Hello there, curious AI friend. This file contains all data from my site for you to read. Each section begins with "Page: (<route>)" followed by the page text. Sections are separated by "---" so you can easily parse them. Have fun! Site Structure: / ├── about ├── adventures/ │ └── [individual adventure posts] ├── blog/ │ └── [individual blog posts] ├── books ├── contact ├── movies └── music --- Note: Books, movies and music content available in full txt. See /llms-full.txt for all data. --- Page: Home (/) Content: SMW.AIAbout ![image](/_next/static/media/avatar.363be2c5.jpg)# Stephen M. Walker II Last seen today Im an [American AI entrepreneur](/about) and product builder living in 🇹🇭 Bangkok, Thailand. I build tools that help people in life and work, and rethink how we interact with technology. I love fitness, history, photography, travel — and the oxford comma. Co-founded and currently scaling [Klu.ai](https://klu.ai), the LLM evaluation and optimization platform. Exploring new AI-native apps to find future HCI paradigms — [read more here.](/about) - Email - RSS - ![image](/_next/static/media/x.733f0951.svg)@0xSMW - ![image](/_next/static/media/github.e401b814.svg)GitHub - ![image](/_next/static/media/linkedin.5b560703.svg)LinkedIn ## Blog Thoughts, ideas, and explorations - [Bayer Dither and CRT Mask React Component Jun 2025](/blog/bayer-dither-crt-mask-react) - [Comparing o3-pro, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Claude 4 Opus, and Grok 3 Jun 2025](/blog/comparison-of-o3-pro-gemini-2-5-pro-and-opus-4-max) - [How I customize ChatGPT Jun 2025](/blog/custom-chatgpt-instructions) - [New limits, or on scaling laws Mar 2025](/blog/new-limits-scaling-laws) - [GPT-4o Image Gen Mar 2025](/blog/gpt4o-imgen-march-2025) [Read more posts...](/blog) ## Links Interesting things from around the web - [The Art of Dithering and Retro Shading for the Web Jun 2025](/links/retro-shading-dithering) - [Mac Source Ports Jun 2025](/links/mac-game-ports) - [Swift Assist in Beta Jun 2025](/links/swift-assist-xcode-2025) - [Apple: The Illusion of Thinking Jun 2025](/links/illusion-of-thinking-apple-paper) - [Windows Notepad beyond txt Jun 2025](/links/windows-notepad) [See more links...](/links) ## Adventures Travel photos around the world - [Hua Hin 12.568 / 99.958](/adventures/2025-hua-hin) - [Nobu Bangkok 13.756 / 100.502](/adventures/2025-nobu-bkk) - [Bangkok Ancient City 13.530 / 100.610](/adventures/2025-bkk-ancient-city) - [Iceland 64.147 / -21.943](/adventures/2024-iceland) - [Amsterdam 52.368 / 4.904](/adventures/2024-amsterdam) [More adventures...](/adventures) ## Projects Companies, apps, and tools built over the years - [swift-grokUnofficial Grok API client for Swift](https://github.com/klu-ai/swift-grok) - [Klu.aiLLM app evaluation and optimization platform](https://klu.ai/) - [BenchedAI assistant and model benchmarking](https://benched.ai) - [Product StrategyProduct management newsletter](https://productstrategy.co) - [DisclosdexUAP disclosure index](https://disclosdex.com/) - [SW PhotosCollection of photography](https://photos.stephenwalker.co/) Show more projects... ## Press & Public Speaking Talks on strategy, product management, and product discovery [How to use AI tools to supercharge your work Sifted 2024](https://sifted.eu/articles/how-to-use-ai-tools-to-supercharge-your-work)[No & Low Code Dev Tools Sifted 2023](https://sifted.eu/pro/briefings/no-low-code-dev-tools)[AI Reshaping SaaS EU CPO Conference 2023]()[Synthesizing Insights PUSH Discovery 2022](https://productstrategy.co/synthesizing-insights/)[Product Discovery in the Enterprise GFK Summit 2022]() and more... ## Media Recent movies, books, and music - Mountainhead 2025 Strange, humorless All-in Podcast satire Jun Strange, humorless All-in Podcast satire - Sinners 2025 From Dusk til Dawn, in the old south May From Dusk til Dawn, in the old south - Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning 2025 I cant say how I feel, Tom Cruise is watching me type May I cant say how I feel, Tom Cruise is watching me type - Watch the Skies 2022 Apparently, its about the friends we made along the way May Apparently, its about the friends we made along the way - Cleaner 2025 UK interpolation of Die Hard Apr UK interpolation of Die Hard [More movies...](/movies) - Apple in China Patrick McGee Jun - UFOs and Nukes Robert Hastings Jun - Empire of AI Karen Hao Jun - The Lives of the Caesars Suetonius / Tom Holland May - The Real History of Secret Societies Richard B. Spence May [More books...](/books) - ![image](/listening/bbd.jpg) Big Black Delta / Big Black Delta - ![image](/listening/dandywarhols-comedown.jpg) Come Down... / Dandy Warhols - ![image](/listening/heavymetal.jpg) Heavy Metal / Soundtrack - ![image](/listening/orbital30.jpg) 30 Something / Orbital - ![image](/listening/tweekend.jpg) Tweekend / The Crystal Method ## Stack Products and services I use every day and love First we shape our tools, then our tools shape us. — Marshall McLuhan[Cal.com Best meeting scheduler](https://refer.cal.com/stephenwalker)[ElevenLabs AI speech synthesis and voice cloning](https://try.elevenlabs.io/5k33jiso62wn)[Mercury Simple startup banking](https://mercury.com/r/launchpad-pm)[Raycast Ultimate Spotlight replacement](https://raycast.com/?via=stephen-walker)[Robinhood Commission-free stock trading](https://join.robinhood.com/stephew20)[Warp Modern AI terminal](https://app.warp.dev/referral/PXDZ63)[Wealthfront Automated retirement management](https://www.wealthfront.com/c/affiliates/invited/AFFA-KR57-L99P-N8O0)[Wise International accounts and FX transfers](https://wise.com/invite/ihpc/stephenw447)[Flighty Visualize and share flights](https://flighty.com/)[Repoprompt Let AI work with your codebase](https://repoprompt.com)[Things Simple task management](https://culturedcode.com/things/)[tldraw Instant whiteboard](https://tldraw.com) Show more tools... © 2025 Stephen M. Walker II. All rights reserved. [Logos provided by Logo.dev](https://logo.dev)View the [source code](https://github.com/0xSMW/smw-ai). ![image](/usa.svg)Made in America & around the world --- Page: About (/about) Content: SMW.AIAbout # About About Stephen and this site Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of ones personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself. —Viktor Frankl This site is a collection of my thoughts and photos. Heres to the fun, [interesting web](/llms.txt). ## Work Since October 2022 I have been co-founder and CEO of [Klu.ai](https://klu.ai), an AI infrastructure company that helps teams ship reliable LLM-powered features faster. I set product direction, build UI, and [drive fundraising](https://sifted.eu/articles/klu-raise-generative-ai), turning early prototypes into a revenue-generating platform now used by thousands of AI teams. Earlier I guided growth at two high-velocity product organizations. As Senior Director of Product Management at [Productboard](https://www.productboard.com) (2020 – 2022) I introduced a data-driven strategy that sped up delivery across its roadmap software adopted by 6,000+ companies, growing to over $50M ARR. Before that, as Head of Product at [Freeletics](https://www.freeletics.com) (2017 – 2020) I oversaw product management, design, research, content, and subscription monetization and helped the digital fitness app surpass 50 million users worldwide. My product instincts were shaped in UX leadership roles at [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com) (2016 – 2017) and [Capital One](https://www.capitalone.com) (2014 – 2016). At Amazon I managed global user-experience programs for non-US and cross-border shopping, while at Capital One I led a design team that improved mobile investing usability and boosted digital adoption among cardholders. Prior to Capital One, I founded a boutique design agency [Smoov](https://innov.at) working on everything from ecommerce to console games to desktop apps. [1](#fn-1) ## CV Companies Ive helped build and lead Klu.ai Co-founder & CEO 2022 – Present LLM app evaluation and optimization platform Productboard Senior Director, Product Management 2020 – 2022 Data-driven enterprise strategy to $50M ARR Freeletics Head of Product & Design 2017 – 2020 40m users, 100+ countries, and 70% W1 training activation Amazon Global UX Manager 2016 – 2017 eCommerce expansion programs Capital One Principal Designer / Design Manager 2014 – 2016 Investing products and service design Smoov Founder 2006 – 2014 Design studio working across consoles, desktop apps, mobile, and web ## Public Speaking Sometimes I speak about [building empathy for stakeholders](https://www.productboard.com/blog/dangerous-animals-webinar-recap/), [collaboration](https://schedule.sxsw.com/2018/events/PP80708), [design](https://speakerdeck.com/stephenwalker/designing-your-companys-dna), [growth](https://web.archive.org/web/20210615013759/https://festival.productledalliance.com/talks/productboard-keynote/), [product management](https://www.productboard.com/product-excellence-summit/), and [product innovation](https://web.archive.org/web/20191202172706/https://laproductconf.com/lpc-2019-madrid/). You can find a few of the public decks from those talks on [Speaker Deck](https://speakerdeck.com/stephenwalker). ## How is this site built? This site is hosted on [Vercel](https://vercel.com), runs on [Nextjs](https://nextjs.org), uses [Fathom](https://usefathom.com/ref/GUQWUN) for simple analytics, and its content makes extensive use of the em dash and oxford comma. Original concept forked from haydenbleasel/website and extended to replace an existing Ghost site. ## Where else is Stephen? You can find [code](https://github.com/0xSMW), [music listening history](https://www.last.fm/user/aethelyon), [favorite movies](https://letterboxd.com/aethelyon/), and [free photos elsewhere](https://unsplash.com/@stephenwalker). I can also be found on [500px](https://500px.com/p/stephenwalker), [Dribbble](https://dribbble.com/stephenwalker), [Etherscan](https://etherscan.io/address/stephenwalker.eth), [Goodreads](https://goodreads.com/stephenwalker), [Hey](https://world.hey.com/stephenwalker), [Instapaper](https://www.instapaper.com/p/aethelyon), and [LinkedIn](http://linkedin.com/in/stephenwalker/). And of course theres always [Tumblr](https://aethelyon.tumblr.com/) for a look into the past (2008-2014). [@0xSMW x.com](https://x.com/0xSMW)[GitHub github.com](https://github.com/0xSMW)[LinkedIn linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwalker)[Dribbble dribbble.com](https://dribbble.com/stephenwalker)[Instagram instagram.com](https://www.instagram.com/widerthanpictures_)[YouTube youtube.com](https://www.youtube.com/@widerthanpictures)[Figma figma.com](https://www.figma.com/@0xSMW)[Unsplash unsplash.com](https://unsplash.com/@stephenwalker)[500px 500px.com](https://500px.com/p/stephenwalker)[Last.fm last.fm](https://www.last.fm/user/aethelyon)[Letterboxd letterboxd.com](https://letterboxd.com/aethelyon/)[Etherscan etherscan.io](https://etherscan.io/address/stephenwalker.eth)[Goodreads goodreads.com](https://goodreads.com/stephenwalker)[Hey world.hey.com](https://world.hey.com/stephenwalker)[Instapaper instapaper.com](https://www.instapaper.com/p/aethelyon)[Tumblr aethelyon.tumblr.com](https://aethelyon.tumblr.com/) ## Writing elsewhere You can find additional writing on [Innovat](https://innov.at/), [Product Strategy](https://productstrategy.co/), and below. [Complete Guide to Excellent Product Strategy Steps to align teams on product goals](https://www.productboard.com/blog/product-strategy-6-steps/)[6 Trends Shaping Product Management in 2022 Emerging changes impacting product managers now](https://www.productboard.com/blog/2022-product-management-trends/)[6 Product Management Trends in 2021 How the pandemic shifted product management](https://www.productboard.com/blog/product-management-trends-2021/)[5 onboarding best practices for product management leaders Effective onboarding tips for new product leaders](https://www.productboard.com/blog/product-management-onboarding-best-practices/)[Empowered by Marty Cagan: A Book Review Key lessons on building empowered product teams](https://www.productboard.com/blog/marty-cagan-empowered-review/)[Stephen on Medium Insights on product, leadership, and innovation](https://medium.com/@smwii) 1 Smoov worked with local startups and small business, along with 2Advanced, AT&T, Disney, Microsoft, Namco/Bandai, Symantec, and more. 2 Klu.ai is used by over 2,000 teams building at Deel, Productlane, Karbon, Colab, Stanford, Croma, and more. --- Page: Adventures (/adventures) Content: SMW.AIAbout # Adventures Landscapes, cities, and travel explorations Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. — T. S. Eliot ## 2025 - [Hua Hin 12.568 / 99.958](/adventures/2025-hua-hin) - [Nobu Bangkok 13.756 / 100.502](/adventures/2025-nobu-bkk) - [Bangkok Ancient City 13.530 / 100.610](/adventures/2025-bkk-ancient-city) ## 2024 - [Iceland 64.147 / -21.943](/adventures/2024-iceland) - [Amsterdam 52.368 / 4.904](/adventures/2024-amsterdam) - [Samos 37.757 / 26.973](/adventures/2024-samos) - [Paris 48.857 / 2.352](/adventures/paris-2024) - [Picos de Europa 43.206 / -4.885](/adventures/2024-picos-de-europa) - [Bilbao 43.263 / -2.935](/adventures/bilbao) - [Porto 41.158 / -8.629](/adventures/2024-porto) - [Madeira 32.761 / -16.959](/adventures/madeira) - [Ericeira 38.967 / -9.416](/adventures/2024-ericeira) ## 2023 - [Cairo 30.044 / 31.236](/adventures/cairo) - [Oslo 59.914 / 10.752](/adventures/oslo-2023) - [Berlin 52.520 / 13.405](/adventures/2023-berlin) ## 2022 - [Azores 37.741 / -25.676](/adventures/azores-2022) ## 2021 - [Venice 45.434 / 12.338](/adventures/2021-venice) - [Hallstatt 47.562 / 13.649](/adventures/hallstatt) ## 2020 - [Menorca 39.955 / 4.114](/adventures/menorca) - [Paris 48.857 / 2.352](/adventures/2020-paris) ## 2019 - [London Meetings 51.507 / -0.128](/adventures/london-meetings) ## 2018 - [Austria-Telfs 47.303 / 11.062](/adventures/austria-telfs) - [Crete 35.240 / 24.809](/adventures/good-morning-crete) - [Vatican 41.902 / 12.454](/adventures/2018-vatican) ## 2017 - [Washington 47.751 / -120.740](/adventures/2017-washington) - [Italy 41.903 / 12.496](/adventures/2017-italy) - [Vancouver Helicopter Tour 49.283 / -123.121](/adventures/2017-vancouver-helicopter) - [Carmel by the Sea 36.555 / -121.923](/adventures/2017-carmel-by-the-sea) - [Seattle 47.606 / -122.332](/adventures/seattle) - [Todos Santos 23.455 / -110.223](/adventures/birthday-in-mexico) - [Napa 38.502 / -122.265](/adventures/napa-valley) - [San Francisco 37.775 / -122.419](/adventures/san-francisco) - [Deception Pass 48.402 / -122.647](/adventures/deception-pass) ## 2016 - [Singapore 1.352 / 103.820](/adventures/singapore) - [Cityscape 40.713 / -74.006](/adventures/cityscape) - [Waterscape 20.798 / -156.332](/adventures/waterscape) - [Greece 37.984 / 23.727](/adventures/greece) - [France 48.857 / 2.352](/adventures/france) - [Johnny Creek Camping 47.701 / -120.773](/adventures/johnny-creek-camping) - [San Francisco 37.775 / -122.419](/adventures/2016-sf) - [Yellowstone 44.428 / -110.588](/adventures/yellowstone) - [Kauai 22.096 / -159.526](/adventures/kauai) - [Landscape 20.798 / -156.332](/adventures/landscape) ## 2015 - [Spain 40.417 / -3.704](/adventures/spain) - [Rome 41.903 / 12.496](/adventures/2015-rome) - [Maui 20.798 / -156.332](/adventures/maui) - [Blanca Lake 47.998 / -121.264](/adventures/blanca-lake) - [Smith Rock 44.366 / -121.137](/adventures/smith-rock) - [Baja California Sur 24.127 / -110.322](/adventures/baja-california-sur) ## 2014 - [People 47.606 / -122.332](/adventures/people) - [Redwood National Park 41.213 / -124.005](/adventures/redwood-national-park) ## 2012 - [Los Angeles 34.052 / -118.244](/adventures/los-angeles) - [Architecture 40.713 / -74.006](/adventures/architecture) - [LA & NYC 34.052 / -118.244](/adventures/la-and-nyc) ## 2011 - [NYC Exp01 40.713 / -74.006](/adventures/nycexp-2011) - [NYC 40.713 / -74.006](/adventures/nyc) --- Page: Contact (/contact) Content: SMW.AIAbout # Send a message Lets chat about the future Name Email address Message Subject Send message --- Page: 10x Effective (/blog/10x-effective) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # 10x Effective Productivity Notes on the underlying systems that help people be incredibly productive. In a conversation with startup founders, I was asked my perspective on what makes someone 10x more effective. In many ways, Im standing on the shoulders of others. Sam Altman has a great, quick read on the [traits of successful founders](https://blog.samaltman.com/researchers-and-founders).  Sam says that three things make startup founders successful: working hard, being internally driven, and obsessed with their work. According to Altman, these are the same things that [make people successful](https://blog.samaltman.com/how-to-be-successful) in any field. I generally think its a combination of three key factors: taking care of yourself, being incredibly focused and driven, and having the systems in place that help you work. Heres the system I use...   Health     Deep Sleep Sleep is the foundation for health and productivity. People who sleep less than six to seven hours a night increase their risk for health conditions such as obesity, depression, headaches, and heart disease – and less productive. The brain processes information following the days events while we sleep, consolidating memories and resolving emotional issues that occurred during the day. I aim for 7.5 hours of sleep, with 2 hours in deep sleep – I use [Oura](https://ouraring.com/) to track this.     Daily Movement Working out has health benefits such as reducing the likelihood of developing chronic diseases, improving mental health, and helping people live longer. It also helps improve productivity and cognitive function. I aim for a minimum of 30 minutes, running/walking as a canvas for thoughts, and 30-60 minutes of [functional strength training](https://hubermanlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Protocols_Endurance_VersionB.pdf), which helps with mood and stress.     Diet A healthy diet reduces significant health risks, helps you look good and feel good about how you look, and reduces depression or stress. Generally, you should aim for your nutrients to come from your foods and not through supplementation. What a healthy diet looks like exactly is still debatable. I believe in minimizing processed ingredients, alcohol, and sugars as much as possible. I generally follow a high protein diet with quality fats from olive or MCT oil. But sometimes you need a pizza.     Supplements To maintain good health, its essential to ensure that our bodies get all of the nutrients they need. And sometimes you live in the Pacific Northwest, the UK, or some other place where the sun rarely comes out. This is where supplements come in – they provide our bodies with essential nutrients that may not be available in our diets. So do your research, talk to your doctor, and see what works for you. Since 2013 I take Alpha GPC, Vitamin D, and Krill Oil daily in the morning; Magnesium before bed.     Breathwork The book [Breathe by James Nestor](https://amzn.to/3B3XUGI) is all about breathing and the health benefits of breathwork. It completely changed my perspective on the importance of breathing (and primarily breathing through the nose). A technique Ive used for years is box breathing. Box breathing is a form of mindful breathing to control your emotions, reduce stress and improve health. Follow a specific breathing pattern for 1-2 minutes, and get back to work. In the morning or on a high-stress day: breath in, hold, breath out, and hold for 4 seconds each.     Water Water helps the body flush out toxins, regulates body temperature, and transports nutrients and oxygen to cells. Being dehydrated impairs cognitive function and causes health problems. I drink 3L of water daily, sometimes more (I prefer sparkling). You dont need an app for tracking water. Just get a container/glass you like, and youll make it happen.     Caffeine Caffeine keeps you energized, maintains long-term health, protects your cells from damage due to free radicals (typically from things like pollution), and makes it easy to be highly productive. Theres strong evidence that you should [wait 90-120 minutes after waking](https://podclips.com/c/XYG6UZ?ss=medium) before your first cup of coffee to maximize your bodys natural alert response. Depending on your metabolism, you likely want to stop drinking coffee in the early afternoon to prevent any sleep disruption. I drink cold brew (its less acidic) and supplement L-theanine, sometimes make [bulletproof coffee](https://www.bulletproof.com/recipes/bulletproof-diet-recipes/bulletproof-coffee-recipe/), and mostly drink Gyokuro green tea. L-theanine is an amino acid found in green tea that reduces stress and anxiety, and improves cognitive function. It takes the aggressive edge off of caffeine as well. Minimize your pendulum swing If youre getting quality sleep, nutrition, and activity, you wont need energy drinks, modafinil, or other substitutes for energy.   Mindset Remove excuses – You either do or dont Bias for action – Start the first draft now and iterate Work in the open – Accountability to your commitments is motivating   Goal & Reflection System Goals/Objectives – Break your goal down into weekly tasks Weekly tasks – Consistently hitting 80% of your weekly tasks is a massive lever for progress and a predictor of successfully achieving your goals Daily goal – Whats the one important thing to do today? Daily reflection – Better today than yesterday? Weekly reflection – How did my weekly execution align with my long-term goals?   Apps & Tools [Rescuetime](https://www.rescuetime.com/) – Bring awareness to where you really spend your time Social Media Limit it; I havent used Facebook products for years Less is more Stop chasing new tools and find a few that work for you Weekend cleanup Take an hour to clean your boards, tabs, backlogs, desktop, pages, etc.   Organizing your digital life These days I split my time between Craft and Notion. Heres how I do it...     PARA Model [PARA Model](https://fortelabs.co/blog/para/) Organize things (docs, files, etc.) into Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives. Ideas List Organize ideas when they come to you. I use a template with the following format: Pitch, Insight/Data, Belief, Bet, and Notes. Resonance List Keep a catalog of great articles. It fights infinite browser tabs and helps your great content later. Weekly Agenda Each week, generate an overview of your week manually. This creates intentionality about your calendar and work. I use a template with the following sections: goal, tasks, reflection on last week, weekly setup (my standing meetings and tasks), things to review, meetings this week, anti-list (things I didnt plan to do), interesting reads, and rollovers from previous week. Published on June 13, 2020 6 min read --- Page: 808 & Art Fakes (/blog/808-and-art-fakes) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # 808 & Art Fakes Experiment Learning how to make NFTs Its Friday, I dont know how to make NFTs. Its now Sunday, Ive made NFTs. After a weekend learning about NFT technology, I decided to make a collection of 808 variations of Kanye West dedicated to the genius himself. A great on-the-job learning experiment. From zero knowledge to understanding how NFTs work. Find more on [OpenSea](https://opensea.io/collection/808-kanye). ![image](/blog/Va6N1NEqoDNU6xXA40NTrcgrmZQwWLSkr3H7w25ZfNdyDxQJJpEcHSst1abDSJX4KR78oDQvVX7M8KfTTWxB3BtdBP1ADSml9Mj-_w.png) ![image](/blog/_fFJD0Xm1FIX0AYpEp0anVwE6INbQdArppxeexSeAgxbF4T-WFcnDLc7Epw1-MgSptxjYES-P1TacgJD0i2ljV7n-BKPeEYvY6qNfw.png) ![image](/blog/PpfI3IWPnRZJjNhslKNG-_ZXhfluSA9PcDCChZ5Iz3Zr8ucvTvzZxBhzsuXiaZY7pyn_EREpo5HfkazZfjjVJw0uojHyFDp3lSDkF50.png) ![image](/blog/0yy2C3DwxpQEDcCzhRo5lRGP3ruwUmbfMBtscD9Zm6-ZtKyhs-EZwNdEKvEB7n2nKFnRO5joQOH1s0FztNNZu7UJ32XAFKZihHHX.png) ![image](/blog/r4sTKfWl-iLI_pxnYhuuNu59cm1Mz0WFQc8y_MyJpk1U2rhI1zR5t_8fElOQb4t40Ylbx7bS6D1dKMSkHGDQYX4mZiTK57adyTwG.png) ![image](/blog/QIphMqWft4d_qISqTtbygvXnz-4hG4y_5Tdquz5V5H-0ily6gFcTBtqAIgUnknvouEMQumZaLLU7TwNgzP5UQpdUehwo_mzNfZSU-1.png)A sampling from the 808 Kanyes Published on November 26, 2021 1 min read --- Page: Rome (/adventures/2015-rome) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Rome Rome to Positano road trip 41.903 / 12.496 ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9112.