on mini-essays

I recently came across two ideas I liked: research as a leisure activity and using mini-essays to retain learned information.

The idea is simple. When something genuinely sparks my curiosity and interest, I research it and write a short, fact-based explainer about it. The writing should be accessible$^1$ and, ideally, take no more than 20 minutes to write and fit on a page$^2$.

$^1$Enough to teach a newcomer the core concepts, assuming no prior familiarity but a willingness to learn.

$^2$Mayhaps 400 words at most. (I’ve been failing miserably at this one.)