiting for? (我们到底在等待什么) [video: what are we even waiting for?] 36 likes5 saves6 comments - 沉思小狗 loved the part about choosing your own competition (original: 选择自己的competition说的好好)10-01 ♡ 1 - sissi thank you (original: 谢谢)10-01 - 乖张 So insightful!!!!10-21 - sissi thank you! (original: 谢谢呀)10-21 - 别来画大饼 so well said! (original: 说得好好！)09-29 - sissi thank you!! (original: 谢谢！！)09-29 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - sep 16, 2026 clear expression, and health (清晰的表达，健康)some recent learnings and thoughts! [video: clear expression, and health] 37 likes4 saves0 comments play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - sep 3, 2026 when we just live hard (当我们只是用力生活)another plain little update on everyday life :) [video: when we just live hard] 35 likes7 saves3 comments - letyourheartseethecolor guagua, are you on bilibili or youtube? (original: 瓜瓜有没有bili或者yt呀)09-13 ♡ 1 - sissi new platforms coming soon!! (original: 将很快开发新平台！！)10-07 - letyourheartseethecolor yay yay! (original: 好哟好哟！)10-07 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 29, 2026 an ordinary journal entry (稀松平常的日记一则) [video: an ordinary journal entry] 23 likes6 saves1 comments - 绿色的心 an ordinary slice of watermelon (original: 稀松平常的西瓜一片)6 days ago play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 28, 2026 let's all follow up more! (让我们都多多follow up！)the power of following up. [video: let's all follow up more!] 52 likes9 saves5 comments - 自由独立才是真 you said it so well! how do you practice being articulate, turning the non-linear thoughts in your head into words? any tricks? you're this good in college, you'll be amazing by graduation! (original: 你说得太好了！想问下你怎么练习articulate的能力呀，就是将脑子的非线性的想法转变成语言表达出来，有什么练习的诀窍吗？才大学生就这样，等你毕业肯定更厉害呀！)08-28 - sissi thank you!! i talk a lot, maybe that counts as practice? (original: 谢谢！！我很爱说话也许算是练习吗) [picture]08-28 ♡ 1 - 自由独立才是真 i think it does! my mouth is always too slow to keep up (original: 我觉得是！我老是嘴巴太慢说不上来)08-28 - Carrie 带你闯澳洲 you know what, i was literally just thinking about the power of follow-up and then your video showed up (original: 妹妹你知道吗 我刚刚大脑里面就在想the power of follow up 然后就刷到你了)09-07 ♡ 1 - sissi wow, shared brain!! (original: 哇～共脑了！！) [picture]10-07 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 27, 2026 the unsolved problems in life (the unsolved problems in life)we don't have to solve every problem, right? [video: the unsolved problems in life] 36 likes7 saves4 comments - 自由独立才是真 so well said! i've thought about proxies a lot too. i'm not in ML, but i realized real-world proxies mostly exist because directly observing the ability itself is so much harder than observing the proxy. like why GPA and school brand can't really represent a student's ability but still matter so much: companies can't learn a student's core abilities from an online application or a short interview. your thinking is so interesting, keep posting and i'll keep watching! (original: 说得真好！我之前也想很久proxy这个问题，虽然我不是ML的，但我意识到很多时候现实世界的proxy存在的主要可能和现实中直接观测解决那个问题的能力itself太难了，相比于观测那个proxy....就比如我想的是为什么gpa 学校brand也不能直接代表学生的能力，但还是影响力很大，也是因为公司很难直接通过线上申请或者短短的面试立马了解到学生的core abilities。加油你思考得都很有意思呀，你坚持发我坚持看！)08-27 ♡ 1 - sissi totally agree! they get hacked precisely because they're easier! thank you for the thoughtful comment and encouragement :) (original: 超级赞同！是因为更容易所以才会被hacked！谢谢你的高质留言和鼓励：）)08-28 ♡ 1 - 丢三落四也挺好 beautifully put... you always learn from people deep in the field. sometimes my small-town-exam-grinder DNA kicks in and wants to solve everything; now i'm trying to only solve what's solvable and let the rest be (original: 好棒的表达...和业内资深人士多接触总能学到东西。感觉有时候就是小镇做题家的dna动了想要解决所有的事情，现在试着只去解决可以解决的问题，其他的就let it be吧) [picture]08-27 ♡ 1 - sissi thank you! yes! slowly learning to own some problems instead of trying to solve them all (original: 谢谢呀！是的！逐渐学会了只对一些问题负责而不是尝试解出来所有)08-28 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 26, 2026 if you love it, you don't need to persist (因为热爱，无需坚持)13 years of swimming: how do we keep doing one thing for a long time? met my best coaches and friends at the pool, a whole other life. [video: if you love it, you don't need to persist] 56 likes9 saves7 comments - 利她 is this video sped up? (original: 西瓜的视频是开加速了嘛？)08-26 - sissi 1.1x! is it too fast? (original: 1.1 倍！是太快了不)08-26 - 利她 feels a little rushed? (original: 感觉有点着急）？)08-26 - sissi ok! normal speed next time! (original: ok！下次原速！)08-26 - 床好舒服 here to support! way faster than before, so much info all at once owo! studying seriously! (original: 来支持啦！感觉跟之前比快了好多 信息一下子都涌上来了owo！严肃学习中！)08-26 - sissi somehow i started talking faster once school started aaa (original: 感觉开学后莫名其妙语速变快了啊啊)08-26 ♡ 1 - 床好舒服 hahaha very high information entropy owo (original: 哈哈哈感觉信息墒很高的样子owo)08-26 ♡ 1 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 25, 2026 do you become someone else when you're tired? (你疲惫的时候会变成另一个人吗？)is it taking off the mask? [video: do you become someone else when you're tired?] 30 likes4 saves3 comments - 丢三落四也挺好 babe is this really not sped up?! (not in a bad way, it's just cool to talk this fast..) (original: 宝宝这个语速真的没开倍速吗！（没有不好的意思，只是觉得这样快速输出好酷。。）)08-25 - sissi 1.2x!! the video was kind of long. if it's too fast i won't speed it up next time hehe (original: 1.2倍！！是因为视频有点长长的。如果太快了下次就不加速嘿嘿)08-25 - 丢三落四也挺好 hehe it's fine! but a bit slower would make your thoughts easier to follow~ love you! (original: 嘿嘿没关系！但感觉确实慢一些能更好follow你的思路～喜欢泥！)08-27 ♡ 1 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 24, 2026 my first tamagotchi ever! (我人生中第一只拓麻歌子！)thank you to my good friend! some thoughts on tamagotchis. [video: my first tamagotchi ever!] 54 likes3 saves6 comments - Ensoleillé love (original: 爱)08-24 ♡ 1 - sissi love [picture]08-24 - 丢三落四也挺好 so cute... both you and the little one (original: 好可爱...你和崽都是)08-24 - sissi [picture]08-24 - Ensoleillé 08-24 - Ensoleillé aaaaa (original: 啊啊啊啊)08-24 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 23, 2026 i moved 5 times this summer (这个夏天，我搬了5次家) [video: i moved 5 times this summer] 45 likes7 saves9 comments - 自由独立才是真 wow, what a thoughtful, mature person! (original: wow好有思想成熟的人呀！)08-23 - sissi thank you!!! (original: 谢谢！！！)08-23 ♡ 1 - ovo sis, you read virginia woolf too? (original: 姐妹也看伍尔夫呀)08-23 - sissi haha yes!!! it used to be required reading (original: 哈哈是的！！！曾经是必读书目)08-23 - jess西卡👾 sissi is amazing (original: sissi太优秀啦)08-23 - sissi thank you 🕊️!! (original: 谢谢🕊️！！)08-23 - 正在学习let go的Ariella babe, you showed up on my feed!!! (original: 宝宝我竟然刷到你了！！！)08-23 - sissi aaaaa i miss you so much!!!! (original: 啊啊啊啊啊好想你！！！！)08-23 ♡ 1 - 正在学习let go的Ariella i miss you more. so proud seeing you get more and more grounded (original: 我更想你，看你越来越grounded好proud)08-23 ♡ 1 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 19, 2026 humor that asks for nothing (牛来，不索取的幽默)is the best kind of humor. [video: humor that asks for nothing] 29 likes6 saves7 comments - 绿色的心 mom~ niulai~ (original: 妈妈~ 牛来~)08-26 ♡ 1 - sissi my sweet daughter~ (original: 我的好女儿诶～)08-26 - 绿色的心 girl, that's a movie line. go watch it as punishment (original: 大姐这个是电影台词 罚你去看)08-26 - sissi i know (original: 我知道啊)08-26 - 丢三落四也挺好 hahahahahaha (original: 哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈)08-27 - ovo there's already a bootleg on youtube (original: 油管上已经有枪版了)08-19 - sissi ahaha i want to support the box office haha, and i really want to see it (original: 啊哈哈想支持一下票房哈哈当然也很想看)08-19 ♡ 1 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 17, 2026 friends are the seasons of my life (朋友就像我人生的四季) [video: friends are the seasons of my life] 21 likes1 saves2 comments - 紫菜蝙蝠 too fast babe, can you go slower next time? (original: 太快了宝宝[完啦R]下次可以慢一点吗)08-17 ♡ 1 - sissi got it got it! (original: 收到收到！)