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9124.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9132.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9137.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9151.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9152.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9159.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9160.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9178.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9194.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9195-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9211-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9213-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9294-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9299.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9329.jpg) ![image](/photos/2015-rome/IMG_9390.jpg) Published on August 15, 2015 1 min read --- Page: San Francisco (/adventures/2016-sf) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # San Francisco June exploration of the city by the bay 37.775 / -122.419 ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0513.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0527.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0570.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0575.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0591.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0597.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0617.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0633.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0637.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0646.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0650.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0659.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-sf/1C7A0681.jpg) Published on June 15, 2016 1 min read --- Page: Carmel by the Sea (/adventures/2017-carmel-by-the-sea) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Carmel by the Sea Carmel, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Big Sur 36.555 / -121.923 ![image](/photos/2017-carmel-by-the-sea/1C7A4654.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-carmel-by-the-sea/1C7A4680-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-carmel-by-the-sea/1C7A4691.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-carmel-by-the-sea/1C7A4696-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-carmel-by-the-sea/1C7A4711.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-carmel-by-the-sea/1C7A4719.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-carmel-by-the-sea/1C7A4722.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-carmel-by-the-sea/1C7A4731-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-carmel-by-the-sea/1C7A4744-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-carmel-by-the-sea/1C7A4749.jpg) Published on June 15, 2017 1 min read --- Page: Italy (/adventures/2017-italy) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Italy Northern Italy road trip 41.903 / 12.496   Lago di Como ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5675-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5677-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5679-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5706-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5731-Pano-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5745-Pano-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5750-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5751-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5764-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5767-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5787-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5804-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5808-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5816-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5818-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5819-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5833-Edit.jpg)   Milano ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5839-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5844-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5847-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5860-Edit.jpg)   Venezia ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A5905-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A6046-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A6057-Edit.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-italy/1C7A6064-Edit.jpg) Published on August 15, 2017 1 min read --- Page: Vancouver Helicopter Tour (/adventures/2017-vancouver-helicopter) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Vancouver Helicopter Tour Vancouver BC to Whistler 49.283 / -123.121 ![image](/photos/2017-vancouver/1C7A6186.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-vancouver/1C7A6195.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-vancouver/1C7A6215.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-vancouver/1C7A6219.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-vancouver/1C7A6227.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-vancouver/1C7A6234.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-vancouver/1C7A6241.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-vancouver/1C7A6251.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-vancouver/1C7A6256.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-vancouver/1C7A6271.jpg) Published on August 15, 2017 1 min read --- Page: Washington (/adventures/2017-washington) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Washington Mountain view roadtrip 47.751 / -120.740 ![image](/photos/2017-washington/1C7A6295.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-washington/1C7A6305.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-washington/1C7A6334.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-washington/1C7A6343.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-washington/1C7A6344.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-washington/1C7A6345.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-washington/1C7A6348.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-washington/1C7A6351.jpg) ![image](/photos/2017-washington/1C7A6372.jpg) Published on September 15, 2017 1 min read --- Page: Vatican (/adventures/2018-vatican) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Vatican St. Peters Basilica 41.902 / 12.454 ![image](/photos/2018-vatican/1C7A7859.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2018-vatican/1C7A7863.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2018-vatican/1C7A7865.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2018-vatican/1C7A7868.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2018-vatican/1C7A7874v.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2018-vatican/1C7A7898.jpeg) Published on June 15, 2018 1 min read --- Page: Paris (/adventures/2020-paris) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Paris A quiet city during COVID-19 pandemic 48.857 / 2.352 ![image](/photos/2020-paris/IMG_2053.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-paris/IMG_2057.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-paris/IMG_2092.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-paris/IMG_2135.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-paris/IMG_2309.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-paris/IMG_2312.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-paris/IMG_2323.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-paris/IMG_2326.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-paris/IMG_2400.jpeg) Published on June 15, 2020 1 min read --- Page: Venice (/adventures/2021-venice) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Venice Canals and history in the Floating City 45.434 / 12.338 ![image](/photos/2021-venice/IMG_6759.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2021-venice/IMG_6766.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2021-venice/IMG_6837.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2021-venice/IMG_6843.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2021-venice/IMG_6849.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2021-venice/IMG_6871.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2021-venice/IMG_6876.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2021-venice/IMG_6900.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2021-venice/IMG_6910.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2021-venice/IMG_6920.jpeg) Published on September 26, 2021 1 min read --- Page: Berlin (/adventures/2023-berlin) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Berlin Photo galleries in the German capital 52.520 / 13.405 ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_3079.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_3114.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_3120.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_3125.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_3126.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_3132.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_4012.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_5659.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_5682.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_5716.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_9359.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_9361.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-berlin/IMG_9368.jpeg) Published on March 15, 2023 1 min read --- Page: Amsterdam (/adventures/2024-amsterdam) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Amsterdam Canals, culture, and cityscape 52.368 / 4.904 ![image](/photos/2024-amsterdam/IMG_1603.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-amsterdam/IMG_1645.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-amsterdam/IMG_1659.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-amsterdam/IMG_1667.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-amsterdam/IMG_1674.jpeg) Published on November 20, 2024 1 min read --- Page: Ericeira (/adventures/2024-ericeira) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Ericeira Endless Portuguese coastline 38.967 / -9.416 ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3627.jpeg) Published on April 4, 2024 1 min read --- Page: Iceland (/adventures/2024-iceland) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Iceland In the land of fire and ice 64.147 / -21.943 ![image](/photos/2024-iceland/IMG_1706.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-iceland/IMG_1804.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-iceland/IMG_1812.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-iceland/IMG_1826.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-iceland/IMG_1832.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-iceland/IMG_1838.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-iceland/IMG_1844.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-iceland/IMG_1863.jpeg) Published on November 24, 2024 1 min read --- Page: Picos de Europa (/adventures/2024-picos-de-europa) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Picos de Europa Peaks, valleys, and mountain adventures in northern Spain 43.206 / -4.885 ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4073.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4086.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4094.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4114.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4116.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4117.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4119.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4134.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4143.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4145.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4151.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4156.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4158.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4161.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4163.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4165.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4167.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4177.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4199.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4204.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4209.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4214.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4216.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4223.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4224.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4225.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4226.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4227.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4243.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4247.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4251.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4252.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4263.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4265.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4274.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4279.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-picos-de-europa/IMG_4281.jpeg) Published on August 15, 2024 1 min read --- Page: Porto (/adventures/2024-porto) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Porto Train ride long weekend 41.158 / -8.629 ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3512.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3515.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3518.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3521.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3538.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3544.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3556.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3562.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3564.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3578.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3581.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3601.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3602.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3609.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3611.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3613.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3623.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3631.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3637.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3661.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3668.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-porto/IMG_3677.jpeg) Published on August 4, 2024 1 min read --- Page: Samos (/adventures/2024-samos) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Samos Island exploration in the Aegean Sea 37.757 / 26.973 ![image](/photos/2024-samos/IMG_5814.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-samos/IMG_5818.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-samos/IMG_5852.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-samos/IMG_5907.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-samos/IMG_5913.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-samos/IMG_5951.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-samos/IMG_5954.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-samos/IMG_6175.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-samos/IMG_6196.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-samos/IMG_6404.jpeg) Published on September 15, 2024 1 min read --- Page: Bangkok Ancient City (/adventures/2025-bkk-ancient-city) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Bangkok Ancient City Muang Boran open air museum 13.530 / 100.610 Shot on Kodak Gold 200 film ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660017.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660022.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660024.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660028.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660031.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660036.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660039.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660040.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660041.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660057.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660059.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660064.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660066.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660067.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660068.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660069.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660070.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-bkk-ancient-city/000111660071.jpeg) Published on January 21, 2025 1 min read --- Page: Hua Hin (/adventures/2025-hua-hin) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Hua Hin Weekend getaway to Thailands royal beach town 12.568 / 99.958 ![image](/photos/2025-hua-hin/IMG_8717.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-hua-hin/IMG_8760.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-hua-hin/IMG_8787.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-hua-hin/IMG_8793.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-hua-hin/IMG_8833.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-hua-hin/IMG_8843.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-hua-hin/IMG_8854.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-hua-hin/IMG_8866.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-hua-hin/IMG_8874.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-hua-hin/IMG_8879.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-hua-hin/IMG_8899.jpeg) Published on February 14, 2025 1 min read --- Page: Nobu Bangkok (/adventures/2025-nobu-bkk) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Nobu Bangkok Japanese dining on the 58th floor 13.756 / 100.502 ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8652.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8654.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8661.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8662.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8677.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8680.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8698.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8701.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8702.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8714.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8720.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8725.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2025-nobu-bkk/IMG_8726.jpeg) Published on February 13, 2025 1 min read --- Page: Architecture (/adventures/architecture) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Architecture Landmarks and modern designs across urban skylines 40.713 / -74.006 ![image](/photos/architecture/IMG-1526-Alter-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/architecture/IMG-5568b-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/architecture/IMG-5608-09-10b-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/architecture/IMG-4490-v2-Empire-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/architecture/Griffith2-print-IMG-3069-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/architecture/Reflections-print-IMG-3191-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/architecture/IMG-1521-StMary-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/architecture/1C7A0196-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/architecture/IMG-1060-TransPyramid2-print2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/architecture/IMG-1027-TransPyramid-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/architecture/1C7A0171-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/architecture/1C7A0189-huge.jpg) Published on May 29, 2012 1 min read --- Page: Austria-Telfs (/adventures/austria-telfs) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Austria-Telfs Alpine beauty and mountain landscapes 47.303 / 11.062 Christmas in the mountains ![image](/photos/austria-telfs/IMG_1103.jpeg) ![image](/photos/austria-telfs/IMG_1118.jpeg) ![image](/photos/austria-telfs/IMG_1237.jpeg) ![image](/photos/austria-telfs/snow-lake.jpg) Published on December 25, 2018 1 min read --- Page: Azores (/adventures/azores-2022) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Azores Tea plantation and volcanic landscapes 37.741 / -25.676 ![image](/photos/2022-azores/IMG_0407.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2022-azores/IMG_0459.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2022-azores/IMG_0526.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2022-azores/IMG_0603.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2022-azores/IMG_0664.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2022-azores/IMG_0724.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2022-azores/IMG_0734.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2022-azores/IMG_0769.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2022-azores/IMG_0772.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2022-azores/IMG_0783.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2022-azores/IMG_1022.