About This Site and I

See other slash pages

• Now - what I am focused on at this point in my life.
• Uses - what I use
• Want to learn - what I want to learn
• Colophon - how this site is made

Target Audience

The content on this website is for my future self, who is intelligent and interested, but has forgotten. So I hope to remember why I decided something by noting down everything I found interesting about it for future reference. I hope you might find some topics as interesting as I have, and the essay useful or at least entertaining–but the intended audience is my future self.

Long Site

I’m looking for more ways to apply the idea of Long Now. If you worked on something for the next 60 years, what sort of writing could you create? What could you do if you started now?

The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardner objected that the tree was slow growing and wouldn’t reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, “In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!
― John F. Kennedy

Long Now Years

You may be confused by five-digit dates. See Long Now Years.

Long Content

I hope to work on projects that are too big to work on normally or too tedious. Thinking Long Now gives you a better perspective to tackle long-term tasks like gathering information for years. If one persists in collecting glimmers of genius for years, then even the dullest person may look a bit like a genius himself.

Starting is hard. One solution is to never start. Have perpetual drafts tweaked from time to time. And the rest takes care of itself. It’s about starting, not finishing. Improving, not being perfect.

I wish to create works that persist through time. Works in which the more time passes, the more they improve.

One such approach is the monograph, but Long Content is any content that gets better over time.

So a goal is to actively think about how to write material that improves with time, and work on writings that will not be finished for years, if at all.

About Me

I seek to learn about various concepts and become enamored by them. Often, I cannot understand them enough to meaningfully generate the concepts at the time. At best, it will float back up in my thoughts years later, and I’ll go, “Ohhhhhhhh, so that’s what that means!” (sazen, Sabien, 2022) At worst, articulation will instantiate wrong interpretations that will take years to undo (knowledge shields, Spiro et al., 1994).

And yet, I aspire to get significantly better at extracting knowledge and revealing knowledge.

Core Values

• Be serious about the things that matter to you
  • Tsuyoku Naritai–I want to become stronger. The important thing is to do better, to keep moving ahead, to take one more step forward.
  • Be serious about the things that matter to you.
  • Surely you can be serious
  • The standard pace is for chumps. There is no speed limit.
• Process over outcome
  • Infinite games over finite games
  • First-time mistakes are common and expected. Second-time mistakes means there‘s a problem with a process. Third-time mistakes means there needs to be an intervention.
• Think Less Wrong and act Long Now
• Find heroes and outgrow them.
• When your stomach is in knots, make it heard.
  • Do things not because of fear but despite it
  • Stare into the abyss
• Choose to create.
• My richness is life
• Give it five minutes.
• Attention is a gift. Don’t sell your attention, refuse the transaction.
• Interruption is assault.
• Write it up, don’t chat it down.
• Everything should have a URL
• Find new ways to confuse yourself
• Find solace in learning
• Find a quest, find something to be enthusiastic about
• Every day do something that won’t compute
• Slow down, deliberate
• Strong opinions, loosely held
• Less, but better
• Everything is a file
• Everything must be paid for twice
• There’s always a trade-off.
• It’s okay to not like things
• Idea labs, not echo chambers
• Long-term games with long-term people
• You can’t teach what they aren’t ready to know
• The map is not the territory. Revising your map is a sign you’re doing things right.
  • When your map and reality conflict, reality is always right.
• Search for better questions.
• Build for posterity, build bridges when you cross.
• We shape our tools, and our tools shape us.
• Today you, tomorrow me.
• Genshai: Never treat another person in a manner that would make them feel small – including yourself.
• Trust by default.
• You have to trust your self.
• We need you.
• Appreciate everything endlessly

Things I want to learn

Moved to /wtl

Companies I’ve Worked For

January 2025 – Present Hiking Hawaii

January 2025 – Present Rove Media • Application Developer • Remote

March 2023 – January 2025 SkyCatchFire • Application Developer • Remote

March 2021 – March 2023 Virra • Full-Stack Developer • Remote

August 2020 – March 2021 Loganix • Content Strategist • Remote

January 2020 – April 2020 ABB • Marketing Consultant • Remote

July 2018 – August 2019 Infinite Smiles • Product Designer • 7500 Sawmill Pkwy Powell, OH 43065

