ncase posts
Posts: 255
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Rewards + Pause + Updates + Interactive Textbook?
(4 min read)Hi all! Turns out my schedule was too crammed to finish Nutshell this month (here's the beta, if you forgot), so I'm pausing my Patreon for July. You will not be charged on August 1st.In the meantime, here's this month's rewards!... Wall of Thanks ($2+/month) – next month's thanks will be put right into Nutshell's credits, for posterity! Polygon Avatars ($5+/month)· · · · ·Three Other Updates:🎙 I'...
How To Explain Things Real Good 👌 (Stanford mini-talk)
(3 min read – new talk, patreon housekeeping, upcoming projects, misc)Hi folks, thanks for your patience! My Stanford mini-talk, on how to explain complex ideas accessibly, is out now!👌 HOW TO EXPLAIN THINGS REAL GOOD 👌 (18 minute video)It took me way longer than I'd thought to edit this video. My slides weren't recorded, so I had to edit them back in. While I was at it, I also made the talk punchier & more concise. I hope you lik...
Delaying a month + rewards + comic + potato + pox
(6 minute read)You may have noticed in my last few Patreon posts, I gave probability estimates like "3 things released in May [80% probability]".And you may have noticed all my estimates were off.Welp. In May, I got approximately nothing done. I've been bouncing between friends' couches twice a week whilst traveling, and last-minute rescheduling because of friends having emergencies and/or getting Covid. (Don't worry, my frien...
Three things coming out next month!
(quick update – 4 min read)- - -Hi all! This Patreon was un-paused on April 1st, because I am back from a 16-month-long burnout hiatus!Shockingly, this past month was actually really good –– not just re: "work productivity", but overall human flourishing. I'm currently traveling, seeing friends I haven't seen in 3 years, spontaneously trying new stuff, reading challenging books, playing Patrick's Parabox, and (after a ra...
A silly animation, a sillier music album, & what's probably next
(12 min read total)(silly animation: 2 min watch)(what's-next idea-dump: 10 min read)––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––HEY FOLKS! AFTER 16(?) MONTHS, I'M FINALLY BACK FROM BURNOUT-HIATUS 🎉I KNOW I'VE SAID THAT 3 TIMES BEFORE, BUT THIS TIME I MEAN ITI'M UNPAUSING THE PATREON AND TAKING YOUR MONEY ON APRIL 1STOKAY enough caps lock, here's tw...
What's Nicky Learning? Decision Theory, Ottawa, Existential Risk
(Three main sections, that take 16 minutes / 6 minutes / 5 minutes to read.)(32 minutes reading time in total, not counting links)Hey all! I haven't done a What's Nicky Learning? post in a while. So here's a thought-dump of what I've been learning recently. (Alas, I did not get any publishable work done last month. This is 10% because the world has been... distracting... but honestly 90% it's just me anxiety-ruminating and med...
🐯 Year of the Tiger (also, I'm back from hiatus!)
(16 min read)(content note: mental health, lots of cussing)Hi cats & kittens!After 16 months of burnout-hiatus, I'm back and am not a better person! But I burnt through 16 months of savings so I'm taking your cash. (Well, starting next month. I paused the Patreon again on Feb 1st as a "grace period", since I'm introducing a refund/block policy & modifying the reward tiers. See "patreon housekeeping" at the end.)I typed...
(Patreon Paused For One More Month)
Hi all, sorry for the radio silence.Long story short, I've been in a 2-month-long mental health sinkhole. I don't know what compels me to tell you this, but stupidly enough, it was precipitated by an interaction with a long-time Patron who I trusted & opened up to. I'm vague-posting to not reveal private details. I voluntarily gave that person a lifetime refund (with interest), & blocked them. Still, I feel gross and mistrustful.To be...
Update & "Next Explainer" Survey Results
(4 minutes reading time)Hi all!You may have noticed you were NOT charged on Nov 1st. I paused this Patreon again for 1 more month, because I'm still behind on my catgirl project. I got sunk-cost faith at this point.Two fun updates, though:1) 3Blue1Brown's Summer of Math results are out!Here's the results page, with a video showcasing the 5 "winning" math explainers & dozens of honorable mentions! The page also links to all the...
What Explainer Series Do You Want? (+ Patreon unpauses in November)
[reading time: 2 minutes][optional survey: 7 minutes]Hi folks!After a year of burnout-hiatus, this Patreon will be un-paused on November 1st! That's when you'll be charged again. If you've changed your mind about financially supporting me, no worries! Sharing my stuff & subscribing to my newsletter / RSS helps, too. :)Previously I said it'd be October 1st, but on second thought a) I'll give you more time, and b) I'll spend...