08-17 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 16, 2026 confessions of someone who runs on intuition (一个极度依赖直觉的人的自述。) [video: confessions of someone who runs on intuition] 50 likes19 saves5 comments - Lucky such an interesting video, love the way you tell it (original: 非常有意思的视频喜欢博主的叙述方式)08-22 - sissi thank you!!!! means a lot to me (original: 谢谢！！！！means a lot to me)08-22 ♡ 1 - stargazer hunch! (original: hunch！)08-17 ♡ 1 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 14, 2026 are we romanticizing too many things? (我们是不是把太多事情魅力化了？)or glamorizing. [video: are we romanticizing too many things?] 54 likes11 saves1 comments - 快乐河马 i think you're my long-lost sister 👭 (original: 感觉博主是我失散多年的姐妹👭)08-15 ♡ 1 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 12, 2026 has AI actually learned to use our computers? (AI到底学没学会用人类的电脑？)is teaching AI to use computers worth it? thoughts on computer-use agents. [video: has AI actually learned to use our computers?] 20 likes4 saves2 comments - 莉莉安安 ! so interesting! computer use really is too dumb and too slow right now, hope it gets better aaa (original: ！好有意思！现在computer use确实太笨了而且太慢了希望之后在这方面能有进步吧啊啊)08-13 ♡ 1 - sissi yes!! it's still an unsolved problem!! (original: 是的！！是一个还没被解决的问题！！)08-13 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 11, 2026 what are the best founders working on? (最棒的一群创业者们都在做什么？)interviews at the founders inc offseason festival. [video: what are the best founders working on?] 39 likes14 saves1 comments - Jennifer 西语学习 fantastic 😍 (original: fantasting[心心眼R])08-11 ♡ 1 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 11, 2026 conviction means something new to me today (今天对于conviction生成了新的含义)an important realization for me! [video: conviction means something new to me today] 27 likes11 saves4 comments - 嘻嘻 can't watch guagua's vlogs at faster speed (original: 听瓜瓜的vlog无法按倍速)08-11 ♡ 1 - sissi aa is it because i talk too fast? i'll work on speaking clearly!! (original: 啊啊是语速太快了吗，会注意要清楚表达的！！)08-11 - 苹果派 you're amazing (original: 你好棒)08-11 - sissi thank you! (original: 谢谢！)08-11 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 10, 2026 the 7 habits of highly effective people (西瓜 edition) (高效能人士的七个习惯（西瓜版）)recorded as a reminder to myself. [video: the 7 habits of highly effective people (西瓜 edition)] 61 likes14 saves11 comments - ONEYEJ great content, but next time can you keep the phone or camera steady? it's making me dizzy (original: 内容很好 但是下次拍视频可以把手机或者相机架稳吗 看得头晕)08-10 ♡ 2 - sissi ok thanks for the tip!! the laptop is too heavy hahaha, i'll keep it steady next time! (original: 好的感谢建议！！电脑太重了啊哈哈哈下次会放稳！)08-10 - 小狗回家 so organized and practical, thanks for sharing! your username is so cute too (original: 很有条理很实用，谢谢分享！昵称也好可爱)08-10 ♡ 1 - sissi thank you for the warm comment!!! (original: 谢谢你温暖的留言！！！)08-10 - Joy so logical, and your spoken english sounds so nice, love it!! (original: 很有逻辑性，口语也好好听，喜欢!!)08-12 - sissi thanks for the encouragement (original: 谢谢鼓励)08-13 - Liu how did you learn to speak english so fluently? (original: 请问怎样学习英语口语才能像你一样说的如此流畅)08-10 - sissi thank you!! i talk a lot, and shadowing plus lots of talking really helps! let's improve together~ (original: 谢谢！！我说话多，感觉多跟读多说话联系很有用！一起进步～)08-11 - Idgie inspiring08-20 ♡ 1 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 9, 2026 how to find good ideas (如何找到金点子) [video: how to find good ideas] 42 likes15 saves2 comments play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 8, 2026 40+ hackathons, 10+ wins in one year (一年内参加40+黑客松获得10+冠军)how to find good events, and what i learned going from beginner to building good projects. [video: 40+ hackathons, 10+ wins in one year] 1253 likes1075 saves51 comments - 浪涌乾坤Dw so impressive. i'm into gpu programming too but only learning the basics. i'm a junior, is it too early for hackathons? when did you start doing them? (original: 好厉害，我目前也对gpu编程很感兴趣，但是只是在学一些基础。我现在是一名大三的学生，对于hackathon会太早了嘛？主包是什么时候开始参加这些hackathon的呢)08-08 ♡ 8 - sissi hi, thanks for the comment! any time is a good time for hackathons. my first was right before college started, and once you go often, what you learn grows exponentially! there are gpu eng/infra events too. i've only scratched the surface, but hackathons helped me see the big picture and recruiters reached out! if you're curious, give it a try! (original: 嗨，感谢你的留言！什么时候都可以参加黑客松的，我第一次参加是大学开学前，感觉参加密度大起来后学到的知识也会指数增长！gpu eng/infra也有对应的一些活动，虽然我只是学到一些皮毛，但确实通过黑客松理清了大体的框架以及被recruiters reached out了！如果感兴趣去参加试试！)08-08 ♡ 2 - Ender she is a college student (original: 主播就是大学生啊)08-08 - 浪涌乾坤Dw i thought you'd graduated, that's really impressive (original: 我以为已经毕业了，那真的很厉害了)08-08 - 浪涌乾坤Dw ok ok, thank you, i'll learn from you. i did one online hackathon before and learned a lot, but in-person ones feel more challenging (original: 好的好的，谢谢你，我要向你学习在此之前，我也参加过一场线上hackathon，确实学到了很多。不过感觉可能还是线下的会更有挑战性一些)08-09 ♡ 1 - Endlesssummer do you have to find teammates yourself? (original: 小姐姐要自己找队友么？)08-09 - sissi half the time i chat with people there and team up if we like the same idea; if not, going solo works too! (original: 一半是到现场之后和大家聊聊如果有对同一个想法感兴趣的话可以组队，没有的话也可以solo！)08-09 - Endlesssummer ok, thanks babe (original: 好呢谢谢宝宝)08-09 ♡ 1 - unknown caller hi, i'm a 19-year-old student taking a gap year. have you ever tried online hackathons, and would they help me get more opportunities and grow? (original: Hi, I'm a 19 year old student currently taking a gap year. I was just wondering if you had ever tried hackathons online, and will it help me in terms of getting more opportunities and growth.)08-12 ♡ 1 - sissi hey! online is a great place to start, and once you've got a couple under your belt, try an offline one. in person ones are way more immersive, and you end up meeting people outside your own team!08-12 - unknown caller i'm interested in the competitions as a way to get wider exposure and, if possible, improve my resume. but i have zero experience, no idea how hackathons actually work, and haven't started my undergrad courses, so i'm afraid i might not be able to contribute to my team. (original: I'm interested in the competitions as a way to get wider exposure and if possible, improve my resume. But I have zero experience, no idea how hackathons actually work, and have not yet started my undergraduate courses, so I'm afraid I might not be able to contribute to my team.)08-12 - unknown caller so i didn't dare look for teammates to begin with. are there any skills you'd recommend learning before starting, or suggestions on how to start and find teammates? (original: And thus did not dare to find teammates to begin with. May I ask if there's any skills you would recommend for me to learn before starting, or any suggestions on how to start and find teammates to join.)08-12 - sissi everyone feels that, even people who've done twenty. every team has work nobody wants to do. the demo video, the slides, the readme, stress testing to find what breaks, talking to judges. that stuff decides who wins more often than people admit. do it well and you're already useful.08-12 - sissi what to learn first: i think it's less than you think! build one tiny thing end to end with an AI coding tool. one weekend, doesn't matter what. you're gonna learn most real skills by being in it.08-12 - sissi for teammates: post two lines in the event discord saying what you want to build and what you'll take on. be specific about what you want and most of the time you'll get what you want! or sign up solo, most events will match you.08-12 - unknown caller thanks, these are really helpful (original: Thanks these are really helpful)08-12 - momo cc you're amazing (original: cc你太厉害了)08-08 - sissi bb you're more amazing!!!! miss you (original: bb你更厉害！！！！想你)08-08 - momo i miss you too (original: 我也想你了)08-08 ♡ 1 - 一个人 hi! how do you usually find teammates? (original: 姐姐你好！