PinnedHow to Identify “Truthy” Tech TrendsDo you remember Amazon’s Connected Homes? Only a few years ago, the tech giant touted it as the latest in “smart home” technology — where, for example, you could easily bring your cup to the kitchen, and ask Alexa to fill it. …Truthy8 min readTruthy8 min read
Published inUX Collective·PinnedHow Design is GovernanceI’m writing this post from a brand new coffee shop in a busy area of Los Angeles. It seems like it is opening day, or soon after. From a distance, the seating and tables look charming, and the setting is well-lit by a large picture window at the entrance. It’s…Calm Technology10 min readCalm Technology10 min read
Published inSuperset·PinnedWe Need More Control Over Our Own User DataOn the formation of Superset, a data trust DAO — This is a piece written by Amber Case, governance board member of Superset DAO, Former Research Fellow at MIT Media Lab and Harvard BKC, author of Calm Technology, and Co-founder of DAO DAO. Case is working with BlockScience team members on the design of a first-of-its-kind data trust DAO. …Data Governance10 min readData Governance10 min read
PinnedWhy We Need to Know Cybernetics // Part II — Resilient Product DesignProduct Design & Automation Systems Read Part 1 here In the first post of this series, we conducted a short survey of cybernetics, explaining the theory’s importance to understanding how systems shape everything around us, from personal health to disruptions of the global economy. For this post, let’s look at…Cybernetics7 min readCybernetics7 min read
PinnedWhy We Need to Know Cybernetics // Part IIntroduction & Examples, from Personal Health to Product Design — Consider your body right now as you read this post. Are you keeping track of all of the processes in it that keep your heart beating and your temperature at around 98.6F/37C? When we live our lives, play with kids, go to work, exercise, and go about our daily activities…Cybernetics8 min readCybernetics8 min read
8 hours agoHow small Memos can make large organizational changesAmber Case is author of Calm Technology and a Research Director at the Metagovernance Project. A frequent design consultant across many industries, she was previously a fellow at MIT’s Center for Civic Media and Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. When you’re working deep within a large organization…Design5 min readDesign5 min read
Nov 20Impulse, Notion, Muse: Three ways we respond to events, and how to identify themHave you ever read a post online that made you extremely upset, then found yourself resorting to negative activity (flame wars, listless scrolling, etc.) because of it? Or seen a movie that completely inspired you with a new project idea — but then a week or two later, realized that…Mindfulness9 min readMindfulness9 min read
Oct 12Calm Tech for Quality Air: How I Turned My Living Space Into a Friendly SpacecraftWhen we think about calm technology for homes, it’s easy to imagine a sunlit living space by the ocean or a peaceful meadow, with some natural lighting and perhaps some appliance controls elegantly and unobtrusively placed within easy reach. While that’s one ideal, it’s also an aspiration that most of…Calm Tech12 min readCalm Tech12 min read
Sep 13Embracing Formal Rituals For Stronger Ideas and ConnectionsI just spent a summer studying with a group of students at a small college at Cambridge University. There are 31 distinct colleges at Cambridge University, each with their own dining hall, chapel and student housing. Many of these are ancient — in that their dining halls are hundreds of…Ritual7 min readRitual7 min read
Aug 17Sit, Siri! Designing Our Tech to Have Good EtiquetteIf you’re lucky, you awake in the morning to an overeager puppy who bounds onto your bed with happy yelps and kisses. It’s a pretty welcome start to the day, even when the bounding starts while you’re still half-asleep. Most of us, however, begin our morning with a completely different…Design7 min readDesign7 min read