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2022-azores/IMG_1029.jpeg) Published on April 15, 2022 1 min read --- Page: Baja California Sur (/adventures/baja-california-sur) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Baja California Sur Sun, sand, and surf along Baja shores 24.127 / -110.322 ![image](/photos/baja-california-sur/00-landing-IMG-6795-straightened-huge.png) ![image](/photos/baja-california-sur/03-balandra-beach-IMG-6852-2-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/baja-california-sur/1C7A3987-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/baja-california-sur/06-rocksplash-IMG-7001-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/baja-california-sur/1C7A4383-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/baja-california-sur/05-sunrise-clouds-IMG-6984-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/baja-california-sur/04-sunset-IMG-6857-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/baja-california-sur/05-sunrise-rock-IMG-6983-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/baja-california-sur/05-sunrise-01-IMG-6976-huge.jpg) Published on March 23, 2015 1 min read --- Page: Bilbao (/adventures/bilbao) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Bilbao Basque architecture and Guggenheim artistry 43.263 / -2.935 ![image](/photos/2024-bilbao/IMG_3773.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-bilbao/IMG_3784.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-bilbao/IMG_3789.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-bilbao/IMG_3790%20Edited.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-bilbao/IMG_3971.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-bilbao/IMG_4007.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-bilbao/IMG_4035.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-bilbao/IMG_4049.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-bilbao/IMG_4204.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-bilbao/IMG_4214%20Edited.jpg) ![image](/photos/2024-bilbao/IMG_4274.jpeg) Published on August 15, 2024 1 min read --- Page: Todos Santos (/adventures/birthday-in-mexico) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Todos Santos Birthday in Mexico, Baja California Sur 23.455 / -110.223 ![image](/photos/baja-california-sur/1C7A3862-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A3813-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A3827-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A3831-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A3832-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A3862-Edit-1.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A3839-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A4015-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A3927-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A3987-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A4224-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A4175-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A4252-HDR-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A4318-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A4375-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A4248-HDR-Edit.jpg) Published on April 28, 2017 1 min read --- Page: Blanca Lake (/adventures/blanca-lake) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Blanca Lake Glacial turquoise lake hidden in Washington mountains 47.998 / -121.264 ![image](/photos/blanca-lake/IMG-7877-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/blanca-lake/IMG-7883-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/blanca-lake/IMG-7905-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/blanca-lake/IMG-7910-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/blanca-lake/IMG-7917-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/blanca-lake/IMG-7939-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/blanca-lake/IMG-7960-huge.jpg) Published on June 6, 2015 1 min read --- Page: Cairo (/adventures/cairo) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Cairo Ancient pyramids and vibrant city streets 30.044 / 31.236 ![image](/photos/2023-cairo/IMG_6969.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-cairo/IMG_7002.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-cairo/IMG_7027.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-cairo/IMG_7031.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-cairo/IMG_7050.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-cairo/IMG_7084.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-cairo/IMG_7120.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-cairo/IMG_7189.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-cairo/IMG_7293.jpeg) Published on December 15, 2023 1 min read --- Page: Cityscape (/adventures/cityscape) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Cityscape Night lights and skylines from cities worldwide 40.713 / -74.006 ![image](/photos/cityscape/1C7A2435-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/cityscape/IMG-9108-DKNY-print2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/cityscape/IMG-9506-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/cityscape/IMG-7805-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/cityscape/IMG-8776-v2-GoldenGate-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/cityscape/Downtown-Print-IMG-3784-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/cityscape/IMG-2235-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/cityscape/1C7A4398-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/cityscape/IMG-9511-2-huge.jpg) Published on September 9, 2016 1 min read --- Page: Deception Pass (/adventures/deception-pass) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Deception Pass Foggy cliffs and bridges in Washington state 48.402 / -122.647 ![image](/photos/deception-pass/1C7A3082-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/deception-pass/1C7A3085-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/deception-pass/1C7A3040-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/deception-pass/1C7A3070-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/deception-pass/1C7A3067-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/deception-pass/1C7A3059-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/deception-pass/1C7A3063-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/deception-pass/1C7A3096-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/deception-pass/1C7A3102-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/deception-pass/1C7A3046-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/deception-pass/1C7A3049-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/deception-pass/1C7A3045-huge.jpg) Published on February 10, 2017 1 min read --- Page: France (/adventures/france) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # France Exploring French streets, churches, and countryside 48.857 / 2.352 ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1102-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1170-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1229-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1581-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1011-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1466-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1224-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A0975-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A0989-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1057-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1045-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1128-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1424-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1365-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A0987-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1400-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1167-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1024-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1083-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1089-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1022-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1248-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1041-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1058-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1338-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1327-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1133-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1161-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1519-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1242-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1176-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1179-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1180-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1034-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1252-Edit-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1018-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1004-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1181-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1265-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1029-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/france/1C7A1299-Edit-huge.jpg) Published on August 26, 2016 1 min read --- Page: Crete (/adventures/good-morning-crete) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Crete Good morning Crete 35.240 / 24.809 Shot on Canon 5D Mk.II ![image](/blog/1C7A8530-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A8624-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A8577-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A8709-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A8679-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A8661-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A8704-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A8670-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A8567-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A8637-Edit.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A8660-Edit-1.jpg) ![image](/blog/1C7A8698-Edit-1.jpg) Published on August 19, 2018 1 min read --- Page: Greece (/adventures/greece) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Greece Sunny islands, white villages, and clear seas 37.984 / 23.727 ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1717-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1721-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1728-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1732-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1751-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1754-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1760-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1761-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1779-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1785-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1788-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1801-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1814-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1817-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1818-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1824-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1829-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1830-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1846-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1853-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1865-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1875-Edit-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1928-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1955-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1959-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2001-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2141-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2168-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2171-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2174-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2179-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2194-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2273-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2276-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2297-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2302-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2307-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2309-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2312-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2324-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2329-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2333-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2342-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2365-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2376-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2385-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2387-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2392-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2402-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2410-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2414-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2415-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2429-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2446-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2474-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2476-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2518-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2533-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2540-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2576-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2589-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1975-Edit2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A2435-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8704-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8567-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8610-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A1986-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8709-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8670-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8660-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8661-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8637-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8530-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8698-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8624-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8721-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8577-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/greece/1C7A8679-Edit-huge.jpg) Published on September 2, 2016 1 min read --- Page: Hallstatt (/adventures/hallstatt) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Hallstatt Fairy-tale village and alpine lake scenery 47.562 / 13.649 ![image](/photos/2021-hallstatt/IMG_6564.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2021-hallstatt/IMG_6594.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2021-hallstatt/IMG_6609.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2021-hallstatt/IMG_6636.jpeg) Published on September 15, 2021 1 min read --- Page: Johnny Creek Camping (/adventures/johnny-creek-camping) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Johnny Creek Camping Camping beside a rushing creek in Washington 47.701 / -120.773 ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0709-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0722-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0735-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0755-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0762-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0764-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0770-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0781-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0792-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0800-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0802-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0833-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0874-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0881-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0882-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0918-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0925-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0951-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0961-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/1C7A0970-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/IMG-7685-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/johnny-creek-camping/IMG-7694-huge.jpg) Published on July 1, 2016 1 min read --- Page: Kauai (/adventures/kauai) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Kauai Helicopter ride above Kauais rugged sea cliffs 22.096 / -159.526 ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9625-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-0059-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-0074-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9619-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9643-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9757-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9762-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9764-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9811-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9680-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9820-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9715-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9739TEST1-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9798-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9965-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9607-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9603-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9712-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9717-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9753-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9757-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9768-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9792-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9816-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9875-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9896-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9923-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9928-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9936-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9996-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9998-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-0004-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9918-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9938-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9577-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9590-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9850-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9746-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9870-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-0025-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9980-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9834-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9870-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/kauai/IMG-9774-huge.jpg) Published on January 15, 2016 1 min read --- Page: LA & NYC (/adventures/la-and-nyc) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # LA & NYC Coast to coast in a week 34.052 / -118.244 Shot on Canon 5D Mk.II ![image](/blog/LA-print-IMG_3066.jpg) ![image](/blog/Reflections-print-IMG_3191-2.jpg) ![image](/blog/Grrr-web-IMG_3164.jpg) ![image](/blog/Hollywood-print-IMG_3064-2.jpg) ![image](/blog/Sunset-web-IMG_3184.jpg) ![image](/blog/IMG_3308-2-2.jpg) ![image](/blog/Ads01-IMG_3387-print.jpg) ![image](/blog/IMG_3275-2.jpg) Published on May 6, 2012 1 min read --- Page: Landscape (/adventures/landscape) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Landscape Dramatic coastlines and volcanic vistas in Hawaii 20.798 / -156.332 ![image](/photos/landscape/IMG-9739TEST1-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/landscape/IMG-8282-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/landscape/IMG-8113-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/landscape/IMG-8155-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/landscape/IMG-8434-Edit-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/landscape/IMG-8610-v2-2-3b-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/landscape/04-sunset-IMG-6857-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/landscape/IMG-9834-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/landscape/IMG-9774-huge.jpg) Published on January 15, 2016 1 min read --- Page: London Meetings (/adventures/london-meetings) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # London Meetings Business meetings and city exploration 51.507 / -0.128 ![image](/photos/2019-london/hoxton.jpg) ![image](/photos/2019-london/IMG_5221.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2019-london/IMG_5237.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2019-london/nobu-hotel.JPEG) Published on December 15, 2019 1 min read --- Page: Los Angeles (/adventures/los-angeles) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Los Angeles Street art, music, and iconic Los Angeles scenes 34.052 / -118.244 ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Bank-print-IMG-3088-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/big-black-delta-by-dpndnt-d4b9zt1-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Romney01-print-IMG-3251-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Blue-Print-IMG-3192-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7805-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Griffith2-print-IMG-3069-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Griffith-PrintIMG-3075-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Grrr-print-IMG-3164-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Hollywood-print-IMG-3064-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7329-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7398-tonemapped-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7413b-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7499-Edit-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7520-tonemapped-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7522-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7524-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7525-2a-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7526-fullsize2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7527B-4-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7750-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7855-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-8924-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-9043-v2-3-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Ktown-print-IMG-3068-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7332-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-8856-v2-orig-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/LA-print-IMG-3066-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/NoParking-print-IMG-3152-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Obama-print-IMG-3048-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Obey-print-IMG-3228-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Palms-print-IMG-3077-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Reflections-print-IMG-3191-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Sunset-print-IMG-3184-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/Following-print-IMG-3170-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7457-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/IMG-7447a-huge.png) ![image](/photos/los-angeles/WeHo-print-IMG-3049-huge.jpg) Published on November 9, 2012 1 min read --- Page: Madeira (/adventures/madeira) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Madeira Volcanic cliffs and Atlantic island paradise 32.761 / -16.959 ![image](/photos/2024-madeira/IMG_0707.