我想问一下你一般通过什么形式寻找队友)10-20 - sissi chatting in person! the best way to find teammates (original: 现场聊天！最好的找队友方式)10-22 - 小红薯6A9DD67F how old are you? (original: 博主多大呀)08-14 - 超个体孵化营（限 OPC|FDE） so strong! please take me along and share your experience (original: 太强了！求带求分享经验)08-22 - 瓜小希🍉 aaa here to support! so great (original: 啊啊啊来支持了！超棒的) [picture]08-09 - sissi wahoho, caught a cute little chick! want to hang out with you (original: 哇吼吼捉住可爱的小鸡同志！想找你玩)08-09 ♡ 1 - 瓜小希🍉 [picture]08-16 ♡ 1 - 临渊羡鱼 how did you practice your english pronunciation? it's so good (original: 老师我想问下你的英语发音怎么练的好好呀)08-08 - sissi thank you! lots of shadowing really helps, and i talk a ton so i got better just by talking! still lots of room to grow, let's both keep at it! (original: 谢谢！感觉大量的跟读是很有用的，我是一个说话特别多的人所以说着说着就变好一些！当然我还有好大进步空间我们一起加油！)08-08 ♡ 1 - 好里来也 you're literally garcia from criminal minds! (original: 姐姐你简直是犯罪心理里的Garcia！)08-22 ♡ 1 - sissi omg thank you! best compliment i've gotten all day :) (original: 天呐谢谢！这是我今天收到最高的夸奖了：）)08-22 - 方块 you're so impressive! i'm berkeley class of '29 too, can we be friends? (original: 你好厉害！我也是伯克利29届，请问可以认识一下嘛)08-11 - sissi wow!! thank you~! hope we meet when school starts! (original: 哇！！谢谢～！期待开学可以见面！)08-11 ♡ 1 - 阿白 so impressive! do they list hackathons in china too? (original: 太厉害了！他们会记录国内的黑客松吗)08-08 ♡ 1 - sissi thank you ☺️!! there are some in china too!! just not as many as in san francisco (original: 谢谢☺️！！国内的也有的！！不过就是没有旧金山这边全)08-08 ♡ 1 - Janus Pater Factor Rules kind of interesting, too bad berkeley is just so-so (original: 有点意思，可惜伯克利也就那样)08-09 - sissi thank you! to each their own~ (original: 谢谢！各有所爱～)08-09 ♡ 4 - 椰椰啵啵冰 so impressive 👍 (original: 太厉害了👍)08-08 - sissi thank you!! (original: 谢谢！！)08-08 - 我是希瑞MooMoo i thought you were in high school (original: 我以为你高中生)08-08 - sissi in college now~ (original: 上大学啦～)08-08 - G-Lens holy crap that's insane.... omg.... (original: 卧槽太牛了。。。。天呐。。。。)08-08 ♡ 1 - sissi aaaa thank you!! (original: 啊啊啊啊谢谢！！)08-08 - 一塌鼻子【熟人版】 how are you this good!!! (original: 你咋这么牛！！！)08-09 - sissi thanks for the encouragement aa, still have a long way to go! (original: 谢谢鼓励啊啊，还要加油！)08-10 - 好糟糕的派对 amazing 👏 (original: 太棒了👏)09-22 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 8, 2026 i don't have work-life balance (我没有work life balance)hehe, thinking about more balance! [video: i don't have work-life balance] 38 likes8 saves10 comments - 黒猫 when you're single with no kids you're in full control of your life and can do the work you love all the time. with a partner and kids you really feel pulled in different directions, and you should make time for family, even when you still want to do your own thing. on your own it's fine, but with a family it's truly different (original: 单身，没有小朋友，可以完全掌控自己的生活，想一直做自己喜欢的（工作）都可以。但有了伴侣，小朋友之后就会明显感觉被拉扯，且也确实应该想办法分出时间给到家庭，伴侣和孩子，即使当下自己还想做自己想做的事情（工作）。我觉得一个人的时候都还好，但是有了家庭后真的不一样了)08-09 ♡ 2 - sissi parents are incredible! so much time and energy given (original: 父母亲都很伟大！很多的时间和精力的奉献)08-09 - 自由独立才是真 so really stick to what you want, don't get talked into having kids by others (like parents or friends, or forgetting your own mind because your friends are having them) (original: 所以真的要坚守初心、不能被别人（比如父母朋友啥的如果他们都说生或者看朋友他们生就忘记自己想法）忽悠了生孩子)08-10 ♡ 1 - Papichu right!! without kids you can't really talk about wlb, only once you have them do you know what hard mode is, sigh (original: 对啊！！没有小孩真的谈不了wlb 有了才知道什么叫上了难度 哎)08-20 ♡ 2 - ovo work-life balance is hard in the bay area, you can only do more of what you love on weekends (original: 感觉湾区很难有wlb吧 只能是周末多做点自己喜欢的事了)08-08 ♡ 1 - sissi yes yes!!! for most people here, work is their favorite thing (original: 是啊是啊！！！大部分人工作就是他们最喜欢的事)08-08 - 正在学习let go的Ariella if this series continues please keep posting! i really needed your 'never ready', so inspiring, a very effective shot against my procrastination! (original: 如果这个系列有后续的话请继续更新！我很需要你说的never ready真的很inspiring，感觉对我的拖延是非常有效的一针！)08-24 - sissi wawawa got such a warm comment! wait, is this a series? i'm not sure what my series is... (original: 哇哇哇哇收到暖暖的评价！话说这个是一个系列嘛我怎么不太清楚我的这个系列是什么...)08-24 - 正在学习let go的Ariella hahahaha about finding work-life balance! (original: 哈哈哈哈哈就是关于找到wlb这件事情！)08-24 ♡ 1 - sissi then i'm waiting for you to inspire me (original: 我等着你启发我了那就)08-25 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 7, 2026 find the opposite of things (找到事情的反面) [video: find the opposite of things] 30 likes5 saves0 comments play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 6, 2026 jeff dean left google! some thoughts (Jeff Dean离开Google！一些想法和启示)google stock dropped today; space city lost a star. [video: jeff dean left google! some thoughts] 20 likes7 saves0 comments play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 6, 2026 the hackathon demo that got me an offer from the CEO (让CEO直接开出offer的黑客松demo长啥样？)built in five hours: a mac mini, an internship offer (didn't take it), 2nd place, and lots of friendships. this is the impromptu first-round pitch. [video: the hackathon demo that got me an offer from the CEO] 1961 likes1379 saves24 comments - surfer蓝恺 that's epic! which agentmail API did you use? and is the Nia you mentioned the trynia one? i recently built an AI tool for on-site material reports at construction sites that's pretty similar to yours (original: That's epic!想请教一下您用的是哪个agentmail的API？还有您这里提到的Nia是tryNia那个Nia吗，我最近做的一个建筑工地的现场建材汇报AI工具和您这个蛮相似的)08-11 ♡ 4 - sissi your project sounds so interesting! it's AgentMail, the one where agents get their own inbox, webhooks for receiving + sending! and yes Nia is trynia, mostly for cross-referencing and context retrieval (original: 你的项目应用好有意思！是 AgentMail，agent 开独立收件箱那个，webhook 接收 + 发信！Nia 也是 tryNia，主要用来做cross-reference及上下文检索)08-13 ♡ 3 - surfer蓝恺 thanks for answering! i use trynia too! your demo was great too!!! (original: 感谢答疑解惑!我也是在用TryNia!你的项目展示也很棒!!!)08-17 ♡ 1 - 绿色的心 so amazing 😭 (original: 好棒啊😭)08-06 ♡ 1 - sissi not as amazing as a certain ☀️ (original: 没有某☀️棒)08-06 ♡ 1 - Frank can the agent take the blame? (original: agent能背锅么)08-06 ♡ 1 - sissi there are authorization limits! offshore platforms have a duty-holder system and regulators still hold the engineer responsible. so the agent doesn't replace the engineer; it helps them make better-grounded decisions faster, and leaves a full audit trail (original: 有授权边界！海上平台有duty holder 制度，监管认的还是工程师。所以agent没有代替工程师，是让ta在更短时间里做出更有依据的决策，同时留下完整的 audit trail)08-06 ♡ 13 - 嘻嘻 are you still an undergrad? that's so many hackathons, so intense. can't wait for your startup to raise a huge round (original: 西瓜是目前还在本科的学生吗？参加黑客松的量真大真密集，期待未来创业融资爆炸)08-09 ♡ 23 - sissi yes yes!! thanks for the encouragement!! (original: 是的是的！！谢谢鼓励呀！！)08-09 - n55！w！ legendary (original: 牛波一)08-21 - 咬姐说AI is it multimodal real-time interaction plus a retrieval knowledge base? (original: 是一个多模态的实时交互+检索知识库吗？)08-12 ♡ 1 - Ensoleillé 08-06 ♡ 1 - sissi post your travel photos already (original: 快发旅游照片)08-06 - Ensoleillé still editing (original: 还在编辑中)08-06 - 绿色的心 waving the flag for si! (original: 为si举大旗!)08-06 ♡ 2 - sissi remember that video we shot of one day across different time zones? it was that day (original: 你还记得我们拍不同时区一天的那个视频嘛？就是那一天)08-06 ♡ 3 - 绿色的心 dang, just remembered you still haven't sent it to me (i'd forgotten until you said it) (original: 可恶 忽然想起你还没给我发 (你不说我都忘了这茬了))08-06 - sissi i'm going to procrastinate until we meet (original: 我要拖延到我们见面了)08-06 - 雪山上的飞狐 but wait, what does it have to do with the friend who wouldn't come out? (original: 但是话说跟不出去那个玩的朋友有什么关系？)08-07 ♡ 1 - sissi her problem at work gave me the idea!! (original: 是她工作上的难题给我了这个想法！！)