Note: This article was translated with the assistance of AI. I wrote the original in Chinese. If you can read Chinese, you are welcome to read the original Chinese version for the most authentic and unfiltered expression.

Looking Back at 2024

Time flies—it’s been over a year since I started blogging. Writing is a way to distill knowledge, a way to pass it on, and a way to connect with readers across the internet.

  • Distilling knowledge: Writing a post is a process of reorganizing logic, which deepens my own understanding. Going from knowing something myself to being able to explain it clearly to readers is real progress—what they call the “Feynman Technique.”
  • Sharing knowledge: I post solutions to problems I encounter in my daily work—especially ones I had to figure out on my own after finding nothing online. In a way, this enriches the Chinese-language internet. What surprised me most is that quite a few articles have genuinely helped others solve the same issues. They leave comments thanking me, and I’m truly grateful to them—it gives me a real sense of purpose.

Thank you to every reader who spent time with my words over the past year.

Here’s a look back at my 2024, from a few angles.

Blog Posts

The most memorable project last year was my attempt at 《寻觅周刊》 (The Quest Weekly), a newsletter aimed at introducing handy tools, useful resources, and quality information sources. Unfortunately, it fizzled out after just six weeks. The main reason: I didn’t fully understand the nature of what I was doing. I turned sharing from a right into an obligation. What makes sharing joyful for me is the result of sharing, not the process itself.

A special thanks to a reader who reached out via email with advice—like lowering my expectations for such articles. That feedback stuck with me and reinforced my original thinking.

PixPin_2025-01-11_15-22-01

Another piece I’m proud of is 《浏览器扩展逆向指北》 (A Beginner’s Guide to Browser Extension Reverse Engineering), written for total newcomers. It’s the longest article I’ve ever written—I remember starting in the morning and finishing as the sun went down. It’s not deeply technical, but it helps other beginners like me grasp the general process, and that feels rewarding. I also published it on linux.do, and was lucky enough to have it marked as a featured post by the site admin.

In 2024, I also started a TG channel focused on browser extension reverse-engineering resources and practical plugin recommendations. I post useful extensions there whenever I feel like it.

Projects

2024 was a small step toward building real projects. Highlights include:

I also contributed to these open-source projects:

Reading

Reading is a shortcut to conversing with people on a higher level than yourself.

I prefer e-books. First, they’re convenient—just grab your phone and start reading. Second, they let me “quantify” my knowledge: highlights and thoughts can be exported as text, saving repetitive mental work. This isn’t just a “false sense of accomplishment”—it also lets me aggregate and review using platforms like Readwise.

In 2024, I read for 139 hours on WeRead.

Books I finished:

  • 《打开心智》 (Opening the Mind): On how the human mind works.
  • 《昨日的世界》 (The World of Yesterday)
  • 《置身事内：中国政府与经济发展》 (Inside the Game: The Chinese Government and Its Economic Development): On the relationship between the Chinese government and the economy, and how they operate.
  • 《认知觉醒》 (Cognitive Awakening)
  • 《邓小平时代》 (Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China)
  • 《博弈论究竟是什么》 (What Exactly Is Game Theory?): A fun, accessible intro to game theory. It makes you realize how pervasive game theory is in everyday life.
  • 《乌合之众》 (The Crowd)
  • 《学会提问》 (Asking the Right Questions): Actually a great book on critical thinking.
  • 《在峡江的转弯处：陈行甲人生笔记》 (At the Bend of the Gorge: Chen Xingjia’s Life Notes): A vivid, honest life story—a clean official who rose to county party secretary, then left politics for charity. A few chapters brought me to tears.
  • 《局外人》 (The Stranger)
  • 《提问的智慧》 (How To Ask Questions The Smart Way)

Books I didn’t finish but highly recommend:

  • 《为什么》 (The Book of Why): The science of causal inference.
  • 《吴军：信息论40讲》 (Wu Jun: 40 Lectures on Information Theory)
  • 《日本史》 (A History of Japan)
  • 《财富自由之路》 (The Road to Financial Freedom)

Currently reading / on my list:

  • 《郭建龙”密码三部曲”》 (Guo Jianlong’s “Cipher Trilogy”)
  • 《社会契约论》 (The Social Contract)
  • 《黄仁勋：英伟达之芯》 (Jensen Huang: The Heart of NVIDIA)
  • 《可能性的艺术：比较政治学30讲》 (The Art of the Possible: 30 Lectures on Comparative Politics)
  • 《真需求》 (Real Demand)
  • 《见证逆潮》 (Witnessing the Countercurrent)
  • 《为什么我们总是在防御》 (Why We Always Defend)

Podcasts

Podcasts were a brand-new medium for me, which I discovered in the second half of the year. I’ve been listening for nearly six months now—my thoughts are in The Unique Aspects of Podcasts.

Here are some podcasts I think are excellent:

  • Society & culture:
    • 《忽左忽右》: History and society.
    • 《半拿铁 | 商业沉浮录》: Business rises and falls.
    • 《虚实之间》: Between the virtual and the real.
  • Investing & finance:
    • 《三点下班》: Off work at three.
    • 《投资实战派》: Practical investing.
    • 《知本论》: On knowledge capital.
  • Interviews:
    • 《无人知晓》: One episode features the aforementioned Chen Xingjia. After reading his book, listening to that interview made me feel he’s a truly vivid, candid, and admirable person.

2024++

Looking ahead to 2025, I think the theme for this year’s goals is: action.

“Why do we know so many truths, yet still fail to live well?” I believe a big part of the answer is the failure to take that first decisive step—and to sustain the follow-through. I consider myself a “three-minute passion” person: I dabble in a bit of everything, start with great enthusiasm, but that enthusiasm easily fades under the relentless passage of time. I hope to find the answer in 2025. And the answer lies in action.

License

本文采用 署名-非商业性使用-相同方式共享 4.0 国际 许可协议，转载请注明出处。

快来参与讨论吧~