One of the key tenets I talk about regarding understanding the engineering mindset is that software engineers think in terms of flow charts. This isn’t exactly correct – engineers think in code, but most of the planet does not, but, chances are, they understand the concept of a flowchart. You’re in a state. When certain… More
Tech Life
Sponsor: A World Without Pens
I knew I was going to love Spike Jonze “Her”, but I didn’t know that my first opportunity to watch it was going to be on a long transatlantic flight where I’d be able to watch it… multiple times. Like three times. In a row.
There’s a longer article to be written about “Her”, but right now I want to bitch a bit. Jonze imagines a not-to-distant future where our operating system are becoming sentient. It’s not a science fiction movie because Jonze doesn’t get lost in in the science, he worries about how science might affect us socially. So, it’s a social science fiction movie?
There are small touches throughout the movie to remind you of this not-too-distant future. People dress like dorks, video games are awesome and immersive, and the denizens have strange new jobs appropriate to this future. Our protagonist writes personal letters for other people. Correction: he dictates these letters because in this future dictation is perfect and the need for keyboards has apparently vanished.
As I binged on “Her”, I became increasingly concerned about the absence of keyboards. I realized that if we had no keyboards, what happened to writing utensils? Pencils? And pens?
Look around where you’re sitting right now. Reach for a pen and something to write on. Sign your name and tell me how it feels. How does the pen feel in your hand? Too heavy? Too light? How does the ink land on the paper? Too thin? Too heavy? It’s probably been a long time since you’ve obsessed about a pen, you’ve taken it for granted. Now imagine a world with no pens.
What a fucking nightmare.
Jonze’s movie is about how technology is changing our relationship with each other. It’s funny, insightful, and often stop-you-in-your-head brilliant. Watch it. Watch it twice. Watch how in the future they never write, they just talk.
In the present, take some time to be aware of when you write. One of favorite ways to write is with a Zebra Sarasa 0.5mm black gel pen. It speaks to me. For the next two weeks, JetPens.com will throw this amazing pen into any order over $25 when you click on this coupon. This means there might be a great pen in your future.
Very Important Strangers
A few weeks ago I spoke at the excellent re:build conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. While it was my first time in Indiana, the setup was familiar. 200+ attendees, great venue, single track, and conference coordinators who know how to put on a great conference. (And one surprisingly gotham-y gorgeous building.) I was the last speaker… More
Practical Advice for the Obsessive Compulsive Traveler
I’m at peak travel right now. I’ve been elsewhere for three of the past four weeks and that means I’m optimized for travel. I’ve already documented how I optimize moving my crap hither and fro in A Bag of Holding, but it’s during this peak travel that I’ve noticed a handful of helpful behaviors that… More
The Builder’s High
When I am in a foul mood, I have a surefire way to improve my outlook – I build something. A foul mood is a stubborn beast and it does not give ground easily. It is an effort to simply get past the foulness in order to start building, but once the building has begun,… More
Full of Interesting Strangers
In its second year, XOXO is a legitimate replacement for SXSW. Full of bleeding-edge makers of things, XOXO has a fascination with fuchsia and a great badge. I can write this because over the years, I’ve developed a strong opinion regarding badges. A Badge Connects You to the People The following are my current beliefs… More
R.I.P. Things
I’ve used Things longer than any other productivity system; this weekend I threw it away. Things had its chance. I was initially enamored with it because the application forced very little religion on me and also easily adapted to my different productivity experiments I wanted to develop. The interface was simple, the application was stable,… More
Infinite State
There are two periods of time regarding your job that I’m fond of quoting and they both involve the number three. First, it takes three months to understand a new job. Until those 90 days are over, you don’t really know what hand you’ve been dealt. Second, it takes approximately three years before you’ll become… More
Is the Sky Blue?
The world is full of bullshit right now. Perhaps it’s always been full of bullshit, but I’m sitting here right now and I feel that we – as a species – have taken the bullshit to an entirely new level. Strongly held beliefs are based on the flimsy opinions delivered by totally unqualified sham journalists… More
I Choose Superman
My family has a disproportionate love of Superman and I never quite understood why until recently. When I say disproportionate love, I mean manic crazy love. My sister took a tape recorder into Superman II, recorded the whole damned thing, and then transcribed the entire movie via a typewriter. Why? So she could read the… More