August 2017 – May 2018 Cinemark @ 1071 Gemini Pl Columbus, OH 43240

December 2015 – July 2017 Chick-fil-a @ 8787 Sancus Blvd Columbus, OH 43240

Places I Want to Visit

In no particular order

• USA, Washington, D.C.
  • The Library of Congress (2024)
• USA, Washington
  • Connections Museum Seattle
• USA, Oregon
  • Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
• USA, California
  • The Interval
  • California Redwood Forest
  • The Huntington
• USA, Massachusetts
  • Walden Pond
  • Bell Works
  • Museum of Printing
• USA, Rhode Island
  • The Breakers
• UK, Cambridge
  • Cambridge University Library
• UK, London
  • The Royal Institution
• UK, Buckinghamshire
  • The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC)
• Japan
  • Patio11 recs
  • Ise Grand Shrine in 2033!
• Germany, Halberstadt
  • St. Burchardi church in 2026
• Brazil
• China
• France
• India

Atlas Obscura travel guidebook

Websites

• Gmail since 2010
• Twitter since 2012
• Instagram since 2012
• Github since 2012
• YouTube since 2013
• Snapchat since 2014
• Reddit since 2015
• Facebook since 2016
• LinkedIn since 2016
• Pinterest since 2018
• Lukasmurdock.com since 2018
• Less Wrong since 2020
• Long Now since 2020 #11261

Uses

See: uses

Mailing Lists

• 2021 list

Personality

Myers-Briggs

INFJ-A

Big 5 Personality Inventory

• Openness to Experience: high
• Conscientiousness: medium
• Extraversion: low
• Agreeableness: medium
• Neuroticism: medium-low

Enneagram

type 5 - 5w6 wing (taken: ~2021, 2023)

• site 1 (take test here)
• site 2
• site 3

PrinciplesYou

Best Match: Growth Seeker

Defined by a deep passion for learning, personal growth, and development. Curious, humble, open to new ideas and experiences, and adaptable.

Good Match: Quiet Leader

Focused on leading through open-mindedness and equanimity in facing challenges - often leading as much through “taking in” as “putting out”. More reserved, reflective, both determined and humble, composed under pressure while also being an inspiring and demanding leader.

Second Good Match: Coach

Regard self-growth, development and learning as a cornerstone of life and daily practices and teaches and models these as aspirations for others. Both demanding and caring, humble and resilient.

How I prefer to think:

• Heavily favor creative thinking, have a comfort with the unknown, think independently, and find my own way of doing things.
• Tend to rely on logic and analysis, with a moderate inclination to be methodical and strive for objectivity when reaching decisions and making choices.
• I tend to be less organized, neat, and orderly. I can focus on details when required but don’t pay too much attention.
• I have a preference to think abstractly and philosophically, using theories and models to solve problems.

How I engage with others:

• I prefer less social engagement and activity, with a moderate inclination to be adventurous in the activities I like to participate in.
• I am willing to fight for my ideas, tell people what I really think, and be frank with my views, including critical feedback.
• I have a strong desire to prioritize and support others’ needs, and am fascinated by their behaviors and tendencies, with moderate sensitivity to their emotions and feelings in the moment.
• I am willing to take charge in groups, and tend to lead more through holding myself and others to high standards of performance rather than through motivation and inspiration.
• I have a moderate preference and appreciation for humor, being light-hearted and not taking matters too seriously.

How I apply myself:

• I tend to remain calm, confident, and controlled under stress or pressure.
• I hold myself accountable to the outcomes I experiences, am self-motivated, and have a moderate inclination to operate independently, without needing direction or guidance in accomplishing tasks or goals.
• I tend to embrace change and uncertainty, and am versatile at shifting the roles I play in different circumstances, and am very interested in my own growth and development.
• I work hard to go after ambitious goals and tend to take action to seize opportunities and solve problems I confront, though may be distractable and don’t always push through to finish what I start.
• I like to explore different perspectives and I’m open to being wrong, receptive to critical feedback in order to learn, and modest.
• I have high levels of stamina, enthusiasm, and energy in work and life.
• I am comfortable with my station in life, content to be who I am and don’t worry much about others’ impressions of me.

When interacting with others, I:

• Prefer to spend time with a small circle of close contacts
• Moderately inclined to be joyful and lighthearted, but know when things need to be taken seriously
• Support others with empathy and compassion, while also trying not to sugarcoat my honest view of things.
• Am willing to speak my mind, but are always aware of how others perceive it.

