Designing for Boredom • Italian Graphic Archives • Pricing Macchiato • Road Trip Songs • Truffle Hunting in Piemonte • Philanthropy and Beauty
The New AI Money Should be Spent on Beauty, NYT opinion piece by Ross Douthat. Yes, yes I think it should. The title is suggestive and broad, but Mr. Douthat becomes increasingly specific in the body of the article.
Soon enough, the major artificial intelligence companies will take their soaring valuations and go public. When they do, a great many very smart, very eccentric people will suddenly possess enormous liquid wealth — and many have committed to giving great sums of it away.
The surplus of prosperity has been expected by this community for years, but what will they actually do with money now that its really happening? I do not agree with everything in this article, but the general thesis — that money can be used to build the physical infrastructure for beauty — is a vision worth pursuit.
Designing for Boredom. My arrival in Milan was less than optimal. My room was hot. I was sleep deprived. My street smelled like dead fish. My computer charger didn’t work. The wait for passport control was excruciatingly long.
These are the moments of travel that no one likes to share. With frequent travel comes frequent discomfort. I’ve tried to improve my ability to adapt with grace. Having a plan for delays makes the experience less grueling. May I suggest a sketchbook? A magazine? Audiobook? Micro stretching? Well planned snacks? Talking to strangers? Meditation? Accepting boredom? Scrolling just makes it worse. Design a plan for delays and boredom becomes an opportunity.
Thich Nhat Hahn says we should train ourselves not to be afraid of doing nothing.
What if a job application required a hand-written letter? What would that filter for? What signals would you see? As LLMs creep into cover letters, would that help to reinforce the human? Or would people just copy from the LLM? What does handwriting say about the applicant? What if you had to send it via mail? With our “one click” frictionless platforms, would it help to set a few obstacles?
Coffee cost discrepancy. Cappuccino in Milano typically costs between 1 and 2€. Cappuccino in downtown Chicago is $5.00 plus tax. Why the dramatic price differential? Here’s my guess — real estate is cheaper, square footage is smaller, service is faster (snappy counter service), more walk-in volume, and maybe cultural expectations? According to one local, the Milanese feel that reasonably priced espresso is a human right. Also, perhaps the coffee is the loss leader for food and alcohol?
Truffle hunting in Piedmonte appears to be a cherished and rich vocation.
Every road trip I’ve ever taken has started with this song. Move up now. A Jamaican festival song from a group that possibly released only a single 45rpm record. The lyrics express a certain pride in Jamaican exports.
Piano version of a song that has quickly become iconic. No one needs my recommendation for this musician, but I will say that I can’t stop listening to the key change at 1:54. How much of a relationship takes place in one’s own mind?
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWW-ynRgRMH/
Pete Holmes, the rare comic theist (or theist comic?), has some commentary on “Out of Office” vernacular.
—Michael Neault • Written in a meeting room at Scuola Politecnica di Design Milan before traveling to Alagna, Valsesia in the Italian Alps (and yes, I am taking advantage of downtime)
Museo nazionale Collezione Salce, a museum in Treviso dedicated to graphic arts, via Catalogo Generale dei Beni Culturali, a large database of Italian culture. Much much more at the link. Source.
