Stephanie Ramirez
@steph.r
Stephanie Ramirez
Honour your creativity
In many ways, I feel fortunate that we built Poolsuite, Vacation® and other projects before AI became as accessible as it is now. That time gave me a runway to hone the skill of being creative. But the other day, I found myself slipping into a terrible new habit, and turning to ChatGPT before I even gave my brain 30 seconds to... See more
In many ways, I feel fortunate that we built Poolsuite, Vacation® and other projects before AI became as accessible as it is now. That time gave me a runway to hone the skill of being creative. But the other day, I found myself slipping into a terrible new habit, and turning to ChatGPT before I even gave my brain 30 seconds to... See more
PALM REPORT
All desire is a desire for being.”
We think we want things, but every desire points to a way of life, a kind of person we long to become. Objects seduce us not with their utility but with their promise of transcendence—status, attention, belonging.
We think we want things, but every desire points to a way of life, a kind of person we long to become. Objects seduce us not with their utility but with their promise of transcendence—status, attention, belonging.
There are just so many new products out there that transcend our human capabilities to know all of them. The problem, now so drastically different from a decade ago, is not “what to do/eat/watch/listen to” but “what is the BEST THING to do/eat/watch/listen to WITHIN MY LIMITED TIME AND ATTENTION”
Tuan (Alan) Nguyen • How The Curator Economy Shapes Today’s Products
One of my (many) contrarian beliefs is that we do not have strong enough preferences. We often blame social media or the speed of information as the reason why we’re easily distracted, but the real reason behind our inability to focus has less to do with the sheer quantity of media and more to do with our laziness when it comes to distinguishing wh... See more
I am sure many of you have had this experience — it’s late at night and you start browsing Netflix looking for something to watch. You scroll through different titles — you even read a few reviews — but you just can’t commit to watching any given movie. Suddenly it’s been 30 minutes and you’re still stuck in Infinite Browsing Mode, so you just give... See more
Pete Davis • “A Counterculture of Commitment” Speech
While offering ample choice is regarded as essential by many retailers, this too can prove disempowering when it obliges shoppers to invest an excessive amount of cognitive energy in reaching a decision. It causes them to shift from shopping on subconscious autopilot and compels them to engage in rational, conscious thought processes.
Dr. David Lewis • The Brain Sell: How the new mind sciences and the persuasion industry are reading our thoughts, influencing our emotions, and stimulating us to shop
Spotify, for example, has invested heavily in its own curation services — both algorithmic and human — after finding that many of its listeners were baffled by superabundance, burdened by excessive choice and uninterested in charting their own paths through the digital wilderness.
Rogers Brubaker • Hyperconnected Culture and Its Discontents
In The Paradox of Choice, the psychologist Barry Schwartz argues that infinite choice – whether of mutual funds, breakfast cereals or lovers – is exhausting to the human psyche and leads to greater dissatisfaction. When presented with too many choices, we are not only stunned, like a kid in the proverbial candy shop, but also less satisfied with th
... See moreMia Levitin • The Future of Seduction
But there’s a huge danger here. We are covetous creatures, and grasping at too many things leaves us feeling stressed and inadequate, and constantly wondering whether we’re on the best path. Psychologist Barry Schwartz tells us that a wealth of options has a way of making us less satisfied with our eventual choice. When there are fifty possibilitie... See more