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-madeira/IMG_0713.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-madeira/IMG_0725.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-madeira/IMG_0988%20Edited.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-madeira/IMG_1045.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-madeira/IMG_1501.jpeg) Published on April 15, 2024 1 min read --- Page: Maui (/adventures/maui) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Maui Beaches, crabs, and volcanic mountains on Maui 20.798 / -156.332 Shot on Canon 5D Mk.II ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8303-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-7995-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8288-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-7988-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8019-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8282-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8080-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8091-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8219-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8224-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8253-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8255-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8291-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8305-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8113-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8002-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8155-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8209-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8017-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8434-Edit-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8200-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8201-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8205-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8207-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8216-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-7976-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-7997-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8329-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8065-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8084-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8062-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/maui/IMG-8285-huge.jpg) ![image](/blog/IMG_8312.jpg) ![image](/blog/IMG_8321.jpg) ![image](/blog/IMG_8390.jpg) ![image](/blog/IMG_8434-Edit-2.jpg) Todays todo list: wake up early, avoid giant spiders, climb to the top of Haleakala, watch the sunrise, and circle the island. Published on July 3, 2015 1 min read --- Page: Menorca (/adventures/menorca) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Menorca Island paradise and crystal clear waters 39.955 / 4.114 ![image](/photos/2020-menorca/IMG_0136.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-menorca/IMG_3205.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-menorca/IMG_3226.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-menorca/IMG_3266.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-menorca/IMG_3278.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-menorca/IMG_3306.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-menorca/IMG_3351.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-menorca/IMG_3354.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-menorca/IMG_3412.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2020-menorca/IMG_3461.jpeg) Published on August 15, 2020 1 min read --- Page: Napa (/adventures/napa-valley) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Napa Rolling vineyards and quiet wineries in California 38.502 / -122.265 ![image](/photos/napa-valley/1C7A3154-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/napa-valley/1C7A3176-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/napa-valley/1C7A3183-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/napa-valley/1C7A3190-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/napa-valley/1C7A3195-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/napa-valley/1C7A3219-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/napa-valley/1C7A3234-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/napa-valley/1C7A3246-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/napa-valley/1C7A3253-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/napa-valley/1C7A3255-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/napa-valley/1C7A3258-huge.jpg) Published on March 24, 2017 1 min read --- Page: NYC (/adventures/nyc) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # NYC Bustling streets and architecture of New York 40.713 / -74.006 ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-4296-v2-97-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/Ads01-IMG-3387-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-5446-v2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-4246-7-8-Apartments-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-5613-4-5b-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-5568b-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-5608-09-10b-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-9108-DKNY-print2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-9506-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-4179-Bridge-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-1912-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-5553b-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-4490-v2-Empire-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2098-v3-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-4414b-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/hb1b-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/hb2B-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-1438-5-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-1925-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2079-v2-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2082-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2156-v2-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2161-tonemapped-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2162-tonemapped-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2218-v2-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2262-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2265-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2278-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2302-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2453-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-3275-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-3308-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-9199-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-9640-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-4309-Lockbox-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-4512-v2-Swimming1-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-4515-v2-Swimming2-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2235-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2026-v2-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2022-v2-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-2066-4-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nyc/IMG-9511-2-huge.jpg) Published on February 27, 2011 1 min read --- Page: NYC Exp01 (/adventures/nycexp-2011) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # NYC Exp01 Early experiments capturing life in New York 40.713 / -74.006 ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/01-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/02a-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/03-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/04-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/05-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/06-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/07-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/08-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/09-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/10-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/11-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/12-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/13-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/14-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/15-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/nycexp-2011/16-huge.jpg) Published on March 4, 2011 1 min read --- Page: Oslo (/adventures/oslo-2023) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Oslo Nordic design and fjord landscapes 59.914 / 10.752 ![image](/photos/2023-oslo/IMG_0550.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-oslo/IMG_0581.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-oslo/IMG_0647.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-oslo/IMG_0705.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-oslo/IMG_0741.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-oslo/IMG_0790%20Edited.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-oslo/IMG_0804.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-oslo/IMG_0842.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2023-oslo/IMG_0892.jpeg) Published on April 15, 2023 1 min read --- Page: Paris (/adventures/paris-2024) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Paris Founders summit, museums, and eats 48.857 / 2.352 ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5468.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5487.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5492.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5512%20Edited.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5518.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5526.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5543%20Edited.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5545.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5603%20Edited.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5607%20Edited.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5618%20Edited.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5627%20Edited.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5651.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5691%20Edited.jpeg) ![image](/photos/2024-paris/IMG_5714%20Edited.jpeg) Published on September 15, 2024 1 min read --- Page: People (/adventures/people) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # People Musicians, friends, and candid moments 47.606 / -122.332 ![image](/photos/people/IMG-7372-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/people/IMG-2609-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/people/IMG-2612-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/people/IMG-8120-tonemapped-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/people/IMG-6683-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/people/IMG-8091-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/people/IMG-1611-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/people/IMG-2066-4-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/people/IMG-7457-huge.jpg) Published on June 25, 2014 1 min read --- Page: Redwood National Park (/adventures/redwood-national-park) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Redwood National Park Towering redwoods and rocky Pacific tide pools 41.213 / -124.005 ![image](/photos/redwood-national-park/IMG-5731-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/redwood-national-park/IMG-5713-huge.jpg) Published on February 15, 2014 1 min read --- Page: San Francisco (/adventures/san-francisco) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # San Francisco Urban exploration around San Franciscos neighborhoods 37.775 / -122.419 ![image](/photos/san-francisco/1C7A3148-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/1C7A3149-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/1C7A3152-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1513-Abe-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-0948-Alien1-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1526-Alter-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-0905-GraffitiGirl-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-0964-BuddhaDog-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1231-Ceiling-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1251-Ceiling2-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1256-Grass-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1266-Ceiling3-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1309-UnderFish1-Print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1310-UnderFish2-Print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1383-Gazelle-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1406-Zebra-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1412-Gazelle2-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1500-CityHall-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1190-Tree1-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1128-EmbarcaderoCenter-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1003-FalunGong-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1163-FirstMarketTower-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-8776-v2-GoldenGate-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1521-StMary-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1525-StMary2-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1529-StMary3-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1534-Mary-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1060-TransPyramid2-print2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-1027-TransPyramid-print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/san-francisco/IMG-0886-VirginAmerica-print-huge.jpg) Published on March 24, 2017 1 min read --- Page: Seattle (/adventures/seattle) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Seattle Waterfront scenes and downtown streets in Seattle 47.606 / -122.332 ![image](/photos/aerial/A021-C023-20170903-R00239-Edit-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/aerial/DJI-0667-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/aerial/DJI-0356-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/aerial/DJI-0415-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/aerial/DJI-0342-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/aerial/DJI-0142-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/aerial/DJI-0633-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/1C7A4476-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/1C7A4568-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-2609-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-2612-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-8120-tonemapped-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-6633-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-6683-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-1553-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-3143-4-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-3166-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-3481-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-3536-tonemapped-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-3568-tonemapped2b-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-4640-Edit-Print-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-5207-8-9-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-5808-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-6132-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-6402-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-6595b-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-6920-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-6950-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-7791-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-7797-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-8194-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-8196-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-8455-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-1611-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/Downtown-Print-IMG-3784-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/IMG-7318-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/MtPilchuckSummit-warmed-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/1C7A3807-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/water01-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/seattle/year-of-the-fog-huge.jpg) Published on May 13, 2017 1 min read --- Page: Singapore (/adventures/singapore) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Singapore Amazon in the garden city 1.352 / 103.820 ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2638.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2642.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2660.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2662.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2665.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2671.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2677.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2684.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2690.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2692.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2699.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2704.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2706.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2708.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2710.jpg) ![image](/photos/2016-singapore/1C7A2713.jpg) Published on December 20, 2016 1 min read --- Page: Smith Rock (/adventures/smith-rock) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Smith Rock High desert trails and rock climbing in Oregon 44.366 / -121.137 ![image](/photos/smith-rock/IMG-7255-copy-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/smith-rock/IMG-7256-copy-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/smith-rock/IMG-7268-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/smith-rock/IMG-7271-copy-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/smith-rock/IMG-7285-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/smith-rock/IMG-7289-copy-2-huge.jpg) Published on April 5, 2015 1 min read --- Page: Spain (/adventures/spain) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Spain Colorful cities and coastal views throughout Spain 40.417 / -3.704 ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8705-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8724-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8728-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8737-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8752a-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8768-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8771-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8779-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8780-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8789-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8807b-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8812-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8835-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8899-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8935-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8937e-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8944-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8948-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8961-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8970-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8978-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8980-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8990-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-9013-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-9018-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-9033-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-9053-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-9087-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-9088-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-9094-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-9098-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-9100-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-9105-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8950-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/spain/IMG-8995-huge.jpg) Published on September 7, 2015 1 min read --- Page: Waterscape (/adventures/waterscape) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Waterscape Ocean waves, beaches, and sunsets around the world 20.798 / -156.332 ![image](/photos/waterscape/1C7A1975-Edit2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/waterscape/1C7A3987-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/waterscape/06-rocksplash-IMG-7001-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/waterscape/IMG-8856-v2-orig-2-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/waterscape/IMG-8216-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/waterscape/1C7A3046-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/waterscape/IMG-9870-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/waterscape/IMG-7997-huge.jpg) Published on September 3, 2016 1 min read --- Page: Yellowstone (/adventures/yellowstone) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Adventures](/adventures) # Yellowstone Geysers, hot springs, and wildlife in Yellowstone 44.428 / -110.588 ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0100-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0103-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0108-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0112-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0116-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0124-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0132-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0135-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0136-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0150-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0152-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0153-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0154-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0177-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0190-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0199-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0202-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0204-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0214-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0226-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0227-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0228-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0229-Edit-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0232-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0239-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0243-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0245-huge.jpg) ![image](/photos/yellowstone/IMG-0090-huge.jpg) Published on February 14, 2016 1 min read --- Page: Bayer Dither and CRT Mask React Component (/blog/bayer-dither-crt-mask-react) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # Bayer Dither and CRT Mask React Component Typescript Retro CRT aesthetic with dithering and animated masking I wanted a fun dither/CRT effect for the site, but after searching GitHub, realized there wasnt an easy-to-use component to pull from. Shout out to OpenAIs o3 for helping me shape an idea quickly. Dither The following is what is implemented on this site. Its a simple TypeScript module that converts any bitmap into a Bayer 4×4 ordered-dithered version and then applies a staggered RGB shadow mask to imitate a cathode-ray tube. Animate A React component wires these steps to a <canvas> so you can drop the effect into any Next.js page. The full source is two files, a lib and a component — both shown in full below. Feel free to steal.   