There are two types of conflict. In the first form, you have messy people attempting to work through a problem. They aren't perfect; they bring their own baggage, pride, mistakes, assumptions, faults, problems, hopes, dreams, and yes, sometimes deceit and hurt. But, by and large, through their faults
As a kid, I was often called gullible. I didn't mind too much. I took people at their word, generally believed what they said, and got into awkward conversations when I realized the other person was being sarcastic or sardonic. Sincerity, intentionality, deliberateness—all these are a bit
Steelmanning and strawmanning are two terms that I've been looking at a lot lately. A quick summary. Strawmanning Strawmanning means that you are oversimplifying someone else's argument into a weaker version to make it easier to knock down. So, if I disagree with you, I'
Om Malik passed away earlier this year. This week would have been his 60th birthday. Yesterday I flew back from California, where I attended OmFest 2026. Admittedly, I didn't know what to expect when Matt Mullenweg announced it and then Gruber cross-referenced it. I'd known
It's easy for me to lose sight of why I create art, why I share design, why I use the curiosity and creativity as a human to put things out into the world. There's benefit in those things by themselves. They're therapeutic, they challenge
Seven years ago I set a daily goal of 1,000 words. I was reading a Stephen King book (On Writing) and he suggested 2,000 words seven days a week as a writing habit, something he's done for many years. He offered an out, half of his
I forget a lot. In fact, I’ve written about this on numerous occasions. Watching my son learn to play the guitar today, I was struck by the joy of a great memory, a mind that can attune to something, learn it in a short period, and hold the ideas
As a small child, I thought all my friends had the cool parents. I saw them in the highlights, when things went well, in the happy moments. My own parents lived with me through it all, good and bad, and it was easy to pick apart the negative. I was
Every human being has a spark inside of them. A something special that makes them who they are. That spark defines them, drives them, encourages them to entertain curiosity, be creative, seek community with others. And we're each special in a way that is uniquely beautiful to each
I have a few recurring topics. Give it enough time and I'll return to one months or years later. Part of this is from the joy of appreciating ideas more deeply, and part of it is due to a shoddy memory. Maybe at some point I'll
I'm excited about the iPhone Duo. Not least of all because it will finally enable the dream I've had for years—to be able to easily carry around a device for digital annotations at a moment's notice. I've tried this with the
Artists are drawn to make, to create, to envision something from nothing (or something from another thing). Some do it for the joy of the experience, for the reward of the results, for the change it brings to the viewer. In a world where ChatGPT and Claude and others can