About the Blog

Hey, I'm Preston. I'm the CTO at Sovereign Labs, where I work on open-source software for zk-rollups. Up until recently, I haven't shared much of what I've written but, who knows, maybe someone will find it interesting!

Topics you're likely to encounter on this blog include cryptoeconomics, math, programming (especially in Rust), and philosophy. Topics you are unlikely to encounter include politics, politics, and politics.

Miscellaneous

Also, I like reading. Like, a lot. So, uh, here are some random book recommendations:

N.B. These are not affiliate links.

Godel, Escher, Bach - The best book I have ever read. This book blew my mind. Many times. It also won a Pulitzer. It's not an easy read, but it is beautifully written. It's also highly recommended by Eliezer Yudkowsky.

The Beginning of Infinity - This book is the most important one on the list. It covers everything from the theory of progress to the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics and it changed my worldview more than any other. It's beloved by many of the smartest people I know of (including Patrick Collison, and Naval Ravikant).

The Dream Machine - A wide-ranging history of the internet that is both informative and entertaining, The Dream Machine is the best history book I've ever read. It also taught me more about information theory than my computer science degree, without once sounding like a textbook. Despite clocking in at over 500 pages, it's hard to put down once you get started. Also recommended by Patrick Collison.

More Money than God - This one beats out stiff competition to take the title of best finance book I've read. (Sorry, Michael Lewis). More Money than God is nominally a history of hedge funds, but you'll find it much more engaging than that description might suggest. Much like The Dream Machine, it strikes a balance between storytelling and explanation. Also, Paul Graham once recommended this book on Twitter.

Zero to One - This book is basically the startup Bible. Everyone in Silicon Valley has read and recommends this book. They're not wrong. It really is that good.

Where is My Flying Car - This book deserves a blog post (or several) in its own right. It explores the causes and effects of the Great Stagnation through the lens of flying cars. One key culprit - energy stopped getting cheaper in the 1970s. Why? You'll have to read the book and find out. (Or, if you're in a hurry, you can find a great summary here). Balaji Srinivasan tweets about this book a lot.

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman - An autobiography of Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman. Full of outrageous shenanigans and half-cocked exploits, it's a wonderful reminder that working hard and having fun are not mutually exclusive. This one is an easy read, and it's been recommended by everyone and their mother.