My friends think I'm smart, this is my chance to disprove them.

Calculated Curiosity is where my overthinking meets your research needs. I document my projects, purchases, and problems so you don't have to make my mistakes

Hi, I'm Mark Epelbaum. I'm a recovering engineer with an overthinking problem. This blog documents how my technical mindset dissects everyday experiences—from kitchen gadgets to computer builds to home repairs—with probably unnecessary depth.

With 15+ years navigating technical fields across aviation, home improvement, and AI, I've developed a habit of analyzing everything to exhaustion. My friends call it undecisive. I call it thorough. You might call it useful.

Why make this public? Because I've spent countless hours stuck in research holes and project dead-ends that could have been avoided if someone had shared their mistakes first (heck, I even started a company to help myself and other homeowners get unstuck on projects). If you're in the middle of a project I've already struggled through, maybe this collection of thoughts can save you time and frustration.

This space serves three purposes for me: organizing my thoughts, developing my writing voice, and creating a record that might someday train an AI to replicate my particular brand of overthinking (to save me the effort).

Questions? Suggestions? Found something useful here? Drop me note or signup for updates. I'm always up for talking shop about anything you find here.