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Unclenching

On robustness, tyranny, sanity, and the tendency of life (and models, perhaps) to flex harder when confused.

Note that post links for this series currently redirect to my Substack.

Started: 28 July 2023
Updated: 3 February 2026
Status: finished
neurosciencemeditationBuddhismdynamical systemspredictive codingrobustness
  1. 1

    Unclenching→

    On robustness, finger traps, and the tendency to lean harder into what we already have.

  2. 2

    Harder: Better? Faster: Stronger?→

    How do we control the movements of our bodies when outside forces interfere?

  3. 3

    Fake it 'til you make it→

    On the tradeoff between forcing your predictions on the world and letting the world force itself on your predictions.

  4. 4

    Practice→

    How might meditation help me to escape a trap?

  5. 5

    Interlude: Predictive coding→

    How the brain negotiates between top-down predictions and bottom-up sensory data.

  6. 6

    Who (mis)translates the (mis)translators?→

    Connecting clenching to Buddhist psychology.

  7. 7

    How steep was my valley→

    Brains, dynamical systems, energy landscapes, canalization, and mental health.

  8. 8

    "Canalization"?→

    On the awkwardness of jargon.

  9. 9

    Iron: Your brain→

    How brains escape entrenched patterns by becoming excited enough to reorganize.

  10. 10

    Actually...→

    Picking up a bunch of loose ends.

  11. 11

    Clenching→

    Epilogue.

© MLL, 2026