The Overview Effect: Why I’m Starting This Blog
This post marks the beginning of a journey I’ve wanted to take for a while: sharing my thoughts with the world (and, if I’m lucky, maybe even provoking a little awe along the way). Let me explain.
The Inspiration Behind the Name
I’ve always been captivated by the notion of the Overview Effect—
that cognitive shift astronauts describe when they view Earth from orbit. It’s this profound moment of realization: we’re small, yet connected, all floating in a vast cosmic ocean.
Being a space scientist myself, it’s been a lifelong dream of mine to go for a spacewalk. Truth be told, in most of my meditation sessions, whenever I’m asked to imagine a calm or happy place, my mind drifts toward outer space. I picture myself hovering weightless, gazing back at our planet in stunned silence.
I know I can’t fully experience that self-transcendent moment here on Earth—at least not until I actually don a spacesuit and step outside the airlock. But I’ve found that certain experiences here on the ground—reading a deeply moving book, stumbling across a truly original idea, or hearing a story that challenges my assumptions—can spark a tiny taste of that same wonder. My hope is to recreate a sliver of that awe with the words on this page.
Why Write at All?
It’s not like the world needs another blog—right? So why contribute yet another voice to the infinite chorus of the internet?
- Personal Growth
- Collecting “Mind-Blowing” Moments
- Borrowed Ideas, Personal Twist
I’ll break down each one below.
Personal Growth
I’ve long been drawn to deep analysis—particularly when it comes to the numbers driving public companies. For more than a decade now, I’ve been reading annual reports and tuning into quarterly analyst calls just for fun. Most people binge-watch TV shows; I binge on 10-Ks and Earnings Transcripts. I know, it’s weird, but it’s the kind of weird that keeps me excited.
I’m also a huge fan of Professor Aswath Damodaran—often called the “Dean of Valuation.” After completing his courses and following his teachings for years, I realized that I can’t just passively absorb the knowledge; I need to apply it. Throw in the fact that I went to business school, and now I’m feeling a real itch to test my understanding in the real world.
So here’s the plan: I’ll share my own investment ideas and portfolio moves publicly. Why? Because there’s nothing like accountability to keep you on your toes. If my valuations and analyses turn out to be wildly off-base, I’ll have to face it head-on—and hopefully learn something valuable in the process.
Collecting “Mind-Blowing” Moments
I’ve had friends, colleagues, and random acquaintances tell me that some of my stories or analyses were “mind-blowing.” That phrase always makes my ears perk up—mind-blowing suggests this sudden expansion of perspective, a jolt that forces you to see the world a bit differently. It’s not unlike the kind of awe astronauts describe when they first see Earth from space, or the rush of emotion when you finally “get” a concept that used to feel unfathomable.
I chase those moments because they remind me of how transformative new ideas can be. They might come from reading a fantastic article, stumbling upon a new technology, or even just listening to someone’s heartfelt story. In those split seconds, you can almost feel your brain wiring itself anew. It’s like experiencing the Overview Effect on a smaller scale—realizing that reality is much bigger and more interconnected than our usual day-to-day concerns.
These moments are precious—tiny glimpses of what it means to be part of something larger. By writing about them, I’m hoping to bottle up that feeling and share it. Maybe reading about one of my deep dives or philosophical tangents can spark your own moment of insight. And if you have your own “mind-blowing” experiences or ideas, I’d love to hear about them, too.
Borrowed Ideas, Personal Twist
Let’s be real—most of what we consider “original” thought is built on the intellectual shoulders of others.
David Hume famously argued that every new idea is really just a remix of impressions we’ve already encountered. “No impression, no idea,” as he might say. And yet, every once in a while, we find a “missing shade of blue”—something that seems novel, unaccounted for, maybe even contradictory.
That tension, between borrowed ideas and personal insight, is exactly what motivates me to write.
A Note on Originality and Hume’s Missing Shade
Now, about that puzzle from 18th-century philosopher David Hume: the Missing Shade of Blue.
Hume argued that all our ideas stem from impressions—things we experience directly. If we never see a particular color, we can’t form an idea of it in our minds. Yet, he floated this puzzle: If you’re shown a gradient of blues with one shade missing, could you fill in the gap, mentally? If you can, that suggests an exception to his theory, meaning maybe we can conceive of ideas we haven’t directly experienced.
This puzzle has always fascinated me. Recently, I tried a modern twist on it by testing how AI—like ChatGPT—handles such a scenario. I asked ChatGPT to imagine the “missing shade” or to produce a picture of a “full glass of red wine,” a picture that most probably chatGPT has never seen. It fumbled around, often rendering something that wasn’t quite right. Sometimes it would blend other images or rely on textual approximations. It was like watching Hume’s theory in real-time, with AI as the protagonist.
I want you to see for yourself how AI grapples with generating an “idea” it doesn’t have a direct impression of.
If we, as humans, can fill in that blank, does that mean our minds work differently? Or is our own mental fill-in-the-gap trick really just a more sophisticated version of blending existing impressions? Hume might say it’s all a remix, but there’s an undeniable excitement in discovering the edges of what we (and AI) can imagine.
That’s the essence of this blog: exploring the boundary between what we already know and the surprising leaps our minds can make—sometimes defying neat philosophical frameworks and sometimes proving them right.
My Plan for This Blog
- Monthly Deep Dives
I’m planning to choose at least one industry (often a publicly listed company) every month and dissect it thoroughly. I’ll look at their business model, financial statements, competitive landscape, and intangible factors that often get overlooked. Then, I’ll try my hand at valuing the company’s stock—applying the lessons I’ve picked up from Prof. Damodaran, my MBA, and years of tinkering with spreadsheets. - Real Investments
It won’t be just theoretical. I’ll invest my own money in the ideas that pass my scrutiny, and I’ll share how that plays out. In other words, my neck will be on the line. Nothing like real stakes to keep the analysis honest. - Philosophical and Tech Musings
Not everything will be about numbers and earnings calls (though I admit I’m a geek for that stuff). Sometimes, I’ll discuss AI experiments (like the Missing Shade of Blue scenario), philosophical puzzles, or even cosmic ruminations about space travel. Because let’s face it, we’re all more complex than a single hobby or passion. - A Chronicle of Growth
I want to treat this blog as a time capsule. In a year or five, I’ll look back on my posts and see how my thoughts have evolved—maybe I’ll cringe at my past mistakes, or maybe I’ll feel proud of a few gems that still hold up. Either way, it’s a record of where my mind is at right now.
Filling My Own Missing Shade of Blue
At the end of the day, this blog is a personal quest to capture—and share—what’s swirling inside my head. Like Hume, I know I might be remixing impressions I’ve gathered from books, articles, and conversations over the years. Yet, I’m convinced that somewhere in that process, a tiny spark of uniqueness emerges—my own missing shade of blue that nobody else has quite painted before.
So, whether you’re here as a fellow curious mind or simply intrigued by how a space scientist (with a penchant for financial statements) navigates philosophy, AI, and everything in between—welcome. Let’s explore these cosmic and corporate questions together and see if we can catch a glimpse of that self-transcendent awe, even if we’re still grounded on Earth.
Thanks for reading. The journey is just getting started.