08-07 ♡ 3 - 薯红小 pain point (original: 痛点)08-14 ♡ 1 - keeplearner so did she end up hanging out with you? (original: 所以她最后跟你出来玩了么)08-16 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 5, 2026 people who process huge amounts of information (处理巨量信息的人) [video: people who process huge amounts of information] 35 likes15 saves0 comments play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 5, 2026 college club applications: the social round (美本社团申请之Social Round经验分享！)trying something new. hope it helps! questions welcome. [video: college club applications: the social round] 35 likes17 saves2 comments play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 4, 2026 the AI micro-drama lead and her $200k ad deal (AI短剧女主的二十万广告费)the thinking behind it: what a huge attention economy! [video: the AI micro-drama lead and her $200k ad deal] 19 likes3 saves2 comments - Heman very good point! thank you for sharing! (original: very good point！ thank you for sharing！)08-04 - sissi appreciate it! (original: Appreciate it!)08-04 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 3, 2026 why we should still write letters in the 21st century (为何在二十一世纪我们依旧应该写信？) [video: why we should still write letters in the 21st century] 15 likes1 saves4 comments - 摇曳的绿树(AI版) first of all, because you'll forget how to write by hand (original: 首先，因为你会忘记怎么写字)08-03 - sissi 08-03 - ovo are you a cs major? (original: 博主是cs的嘛)08-03 - sissi yes! & neuroscience! (original: yes！&neuroscience！)08-03 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 2, 2026 is college still necessary? (上大学还必要吗)and thoughts on the efficiency of expression. [video: is college still necessary?] 28 likes1 saves3 comments - ovo being divergent is a good thing for the ielts speaking test (original: Being divergent对ielts口语考试是好事)08-02 - sissi 08-02 - 绿色的心 it is! (original: 有!)08-06 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - aug 1, 2026 the granularity of feelings (感受的颗粒度) [video: the granularity of feelings] 19 likes3 saves0 comments play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - jul 31, 2026 let's be fierce (我们要凶狠)i've always thought 'aggressive' is a compliment. let's get fierce. [video: let's be fierce] 22 likes3 saves4 comments - 绿色的心 i think so too! (i've been drilling my kid on vocab lately and 'aggressive' means 'ambitious'!) (original: 我也觉得! (这两天督促我孩子背默单词 aggressive 是 ＂有进取心的 !))07-31 - sissi fierce hehe (original: 凶凶的嘿嘿)07-31 - 闪电泡芙 sis, your subtitles are so good (original: 姐妹你的字幕加的好好)07-31 - sissi aa thank you, capcut auto-generated them! i only fixed the big mistakes hahaha (original: 啊啊谢谢是剪映自动识别的！我只改了一些重大错误哈哈哈)07-31 ♡ 1 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - jul 29, 2026 on personal websites and style! (聊聊个人网站以及风格！) [video: on personal websites and style!] 18 likes1 saves6 comments - momo friend, what do you film with? love the look of the video (original: 友友可以问下你是用什么设备拍的吗，喜欢视频的质感)08-08 ♡ 1 - sissi macbook photo booth video mode! (original: 是macbook的photobooth的视频模块！)08-08 ♡ 1 - 绿色的心 i want to see your website (original: 我想看你的网站)07-30 - sissi not done yet, please stay tuned (original: 没弄好呢请躁候)07-30 - 绿色的心 wait for me in san francisco (original: 在旧金山等我)07-30 - sissi hahaha ok ok, waiting for you (original: 哈哈哈哈好滴好滴恭候)07-30 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - jul 28, 2026 back to san francisco (回到旧金山) [video: back to san francisco] 9 likes1 saves4 comments - ovo which part of the city? (original: 在哪片哇)07-28 - ovo so well said (original: 说的好好)07-28 - sissi thanks for the encouragement! (original: 谢谢鼓励！)07-28 - TT wow, did you go to high school in the US? your expression is so rich and precise, such a pleasure to listen to (original: 哇塞博主是在美高长大的吗？表达的丰富和准确听的太舒服了)08-23 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - jul 1, 2026 expresses the author's wish to retire (表达了作者想退休的情感) [video: expresses the author's wish to retire] 3 likes0 saves1 comments play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - jun 22, 2026 my radioactive life (我那辐射性的生活) [video: my radioactive life] 7 likes0 saves0 comments play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - jun 11, 2026 why we make content (为什么我们要创造内容) [video: why we make content] 4 likes1 saves2 comments - 一只。啊啊 please add chinese subtitles (original: 希望加上中文字幕)06-11 - sissi ok, next time! (original: 好滴下次就加！)06-11 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - jun 8, 2026 a dazed late-night speech (大晚上进行懵懵演讲)a lovely little memory of a lovely sunday. [video: a dazed late-night speech] 3 likes0 saves3 comments - 绿色的心 my CET-4 english exam is coming up, practicing my listening here (original: 马上就要考四级了，来你这练习听力)06-08 ♡ 1 - sissi hahaha i'm the example of what not to do (original: 哈哈哈哈我这是反面教材)06-09 - sissi good luck on the exam (original: 四级加油儿)06-09 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) - jun 4, 2026 on making decisions (做决定这件事)woke up, randomly recorded a video, talked for seven minutes, and made what i think is an interesting decision. [video: on making decisions] 9 likes0 saves8 comments - momo omg i'm only now finding cc's red note! (original: 天呐我现在才看到cc的小红书！)07-01 - sissi is this who i think it is! is this bb! (original: 求认亲！这是bb吗！)07-01 - momo yes, i'm bb! (original: 对我是bb！)07-02 - sissi aaaaa (original: 啊啊啊啊啊)07-02 - 埃米的风 06-06 - sissi i'm coming to hang out with you (original: 我要找你玩)06-07 ♡ 1 - 绿色的心 06-05 - sissi 06-05 play in red note (https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5dbfc9c10000000001004291) [picture: back home] (index.html) --- ## write.html # [picture: writing, spelled out in old cream keyboard keycaps] wrongs [picture: usagi, a small yellow bunny in a sleepy nightcap, blushing] - soon ## a smaller unit of access - jul 17, 2026 ## retirement plan (https://x.com/sissixmoomin/status/2078266671895019674) (on x) - jul 8, 2026 ## why videos feel heavy? (https://x.com/sissixmoomin/status/2074845102711672917) (on x) [picture: back home] (index.html) --- ## read.html # consume a lot: everything sissi takes in everything sissi takes in: essays, blogs and websites she keeps going back to, other stuff on the internet she loves, books, albums, art, games and other things. pick an icon inside lucy's open mouth to see that shelf; its name shows on her shirt. [picture: lucy from peanuts with her mouth wide open, fists up, about to eat. the little icons inside her mouth are the shelves (they scroll): a folder with a dog's face for essays, blogs and websites, a folder full of pictures and papers for other stuff on the internet, an open book with stars for books, a document with a music note for music, a paint pot of brushes and pencils for art, a tamagotchi game console for games, and a little orange car for everything else] ▲ essays, blogs and websites i keep going back to stuff on the internet i love and enjoy books music art games other things ▼ ## essays, blogs and websites i keep going back to essays / blogs / websites that i keep going back to - 写给更年轻的人 (zhenfund-letter.html) · 刘元, 真格基金 ('to those who are younger', a 2020 letter by liu yuan of zhenfund: love what you actually love (finance usually isn't it), consider joining a startup, take the road fewer people take. the original link went down, so the full text is kept on this site) - paul graham's essays (https://paulgraham.com/articles.html) - sigil wen on productivity (https://sigilwen.ca/productivity.html) - richard liu (https://www.richardyliu.org/) - farza (https://farza.com/) - sonnet xu (https://sonnetx.github.io/) - claire wang (https://www.clairebookworm.com/) - jia chen (https://www.jia.build/) - andrej karpathy (https://karpathy.ai/) - nathan yan (https://www.nathanyan.ca/) - catching the (venture) bus (https://x.com/jkhamehl/status/2098465036276834477) · jen kha (an x article on how vcs think about mistakes of omission vs commission) - neural networks are already