on self-measurement

a micromort is probability of death from a given action.

a microlife is expected amount of time your lifespan is reduced.

proposal: a ‘microhedon’ - expected amount of happy time reduced - for example - taking adderall right now might not impact micromort/microlives, but from a microhedon point of view might be harmful as it (possibly) burns some dopaminergic neurons and makes you more likely to be depressed later in life.



subtle, isn't it?



given the choice between no-knowledge, approximation, and precise forecasting, i'd no-contest choose precise forecasting. if i knew that tuning my circadian rhythm by waking up 20 minutes earlier for the rest of my life would result in me living ~2 months earlier in good health, heck ya i'd do it. if i knew that this vodka shot would reduce my lifespan by 1 microlife (30 minutes), i'd think twice.



how can we precisely measure inputs/outputs of the human system with minimal user friction?



perhaps more present to you is the question of whether to do this at all. quantified culture is (rightly) associated with the technocratic elite of Silicon Valley, but the quest for self-knowledge has long been part of Anglo-American culture; look to Benjamin Franklin's virtue tracking chart, and pedometers in the 1600s being used to track both bodies and nation-state resource claims.



on one hand: you could claim that to reach the highest levels of being that you (you) must observe the observer (you) observing the world. on the other: to make one's metaphysical and physical workings more legible is to also make oneself more predictable, programmable, surveillable; this quest for self-knowledge has always been deeply politicized - who's viewing whom via what means?



a quick list of papers here - would like suggestions on other literature domains



other thoughts:

seeing like a state, 24/7 late capitalism and the ends of sleep, numbered lives







[under construction]