Hey there š
Iāve got a lot to share this time around! Partially from skimping on last weekās issue, but mostly from finally cleaning out my Pocket backlog and the 100+ saved articles in there from the last year. Can you hear the sigh of relief? Itās a big one. Enjoy.
Oversimplified is a digest of the best links I stumble upon each week, and any new posts from me. If this is your first issue, welcome! You can subscribe with the big blue button below:
āļø Quick Rules for Travel
As I mentioned in my annual review, I recently took the plunge and went full ādigital nomadā mode. Since then Iāve been bouncing around from place to place, learning a lot about my preferences for travel. These preferences have started to inform a set of rules. This is the current set of them.
āļø Towards Modern Data Apps
Iām fascinated by everything going on in the data space right now. Benn Stancilās latest post on the entity layer got me thinking, so I wrote up some expanded thoughts on the topic. Basically, how will your data stack interact with your work apps in the next 5+ years?
š Nintendogs: The Non-game That Barked Like a Game
Take a stroll down memory lane with this design breakdown of the hit game: āThe first thing that arises whenever someone talks about Nintendogs is the claim that it is not a game. Such a vehement response is indicative of a larger trend in both the designer and gaming community. Unfortunately, it is a trend that has its roots in a fundamental misunderstanding of game design.ā
š On Dashboards
I went down a big olā rabbit hole on dashboards. What should they really do? What makes a good dashboard? What happens to them over time? Lots of questions and few agreed-upon answers. But plenty of good ideas. Here are some notable reads:
š On Solitude
Iād love to try and do something like this more often: Go somewhere by yourself with no phone for several hours, or days if you can swing it. Just chill out, think to yourself, and occasionally journal. Sounds good to me.
š Career Advice
Iād like to think that if a college student were to reach out to me for advice today, I would give them some tips largely similar to this post. Excellent stuff and applicable for just about anyone no matter where you are in your career.
š Anti-Mimetic Tactics for a Counter-Cultural Life
This is a fun thought exercise: What are some things or ways of doing things that most people follow? What would happen if you did the opposite?
š Scan of the Month: Game Boy Compendium
These breakdowns are straight-up fascinating, and even if you arenāt in the mood to dig deep on architectural design decisions, the visuals are awesome.
š Snow in the Sahara
It snowed in the Sahara Desert last week for one of just a handful of times in recent years. These pictures are beautiful and a little bit eerie.
Food for Thought
āAn old friend of mine, a journalist, once said that paradise on earth was to work all day alone in anticipation of an evening in interesting company.ā ā Ian McEwan
Until next time
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Until next time,
Conor