clean (https://already-clean.goodfire.com) · goodfire (nick cammarata's essay arguing most neurons are understandable) - a clean neuron is not yet an explanation (https://paleuna.github.io/blog/2026/a-clean-neuron-is-not-yet-an-explanation/) · zhimin hu (a response to the goodfire essay) - lilian weng (https://lilianweng.github.io/) - weekly robotics (https://www.weeklyrobotics.com/) - google deepmind research (https://deepmind.google/research/) - hugging face blog (https://huggingface.co/blog) - sebastian raschka (https://sebastianraschka.com/) - chip huyen (https://huyenchip.com/blog/) - anthropic engineering (https://www.anthropic.com/engineering) ## stuff on the internet i love and enjoy stuff on the internet that i love and enjoy - falling fruit (https://fallingfruit.org/map/40.1125785,-88.2287926,4z) (a map of free fruit to forage in cities) - are.na (https://www.are.na/) - craigslist sf bay area (https://www.craigslist.org/area/sfbay) - hacker news (https://news.ycombinator.com/) - arxiv (https://arxiv.org/) - 3blue1brown (https://www.3blue1brown.com/) - the mother of all demos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJDv-zdhzMY) · douglas engelbart, 1968 (a youtube video) ## books wormy book-wise - how to travel with a salmonumberto eco (https://openlibrary.org/search?q=how+to+travel+with+a+salmon+eco) - the loserthomas bernhard (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL2399703W) - no exitjean-paul sartre (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1161329W) - the phoenix projectgene kim, kevin behr, george spafford (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL16806686W) - the unicorn projectgene kim (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20716769W) - the fuzzy and the techiescott hartley (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20052354W) - the mom testrob fitzpatrick (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL23982116W) - power: why some people have it and others don'tjeffrey pfeffer (https://openlibrary.org/search?q=power+why+some+people+have+it+pfeffer) - intuition pumps and other tools for thinkingdaniel dennett (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL16816583W) - rangedavid epstein (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20803380W) - the worlds i seefei-fei li (https://openlibrary.org/search?q=the+worlds+i+see+fei-fei+li) - misogyny in japanchizuko ueno - view with a grain of sandwisława szymborska (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1642331W) - strange pilgrimsgabriel garcía márquez (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24716728W) - miguel streetv. s. naipaul (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL103114W) - the sound and the furywilliam faulkner (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL82870W) - things fall apartchinua achebe (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL891786W) - born on a tuesdayelnathan john (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20026586W) - sandwichcatherine newman (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL37572696W) - simple passionannie ernaux (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL102400W) - the lovermarguerite duras - the books of jacobolga tokarczuk (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20317821W) - primeval and other timesolga tokarczuk (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL2097683W) - 夜晚的潜水艇submarine at night陈春成 - waldenhenry david thoreau (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL55649W) - notes from undergroundfyodor dostoevsky (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL166934W) - fearstefan zweig (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL28401W) - a country doctorfranz kafka (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15070800W) - chess storystefan zweig (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL21584531W) - a hot potato is a warm bedherta müller - the bluest eyetoni morrison (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL50565W) - belovedtoni morrison (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL50548W) - jazztoni morrison (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL50563W) - the desert of lovefrançois mauriac (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1171776W) - love begins in wintersimon van booy (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24179711W) - the great passageshion miura (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19715502W) - the color purplealice walker (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL273644W) - the fox was ever the hunterherta müller (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL9271127W) - the hunger angelherta müller (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14989005W) - other eyes sit in every sentenceherta müller - the grapes of wrathjohn steinbeck (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL23205W) - thus spoke zarathustrafriedrich nietzsche (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24528372W) - the ship on the sea, the horse on the mountainfederico garcía lorca - violin and gravefederico garcía lorca - zen and the art of motorcycle maintenancerobert m. pirsig (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL827357W) - anxious peoplefredrik backman (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20793817W) - the dictionary of lost wordspip williams (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24241888W) - the walkrobert walser - sheep man's christmasharuki murakami - the myth of sisyphusalbert camus (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1230690W) - love in the time of choleragabriel garcía márquez (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL23624225W) - tuesday siestagabriel garcía márquez - being and timemartin heidegger (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL45453085W) - the book of disquietfernando pessoa (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL847061W) - 哲学与人生philosophy and life傅佩荣 - ulyssesjames joyce (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL86318W) - the second sexsimone de beauvoir (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL34963951W) - the courage to be dislikedichiro kishimi, fumitake koga (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19744000W) - 鳄鱼手记notes of a crocodile邱妙津 (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20054922W) - 蒙马特遗书last words from montmartre邱妙津 (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL17457370W) - i am a catnatsume sōseki (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL21002620W) - laughable lovesmilan kundera (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL10423420W) - the book of laughter and forgettingmilan kundera - immortalitymilan kundera (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL35283803W) - the unbearable lightness of beingmilan kundera (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL8972751W) - the art of the novelmilan kundera (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14856592W) - the farewell partymilan kundera (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL13054848W) - identitymilan kundera - the jokemilan kundera (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL10402333W) - ignorancemilan kundera (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL9978404W) - the festival of insignificancemilan kundera (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL17052522W) - testaments betrayedmilan kundera (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL9063544W) - beneath the wheelhermann hesse (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL873084W) - strait