Why Simple Is Good

A quote from Jonathan Ive, found in Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs:

Why do we assume that simple is good? Because with physical products, we have to feel we can dominate them. As you bring order to complexity, you find a way to make the product defer to you. Simplicity isn’t just a visual style. It’s not just minimalism or the absence of clutter. It involves digging through the depth of the complexity. To be truly simple, you have to go really deep. For example, to have no screws on something, you can end up having a product that is so convoluted and so complex. The better way is to go deeper with the simplicity, to understand everything about it and how it’s manufactured. You have to deeply understand the essence of a product in order to be able to get rid of the parts that are not essential.

The Cards App

Shawn Blanc on Apple’s Cards app:

In short, I’m impressed with everything about the Cards app except for the app itself. But that’s a minor issue. With a kid on the way whose grandparents live in another state, the Cards app will be getting regular use from the Blanc household.

I agree. I’ve sent a couple of cards using the app, and it’s pretty great, although an iPad version would be much more convenient. The cards themselves are high quality, and any recipient should enjoy getting one in the mail. Get it.

No Time to Write Equals No Time to Think

Randy Murray:

I strongly believe that the time spent writing is also time spent thinking clearly. It exercises the mental muscles. And writing and thinking exorcises the demons. Taking the time to write, daily, is taking the time to sort out ideas, to organize them clearly, and to think. For me, this is key to my mental health.

The Paradox of Expectations

Seth Godin on the paradox of expectations:

Perhaps it’s worth considering no expectations. Intense effort followed by an acceptance of what you get in return. It doesn’t make good TV, but it’s a discipline that can turn you into a professional.

On Not Playing iPhone Games

Stephen M. Hackett, in his explanation of why he doesn’t play games on his iPhone:

Boredom isn’t a bad thing. But strangling it with Angry Birds probably is.

Good stuff. I keep the game selection on my iPhone limited to one folder, and even then, most of them don’t get played. I think games are good when some mindless activity is needed to help you decompress, but sitting and thinking in silence can be even more valuable.

Initialisms Are Not Acronyms

Brett Kelly explains The Common English Mistake You Desperately Need to Stop Making:

Please stop referring to initialisms as acronyms. The longer this goes on, the more likely it is that the definition of “acronym” will be amended to include initialisms. If you don’t think the English language is above accepting glaring errors into the canonical language based purely on widespread, extended usage by regular people, I’d like you to meet my mortal enemy, “irregardless.”

Seriously.

A Saying No System

David Sparks in a post about his No Journal:

Moreover, I have no doubt that some of the projects I was truly passionate about ended up substantially less awesome because of my inability to say no to other things. Put simply, saying yes too often means that you will, necessarily, be mailing it in on everything.

[…]

Another benefit of saying no is that it reminds me how special those things are that make the cut. Whether it is writing an article, giving a killer presentation, or just taking a walk with my wife, those are items that I’ve chosen to do because they are so special. It makes mindfulness easy.

David takes saying “no” to a whole new level by implementing an actual system. It may sound a bit extreme, but the importance of saying no cannot be understated. If you said yes to everything, you wouldn’t have time for anything. The rejection of things that add no real value to your life is a cornerstone of minimalism: do what makes you happy, and eliminate the rest.

Two Things on Presentations

A couple of useful things about giving presentations:

Michael Lopp, in his essay, The End, which you should read:

With their attention in hand, you need to change perspective. What was the point of this speech, meeting, or article was yours — now it needs to be theirs. A good ending is a selfless act where you put everything important squarely in the audience’s lap. Whatever your point was, it’s now their point, their lesson, their view of the story. The invitation is a question: “How can I make this theirs?”

Furthermore, Merlin and Dan talked about presentation culture and how to not “bomb the deck” in the latest episode of Back to Work. It’s really good. Read/listen so your next PowerPoint doesn’t totally suck.

Job vs. Work

Wade Davis being interview on ABC Big Ideas:

First of all, I’ve never had a job. I did the commencement speech for my oldest daughter’s graduation, and it was at a time when I knew that seventy percent of U.S. graduates weren’t getting jobs. So I looked up the origin of the word ‘job’ and it comes from the old medieval French word devorer, meaning to devour. And the word ‘work’ comes from the beautiful Angelo-Saxon root meaning to celebrate, create, empower — so my lesson is never have a job but work ferociously hard.

Via James Shelley

Priorities

John Gruber responding to a piece by Dan Frommer on the lovely upcoming Nest thermostat:

Apple’s priorities — simplicity, beauty, excellence — are becoming the industry’s priorities. You don’t have to be a former Apple employee to get on board this train, though.

Seth Godin on Worrying

Seth Godin on worrying:

Worrying is not a useful output. Worrying doesn’t change outcomes. Worrying ruins your day. Worrying distracts you from the work at hand. You may have fooled yourself into thinking that it’s useful or unavoidable, but it’s not. Now you’ve got one more thing to worry about.

Crucial. Focus on what you can control.

Celebrating Steve

Apple has posted a video of its special event celebrating the life of Steve Jobs, which was filmed live at its Cupertino, CA campus. Great stuff.

Also, in case you’ve been off the grid, Walter Isaacson’s biography on Steve is now available, and you can watch his 60 Minutes interview online as well.

