I don’t work in a team but one day I’d like to try out a voice messenger like Echo to see if it makes chatting to colleagues more personal (and more fun?) and less distracting.

Shift is essentially a browser that allows you to easily move between your most-used web apps. You can also switch between and search across (!) multiple Google accounts without logging in and out.

Direct any form on your website to a Smartforms endpoint and then decide what to do with the incoming data: send it to your inbox, a Slack or Telegram channel, or process it even further with a Zapier connection.

There is nothing more I love about the internet than people who dive deep into subjects they’re interested in and then share their findings with everyone, for free. The Membership Guide is an extensive resource about creating – you guessed it – successful membership programs, a business model that is slowly taking over the publishing and creative world.

How to Future →

Leading in an age of hyper-change

An ability to adapt to and take advantage of fast-paced changes in our environment is an essential skill for the future. How to Future offers practical strategies, in particular for people in leadership positions, “that enable better understanding of possible futures and their impacts, and how to prototype ideas that engage others in these futures.”

Karst Pencils →

Woodless colouring

Australian wood-free notebook manufacturer Karst just launched a new product: a set of 24 ‘artist pencils’ that are made without trees. The pencil has a full lead body – no more wooden barrel. A steep price tag but, dang, they look pretty.

What is real? What is true? Can these questions be answered subjectively? As this piece shows, the answer is ‘no’ – probably. “Science (which, you could argue, is also a form of fact checking) has been around for centuries trying to debunk most religious beliefs – and yet religion still plays a major role in Western society. If entire education systems teaching millions of people about science haven’t worked, why do you think adding a small fact check disclaimer below a YouTube video would?”

I admit that I’m a sucker for ‘things I learned at age X’ lists. Some nice nuggets in here, including: “Steve Kamb told me that the best and most polite excuse is just to say you have a rule. ‘I have a rule that I don’t accept gifts.’ ‘I have a rule that I don’t speak for free anymore.’ People respect rules, and they accept that it’s not you rejecting the offer/opportunity, but that the rule allows you no choice.”

I’m more and more convinced of trying gardening as a form of activism and self-preservation: “Carys Bray was raised believing that the Second Coming was imminent. Now, in the face of climate change, she reflects on her lessons in surviving an apocalypse.”