is the gateandré gide - demianhermann hesse (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL30457295W) - klingsor's last summerhermann hesse (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL16245193W) - the metamorphosisfranz kafka (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15176533W) - the trialfranz kafka (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL43043884W) - the castlefranz kafka (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL498434W) - the blind assassinmargaret atwood (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL675698W) - my brilliant friendelena ferrante - selected works of yukio mishimayukio mishima - a room of one's ownvirginia woolf (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL39379W) - jacob's roomvirginia woolf (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL39329W) - what my bones knowstephanie foo (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL25473797W) - a cage went in search of a birdten kafkaesque stories (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL37582273W) - on juneteenthannette gordon-reed (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24205279W) - why fish don't existlulu miller (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20732649W) - know my namechanel miller (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20336031W) - i contain multitudesed yong (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL17801058W) - how to do nothingjenny odell (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20078135W) - i know why the caged bird singsmaya angelou (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL80021W) - the swimming-pool libraryalan hollinghurst (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1993499W) - the little library cookbookkate young (https://openlibrary.org/search?q=the+little+library+cookbook+kate+young) - thank you for not readingdubravka ugrešić (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1657906W) - baba yaga laid an eggdubravka ugrešić (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL13752009W) - the ministry of paindubravka ugrešić (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL276299W) - the museum of unconditional surrenderdubravka ugrešić (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL276301W) - karaoke culturedubravka ugrešić (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL16317938W) - foxdubravka ugrešić (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19738179W) - europe in sepiadubravka ugrešić (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL17462387W) - the garden of forking pathsjorge luis borges (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL22541818W) - noisedaniel kahneman, olivier sibony, cass sunstein (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL17962180W) - the orphanageserhiy zhadan (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24233371W) - i will die in a foreign landkalani pickhart (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL25483322W) - why do people get ill?darian leader, david corfield (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3296141W) - all my friends are deadavery monsen, jory john (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL16604930W) - all my friends are still deadavery monsen, jory john (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL16168181W) - the ultimate hitchhiker's guide to the galaxydouglas adams (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL25125779W) - excellent sheepwilliam deresiewicz (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL17364755W) - structures: or why things don't fall downj. e. gordon (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL4984956W) - the tao of poohbenjamin hoff (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3913006W) - fahrenheit 451ray bradbury (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL103123W) - connectomesebastian seung (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL16239476W) - siddharthahermann hesse (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL872932W) - of mice and menjohn steinbeck (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL23204W) - the giverlois lowry (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1846076W) - 蓝房子blue house北岛 (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3465837W) - 摇摇晃晃的人间the swaying world余秀华 - 月光落在左手上moonlight rests on my left palm余秀华 (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24217194W) - 无端欢喜joy for no reason余秀华 - secrets of the templewilliam greider (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1927672W) - fed updanielle dimartino booth (https://openlibrary.org/search?q=fed+up+danielle+dimartino+booth) - sophie's worldjostein gaarder (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19671516W) - to kill a mockingbirdharper lee (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3140822W) - 穆旦诗全集collected poems of mu dan穆旦 - lord of the flieswilliam golding (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL455327W) - the most dangerous gamerichard connell (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL5278311W) - klara and the sunkazuo ishiguro (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20883297W) - the great gatsbyf. scott fitzgerald (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL468431W) - project hail maryandy weir (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL21745884W) - the odysseyhomer (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL26446888W) ## music robotaxi playlists play me something - i love you so f***ing much · glass animals (https://open.spotify.com/album/5i6LJyHq9wxLSecf0N2Iuw) - how to be a human being · glass animals (https://open.spotify.com/album/6qb9MDR0lfsN9a2pw77uJy) - kiss all the time. disco, occasionally. · harry styles (https://open.spotify.com/album/69BqE1V8Bzb9GCyeP1fFeR) - blue weekend · wolf alice (https://open.spotify.com/album/1VCTWaze9kuY5IDlbtR5p0) - rain · mxmtoon (https://open.spotify.com/album/2yxznO5r7m2ut3HjKvgyNA) (a single) - slow love · tender (https://open.spotify.com/album/0Qhqmr1aY5q80SaF67Ty1V) (a song on the album fear of falling asleep) - the art of loving · olivia dean (https://open.spotify.com/album/0l8zYqoUeBYg47Gmevq9HZ) - dear friend · 单依纯 (shan yichun) (https://open.spotify.com/track/03Y4IC7EcuqyCim3HrfP7y) (a song: her live cover on 歌手2025 (singer 2025), episode 5) - being funny in a foreign language · the 1975 (https://open.spotify.com/album/0kvoCDiWdZ7eHPW7xvdg3z) - american idiot · green day (https://open.spotify.com/album/5dN7F9DV0Qg1XRdIgW8rke) - songs about jane · maroon 5 (https://open.spotify.com/album/7gGcnUEEQgIMV2JRwVQbrF) - the divine feminine · mac miller (https://open.spotify.com/album/6f6tko6NWoH00cyFOl4VYQ) ## art taste is all you need - [picture: adam's cool website] (https://adamgryu.com/) adam's cool website · adamgryu (the personal site of adam robinson-yu, who made a short hike: a cream page, his hand-drawn purple wordmark, "hey there! don't mind me, just making games or something", a little bird, and links to his games) ## games the best form of expression imo - [picture: dave the diver cover art] dave the diver (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1868140/) [picture: mintrocket] (https://www.mintrocket.com) (trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p85VHMpE0to) (a game about diving for fish by day and running a sushi bar by night; the official launch trailer is on youtube) - [picture: balatro cover art] balatro (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/) [picture: localthunk] (https://www.localthunk.com) (trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUyP21iQ_-g) (a poker roguelike) - [picture: overcooked! 