Decibel #22

essay March 15, 2025

Some things from around the internet I consumed this week and found interesting:

  1. Theanine (Experiment write-up)
  2. Notes on China (Essay)
  3. Dua Lipa interviews Hernan Diaz, Author Of Trust (42min YouTube video)

1. Theanine

This is a useful write up for knowledge on a molecule, but I also really like this post for the way it goes about trying to answer a question. It’s curious. It’s thorough. It doesn’t assume the obvious answer.

2. Dwarkesh’s Notes on China

I think Dwarkesh’s notes here are thoughtful, if a bit unrefined, but that almost makes it better. It reads as a humble yet hungry mind trying to sharpen itself against the iron of the world.

As for the actual notes on China, I don’t really have much to add. If you’re interested in China, AI, or US-China relations, then this essay will probably be worth your time. If not you can probably skip it.

I also just love the way he ends these notes:

It’s a good reminder that what’s lacking in life is not time. It’s focus. If you’re working on what matters, you can advance leaps and bounds in 8 hours. And if you’re just clearing the slog, you can spend a lifetime staying in the same place.

3. Dua Lipa interviews Hernan Diaz, Author Of Trust

I’m a fan of good questions. I like the questions themselves, thinking about what makes a good question, and about how to ask people questions well. So naturally I tend to like the interview format: a dedicated time to ask someone questions.

How do I put this… I uhhh, ummm, did not expect Dua Lipa to be an excellent asker of questions.

That was my mistake.

Dua Lipa is well researched, thoughtful, and engaging. She finds unique questions that relate deeply to the characters, the novel, and the author himself. The conversations are engaging! She sets Hernan Diaz completely at ease and draws him into genuine thoughtful depth.

I’ve watched a few of her interviews now and this is not a one off. I recommend that you learn from my mistakes and don’t write her off. And maybe also a general update towards not judging a book by its cover.

-Alex