Sep 9How Hedron is reducing latency in satellite-Earth communicationLatency in space-Earth communications creates a significant gap between when critical information is captured and when it’s relayed to the relevant entities on Earth. Hedron aims to build a network of more than a hundred satellites that communicate via laser optics and relay data between satellites, finding the shortest path…Space3 min readSpace3 min read
Aug 13How OSSTP built an effective developer teamOSSTP is an acronym for Olin Satellite Spectrum and Technology Policy, a research group of 20+ undergraduates at the Olin College of Engineering. I joined in January 2023 and began working on the data scrapers team and SWARM-EX. Many people who write about team culture are wrong about how to…Culture6 min readCulture6 min read
May 29My hypothesis for how AI will be wonDifferentiable datasets and Knowledge-as-a-Service (KaaS) — Differentiable datasets are the key trait of winners in the “AI revolution”. This trait favors incumbents more than startups because incumbents have access to these types of datasets since they’re unique to industries like healthcare, finance, and education mostly because of privacy and policy restrictions. Part of its importance stems…Artificial Intelligence5 min readArtificial Intelligence5 min read
Apr 1Those who are curious learn a topic better and faster. Current education trains students for factory-based work. We’re also glorifying the industry paths of doctors, consultants, investment bankers, and lawyers w…Training Students for 2030 @DisruptorLabs1041Zayn PatelSal Khan mentioned an interesting point in a recent talk with Peter D about how the industrial…Sal Khan mentioned an interesting point in a recent talk with Peter D about how the industrial revolution type of education is economically incentivized. There wasn't a good solution to this problem unless schools wanted to increase their income statement with more teachers who could offer near 1:1 engagement with…3 min read3 min read
Feb 23Member-onlyAI’s impact on educationA reflection on the question: What are your thoughts about AI’s impact on education? Written as if I were responding at a fireside chat. I’d ask ‘what are people already stitching together that a company hasn’t built’ and I think the answer is ChatGPT pairing with YouTube. Youtube is to…AI5 min readAI5 min read
Jan 25Member-onlyHuman metadata creates valuable companiesAs the summer nears, I’ve been applying to internships and I realized: the metadata about an experience is more interesting than the experience itself. For example, my title is Head of Engineering at X company. Underneath this title I’ve written 3 bullet points detailing what I’ve done. Implemented a file…Innovation2 min readInnovation2 min read
Nov 24, 2022Member-onlyDon’t let your friends be as annoying as poorly tied shoes.One of the things that’s bizarre to us today that wasn’t bizarre twenty years ago is how we make friends. Twenty years ago, friends were either local or gatekeeped. Social networking sites weren’t as widespread and international as today, so grade school was the primary way to make friends. And…Innovation5 min readInnovation5 min read
Aug 28, 2022Member-onlywhat I read (week of august 21)Readings on education and technology — My reading this week is split into two categories: Education (with some thoughts on Biden’s student loan bill) Technology Education Incentive based programs to incentivize reduce the attrition rate of effective school teachers (WSJ) Interesting company x school partnership I mentioned in my essay but too political for classrooms (NYT) Biden…4 min read4 min read
May 23, 2022Member-onlyHelping 100M students under ten learn how to read and write.Augmented reality education for five y/o to master literacy. — Hey! I’m Zayn Patel, and I care about unlocking human potential, especially for kids in developing countries. I was a finalist in Schmidt Futures global learning tools competition. I’ve worked with the UN to build a digital literacy curriculum for women in rural Senegal. I also created a platform to…Education8 min readEducation8 min read
Apr 24, 2022Member-onlyDisco Balls & PencilsWriting as a dinner party — Writing is a lively dinner party; tidy guests, developed invitations sent out weeks in advance, ironed dress shirts and matching ties, live music, a brown, reflective, waxed dance floor, and a ‘blown-up’ phone post-party with pictures and thank you messages. Writing, like the dinner party, has stages. The aggregate experience…Personal Essay7 min readPersonal Essay7 min read
