The writer who does not draw up a plan for his work as if he were going to build a cathedral, and who does not execute it stone by stone with the same care with which the medieval master placed his stones under God's eye, is not a writer but a dilettante; a scribbler, or worse still, a journalist.

-- Nicolás Gómez Dávila

Rating System

Status

The status indicator reflects the current state of the work:

• Abandoned: Work that has been discontinued
• Notes: Initial collections of thoughts and references
• Draft: Early structured version with a central thesis
• In Progress: Well-developed work actively being refined
• Finished: Completed work with no planned major changes

This helps readers understand the maturity and completeness of the content.

Certainty

The confidence tag expresses how well-supported the essay is, or how likely its overall ideas are right. This uses a scale from "impossible" to "certain", based on the Kesselman List of Estimative Words:

1. "certain"
2. "highly likely"
3. "likely"
4. "possible"
5. "unlikely"
6. "highly unlikely"
7. "remote"
8. "impossible"

Even ideas that seem unlikely may be worth exploring if their potential impact is significant enough.

Importance

The importance rating distinguishes between trivial topics and those which might change your life. Using a scale from 0-10, content is ranked based on its potential impact on:

• the reader
• the intended audience
• the world at large

For example, topics about fundamental research or transformative technologies would rank 9-10, while personal reflections or minor experiments might rank 0-1.

URLs

MDX

Metadata

Recognition of URLs

Below is a live demonstration of the link icons used across the site. Each item is rendered by the IconDemo component (paginated), which reads from the site's icons data and will update automatically when icons change.

On The Content

Target Audience

I'm not writing for people. I write to clear something out of myself.

-- Haruki Murakami

I agree deeply with this sentiment. The reason I started this site is inherantly selfish. I wanted a place for my thoughts to live independant of myself. A place to be seen. I do not expect anyone to read this, care about it, and the least to enjoy it. I simply write what I want to read. However irregardless of this philosophy I am aware that their is a lot of useful content on this site, and a lot of people like msyelf that I believe will make use of it. So if i had to nail down the "Target Audience" of this site it would the following: The Intellectually Curious, The Creatively Innclined, The enjoyers of Literature, Mathematics, Sciences, Film, and Culture.

Long Content

Long Content = material that improves or becomes more interesting as time passes, particularly through mechanisms like embedded predictions that can be validated or falsified.

-- Gwern Branwen About This Website

As said above by Gwern, Long Content is material that improves as time passes. Naturally to the curious reader this is taken care of by itslef. As most things carry their own historical value. Malware such as ily.vbs may not be useful to the average person, but to the curious reader seeing it's source in context with the os it was meant to target, getting into the mindset of the author(s), and the time period it was created in can have great benefits. I myself live for these things. To find the obscure, and overlooked things. To dissect them and find the meaning in them. Then to breath new life into them. My goal then is to make this process of reverse engineering content, and finding it's value as easy as possible for the future reader. Which is where heavy thought comes into play on systems of archiving, preservation and link management come into play.

Long Site

See Also

• Gwern Branwen on Long Content
• Long Now Foundation Philsophy

Where It Came From

I learned about the idea of Long Now from Gwern Branwen, and continued by looking into the Long Now Foundation. Now this form of thinking has become a core part of my self, and as a result this site. I make it a habit to make decisions with the Long term in mind, and to think about the future of my work. I want to create content that will not only last, but thrive while being useful for a long time.

What It Is

So what exactly is Long Now though? The best way to explain this is with the "Clock of the Long Now". This is a giant timepiece being built in Van Horn, Texas. The goal is to design a clock that will last for 10,000 years. In order to accomplish this the designers have many things to think about. What type of materials are durable enough to last, and easy to repair? What materials are valueless to the point that they will not be stolen? What power sources are renewable, and unlootable? Likewise when running a internet for the long-term thoughts must be given to the domain, hosting provider(s), language(s), framework(s), dependnacies(s) or lack there of.

Another thing to pay attention to when writing long-form highly cited content like papers. Is the preservation to sources that are often linked to. You will find dozens of scripts, and prompts which are related to these purposes here.

