William Liao

William Liao

116 Followers

Don’t apologize for being

Someone close to me wrote an e-mail apologizing to his colleagues for not being able to complete a project due to receiving treatment for a…

18h ago

18h ago

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Hanayama Delta Puzzle

The Hanayama Delta puzzle consists of 3 interconnected metal pieces forming a triangle.

2d ago

2d ago

The first 96 grams

I go through one 250-gram bag of coffee about every two weeks.

3d ago

3d ago

Where have you not looked?

A person walks towards his car parked under a brightly lit street light.

4d ago

4d ago

A problem worth leaving

To understand if a problem is worth your life energy to address, you have to be specific about how to assess the problem’s worthiness.

5d ago

5d ago

Discernment

The more I observe people I consider to be above-average operators, a shared trait clearly emerges: they have exceptional discernment.

6d ago

6d ago

Cut

The Chinese Philosopher Zhuangzi tells a tale of a good cook (“the dexterous butcher”) who “changes his knife once a year — because he…

Mar 26

Mar 26

When is it important?

During a race in the 2024 Formula 1 season, McLaren’s Lando Norris asks his engineer, “How far behind is Max?”

Mar 25

Mar 25

Assume no expertise

Assuming you’re an expert is a quick way to stunt your personal development.

Mar 25

Mar 25

Reinvention

Ken Jeong was a doctor before he became a comedian.

Mar 23

Mar 23

Contact Time

I’m in my third read through of one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Mar 22

Mar 22

Speckhood

When I’m stressed about something, I’ll sometimes close my eyes and imagine myself looking at Earth from NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft…

Mar 21

Mar 21

Hofstadter’s Law

I have come to accept that I will rarely accomplish 100% of the things I start the day thinking I can do.

Mar 21

Mar 21

If most problems are overblown…

If you can agree with the premise that most problems are overblown — especially in hindsight — then you have every reason to believe that…

Mar 19

Mar 19

The necessity of downtime

At least 30% of the time when I sit down to write, it quickly becomes clear that I have no idea what to write yet.

Mar 18

Mar 18

Chiah-pa?

In East Asian cultures, notably in Taiwan where I frequently visit extended family, we inquire about another’s well being by asking…

Mar 17

Mar 17

My Dune Dilemma

Dune: Part Two is a hard film to watch.

Mar 16

Mar 16

Lingering

Today’s Daily Spark is sparked by ideas from philosopher Byung-Chul Han’s essay ‘The Scent of Time’.

Mar 15

Mar 15

Painted door jambs

The further upmarket you go, the more attention automobile manufacturers will be inclined to pay towards small, seemingly trivial details…

Mar 14

Mar 14

Don’t apologize for being

Someone close to me wrote an e-mail apologizing to his colleagues for not being able to complete a project due to receiving treatment for a…

You are here

This morning I discovered the IRS charged me twice the amount I owed for taxes.

Get an email whenever William Liao publishes.

Hanayama Delta Puzzle

The Hanayama Delta puzzle consists of 3 interconnected metal pieces forming a triangle.

The first 96 grams

I go through one 250-gram bag of coffee about every two weeks.

Where have you not looked?

A person walks towards his car parked under a brightly lit street light.

A problem worth leaving

To understand if a problem is worth your life energy to address, you have to be specific about how to assess the problem’s worthiness.

Discernment

The more I observe people I consider to be above-average operators, a shared trait clearly emerges: they have exceptional discernment.

Cut

The Chinese Philosopher Zhuangzi tells a tale of a good cook (“the dexterous butcher”) who “changes his knife once a year — because he…

When is it important?

During a race in the 2024 Formula 1 season, McLaren’s Lando Norris asks his engineer, “How far behind is Max?”

Assume no expertise

Assuming you’re an expert is a quick way to stunt your personal development.

Reinvention

Ken Jeong was a doctor before he became a comedian.

Contact Time

I’m in my third read through of one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Speckhood

When I’m stressed about something, I’ll sometimes close my eyes and imagine myself looking at Earth from NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft…

Hofstadter’s Law

I have come to accept that I will rarely accomplish 100% of the things I start the day thinking I can do.

If most problems are overblown…

If you can agree with the premise that most problems are overblown — especially in hindsight — then you have every reason to believe that…

The necessity of downtime

At least 30% of the time when I sit down to write, it quickly becomes clear that I have no idea what to write yet.

Chiah-pa?

In East Asian cultures, notably in Taiwan where I frequently visit extended family, we inquire about another’s well being by asking…

My Dune Dilemma

Dune: Part Two is a hard film to watch.

Lingering

Today’s Daily Spark is sparked by ideas from philosopher Byung-Chul Han’s essay ‘The Scent of Time’.

Painted door jambs

The further upmarket you go, the more attention automobile manufacturers will be inclined to pay towards small, seemingly trivial details…

Favorite Daily Sparks

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