Mark Sisson's New Book

Today, Mark Sisson released his new book, The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation:

If you are new to the Primal scene, this book is one-stop shopping for all you need to know to enjoy the most life-altering benefits of living Primally within 21 days. If you are currently Primal-aligned and wish that somehow, some way, you could bestow the “secret” onto family or friends who are too reluctant or too busy, this book should definitely do the trick. It’s beautifully designed and illustrated and packed with over 100 color photos and concise section summaries – a page-turner even for the most attention- challenged among us in the digital age.

It’s available in paperback and on the Kindle. I’m almost halfway through it already, and I’m excited to pass it along to others.

Between my thesis, work, the changing season, and everything that’s happened at Apple recently, I’ve been a bit lazy with my Primal living, so I’m looking forward to getting back on the path.

Shawn Blanc: Why We Began Blogging

Shawn Blanc, way back in 2007, on why we began blogging:

Those of us that do blog started our sites because we had a hint of creativity or passion or hope that simmered up inside us. There was that moment when the spark of inspiration hit us and we realized that we would love an outlet to share our passions: graphic design, language arts, technology and gadgets, or even sewing. A weblog is a perfect outlet for anyone to cultivate their passions and share them with the world.

Via Write for Your Life

Smothered Verbs

Mark Nichol over at Daily Writing Tips:

In the interests of trying to help prevent the smothering deaths of countless sentences, here’s a public-service announcement about how to avoid this senseless tragedy: If a noun phrase (verb plus preposition plus article plus noun, though variations are frequent) can be condensed by converting the noun to a verb and deleting the other words in the phrase, do it.

The examples seem so obvious:

“I’m glad they’ve come to an agreement.”
“I’m glad they agree.”

“The committee will perform an assessment of the situation.”
“The committee will assess the situation.”

“Are you interested in submitting an application?”
“Are you interested in applying?”

Omit unnecessary words.

The Atomic Powerpoint

Seth Godin explains the atomic method of creating a Powerpoint presentation:

The typical person speaks 10 or 12 sentences a minute.

The atomic method requires you to create a slide for each sentence. For a five minute talk, that’s 50 slides.

Each slide must have either a single word, a single image or a single idea.

Make all 50 slides. Force yourself to break each concept into the smallest possible atom. If it’s not worthy of a slide, don’t say it.

Really cool, and it eliminates the need for slides full of bullet points. The audience’s attention should be on you, not the slides.

Andy Ihnatko on Writer's Block

Andy Ihnatko says there’s no such thing as writer’s block:

As a writer, you are never “blocked.”

The fact that you’re not actually writing doesn’t mean that you’re not actually working. You’re also working when you’re thinking. Figure out what the problems are and solve them. Solve them in a half-assed way if you have to; slap enough duct tape over the problem that you can proceed to the next step. Go back later and improve it in the editing process.

Sometimes, writer’s block is part of the process.

Unplggd: Distraction-Free Desktop

Cerentha Harris has a great idea for creating a distraction-free desktop:

It’s all too easy to get distracted from work on the computer. But there’s a simple technique to help regain focus: create a new User account, one specifically designed for getting work done. That means creating a desktop stripped of extraneous bookmarks, applications, music and movie files, plug-ins, extensions…unless they’re designed for task management or your work related projects. Think of this desktop as your work persona. Creating a dedicated account for work related tasks is like having a work outfit compared to the comfy-cozy sweatpants of leisurely online time.

I keep my desktop pretty distraction-free at all times, but this is an awesome strategy, and one that I would recommend to my non-minimalist friends. Check the full post for step-by-step instructions.

Via Minimal Mac

Put This On: The Shady Series

The guys over at Put This On are halfway through their Shady Series, which is all about sunglasses:

Although many people think of sunglasses only as a summer accessory, they’re actually important year-round. You should wear them in the fall whenever it’s clear and sunny, and in the winter when glare is reflected off of the snow. In both cases, proper sunglasses will provide important protection for your eyes.

Thus, a good friend of mine, Agyesh Madan, and I thought we’d publish a special five-part series on sunglasses. Together, we’ll discuss how to determine quality and what models you should consider. We’ll also cover how you can choose an appropriate pair of frames, as well as how to maintain your glasses once you get them.

I’ve been wearing the same pair of sunglasses since I was probably 17, so I’m looking forward to taking their advice when I invest in some grownup eyewear.

Ev Bogue: Theories or Experiences?

Ev Bogue talks about two types of writers:

The first writer has theories about everything. They’re making up their own philosophy about how the world works, and then telling everyone about it.

The second writer has conducted experiments and can tell from experience.

I’d like to think I write from experience, but seeing as I’m only 24 years old, my theories will probably change as I grow older. I can’t say definitively whether my theories are correct, and I don’t claim that they are. What I can say, however, is that my theories work for me now at 24.

One of my theories is that simplicity helps to create a calmer and happier life. Based on my experience with trying to implement simplicity, that’s true. Right now, simplicity works for me. Maybe it won’t at some point in the future, but at this point, it does.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers, or that my way is the best way. All of the advice I offer here is really advice I’m giving myself. I’m thinking aloud, so to speak. I’m saying, “Here’s a problem. Here’s what I’ve tried that has worked or not worked. Maybe that information will be useful to you, too.”

As time goes on, I’ll only gain more experience with which to support or adjust my theories.