Everything is so fleeting and impermanent. It’s enough to drive you bat shit crazy.

-- Shane Kuhn

A good parraell for this is the long now society's Rosetta Project. This is a project designed to preserve the languages that have a high likelihood of extinction from 2000-2100. Similarly special attention should be given to references from blogs, obscure websites, or custom built websites on domains that could go down if they have inactive authors. As opposed to something like wikipedia which is more likely to be around even when you are not.

Why It Matters

Finding My Ideas

I've never really had trouble finding ideas to write about. I have a lot of interests, and I am always thinking about something. The process usually goes something like this

• Random Tidbit, Poem, Script, ect. --> Note
• Emotionally Conflicted, or Inspired --> Poem
• Interesting Ideas, Analysis of Loved Works --> Blog Post
• Meditating on In Depth Topics --> Essay
• A highly specific question that I want a in-depth answer to --> Paper
• Fiction is self explanatory

With that said I do tend to consume a lot of content, and with the collected quotes, references, themes, and ideas I come across. I often run them through this prompt in a LLM. Tends to output quite a few interesting suggestions for a piece of writing. The rest are usually just tossed.

Information Workflow

One of the most important aspects of writing is the process of gathering information, and producing quality ideas. Quality output is a result of thoughtful curation of quality inputs. I consume a wide range of content. Academic Papers, Essays, Books, Articles, Blog Posts, Videos, Podcasts, and others Notes. I take these in at various levels of seriousness, and with varying levels of intent. Regardless of the medium however, I have been suprised enough by references, unknown facts, quotes, ect. in content I am consuming that I now make it a habit to store these things. For content management I use the "Getting Things Done" (GTD) method by David Allen.

Getting Things Done (GTD) Method

• Capture: Collect everything that has your attention. This can be done through various means such as writing, recording, or using apps.
• Clarify: Process what you have captured. Determine what it is, whether it requires action, and if so, what the next steps are.
• Organize: Sort the clarified items into appropriate categories. This can include projects, contexts, or areas of focus.
• Reflect: Regularly review your lists and projects to ensure you are on track and to update your priorities.
• Engage: Use your organized lists to take action on the tasks that are most relevant and important at the moment.

Capture

I use a variety of tools to capture my ideas and information. At this point it is a little more manual, and less streamlined than I would Like. I plan to overhaul this system in the future, but for now I use a combination of the following tools: Notesnook (Web Clippings), Riverside.fm (Transcripts), Obsidian (Notes), Instapaper (Read Later), Zotero (Store Papers), Google Drive (Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations (and other non-confidential or essential items I plan to review later)).

Clarify

I use notion to clarify notes, ideas, concepts, and other information related to the content on this site. I don't have a strict process for doing this. I usually organize things simply in small paragraphs, bullet points, or lists.

Organize

Reflect

Engage

Managing My Content

Features

Magic URLs

Magic URLs is a feature developed in tandem with Ally Taffet. magic-urls.js is responsible for dynamically generating and managing URLs for various content types on this site. You can view the source code, or writeup.

Automated URL Archiving

Automated URL Archiving is a feature that periodically captures and stores snapshots of web pages linked within the site. This ensures that even if the original content is removed or changed, a copy remains accessible. The archiving process is handled by web-archiver.js, which integrates with various archiving services.

Settings Menu

The settings menu is a feature located in the top right corner of the site. It allows users some customization options for their experience.

• Search: allows users to search for content across the site including pages, papers, essays, blog posts, fiction, reviews, notes, conspiracies, cases, dossiers, scripts, prompts, proofs, and problems.
• Link Preview Mode: enables users to preview links before clicking on them.
• RSS Feed: provides users with a feed of the latest blog posts.
• FAQ: offers answers to frequently asked questions about the site.
• Changelog: displays a log of recent changes and updates to the site.
• Scripts: allows users to manage and customize scripts used on the site.

