5 slash The Messy Middle and note taking for minimalists When you get older, you realise it's a lot less about your place in the world but your place in you. It's not how everyone views you, but how you view yourself. – Natalie Portman graphic ❏ Artwork by link Crispe link graphic Dense Discovery table with 46 rows and 1 columns row 1 column 1 link graphic Dense Discovery row 2 row 3 I thought I should clarify some of the comments I made in the intro of the link previous issue dot I might have given the impression that both sides in this conflict have equally legitimate arguments. I don’t believe that at all. I also would never dismiss the anger expressed by women on social media. To be clear, I’m also furious and deeply concerned about what’s currently unfolding. The more general point I was trying to make: there’s a real gap between the opinions most of us express online and the actions we choose to take in the real world. Let’s be more proactive in closing that gap. Here’s one idea I came across a while back that you can do right now: create a link giving portfolio dot Here in Australia, there is a platform called link My Cause dot You can choose from 2000 charities and make regular donations to the causes you believe in through one simple interface. You’re able to adjust the mix and the amount of your portfolio any time depending on what issues need your support most urgently. I’m sure there is a similar tool in your country. In the US, I know of one called link Givolio which works similarly. It’s one small step that everyone with a bit of disposable income can take. For me, my giving portfolio is a little hack that helps me offset some of the helplessness and anger I get from social media. – Kai row 4 row 5 heading level 1 Made by Many heading level 1 link SPONSOR row 6 graphic ❏ At link Made by Many , instead of making assumptions, we prefer to make things. We’re a company of thinkers and makers – experts from varied backgrounds: technology, design, product, and business strategy. We use the process of product creation to build momentum, explore different product strategies, discover new ways of working, and engage people along the way. row 7 row 8 heading level 1 Apps and Sites row 9 heading level 2 link Dropshare right arrow heading level 3 File sharing in your menu bar With Dropshare you can upload files and notes, take screenshots and screencasts, and share it all online instantly. After using link Droplr for a long time, I made the switch to Dropshare last year because the latter lets you use your existing online storage accounts, such as Google Drive or Dropbox. row 10 heading level 2 link Interplay right arrow heading level 3 Component driven prototyping Prototyping tools are the new project management apps: everyone is building their own. Interplay is yet another one and puts special emphasis on working with a shared UI slash brand component library. row 11 heading level 2 link Color Box right arrow heading level 3 Colour gradient generator The people behind Lyft built this handy little app that helps you calculate the optimal steps in colour gradients. A great addition to your branding toolset. row 12 heading level 2 link Blink right arrow heading level 3 Minimal note taking app Blink is note taking for minimalists. The i OS app strips away all non essentials and focuses on just a few smart gestures to help you get ideas down as quickly as possible. row 13 row 14 heading level 1 Asked and Answered row 15 graphic ❏ heading level 3 Three questions for: link Charles Adler , co founder of Kickstarter and founder of Lost Arts heading level 2 What have you learned about success so far? That it is forever fleeting, and just beyond my fingertips. heading level 2 What’s the best money you’ve ever spent online? Difficult, but to strictly narrow to one option, I would say air travel. I deeply desire cultural exploration. heading level 2 What personality trait of yours has been the most useful in your career so far? Internalisation. I find I need to reflect deeply, wring my hands, before I race forward for any given project. row 16 row 17 heading level 1 Goods and Accessories row 18 graphic ❏ heading level 2 link 15 Min Timer right arrow heading level 3 A beautiful hourglass... ...that serves as a visual reminder to take a fifteen minute break every now and then. Or use it to divvy up your time at work pomodoro style to split what you do into quarter hour chunks. row 19 graphic ❏ heading level 2 link The Messy Middle right arrow heading level 3 The less glorious parts of any project Behance founder and Offscreen alumnus Scott Belsky has a new book: Creating something from nothing is an unpredictable journey. The first mile births a new idea into existence, and the final mile is all about letting go. We