sparks

In 1984, every sneaker brand was competing to sign 21-year-old Michael Jordan. The front-runners were Converse and Adidas. Jordan wore Converse in college and during the 1984 Olympics. And in high school, he said, “My favorite shoes were Adidas.” George Raveling, an assistant coach for the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team, had a long-standing... See more

Stop chasing miracles.

Miracles, by definition, are things that happen outside of your control.

have no training in design, I have only ideas and opinions.

My design approach is rooted in two principals:

1. Things that make sense please me.

2. Things that are beautiful please me.

Sometimes those are the same thing, and sometimes they are not (which can be a source of great displeasure).

Context, problem-solving, gestures, pleasure—these... See more

Whenever a prediction is made about people, it is an attempt to deny they are creative and can do the unexpected. Sure, you might ask your friend where they would like to have coffee and they respond just as they always do. “You’re so predictable” you might say. Of course that’s not a prediction. You share a culture - a history - a set of memes... See more

Find something important only you can build, he said, which would not exist without you. It’s inspiring enough advice on its face, which is how it’s generally taken, and how I always took it myself. But the advice requires an important, rarely considered step: introspection.

Do you even know what you’re good at? Do you even know what you believe... See more

you can rest assured that whatever kaleidoscope of stimulation (or even intoxication) AI conjures, you will get bored of it; getting bored is what we do, and it turns out to be a rather profound feature of our consciousness