423 - Benedict Neo

Benedict Neo is a builder and writer that is currently focused on writing about AI and machine learning. He is currently helping start Luminary, where he is gathering like-minded people to create and build together. He is also building multiple iOS apps.

He was previously an intern at Tesla.

Twitter (X) → x.com/benxneo
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/benedictneo
More → bneo.xyz/contact

Benedict's Workspace Tour

Essentials

• Apple MagSafe Charger
• Macbook M1 Air
• HP Z40c G3 WUHD Curved Display
• HP Z6 workstation
• Keychron k12
• MX Anywhere 3 for Mac
• Apple Watch S8

Furniture

• Trotten 140/160 cm
• Markus (chair)
• Hektogram (lamp)
• Lerberg (shelf)

Audio

• Airpods Pro 2 w. BMO case
• Xiaomi bluetooth speaker
• Kenwood automatic return table Model KD-1600 MK II

Tools

• Arc browser for the internet
• exa.ai for better search
• Notion for organizing my life
• Curius for social bookmarking
• Cursor for coding
• Spotify for making playlists and discovering new music
• Amie for calendar + TODOs
• Discord for chatting with friends
• Flow for pomodoro
• Matter for read-it-later
• Retro for photo journaling
• Obsidian for notes
• How We Feel for mood tracking

What is the most useful item in your workspace?

reMarkable 2. I bought this after selling my iPad to a friend, for the purpose of writing notes and assignments in university. Now, I’ve been using it for sketching and reading. I’m currently reading Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. I love the e-ink screen and writing marginalia and underlining feels like pen on paper. They also have a Chrome extension that lets you save articles as well to read them on the tablet.

How do you spark creativity?

I believe the two main drivers for creativity is quantity and diversity, so I try cast a wide net and actively consume ideas outside of my domain (art, writing, design). That means browsing apps on platforms like Twitter, Post.cv, Cosmos, Substack, and Curius, subscribing to good newsletters, watching movies and reading books, and talking to strangers.

The next step is organizing, consolidating, and blending of ideas. I do that by experimenting, collaborating with people, taking walks, journalling, and writing.

What does your typical day look like?

I just finished school, and I’m taking a gap break before I start a Master’s at University of San Francisco, so my typical day now involves exploring my interests and lots of writing and learning and building.

I’m currently building an app with my friend, it’s an app that turns YouTube videos into articles to read and curate. I also write blog posts on medium on topics like data science, programming, and walking through my AI side projects. I’ve also been self-learning AI with online courses and resources, since my ultimate goal is to be an AI engineer.

I end my day writing on my blog, which I’ve been writing every day for more than a year now, reading on reMarkable or a physical book, and journaling about my day on Notion. My journalling system is: 5 things that come to mind, 3 gratitudes, and one good thing that happened, I also track my mood and productivity, and daily habits.