we are shaped by our tools, systems, and environment
Rather than getting hung up on the technology itself, it’s worth thinking about how it works on us. The effectiveness of a generative artwork has a lot to do with the medium of its output. A single still image, for instance, affects us differently from a song, and they’re both different from a movie. That’s where Eno’s idea about the human brain “c... See more
archive.ph
Fiction Lag (aka Experience-Taking)
When people are captivated by a work of fiction, they unconsciously adopt the traits of their favorite characters. We develop our identities by copying others, and perhaps one reason we enjoy fiction is that it gives us ideas on who to be.
When people are captivated by a work of fiction, they unconsciously adopt the traits of their favorite characters. We develop our identities by copying others, and perhaps one reason we enjoy fiction is that it gives us ideas on who to be.
30 Useful Concepts (Spring 2024)

Books you read are sending you input. Your friends modeling behaviors for you. Newspapers. Tools. People you follow on Twitter. The architecture of a Gothic church beaming serenity into you—that is input too.
At the same time, you are also sending output to other nodes. Now, I am sending these ideas into my pocket notebook, which will send them to m... See more
At the same time, you are also sending output to other nodes. Now, I am sending these ideas into my pocket notebook, which will send them to m... See more
Henrik Karlsson • First We Shape Our Social Graph; Then It Shapes Us
The basis for any approach to self-transformation is an ever-increasing awareness of reality and the shedding of illusions,” writes Erich Fromm in The Art of Being. He refers often to awakeness, to making conscious what is repressed. To not just hearing, but listening. Not just seeing, but looking, watching. You can do this anywhere, with anything.... See more
Tools encourage default behaviors, they dictate patterns and golden paths. These represent the tool makers’ ideal user experiences. If following along breaks your back, then it’s not because you tried to lift too much, it’s because the tool applied pressure in all the wrong places.
from basecamp
Success is often a product of environment.
While a polar bear might thrive in the Arctic, it would not thrive in a desert. People are no different. The person who excels in one environment fails in another.
Understanding how environments impact performance changes how you hire. Employees who thrive in one environment easily fail in another if their p... See more
While a polar bear might thrive in the Arctic, it would not thrive in a desert. People are no different. The person who excels in one environment fails in another.
Understanding how environments impact performance changes how you hire. Employees who thrive in one environment easily fail in another if their p... See more
Brain Food: Prioritization Beats Efficiency
in choosing who you spend time with you choose who you are.
The Friendship Theory of Everything
Not for making something fast but for making something wonderful. Not to automate your words but to alchemize your mind. And I've seen how these shifts in frame create ripple effects across every decision we make.
This isn’t just philosophical woo woo stuff—it’s practical. Because products are not neutral. They are opinions embedded in pixels – ever... See more
This isn’t just philosophical woo woo stuff—it’s practical. Because products are not neutral. They are opinions embedded in pixels – ever... See more