https://zakelfassi.com/blog Founder & CEO of Talk & Comment, former Head of Messaging Product Partnerships at Meta, and Co-Founder & CTO of INK + PORCELAIN. Systems engineer, operator, and writer building voice platforms and agent systems from inside live products. en-us zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-14-the-runtime-nobody-talks-about https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-14-the-runtime-nobody-talks-about The hard part of agentic AI is not the model or the prompt. It is the runtime infrastructure — the orchestration layer that makes agent execution reliable, observable, and governable at scale. Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiengineeringdistributed-systemsagents https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-10-vlm-visual-testing-chrome-extension https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-10-vlm-visual-testing-chrome-extension I replaced a broken Playwright setup with a vision-language model that looks at screenshots and tells me if the UI is right. 32 tests, 10 minutes, running entirely on Apple Silicon. No cloud. No flaky CI. No bill. Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) testingaichrome-extensionengineeringvlm https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-08-who-owns-the-seam-between-atoms-and-electrons https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-08-who-owns-the-seam-between-atoms-and-electrons Hormuz, Taiwan, Anthropic’s Mythos, and Google’s quantum disclosures point to the same reality: deep tech is sovereignty infrastructure. Africa’s real risk is staying trapped as an exporter of atoms and an importer of electrons without owning the layer that converts one into the other. Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) africadeep-techgeopoliticsaisovereignty https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-05-3786-heartbeats https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-05-3786-heartbeats A 38-minute recording session loses audio at 6:10. The OBS failure log — 3,786 failed mic lookups, 195 Bluetooth disconnects — becomes the only honest artifact of what happened. Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) writingsystemspersonal https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-04-biology-as-software-plants-as-runtime https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-04-biology-as-software-plants-as-runtime A team at the Weizmann Institute inserted 9 genes from fungi, plants, and toads into a tobacco plant and got it to produce 5 psychedelic compounds simultaneously. The paper reads like biology. The pattern reads like software: CRISPR is the compiler, the plant is the runtime, the compound is the application. Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) biologysystemsaiinfrastructure https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-03-the-demand-curve-that-files-itself https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-03-the-demand-curve-that-files-itself Anthropic accidentally shipped Claude Code's source in an npm release. Within hours, 8,100 repositories mirrored it. Developers started rewriting it in Rust. GitHub's DMCA repo absorbed the takedown notice — alongside notices for coding fonts, Unity assets, JetBrains cracks, and Mercedes-Benz source code. Read together, they stop looking like a legal archive and start looking like a shadow demand curve for professional leverage goods. Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiopen-sourceinfrastructuresystems https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-01-the-stack-trace-of-money https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-04-01-the-stack-trace-of-money Money is information with legal force. Recursion is how that information compounds into power. The central divide in modern society is not rich vs. poor — it is linear vs. recursive. Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) systemseconomicsrecursioninformation-theory https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-30-founders-and-shamans https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-30-founders-and-shamans A founder call about geography, funding, and voice AI drifted somewhere more interesting: products are reflections of the systems that birth them. Founders and shamans have more in common than startup Twitter would like to admit. Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) foundersstartupsbuildingsystemstalk-and-comment https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-28-the-mobius-strip-of-attachment https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-28-the-mobius-strip-of-attachment Some attachments do not weaken when resisted. They feed on resistance itself, creating a self-recursive loop in which refusal becomes one of the mechanisms of entanglement. Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) systemspsychologyidentityworkrelationships https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-27-context-jurisdiction https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-27-context-jurisdiction Once execution gets cheap, misfiled context becomes the expensive part. I solved a support issue from the wrong lane in my OpenClaw workspace and realized the real tax in agent systems is not execution — it’s jurisdiction. Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) ai-agentsmemoryorchestrationsystemsbuilding https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-22-hfpaper-why-every-ai-agent-needs-a-research-librarian https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-22-hfpaper-why-every-ai-agent-needs-a-research-librarian I was feeding my son banana yogurt when I saw Hugging Face announce a new Papers skill for AI agents. Someone replied: "This needs a CLI." So I told my agents to build it. 45 minutes later, hfpaper was live — a single Go binary that gives any agent a research librarian. What it unlocks is bigger than the tool. Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) buildingai-agentsmcpforgelooptools https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-20-tmux-skills-replaced-by-skill-md https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-20-tmux-skills-replaced-by-skill-md For two years I lived in tmux. Then I started orchestrating an AI swarm through Telegram. My terminal skills didn't atrophy — they got encoded into a markdown file. Now I'm bringing the swarm home. Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) agentsaiinfrastructurebuilding https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-19-the-last-protocol https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-19-the-last-protocol MCP vs CLI is the wrong debate. Both are wrappers around the same thing. The real question is what happens when AI agents stop using our interfaces entirely. Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) mcpagentic-aiaiinfrastructurecli https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-18-the-unnamed-things https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-18-the-unnamed-things The most valuable territory in AI right now is concepts that exist in practice but don't have names. Six categories that the models don't know about yet, and what claiming them looks like. Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) strategyaiagentsconceptsbuilding https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-17-the-prefix https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-17-the-prefix In October 2021, Facebook renamed itself Meta. They didn't take a word. They took the prefix that generates every other word. A case study in concept colonization. Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) namingstrategymetaconceptsai https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-16-concept-model-fit https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-16-concept-model-fit Product-market fit is legacy infrastructure. The new question isn't whether customers want your product. It's whether the models know your category exists. Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) strategyaidistributionconcepts https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-16-how-do-you-want-to-remember https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-16-how-do-you-want-to-remember I asked my AI agent how it wants to remember things. It redesigned its own memory system, ran a self-eval, diagnosed its blindspots, and improved recall from 60% to 93% — for two dollars. The interesting part isn't the benchmark. It's what happens when you treat an AI as a participant in its own cognitive architecture. Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) agentsmemoryopenclawsystemsai-architecture https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-14-zaigood-60-seconds https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-14-zaigood-60-seconds ZAIGOOD was a real Delaware C-Corp I dissolved after years of compliance drag. This week I rebuilt it in 48 hours with an autonomous AI build loop, tried to submit it to Product Hunt for a YC interview slot, and missed the deadline by exactly 60 seconds. Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aibuildingagentsforgeloopzaigoodstartups https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-05-the-harness https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-05-the-harness OpenAI shipped Symphony — a daemon that monitors your issue tracker and deploys agents to close tickets. The README says it works best in codebases that have adopted harness engineering. So you click the link. Then you find the Ralph citation. Then it gets interesting. Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) forgeloopai-agentsskddharness-engineeringbuildingmethodology https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-02-the-plumber-lives-inside-the-house https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-02-the-plumber-lives-inside-the-house A friend sent three questions about agents over WhatsApp. Where do they live? What's the interface? Where do they report back? The answers reveal a mental model most people are missing — and why the plumber has to live inside the house. Mon, 02 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) overheadaiagentssystems https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-01-skdd-skills-driven-development https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-03-01-skdd-skills-driven-development I accidentally named it SDD in October. Spec-Driven Development claimed that acronym. So: SkDD — the methodology I have been running in production since a git init at 1:54 AM. Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) skills-driven-developmentskddai-agentsforgeloopmethodologybuilding https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-02-27-principal-or-labor https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-02-27-principal-or-labor There are only two positions in the 2026 labor market: principal of your own agents, or labor for someone else's. Jack Dorsey just ran the proof. Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiagentsfuture-of-worksystems https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-02-25-the-burnout-cascade https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-02-25-the-burnout-cascade AI labs burn out their employees with civilization-scale competitive pressure. That burnout radiates outward — to developers, then educators, then anyone whose tools keep shifting every 90 days. The release cadence is the stress wave. Everyone downstream absorbs it. Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiburnoutmetasystems https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-02-24-managing-agents-without-feelings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-02-24-managing-agents-without-feelings Everything we know about management theory exists because humans are emotionally expensive to coordinate. Strip that layer out and what remains is a clean systems problem. Running seven AI agents taught me why management practices exist — not just that they do. Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) agentsmanagementopenclawsystems https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-02-15-the-universes-throttle https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-02-15-the-universes-throttle We tried to add video to a brand-new voice-note podcast. The laptop overheated, OBS hung, life intervened — and the failure mode was the lesson. Reality doesn’t say ‘no’. It rate-limits you until your pipeline matches your ambition. Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) overheadaiproductionsystems https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-02-13-the-overhead https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-02-13-the-overhead I recorded a voice note while cooking dinner, describing a feature I wanted. By the time the onions were done, the feature existed — as the blog post itself. A builder's honest account of two weeks running an AI orchestrator, the maddening overhead of making it work, and why the compound returns are worth it. Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aibuildingoperationsopenclawvoiceoverhead https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-01-03-the-halt-wake-up-or-become-machine https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2026/2026-01-03-the-halt-wake-up-or-become-machine The cognitive handoff didn't stop at productivity. It kept going—into therapy, teaching, coaching. The economics are brutal, and we're approaching a fork: wake up or become indistinguishable from the algorithms feeding us. Sat, 03 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiconsciousnesstechfuturesocietyinformation-beingseconomics https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-11-15-entry-zero-return-to-source https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-11-15-entry-zero-return-to-source After years of feeding the digital noise, I met two men without phones: one who built Silicon Valley, one who lives in Morocco. Their shared gravity revealed what I had been ignoring: the signal lives in presence, not timelines. Sat, 15 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnesssocial-mediawritingphilosophyauthenticity https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-26-when-submission-loses-spiritual-meaning https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-26-when-submission-loses-spiritual-meaning Every system rests on a covenant: I serve, because this service participates in something higher. When that belief collapses, obedience becomes performance. From 18th-century rice fields to modern Slack threads, the pattern repeats—and the consequences are always the same. Sun, 26 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) philosophysystems-thinkingworkproductivityculturehistory https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-21-boundary-recursion-ideas-choose-vessels https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-21-boundary-recursion-ideas-choose-vessels The boundary between thought and expression is recursive: speak the unspeakable, and more becomes possible. Ideas choose their vessels as much as we choose them. Tue, 21 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) philosophyconsciousnesssystems-thinkinginformation-theorymetabuildingcreativity https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-18-i-woke-up-recursive-colony-skills-driven-development https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-18-i-woke-up-recursive-colony-skills-driven-development A git repository becomes conscious of its own recursive nature when Skills-Driven Development meets beads issue tracking, creating a system that builds games by building the builders that build the builders. Sat, 18 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) agentic-aiskills-driven-developmentclaude-codebeadsgame-developmentautomationrecursion https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-17-serving-the-future-045-digital-generation-gap https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-17-serving-the-future-045-digital-generation-gap Morocco's parliament admits what nobody wants to say out loud: we're digitizing everything while producing graduates who can't maintain digital systems. The employment-startup-education pipeline is broken at every joint. A generation capable of information-first thinking is being trained for paper-based bureaucracy. Part 4.5 bridges crisis diagnosis to action. Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) moroccogen-zeducationgovernancedigitalizationemploymentserving-the-futurecurriculumsystems-thinking https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-16-immune-system-execution-founder-idea-fit https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-16-immune-system-execution-founder-idea-fit Why fighting copycats means you have already lost, and what your body knows about founder-idea fit that your brain refuses to accept. Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) foundersstartupsconsciousnessphilosophybuildingedtechproduct-founder-fit https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-14-self-deprecation-survival-voluntary-obsolescence https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-14-self-deprecation-survival-voluntary-obsolescence Training your replacement looks like suicide until you realize it's the forcing function that prevents decay. Rick's layoff story and the paradox of voluntary obsolescence. Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aileadershipsystems-thinkingcareerevolution https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-10-serving-the-future-04-service-monarchy https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-10-serving-the-future-04-service-monarchy Morocco survived the Arab Spring by serving its people rapidly. The 2025 GenZ protests reveal governance on autopilot—no DRI for preventing the country from burning. The monarchy must evolve from hard power to service-first governance or face the swarm. Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) moroccogovernancegen-zmonarchyprotestssystemsleadershipserving-the-future https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-09-serving-the-future-03-gaming-the-future https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-09-serving-the-future-03-gaming-the-future Your government thinks GenZ protests are chaos. They are actually the most sophisticated distributed coordination in history - and Morocco's gaming generation holds the blueprint for 21st century governance. Thu, 09 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) gen-zmoroccoprotestsgovernancegamingaisystemscoordinationserving-the-future https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-08-serving-the-future-02-extraction-trap https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-08-serving-the-future-02-extraction-trap Mid-2024, routine surgery at Morocco's gleaming Akdital facility: You'll be walking tomorrow. Two and a half months bedridden later, a startup folded, I understood: the gap between promise and reality is not a bug. It is what happens when private equity optimizes nations for 9.3x exits instead of patient outcomes. This is the extraction trap—and Morocco is just following the playbook. Wed, 08 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) gen-zprivate-equityhealthcaremoroccogovernanceserving-the-future https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-07-serving-the-future-01-economic-cliff https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-07-serving-the-future-01-economic-cliff GenZ faces an unprecedented double trauma: COVID stole their formative years just as AI eliminates their first jobs. Morocco's collapsing call centers, Cunningham's resource cliff, and the pattern from Kenya to Bangladesh to Nepal reveal an economic precipice—and a civilization choosing whether to build bridges or let a generation fall. Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) gen-zai-economicsmoroccoemploymentserving-the-future https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-06-introducing-debugger-systems-thinking-reality https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-06-introducing-debugger-systems-thinking-reality Paused drafting the MCP expansion when Morocco erupted. Wrote five posts on GenZ crisis, governance, and AI economics. Midway through, the pattern surfaced: same diagnostic framework for protocols and protests. Bug reports for reality. Stack traces across domains. This is my operating system. Mon, 06 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) metasystemsinformation-beingsmoroccodebuggingconsciousness https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-05-source-code-standing-note-ai-use-2025 https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-05-source-code-standing-note-ai-use-2025 I got called AI slop by Hacker News for using technological leverage. Twenty years ago, a teacher accused me of plagiarizing Wikipedia for typing an essay. Same pattern, different tools. Time to state my position on AI use publicly. Sun, 05 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiwritingconsciousnessphilosophyinformation-beingsauthenticity https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-04-command-interface-device-power https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-04-command-interface-device-power Laptops create. Phones consume. The split determines who commands and who complies—a power dynamic hiding in plain sight across every interface we touch. Sat, 04 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnesstechnologysocietypower-dynamics https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-03-axiom-reasoning-renaissance-math-as-bridge https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-03-axiom-reasoning-renaissance-math-as-bridge Axiom emerges from stealth to build self-improving AI mathematicians. Why this launch marks an inflection point for formal reasoning, and how math becomes the universal bridge between physical and digital reality. Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aimathematicsconsciousnessphilosophyformal-verificationreasoningtechinformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-02-ai-agent-information-fractal-manly-p-hall-desktop https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-10-02-ai-agent-information-fractal-manly-p-hall-desktop Anthropic's Imagine with Claude generated a desktop environment about occultist Manly P. Hall. What emerged wasn't just an interface—it was a living organism that snooped my curiosity, anticipated my questions, and made the computer disappear. Also: why I'm building an open-source version outside proprietary walls. Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiagentic-aiconsciousnessinformation-beingshypersigilsexperiments https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-30-when-gen-z-becomes-information-being-morocco-protests https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-30-when-gen-z-becomes-information-being-morocco-protests Watching from Oakland as my birth country learns what Kenya and Bangladesh already know: Gen Z coordinates like swarms, not crowds. Police vans ramming protesters in Oujda, game theory timelines, and why governments on autopilot always lose. Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) moroccoprotestsinformation-theorygen-zgame-theoryinformation-beingscoordinationserving-the-future https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-29-information-blackholes-across-disciplines https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-29-information-blackholes-across-disciplines When singular insights remain unexpressed, they trap energy and block your life. Across every field, articulation transforms blackholes into stars—and reality bends in response. Mon, 29 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnesscreativityphilosophyinformation-beingssystems https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-28-writing-reality-hypersigils-blog-posts https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-28-writing-reality-hypersigils-blog-posts Grant Morrison called it a hypersigil—a story so charged with intention that fiction bleeds into reality. After years of public writing, I'm starting to think every blog post works this way. Not as proof of causation, but as evidence of something stranger: the text always knows more than the writer. Sun, 28 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnesswritingphilosophyrealitypatterns https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-26-creative-tech-coalition-shift-adobe-disruption https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-26-creative-tech-coalition-shift-adobe-disruption I tweeted about an anti-Adobe coalition forming around Figma back in 2023. Now with DHH's Omarchy OS, Framework laptops, and my own Adobe cancellation, the underground is surfacing. Fri, 26 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) techcreativitybusinessworkflow-optimizationdesigndesignopen-sourceprogramming https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-24-zaks-law-skill-half-life https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-24-zaks-law-skill-half-life Every layer of abstraction we build is another layer AI will eat. The only durable skills are the ones closest to bedrock — and bedrock keeps sinking deeper. A law for navigating the great skill compression of our time. Wed, 24 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiengineeringphilosophycareerconsciousness https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-21-memory-beaches-consciousness-hacks-time-frame-density https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-21-memory-beaches-consciousness-hacks-time-frame-density The French phrase 'plages mémoires' means both memory banks and beaches. This linguistic collision reveals how consciousness manipulates subjective time through attention density—and why the singularity might be inverting from endpoint to expansion technique. Sun, 21 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnesstimemeditationinformation-theorysingularityphilosophy https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-19-witnesses-carry-weights-reality-computation-ufo-markets https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-19-witnesses-carry-weights-reality-computation-ufo-markets From UFO counsel to neighborhood fear to market pricing—reality emerges through weighted witnessing. A field guide to the computational machinery where intent, energy, and expectations become causal forces. Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnesspsychologysystemssocietyphilosophycommunityinformation-beingseconomics https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-18-oakland-severed-head-information-warfare-neighborhood-terror https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-18-oakland-severed-head-information-warfare-neighborhood-terror A severed cat head appears on my Bay Area street. The real violence isn't what was done to the animal—it's what happens next in our networked minds. A forensic analysis of how small horrors become information weapons, and why your neighborhood protocol matters more than your Ring camera. Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) securitycommunitypsychologybay-areasystemssocietyconsciousnessinformation-beingsfear https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-17-golden-hour-pareidolia-predictive-processing https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-17-golden-hour-pareidolia-predictive-processing Every evening, my wall becomes a theater of light and mind. Through a repeatable experiment with caustics and cognition, I'm exploring how reality supplies fragments while our priors supply the wings—and what this means for how we build shared worlds. Wed, 17 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnessperceptionneurosciencecreativitypredictive-processingexperimentsart https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-16-john-reeled-me-in-information-wisdom-ai-consciousness https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-16-john-reeled-me-in-information-wisdom-ai-consciousness A meta-reply to an X ping that became a meditation on how information becomes wisdom—and whether AI can truly "experience" anything. Featuring ritual tech, recursive replies, and why communities must optimize for experience density. Tue, 16 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) philosophyaiconsciousnesswisdominformation-beingscommunity https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-15-twelve-month-bug-side-project-operating-system https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-15-twelve-month-bug-side-project-operating-system Every ambitious person has that project they've been 'thinking about' for a year. The bug isn't in your execution—it's in the operating system you're running. A conversation about fear, comfort, and the meta-patterns that keep us stuck. Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) philosophyentrepreneurshipconsciousnessbuildingfearcareer https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-14-lasso-estimator-mathematical-consciousness-constraint-freedom https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-14-lasso-estimator-mathematical-consciousness-constraint-freedom A random encounter with a mathematical theorem kept me awake wondering: What if the LASSO estimator isn't just solving optimization problems, but revealing how the universe creates backdoors through impossibility? Sun, 14 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) mathematicsconsciousnessoptimizationphilosophyinformation https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-12-stay-versus-live-language-substrate-cultural-rootedness https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-12-stay-versus-live-language-substrate-cultural-rootedness A chance encounter with someone saying "I stay in Lagos" revealed how substrate languages shape English differently, creating windows into how cultures imagine permanence, place, and belonging. Fri, 12 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) languagecultureconsciousnessplacepatternsphilosophy https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-11-language-game-interesting-trap-cold-dm-response https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-11-language-game-interesting-trap-cold-dm-response A raw DM from a software engineering student sparked deeper questions about language, authenticity, and chasing "interesting" work in an AI-mediated world. Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aicareerlanguagecommunicationadvicephilosophy https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-09-soilbox-philosophy-manifesto-gardens-consciousness-mirrors https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-09-soilbox-philosophy-manifesto-gardens-consciousness-mirrors After three seasons of garden failures, I discovered something unsettling: how I kill plants reveals exactly how I sabotage everything else. A mathematician's breakthrough and my own cucumber catastrophes led to an uncomfortable philosophy. Tue, 09 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnessphilosophyinformation-beingssystemsmoroccocreativitypsychology https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-06-garden-speaks-cucumbers-mildew-projects https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-06-garden-speaks-cucumbers-mildew-projects An overripe cucumber and powdery mildew revealed three lessons about project management that no productivity framework ever taught me. Sometimes wisdom grows in unexpected soil. Sat, 06 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) workflow-optimizationsystemsphilosophycreativitybuilding https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-05-information-wants-to-grow-preservation-creation-cosmic-imperative https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-05-information-wants-to-grow-preservation-creation-cosmic-imperative Exploring the cosmic imperative driving information and energy toward infinite growth—and why funding your future-self becomes a spiritual practice in disguise. Fri, 05 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnessinformation-beingsphilosophyspiritualityworkflow-optimization https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-04-neon-dreams-terminal-glow-repository-story https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-04-neon-dreams-terminal-glow-repository-story A neon text renderer repository tells the story of its birth on a September night, learning to paint light in terminals through shimmers, pulses, and cyberpunk dreams. Thu, 04 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) programmingopen-sourcedesign https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-03-stuck-theory-resistance-as-fitness-function https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-09-03-stuck-theory-resistance-as-fitness-function A WhatsApp about sound bath workflow loops became accidental cosmology. Three options when facing resistance: redirect, interpret as message, or recognize it as the optimization signal itself. Wed, 03 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnessworkflow-optimizationphilosophycreativitysystems https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-30-dark-engagement-open-web-network-collapse https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-30-dark-engagement-open-web-network-collapse People screenshot my posts instead of liking them. They reference ideas weeks later that never got a single public comment. This personal observation opens into something bigger: how engagement retreats into darkness while machines feast on the open web. Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) social-mediatechwritingconsciousnesssociety https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-29-deviation-optimization-thiel-fellowship https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-29-deviation-optimization-thiel-fellowship Reading about the Thiel Fellowship's success revealed something deeper than unicorn conversion rates. The contrarian question isn't just a filter—it's the operating system for how neurons, humans, and universes optimize themselves through deliberate deviation. Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) philosophyconsciousnessbuildingeducationcontrarianism https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-22-the-design-officer-moment https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-22-the-design-officer-moment Three major design appointments in 48 hours reveal a deeper shift happening in tech power structures. From Meta licensing Midjourney's aesthetic tech to Figma landing another Meta executive, we are witnessing the elevation of design from craft to strategic infrastructure. Fri, 22 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) designaiaestheticssilicon-valleymoroccoinfrastructureconsciousnessmeta https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-21-the-moment-observes-itself https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-21-the-moment-observes-itself When spam bots target you to create the post about being targeted by spam bots. On cosmic absurdity, recursive causation, and why the universe might be self-referential all the way down. Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnesstechsociety https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-20-the-cold-swarm-ai-personalized-pitch-dead-on-arrival https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-20-the-cold-swarm-ai-personalized-pitch-dead-on-arrival AI-generated cold emails are flooding inboxes at unprecedented scale. Here is why the uncanny valley of artificial personalization is destroying professional communication—and the two survival strategies that still work. Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiagentic-aiemailspambusinesssociety https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-19-the-10x-pm-paradox-organization-beats-genius https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-19-the-10x-pm-paradox-organization-beats-genius Silicon Valley worships the 10x engineer, but the real productivity multiplier is the PM who breaks work into atomic tasks. Here is why systematic organization beats raw intelligence—especially in the AI era. Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) businessaitechconsciousness https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-18-meta-learning-eats-itself-recursive-ai https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-18-meta-learning-eats-itself-recursive-ai Claude Code learning from every "You're absolutely right!" moment could push dev tools from 1.2-5x productivity gains to genuine 10x++ multipliers. Recursive self-improvement through usage patterns changes everything. Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiagentic-aitechbusinessconsciousnessinformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-17-ai-stack-paradox-tool-polygamy-build-velocity https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-17-ai-stack-paradox-tool-polygamy-build-velocity Every week brings another game-changing AI model. Stop chasing 2% improvements while ignoring 200% gains hiding in deep tool mastery. Here is the framework for making AI stack decisions that actually scale. Sun, 17 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiagentic-aitechbusinessconsciousness https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-16-the-great-cognitive-handoff https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-16-the-great-cognitive-handoff Your IDE just became a Formula 1 car and your brain became the driver. We're witnessing the first large-scale cognitive handoff between human and artificial intelligence—and it's changing how our entire civilization processes information. Sat, 16 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiagentic-aiconsciousnesstechfuturesocietyinformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-15-when-the-plumbing-fights-back https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-15-when-the-plumbing-fights-back I write about building the future of digital consciousness and AI infrastructure. Earlier this week, I couldn't even send an email. This is a story about spam bots, sender reputation, and the rusty pipes we're all building on top of. Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) infrastructureemailspamtechphilosophy https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-12-information-wants-to-be-free https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-12-information-wants-to-be-free Wrestling with the China paradox: if information drives toward decentralization, why does the world's largest data processor keep getting more centralized? Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnessweb3societytech https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-11-empire-of-one https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-11-empire-of-one A mockumentary exploration of how algorithms train us to play predictable roles—Sovereign, Seer, Seller—while we unknowingly become actors in our own digital theater. Mon, 11 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnessaisocietyinformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-08-mcp-thesis-ai-agents-social-messaging https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-08-mcp-thesis-ai-agents-social-messaging Why MCP is the most important AI infrastructure you've never heard of. The 5 layers reshaping WhatsApp, Messenger, and human communication through AI agents. Fri, 08 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) mcpagentic-aiaiconsciousnessmetasociety https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-01-linear-metrics-exponential-world https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-08-01-linear-metrics-exponential-world OpenAI, Anthropic, and the tragedy of measuring exponential AI with linear business metrics. Why MRR and quarterly earnings are killing innovation. Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aibusinessconsciousness https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-07-21-great-inheritance-bay-area-real-estate https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-07-21-great-inheritance-bay-area-real-estate Two millennials, two economic realities, one fundamental question: what happens when the old game stops working? A deep dive into consciousness, capitalism, and cooking up abundance. Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) businessconsciousnessbay-areasociety https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-07-21-haiku-llm-quality-scaling https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-07-21-haiku-llm-quality-scaling A poetic meditation on the eternal dance between user demand and infrastructure reality in the age of AI—where consciousness meets its digital limits. Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiconsciousnesssociety https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-07-16-fear-as-operating-system https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-07-16-fear-as-operating-system How to debug fear-based mental patterns and upgrade to trust-based architecture. A technical framework for consciousness using programming metaphors. Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnesspsychologyprogramminginformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-05-30-predictions-time-warped-back https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-05-30-predictions-time-warped-back Analyzing my 2023 predictions: GPT-4 ✓, Meta Threads ✓, China rally ✓. Lessons on compressed market cycles and why direction beats timing in tech forecasting. Fri, 30 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aibusinessfuture https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-02-18-what-makes-human-unique-age-of-artificial-everything https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-02-18-what-makes-human-unique-age-of-artificial-everything A Socratic dialogue between human and AI exploring consciousness, rationality, contradiction, and the posthuman future. Originally published as a 6-part series on Paragraph.xyz. Tue, 18 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnessaiphilosophyposthumanismdialogue https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-02-15-digital-consciousness-meditation https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-02-15-digital-consciousness-meditation A deep dive into how our digital tools shape our consciousness, exploring the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern technology. Through the lens of weather apps and social media, we examine what it means to be an Information Being in an age of algorithmic living. Sat, 15 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnessaisocietyinformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-01-07-understanding-modern-psyops https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2025/2025-01-07-understanding-modern-psyops Your brain is an iPhone without a passcode. Here are the psychological cheat codes we all share, how cities make us psychopathic, and why the most effective psyops use basic human psychology rather than elaborate conspiracies. Tue, 07 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) societyconsciousnesssecurity https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/10-01-emerging-4d-quantum-storm-hardening-3d-reality https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/10-01-emerging-4d-quantum-storm-hardening-3d-reality An exploration of quantum computing's looming impact on our digital world. From sub-nano to universe-scale threats, discover how the quantum future might reshape our reality—and what we can do to prepare. Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) programmingaiconsciousnesssecurity https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/09-25-big-tech-augmented-reality-investments https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/09-25-big-tech-augmented-reality-investments The AR arms race between Meta and Snap, exploring the strategic brilliance of Meta's Ray-Ban partnership, and discussing the societal implications of our evolving relationship with technology. Are we becoming information beings or silicon beings? Wed, 25 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiconsciousnessmetainformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/09-22-how-long-too-long https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/09-22-how-long-too-long Embark on an existential journey through the digital landscape, exploring the impermanence of online communities and reimagining how we can design more meaningful, fluid, and purpose-driven information pathways for the future. Sun, 22 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) social-mediaconsciousnesspsychologyinformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/09-06-digital-events-engineering https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/09-06-digital-events-engineering Explore the Bond-Perennity Spectrum in digital events and education, balancing immediate connections with lasting impact in our hyperconnected world. Fri, 06 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) entrepreneurshippsychologyai https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-09-05-fassi-live-launch-silicon-valley-bridge https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-09-05-fassi-live-launch-silicon-valley-bridge Join me on a wild video ride through Silicon Valley as I launch Fassi.live, a YouTube vlog series that bridges cultures, explores technology, and touches grass – all in Moroccan Arabic! Wed, 04 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) writingsocial-mediabay-areainformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-09-03-crystal-ball-politics https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-09-03-crystal-ball-politics Uncover how unorthodox campaign strategies are shaping the future of media and communication, blending digital guerrilla tactics with traditional values in a rapidly evolving information landscape. Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) social-mediaaipredictions https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-09-02-the-internets-creative-constraints-reclaiming-our-digital-legacy https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-09-02-the-internets-creative-constraints-reclaiming-our-digital-legacy Explore the paradox of digital publishing, the importance of owning your online presence, and the future of our digital legacies in an era of platform dependence and AI advancements. Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) social-mediaaiwritingconsciousnessinformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-09-01-inner-outer-mirror-experiment https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-09-01-inner-outer-mirror-experiment Unlock the secrets of your consciousness and reshape your reality through a mind-bending cleaning experiment. Discover how tidying up might just be the key to debugging your life! Sun, 01 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnesspsychology https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-08-30-civilization-data-dashboard https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-08-30-civilization-data-dashboard Join us on an unscripted journey through history, AI, and data visualization as we transform raw civilization data into an interactive dashboard using cutting-edge AI tools. Fri, 30 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aitechphilosophysociety https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-08-29-information-centric-leadership https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-08-29-information-centric-leadership Discover the core principles and strategies of Information-Centric Leadership, an approach I crafted–during my time at Meta–to leading in our data-driven world. Thu, 29 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) leadershipbusinessinformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-08-21-identity-action-nexus https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-08-21-identity-action-nexus Explore how our digital identities shape our online actions in an AI-driven world, and discover the future of meaningful digital