2 cover art] overcooked! 2 (https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/) [picture: ghost town games] (https://ghosttowngames.com) (trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcVISRmANIo) (chaotic co-op cooking) - [picture: mario kart 8 deluxe cover art] mario kart 8 deluxe [picture: nintendo] (https://www.nintendo.com) (trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKlRN2YpxRE) - [picture: super mario bros. wonder cover art] super mario bros. wonder [picture: nintendo] (https://www.nintendo.com) (trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvQNlGKNC6o) - [picture: snipperclips cover art] snipperclips [picture: sfb games] (https://sfbgames.com) [picture: nintendo] (https://www.nintendo.com) (斯尼帕) (trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysJindVKx4s) (two paper friends snip each other into shapes to solve puzzles together) - [picture: a short hike cover art] a short hike (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1055540/) [picture: adamgryu] (https://adamgryu.com) (trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usBVx4J4CUM) (a little game about climbing a mountain) - [picture: civilization vi cover art] civilization vi (https://store.steampowered.com/app/289070/) [picture: firaxis games] (https://firaxis.com) (trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KdE0p2joJw) - [picture: baldur's gate 3 cover art] baldur's gate 3 (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1086940/) [picture: larian studios] (https://larian.com) (trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuCfkgaaa08) - [picture: poker box] poker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_hold_%27em)learning it right now :) (texas hold'em; photo: a royal flush, CC0, wikimedia commons) - [picture: wavelength box] wavelength [picture: cmyk] (https://www.cmyk.games) (board game: guess where a clue lands on a spectrum) - [picture: codenames box] codenames [picture: czech games edition] (https://czechgames.com) (board game: one-word clues to find your team's agents) - [picture: rummikub box] rummikub [picture: goliath games] (https://www.goliathgames.us) (tile game) - [picture: spots box] spots (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/372559/spots) [picture: cmyk] (https://www.cmyk.games) (斑点狗) (board game: roll dice to fill in the spots on dogs) - [picture: splendor box] splendor [picture: space cowboys] (https://www.spacecowboys-games.com) (宝石商人) (board game: you are a gem merchant) ## other things all the other cool stuff in mai laife - escape rooms [picture: back home] (index.html) --- ## zhenfund-letter.html # 写给更年轻的人 刘元 · 真格基金 · 2020 a letter by liu yuan (zhenfund) that sissi keeps going back to. the original link went down, so it lives here; archived original (https://web.archive.org/web/20260413145857/https://www.zhenfund.com/News/54). 到现在，真格实习生项目「ZhenIntern」的招募已经基本结束。 作为这次实习生面试的主要负责人，真格基金董事总经理刘元看了几千位同学的简历，打了几百个电话。在和这么多年轻人高密度地打交道后，刘元写了一封信，希望和所有想进入/在犹豫要不要进入创投行业的同学们分享一些感受。 相比进入一个“体面”的行业，找到自己真正的爱好也许更重要。不在意大多数人的选择，选择一条更少人走的路，才真正形成一个个体最具独特性的地方。 在六一儿童节这个充满童心的日子里，我们把这封信分享给所有“年轻人”，希望大家每一天都能永怀热忱，初心闪耀。 最近我在负责真格基金的实习生面试工作。这可能是真格有史以来收到最多简历的一季：我们计划招十几个实习生，没想到收到了近三千份简历。 作为一家小基金，我们激动又紧张。做 VC 投资的朋友们都知道，这份工作最让人兴奋之处就是总能见到许多有意思的初创公司，而遗憾的一面则是绝大多数时间自己都不得不忍痛一次次去拒绝相谈甚欢的创始人。（之前统计和估算了一下，我们大概每年会收到近十万份商业计划书，却只能投资其中的几十家公司） 而这次发现，筛选简历比筛选 BP （ Business Plan ）还要艰难和痛苦，因为每打开一张简历，看着上面的学习工作经历和兴趣爱好，都仿佛这位风华正茂的同学就充满活力的站在眼前，眼里都是对 VC 的世界的好奇和憧憬，所以每次 pass一位候选人，都感到更内疚和舍不得。 我们的投资团队看了几千位同学的简历，打了几百个电话，而我参与其中有一些感受，想跟希望进入创投行业的同学们分享一下。 ## 01 要知道自己真正喜欢的是什么，而金融常常不是一个真正的爱好 在真格基金内部，王强老师曾经无数次引用托马斯曼在《浮士德博士》中的一段对话： " Do you believe love is the strongest emotion?" " Do you know any stronger?" " Yes, interest." 这里的 interest，当然不是指利率，而是兴趣。这次我们收到的简历，有百分之八十以上都是本科金融专业的同学，许多的简历看上去有着“标准的优秀”，本科进入一流院校，然后去一家著名商业银行或者券商实习。 很多同学在电话面试中说，自己想进入风险投资行业是因为热爱金融。 辞典里对金融的定义是“与货币流通和银行信用相关的各种活动”，许多候选人会说“我很喜欢金融”，但大家恐怕很难想象自己说“我喜欢货币流通和银行信用”。 我在读大学的时候，也曾以为自己就是喜欢金融，但后来意识到，自己所喜欢的不是金融，而是印象中与金融业相关的一切浮夸生活方式。往自己内心深处望去，自己喜欢的也许不是货币的流通行为，而是货币本身，或者支配货币的权力。 这当然完全没问题，谁会不希望自己有很多“货币”呢？我们当然也明白，许多同学说希望进入所谓的“买方”，并不一定是对创投感兴趣，而是在毕业季只要看到与“投资”相关的基金有实习生机会，就投一份简历试试。可以说是一种“商务养鱼”。 然而风险投资实际上恐怕是金融行业中最不“金融”的工作了。我们的日常并不是西装革履的写字楼纵论产业格局，而是每天与野心勃勃的创业者们一边大口喝矿泉水或者撸串一边讨论最近有什么新的技术和趋势可能诞生新的产品，有怎样的一个大机会可以抓住，做出一个改变现状的东西来实现自我价值。 许多北清复交、一流美本，或是曾在各大金融机构实习的同学，为没拿到我们的面试而感到惊奇甚至忿忿，尤其是听说自己有在科技公司实习的朋友进了面试环节之后。 传统金融行业的康庄大道上虽然站满了过往竞争的优胜者，但我们希望寻找的年轻人，热爱的是新奇、创造和冒险。 因此，过往的本科专业如果与投资完全无关，比如如果是物理，计算机，心理，数学，艺术，我们看到时不仅不会觉得奇怪，反而会眼前一亮，不仅因为这些专业和经历在几千封简历中显得与众不同，还因为我们会推测，他们很可能曾在人生的关键节点选择了自己最想做的事情，追随了自己的内心，并获得了与其他大部分人不同的视野和能力。 他们也许很适合找到有意思的新项目、与创业者愉快的沟通，甚至在很多年后自己也踏上创业的道路。毕竟我们最希望在简历上看到的，是过往曾经在人生中做出过不一样的选择，有对技术的好奇，和对创业的热爱。 也是出于同样的原因，曾经在真格工作过的实习生甚至全职员工，在离开真格之后几乎都加入了创业公司或者自己创业。这大概也说明我们没有骗同学们，我们自己卖的“药”自己也一直在吃。 ## 02 把毕业后加入初创公司作为一个选项考虑 与许多人所认为的相反，我们今天其实并不鼓励大学生毕业就创业去做自己的公司，除非真的有非常天赋异禀的地方。因为与在象牙塔中只跟同龄人的竞争不同，创业的第一天就是在跟全中国乃至全世界的同类公司竞争，不会因为创始人更年轻而获得任何的豁免和宽容。 成为一个扎克伯格是很难的，可是早期的 Facebook 也会需要优秀的大学毕业生。比起进入大公司拿着工牌坐在格子间在工作之余学习办公室政治策略，在一家年轻而斗志昂扬的初创公司直接担当负责一部分业务，并随着公司一起成长，会是珍贵得多的体验。 我已经不愿意再举例说明，如果选对了一个火箭般成长的公司会有多么牛逼的前景，因为大家肯定听过太多类似 Facebook 早期前台或者阿里头条行政财富自由的都市传说。它们不一定全都是真的，但也都合情合理。 我想大家真正关心的是，如果加入了一家创业公司，然后公司没做成那怎么办？ 首先，初创公司不一定只有大家想象中的那么早期，三五个程序员苟在一个暗无天日的民居里那种。一个融过 B 轮的公司仍然是一家初创公司，年轻人还能有很多巨大的机会。 硅谷曾流行一个计算，如果你是第 100 个加入 Facebook 的员工，仍然会比自己独立创业然后卖掉一家一亿美金的公司赚到更多的钱。我们到今天还会鼓励真格内部优秀的实习生去像完美日记这样已经成为独角兽的公司，这样的独角兽或者小独角兽公司才几岁大，正在冉冉升起的初级阶段，还有着巨大的成长潜力。所以加入创业公司，并不意味着要冒着那种“搏一搏，单车变摩托”的早期风险。 当然大家会想，即便估值几千万或者上亿美元的初创公司，风险还是很高啊，会不会我们谈论的荣耀都是幸存者偏差？万一我加入的公司后来垮了，会不会以后找不到工作？ 事实上，真格在选择创业者时，如果曾经历巨大的失败，对我们来说，经常是比有过普通的成功更吸引人的经历。根据我们的观察，找工作时也是这样。 当一家明星创业公司出现问题的时候，竞争对手都会趁机疯狂挖人，我们都听过很多公司把 HR 派去宣布倒闭的明星公司挖人，结果 HR 被另一个公司挖走了的段子。那帮领导或参与过公司惊心动魄起伏历程的年轻人，稍有经验的 HR，都会知道这其中经验的宝贵。 我想建议大家的是，如果考虑加入初创公司，而自己对行业不够了解的话，除了咨询前辈，一个很直观的方式就是看看公司背后的投资人。 当今中国，已经很少有从未拿过一流 VC 机构的钱而异军突起的初创公司了。有顶级基金的投资背书不一定保证成功，但能节约大量的筛选成本，毕竟 VC 们每天做的事情就是见大量公司，然后在对比之后选择投进最有希望长大的一家。很多 VC 投资机构和真格一样，都会把投过的好项目放在官网上。 这些公司往往都比大公司更迫切的需要优秀的年轻人，团队年轻但人才密度极高，你会在公司里遇到很多你的同类。之后我们也会联合被投公司们做一些系统性的联合招聘，大家可以关注一下。 而大家如果是想成为 VC 投资人，那么创业公司的经历就更是锦上添花了。 不仅是真格，中国几乎所有的顶级 VC 都青睐去过创业公司的年轻人，因为这样的经历不仅仅代表着他们的性格和兴趣，更说明他们在创业公司的经历中积累了其他同龄人很难有的人脉和经验，有更大概率找到好项目，和帮到被投公司的创业者。 但倘若有同学一不留神加入了成功起飞的创业公司，那大概率是不会屑于再去 VC 做投资经理的；如果一定还要做 VC，那就是公司上市或收购后财务自由去做合伙人了。 所以，我在面试过程中经常狡猾的问候选人，如果真格没机会，会不会考虑加入初创公司。这时大家对行业的真正热爱程度就显现出来了，候选人们不同的反应非常有趣。 ## 03 选择更少有人走的路 前面说到的两点，不管是选择一个自己内心真正喜欢的专业，或者去一家初创的公司，跟你们身边许多其他的同学相比可能都是异类。 但每个个体被定义与记住的，是与同类的不同点，而不是相同点。与所有其他人做一样的选择，就会收获与其他人一样的结果。 我知道你们面对冒险的可能时会有很多现实的顾虑，可是相信我，这是你们选择探险最好的时候，是你们顾虑最少的时候。随着年岁逐渐变大，在家庭和社会中有了更多的责任，现在有的这些顾虑不会减少，只会更多。 我们现在能想起的任何一个耳熟能详的名字，不管是企业家，科学家，艺术家，运动员或者明星，如果你翻看他/她的履历，一定会看到他们在很早时就开始了做出与身边人截然不同的选择和决定。 我自己曾经被巴顿 1944 年的那篇著名演讲结尾所深深打动，他说： “二十年后，你会庆幸自己参加了此次世界大战。到那时，当你在壁炉边，孙子坐在你的膝盖上，问你：‘爷爷，你在第二次世界大战时干什么呢？’你不用尴尬地干咳一声，把孙子移到另一个膝盖上，吞吞吐吐地说：‘啊……爷爷我当时在路易斯安那铲粪。’与此相反，弟兄们，你可以直盯着他的眼睛，理直气壮地说：‘孙子，爷爷我当年在第三集团军和那个狗娘养的乔治·巴顿并肩作战！’” 人生回首时，我们最后悔的大多数不是做了的事，而是没做的事，不是吗？同学们可以想想，几十年后你坐在壁炉边时，会希望今天的你做出怎样的决定，奔赴怎样的伟大可能。 ## 04 但愿你的道路漫长，充满奇迹，充满发现 最后想跟大家分享一点个人感受。 2014 年我回国加入真格的时候，真格只有十二个人。当时的我 25 岁，是整个投资团队里年龄最小的，比我更年轻的只有几个实习生。大家出去玩，我坐在车上或者环顾饭桌，都是小哥哥小姐姐。而来参加我们投委会的创业者，也一般比我大个五岁十岁。 那时我刚到北京，由于过去七八年都在美国，整个城市基本举目无亲，所以每天都在兴奋地认识新朋友。在时代的幕布下，移动互联网飞速发展，日子也斗转星移过的飞快。 到了今天忽然发现，当年坐在我身边的同事，有的创业后今天公司已经百亿，有的已经成立了自己的基金，有的拍了自己的电影。当年的业内朋友们，许多已经在互联网大厂纵横捭阖。 即便是当年真格稚嫩的实习生们，有的如今正在作为 CEO 经历创业的磨练，有的已经在互联网公司身居要职，开始焦虑自己下一步的学习和进步问题；而几年前留在真格的实习生们，也已经是独当一面的总监或者副总裁。 另一个最直接的感受是，如今来上会的创业者们，年龄基本都比我小了。因为在这个所有变化加速发生的时代，他们中的许多人通过在过去几年内做出了几次勇敢的选择，迅速地完成了羽翼丰满的成长。 我不禁感叹，小时候觉得世上在发生的一切是叔叔阿姨的事情，主要是他们在建设世界，不管是电影里的演员、赛场上的运动员、电视新闻的科学家，或是杂志封面上的商业精英。 时间迅速过去，这些叔叔阿姨逐渐变成了只大自己几岁的哥哥姐姐，然后变成了自己的同龄人，然后变成了自己的弟弟妹妹。 前几天 B 站的《后浪》视频在刷屏时，大家一边转发一边自嘲笑说只有中年人才会转，而我看着朋友圈一整屏的同龄人，竟真一时分不清我们到底是前浪还是后浪。毕竟在真格办公室，我发现的确只有在坐在徐小平老师他老人家旁边时，我才稍有自己尚且年轻的感觉。 网上总有人说，许多热文是在向中年人贩卖焦虑，可是身处在真格这个观察创新前沿的地方，我深切感受到，时代的变化的确太快，新一代的确太凶猛。这些焦虑感其实是基因给自己的生存本能的提醒。 