Hey there đ
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 aboard!
đ The Pixar Touch
I enjoyed this compilation of âstorytelling basicsâ from Pixar story artist Emma Coats. Itâs funny how many of these bring specific movies from the Pixar archives to mind. One example: âYou admire a character for trying more than for their successes.â
đ Do Too Much
The bull case for âdoing lessâ is persuasive. Still, itâs also important to remember when itâs necessary to press on the pedal: âAs a leader, you are the upper bound for how much anyone in your company will care. You need to do more, care more, attempt more than would seem reasonable. It will seem like overkill. But too much is the right amount.â
đ The Startup Designer
In my experience, Designerâs roles and responsibilities are dramatically different stages of a companyâs life. Paulâs write-up here shows that well, with pointed observations like âThe startup designer knows where to compromise on quality, when to push for it hard, and how to advocate for it beyond intuition, armed with customer feedback, insights, and company goalsâ (this one resonated quite a bit).
đ Using Static Websites for Tiny Archives
If youâre into file organization (I know, not everybody at once) and find yourself constantly chasing the perfect hierarchy in other tools, then this approach is interesting. The gist is using static mini-websites and simply adding the metadata that you find useful.
đ Balatro
âBalatro is a roguelike deck-building game,â and also my newest obsession. I havenât gotten into a mobile game (Iâm playing on my phone, though itâs also available elsewhere) for some time. This is a good one to jump back in with, especially over the holidays when you might have a little extra downtime.
Food for Thought
âDonât just resist cynicism â fight it actively. Fight it in yourself, for this ungainly beast lies dormant in each of us, and counter it in those you love and engage with, by modeling its opposite. Cynicism often masquerades as nobler faculties and dispositions, but is categorically inferior. Unlike that great Rilkean life-expanding doubt, it is a contracting force. Unlike critical thinking, that pillar of reason and necessary counterpart to hope, it is inherently uncreative, unconstructive, and spiritually corrosive. Life, like the universe itself, tolerates no stasis â in the absence of growth, decay usurps the order. Like all forms of destruction, cynicism is infinitely easier and lazier than construction. There is nothing more difficult yet more gratifying in our society than living with sincerity and acting from a place of largehearted, constructive, rational faith in the human spirit, continually bending toward growth and betterment. This remains the most potent antidote to cynicism. Today, especially, it is an act of courage and resistance.â â Maria Popova
Wrapping up
As always, if you're enjoying Oversimplified, I'd love it if you shared it with a friend or two. If anything stood out, whether good or bad, I would love to hear about it. You can reply to this email or tweet at me and letâs chat.
Until next time,
Conor