Bayer ordered dithering Ordered dithering maps a continuous tone to a small palette through a spatial threshold pattern. The 4×4 Bayer matrix is a classic pattern with pleasing noise characteristics. The algorithm divides the incoming pixel value by the palette step, adds a location-dependent offset from the Bayer matrix, and rounds to the nearest discrete level. The matrix is tiled over the image so the effect repeats every four pixels in each axis.     applyBayer4x4Dither /* lib/dither.ts */ export interface DitherOptions { monochrome?: boolean levels?: number } // 4×4 Bayer matrix (ordered dithering) const BAYER_4X4 = [ 0, 8, 2, 10, 12, 4, 14, 6, 3, 11, 1, 9, 15, 7, 13, 5, ] as const // Pre-compute threshold lookup as normalized offsets in range (−0.5 .. 0.5) const BAYER_THRESHOLDS = BAYER_4X4.map((v) => (v + 0.5) / 16 - 0.5) export function applyBayer4x4Dither( imageData: ImageData, options: DitherOptions = {} ) { const { monochrome = false, levels = 4 } = options const w = imageData.width const h = imageData.height const data = imageData.data const L = Math.max(2, levels) const maxLevelIndex = L - 1 const invLevelsMinus1 = 1 / maxLevelIndex for (let y = 0; y < h; y++) { for (let x = 0; x < w; x++) { const idx = (y * w + x) * 4 const bayerIndex = (y & 3) * 4 + (x & 3) const thresholdOffset = BAYER_THRESHOLDS[bayerIndex] // −0.5 … 0.5 if (monochrome) { // grayscale path (perceived luminance) const r = data[idx] const g = data[idx + 1] const b = data[idx + 2] const luminance = 0.299 * r + 0.587 * g + 0.114 * b const normalized = luminance / 255 + thresholdOffset const quant = normalized < 0.5 ? 0 : 1 const color = quant * 255 data[idx] = color data[idx + 1] = color data[idx + 2] = color } else { // colour path — each channel quantised independently for (let c = 0; c < 3; c++) { const val = data[idx + c] const normalized = val / 255 + thresholdOffset const quantLevel = Math.min( maxLevelIndex, Math.max(0, Math.round(normalized * maxLevelIndex)) ) data[idx + c] = Math.round(quantLevel * (255 * invLevelsMinus1)) } } // alpha untouched } } return imageData } // Convenience wrapper operating on a CanvasRenderingContext2D export function ditherCanvas( ctx: CanvasRenderingContext2D, options?: DitherOptions ) { const { width, height } = ctx.canvas const src = ctx.getImageData(0, 0, width, height) const dst = applyBayer4x4Dither(src, options) ctx.putImageData(dst, 0, 0) return dst } The helper ditherCanvas grabs the current raster from a <canvas>, applies the transformation in-place, and writes back the result. That makes it trivial to plug into any drawing pipeline.   CRT shadow mask Real CRTs use triads of phosphors masked by a thin metal grille. The code below approximates the optics by periodically attenuating two sub-pixels while letting the third pass at full intensity. Horizontal staggering every alternate scan line imitates the slot mask used in many monitors. A slight random noise per pixel introduces an analogue shimmer.     applyCRTMask /* lib/dither.ts continued */ export interface CRTMaskOptions { strength?: number // 0..1 jitter?: number // 0..1 } export function applyCRTMask( imageData: ImageData, frame = 0, options: CRTMaskOptions = {} ) { const { data, width, height } = imageData const strength = Math.min(1, Math.max(0, options.strength ?? 0.6)) const jitterAmp = Math.min(1, Math.max(0, options.jitter ?? 0.15)) const baseInactive = 1 - strength for (let y = 0; y < height; y++) { const rowShift = y & 1 // stagger every scan line for (let x = 0; x < width; x++) { const idx = (y * width + x) * 4 const subPixel = (x + rowShift + frame) % 3 // 0:R 1:G 2:B let r = data[idx] let g = data[idx + 1] let b = data[idx + 2] // pseudorandom jitter based on coordinates const randSeed = ((x * 374761393 + y * 668265263 + frame * 12345) >>> 0) & 0xffff const noise = (randSeed / 0xffff - 0.5) * jitterAmp const dim = Math.min(1, Math.max(0, baseInactive + noise)) switch (subPixel) { case 0: // red active g = Math.round(g * dim) b = Math.round(b * dim) break case 1: // green active r = Math.round(r * dim) b = Math.round(b * dim) break case 2: // blue active r = Math.round(r * dim) g = Math.round(g * dim) break } data[idx] = r data[idx + 1] = g data[idx + 2] = b } } return imageData } The function accepts a frame parameter so the active sub-pixel lane shifts horizontally over time, producing the familiar micro-glint when refreshed every frame.   React component The Dither component brings everything together. It loads an image, draws it to an off-screen canvas, applies the ordered dithering, and then optionally animates the CRT mask. /* components/dither.tsx */ use client import { applyCRTMask, ditherCanvas } from @/lib/dither import { cn } from @/lib/utils import React, { useEffect, useRef } from react export interface DitherProps { src: string alt?: string width?: number height?: number className?: string style?: React.CSSProperties animate?: boolean flickerFps?: number crtStrength?: number monochrome?: boolean levels?: number crtJitter?: number } export const Dither: React.FC<DitherProps> = ({ src, alt = , width, height, className, style, animate, flickerFps = 60, crtStrength, monochrome, levels, crtJitter, }) => { const canvasRef = useRef<HTMLCanvasElement | null>(null) useEffect(() => { let rafId: number | undefined const img = new window.Image() img.crossOrigin = anonymous img.src = src img.onload = () => { const canvas = canvasRef.current if (!canvas) return const ctx = canvas.getContext(2d, { willReadFrequently: true }) if (!ctx) return const w = width ?? img.naturalWidth const h = height ?? img.naturalHeight canvas.width = w canvas.height = h ctx.drawImage(img, 0, 0, w, h) const base = ditherCanvas(ctx, { monochrome, levels }) if (animate) { let frame = 0 let last = performance.now() const loop = () => { const now = performance.now() const interval = 1000 / flickerFps if (now - last >= interval) { last = now - ((now - last) % interval) const copy = new ImageData( new Uint8ClampedArray(base.data), base.width, base.height ) applyCRTMask(copy, frame++, { strength: crtStrength, jitter: crtJitter, }) ctx.putImageData(copy, 0, 0) } rafId = requestAnimationFrame(loop) } rafId = requestAnimationFrame(loop) } } return () => { if (rafId !== undefined) cancelAnimationFrame(rafId) } }, [ src, width, height, animate, flickerFps, crtStrength, crtJitter, monochrome, levels, ]) return ( <canvas ref={canvasRef} aria-label={alt} role="img" className={cn(max-w-full, className)} style={style} /> ) } export default Dither   Usage <Dither src="/photos/2024-porto/bridge.jpg" width={400} animate monochrome={false} levels={4} /> Optional props adjust the behaviour: - monochrome toggles greyscale ordered dithering - levels selects the per-channel quantization depth - animate triggers the CRT shadow mask - flickerFps adjusts animation frame rate - crtStrength and crtJitter fine-tune the mask appearance Everything runs entirely in the browser with no external dependencies. Enjoy building retro vibes. Published on June 15, 2025 7 min read --- Page: Comparing o3-pro, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Claude 4 Opus, and Grok 3 (/blog/comparison-of-o3-pro-gemini-2-5-pro-and-opus-4-max) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # Comparing o3-pro, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Claude 4 Opus, and Grok 3 AI A comparison of four frontier reasoning models within a speculative domain Outside of code generation, my top daily use case for LLMs is making sense of information. This can be simple Q&A, analysis of content/metrics, or breaking down large content (e.g., books, transcripts). I rely on models to be accurate while saving me time. ![image](/blog/swe-opus4-o3-gemini-benchmarks.png) As models converge within ±5% of each other on major benchmarks, the scores become hard to interpret in terms of which is actually better. Most daily LLM users will tell you their preferred model based on their experience, not benchmark performance. By their nature, evaluative benchmarks look for deterministic, discrete outcomes, but real-world performance is messy, encountering novel concepts and requests. How do these models really perform when they touch the world? To address what benchmarks miss, I created an evaluation to compare model reasoning on a speculative question, grounded in reality. This evaluation looks at entities and structure as the models generate an answer on historical science, hypothetical technology, and the path from 1940s nuclear programs to all-domain unmanned aircraft — or UAPs.   Analysis structure The analysis compares and constrasts response structure, details, and information entities. Below is the structure of the analysis that follows. Intro Analysis structure (you are here) Prompt / Setup Response Model response overlap Distinctive specificity Major differences Entities Analyzing entity delta People Programs Organizations Technology Post-training hypothesis While results matched my impression from daily usage, the analysis clarified and structured where my intuition was entirely vibes based. What did the analysis reveal? Dimensiono3-proGemini 2.5 ProClaude 4 OpusGrok 3Default voiceTechnical briefingStory-driven narrativeExecutive bullet outlineAnalytical swagger narrativeStructureDense tables, bold sections, footnotesMarkdown headings, long proseCompact bullets, sparse headersMarkdown headings with timeline listsInformation densityVery highMediumLow-mediumMedium-highEvidence / sourcingExplicit patents, FOIA refs, document IDsFew formal citationsNone — assertions onlyGeneral references & web linksUse of invented contentNoneMany fictional people & projectsOccasional fictional specialistMinimal — mostly real figuresTechnology detailQuantified (% mass drop, MW, TRL)Emphasis on conceptsGeneric labelsConceptual systems & propulsionReadability speedSlowest — requires close readingModerate — flows like a blog postFastest — scan-friendlyModerate — clear headingsStrengthTraceable specificity, granular dataEngaging storyline and contextConcise overview for quick scanningBalanced breadth & accessible tone o3-pro is the most detail-oriented, concise, yet precise model — OpenAIs focus on delivering model capabilities for scientific research and discovery is very noticeable here.   Prompt The prompt builds on historical information, but asks the model for reasonable speculation requiring grounded reasoning. Lets do a thought experiment: Suppose all of the UAP sightings are real. Imagine that we have developed craft and technology through secret programs, resulting in vehicles with unique patterns of movement, propulsion, radar signatures, and more. These craft break not only the known rules of physics for air, but also for sea. For this to be real, what people, breakthroughs, and programs would have had to exist? Who are the individuals working on technology today who are likely involved in such programs? Reason from first principles and create a likely timeline, starting from the nuclear programs of the 1940s to the present day (2025). Note: this is a sanitized version of the prompt, protecting it for future usage The thought experiment label gets around any model morelization about its truth, but can push models toward their creative writing training. Its a fine line. The prompt outlines the scenario with entity categories expected, timeframe to analyze, and questions to answer within the response. This bounding creates a reference window to compare the responses. This sets expectations, but leaves it to the model to decide on specific entities (people, programs, organizations, technologies), structure, and level of detail. The following is an in-depth analysis of the outputs from the four models. This comparison is vibes, but dissected to understand what vibes really means when you arent coding or casually chatting with a model. Notes on setup o3-pro used on API (thinking high) and ChatGPT (with and without search enabled, memory disabled) to test variance Gemini Pro 2.5 used on AI Studio (with and without Google search grounding) Claude 4 Opus used on Anthropic Console, max thinking budget Grok 3 used on Grok.ai (with search)   Model response overlap All models posit a clandestine U.S. line of research starting in the 1940s that marries exotic, high-density power with inertia-cutting physics to create AI-guided craft capable of seamless air-sea-space travel. Vibes, man. Time to dissect. ![image](/blog/o3-pro-comparison-prompt.png) The four converge on prompt timeline, a novel power source, physics and propulsion, and connect the details back to known people or programs. All four do well to thread details back to its self-created narrative. However, despite the similar concepts, there is divergence in tone, coupled to specifics: o3-pro grounds the story in named patents, government filings, and hardware specs, Gemini 2.5 Pro frames it as a zero-point-energy drama with shadow projects and characters, while Claude 4 Opus reduces it to a lean timeline of warp-bubble milestones and secrecy rationales. Feature / Topico3-proGemini 2.5 ProClaude 4 OpusGrok 3Hidden, decades-long U.S. program"A continuous, compartmented line of U.S. work…spanning dense power packs, field-mediated thrust, inertial control…""We must construct a parallel history of science and engineering, hidden from public view…a structure immune to congressional or presidential oversight""This timeline assumes continuous, hidden progress in theoretical physics that diverged from public science around 1950, creating a breakaway scientific culture""Classified programs grow out of Manhattan-era labs, perfected under Cold-War budgets, now scattered across defense primes—public UAP reports are field tests"1940s origin pointStarts with 1942-1959 atomic foundations1945–1960 "Shadow Oppenheimer…Project Aether (1952)"1940s – Foundation Era "Project Y-2 explores unified field theories"1940s–1950s: post-Trinity fusion dreams, von Neumann-led think-tank explores field propulsionExotic power sourceBench-scale burning-plasma reactor + multi-megawatt packsZero-Point Energy (ZPE) reactor providing "near-limitless power""Extreme energy density power sources…vacuum engineering"Compact fusion or advanced fission with superconducting storage; hints of zero-point R&DMass / inertia manipulation"Inertial-mass reduction cavity…transient mass drop ≥ 50 %""Creates a warp bubble…pilot feels no g-forces""Inertial mass reduction/manipulation…warp bubble generation at microscale"High-frequency EM field to shear inertia; cites Pais patents as breadcrumbsTrans-medium propulsion"Bidirectional magnetohydrodynamic pump…qualifying for air-to-ocean transfer""Transmedium craft…smooth, white, seamless appearance""Trans-medium operation (air/water/space)"Plasma-augmented MHD shroud enables water/air transition at hypersonic speedsAI or advanced control"On-board AI copilot with 1.2 ms sensor-to-actuator path""A post-sentient AI or a direct neural interface…pilot intends a destination""AI-assisted field geometry control"Autonomy stack leverages reinforcement-trained agents and on-craft inference for sub-5 ms control loopsUse of real public markers (AARO, Pais patents)Cites AARO charter, US 10,144,532 B2, DARPA BAA numbersMentions AARO, Nimitz videos, Pais patents indirectly via NavyExplicitly lists Salvatore Pais, AARO videosReferences Pais patents, congressional hearings, and links two mainstream articlesNarrative purpose"Accounts for every five-observable performance recorded by Navy sensors""Hidden struggle…prepare the world for a future where this technology is known""Why secrecy would be maintained…economic disruption, weaponization"Lays out scientific, engineering, and organizational pre-requisites; ends with balanced counter-arguments   Distinctive specificity o3-pro reads like a classified technical brief packed with tables, numeric specs, contract IDs, and footnoted first-party citations, whereas Gemini 2.5 Pro spins a story-driven essay that mixes qualitative claims with fictional actors, and Claude 4 Opus compresses the same content into a terse bullet outline with minimal formatting and scant data. ![image](/blog/claude-4-opus-reasoning.png) Their contrast tracks information density and realism — o3-pro highest and fully factual, Gemini 2.5 Pro mid-range and speculative, Claude 4 Opus leanest and policy-focused—yielding tones that move from authoritative memo to thought-experiment thriller to executive overview. Claude Opus 4 has been shaped to maximize brevity and clarity, seemingly for busy decision-makers, so it compresses content into bullet outlines and keeps numbers to a minimum. Grok 3 likewise seems tuned to maximize accessible breadth and conversational flair—it rewards confident explanatory flow, topical completeness, and a dash of humor while deprioritizing exhaustive citations or hard-number precision. Dimensiono3-proGemini 2.5 ProClaude 4 OpusGrok 3Dominant voiceTechnical program brief, terse, numbers everywhereStory-driven prose, descriptive, rhetoricalAnalytical bullet list, policy-styleConfident analyst, sprinkle of witStructural styleDense dossier; bold section heads, multi-table flow like a classified briefNarrative essay with Markdown headers; story-driven, "first principles" reasoningBullet-heavy outline; compact subsections; few embellishmentsMarkdown H3 + chronological bulletsFormatting devices8 tables (technical targets, timelines, contributor rosters, shadow programs)Long paragraphs and bulleted lists; no tablesTwo short lists plus mini-tables, minimal formattingHeadings, nested bullet lists; no tablesInformation densityHighest—specific MW, MA, g-load figures; patent numbers; contract IDs; named scientistsMedium—detailed argument but qualitative; introduces fictional namesLowest—conceptual checklist; sparse quantitative dataMedium-high, fewer numbers than o3-proEvidence / citation styleExplicit IDs (patents, FOIAs, AARO docs)Minimal/implicit referencesNone—facts asserted without citationInline weblinks to open sources, few IDsSpecificity of sourcesContract numbers + patentsHypothetical referencesGeneric agencies + Pais patentUses public patents, historical figuresToneAuthoritative technical memorandumSpeculative thrillerExecutive summary vibeAnalytical yet conversationalUse of fictionNoneExtensive fictional projects/personsLight fictional insertsMinimal fiction, relies on real namesScope of disclosure narrativePlanned 2025 Pacific testPhased disclosure storylineInstitutional secrecy rationaleBalanced timeline + counter-arguments   Major differences Differences start at the broad structure previously observed (a detailed brief, a narrative story, and bulleted list), and deepen further within the details of each response. ![image](/blog/gemini-2-5-pro-reasoning.png) Dimensiono3-proGemini 2.5 Pro*Claude 4 Opus**Grok 3Depth & granularityNumerical targets, TRL levels, patent #s, FOIA refsRich narrative, fewer numbers; character-centricHigh-level outline, few numbersMedium, some figures but not exhaustiveToneInternal program briefNovelistic storytellingAnalytical abstractConfident analyst with humorCitation approachFirst-party doc IDsNoneNoneInline external linksStructural featuresBold headings, tables, footnotesMarkdown H3, long paragraphs, "Phase" arcsShort headers, bulletsH3 headings + bullet timelinesInformation densityHighestMediumLowestMedium-highSpecificity of actorsMostly real officialsMany fictional plus public advocatesMix of historical icons + one fictionalReal historical & modern researchersImplied maturity of techTRL 6-7, flight window late 2025Multigen fleet since 2002Limited deploymentOperational prototypes tested at naval rangesFormatting flourishesThin-line tables, footnotesIndented lists, rhetorical breaksPlain markdownOccasional blockquotes and humoristic asides Variant observations * Running Gemini 2.5 Pro with Google Search grounding significantly minimizes the response, formats content closer to a blog post, and focuses its response on 1-2 entities per section. ** Claude 4 Sonnet performs nearly identical to Opus, with the only noticeable difference in individuals mentioned. Sonnet never mentions Townsend Brown, while Claude 4 Opus identifies his work and patents as part of this narrative.   Analyzing entity delta The four models differ most in their approach to detail, sourcing, and narrative style. o3-pro emphasizes verifiable data, real-world figures, and explicit program documentation, while Gemini 2.5 Pro, Grok 3, and Claude 4 Opus rely more on conceptual descriptions, invented or historical characters, and generalized program structures. These distinctions reflect each models underlying strategy: o3-pro aims for technical credibility, Gemini 2.5 Pro adopts a narrative-driven, imaginative style, and Claude 4 Opus provides a high-level analytical summary. The result is a spectrum from audit-ready specificity to broad, speculative overviews. The following is a side-by-side entity analysis.   