Pattern language
Large problems are difficult to solve all at once. Whether you're thinking about how residents will interact with a new building or how computer programs will »
Don't underbid in bridge
When learning to play bridge, it's easy to mistake exceeding one's contract as a "victory". With this mindset, players often err on the side of underbidding »
Monroe's motivated sequence
People who read a lot of news recognize that many articles follow a similar structure. Speeches also have a standard formula - Monroe's motivated sequence. So, »
The Proust Questionnaire
The Proust Questionnaire is an interesting way to get to know someone (or even yourself). The questions dig beyond typical platitudes and start to uncover what »
The awkwardness of third-wheeling
As people get into more serious relationships, hanging out with friends often takes the form of a double date. While there may be some awkwardness associated »
Don’t take "yes" for an answer
When people say "yes," they aren't necessarily agreeing with you. Culturally, we're conditioned to be friendly and for many people saying "no" can feel uncooperative or »
Why does cyan feel futuristic?
Futuristic computer interfaces are usually depicted with cyan text, and retro computer terminals with green or yellow text. Has this always been the case? Or is »
Best way to digitize old family photos and slides?
With the growing number of wildfires in California, I've been thinking about the best ways to digitize old family photos and slides. I imagine there are »
Meaning in punctuation
Question marks aren't strictly necessary in Chinese and Japanese since meaning can usually be inferred from context. Meanwhile, Spanish takes a more explicit approach, proactively including »
Tiny Habits
To form a new habits, you need motivation, the ability to follow through, and a prompt to remind you to engage in your desired behavior. By »