Why this exists

Hi, I'm M. I live in Toronto, and this site is my field journal.

It has two halves that feed each other:

• The Curiosity Log. Whenever something surprises me or a question occurs to me, I log it from my phone with a photo, a note, and where I was. Later I investigate, close the loop, and publish what I found.
• Side Quests. Some curiosities are too big for one entry, so they become side quests: self-assigned projects with a goal and a trail of milestones.

Around those sit the other things I'm into: books, coffee chats, AI projects I build, and my podcast.

Why keep a curiosity log?

The idea comes from my boss, Will Bachman, who keeps his own. Children ask an astonishing number of questions, and school gradually teaches us to only ask the socially acceptable ones at socially acceptable times. A log is a way to win that back.

1. When you get more curious, the world becomes more fascinating, whimsical and fun.
2. As alertness becomes a habit, you start noticing opportunities other people miss.

The method

• When a fact surprises me, I log it.
• When a question occurs to me, I log the question, look up the answer, and log that too.
• I look at the world through a few themes: vocabulary, geography, architecture, crops and nature, transportation, infrastructure, and plain old mysteries.