Tags, Categories, and Series

Tags, Categories, and Series are the methods of content organiztation on the site. Tags are the lowest level used for niche associations with a post. Such as a post titled "How to Make a Perfect Cup of Coffee" might have tags like "Coffee", "Brewing", "Culinary". While the same post may have the category "Beverages". Categories are the next level up, and are used to group content into broader topics. Series are used to group content that are related in unusual ways such as all content on "Winona Ryder" which may include reviews of her films, essays a specific performance, or blog posts on her career. Series can only be accessed through /series. While tags and categories or type specific and accessed at /[type]/[tags] and /[type]/[categories]. For ex. /verse/categories, and /verse/tags. You are also able to swap categories via the category filter on the /[type] page itself. This allows for easier access though a bit less granular.

On Hierarchy

Top Level Routes (Types of Content)

I possess a very experimental mindset, and I like to try new things. This website is a reflection of that. I have strategically designed it to organize content into well thought out categories, which I believe will help me to better express my ideas.

• Papers: a collection of well-researched, in-depth articles on various topics. (designed to be more formal, and cited)
• Essays: a more personal and reflective form of writing, often exploring complex ideas and arguments.
• Blog Posts: shorter, more informal pieces that cover a wide range of topics and are often updated regularly.
• Fiction: creative writing that tells a story, whether it's a short story, novella, or novel.
• Reviews: critical evaluations of various media, including books, movies, and products.
• Notes: informal, unpolished thoughts and observations, often serving as a brainstorming space.
• Conspiracies: a collection of speculative and often controversial ideas that challenge mainstream narratives.
• Cases
• Dossiers
• Scripts
• Prompts
• Proofs
• Problems

Papers

Papers/Research Papers are a long form of content. They are entirely for academic purposes, and less public friendly than a lot of the other forms of writing on this site. There are tons of types of papers that serve different uses.
Research Papers should be within 6,000-10,000 words.

• Research Papers: (often peer-reviewed) present original findings or analyses.
  • Empirical – Based on observation or experiment.
  • Theoretical – Based on theory rather than empirical evidence.
  • Review – Summarizes existing research on a topic.
  • Survey – Collects data from a sample to generalize findings.
  • Case Study – In-depth analysis of a specific case or example.
  • Position Paper – Presents an argument or stance on a particular issue.
• Literature Review
• Case Study
• Position Paper

Essays

• Expository – Explains or informs.
• Descriptive – Describes a person, place, or event.
• Narrative – Tells a story or recounts events.
• Persuasive / Argumentative – Convince the reader of a viewpoint.
• Analytical – Breaks down a concept or idea into parts.

Blog Posts

Blog Posts are a more casual form of writing, often shorter and more personal than essays or papers. They usually are on topics that cut me deep or are of general personal interest. They often often include examples of the topic at hand using fictional characters, and sometimes real people dead or alive. I derive great pleasure from sharing the characters I am interested in, and these are a great way to do so. There will also be ton's of rants, ideas, and thoughts on various fields of interest. The length of posts should be greater than 500 words, and less than 1,500 words. I may also host some long running series here such as the "Meditations", and "Musings" series that focus on personal exploration through philosophy, and spirituallity.

Fiction

Fiction is my section for creative writing. Excluding poetry, which has its own section. Fiction involves all original works of mine, and encompasses a wide range of generes, and styles of interest. It is customary for Light Novels to get their own category, but longer form fiction such as Novellas, and Short Stories are grouped by format, and kept in a single file.

• Micro Fiction ( < 300 words )
• Flash Fiction ( < 1,000 words )
• Short Stories ( < 7,500 words )
• Novellas ( < 40,000 words )
• Light Novels ( < 50,000 words )
• Creepy Pasta ( < 10,000 words ) - A subgenre of horror fiction that is typically shared online, often in the form of short stories or urban legends.
• SCP (Secure, Contain, Protect) - A collaborative writing project that creates fictional documents about anomalous objects and entities.
• Plays (Instead of being a single category, plays are grouped by genere)
  • Tragedies
  • Comedies
  • Dramas
  • Romances

Verse

The verse section is dedicated to only original poetry, and is not a place for prose. Here you will find a wide range of styles, and forms of poetry. Anything without strict rhyme, and meter is considered free verse. Most poetry is quite short, and is often less than 500 words. I may at some point consider writing a epic poem, but for now I am content with the shorter forms. In the case I do write a epic poem the word limit will be 15,000 words. There will also be some categories for shorter poems named after the stanza type such as couplet, tercet, quatrain, quintain, sestet, ect. These are shorter one off poems that are not part of a larger collection, and meant to be practice pieces, or quick thoughts.

