Dialectic with Jackson Dahl

I interviewed Anjan Katta about @daylightcomputer: the embodiment of his vision for the future of computing.

I love computers. But lately they bend me to their will much more than the inverse. My iPhone feels more like a "pacifier for the mind" than Steve Job's dream of a "bicycle for the mind."

Anjan imagines a future of computers that amplify our humanity: devices that return agency, designed around light and respect rather than attention extraction.

We cover:

- SV's optimization of means, yet confusion of goals

- building non-inevitable technology and products

- relationship as the defining aspect of computers, and how the iPhone is our primary relationship to the world

- why light was the starting point for a new computer

- avoiding paternalism with products that make it feel easier to focus

- developing intuition that is more intelligent than data

- computers as magical companions—Hobbes, Dynabook, or The Primer

- Harry Potter computing: magical everyday objects

dialectic.fm/anjan-katta

Anjan is one of the most unique founders I've ever met.

Working on Farcaster and Warpcast. Longer thoughts at https://dwr.email