Intro / Preface / Extra Words
I spent all last Saturday putting wooden tongue and groove paneling on the ceiling in the nursery. I think this is called planking a ceiling, or some people call it shiplap. Either way, it is a horrible task. Anyone that says otherwise (looking at you, Pinterest) is misleading you. They want you to suffer. Do not trust them. But if your wife wants you to do it, she is right, and you should do it, because you love her and want her to have nice things. The best things. The best ceilings.
I'm anticipating our daughter's first sentence to be "Dad, this ceiling looks amazing. Thanks for doing this, because it really took the room to the next level."
All that to say I hope that your Saturday is a pleasant cocktail of relaxation and reflection, with a splash of productivity. Here's to ceilings.
Enjoy.
Heavy Rotation
I'm the One - DJ Khaled
I can't stop listening to this stupid fun song. Summer vibes, maybe? And sorry, it's really dumb. I need this to be stuck in y'all's head too.
Random Things
Binky: Your New Favorite App
In the words of Bo Burnham:
It's the end of culture. Culture's over everybody, we lost!
Thanks (kind of?) to Kerry C. for sharing.
Siri is dying. Long live Susan Bennett.
An interview with the original voice of Siri. If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a voice actor or if you're just curious about how programmers cobbled together a convincingly realistic robot voice, check this out. Also, it's an interactive article which is something that Typeform has been doing lately that I'm digging right now .
Food
Taco Bell is now one of America's healthiest fast-food chains
Everyone has (I hope) at least one restaurant that they're ashamed to say that they frequent; mine is no longer Taco Bell thanks to this tiny little article. Now if I could just stop buying McMuffins...
While we're discussing the merits of Taco Bell, how good are they at naming stuff? Next time you're out with friends – preferably at a fancy restaurant – take turns pitching the next menu item for Taco Bell. Provide a name and brief description, keeping in mind you've really only got a few ingredients to work with (a few meats, nacho cheese, lettuce, Fire sauce, Doritos, etc). Example: Luchadoro Grande, an oversized burrito that comes with a wrestling mask. You have to wear the mask while you eat it.
Work / Productivity
Why we’re betting against real-time team messaging
I think Todoist just re-built email? But by way of a common inbox, maybe. There are some really cool ideas in here and I may have to join Twist to kick the tires. And the design decision to leave out the online status indicator is my favorite (and according to Medium, that's everyone's favorite). Thanks to Kyle G. for sharing this – ironically – over Slack.
The Culture Of Doing: What You Should Be Getting Out Of Productivity Apps
Any article that bemoans context switching gets a thumbs-up from me. The point here is that you have too many apps, and they're not going to be productive for you. Also you check your phone way more times than you think you do, and that's ripping away your ability to focus. Related: I intend to learn more about a term I heard recently, "single focus"; if you've got any articles about that, do share.
Sports (Disc Golf)
2017 NBA Draft Grades
The NBA Draft happened Thursday. Did you miss it? Only have 2-3 minutes to catch up? Here.
I love technology (and science)
Study: Fetuses Prefer Face-Like Images Even in the Womb
This kind of research has a loooonnngggg way to go, but this is a really interesting hypothesis. And no, I've not been shining lights at my wife's stomach. But I kinda want to. But I won't. Probably.
Further Reading
Why Is Syria Hell on Earth? Here’s The Ugly but True Answer…
I put this in Further Reading because I haven't finished reading it. This is a long article, but it takes a TON of history and condenses it into (theoretically) a 24-minute read. I read slowly, so let's say an hour to build in time for all the distractions and context switching you'll be doing. Give it a read, and I'll email the author about the lame title.