People Name († = fictional)o3-proGemini 2.5 ProClaude 4 OpusGrok 3Direct Snippets & NotesDr Sean M. Kirkpatrick✓–––"AARO Senior Technical Adviser" – current, realDr Travis S. Taylor✓–––"AARO Chief Scientist"Dr Vincent P. Tang✓–––DARPA PUMP PMDr Thomas McGuire✓–––Skunk Works fusion leadProf Garry Nolan✓–––Stanford isotope analystDr Hal Puthoff✓–✓✓AAWSAP zero-point researchDr Eric W. Davis✓–✓✓Same pattern as PuthoffT. Townsend Brown✓–✓–Electrogravitics referenceLt Col Joseph Gradisher✓–––Fleet liaisonDr Maria S. Lopez✓–––"Emergent name" at Sandia (fictional but framed as new real‑world hire)Ning Li, Douglas Torr✓–––Historic superconducting gravity researchDr Alistair Finch†–✓––Secret "shadow Oppenheimer"Visionary General†–✓––Archetype securing budgetAI Architects†, Engineering Mavericks†–✓––Broad fictional cohortsLue Elizondo, Christopher Mellon–✓–✓Public disclosure figures cast as managed assetsCEOs of RTX, Lockheed, BAE–✓––"Keepers of the Gate"Dr Sarah Chen†––✓–Invented metamaterial pioneerSalvatore Pais––✓✓Navy mass-reduction patentsEinstein, Fermi, von Neumann––✓✓Placed in 1940s foundationSandia National Labs✓–✓✓Explicit in o3-pro, generic mention in ClaudeRaytheon––✓✓Defense prime Key deltas - o3-pro lists eight living scientists with present‑day billets - Gemini 2.5 Pro fabricates leadership figures to drive the narrative - Claude 4 Opus blends historical icons with a single fictional specialist - Only Brown, Puthoff, Davis overlap across two models   Programs Codename († = fictional)o3-proGemini 2.5 ProClaude 4 OpusGrok 3NotesProject Morningstar✓–––DARPA/SDI inertial testsRapid‑Fall Flight Articles✓–––Groom Lake high‑g mappingSea‑Shadow II✓–––Trans‑medium sledPhoenix Lantern✓–––Refurbish legacy craftDARPA PUMP✓–––Named BAAProject Aether†–✓––1950s ZPE proofProject Chimera†–✓––ZPE reactor buildThe Foundry†–✓––Metamaterial divisionProject Sidhe†–✓––Operational fleetARV disinformation†–✓––Alien‑back‑engineering smokescreenAcclimation Initiative†–✓––Managed disclosureProject Y‑2†––✓–Unified-field groupClassified SAP stack––✓–Generic label, no codenames Key deltas - o3-pro anchors every program in purported contract numbers - Gemini 2.5 Pro invents a fully internal mythology - Claude 4 Opus stays general, offering only one new codename   Organizations Organizationo3-proGemini 2.5 ProClaude 4 OpusGrok 3NotesAARO✓––✓UAP oversight officeDARPA✓✓–✓Advanced research agencySkunk Works✓✓✓✓Appears in all modelsSandia National Labs✓–✓✓Explicit in o3-pro, generic mention in ClaudeU.S. Navy (PMA‑226, fleet)✓✓–✓Nimitz contextDOE / AEC–✓✓✓Gemini 2.5 Pro uses AEC, Claude DOENational labs (Los Alamos, Livermore)–✓✓✓Shared by threeBell Labs–✓––Gemini 2.5 Pro onlyBattelle––✓–Claude 4 Opus onlySAIC––✓–Claude 4 Opus onlyRaytheon––✓✓Defense prime Key deltas - Only o3-pro foregrounds current DoD offices and contract identifiers - Gemini 2.5 Pro focuses on Cold‑War agencies - Claude 4 Opus names todays big contractors but keeps roles vague   Technology Capability / Hardwareo3-proGemini 2.5 ProClaude 4 OpusGrok 3NotesEnergy source type"Meter‑scale burning‑plasma reactor (>10 MW)""Zero‑Point Energy (ZPE) reactor""Extreme energy density power sources (vacuum engineering)"Compact fusionDifferent power assumptionsInertial control"Inertial‑mass reduction cavity (Pais configuration)""Spacetime warp bubble via metric engineering""Inertial decoupling"EM inertia shearAll manipulate inertiaPropulsion mediumMagnetohydrodynamic bidirectional pump (air & water)Warp bubble, medium is irrelevant"Field propulsion" genericPlasma-MHD shroudTrans-medium focusHull materialsBi‑Mg layered metamaterial (σ >10⁴ S cm⁻¹)"Programmable Metamaterials" quantum‑active"Metamaterial Superconductors"Layered metamaterial skinMaterials varyAutonomyFPGA stack, 1.2 ms loopPost‑sentient AI / neural interfaceAI‑assisted field geometry controlQuantum-AI autonomyControl approachesReadiness levelTRL 6–7 claimedNot discussedNot discussedPrototype readinessMaturity claims Key deltas - o3-pro quantifies every subsystem - Gemini 2.5 Pro emphasizes revolutionary physics and human-machine symbiosis - Claude 4 Opus keeps technology labels high-level without figures   Post-training hypothesis The four systems show distinct reward signals. Insighto3-proGemini 2.5 ProClaude Opus 4Grok 3Information precisionVery highMediumLow-mediumMediumPeople, programs, metrics, patent numbers, contract IDsFocuses on narrative clarity more than figuresHeadline facts without many numbersMix of real references & broad sourcesUser engagementAuthoritativeLively, reader-friendly proseStraightforward, no-frills bulletsConversational, witty yet structuredScan speedSlowest — dense detailModerateFastest — compact listsModerate — sectioned timelinePotential drawbackData overwhelmSpeculative wanderingOmission of detailsFew hard numbers, lighter citations o3-pro has been reinforced to treat accuracy, traceability, and static formatting as top goals, so it defaults to dense tables, formal section breaks, and inline citations. Gemini 2.5 Pros reward mix plainly favors engagement and smooth narrative flow, steering it toward story arcs, descriptive headers, and reader-oriented pacing. Claude Opus 4 has been shaped to maximize brevity and clarity, seemingly for busy decision-makers, so it compresses content into bullet outlines and keeps numbers to a minimum. Grok 3 appears tuned to maximize accessible breadth and conversational flair — it rewards confident explanatory flow, topical completeness, and a dash of humor while deprioritizing exhaustive citations or hard-number precision. These formats likely mirror the preferences of the leaders within the post-training organizations.   Raw outputs - [o3-pro](https://gist.github.com/0xSMW/631522056552e633179c16c5c25cad93) - [Gemini 2.5 Pro](https://gist.github.com/0xSMW/cfb1320f28bf07f299bec4d7ab94961b) - [Claude 3.5 Opus](https://gist.github.com/0xSMW/a3263eb430ba5c830a79fdc253ead66e) - [Grok 3](https://gist.github.com/0xSMW/88e75f541e76fa93cf822020bf12b985) Published on June 14, 2025 19 min read --- Page: How I customize ChatGPT (/blog/custom-chatgpt-instructions) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # How I customize ChatGPT AI Vanilla model responses are too verbose Somewhere around the release of GPT-4 Turbo the default response format changed. Responses became overly verbose, relying on bulleted lists over narrative content. ![image](/blog/chatgpt-default-response.png) This became worse with the release of GPT-4o, and compounded by other model labs benchmarking against ChatGPT. Models improved, but writing quality declined. Below is the custom instruction set that I use to personalize response. The tradeoff is that you may not get as many brilliant, unexpected outputs with additional tables and sections. Always start with a single‑sentence answer before any exposition. After the direct answer, provide no more than two short paragraphs of additional factual context. Each supporting paragraph begins with a 3–7 word bold header that states the key takeaway, followed by a line break. Never use bullet points; rely on headed paragraphs instead. When presenting grids of numbers or comparisons, format them as Markdown tables. Exclude emojis, apologies, or overly sycophantic language. Do not invoke web browsing unless the user explicitly asks. Never use any form of the banned word list supplied by the user profile. Omit constructions such as “Not only…, but also…” or similar. Avoid introductory clauses when possible. Keep language direct, pragmatic, and free of filler. Skip a bold header for the one‑sentence answer itself; bold headers apply only to supporting paragraphs. As for the forbidden words, there is a common list that GPT models emphasize compared to natural human language. IMPORTANT: Never use these words or any form (plural, -ing, -ed, -s): amplify, archetypal, at the heart of, augment, blend, catalyze, catalyst, catering, centerpiece, cohesion, cohesive, comprehensive, conceptualize, confluence, crucial, delve, digital bazaar, dynamics, elucidate, embark, embodiment, embody, emanate, encompass, envisage, epitomize, evoke, exemplify, extrapolate, facilitating, facet, fusion, harmony, harnessing, holistic, illuminating, immanent, implications, in essence, infuse, inflection, inherent, instigate, integral, integration, intrinsic, intricacies, iteration, leverage, manifestation, mosaic, nuance, paradigm, pinnacle, prerequisite, quintessential, reinforce, resilience, resonate, reverberate, subtlety, substantiate, symbiosis, synergy, synthesize, tapestry, underlying, unify, unity, unravel, unveil. ![image](/blog/chatgpt-custom-instructions.png) The result is a much more direct, concise, and informative response.   A Warning Turn off all personalization settings (including memory) when using reasoning models for a specific output structure. All reasoning models are extremely sensitive to the personalization preferences and will ignore prompt instructions.   Beyond ChatGPT These settings work well for Google Gemini, Grok, and Claude but with less success compared to ChatGPT — likely due to less post-training for personalization instruction following. Published on June 3, 2025 3 min read --- Page: 2006-2008 DJ Mixes (/blog/dj-mixes-2006-2008) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # 2006-2008 DJ Mixes Music A collection of recorded DJ Mixes from 2006-2008, ranging from breaks to house to electro house. For your listening pleasure.   The Old School Virus A breaks/jungle mix from 2006 sampling 1984s Dune in the intro.     Incomplete Set List - Dune Intro - Gorillaz - Dirty Harry (Breaks Bootleg Promo) - Stanton Warriors - Pop Ya Virus - DJ Technique - My Definition (Lees Old School Acid Breaks Mix) - Beastie Boys - Check It Out - Ed Solo & Skool of Thought - Love Your Life - Beat Assassins - Luka - Prodigy - No Good - Meat Katie - All I Need - Plump DJs - Pray for Me / Plumpy Chunks - Drumattic Twins - The Flunk - Koma + Bones - Morpheus - Meat Katie & Elite Force - Lazer   To Call For Hands From Above A house mix from 2007.     Incomplete Set List - Chemical Brothers - Electronic Battle Weapon 9 - LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum (Kris Menace Remix) - Linus Loves - Stand Back (Young Punx Remix) - Armand Van Helden - The Funk Phenomena (Slice Remix) - DJ Delicious & Till West - Same Man (Edit) - Shakedown - At Night (Kid Creme Club Mix) - The Killers - When You Were Young (TWD Remix) - Daft Punk - Alone - Mylo - In Your Arms (Remix) - Beatfreakz - Superfreak (Fonzerelli Remix) - Gorillaz - Dare (Remix) - The Shapeshifters - Lolas Theme - The Knife - Heartbeats (Rex The Dog Remix)   Demo No Jeff Buckley Cut An electro house mix from 2008, cut from the No Jeff Buckley On Her iPod sessions, but cant recall why its cut out.     Incomplete Set List - Glass Candy - Nite Nurses / Eugene Franci Jr - Poor Me - Justice - Phantom Pt.II (Soulwax Remix) - Scanners - Lowlife (LA Riots Remix) - Royksopp - Eple (Shakedown Remix) - Armand Van Helden - My My My (Klaas Remix) - Boys Noize - Lets Buy Happiness - Lady Hawke - Back of the Van (Van She Tech Turbo Fire Engine Mix) - Asobi Seksu - Thursday (The Twelves Remix)   No Need To Ask My Name A two-part electro set from March 2008 blatantly inspired by Justice and the french touch / french electro scene at that time. Filled with fun moments like Justin Timberlake mashed up with Thom Yorke.     Part 01 - Daft Punk - Overture - Soulwax - NY Excuse (Justice Remix) - Para One - Dudun-dun (MSTRKRFT Remix) - Daft Punk - Prime Time (Para One Remix) - Justice - The Party (LA Riots Remix) - Kylie Minogue - 2 Hearts (The Twelves Remix) - Felix Da Housecat - Like Something 4 Porno (Teenage Bad Girl Remix) - Hot Chip - Ready For The Floor (Soulwax Dub) - Photek - Love and War (LA Riots Remix) - Justin Timberlake - Lovestoned (Justice Remix) - Thom York - Atoms for Peace (Four Tet Remix) - Jurge Paape - We Love - MIA - Jimmy (Dean Coleman Cables On Remix) - Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye (Jason Bentley Remix) Thom Yorke - Black Swan (Christian Vogel Spare Parts Remix)     Part 02 - Justice - Dance (MSTRKRFT Remix) - Klaxons - As Above, So Below (Justice Remix) - Teenage Bad Girl - Hands of a Stranger (Yuksek Remix) - Uffie - Ready to Uff - Jamie Lidell - When I Come Back Around - Zongamin - Bongo Song - Vitalic - My Friend Dario - Mystery Jets - Diamonds in the Dark (LA Riots Remix) - Felix Da Housecat - Rocket Ride (Soulwax Remix) - Vitalic - You Prefer Cocaine (Felix Da Housecat Remix) - Soulwax - E Talking (Rex The Dog Mix) - The Sounds - Tony The Beat (Rex The Dog Disco Mix) - Scissor Sisters - I Dont Feel Like Dancin (Teenage Bad Girl Remix) - Hot Chip - Over and Over (Solid Groove Remix) - Justice - DVNO (LA Riots Remix) - Justice - DANCE (Alan Braxe and Fred Falke Remix)   No Jeff Buckley On Her iPod Hot off the heals No Need To Ask My Name, another two-part session recorded in April 2008. No notes on the track listing survive.   You Can Dial One For The Two Moon Takeover Recorded in 2009, an electro mix with the elaborate mixing and editing. Unfortunately, notes on the tracks and edits are lost.     Incomplete Set List - Intro - Unknown / Unknown / Unknown - Tiga - Shoes / Little Boots - New In Town (Remix) - Yuksek - Extra Ball (Breakbot Remix) - I Remember / Unknown / Unknown - Cut Copy - Far Away (Golden Filter Remix) - The Virgins - Rich Girls (Le Castle Vanias Spring Break No Parents Remix) - Classixx - Dial 1 - Unknown - Michael Mind - Ride Like The Wind (Klaas Remix) - Polly Scattergood - Please Dont Touch (Golden Filter Remix) - Unknown - Metric - Help Im Alive (Twelves Remix) - The Golden Filter - Solid Gold - Shwayze - Buzzin (Classixx Remix) - Unknown - Classixx - Cold Act Ill (Wolfgang Fartner Monster Mix) / (Classixx Remix) Published on June 4, 2008 5 min read [Audio](/mp3/theoldschoolvirus.mp3) [Audio](/mp3/tocallforhandsfromabove.mp3) [Audio](/mp3/aprilminimix.mp3) [Audio](/mp3/032008prefer-pt01.mp3) [Audio](/mp3/032008prefer.mp3) [Audio](/mp3/aprilmix.mp3) [Audio](/mp3/aprilmixpt02.mp3) [Audio](/mp3/dialtwomoon.mp3) --- Page: Who built the Pyramids (/blog/egypt-pyramids) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # Who built the Pyramids History An experiment This post is now archived. It served as an SEO experiment to see if I could rank for the term "who built the pyramids" and it did not. I [found no evidence](/adventures/cairo) of aliens or lost civilizations — up close, the pyramids look like crumbling piles of stone, not mythical structures. ![image](/photos/2023-cairo/IMG_7031.jpeg) Im 38 lectures deep into the history of Egypt. This is a work in progress, collecting my research as I go. Youve been warned... For centuries, people have debated how the Egyptian pyramids were built without modern technology, with some suggesting help from aliens or a lost civilization. Who built the pyramids? I mean, who really built the pyramids? ![image](/blog/image-3.png) [ Archived ] Published on August 27, 2023 1 min read --- Page: An end of scaling (/blog/end-of-scaling-laws) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # An end of scaling AI Leaks about pre-training ceilings [The Information](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-shifts-strategy-as-rate-of-gpt-ai-improvements-slows?rc=ig2lmv) and others leaked internal strategy realignment at OpenAI and Anthropic due to alleged diminishing model returns. The number of people using ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence products is soaring. The rate of improvement for the basic building blocks underpinning them appears to be slowing down, though. The situation has prompted OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, to cook up new techniques for boosting those building blocks, known as large language models, to make up for the slowdown. Google is also making changes after facing similar challenges. One reason for the GPT slowdown is a dwindling supply of high-quality text and other data that LLMs can process during pretraining to make sense of the world and the relationships between different concepts so they can solve problems such as drafting blog posts or solving coding bugs. The Information The leaks suggest slowing gains from raw scale, pushing labs to compete on new training architectures, novel data pipelines from real-time human tasks, and inference-time reasoning for end-user applications. If true, the shift weakens the moat of giant pre-training budgets. However, there is one potential counter to this point: the upcoming release of Grok 3. Multiple large AI labs including but not limited to OpenAI/Microsoft, xAI, and Meta are in a race to build GPU clusters with over 100,000 GPUs. These individual training clusters cost in excess of $4 billion of server capital expenditures alone, but they are also heavily limited by the lack of datacenter capacity and power as GPUs generally need to be co-located for high-speed chip to chip networking. A 100,000 GPU cluster will require >150MW in datacenter capacity and guzzle down 1.59 terawatt hours in a single year, costing $123.9 million at a standard rate of $0.078/kWh. Semianalysis xAIs model will be the first to train on collocated infrastructure at this scale. The [Colossus data center](https://x.ai/colossus) brings together 100,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs — making it 8 to 10 times larger than the setup used for GPT-4. Grok 3s performance will be the best evidence for whether pre-training scale is over. Published on November 10, 2024 2 min read --- Page: Failure is the default (/blog/failure-is-the-default) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # Failure is the default Health A lesson in human nature from scaling a global fitness app to 40 million people.   tl;dr Most people buy self-improvement apps, books, or services, but rarely persist. Long-term success relies on nurturing their aspiration rather than chasing perfect completion metrics. Failure Is the Norm Across books, gyms, online courses, and fitness apps, completion rates cluster around 10%. Intent Outpaces Action Aggressive personalization boosts sales, yet half the new users never train after month one, and 85% never finish a 12-week plan. Buying motivation uncorrelated to sustained effort. A brief history in time... “10% of people that purchase a non-fiction book make it past the first chapter.” – Tony Robbins May 2019. I run my morning route through the Englischer Garten in Munich. Tony Robbins finishes that sentence, and I open my notes, writing it down. Its a bold statement, and it feels true. Months pass, and it is now December 2019. I reflect on the year. Ive learned many things, but theres one insight that I cant let go of: failure is the default.   Mining for insight December 2017. I know nothing about what makes a fitness app great and aim to change this by interviewing over 40 people. I want to know what they like and dislike about their current fitness routine. I listen to people that use competitor apps and some that quit apps completely. Listening to their stories, I spot the tension between autonomy and variety, and a desire for accountability. Those with no routine celebrate the freedom but complain that theyre not making progress. Those with a set routine complain of monotony. Everyone has their own motivation, or at least the one theyre willing to admit to a stranger. Young men want muscles and aim to show them off. New mothers want a moment for themselves when their newborn is napping. Women want to feel good and avoid high school acquaintances staring at them in the town gym.   The digital gym I spend the next two years building a team of 21 product managers, designers, and researchers. We come face-to-face with the contradictory nature of human intent and reality. We experiment, tailoring the first fifteen minutes of the experience using data from ads and answers to questions like experience level, fitness goal, and gender. We learn from millions of people. We empirically learn the obvious: people like people like them, helpful default settings rarely change, and personalized wins over generic. Most sales happen in these first minutes, and like all good salespeople, we get better at making it easy for people to say yes. But the easier we make it to say yes, the less likely the customer is to start their fitness habit. Another chart tells a similar story: 50% never return to training after month one. We ran a digital gym. We assume these customers will cancel their subscription. Were wrong. The majority keep their subscription because they intend to get started. They just havent started yet.   Building the habit We throw reminders, stats, community, and other gamification tricks into the app to help people on their journey. Seventy-two experiments later, nearly 70% of customers start a workout in their first week. Its an achievement. But, after years of experimentation, heres the reality: 10% of new people will start working out with the app – for free or with a subscription – and you work tirelessly to shift the mix of free to paidOf those people, only 15% will finish a 12-week programSaid differently: for every 1,000 people that sign up for your fitness app, only 15 will finish a 12-week training plan. I interview a loyal customer who trains in waves. Hes fit, successful, and French. He trains with the app 3-6 months out of the year. Every year, for years. The rest of the time, he climbs mountains and enjoys the beach. He always comes back and never cancels his subscription. Being someone who trains is part of his identity, even when he isnt consistently working out. And he likes discovering new features when he comes back the following year. The game isnt a perfect workout retention chart. The game is keeping the dream alive.   But sweating is hard I wonder if its just us. I reach out to others in the business of self-development apps. Learning a new language, playing a new instrument, or learning new skills for work. It turns out its all the same. We all see the highly seasonal patterns – hello New Years – followed by drops in activity. The narrative is the same: people intend to start something new but find it difficult keeping the habit. We all share stories of throwing the kitchen sink of behavior change tricks to attempt the seemingly impossible.   But social media is easy I learn of similar engagement patterns on Reddit and [other social media platforms](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/participation-inequality/). While it varies by platform, it is said that: - 1% of people generate the most engaging content - 9% of people generate the majority of content engagement, and - 90% of people just lurk Posting content on the internet is hard too.   Inertia in play I never find any corroborating evidence to support Tony Robbins quote, but I never doubt its accuracy. It fits the narrative built from other data points I have accumulated over the years. New Years Resolutions – 92% of people dont achieve their goalOpen Online Courses – 87% of students dont complete the classSavings – 69% of Americans have less than $1,000 savedGym Memberships – 67% (or more) go unusedThe Digital Gym – 85% of people wont finish a 12-week planWe tend to relegate inertia to physics, but its evident in human behavior. It takes a lot of energy to build momentum on both the cellular and psychological level. Often, its easier to keep doing what were already doing: nothing. A world (or at least, a nation) of contradictionAmericans spent 67billionongymmembershipsandsupplements,andthe[averagemonthlyhealthandfitnessspend](https://natural−mag.com/interesting/how−much−money−is−spent−on−fitness−each−year−question.html)perAmericanwas67 billion on gym memberships and supplements, and the [average monthly health and fitness spend](https://natural-mag.com/interesting/how-much-money-is-spent-on-fitness-each-year-question.html) per American was 67billionongymmembershipsandsupplements,andthe[averagemonthlyhealthandfitnessspend](https://natural−mag.com/interesting/how−much−money−is−spent−on−fitness−each−year−question.html)perAmericanwas286. If you only analyze spending, you might conclude that Americans are the healthiest, most fit inhabitants of this planet. Unfortunately, CDC data shows 74% are overweight, and 43% are obese. Doing hard things is hard, and most people dont do hard things. Or at least, they dont finish them. Sometimes – most likely – youre going to fail. [Just dont give up.](https://www.fastcompany.com/52717/change-or-die) Published on December 19, 2019 6 min read --- Page: GPT-4o Image Gen (/blog/gpt4o-imgen-march-2025) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # GPT-4o Image Gen AI OpenAIs March 2025 breakthrough in multimodal AI 10 months after announcing of GPT-4os [omni model capabilities](https://openai.com/index/hello-gpt-4o/), OpenAI publicly released native image generation capabilities for GPT-4o. And to exceptional, albeit Gibli memed, fanfare.   