Reviews

Reviews are a form of writing meant to evaluate, analyze, and critique various forms of media. With reviews I usually try to give 2 ratings
a enjoyment rating for how much I think the avg consumer will enjoy the piece, and a quality rating for how well I think it was made. Reviews
can be quite lengthy, and often above 1,000 words. They will be capped at 2,000 words, and sometimes wrote in a more formal style depending on the
medium being reviewed. I.E. a ballet review will be more formal than a review of a video game.

• Book Reviews - Evaluations of books, including fiction and non-fiction
• Film Reviews - Critiques of films, no character analysis
• TV Show Reviews - Analysis of television series, including episodes and seasons
• Music Reviews - Evaluations of albums, songs, and musical performances
• Product Reviews - Assessments of consumer products, including electronics, gadgets, and household items
• Game Reviews - Critiques of video games, board games, and other gaming experiences
• Restaurant Reviews - Evaluations of dining experiences, including food quality, service, and ambiance
• Art Reviews - Critiques of visual art, including paintings, sculptures, and exhibitions
• Museum Reviews - Assessments of museums, including exhibitions, collections, and visitor experiences
• Manhua Reviews - Evaluations of Chinese comics, including storylines, art styles, and cultural significance
• Manhwa Reviews - Critiques of Korean comics, including storylines, art styles, and cultural significance
• Manga Reviews - Assessments of Japanese comics, including storylines, art styles, and cultural
• Anime Reviews - Evaluations of Japanese animated series and films, including storylines, animation quality, and cultural significance
• Video Game Reviews - Critiques of video games, including gameplay mechanics, graphics, and overall experience
• Ballet Reviews - Assessments of ballet performances, including choreography, technique, and overall production quality
• Oscars Reviews - Evaluations of the Academy Awards, including predictions, winners, and overall impact on the film industry
• Course Reviews - Critiques of educational courses, including content quality, teaching methods, and overall learning experience
• Tea Reviews - Assessments of different types of tea, including flavor profiles, brewing methods, and cultural significance
• Coffee Reviews - Evaluations of various coffee blends, brewing techniques, and flavor profiles
• Wine Reviews - Critiques of different wines, including taste, aroma, and pairing suggestions
• Book Store Reviews - Assessments of bookstores, including selection, ambiance, and customer service
• Hardware Reviews - Evaluations of computer hardware, including performance, compatibility, and value for money
• Software Reviews - Critiques of software applications, including usability, features, and overall performance
• Operating System Reviews - Assessments of computer operating systems, including user interface, features, and performance

Notes

Possibly the greatest form of writing, and the cradle of all my greatest ideas lies within my notes. I have a tried and tested note taking routine that has few problems in comparison to it's overwhelming benefit. My notes are routinely published on notes.krisyotam.com, krisyotam.com/notes. The former used for my evergreen notes of (lectures, people, ideas, places, and source material.) While the latter is a simple index of fleshed out initial ideas that list my questions about a topic, and few things off other interest become I dive off into a rabbit hole.

Docs

I deal with a great variety of knowledge work in my research including news articles, essays, blog posts, problem sets, and more. Due to link rot I have built a full coverage mechanism for the archival of all my references. Preserving the integrity of one's references is a first order responsibility for a researcher, and imperative to maintaining the veracity of there published work.

@article{yotam2025site,
  title   = "About This Website",
  author  = "Yotam, Kris",
  journal = "krisyotam.com",
  year    = "2025",
  month   = "Jun",
  url     = "https://krisyotam.com/blog/website/site"
}