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Stay Curious.
Make the most of your college experience.
Jeff Hulett
Curator, The Curiosity Vine
Stay Curious.
The Curiosity Vine is an idea incubator.
Our contributors have experience and interest in a variety of high-impact topics, such as science, technology, conservation, mathematics, data science, public policy, economics, and others. Our objective is to promote early-stage ideas, enable idea collaboration, and test idea purchase.
TCV platform is curated by Jeff Hulett.
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TCV's ideas are used to provide seminars, write books, build businesses, and especially to help people.
So take a look around the site, feel free to ask or answer your own questions, and enjoy your own curiosity exploration!
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Featured Posts
Demystifying Backpropagation: The 300-Year-Old Calculus Rule Powering Modern AI
Modern artificial intelligence systems rely on an underlying algorithm to learn: Backpropagation. Whether predicting text, recognizing images, or translating languages, neural networks depend on this universal mechanism. The core mathematical mechanism behind backpropagation is not a recent invention. The algorithm relies on a calculus rule formulated by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1676: the chain rule. To understand how modern AI works, we examine how this centuries-old mat
Bridging the AI Divide: Moving Higher Education from Hesitation to Integration
"If men learn this, it will implant forgetfulness in their souls; they will cease to exercise memory because they will rely on that which is written, calling things to remembrance no longer from within themselves, but by means of external marks." — Socrates (in Plato's Phaedrus) Educators have long questioned how new tools alter human cognition. Socrates was not warning against algorithms, but the newest technology of his era: the written word. New classroom technologies seld
Making the Invisible Hand Visible: How Choice Architecture Operationalizes Economics
The Invisible Hand is an observation of our human nature. Adam Smith studied how people naturally operate within social settings. He then applied those behavioral insights to explain how societies generate lasting wealth. Long-term empirical trends support his core insights. Over the past two centuries, global economic data reveals unprecedented rises in real gross domestic product per capita alongside dramatic increases in global life expectancy. In 1776, Adam Smith publishe
The Vessel and the Truth: How I Found Meaning in Faith
"Does God exist?" This question is as old as humanity. People still debate it with great energy. I struggle with this question. I find it to be polarizing and distracting. Instead, I find there is a different, more helpful question to ask. Instead of existence, the better question is about meaning and behavior. It asks: "How Do You Choose To Live?" As such, my answer is simple. I choose to live as if God exists. Some might label this position as agnostic. Agnosticism answers
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The Science of Changing Your Mind: An Intuition-First Guide to Bayesian Thinking
Decision-makers navigate uncertainty, seeking conviction in an unpredictable world. This article explores a practical, intuition-first application of Bayesian Inference. Readers learn how a straightforward mental model, supported by a clear framework and an interactive calculator, sharpens decision confidence. While the text examines core mathematical relationships, the mechanics remain in service of practical intuition, equipping individuals to evaluate new evidence and adju
Jeff Hulett
Sep 58 min read
The Intentional Gardener: Helping Your Children Navigate the Hidden Laws of Behavioral Genetics
Parenting often feels overwhelming. We want the best for our children, yet we constantly worry about the uncertainties of a complex world. Self-doubt often creeps in as we wonder if our choices provide enough of a foundation for their future. As a behavioral economist, I often tell my students and clients life resembles a game of poker more than a game of chess. Chess displays every piece and every move clearly. Poker—and life—deals a hand you did not choose, requiring high-s
Jeff Hulett
Feb 58 min read
From Moral Philosophy to Choice Architecture: Closing the 'Unseen' Gap in Adam Smith's System
Adam Smith’s enduring legacy rests on two pillars: the moral philosophy detailed in The Theory of Moral Sentiments (TMS) and the economic framework of The Wealth of Nations (WN) . For decades, the intellectual divide between these works—dubbed the "Adam Smith Problem"—obscured a critical truth: the two books form a single, cohesive system. The key to unification lies in Smith’s four sources of moral approval from TMS. The first three sources (motives, consequences, and gener
Jeff Hulett
Dec 16, 20257 min read
The Mechanics of Emergence: Signal Integration in Neurons
What does Neuroscience have to do with Personal Finance? Everything! My journey into personal finance has led me to a crucial realization: the vast majority of our challenge to achieve long-term wealth begins not in spreadsheets or investment accounts, but within our own minds. The reasons we are either successful or fail are often rooted in the deep mechanics of how our brain operates and how that operation ultimately presents in our personal finance decision-making. This a
Jeff Hulett
Dec 15, 20257 min read
De-Moral Hazarding: The Strategic Use of Commitment Devices to Achieve Moral Benefit
I. Introduction: The Asymmetry of Risk and Incentive Distortion Despite the substantial welfare gains provided by risk-transfer mechanisms, the phenomenon of Moral Hazard (MH) represents a persistent challenge, contributing to systemic inefficiency and escalating costs. MH fundamentally describes the incentive distortion created when agents are insulated from the full financial consequences of their actions. Drawing from a long-established definition, Moral Hazard is understo
Jeff Hulett
Dec 10, 20258 min read
The Rewired Life: Seeking Better, Not Just More
Seeking is profoundly natural. In fact, it is a drive wired deep into our brains, a crucial part of our evolutionary biology. In many ways, seeking is why we exist today—it is the fuel for growth, discovery, and survival. So, this article is not about stopping that powerful, innate force; it's about channeling it. Are we seeking the wrong things? In a world saturated with curated lifestyles, comparison-driven ambition, and endless information, the impulse to achieve more is
Jeff Hulett
Nov 5, 202516 min read
The Tyranny of the Average: Incentives, Interdependence, and the Failure of the Bell Curve
-- The "Normal" Fallacy: Why the Bell Curve is an Abnormal Distribution. The bell-shaped curve, or Normal distribution, is arguably the most recognizable image in statistics. Its mathematical ubiquity has led many to believe it is the default, or "normal," state of nature. However, when we apply this distribution to the complex, interdependent realm of human affairs—from wealth and social media engagement to market returns and social influence—the Normal distribution proves
Jeff Hulett
Oct 9, 202510 min read
Racism Rewired: How Neuroscience and Economics Expose a Broken Logic
A simple image, a profound implication. First, extend your two hands in front of your face and make fists. Hold them together, thumbs...
Jeff Hulett
Oct 6, 20257 min read
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