Nutshell / "Expandable Explanations" is in Beta!
[Patreon-charging's still paused... but not for long? Read on!]Hi all! My next project is almost done. It just needs a few curious authors to try it out... and that's where you come in!🥜 NUTSHELL (BETA) 🥜🤔 https://ncase.me/nutshell-beta/ 🤔If you're an author (who has the ability to add a single line of code to your website/blog), feel free to try Nutshell, and let me honestly know what you think! Stuff you like/dislike, bu...
Sneak Peek! Nutshell, or, “Expandable Explanations”
[Patreon's still paused; you won't be charged until further notice]Howdy! I prototyped this a year ago, but then I went on burnout-hiatus. But last week, I re-designed & polished it up so that you can get a sneak peek:🥜 Nutshell! (or, “Expandable Explanations”) 🥜👷(work in progress, sneak peek) 👷Why I've wanted this tool for so long: I like sharing what I've learned, but sometimes I'm learning stuff that's n...
August Updates! Math + Catgirls
[This Patreon is still on hiatus, so you won't be charged until further notice](2 min read)If you haven't heard, my pal Grant Sanderson (3Blue1Brown) is doing a "math explainer" contest! There's prizes, and the deadline's a week from now: August 22. (I, uh, really should've shared this earlier)If you've not done math-explanation before, well, you're exactly who Grant's trying to encourage to give it a shot!...
How I Learn + Back To The Future + heads up
🕑2 min readHi all! I'm still on hiatus, so you weren't charged last month, and won't be charged until further notice.Since I'm bad at emails, I finally wrote a Frequently Asked Questions page! As part of it, I wrote 1700+ words on tips for learning math, writing fiction & non-fiction, coding, game design, going indie, and mental health. I hope it's useful for some of y'all!🤔“How Do I Learn X?” (1 min read per sec...
3 Nerdy Songs + Thinking Out Loud
(4 min of reading, 6 min of music)Note: this Patreon is still paused, and you won’t be charged until further notice!Hi new Patrons! Welcome, and my deepest thanks! <3 I assume most of you are here from the new Veritasium video. (If you haven’t seen it, my Fireflies was on their latest video on the math of self-organization. 🔥🐛 )Anyway, thanks for putting up with the melodrama from my last post. My physical and mental health are better n...
On Hiatus 'Til Whenever
(2 minute read)Hi all,Hope you're okay! Seasonal Affective Disorder + winter lockdown is no joke.Long story short, I'm extending my hiatus until "whenever" – this Patreon remains paused & you still won't be charged.As I've said before, I've known for years that my current way of living/working is deeply unhealthy for me. And since the pandemic, I've lost most of my good habits & amplified my self-destructive ones...
Two Songs (+ Sabbatical Months 2–4)
REMINDER: THIS PATREON IS PAUSED UNTIL MARCH 1ST 2021, or longer, since I’m "on sabbatical", theoretically. Your hard-earned cash remains yours!(reading time: 5 min)First, a song!I was part of a collaboration of 37 educators in STEM, singing a song about Gauss! It's for a charity fundraising event.🎵 The Gauss Song (song's 4 min long, then 9 min of charity info) 🎵And here's a much worse song I performed for the festivit...
Paper Lifehacks (Sabbatical Month 1)
[Reminder: My Patreon's still paused! You weren't charged last month, and won't be until March 1st, 2021](reading time: 7 min)Hi you – I sincerely hope you're staying safe, now that many countries are in a Covid 2nd (or 3rd) wave. It's good that the previous measures bought us time for better treatments, so it's less deadly than the 1st wave, but still... this sucks.Anyway, first month of my first-ever "sabbatical...
Patreon Paused + Sabbatical Starts!
(2 minute read)For the $2+ and $5+ backers, here's this month's Wall of Thanks and Polygon avatars! Also sent some of you a drawing of a duck, entitled, "Quack to School"---------Hi all!On second thought, I'm starting my 6-month sabbatical now. Trying to finish my next project while moving to a new city during a pandemic would be... non-ideal.Besides, you may have noticed from my last few posts that Nicky Mental Health levels ...
Patron-Exclusive Alpha! + AMA + Updates + Work-Life
(reading time: 9 min)(can't see GIF above? click here!)Hi all! Sorry for the lack of updates. I didn't want to bother your inbox until I had something to show. Anyway, feast your eyes and UwU your face, coz here is...😽 UwU Cam – Patron-Exclusive Alpha Version! 😽🎥 (works best in Chrome, for now) 🎥In my last update, I said I'm making "stupid light-hearted shit" to take my mind off things. That is true. But there is...