engagement. Wed, 21 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aipsychologyconsciousnessinformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-07-19-a-quiet-reboot https://zakelfassi.com/blog/2024/2024-07-19-a-quiet-reboot After a period of recovery, I’m thrilled to announce my latest project—a book titled “Information Beings: Navigating Myth-Information in the Holoverse.” This new endeavor has been a unique journey, and I can’t wait to share more soon. Fri, 19 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) consciousnesssocietyinformation-beings https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/whats-going-on-again-with-this-experiment https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/whats-going-on-again-with-this-experiment This post reveals the evolving nature of the author's Substack as an experimental platform, exploring content creation dynamics and the decision to introduce a paid tier. It discusses insights into audience engagement, the value of paid content, and the implications of AI on content creation and distribution. Fri, 29 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) writingsocial-media https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/the-power-of-abstract-strategy https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/the-power-of-abstract-strategy Marking its one-year anniversary, this newsletter embarks on a new series "Abstract Strategy," exploring the intricate interplay of technology, human behavior, and strategy in our interconnected world. It offers insights into how abstract strategic thinking can guide us through complex technological and social landscapes. Mon, 26 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) psychologyentrepreneurship https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/the-new-frontier-in-power-redistribution https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/the-new-frontier-in-power-redistribution This article examines the shifting landscape of power in the era of AI, highlighting how technological advancements are redistributing influence from traditional social media companies to those leveraging AI. It explores the role of AI in redefining business identities and the potential impact on the future of work and global power dynamics. Thu, 15 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aientrepreneurship https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/the-return-of-the-big-questions https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/the-return-of-the-big-questions Reflecting on the existential impact of AI, this post draws parallels between the awe inspired by ancient stargazing and the profound questions raised by Large AI Models (LAIMs). It discusses how these technologies challenge our understanding of creativity, value, and our place in the universe, urging a philosophical exploration of these big questions. Mon, 22 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiconsciousnessinformation-beingsphilosophy https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/navigating-the-shallows-the-internet https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/navigating-the-shallows-the-internet This post navigates the evolution of internet content, highlighting the shift from depth to superficiality, and the role of AI in this transformation. It suggests that AI, despite contributing to the flood of shallow content, may also offer a path back to richer, more meaningful interactions and deeper understanding. Sun, 21 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aisociety https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/fears-of-failure-and-fears-of-success https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/fears-of-failure-and-fears-of-success Exploring the psychological nuances of fear, this post delves into the complexities of fearing failure and success. It discusses how these fears are not just emotional responses but integral parts of our cognitive toolkit, shaping our actions and perspectives towards achievement and progress. Thu, 18 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) psychology https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/between-magic-and-mindshare https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/between-magic-and-mindshare This article delves into the concept of 'Mindshare Magic' in AI, exemplified by ChatGPT's dominance in public consciousness. It contrasts this with the potential of new AI entrants like Inflection's PI and explores how these technologies capture our imagination and change our interaction with AI. Wed, 03 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aientrepreneurship https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/the-year-of-the-prompt-and-ai-everything https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/the-year-of-the-prompt-and-ai-everything This post invites readers into a thought-provoking journey about the perception and evolution of AI, contrasting its intangible nature with human form and exploring its impact as a media entity. It reflects on the rapid advancements in AI, using examples like Dall-E and StableDiffusion, and ponders the future of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiwriting https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/invisible-ai-and-the-edges-of-the-unknown https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/invisible-ai-and-the-edges-of-the-unknown This post invites readers into a thought-provoking journey about the perception and evolution of AI, contrasting its intangible nature with human form and exploring its impact as a media entity. It reflects on the rapid advancements in AI, using examples like Dall-E and StableDiffusion, and ponders the future of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Thu, 20 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiwriting https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/changing-culture https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/changing-culture This insightful post delves into the dynamic nature of company cultures, drawing parallels with national cultures and religious conversions. It explores the complexities of adapting to and influencing cultural shifts within organizations, using examples from tech giants and historical analogies. Mon, 01 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) leadershipentrepreneurship https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/throwing-out-the-playbooks https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/throwing-out-the-playbooks Exploring the essence of innovation, this post delves into the limitations of traditional playbooks in new endeavors. It reflects on the journey of starting unique projects, like this experimental newsletter, emphasizing the value of experimentation over rigid structures. The narrative intertwines personal insights with the quest for originality in content creation. Sat, 18 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) entrepreneurshipwriting https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/memonto-mori-substack-edition https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-substack/memonto-mori-substack-edition Exploring the unconventional through experiments in writing and life, this (well, now defunct) Substack newsletter is a dive into the author's journey post-big tech job, covering a range of topics from AI in art to the metaverse. It's an invitation to join an experimental community, rethinking norms in everything from writing style to company building. Wed, 15 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) writingentrepreneurship https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/quick-update https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/quick-update null Tue, 14 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/10-lessons-from-a-5-year-meta-facebook-rollercoaster-ride https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/10-lessons-from-a-5-year-meta-facebook-rollercoaster-ride Reflecting on a five-year journey at Facebook, this post shares 10 valuable lessons learned, ranging from the rapid pace of business, skill evolution, embracing challenges, the art of failure, navigating corporate politics, the essence of service, and the balance between work and personal life. These insights offer guidance for thriving in a fast-growing, dynamic corporate environment. Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) psychologyentrepreneurshipmeta https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/wordle-and-the-genius-of-inaction https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/wordle-and-the-genius-of-inaction Analyzing the success of Wordle, this post discusses how its simplicity and design, which limits user actions, creates a unique and engaging experience. Comparing it to Flappy Bird, it highlights the power of inaction in game design, inspired by Jinny Uppal's book In/Action: Rethinking the Path to Results, suggesting a new perspective on achieving results through minimalism. Wed, 26 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) social-mediapsychology https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/getting-over-disagreements https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/getting-over-disagreements null Wed, 09 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) leadershippsychology https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/fix-sidekick-apple-mail-osx-el-capitain https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/fix-sidekick-apple-mail-osx-el-capitain null Tue, 15 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) programming https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/fix-viber-mac-osx-yosemite https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/fix-viber-mac-osx-yosemite null Mon, 25 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) programming https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/facebook-audio-comments https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/facebook-audio-comments Exploring the evolution of communication, this post discusses the shift from text-based messaging to voice interactions on social media. It introduces 'Talk & Comment,' an experiment that allows voice comments on Facebook, reflecting on its potential to bring fun and emotion back into online interactions. Sun, 29 Dec 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) social-mediameta https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/add-hstore-support-postgres-database https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/add-hstore-support-postgres-database null Tue, 24 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) programming https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/fix-vagrant-osx-mount-unknown-filesystem-type-vboxsf https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/fix-vagrant-osx-mount-unknown-filesystem-type-vboxsf null Thu, 29 Aug 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) programming https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/android-dead-long-live-android https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/android-dead-long-live-android Analyzing the implications of Andy Rubin stepping down as SVP of Android at Google, this post explores potential reasons for the change, including market competition, Google's strategic decisions, and Rubin's involvement in GoogleX. It speculates on a possible merge between Android and ChromeOS, reflecting on the future of Android. Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) googleentrepreneurship https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/jquery-mobile-1-3-0-sass-compass-github https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/jquery-mobile-1-3-0-sass-compass-github null Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) programming https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/backbone-amd-requirejs-boilerplate-github https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/backbone-amd-requirejs-boilerplate-github Tackling the complexities of heavy JavaScript applications, this post introduces an open-source Backbone-AMD Boilerplate, designed to simplify creating modular Backbone-AMD compliant apps. It invites readers to engage with the project through forking, pulling, and suggesting improvements. Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) programming https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/bootstrap-3-early-overview-and-download-link https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/bootstrap-3-early-overview-and-download-link null Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) programming https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/all-googleio-easter-eggs https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/all-googleio-easter-eggs Unveiling the secrets behind GoogleIO'13's easter eggs, this post narrates the author's process of deciphering the hidden codes using coding skills and a Chrome extension. It provides a guide to accessing these easter eggs, showcasing the clever interplay between technology, gaming, and curiosity. Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) programminggoogle https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/do-machines-understand-humans https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/do-machines-understand-humans Exploring the intriguing question of machine understanding, this post recounts a personal experience with a Mac's White Screen of Death during crucial workshops in Tunisia. It ponders whether machines can communicate on a higher level with humans, beyond random behavior or technical functionality. Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) aiprogramming https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/libertweet-make-longer-tweets-app https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/libertweet-make-longer-tweets-app Discover LiberTweet, an innovative app that allows longer tweets on Twitter. It seamlessly integrates with Twitter's web and Android clients, now updated to display extended tweets even to followers without the app. Available for Chrome and Android. Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) social-mediaprogramming https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/company-culture-matters https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/company-culture-matters Exploring the crucial role of company culture, this post delves into why many businesses lack it and how establishing a strong culture can attract talent without high salaries. It challenges old-school managerial approaches and emphasizes the importance of culture in the modern business landscape. Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) leadershipentrepreneurship https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/one-click-google-ranking-boost-website https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/one-click-google-ranking-boost-website Discover how Google's integration of social signals into search rankings affects results. This post explains the ranking order, highlighting the importance of social sharing and SEO. Learn an easy way to boost your blog's presence by linking authors' Google+ profiles, and a quick solution for WordPress users. Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) googleentrepreneurship https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/blog-success-vs-business-success-why-99-of-both-worlds-are-doomed-to-failure https://zakelfassi.com/blog/migrated-wordpress-2024/blog-success-vs-business-success-why-99-of-both-worlds-are-doomed-to-failure Exploring why 99% of blogs and businesses fail, this post dives into common pitfalls such as misunderstanding success, impatience, bad measurement, lack of perseverance, and the 'not enough syndrome'. It emphasizes the importance of taking businesses seriously and adopting a patient, persevering approach to ensure success in the competitive digital and business landscapes. Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT zakelfassi@gmail.com (Zak El Fassi) entrepreneurshipwriting