§ Decision Procedures

• Learnt a lot about the Bitwuzla architecture by porting its algorithms to Lean.
• Developed a decision procedure for parametric single width and multi-width bitvectors, read most of the literature on bitvector decision procedures in the process.
• Learnt about K-induction, IC3, and Spacer "for real", though I haven't implemented them. IC3 in particular is super duper neat.
• Really understood floating point, as we've started porting symfpu to lean.

§ Photography & Travel

• I've kept practising phtography, and being an academic is great for visiting strange new places to take pictures of!
• I got to photograph one of my closest friends' wedding, which was a lot of fun (and a bit stressful!)
• I'm now pretty competent at using darktable . I'm hoping to get to contribute to darktable sometime in 2026, but we'll see how that goes!

§ Grant Writing

• I spent more than an epsilon amount of time writing grants in 2025, and I've gotten a lot better at it, both at what is expected, as well as the actual writing.
• Takeaway 1: Always delegate your work packages such that even on the day of submission, it is defensible that you've "done the work" (at least to prototype stage).
• Takeaway 2: Schedule padding time for projects, and word them such that the vision is clear, while leaving room for people to adjust for interests in life based on circumstances.
• Typically, most of the time seems to go into the careful description of the high level idea, which make or break the proposal. The actual WPs themselves, while important, are much less critical to the success of the proposal.

§ Fiction Reading

• Subscribed to Clarkesworld, so I read a bunch of great science fiction.
• Totally loved
• Love in the time of Cholera
• Pale Fire

§ Italian

• Been learning Italian, as Luisa's family don't speak english, and it's her native language.
• This is the most brutal thing I've done in a fair while, since it's not a 3 month project, but a years-long project.
• Conjugations are a pain, but vocab is surprisingly "easy", as long as you're not ashamed to repeatedly as for words that you think you're supposed to know.

§ Piano

• Learnt a bunch of ragtime, though I still can't play swipsey cakewalk all that well.
• Started mixing in modes, I typically switch between dorian and the harmonic minor scales, as well as the major and minor blues.

§ Goals for 2026

• Write Italian A2 Exam.
• Get a Global Talent Visa.
• Learn some dance form properly (tap? polka?).
• Learn Jazz Piano , and relatedly, learn playing good basslines on the piano. Walk that bass is a fantastic resource. How to practice bass lines .