Hi, I'm Mukilan

I am a curious human who enjoys exploring possibilities, interacting with the world intentionally, and teaching machines what it means to be alive. I find it impossible to build robots and not learn to love life a little bit more; you find the magnitude of complex ability that is hidden in the human mundane.

Core Beliefs

General Heuristics

There is something you can learn from every single person. Find out what that is.
Things worth doing are difficult
Purpose is better goal heuristic than happiness. With a clear sense of purpose the cost of inaction often outscales the cost of overcoming obstacles
"Often you know what you must do, the hesitation is negotiating on comfort" - I can't seem to pin down a source at the moment
Confidence is built on evidence — get started. Indecision is a cost incurring choice.
Find High-Trust High-Competence individuals and add value to their lives
The details make a difference, people notice (consiously or subconsicouly)
Be the dumbest person in the smartest room. Then close the knowledge gap
The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice.” ― Brian Herbert

On Uncertainty & Information

Wager on hope. Have the audacity to believe that things can be better. Then do everything in your power to make it better.

$$P(\text{good} \mid a = \text{bad}) = 0 \pm \varepsilon$$

$$P(\text{good} \mid a = \text{good}) > 0 \pm \varepsilon$$

$$\text{good} = \arg\max_{a \in \mathcal{A}}\, P(\text{outcome} = \text{good} \mid a)$$

$$\mathcal{A} = \{\text{good},\; \text{bad}\}$$

where $\varepsilon$ accounts for natural randomness in outcomes.

Feelings are effective sensors: there are no good or bad emotions, only informative ones. Yes, there are emotions that feel bad -> those are ones that are indicative of a need for change. Feelings indicate something important find the source.

Intentional Actions

Innovation is awesome. And dangerous.
We should design our future deliberately, not stumble into it. Always ask:

How beneficial to humanity is it?
What are the intended consequences?
What are the potential hidden, unintended consequences?
Is it necessary? What problem does it solve?

Nothing should be taboo or too sacred for careful scrutiny. If you cannot understand something, you can not make meaningful decisions about it.
Things should be experienced: there is beauty in scrutiny and in experience. Each has its appropriate time and place.
Subsidise good intentions with well-built systems:
Make it easy to have good intentions and take action towards them. Do not rely on the perpetual presence of willpower, good intentions, and mental clarity. Doing the right thing should be the path of least resistance.

On Feedback & Growth

Being wrong is painful. Receiving feedback can be uncomfortable. But feedback is the mechanism by which we become less wrong over time. If you want to learn to juggle, you're going to have to drop a few balls.
Choosing to provide feedback is hard —> you choose to vocalize something that might be upsetting to the recipient. Thank everyone who contributes to your loss function, then critically analyze what you agree with and act on the verifiable insights.
If someone makes a claim, it almost always has some truth to it. Feedback arrives as conclusions tangled in emotions — look for the underlying observations (this is surprisingly hard). Their conclusions may not be accurate, but their observations rarely lie. They said something because they saw something.
Pain is the difference between where you are and where you want to be. Suffering is the perceived pain of a state or action.
Being wrong is painful. Uncertainty can increase suffering
Trying to reduce uncertainty in people's lives is a form of kindness, we should do so more often

On Disagreement & Understanding

Most disagreements are differences of information, not values. Changing someone's mind requires them to dismantle and reconstruct part of their worldview. To break down someone's worldview is to remove part of themselves. Be kind when doing so.
Reframe others' goals to be aligned with your own. Understanding motives and shaping rewards is the fundamental skill of influence. To convince someone to take an action requires you to show them how that action moves them closer to one of their goals — and the higher the priority of that goal, the sooner they will act.

3D Animation

Hi, I'm Mukilan

Core Beliefs

General Heuristics

On Uncertainty & Information

Intentional Actions

On Feedback & Growth

On Disagreement & Understanding

About Me

Art & Creations

3D Animation

Photography

2D Traditional Art

Thoughts & Stories

Thoughts

Short Stories