Software engineer wanted to resist the usual algorithms, so he created his own
9 hours ago
- #Uncertainty
- #Decision-Making
- #Randomness
- Max Hawkins, a Google engineer, felt trapped by his predictable routine and was inspired by a study on human mobility to create apps that inject randomness into his daily decisions, including travel, dining, and tattoos.
- His experiments with randomized living led him to nomadic travel and unique experiences worldwide, but he eventually recognized a lack of direction and settled in Los Angeles, seeking a balance between routine and serendipity.
- Psychologists note that random decision-making can be a form of avoiding responsibility rather than embracing freedom, highlighting the 'explore-exploit' trade-off in balancing novelty with known preferences for personal growth.
- Max's journey illustrates how exploring new experiences helps build tolerance for uncertainty and reveals how arbitrary aspects of identity can be, though he now plans for more stability as he starts a family.