回想起在学校的时候，如同在一条道路上跑步，知道什么方向一定是对的，只要跑的足够快（也就是分数足够高），肯定就做对了，而且知道终点在哪里，就是去最顶级的学校。 但是步入社会之后，每个人眼前的跑道都会出现无数的分叉，所有的可能性就在自己面前，每个时刻都在面临选择，不管自己有没有意识到；每个选择都通往不同的下一段道路，而每段道路的终点各有远近和难以想象的不同风景。 希望这些分享能让大家想象一下，除了之前既定的那条安稳和可见的大路以外，还有不同的选择和不同的终点。读到这里的同学，虽然卡瓦菲的这句诗已被用的太多，仍想以此祝福你们，“但愿你的道路漫长，充满奇迹，充满发现”。 [picture: back to consume a lot] (read.html#blogs) --- ## paidia.html # paidia1 this is how i wanna be remembered: enlarging the overall pool of “fun” in this world. i spend most time of my life playing/creating games. who could tell what is a game and what is not a game? the earth, this structure of universe, with this planck’s constant2 look pretty much like a default setting some entities have engineered just for us to thrive. the origin of this obsession traces back to my family. where the first principle we uphold is to be kind, and second is to be having fun. my dad was collecting dvds his entire teenage years while other people check off the items on the list of “how to be successful”. he sold some, and in our old home there was one entire wall that was dedicated to his collection. when i graduated, he immediately introduced the world of games to me, which for me opens up a form of expression: [picture: xbox 360] (https://www.xbox.com), a lot of [picture: the apple logo] ios (https://www.apple.com/ios/) games, [picture: the steam logo] steam (https://store.steampowered.com), and then [picture: the nintendo switch logo] nintendo switch (https://www.nintendo.com/us/switch/). [picture: a tv on a yellow wall with a kinect sensor on top, showing an xbox 360 game's photo screen: the kinect's picture of the family crowded into the living room, the grown-ups in matching green t-shirts at the back and the kids squeezed in at the front, everyone pulling faces and making hand signs] playing xbox 360 with my dad. my mom is a person that is full of wonders. she’s extremely sensitive to beauty and art. we used to go to hongkong a lot after my morning swimming training sesh, and those vintage stores, bookstores, stationery stores… we could spend hours and hours just studying how things are designed, and received. she made a lot stuff more noticeable for me, no matter how micro or tacit it is. during pandemic, my dad, my mom, and i played a lot of nintendo games (we wanted to kill each other in [picture: the ghost town games logo] overcooked 2 (https://www.ghosttowngames.com/overcooked-2/), and wendy wang is the purple rabbit [picture: nabbit, the purple rabbit thief from new super mario bros. u deluxe, running with a big sack over his shoulder and a toothy grin (artwork: nintendo)] 3 in super mario bros where thanks to her we are able to pass, and i have to “monitor” their game time just bc they always couldn’t stop playing :) i don’t like to work for other people or someone else’s vision, but there were 2 companies i wanted to work for when i was young: [picture: nintendo] (https://www.nintendo.com) & [picture: the apple logo] apple (https://www.apple.com). i regularly emailed them about ideas i had and realized i couldn’t count on them to execute my vision. that’s where i decided to start my own game studio. i learnt 2 things that really motivated me: (1) there’s a lot of room to gamify dyslexia intervention (i am dyslexic myself and have gone through extensive programs); (2) never expect your vision to be executed by someone else. if u see something in some year’s time, you have to make it happen. so yea, i started with a very close friend of mine. i decided to put the majority of the first years running this into development. totally forgot about testing and selling. we ended up attracting a super talented team from neurodivergent backgrounds: people who were in a national esports team, a medalist in [picture: the noi logo] noi (https://www.noi.cn)4, an artist who has exhibited across the world and a composer who’d gotten over 10M plays, and of course, a friend who always chose games over anything, and a normal person like me. i sent a bunch of emails to all the names i know in the game industry including the founders of tencent, and that’s how a team with an average age of 15 got into the [picture: the tencent tech philanthropy venture plan logo (腾讯技术公益)] (https://www.tencent.com) tencent tech philanthropy venture program. selling games was hard. it was in a quite sensitive field too. we had gone through a super long beta testing/trial period and a certification regulation settling period. will kids love to play those, stick with those but not to an extent that they can’t live without me. we were never able to predict how loved a game would be. what we did was we booked appts w all the clinics we could call. said we had some mental problems and were feeling depressed5. and we would walk into the room pitching about the games. it was definitely pretty disruptive but it worked surprisingly well. we signed contracts with more than half of the clinics we cold walked into. now it’s hard to be depressed. we grew ourselves by word of mouth then and quite organically had a good healthy cash flow. we rented a dedicated small studio with gpus and monitors all over the place. in summer 25, most of the members had to go to diff parts of the world as our paths diverged. we rented out all the gpus and have been continuing to make money as a gamedev toolchain / devkit supporter and a gpu provider. turns out you never know what tomorrow holds! now i’m in california, the rest of the team is in pittsburgh, singapore, japan, new zealand and hongkong. our finale, magellan, is going to greet the world very soon. this is the only game we created without purpose. not to gamify anything, not to get attention, not to sell to anyone. our little wish for this little buddy is to live forever and beyond us and be as experimental and bold as it could be. in some sense, it’s an embodiment of havefun (https://havefun.studio)’s notion and spirit. i was able to “get addicted” to gaming. for me, it was a positive obsession, just like swimming. it’s very very rare for me to be very positively obsessed with something, and when i do, i find myself putting in everything i could summon and reaching everything that’s outta reach. i noticed a lot of traits i formed in games are transferable to real life. as my team described it, people are basically “mentally naked” in games. in games, i would break legs to collect diamonds, go on a hike in a game world where you’re supposed to fly through, be very confrontational when things i value and love are disrupted, defend my creation vigorously, fight more than 1000 times w a 上古时代在深海盆熔岩的巨龙6. i find games complementing the real world and thus extending certain traits of myself. last but not least, games’ overarching theme is almost, for me, always love. a lot of love, planted in different ways. ## footnotes - paidia: “a word covering the spontaneous manifestations of the play instinct.” (https://eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/view/vol7no1-4/7-1-4-html) ↩ - planck’s constant, h ≈ 6.626 × 10⁻³⁴ J·s: the size of the smallest step of action the universe allows. ↩ - nabbit, in new super mario bros. u deluxe. enemies can’t hurt him. ↩ - china’s national olympiad in informatics, the big programming olympiad for high schoolers. ↩ - same department as dyslexia intervention in shenzhen. ↩ - an ancient dragon from the lava of a deep-sea basin. ↩ logo credits: xbox 360 wordmark, steam and nintendo switch logos from wikimedia commons (public domain); the tencent tech philanthropy venture plan and noi marks are from havefun.studio and noi.cn; nabbit artwork © nintendo. [picture: back home] (index.html) --- ## fun.html # fun [picture: back home] (index.html) --- ## people.html # wonderful humans [picture: back home] (index.html)