The Weekly Roundup #6
Hi.
I know it has been a few weeks. To be honest, I held off posting because of the type of content I typically share felt completely out of place. I’d have been actively glossing over the collective hurt that our country is and continues to feel. Instead of writing, I chose to listen, understand, reflect, and act.
Hundreds of years of oppression and racial injustice have, once again, been thrust into the spotlight. Innocent black lives lost—George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the list goes on. The suffering of our fellow citizens is not something we can or should ignore. Our collective silence must end for good. The foundation of this house we call our democracy is built with bricks rotten to their core. Racist policies that have been tolerated, exacerbated, and perpetuated must be eradicated. In their place must stand privilege awareness, restitution, reconciliation, and equality.
As I’m sure many of you have been inundated with links, resources, content, and more—all geared towards pushing this cause for racial equality forward—I won’t share more of those here, but I do have one two-pronged recommendation: (1) Listen to the 1619 podcast by The New York Times and (2) watch Just Mercy (the life story of Bryan Stevenson and his fight to build the Equal Justice Initiative). If you are short on time, watch his TED talk. He is one of the most courageous and positive forces of change in our world today.
Finally, the work here is *far* from done. While I will continue my weekly newsletter with familiar content covering topics you’ve seen me discuss before—the purpose of this newsletter is to share what I am curious about, and I would urge us all to be actively more curious about how to affect lasting and sustained change when it comes to racial justice.
Now, here’s what else piqued my curiosity in the last few weeks:
1. Jumping from the Top
Remember going to the local pool as a kid? Emerging from the locker room, towel in-hand, feet flopping in the poolside water, eager to jog but deterred by the power-trippy lifeguard and the ubiquitous signs reading “NO RUNNING.” Then, as you place your towel on a patch of grass to stake your claim, your gaze turns to the deep end—oh, the deep end. Who knows what lurks in those depths? Nine feet deep might as well be the Mariana Trench and perched above the water, at three progressively daunting heights, are the diving boards. Your friends egg you on: “Let’s do the big one today!” You climb the ladder, hands trembling, all eyes on you (but not really), as you approach the edge…
In that moment, what was your internal dialogue? How would you convince yourself to make the jump—literally? This simple, yet beautiful, Op-Doc by the New York Times filmed, and more interestingly, audio recorded a dozen or so random poolgoers as they ultimately contemplated, occasionally renegged, or bravely took the plunge. It’s an interesting peek into our human psyche in a nerve-racking moment of decision.
2. A New Way to Look at Old Maps
Ever since I watched this Great Big Story on handmade globes, and then became quite obsessed with Johnny Harris’ videos on YouTube, I’ve been increasingly curious about maps. How they’re made, who and what influenced the borders within, and creative ways that artists have reimagined new ways to express the underlying information and detail. So I was thrilled when I recently came across Scott Reinhard, a Brooklyn-based graphic designer and cartographer who has worked for some of the best in the business (Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and presently at NYTimes). As his site describes, “he brings a new eye and approach to how we imagine the landforms around us.” What I find so engaging about his work (examples below) is that it breathes new life into forgotten maps—and therefore forgotten places or periods. He uses a unique 3D-visualization approach that incorporates incredible lighting that falls over his 2D maps as if they were miniature worlds with rising and setting suns. I wanted to share his work with you all so you too could appreciate his style and maybe even buy a print for someone who would enjoy it. Finally, Scott’s quote from a profile piece stuck with me: “humans have been exploring and attempting to chart their world forever, and I can sit in my bedroom in Brooklyn and freely access data for every square inch of the Earth, it’s mind-blowing.”
3. What I’m Currently Testing
As I’ve discussed here before, I’m an avid early-appdopter. Something about exploring a new app right after launch lets me peek into the initial mindset of the team and desired habits they’re trying to foster. Since I published the shortlist below (as part of my recurring ThisWeekInApps thread), I’ve also added Geneva (community), Opal (mindfulness), and Pocket Rocket (outer space) to the testing mix. If you’re testing out a new app that you’re loving, shoot me a note here.
Quick Snacks
Brown bears are back in business—watch this live cam to follow the action.
Like to surf? This may have been the best competitive surfing heat of all-time.
Hear Wes Anderson explain the inspiration behind The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Who knows what the next UI design trend will be, but I hope it’s neumorphism.
If you’re a crime podcaster, give Gimlet’s The Clearing a listen.
If you’re into photography, check out The Candid Frame podcast + Willem’s YT
My GF got me these for a belated birthday gift. For you Office fans out there.
Explore this great collection of wellness-focused interviews by my friend Adrian.
Advice from Shane Parrish: “Make others look good in front of the people they care about most.”
That’s all, folks. I’ll see you back here next Sunday—have a great week.