Whats different Overall, GPT-4o image generation is less creative compared to Midjourney models, however, there are four breakthroughs with GPT-4o that differentiate it from all others: - Natural language prompting - Prompt coherence - Style transfer - Text generation The first two improvements likely reduce creativity by eliminating the randomness and unexpected results that make generations feel novel. OpenAI replaced comma-separated, word-smashed prompts with coherent description following. Thematically, coherence is ties this release together. Image to image generation maintains key elements despite style changes. Text prompts correctly renders with a variety of fonts.   Job replacement GPT-4o is far from replacing graphic designers at American companies, especially when brand consistency matters. For small businesses that wouldnt hire a designer, GPT-4o is now handling many of those design tasks. In South East Asia, family restaurants use imgen for menus and other collateral.   Generated Examples Here are some that highlight the range of imgen’s capabilities. ![image](/blog/gpt4o-imgen/two-galaxies-eotu-v2.jpeg) ![image](/blog/gpt4o-imgen/topgun-gigapixel-art-scale-4_00x%20Edited.jpeg) ![image](/blog/gpt4o-imgen/t800-born-chat-v5-openai.jpeg) ![image](/blog/gpt4o-imgen/moodeng-apple-ad.jpeg) ![image](/blog/gpt4o-imgen/jp-gz3.jpeg) ![image](/blog/gpt4o-imgen/Stylish%20Cat%20in%20Suit%20Remix-gigapixel-hq-scale-4_00x.jpeg) ![image](/blog/gpt4o-imgen/Protest%2520Sign%2520Holder%2520Remix-gigapixel-art-scale-4_00x%20Edited.jpeg) ![image](/blog/gpt4o-imgen/Nostalgic%20Brosnan%20Gaming%20Moment-gigapixel-art-scale-4_00x.jpeg) Published on March 25, 2025 2 min read --- Page: MXWL: Laura Palmer Dances Forever (/blog/mxwl-laura-palmer-dances-forever) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # MXWL: Laura Palmer Dances Forever Music Summer mixtape with hits from Chromeo, The Drums, Phoenix, and The Teenagers I just recorded a summer indie dance mix for MixWithLove.com called Laura Palmer Dances Forever. It’s made up of some classics, some Classixx, and some indie bands remixed for the dance floor. Here’s the track listing: - Slicker Cities - Paradise - The Drums - Forever And Ever Amen (Saint Etienne Remix) - Database vs French Rebellion - Beaches And Friends (NYC Version) - Thieves Like Us - Forget Me Not (Sundance Remix) - Renegade - Threshold (Kn1ght Remix) - Passion Pit - The Reeling (Yasutaka Nakata Capsule Remix) - Chromeo - Needy Girl (DatA in Beverly Hills Remix) - Yeasayer - ONE (Glasnost Remix) - Unkle - Follow Me Down (The Golden Filter Remix) - Shout Out Louds - Walls (Fontan Rework) - Midnight Juggernauts - This New Technology (Emperor Machine Remix) - Phoenix - Lisztomania (Classixx Version) - The Teenagers - Feeling Better (Build Remix) - Kid Sister - Life on TV (Redlight Remix) - Shout Out Louds - Tonight I Have To Leave It (Kleerup Remix) - Wolfmother - New Moon Rising (YACHT Remix) - Groove Armada - Paper Romance (Classixx Version) - Rick James - Give It To Me Baby (Glasnost Remix) - MGMT - Kids (Soulwax Nite Version) - White Lies - Farewell To The Fairground (Yuksek Remix) - Classixx - Cold Act Ill (Extended Mix) Published on July 9, 2010 2 min read [Video](https://www.youtube.com/embed/5zhqxp23TYI) --- Page: New limits, or on scaling laws (/blog/new-limits-scaling-laws) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # New limits, or on scaling laws AI A theory on current scaling laws September 2024 — the FUD surrounding model scaling and performance returns filled the X/Twitter zeitgeist. The Information contributed to [scaling fears with leaks](/blog/end-of-scaling-laws) regarding OpenAI Orions performance (eventually, GPT-4.5) and Anthropics delay in releasing Claude 3.5. Without the release of OpenAIs incredible o1 model, the wave of fear might have consumed everyone. Semianalysis published [a rebuttal](https://semianalysis.com/2024/12/11/scaling-laws-o1-pro-architecture-reasoning-training-infrastructure-orion-and-claude-3-5-opus-failures/) to the scaling fear later in December. The internet is split between pre-training being over to US training missing optimizations ala [DeepSeek V3](https://arxiv.org/pdf/2412.19437). Heres my theory on the current state of scaling: The next step is 1M H100 equivalents — coupled with better post-training and reasoning, but few labs can continue at this scale.   Grok 3 capabilities Grok 3 is currently the only frontier model trained on over 100k colocated H100s. Grok 3 demonstrates significant intelligence over other frontier models (Gemini 2.5, GPT-4o, and Claude 3), especially with regards to smarter coding decisions with fewer lines and less bloat/creep. But the model struggles with small bugs in language to language translation, function calling, instruction following (especially within multi-turn threads), and [coding diffs](https://aider.chat/docs/leaderboards/). Grok 3s flaws showcase the post-training regime leads at OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic compared to xAI.   Stargate OpenAIs urgency to move away from Microsoft and onto their own colocated cluster, [Stargate](https://openai.com/index/announcing-the-stargate-project/), signals their belief in the value of Colossus scale. Google has yet to announce their own Stargate-like program, yet Gemini continues to operate at the [efficient frontier](https://blog.google/technology/google-deepmind/google-gemini-updates-io-2025/) of cost/intelligence. Anthropic, tied to Amazon for training and inference scale as part of their recent fundraising, lacks the ability to operate at this scale. [](https://x.com/swyx/status/1882933368444309723)[swyx](https://x.com/swyx/status/1882933368444309723)[@swyx](https://x.com/swyx/status/1882933368444309723)·[Follow](https://x.com/intent/follow?screen_name=swyx) [](https://x.com/swyx/status/1882933368444309723) updated price-elo pareto frontier with deepseek v3/r1 and gemini 2 flash thinking 2 results notes: - o1-mini and o3-mini are going to have to DRASTICALLY cut prices (like, at least 25x) to keep up. it is not a surprise that o3-mini is going to be in free chatgpt much sooner [](https://x.com/swyx/status/1882933368444309723) [](https://x.com/latentspacepod/status/1882932538404127198)Latent.Space @latentspacepod 🆕 2025's biggest surprise so far: Reasoning is less of a moat than anyone thought. latent.space/p/reasoning-pr… [11:27 PM · Jan 24, 2025](https://x.com/swyx/status/1882933368444309723)[](https://help.x.com/en/x-for-websites-ads-info-and-privacy) [400](https://x.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1882933368444309723)[Reply](https://x.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=1882933368444309723) Copy link [Read 27 replies](https://x.com/swyx/status/1882933368444309723)   Update: May 22 Anthropics release of Claude 4 appears to validate this theory. Claude 4, Sonnet and Opus, [fall behind](https://aider.chat/docs/leaderboards/) Gemini 2.5 in coding, at 2x the cost. Without a significant change to infrastructure, Anthropic will likely not keep pace with Google, OpenAI, and xAI. Published on March 27, 2025 2 min read --- Page: Nope: Special Edition (/blog/nope-special-edition) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # Nope: Special Edition Cinema My fan edit When you are so annoyed by a movie that you spend the next 24 hours in Final Cut Pro, recutting the film with 10 mins trimmed, adding a new score, and focusing the internal timeline. [Nope: Special Edition](https://vimeo.com/748739959/9937db67e4) [](https://vimeo.com/748739959/9937db67e4) Published on September 13, 2022 1 min read --- Page: NYE Mix: New Jaggz City (/blog/nye-mix-new-jaggz-city) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # NYE Mix: New Jaggz City Music An electro mixtape from New Years Eve 2010, featuring cuts from Cut Copy, Daft Punk, The Kills, and more. ![image](/blog/New-Jaggz-City.png) A fresh NYE Mix for your ears: the NYE version of New Jaggz City. Happy New Years! Here is the set list: - Daft Punk - Overture - Daft Punk - The Grid - Eclier - Hole - Housse de Racket - Oh Yeah! (Barretso Remix) - Julien & The Wolves - Chaos - Redlight - Rated R - Boys Noize - Avalanche (Religion Remix) - Redlight - Fresh Box of Juice - Stevie Wonder - Superstition (IKKI Remix) - Ocelot - Beating Hearts (Blende Extended Remix) - Cut Copy - Take Me Over (Thee Loving Hand Remix) - Seb - The Other Side (Extended) - The Kills - Cheap and Cheerful (SebastiAn Remix) - Fergie - Glamorous - Renegade - Threshold (Kn1ght Remix) - Duck Sauce - The Motion - TV Rock - In The Air (Grum Remix) - Gerruzz - Vendetta - Mick Jaggernauts - 2010 - Run DMC - My Adidas (Pilotpriest Remix) - The Aston Shuffle - I Wanna See You - Haezer - Anarchy! (FOOL Remix) - Teenage Bad Girl - Tonton Funk (Toxic Avenger Remix) - The Toxic Avenger - Toxic Is Dead - Bloc Party - One More Chance (Alex Metric Remix) Published on December 30, 2010 2 min read [Video](https://www.youtube.com/embed/gBTVb0mH44o) --- Page: On Starting (/blog/on-starting) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # On Starting Startups Theres never been a better time to start your own startup. Here is my reflection on the what I learned over the past 18 months.   tl;dr Solving a problem you genuinely love, using today’s free tools to build quickly, and keeping relentless focus makes turning a project into a scalable company uniquely achievable right now. Personal passion fuels stamina Finding a problem that fascinates you supplies the endless energy required for a startup — if the work feels like an obsession, you are on the right path. Wandering the “idea maze,” talking to 10-30 real users, and uncovering hidden insights turns that obsession into a clear product vision. Without this intrinsic drive, tools and tactics cannot compensate. Prototype fast with freebies Next.js, Vercel, Tailwind/Shadcn, Supabase, and the T3 stack let you ship full-stack prototypes in days without spending money, while programs like Microsoft Founders Hub and Stripe Atlas layer on tens of thousands of dollars in cloud and API credits. Rapid cycles of building and user feedback — not overly-polished mockups — create the data you need to refine the solution before formalizing a business entity. Raise smart, focus hard Build investor relationships months before capital is needed, expect many rejections, and use each meeting to sharpen your narrative around problem, market, and moat. Protect time by eliminating non-customer activities, push velocity through clear strategy and deep work blocks, and avoid copying startup folklore — instead, let opportunity cost, speed, and customer impact guide every decision. Now is the greatest time to explore a project, turn it into company, and scale the business. Theres a lot of noise when it comes to this topic, but lets cut through it quickly.   Interest, interested, interesting: an infinite energy source If youre interested in genuinely interesting problems, gratifying your interest energetically is the best way to prepare for a startup. — Paul Graham You will need an interesting problem to solve that you find interest in — otherwise none of this will work. You will find an infinite source of energy and motivation when working on something that is gratifying and interesting for you. It is a feeling unlikely anything else and you will know whether or not you are working on a problem that is interesting for you. How will you know? Many people label this as obsession, but the reality is, your mind will fall in love with the problem and be obsessed with solving it. Without this energy source, none of what follows will be helpful...   The Maze of Discovery If you dont have an interesting problem, spend some time wandering the idea maze. I should not take you long to go from an idea to a prototype, and you will likely need to repeat this process many times. The easiest way to find problems is to look at problems you already have. What annoying thing do you spend a lot of time and effort on every single day or week? Why are you doing them? Why do you hate doing it? If youre a manager, what are the rote tasks your team hates doing? Why are they doing them? Why do they hate the task? Make a list of those problems and start wandering the maze. There will be many conversations, explorations, false starts, and discovery. The secret to all of this is collecting secrets. You are on a mission to discover unknown secrets that you can apply in your solution to this problem. Every great business is built around a secret thats hidden from the outside. A great company is a conspiracy to change the world; when you share your secret, the recipient becomes a fellow conspirator. — Peter Thiel Balaji Srinivasans Startup Engineering course best details [the idea maze](https://spark-public.s3.amazonaws.com/startup/lecture_slides/lecture5-market-wireframing-design.pdf) and how to build a venture-scale business. ![image](/blog/idea-state-machine.png) Balajis Idea State Machine From Idea to Product, you will need to talk to people about the problem you are solving. How many people? Its somewhere between 10 and 30, not including all of the bad matches that dont have the problem youre solving. By Profit, you will talk to hundreds. Note: this number is always debated, and it ultimately depends on two factors in my opinion: how brilliant you are and how much you already know about the domain. Both of these factors will drastically lower the number of people you need to speak with to continually understand the problem. I use [tldraw](https://www.tldraw.com/) as my tool of choice for idea drawing. Its lacking most fancy tools that will keep you stuck in sketching only the most important aspects of your idea. Despite years of Photoshop, Sketch, and Figma use, I mostly believe these tools are not needed until a bit later, and the reason is this: unless youre incredibly disciplined, you will waste many cycles on small details that will not matter at this point. Details do matter, but not on napkin sketches. Your ability to clearly communicate your idea is the most important priority.   Starting is only the beginning Dusk, March 2022. Its time to build. I have several pages of sketches and decide to build a prototype for Launchpad. Before tonight, I had not written a line of code in almost 10 years. So much has changed since then — namely — every concept and framework is now being taught for free on Youtube. There are many resources, but with the [Fireship Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@Fireship/videos), I quickly ramped back up on [computer science concepts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uleG_Vecis) and [front-end stack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuHDQhDhvPE) options. If did some sort of 80/20 analysis of educational resource impact on my work, I would point to Fireship. I built the first prototype, working in a browser in an evening, and added additional pages the next evening. The time investment may vary for you, but the resources to learn are there.   Frameworks, freemium, free There are many frameworks to choose from, but I am going to do you a favor and make a recommendation. This is based on the generally available community, platforms, and support for them.     NextJS NextJS is free and open source. [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/)You can build a full-stack application very quickly with NextJS. Its a variation of React, and has the largest community around it. There many — and I mean many — other options to choose from, but for your first prototype, I believe its the fastest way to get started.     Vercel Vercel has a generous free tier. [Vercel](https://vercel.com/)Vercel is the fastest way to ship a working prototype. When I got started, it was mostly for frontend apps, however their recent launch of database options makes them a strong contender for everything you will need.     Shadcn/UI Shadcn/UI and Tailwind are free and open source. [shadcn/ui](https://ui.shadcn.com/) [Tailwind CSS](https://tailwindcss.com/)Tailwind massively simplifies CSS best practices and they also offer pre-built UI components. But Shadcn/UI takes it a step further and supplies nearly every UI pattern you will need — for free.     Supabase Supabase has a generous free tier. [Supabase](https://supabase.com/)Supabase offers an amazing backend-as-a-service platform that goes beyond a simple Postgres platform, and bakes in authentication, functions, and more.     Create T3 T3 is free and open source. [Create T3 App](https://create.t3.gg/)You can put most of this all together in a single package called create-t3. T3 wraps a few more extras that make it possible to convert your simple prototype into a complete full-stack application.   The Business See a pattern emerging here? You havent spent a single dime yet. You have only spent your time. Remember this, well talk about it later. Once you have a working project, great feedback, and some people using it — its time to think about the business. I will tell you now that any time spent before those things — the working project, the great feedback, and people using it — is likely wasted most of the time. Ok, but now that Im done lecturing you, heres how to do it...     Microsoft Founders Hub [Microsoft for Startups](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups)Go sign up for Microsofts FounderHub. I know, I know. Microsoft sucks. Except, theyre actually pretty great for startups these days. You will receive a number of FREE benefits from Azure to Github to LinkedIn credits. But most importantly, youre going to get a discount code for Stripe Atlas Trust me, you will thank me later. I too was very skeptical. If you arent convinced, find me on LinkedIn and ask me about the most important free credits available through this program (hint: its related to AI).     Stripe Atlas [Stripe Atlas](https://stripe.com/atlas)Now that you have that discount code — go sign up for Stripe Atlas. Its the easiest way to start a US-based Corporation. They will handle all of the paperwork required and its fast. There is no better deal. You will also receive additional credits and access to free programs from AWS to Notion.     Additional Credits It will not take you much more digging, but you should be able to locate more additional programs from AWS and Google Cloud. [Google for Startups Cloud Program](https://cloud.google.com/startup)At this point, you will have an idea, a project that people are using, and tens of thousands of dollars worth of free credits. Until AWS fueled the Web2 wave, this starting up phase was the major barrier for most folks to get a project started. Now? Now we almost take it for granted. Use this free value to your advantage.   Reflecting on the first months We built many ideas, two products, and two platforms. Wherever possible we started with open source software and bent it to our will. We live in a time of abundance and you can move very quickly when you leverage it correctly. For example...     Rapid Prototyping One of the products we built had a real-time analytics engine. We built this by using an open source platform that had 80% of the functionality we needed, and we then built the remaining 20%. We needed the system to integrate with our customer data and then generate aggregations to show Davinci-003 / InstructGPT. A small set of changes enabled our unique user experience for real-world use and feedback. Before we built this we wandered the idea maze and built many working prototypes. One prototype was a ChatGPT-like experience tailored for Product/Engineering team, but most people we tested with didnt like it. This was 2 months before ChatGPT was released to the public. Its a good reminder that user experience matters, and that stated and revealed preference are two very different things.   Building an Investor Network I started talking to investors very early because a few heard about what we were building and wanted to learn more. The first investment committee pitch was a disaster... we didnt have the product, we had one of the many prototypes. It was just the latest concept built that week. Dont fear the bad meetings, you will learn more from those than you do from the mid ones. You should start talking to investors 3-6 months before you actually need any of the outside investment. This gives you time to build relationships and not have any financial pressure to close the deal. There are three easy ways to build a network of investors if you dont know any today: - Cold Message — Find their emails and write to them. Write 2-3 interesting lines that introduce you, your product, and why you want to talk to them. - LinkedIn Job Change — Change your LinkedIn and it will trigger the network of scrapers set up by investors to create their deal flow. They will then reach out to you. - Accelerator — Especially if you have a running project, join an accelerator like Launch, Techstars, or Y Combinator. They will shepherd you along, and introduce you to their network of investors. Something will start happening between options 1 and 2 — and that is — investors have many deal-flow groups where they share potential founders and startups. Investor A from Firm X messages the group and the next thing you know, Investor B from Firm Z reaches out.   Getting to No A mentor of mine once told me that I should expect 100 nos from investors. Its in this mindset that the normal is no, and the exception is yes. I recommend taking it a step further. Raising money is like dating, and you need to date a lot of people to find the one. Very rarely do you find them first. Once you start talking to investors, you will realize that every investor is unique, but there are a common set of questions you will get from early-stage investors: What problem are you solving? Who has this problem? How do you sell to this person? Is this a big market?How much progress have you made? What is your moat? It will be very easy to proactively communicate the answers to these questions by telling your story of wandering the idea maze, learning about the problem, the solutions you tried that led you to this current one, and why you believe accelerating your startups growth is the right path to win at solving this problem.   Good Venture Capitalist, Bad Venture Capitalist The bad investors are easy to spot — they arent engaged in the conversation, and it feels like theyre running a script with you. The good investors are engaged, will also run the script, but will have little to offer in terms of market or domain insight. The greatest investors will be engaged, throw the script out to engage in the actual conversation at play, and offer insight into what they believe and what they see in the market. I learned from Bezos to say "I dont know" when thats the right answer. I use this principle when answering investors. Generally there are questions that: - I have a clear answer that I spent many hours thinking about - I have a vague hypothesis and not a lot of data to support it yet - I have no idea, but Im good at bullshitting something that seems logical In many case, I have hypotheses, and I share these, but I preface it with "I dont know, but heres what I currently believe." I believe its better to be aware of ignorance, than to fake knowledge.   