Rewards & Next Projects
(reading time: 7 minutes)Alright, I'm back from my post-burnout break! I mean, I hope it's post-.Quick housekeeping: Patreon added sales tax on July 1st, but you should be mostly unaffected since I don't offer "real" rewards. See FAQ for details. However, due to increased Patreon/PayPal fees, if you're at the $1/mo tier I recommend going up to $2/mo. No pressure if you can't afford it or don't want to, but big than...
Contact Tracing Without Mass Surveillance (With 3Blue1Brown!)
This video actually came out 3 weeks ago, and I totally forgot to share it with you. For the five of you who know about me but not Grant Sanderson (3Blue1Brown), he makes friggin' amazing math videos, both detailed and accessible – showing the true elegant beauty of mathematics.So I've no idea why he wanted to video-ify my non-math COVID-19 comics (made in collab with an epidemiologist & a privacy researcher), but I said yes!🎬 Does c...
What's Nicky Learning? "A Very Tentative Theory of Being Human"
Quick Announcement: Patreon's required by law to add sales tax starting July 1st – but y'all should be mostly exempt, since my "rewards" are stuff like gratitude, your name in credits, and exclusive posts like... this one! Check Patreon FAQ to see if your country/state's affected. (Also, I'll finish Wall of Thanks & Polygon rewards next week, thanks for waiting!). . .(reading time: 22 min)(Patreon-exclusive for 48 hours ...
NEW EXPLORABLE! ✨ “What Happens Next?” COVID-19 Futures, Explained
I'm still editing & polishing this thing very, very last minute! If you find typos & errors or weird UI, please comment below so I can fix 'em! Thank you! Aghhhhhhh!. . .Here you go, the most "deep dive" explorable I've ever made – epidemiology 101, the proposed COVID-19 interventions, and some best/worst-case-scenarios... explained with playable pictures:😷 WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? (30 min read/play) 😷👉 https://ncase.me/c...
New explorable on Friday!
Before the sneak peek, 2 quick things:1. If you need to lower/cancel your pledge in this hard time, I completely understand. Seriously, take care of you first! I'm financially safe, thanks to all your past support 💖2. Two months ago I said I'd be traveling on vacation in April, thus I would pause the Patreon. Obviously, I've not been traveling, nor on vacation. April's pledge will still be charged at the end of the month, just ...
Protecting Lives & Liberty: How Contact Tracing Beats COVID-19 and Big Brother
(4 minute comic + 4 minute update)Thank you so much for your feedback on my previous comic (a collaboration with an epidemiologist) about why we need contact tracing to beat COVID-19.Our new comic is about how.A few of you (thanks Voyage Goya!) brought up a dang good concern: privacy. Does beating COVID-19 mean mass surveillance? Giving up our privacy, our rights?HECK NOAnd here's a one-page version:You can share this comic via the Twitter th...
I Collaborated With An Epidemiologist!
If you need to reduce or cancel your pledge, I understand. Lots of folks are out of work right now. Don't worry about me – I have enough in savings, thanks to your support over the years. <3 See you on the other side of this pandemic!. . .(reading time: 6 minutes)What happens after the lockdown?Even if you haven't heard of the March 16th Imperial College Report [PDF], you may have heard of its pessimistic findings. To recap, for the US/...
Plushies & Coronavirus
Need a fun, easy crafts project to do at home while you're self-isolating from COVID-19?Look no further! On the first week of my sabbati-cation, I found a quick & easy way to design 3D plushies... with Play-Doh & a paper towel‽🐥 Make Plushie Patterns with Play-Doh & Paper Towels 🐥(4 min read + downloadable pattern)・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Another fun thing to do while self-isolating: going into a room with good sou...
Going on Sabbati-cation!
(reading time: 3 min)(Pre-Script: Welcome new patrons from Hacker News! The Explorables site exists for years, hasn't been updated for months, then suddenly bam half-a-million views. I don't understand how the HN frontpage works. Anyway, back to the update...)Thank you so so so much for your feedback on my last post! It's meaningful to know I can be vulnerable with y'all, and get support back. My heart grew three sizes that day ...
Blocked
(reading time: 6 min)I've got one specific problem, and one general problem.Specific problem: I'm blocked.My next project is a tool + tutorial to genderbend your voice (for trans/non-binary folk, plus voice actors & anyone who's curious).The tool is complete. Has been for two weeks, actually. I'm blocked on the tutorial – how to shift your larynx, pharynx, lips & tongue, etc.Specifically, I feel I shouldn't make a tutorial o...
