I had to install Adobe Illustrator to export something for work. Haven't used a Creative Cloud app on purpose in 10 years. This is the industry standard? Are we sure?

Refining some macrodata (collecting paperwork for taxes)

Getting organized can be a form of procrastination.

I consume so much more coffee on days that are gloomy.

My task for the week is to get my *systems* in order. Note-taking, task management, file management... anything that I've been neglecting that I can make run on autopilot.

Last week of funemployment begins today!

Another great 'AI In Practice' series last night in the Hudson Valley. Discussions on building a chatbot, hosting your own local models, vectors, ethics and the future. Thanks to Mike Thicke for organizing, @barnfox.bsky.social for the space, and @connecthv.com for bringing us all together.

I could only hear the bassline of the music playing in this coffee shop and I was pretty sure it was Biggie Smalls. But now I'm listening and I think it's a techno remix of Neil Young?

I like Feedbin as my RSS reader, for a few reasons: 🔠 Good typography 🎨 Good design in general 🎚️ Has filters, so I can knock out stuff I'm not interested in seeing ▶️ Supports YouTube & Reddit feeds too ☁️ Connects with Raindrop, my preferred bookmarking service

I cleared out my RSS reader and am trying a new approach... 👇

It doesn't hurt to just ask for what you want. Be direct. Directness is underrated.

I've been thinking a lot about how to stop letting algorithms (and, by extension, corporations and other "non-me" entities) dictating what I spend time thinking about.

I want to get better at rigorous note-taking, for a few reasons: 👇

One underrated part of funemployment is that I can do everything on one computer, using the tools I prefer. No more using Jira for work tasks and Linear for ConnectHV, or Google Docs for work notes and Obsidian for personal.

There's a real lack of quality writing aimed at staff/principal/lead-level design ICs and "player-coach" design leaders. So here we go — a newsletter aimed at mature product designers who don't need more Figma tutorials. Check it out and subscribe for free! digitalterroir.org

Digital Terroir

Reflections on high-impact product design, decision-making, and the intersection of software and society.

digitalterroir.org

I propose renaming “elevator pitch” to “waiting for the last person to arrive in a Zoom meeting pitch”

Some decisions are easily reversible. Others? They're one-way doors. 🚪🔒 I prefer reversible ones. There’s comfort in knowing you can pivot if things don’t go as planned. But sometimes, one-way doors are necessary. No risk, no reward! So when is a decision a one-way door? 👇

Fantastic meetup last night in Kingston for tech and other creatives in the Hudson Valley. So many great conversations including climate tech, AI, family estate planning, science fiction, and urban planning. Thanks to Jordan Koschei @connecthv.com for bringing us all together.

The blank screen is intimidating. Without the constraints of the physical world, we’re limited only by what the browser or OS can render. This is exhilarating—but also overwhelming. With infinite possible solutions to any problem, how do we choose the right one? 👇

There’s too much work to do, and too little time. Too few designers. Too little energy. You can’t singlehandedly design every interface, landing page, icon, and social post. No matter how large your team, some things will always take priority over others. 👇

The bigger the company, the harder it is to change. So, is a design system really worth it for large enterprises with legacy products and deeply ingrained processes? Absolutely. Here’s why: 👇

Design systems are ultimately a political challenge, not a design/engineering challenge. Building the system isn't the hard part; it's persuading teams to adopt it. It's about the people, not the artifact.

The best Product Designers have some Product Manager DNA.

A design system should empower, not constrain, a team.

I'm a software designer & engineer with 15+ years of experience at big companies, startups, and more. I post about design strategy, design engineering, and how software interacts with place ("digital terroir"). I also build ConnectHV, the creative community for the Hudson Valley. Follow along!

There's a real lack of quality writing for late-career IC product designers.

I miss the days when "online" was somewhere you went, not someone you were.

"Hudson Valley" is the adjective; "The Hudson Valley" is the noun.

I've been really digging this album for work lately: music.apple.com/us/album/du... In the words of Pitchfork: "the dreamiest ambient music, given the massive scale and physical presence of an earthshaking club soundsystem."

Due in Color by Andrea on Apple Music

Album · 2023 · 12 Songs

music.apple.com

I added a ton of drone footage I've taken to AWS S3 and made it available to anyone via an Unsplash-like UI on the ConnectHV website. Doing this has nearly 4X'd my monthly AWS bill ⚠️ (But it's worth it, because it was $0.07/mo and now it's like $0.30/mo.)