↗Engineering Greatness Through the Kardashev Lens
The Kardashev scale opens a conversation about energy, civilization, and personal capacity. Kefei uses it as an analogy for directing attention and building a more integrated inner life.
FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY · 11 POSTS
AI & technology
Creative experiments and human questions in a changing technological world.
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↗From Gatsby’s Illusion to Human Infrastructure
A performance of The Great Gatsby prompts a return to the foundations of a meaningful life. Kefei traces a path from structural engineering through cloud systems toward the work of reflection.
↗Let’s Play Boldly: Start Your Sora 2 Moments
This October 2025 letter records Kefei’s early experiments with Sora 2 and the possibility of expressing reflection through short moving scenes. It invites readers to treat creativity as something to practice.
↗The Sprint That Echoed
An old notebook returns Kefei to an August 2020 engineering sprint, when platform upgrades, unexpected problems, and team coordination converged. Remembering colleagues through changed names, he pays attention to the trust and often invisible work that kept complex systems running.
↗Three Inflection Points, One Core Principle: Being Bold in Transition
Marking the newsletter’s first anniversary, Kefei revisits his move from structural engineering into technology, the dot-com collapse, and the financial crisis. He recalls how uncertainty reshaped his understanding of adaptability, leadership, and the value of continuing to build.
↗Being Bold Together: From Pleasanton to Liberty State Park
At a Tongji Foundation gathering in Liberty State Park, a conversation with Roger about aviation scheduling software gives Kefei a concrete example of purposeful effort. He is drawn to the care behind solving a difficult problem and sharing the work.
↗Riding the Waves of Disruption: Adaptability from DeepSeek Shock, Markets Rout on the Eve of the Year of the Snake
Written around the 2025 Lunar New Year, this essay responds to market turbulence surrounding DeepSeek through the symbolism of renewal. Kefei compares contrasting business approaches and draws a personal analogy between dependable foundations and the ability to change direction.
↗KoffeeMocha Deep Dive Podcast from Google NotebookLM (Episode 0)
Episode 0 documents an experiment using Google NotebookLM to generate a two-voice conversation about Kefei's writing. The accompanying transcript revisits his move from California to New York as an occasion for reflection on family, adaptability, and the choices that shape a new chapter.
↗KoffeeMocha Coming Experiment with Google NotebookLM
In this archive announcement, Kefei introduces an experiment using Google NotebookLM to revisit earlier Koffeemocha posts through generated audio discussions. He hopes a different format will reveal connections and overlooked ideas in his own writing.
↗Starting a Career: A SWOT Case Study in Data Analytics
Using a graduating analytics student he calls Alex, Kefei develops a career planning case study around strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. A capstone project becomes the centerpiece for considering how technical ability can translate into a persuasive professional story.
↗Day 8: Reflecting on My Career Transformation to Cloud and Beyond
Independence Day celebrations in Omaha prompt Kefei to reflect on the choices behind his transition into cloud engineering. He connects his interest in Warren Buffett's investing approach with the time he committed to understanding technologies he believed would matter.