My Lens

There are recurring qualities in how I approach things: Agile, Lean, Minimal, Concise, Explicit, Evidence-oriented, Evolutionary, Interconnected. I am particularly drawn to connections between ideas, often noticing that something happening in one domain reminds me of something apparently unrelated in another. At a more abstract level, these preferences share a common character: simplicity, explicitness, adaptability, economy, interconnectedness, learning through observation. These are descriptions of how I tend to engage with reality, not universal principles I believe everyone should follow.

I care about good user experience. Part of this is solving problems that people experience without necessarily being able to articulate them themselves. I am interested in noticing those latent problems and finding ways to make the experience simpler, clearer, or more useful.

I value being in nature. Homo sapiens evolved in nature, while civilization and technology have created enormous benefits while also creating increasing distance between human life and the natural world. Industrialization and climate change are examples of the tension this creates. Running is one of the ways I experience a more direct physical relationship with the natural world. This does not mean rejecting technology. I am interested in the tension and relationship between the two.

I prefer movement that feels natural and unrestricted. This is reflected in my preference for barefoot or zero-drop footwear. Examples include Xero Shoes for everyday use and Altra for running. These are examples of my own preference, not recommendations or prescriptions.

I value good design that remains useful, functional, and aesthetically coherent over time. I am generally more attracted to things that remain compelling because they work well than things that are compelling primarily because they are new or fashionable. Examples include a Deuter backpack, a 2016 Tesla Model S, and a ThinkPad. The recurring preference is for functionality over novelty, durability over disposability, and coherent design over fashion.

I tend toward natural and minimally processed food. I enjoy things like nuts and vegetable salads, and that is generally my preference. But it is a preference, not a principle or rule. I also enjoy tortilla chips and chocolate occasionally, and I sometimes go to Burger King with my daughters. The pattern is less about strict adherence and more about having a usual preference while being comfortable deviating from it when the context seems appropriate.

I enjoy complex systems, particularly when they involve strategic interaction, adaptation, and emergent outcomes. I like the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens, particularly drawn to the defensive mindset and physicality, while acknowledging the health consequences of the sport. American football is an extraordinarily complex team strategy game with many specialized roles, interacting systems, tactics and counter-tactics, deception, anticipation, adaptation, and decisions under time and physical pressure. As a teenager, I also spent a lot of time playing strategy computer games. The common thread is an enjoyment of complex systems and strategic interaction.

I love reading. I read a lot as a teenager and have always been drawn to a wide variety of genres, subjects, and formats. I have read Egri csillagok fourteen times, a lot of Karl May, and books as varied as The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, Isaac Asimov's works, Pippa's Challenge (A pettyes szfinx nyomában, Joy Adamson), and Tüskevár (István Fekete). The breadth is part of the story — I don't think of myself as someone who reads a particular kind of book; I simply enjoy reading and exploring very different worlds, stories, ideas, and ways of seeing things. Science fiction and fantasy have a particular appeal. They create alternative worlds in which different possibilities can be explored — different societies, technologies, systems, human conditions, and ways the world might work. They offer a way of asking: What if things were different? Reading fiction can be another way of exploring systems, possibilities, and alternative ways of understanding the world.

I am socially awkward, but I enjoy coaching and teaching. I do not particularly like the traditional school setting, and being a professional teacher or university professor does not appeal to me. What I do enjoy is contextual and practical teaching: helping someone understand something, develop capability, see connections, or find a way through a problem. The interesting distinction is between enjoying teaching/coaching and wanting a traditional teaching career. The former appears to be part of my existing behavior; the latter does not currently follow from it.

The current version of this site itself emerged through a similar process. I started by dumping relatively raw material — my CV, running history, and various other personal tidbits — into a Markdown file. I then evolved the site concept while vibe-coding the site itself with an agent. The current structure and concept therefore emerged through interaction and iteration rather than being fully designed in advance. This is useful evidence about how I tend to work and think. It suggests that some aspects of the lens are easier to discover by looking at what emerges through practice than by attempting to define the lens beforehand. This should remain an observation rather than being prematurely elevated into a principle.