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It’s usually a thought-provoking article or conversation that sparks an idea for what to write about in these intros. This past week, however, has been filled with a mix of unproductive busyness and persistent fatigue that meant less time and energy for stimulating input.
I think in situations like this the best thing I can offer my readers is simply respect for their time. So instead of filling this intro with uninspired words, please enjoy this shorter, but (I hope) no less useful issue of DD. – Kai
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Become a Friend of DD for $1.80/month →
With a modest yearly contribution you’re not only helping keep Dense Discovery going, you also receive special discounts and get access to the DD Index, a searchable catalogue of past issues. (And it removes this message.)
You receive this email because you subscribed to Dense Discovery, a weekly newsletter at the intersection of design, technology, sustainability and culture. Writing to you from Melbourne is Kai Brach. Do you have a product or service to promote in DD? Sponsor an issue or book a classified.
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A daily newsletter on the business of culture
TheFutureParty is the one free newsletter that curates stories spanning pop culture, entrepreneurship, entertainment, and tech, and breaks down what it all means for the future. In other words, you’ll hear about the newest trends in alternative assets (spoiler: probably Pokemon cards) and what’s hot on Spotify in one place.
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Apps & Sites
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Mental health apps reviewed
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With the plethora of ‘self-care’ and mental health apps available today, it’s difficult to know which ones are not just backed by science but actually recommended by professionals. This website provides extensive, in-depth and free reviews by experts. “One Mind PsyberGuide is a non-profit website dedicated to consumers seeking to make responsible and informed decisions about computer and device-assisted therapies for mental illnesses.”
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Hints’ selling point is speed and organisation: notes, links, screenshots, tasks, files, reminders, and voice memos are self-organised by the app; you just capture whatever you want to preserve and the app does the sorting.
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This set of macOS, iOS and browser extensions removes some of the more obtrusive parts of Twitter’s UI, such as promoted tweets, ‘who to follow’ and trends, giving you a cleaner, less distracting experience.
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If you watch a lot of TV shows, BestEpisodes lets you compare the IMDB score of each episode of your favourite series, such as Seinfeld, The Wire or the best show ever made, The Sopranos.
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Worthy Five: Alieska Robles
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Five recommendations by photographer, publisher and plant-based triathlete Alieska Robles
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A concept worth understanding:
The Earth does not belong to us; we belong to the Earth. One of the best ways to start acting with gratitude and respect for that which sustains all life is to read Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass which Kai touched on in DD171.
A book worth reading:
Sleep is one of the least understood, yet most important and most neglected aspects of our life. In Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker shows how such a basic activity can have such profound effects on almost everything.
An activity worth doing:
Make things by hand. It is deeply satisfying to turn raw materials into tangible objects that serve a purpose. Learning how to make tangible things also means learning how to fix things. It helps reduce disposable consumption and makes us more conscious of the material footprint of all the things in our life.
A newsletter worth subscribing to:
In James Clear’s 3-2-1, he shows how small daily habits lead to long-lasting results. His approach is a more rewarding alternative to the short-term hacks that modern society seems to be so obsessed with.
A saying worth repeating:
‘Be curious, not judgemental.’ We are wired to try to explain the world around us. When lacking obvious explanations, most of us quickly jump to conclusions before getting the complete picture. It is always better to ask than to assume.
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Books & Accessories
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Rest and retreat in difficult times
Through this personal narrative with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, Katherine May provides instructions for personal rest and recovery when life knocks us down. “Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear.”
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A new indie mag about food
From Canada comes a great-looking new indie title about food and how we relate to it. “It’s about the themes, ideas, conversations and connectivity around the cycle of our food; the language, culture and transformative possibilities of the future of our food; the journey it takes from seed to stomach, and all of the people who helped it along its way.” Friends of DD enjoy a 20% discount.
Become a Friend to access specials like this.
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Overheard on Twitter
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In the 90’s, computers would scream every time you went online. That was foreshadowing.
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Food for Thought
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If you’re reading DD, there is a good chance you’re part of what Solitaire Townsend calls the ‘X industry’: advertising, marketing, PR or creative consultancy firms that help other businesses grow (X stands for influence). This talk is a much-needed clarion call to people working in the X industry to think more deeply about how their skills and efforts contribute to the climate crisis. “When it comes to climate change, each individual firm in this sector has a carbon footprint no bigger than your average kindergarten, but the ‘brain print’ of the X industry is felt everywhere. That’s because these problem-solvers and storytellers act as the grease in the wheel of all other businesses on Earth. That gives the X industry an outsize influence on the likelihood that we reach net zero – or they will be one of the primary architects of climate destruction.”
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I really enjoyed this long portrait of Brandon Stanton and his work. Stanton is the photographer and storyteller behind the hugely popular ‘Humans of New York’ social media phenomenon, which has led to a range of books and documentaries, and more than a few changed lives of the people he featured. “His new objective is to bestow upon his subjects sufficient funds to obtain what he calls “escape velocity,” an astronomy term that he has adapted to mean “liberation from the gravity of their own circumstances.” In other words, Stanton has transformed his storytelling project into something that is part grant-giving operation, part one-man venture-capital firm, and part lottery.”
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An intriguing new documentary about a chemical element that currently gets a pretty bad rap but is an integral part of the story of everything. “With Carbon in the news every day, you might think you know everything about her. But you’d be wrong. This spectacular and surprisingly unorthodox documentary reveals the paradoxical story of the element that builds all life, and yet may end it all.”
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Speaking of carbon: I love this short post by Seth Godin about naming the next generation: “C is for Covid, C is for Carbon, C is for Climate. The combination of years of school spent at home, in a mask, combined with the significant revolution (economic, political and social) that our industrialism has led us to means that this generation will be different than the ones before. Every decision and investment and interaction is going to be filtered through the lens of carbon and remediation and resilience.”
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Aesthetically Pleasing
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A little late to the party, but what an impressive collection of self-portraits honouring Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, curated by The Luupe. Top: photo by Marlike Marks, bottom: photo by Rianca Koeman.
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In DPRK1 and DPRK2 photographer Philippe Chancel gives us a fascinating peek inside the everyday life of North Koreans. “As what is hidden is out of reach, it is only by showing everyday life in its gritty reality that is possible to make the levers of power visible and tangible. Such neutrality can be extremely powerful: revealing to what extent this regime operates like an hallucinatory machine hypnotizing an entire people, turning reality into a show.”
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A development that combines old and new with unashamed, bold contrast: “Stable House forms the initial phase of a two-stage plan to revitalise and reimagine an assortment of heritage structures with a contemporary sensibility.”
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The design of the three distinct versions of Bull-5 finds its origin in a particular style of typewriter fonts that emerged in the 1960s.
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Notable Numbers
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The rise of ride-sharing services has increased traffic deaths by 2% to 3% in the US since 2011, equivalent to as many as 1,100 mortalities a year, according to a study from the University of Chicago and Rice University.
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A study found that by 2030 the poorest half of the global population will still emit CO2 far below the 1.5°C-aligned level. The richest 1 percent and 10 percent of people are set to exceed this level by 30 times and 9 times, respectively.
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Classifieds
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Really feeling your grief, in these times, is hard to do. But it’s so necessary. In fact, riding the waves of grief is how you tap into joy. Learn more here.
Subscribe to Superorganizers and learn from CEOs, best-selling authors and artists about how they structure their days, take notes, read books, and manage their emotional lives.
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The Week in a GIF
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Reply or tweet at DD with your favourite GIF and it might get featured here in a future issue.
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