love talking about starts and finishes, even though the middle stretch is the most important and often the most ignored and misunderstood. row 20 graphic ❏ heading level 2 link Field Notes Coastal right arrow heading level 3 Limited edition memo books I almost missed these gorgeous special edition Field Notes: Each Coastal Pack displays an American coastline mapped across three memo books in two bright holographic foils, stamped and debossed into Neenah Classic Crest Cadet Gray’ 100 number cover stock. row 21 row 22 heading level 1 Overheard on Twitter row 23 Dear tech companies, Employees don't need ping pong tables or beer fridges at work. Employees need flexibility to do their best work and enjoy life. For instance, working remotely. Please offer trust, not toys. heading level 2 – link at rdutel row 24 row 25 heading level 1 Food For Thought row 26 heading level 2 link In Praise of Mediocrity right arrow heading level 3 Read In a way that we rarely appreciate, the demands of excellence are at war with what we call freedom. For to permit yourself to do only that which you are good at is to be trapped in a cage whose bars are not steel but self judgment. row 27 heading level 2 link A Guide for Employees: How To Make Your Tech Company Sustainable right arrow heading level 3 Read A practical guide on how to bring more sustainability to the company you work for – written by link Climate Action dot Tech , an employee led group of technology professionals from across the industry. row 28 heading level 2 link First, Do No Harm right arrow heading level 3 Watch slash Read Product managers are problem finders and problem solvers. But what happens when we become problem creators? In her talk from number mtpcon San Francisco, Mariah Hay, VP of Product at Pluralsight, challenges us to think about our ethical responsibility as product managers. A great talk worth watching, or just read the summary below the video. row 29 heading level 2 link Should I delete my social media? right arrow heading level 3 Read Five creatives provide their own perspectives and practical tips on how to avoid losing yourself slash your sanity on social media. row 30 row 31 heading level 1 Aesthetically Pleasing row 32 graphic ❏ link Berlin Grotestk is a modern grotesk alternative with some interesting little quirks. row 33 graphic ❏ I can't get enough of this link aerial photography series by link Irenaeus Herok dot row 34 graphic ❏ The link Book Cover Archive has been around forever and it remains a fantastic source of graphic design inspiration. row 35 graphic ❏ link The Copenhagen Catalog lists 150 principles for a new direction in tech, created by attendees of the link Techfestival dot You should also read and sign link The Copenhagen Letter dot row 36 row 37 heading level 1 Classifieds row 38 link Fathom Analytics provides simple and useful website stats that focus on user privacy (GDPR compliant). Available in two delicious flavours: open source slash free and hosted slash paid. link The UX Compendium is a collection of templates and libraries for Sketch to broaden your design process and help you create thoughtful, inclusive experiences beyond the interface. link Spring is a practical journal for life, work, and wellbeing. Interviews from businesses and entrepreneurs accompany a 28 day journal and a set of tools, to help build resilience. Looking for people to join your team? link Book a classified ad in Dense Discovery to advertise your job opening and reach thousands of thoughtful, tech savvy creatives. Classifieds are paid ads that support DD. Use them to promote your project, advertise a job opening, find beta testers, etc. link Book yours right arrow row 39 row 40 heading level 1 The Week in a GIF row 41 graphic ❏ Email us the URL to your favourite GIF and we might feature it here in a future issue. link email protected row 42 row 43 row 44 heart suit ︎ Thanks to link Made by Many for sponsoring this issue! heart suit ︎ row 45 row 46 out of table link View in browser link Unsubscribe link Sponsor on issue link Book a classified ad Author slash Editor: link Kai Brach Published by: Offscreen Media 149a Brunswick St Fitzroy VIC 3065 Australia Dense Discovery aims to promote an inclusive, diverse tech community guided by ethical principles. If you believe anything in this newsletter contradicts these efforts, please reply with your concerns. We read every email but only reply to those requiring a response. Our office is located in Fitzroy, Melbourne, the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and pay our respects to elders past, present, and emerging. Send us your suggestions for GI Fs, apps, accessories, visual inspiration, etc. to link email protected Enjoying link Dense Discovery Please share it with your friends!