Writing, research, and mental models on cognition, technology, and human performance. Essays, artifacts, and a personal lexicon by Shrey Kumar.https://www.shrey.com/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#mechanistic/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#mechanistic/A view where complex processes, life, or behaviors are explained as if they were machines — operating through direct cause-and-effect, physical forces, or mechanical parts. It implies a predetermined, automatic, or reductionist approach, breaking down phenomena into components, operations, and organizations.Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#exocortex/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#exocortex/A theoretical external cognitive system — AI agents or wearable computing — that augments biological intelligence by bridging memory, processing, and IO with the brain.Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#compressed-aphoristic-language/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#compressed-aphoristic-language/A form of expression characterized by extreme brevity, wit, and profound insight — designed to deliver maximum meaning with minimum form.Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#cognitive-compounding/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#cognitive-compounding/Small, consistent investments in knowledge and learning accumulate over time to produce exponential improvements in understanding, decision-making, and creativity.Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#cognitive-velocity/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#cognitive-velocity/The pace at which the brain receives, understands, and responds to information — a critical component of intelligence that peaks in adolescence but can be trained.Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#fusiform-face-area/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#fusiform-face-area/A small region in the temporal lobe whose entire job is recognising faces — and whose damage strips people of the ability to recognise even their closest family members.Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#retrieval-fidelity/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#retrieval-fidelity/The accuracy, precision, and completeness with which information is retrieved — ensuring it matches the original or desired context without fragmentation or hallucination.Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#attention-gate-model/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#attention-gate-model/A cognitive theory proposing that subjective duration is determined by how many internal pulses accumulate in working memory — not by clock time.Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#attractor/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#attractor/In dynamical systems, a set of states toward which a system tends to evolve regardless of starting conditions — and toward which it returns even after small disturbances.Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#timbral-memory-encoding/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#timbral-memory-encoding/The cognitive process of storing the unique color, quality, or texture of a sound—distinct from its pitch or tempo—into long-term memory, functioning as a key component of auditory memory and musical representation.Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#external-allostatic-regulator/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#external-allostatic-regulator/A mechanism, intervention, or environment that helps humans achieve stability through change — reducing the wear-and-tear of chronic stress by doing the adaptive work from the outside.Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#ai-avoidance/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#ai-avoidance/The deliberate refusal to use, or active evasion of, artificial intelligence tools — driven by fear, mistrust, data privacy concerns, or a perceived loss of human uniqueness.Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#cognitive-atrophy-from-ai/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#cognitive-atrophy-from-ai/The potential decline in human critical thinking, memory, and analytical skills resulting from over-reliance on AI tools — known as the 'cognitive atrophy paradox.'Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#feynman-style-curiosity/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#feynman-style-curiosity/An insatiable, playful, and deeply analytical desire to understand how the world works, prioritizing fundamental understanding over rote memorization or jargon. It is characterized by breaking down complex concepts to their simplest form, questioning foundational assumptions, and finding fun in intellectual "trouble".Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#high-autodidact/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#high-autodidact/An individual who relentlessly masters skills or subjects independently, bypassing traditional schooling to reach high-level expertise through intense passion and self-directed learning.Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#high-bandwidth-interlocutor/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#high-bandwidth-interlocutor/A conversational partner with whom you can exchange complex, nuanced information rapidly and efficiently, characterized by low-latency understanding, deep shared context, and high trust. This type of communication minimizes the need for over-explanation, often utilizing shorthand, inside jokes, or non-verbal cues to convey meaning, making the interaction fluid and highly productive.Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#intellectual-stimulation/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#intellectual-stimulation/The often pleasurable process of challenging the mind through new ideas, complex problem-solving, and deep conversations — enhancing cognitive functions like creativity and insight.Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#metacognition/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#metacognition/Thinking about thinking — the active monitoring and regulation of one's own cognitive processes to enhance learning and problem-solving.Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#pavlovian-conditioning/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#pavlovian-conditioning/A learning process where a neutral stimulus, repeatedly paired with one that triggers a natural response, eventually elicits that response on its own.Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#proprioception/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#proprioception/The "sixth sense" or body awareness that allows the brain to understand where body parts are in space without looking, using receptors in muscles, joints, and the inner ear. It regulates movement, posture, and force. Impairments cause, for instance, poor balance, coordination issues, and clumsy movements.Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#stoic-realism/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#stoic-realism/A mindset of accepting reality as it is, not as one wants it to be — combining clear-eyed perception with a focus on controlling only one's own actions and reactions.Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#frameworks-of-human-capital/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#frameworks-of-human-capital/Professional expertise models representing different approaches to knowledge and specialization — from deep specialists to cross-functional polymaths. Includes estimated population distribution and real-world examples.Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/artifacts#jit-hyper-specialization/https://www.shrey.com/artifacts#jit-hyper-specialization/An emerging approach to work and talent management where professionals develop intensely deep expertise in a highly specific, narrow domain precisely when the market or a project demands it. It is a fusion of 'just-in-time' learning/hiring—acquiring skills only when needed—and hyper-specialization, which is a focus on a very narrow area of expertise.Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/blog/fixing-microphone-on-framework-13-amd-linux/https://www.shrey.com/blog/fixing-microphone-on-framework-13-amd-linux/A quick guide to fixing the broken built-in microphone on Framework 13 AMD laptops running Fedora or other Linux distributions by disabling the problematic UCM audio profiles in WirePlumber.Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/blog/simplifying-file-saving-with-javascript-blobs-and-wails-a-step-by-step-guide/https://www.shrey.com/blog/simplifying-file-saving-with-javascript-blobs-and-wails-a-step-by-step-guide/Discover how to effortlessly create and save JavaScript Blobs in your application using Wails and Golang. Follow our comprehensive tutorial to seamlessly implement file saving functionalities on the frontend while harnessing the power of Wails and Golang.Sun, 06 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/blog/deploy-pocketbase-on-railway/https://www.shrey.com/blog/deploy-pocketbase-on-railway/Learn how to deploy PocketBase, a lightweight database management system, on the Railway platform. Follow our step-by-step guide to set up and run PocketBase for your projects efficiently.Sun, 23 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/blog/getting-started-with-gpt2-on-windows-11/https://www.shrey.com/blog/getting-started-with-gpt2-on-windows-11/Learn how to set up and utilize the powerful GPT-2 language model on Windows 11, leveraging the capabilities of an NVIDIA 4090 card. This beginner-friendly tutorial, accompanied by Hugging Face, will guide you step-by-step through the process, empowering you to generate impressive text outputs and unleash the full potential of GPT-2.Tue, 23 May 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.shrey.com/blog/how-to-query-sql-server-using-rust/https://www.shrey.com/blog/how-to-query-sql-server-using-rust/Discover how to connect to and query data from Microsoft SQL Server using Rust and Tiberius. This step-by-step guide provides a beginner-friendly approach to setting up a Rust project, installing dependencies such as Tiberius, and leveraging the power of SQL Server in your applications. Unlock the potential of Rust and Tiberius for seamless database integration.Sun, 03 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMT