Hello! My name is Simran. I work in computer security and have a background in mathematics and cryptography. I maintain a separate website where I write about those professional interests.
This present website is a canvas for the ideas and experiences that matter to me outside of work. My writing here touches on questions of mind and feeling, personal well-being, the social patterns we live within, and the ethics of how we treat other beings. Most of my writing takes the form of essays and notes drawn from reflection, reading, conversation, and lived experience. Some essays revisit the books I love, particularly classics, highlighting my favourite passages and the thoughts they left me with. I also occasionally write poems on the same themes that preoccupy my prose.
This website
- Poems: A collection of some of the poems I’ve written. Topics include the mind and emotions, observations of nature, life experiences, and animals.
- Personal Reflections: A set of writings documenting personal life transitions, noteworthy everyday moments, observations, and contemplations on significant experiences and learnings.
- Notes on Mind and Self: A series of essays exploring self-awareness, mental clarity, and cognitive and emotional well-being, based on a combination of reading and personal experience.
- Essays on World and Society: A few pieces offering cultural critique, social commentary, condensed summaries of science-based learnings, and some general observations and opinions that come my way.
- Book Revisits: Essays offering recaps and analyses of some of the books I read, some of my favourite passages and what they mean to me, and my opinions on and augmentations to the book contents.
Animal Matters
I have always cared for animals and have wanted to contribute towards making the world a better place for them. At present, I integrate this commitment into my life in two ways: through the Giving What We Can pledge to direct donations to organizations doing impactful, evidence-based work for animals, and by supporting the care of two individual animals, Coco and Marita, at nearby sanctuaries, whose lives I also get to follow. I am grateful to be able to contribute in these ways, and doing so adds a great deal of meaning to my life.
- Coco the sheep (Lebenshof Tiermensch): Coco is a male sheep who was born on a dairy farm and was rescued from the fate of being sent for slaughter because he was deemed “too beautiful to kill”. He came to Lebenshof TierMensch along with two brothers, Klausi and Maximilian, where they now live together.
- Marita the hen (Hof Narr): Marita was bred as a hybrid laying hen and lived with nearly 2,000 others in an egg production facility. When the farmers decided to transition their farm into a sanctuary, all the hens were rehomed. Marita came to Hof Narr with 19 others, where she now lives freely with her flock.
- Pledge for Effective Animal Charities: We often underestimate our privilege and how much impact modest donations can have for neglected causes. In July 2024, I pledged to donate at least 1% of my income to organizations working to reduce animal suffering through evidence-based advocacy and interventions.
Contact and Links
I organize two Meetup groups in Zürich: