Massive congrats to the team at Rest of World, who is celebrating their first anniversary. RoW is a much needed international non-profit journalism organisation that documents the impact of technology in places that are typically overlooked or underestimated. I love the story behind their name too: “‘Rest of World’ is a ridiculous corporate term commonly used in global business operations. It’s a catch-all phrase that means, basically, ‘everyone else’. And it generally represents billions of people outside of the Western world. ... The term ‘rest of world’ is a symptom of a larger problem: a Western-centric worldview that leaves innumerable insights, opportunities and complexity out of the conversation.”

I always loved the simplicity of Whereby – a much more basic Zoom alternative that works without having to install invasive apps or create logins. They recently added a breakout room feature to divide larger meetups into rooms. It now also supports integration of other apps like Youtube, so you can watch a video together.

Typewise replaces your default keyboard layout on iPhone or Android, supposedly making typing easier through a range of new gestures and differently shaped buttons. It sounds like something that could be really useful for a person with Wreck-it-Ralph hands like me. Installing it now...

Super smart: allow this website to locate you and then show you where and when to look at what exact part of the night sky to observe satellites flying by.

Having and Being Had →

How to assign value to people, places and things

An exploration of how we spend, what we buy and why we work. “Having just purchased her first home, the poet and essayist embarks on a provocative exploration of the value system she has bought into. Through a series of engaging exchanges – in libraries and laundromats, over barstools and backyard fences – she examines our assumptions about class and property and the ways we internalise the demands of capitalism.”

Exponential →

Bridging the gap between tech and society

Offscreen alumni, newsletterer and podcaster Azeem Azhar has a new book coming out later this year, going deep on the ’exponential gap’ – the growing divide between the power of new technology and humans’ ability to keep up. “Azhar shows how this exponential gap can explain our society’s most pressing problems. The gulf between established businesses and fast-growing digital platforms. The inability of nation states to deal with new forms of cyberwarfare. And the sclerotic response of liberal democracies to fast-moving social problems.”

As you can probably tell by now, I’m doing a lot of reading on the shortcomings of our society of individualists: “Capitalism pushes us towards private affluence. We aspire to acquire our own things. Shared things are seen as second best, something of an inconvenience. Politics responds accordingly, prioritising economic growth and ‘more money in your pocket’, rather than shared goods and services. So everyone has their own lawnmower while the grass grows long in the park. People get their own exercise bikes or rowing machines, and the gym at the local leisure centre starts to look tired and under-funded. The wealthy pay for childcare or hire a nanny, but the early years nursery closes down.”

A lovely longread about giving yourself permission to be a beginner again and gaining a new skill (in this case how to play chess) as an adult. “Children’s brains and bodies are built for doing, failing, and doing again. We applaud virtually anything they do, because they are trying. With adults, it’s more complicated. The phrase ‘adult beginner’ has an air of gentle pity. It reeks of obligatory retraining seminars and uncomfortable chairs. It implies the learning of something that you should have perhaps already learned.”

I wish having friends from different age groups was more common and more encouraged by the societal structures around us. It doesn’t take a genius to see the benefits but this post is a nice reminder and motivator to make a greater effort. “Sticking with the same friends you have had since high school or college can often mean you get pigeon-holed. It’s normal for us to change as we get older but sticking with friends you have had since your youth can often mean you are not fully understood as your evolved self. Finding new friends of different ages avoids this issue.”