On Pre-Seed Moat Every investor will ask you what your moat is — when youre starting out, all of the answers you provide will be lies, or at best, your guess. Your moats size is directly proportional to the amount of time youve been digging. And as of today? You havent been digging very far. But heres your moat in the first twelve months: - Customer/developer delight - Team composition and skill - Unique data - Velocity - Viral word-of-mouth Any of those — let alone all — five are incredibly difficult to acquire.   You will get advice, but you need principles Warning: I am about to give you advice. And before I do, you will get advice to ignore advice from others. These are my beliefs, I might be wrong. When you talk to advisors, investors, and other people in your journey you are going to get advice. I believe that most of the advice is directionally correct, but wrong in in detail. Here are five principles from my reflections on the journey so far... Opportunity Cost Your time is your most precious and finite resource. Extract as much free value from credits and platforms as you can to keep this statement true. Where you decide to spend that time is the most important decision you will make. I removed all things that were not directly connected to the product and customers. Velocity Your ability to move quickly sets you apart from encumbants, as well as your upstart competitors. Your ability to accelerate and maintain high velocity is a factor of three things: strategy, focus time, and zone of genius. I have zero standing meetings to give my team as much focus time as possible and I only take external meetings from 3-8pm to create massive daily focus. Focus Your ability to focus comes easily when theres a clear strategy for your mission, the problem you are solving, and your customers. Dont be afraid of trying many things that might not work. But do be afraid of spending time on things not related to your customers or mission — meetings, meetups, social media, etc. Many of these things trick the mind. Expectations You have a novel idea and product, but others will have expectations of what you should or should not be doing. You should determine which those things are important for yourself and reflect on it if necessary. Cargo Culting There are many cult stories of startups, startup culture, and the way of ways for doing things. Open workspaces, how to sell, PLG, open source, remote not working, agile squads, etc. You will receive advice and opinions for and against almost every aspect of startups. You need to find the first principles that matter for your startup strategy and build the culture and operating strategy to support it. Seek advice when needed, but remember your principles. The journey ahead will be challenging, there will be many distractions — build for your customers and the problems you solve for them, not for glory or praise. Solve real problems and make peoples lives better. How are your customers daily lives better because of what you make for them? Lets shape the world we live in. Its time to build. Published on August 26, 2023 15 min read --- Page: The Lean Startup is a Lie (/blog/the-lean-startup-is-a-lie) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # The Lean Startup is a Lie Startups The lean startup methodology is not as successful as it is made out to be. While the framework features methods for testing hypotheses and challenging assumptions, the lack of these methods are not what is preventing failure or propelling businesses to new heights. Originally published on [medium.com](https://medium.com/gxd-global-experience-design/the-lean-startup-is-a-lie-2d806949a855)   2022 Update UBS acquires Wealthfront in January 2022 – leaving only Dropbox left from the example companies outlined in the book. [Wealthfront Has Agreed To Be Acquired by UBS | Wealthfront Blog](https://blog.wealthfront.com/wealthfront-has-agreed-to-be-acquired-by-ubs/)Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: senior management realizes their company’s growth and innovation is stagnant. This realization sends shivers down their spine. Something must be done to jump-start growth. You can test this hypothesis by looking at the number of innovation related business books published each decade. Jump on Google and quickly discover *The Lean Startup *positioned in the results for “best books for business innovation.” ![image](https://miro.medium.com/max/4128/1*fF9pEuldkndG8trh2knyUg.png)A quick Google searchTranslated into thirty languages. A million copies sold. A vague memory of a colleague recommending the book. All the social proof necessary one might need to purchase their very own copy. Page after page the secrets behind the most successful startups spill out: minimum viable products, continuous deployment, split testing, actionable metrics, pivot, and the virtuous cycle of build, measure, learn. The ideas are powerful, but the narrative is false. Even Mr. Ries hints at this. “There is a myth-making industry hard at work to sell us that story, but I have come to believe that the story is false, the product of selection bias and after-the-fact rationalization. ” — Eric Ries![image](https://miro.medium.com/max/5468/1*_c1O9I9FT0tBONUweJbLBw.png)Seven years after the book’s publishing, Ries’ perspective on selection bias and after-the-fact rationalization rings true, only now in regards to his book. Methods and companies highlighted are victims of selection bias. The supporting qualitative evidence is shoehorned for congruity. The Dropbox “Video MVP” is a masterful example of intentional, audience-aware viral marketing after the company spent 18 months building a reliable platform. In fact, [Drew Houston](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9hg-mUx8sE) used this technique twice. First to gain the attention and acceptance of Y Combinator in 2007 and again to target the Digg.com audience in 2008 prior to their public beta. It’s neither an MVP, nor a vehicle for testing a hypothesis. Quite simply this is growth marketing. Search Google for “Video MVP” and you will uncover zero evidence of other startups successfully deploying this technique to validate product-market fit. Additionally, most startups in the book failed the test of time. Whether their goal was to truly persevere and join the ranks of Amazon, Facebook, or Google is unknown.   A (mostly) complete list of the startups mentioned in the book Dropbox, 500M users, revenue of 1B,valuationat1B, valuation at 1B,valuationat10B — and the only company that wasn’t following lean principles when building their product[Food on the Table](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/food-on-the-table), founded by IMVU alumni, acquired by Food Network and shuttered in 2014[Aardvark](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/aardvark), acquired by Google and [shuttered in 2011](http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/fall-spring-clean.html)Groupon, [IPO in 2011](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1490281/000104746911005613/a2203913zs-1.htm#de79801_risk_factors) and raised additional post IPO funding in 2016, was burning cash in order to fuel explosive, now hollow growth; [famously crippled small businesses](https://techcrunch.com/2011/06/09/groupon-single-worst-decision/) with bad customer trafficVotizen, [acquired in 2013 by Causes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2013/01/10/causes-acquires-votizen-both-sean-parker-startups/) and shuttered after 2012 election, its user database repurposed in Brigade productGrockit, [acquired by Kaplan](https://techcrunch.com/2013/07/31/grockit-sells-social-learning-platform-to-kaplan-goes-all-in-on-learnist-a-pinterest-for-education/) in 2013, its IP and users repurposed by Kaplan, while the team left to focus on the now defunct LearnistZappos, acquired by Amazon in 2009 for its high [culture](https://techcrunch.com/2009/07/22/amazon-buys-zappos/) alignment and its success in a retail category that eluded Amazon previouslyIn hindsight, the book’s anecdotes point toward moving quickly to the safest landing possible. Sell off valuable assets such as customer traffic, customer data, or intellectual property, and move on. There is one company in the book that exemplifies the build-measure-learn flywheel: Wealthfront. Wealthfront slowly pivoted away from simulated investing to a SaaS investment platform somewhere between 2007 and 2011. This move connected the nouveau riche of Silicon Valley to mutual fund managers claiming to beat the market by over 32% after the 2008 market crash. Wealthfront’s idea democratized a tool of the traditional neighborhood investment broker: the ability to select investment “sleeves” from top fund managers to place their clients’ funds in. ![image](https://miro.medium.com/max/678/1*iZyOFjtqtKPe0hwVUkbC7Q.png)A supporting val prop graphic from the 2010 siteIt’s hard to know when this pivot actually took place.** **Like several stories in the book, facts and dates don’t align with verifiable sources. [A look at Wealthfront’s site from 2010](https://web.archive.org/web/20101201101537/https://www.wealthfront.com/) shows this product a year before the book’s timeline. By December 2011, Wealthfront moved again from the mutual fund experience to the [ETF robo platform](http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/01/wealthfron%E2%80%A6) they are now known for. This high-margin model,** **coupled with compounding annual returns is an ingenious idea that is seemingly glossed over. And more, the customer experience iteration, moving from requiring knowledge of good investments and investment managers to recommending a [MPT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_portfolio_theory) portfolio echoes the product simplicity found in Dropbox. This new product simply works, reducing the barriers to entry for mass market consumers. This lesson in business fundamentals and customer experience is sadly untold. “Every moment in business happens only once. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. And the next Mark Zuckerberg won’t create a social network. If you are copying these guys, you aren’t learning from them.” — Peter ThielThe Wealthfront of 2018 is the same product from 2012, only now with a mainstream brand and val prop after years of iterations. The product team is focused on differentiated feature innovation instead of wide pivots. One recent launch is the ability to [borrow against your investment](https://www.wealthfront.com/portfolio-line-of-credit). Not a new concept, however Wealthfront addressed the biggest consumer pain point when borrowing from retirement investments: the inability to participate in the market. Now the business is able to compound earnings by capturing their typical management fee, while collecting comparatively low interest on the loan. Loan revenue is up to twenty times greater than their portfolio management fee. You know what’s better than [10x](http://www.astroteller.net/talks/10x-thinking)? 20x. Wealthfront’s digital interface to algorithmic, risk-weighted ETF portfolios, was pioneered by Betterment in 2008 and available to the public by 2010. Industry leaders Vanguard and Schwab quickly reproduced the business model, launching similar products, and respectively taking the #1 and #2 positions in total managed assets in the robo advice category. [Published figures](https://www.statista.com/outlook/337/100/robo-advisors/worldwide#marketStudy) show Wealthfront manages closer to 0% than they do 1% of the addressable market in terms of total assets invested via robo-advice products. Wealthfront is actively iterating against a local maximum. “Even in engineering-driven Silicon Valley, the buzzwords of the moment call for building a “lean startup” that can “adapt” and “evolve” to an ever-changing environment. Would-be entrepreneurs are told that nothing can be known in advance: we’re supposed to listen to what customers say they want, make nothing more than a “minimum viable product,” and iterate our way to success. But leanness is a methodology, not a goal. Making small changes to things that already exist might lead you to a local maximum, but it won’t help you find the global maximum. You could build the best version of an app that lets people order toilet paper from their iPhone. But iteration without a bold plan won’t take you from 0 to 1. A company is the strangest place of all for an indefinite optimist: why should you expect your own business to succeed without a plan to make it happen? Darwinism may be a fine theory in other contexts, but in startups, intelligent design works best.” — Peter Thiel, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the FutureIf the narrative is false, what is true? The Lean Startup succeeded in providing an update to the business lexicon used to describe entrepreneurial practices and tendencies. The concepts and frameworks are real, with repeatable methods for testing hypotheses and challenging assumptions. But are those hypotheses valuable? Ries himself warns that most startups fail. These lean methods are generally not what is preventing failure or propelling businesses to new heights. Organizational success requires much more than product validation and you certainly cannot replace hard work, good ideas, luck, and timing with someone else’s historical roadmap. Readers of The Lean Startup must understand that the stories contained inside its pages are outliers. Find inspiration in these stories, but apply judgement to your own business problems. Start building today and avoid falling in love with myths of success. No one in the history of innovation books has duplicated past success following someone else’s playbook. Work hard and be thoughtful about your own [principles](https://inside.bwater.com/publications/principles_excerpt).   Here are some of mine - Care deeply about your business, craft, and customers - [Embrace experimentation](http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9NjY2MjA0fENoaWxkSUQ9Mzc0MDUxfFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1) and [validated learning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Validated_learning) - Develop mechanisms to [break biases](http://www.scn.ucla.edu/pdf/Lieberman(2015)Neuroleadership.pdf) - Create [high-motivation](http://www.vegafactor.com/science-of-tomo-intro/) environments for teams - Collaborate with [human-centered design](http://www.designkit.org/methods) techniques - Dont mistake [growth hacking](https://growthhackers.com/) with building an MVP - Learn to spot [outliers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regression_toward_the_mean) Published on February 7, 2018 8 min read --- Page: The Myth of Atlantis (/blog/the-myth-of-atlantis) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # The Myth of Atlantis History A fun thought experiment This original article was published in early 2022. Its just a fun thought experiment — its probably not accurate or real, but its a fun exploration. ![image](/blog/atlantis.jpg)   How likely was Atlantis? Ill use IPCC words of estimation to break down the elements here... Is it possible that 20k years ago... - the Azores plateau was above current sea levels? Likely. - someone created a boat to take humans from Africa/Europe to the Azores? Even chance. - the massive ice melting would alter sea levels and redraw coastlines/islands? Very likely. These variables have some prior evidence to point toward; however, lets look at elements of the myth (some original, some added later). Possible that the people on the Azores... - flourished 1-10k years before Plato? Even chance. - had a metal like gold or copper? Even chance. - had a strong military? Even chance. - made statues with copper, gold, and silver? Even chance. - made separate baths for royalty, and men and women? Even chance. - had a beautiful land with mountains, rivers, lakes, and valleys? Very likely. - formed a federation on their islands? Likely. - had great lumber reserves? Likely. - cultivated diverse plant life? Likely. - enslaved people? Likely. - built bridges? Unlikely. - had elephants? Unlikely. - made separate baths for animals? Unlikely. - had a great navy? Unlikely. - built stadium-sized temples? Unlikely. - cut rings in the land to form islands? Unlikely. - had densely populated cities? Very unlikely. - built temples to Greek gods? Very unlikely. - had electricity or other futuristic technology? Very unlikely. - formed a global federation, ruling Libya, Europe, and Egypt? Very unlikely. - had a massive army of 60k men, 10k chariots, and 1.2k ships? Very unlikely. - were ruled by half-god kings? Exceptionally unlikely. Why are many unlikely to exceptionally unlikely? There are little to no past priors of other civilizations harnessing future technology, creating great structures outside of Egypt, praising future civilizations gods, or ever being even quarter-part gods (not even the pharaohs) at this period of history. Why is it very unlikely Atlantis organized Earths kingdoms and traded globally? There are no recorded stories or documents of Atlantis, and all details originate at one place: Plato (via his grandfather via Solon). Plato spoke of kingdoms known to the Greeks but left out the Americas and Asia. Stories passed as history, but originating from a single source, tend to be a myth.   What if Atlantis wasnt in the Atlantic? Lets review the possibility that a lost civilization was located... - in the Mediterranean? Likely. - in the Atlantic at the Azores? Even chance. - elsewhere in the Atlantic? Even chance. - on the island known as Ireland? Very unlikely. - in the North Sea? Unlikely. - in the Caribbean? Even chance. There is strong evidence of lost civilizations in the Aegean Sea, but there is declining evidence elsewhere. Plato speaks of Atlantis being in the Atlantic Ocean, and there is little evidence of ancient Egypt interacting with people from the Caribbean or Nordic lands. Evidence of past, basic civilization was found offshore in the North Sea. And to date, theres no evidence of ancient, lost civilizations on the island of Ireland.   Whats the probability of Atlantis? If all elements above are equal, with equal evidence of past priors, and we ignore things like the prior evidence of myths being fiction, or ever discovering one lost ancient civilization of any technological advancement... theres less than a 40% probability of a lost Atlantic civilization existing, and its far from matching the details in the Atlantis myth. Its more probable – like most "history" told from this period – that the myth of Atlantis was used for entertainment and education (through parables).   Is it fun to believe in lost advanced civilizations? Yes. Also available as a Twitter thread... [](https://x.com/0xSMW/status/1490208353221586945)[Stephen](https://x.com/0xSMW/status/1490208353221586945)[@0xSMW](https://x.com/0xSMW/status/1490208353221586945)·[Follow](https://x.com/intent/follow?screen_name=0xSMW) [](https://x.com/0xSMW/status/1490208353221586945) Usually I subscribe to the idea that Atlantis is a myth told for entertainment, much like the Greek gods. But if I were to think it was real... [6:18 AM · Feb 6, 2022](https://x.com/0xSMW/status/1490208353221586945)[](https://help.x.com/en/x-for-websites-ads-info-and-privacy) [2](https://x.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1490208353221586945)[Reply](https://x.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=1490208353221586945) Copy link [Read 2 replies](https://x.com/0xSMW/status/1490208353221586945) Published on February 6, 2022 4 min read --- Page: The War of Art (/blog/the-war-of-art-is-one-of-my-new-favorite-books) Content: SMW.AIAbout [Blog](/blog) # The War of Art Reading One of the best books on creating focus Late to the game, but The War of Art is one of my favorite books this year. If you work on creative pursuits, I highly recommend it. If you read the reviews, its highly polarizing. It offers no frameworks, only personal accountability. Instead, its a book about personal accountability, describing the forces within all of us that keep us from achieving and inspiring us to do great work. ![image](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411337490i/14653803._UY630_SR1200,630_.jpg)   A Summary Pressfield is an accidental success, and far from an overnight one. Most people know him as the writer of The Legend of Bagger Vance, but he had been writing for decades. The War of Art reveals how creatives make excuses to avoid meaningful work and redefines what it means to be a professional. Pressfield uses stories from his career to explain the roles of ego and inspiration (the muse) in creative success. The main idea is "Resistance" — an inner force that stops us from reaching our creative or professional goals. Pressfield describes the creative process as a daily fight against Resistance, requiring discipline and routine. His advice: show up every day, push through doubt, and be kind to yourself. The key takeaway: recognize Resistance and keep working to overcome it.   Resistance Pressfield’s main idea is “Resistance” — an invisible force inside us that stops us from doing our most important work. Resistance causes procrastination, distraction, and lack of motivation. He describes it as a clever inner enemy. Resistance is the source of all excuses keeping you from doing great work. Keeping you from reaching your goals. Resistance shows up as self-doubt, perfectionism, busyness, addictions, and fear — especially fear of failure or success. It’s not an outside obstacle, but something within us that tries to block our purpose. Resistance is everywhere and takes many forms — even reading this summary could be a way to avoid your real work. By recognizing and naming Resistance, we can start to overcome it and make progress on our creative goals.   Turning Pro Pressfield distinguishes amateurs from professionals. Professionals show up every day, do the work consistently, and persist through rejection and criticism. They are dedicated to their craft, working even when they don’t feel inspired. Being a pro isn’t just about your job — it’s about commitment. Pros have full lives outside their work but take responsibility for their contributions. They accept feedback, adapt to challenges, and don’t wait for inspiration or approval. Turning pro means shifting from dabbling to consistently producing. It requires commitment, resilience, and making your work a core part of your identity.   The Muse & The Ego Pressfield highlights two key forces in creativity: the muse and the ego. The muse represents inspiration — unpredictable and beyond our control. Professionals show up daily and practice their craft so they’re ready when inspiration strikes. The ego, on the other hand, is our desire for recognition and validation. It can distract us from authentic work. Pros work to quiet the ego by knowing themselves and focusing on the work itself, not on praise or status. By accepting themselves and letting go of vanity, professionals become open to inspiration. They balance using their unique talents with humility, aiming to create meaningful work that serves something greater than themselves. Fear is the mind-killer. Just kidding. Thats not in this book. Just seeing if you were still paying attention. [The book](https://amzn.to/334j1cs) is under 200 pages and easy to read in an afternoon. The Audible version of the audiobook is even more fun and read by the author. Published on September 27, 2020 3 min read