As a leader, I:

• Demand and hold others accountable for results
• Argue for my beliefs and say what I think
• Call out underperformers whenever justified
• Take initiative and instigate change
• Take feedback and direction from others with an open mind
• Believe acknowledging mine and other people’s strengths and weaknesses is part of being a good leader
• Balance when to assert direction and when to let others take a lead

When planning, I:

• Anticipate and welcome change by reacting to it when it happens
• Think creating overly detailed plans in anticipation of change is futile
• Find intrigue in the unexpected and am comfortable changing tactics as events unfold
• Like to handle things as they come and don’t mind if I end up in a different place than was set out
• Try to establish clear goals and objectives, but am less diligent in tracking progress against deadlines
• Care about pushing through but may benefit from an external forcing mechanism to get me there
• Prefer to think about the big picture
• Approach planning and thinking in an unstructured and sometimes messy way

When solving problems, I:

• Like to draw on other people’s thinking to stress test my own ideas
• Explore a wide range of possibilities before deciding
• Am generally comfortable finding solutions on my own
• May be distractible and can benefit from help keeping me on track
• Am fascinated when solutions aren’t obvious
• Explore the unknown rationally
• Believe that the best outcomes are a result of combining imagination, logic, and rigor
• May be perceived as too emergent and spontaneous

When setting goals, I:

• Like to pursue novel ideas and plans, though sometimes don’t complete them
• Readily take initiative whether the goals are my own or set by others
• Am comfortable adapting to my circumstances, and aren’t overly concerned about finishing everything I start

On a team, I:

• Am willing to express opinions directly, though may be not be the first to dive into the conversation
• Address issues with others privately and empathetically
• Tend to be a good listener
• Confront challenges directly and push back on attempts to lower the bar
• Make a strong effort to strike a balance between focusing on my own work and pitching in to help the team
• May perceive others as overly rigid, while others may perceive me as too casual or spontaneous

Under stress, I:

• Remain calm, cool, and focused on what matters most
• Adapt to new experiences rather than avoid them
• Calmly turn mistakes into self-growth and learning rather than let them get me down
• Keep my emotions close to my chest

When learning, I:

• Prefer topics that are logical and objective over those that are intuitive and subjective
• Like to read, analyze, and process before sharing ideas and conclusions
• Like to reflect and hear other perspectives before speaking up myself
• Love exploring new areas of interest I don’t yet know about
• Love a good brainstorm
• Like subjects that are abstract and philosophical
• Like to study in peace and quiet where I can focus
• Like to watch, read, and write
• Am interested in creative topics where my curiosity and originality can thrive
• Have good stamina and endurance

Contact

I’m a shy guy with a fear of annoying people whenever I contact them. I’m working to get over that. Inspired by Patrick Mckenzie, this is a standing invitation: if you want to talk design, development, or marketing, I want to talk to you.

• Email: [email protected]
• Twitter: MurdockLukas
• LinkedIn: lukas-murdock

Why a five-digit year

Five-year digit dates add a 10,000 year perspective to everyday interactions. Welcome to The Long Now.

Misc

Music

Long YouTube

• ChilledCow — lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Krill Waves Radio
• Hiroshi Yoshimura - Green (Full Album Stream) & The upload that brought it back
• Coffee Shop Vibes
• 221B Baker Street
• 18th Century Library
• r/RetroLibraryMusic
• Lofi.cafe
• PurrpleCatmusic
• Brown noise Focus / Sleep
• Monstercat Instinct Vol. 1 (Album Mix)
• Aesthetic Lofi
• Ghibli Medley Piano
• 3Hr Gentle Waterfall

Soundcloud

• Remixes of popular songs

YouTube Channels

• Proximity
• JompaMusic
• MSS
• xKito

Favorite Artists

• Jon Bellion
• Eden
• Elohim
• Porter Robinson
• Stephen
• The Uptown
• Brian Eno

Misc

• The whistling song I always forget the name of — The Dead South - In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company

Fonts

• Modern font stacks
• Atkinson Hyperlegible
• HEX Franklin (no matter what weight you use, the letters are always the same width)
• Iowan Old Style
• Figtree
• B612
• Nerd fonts

Font Foundries

• Klim Type
• Schick toikka
• Grilli Type
• Commercial Type
• Typeverything

Google Fonts

My favorite fonts on Google Fonts.

Serif

• Eczar
• Newsreader
• Libre Baskerville
• Literata
• Besley
• Rosarivo

Sans-Serif

• Roboto
• Inter
• IBM Plex Sans
• Space Grotesk
• Outfit
• Readex Pro
• Spline Sans

Soft-serif

• Fraunces

Wild

• Chartwell