Welcome to my curated collection of discoveries and experiences from 2024. While not everything featured here was
created or opened this year, each entry represents something I personally experienced for the first time in 2024.
These are the highlights that made my year special.
Favorite Restaurants Visited
COTE Korean Steakhouse• Miami, Florida
A Miami outpost of the Michelin-starred New York City favorite, COTE provides a well-executed high-end Korean BBQ.
The tasting menu left such an impression that my girlfriend and I haven't stopped talking about it since our visit.
Lom Wong• Phoenix, Arizona
An authentically regional Thai restaurant in Phoenix that ventures far beyond familiar dishes.
With a menu showcasing hyper-local Thai specialties rarely found in the U.S., going with the chef's recommendations leads to a culinary adventure.
Black Cod Miso
The best recipe I made at home this year was the Nobu adaptation of Black Cod Miso.
I served it with sushi rice and broccolini. 9.5/10.
Recipe Link
Velvet Belly's Beef Tartare• Rochester, New York
Bite-sized beef tartare served atop crispy potato galettes, elevated with truffle, parmesan, and chives.
They provide an intense amount of flavor in each bite - which I think is just about perfect.
Favorite Cocktail Bars
Carry On• Phoenix, Arizona
A very newly opened Phoenix cocktail bar that transports you to a 1960s airliner, complete with flight attendant service, window-view screens, and rumbling chairs.
From the welcome drink to the signature martini hour, this immersive aviation-themed experience makes you feel like you're truly flying while enjoying craft cocktails.
Locale Firenze• Florence, Italy
Locale Firenze stands among the world's top 50 cocktail bars, offering an enchanting blend of hospitality and ambiance.
From the moment we were sat, we were welcomed with a complimentary drink, setting the tone for the rest of the night.
The space has high ceilings, mood lighting, lush greenery throughout, and a soundtrack that makes you feel cool for being there.
Favorite Movies
Dune: Part Two
I've never had quite the same experience - as watching the epic that is Dune 2 at IMAX.
The wide-angle landscape shots, the scenes shot in infrared, and the pacing of the movie led to one of the best movies that I've seen in a long time.
Favorite Products
Cursor
A new AI-powered coding IDE that transforms the development experience.
I think this is a glimpse into the future of programming.
Favorite Music Listened To
Break My Love• Rüfüs Du Sol
Classic Rüfüs Du Sol with lots of textured sound design, but with a new groove for their newest album.
Netseweth Sifassan Nagh• Majid Soula
A funky track by Majid Soula discovered at NYC's Tigre lounge.
Despite the language barrier, the groove transcends any need for lyrical understanding.
i saw you• Fred Again...
I love Fred Again - he has a unique balance of EDM and emotional music.
This song struck a chord with me.
Favorite Articles Read
Vesuvius Challenge 2023 Grand Prize awarded
The 2023 Vesuvius Challenge united a global community of experts to achieve the seemingly impossible: reading ancient Roman scrolls carbonized by Mount Vesuvius's eruption in 79 AD.
Using computer vision and machine learning, teams successfully revealed text from these fragile artifacts without unrolling them, unlocking knowledge hidden for two millennia.
Article Link
When Do We Stop Finding New Music? A Statistical Analysis
A deep dive into how our relationship with music evolves as we age.
The article reveals that music discovery peaks at 24 and starts to stagnate around 31, backed by data from different streaming services.
Article Link
Lab-grown diamonds: Beating nature at its own game
A look at how lab-grown diamonds have evolved from scientific curiosity to market disruptor.
They are now purer, more beautiful, and vastly cheaper than their mined counterparts.
Article Link
Complete Fruit Fly Brain Mapping
Scientists have mapped all 140,000 neurons and 54.5 million synapses in a fruit fly's brain - the most sophisticated connectome ever created.
While this is just a static snapshot of the brain's wiring, it's a crucial step toward understanding how brains work. Like having a detailed
road map before studying traffic patterns.
Article Link
Cool Projects I've Seen
MomBoard: E-ink display for a parent with amnesia
What makes this project particularly moving is how it uses technology not just to solve a practical problem, but to preserve human connection and dignity.
Project Link
Self-Balancing Cube
An open-source implementation of a self-balancing cube - includes everything from mechanical designs to control algorithms.
Project Link
Technologies I'm Excited About
Trellis – 3D mesh generative model
A groundbreaking advancement in 3D generation technology that can create high-quality 3D assets from text or image inputs.
Makes me interested in buying a 3D printer just because going from concept to physical model is now a breeze.
Technology Link
