Matthew Spencer

"Though mobile devices are outselling PCs these days, they’re not replacing the desktop..."

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:05:50 -0400

“Though mobile devices are outselling PCs these days, they’re not replacing the desktop experience—they’re extending it. People start a task on one device and pick it back up on another. This new behavior pattern requires a different kind of design thinking that’s focused on consistency, optimization for different contexts, and clear continuation of workflows.”

- A New MailChimp Is Coming

Today marks my last day as a digital designer at W. W. Norton....

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:41:05 -0400

Today marks my last day as a digital designer at W. W. Norton. Nearly two years ago I moved to New York for the position and it is hard to describe how much everything has changed. In the day to day things seem to change gradually, but reflecting back on this time the differences kind of blow my mind. Living in New York, the nature of the work, my outlook on life, my goals professionally.

During my time here, I grew more confident and learned to work well on a team. I also grew personally, deciding to no longer be a hypothetical runner, I ran 5 marathons over the last two years. I want to thank everyone, I am proud of the work we did, the cool challenges and experiences. And now I am on to the next thing!

Good answers to my question: Contact (1997 movie): At three...

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:48:30 -0400

When Ellie’s father collapses the popcorn forms a crescent pattern.

When Ellies is at faux Pensacola, the sand in her alien father’s hand sparkles in the same pattern.

At the end of the movie Ellie is sitting on an edge of canyon she picks up sand and it again sparkles in the same pattern.

Good answers to my question: Contact (1997 movie): At three separate times in the movie Contact, there is a constellation-like pattern repeated, what is its significance?

"Nelson wrote that design ‘is a manifestation of the capacity of the human spirit to transcend its..."

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:34:24 -0400

“Nelson wrote that design ‘is a manifestation of the capacity of the human spirit to transcend its limitations….It is a statement, not a gadget.’”

- Prescience of Nelson

The Next Steps of Everything

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:08:30 -0400

Science fiction pretends to look into the future but it’s really looking at a reflection of what is already in front of us.
—Ray Bradbury in an interview with the Paris Review

I really like that man, Ray Bradbury. Go read that interview, it so accurately describes why his voice is uniquely his.¹ Even when he says he doesn’t like Vonnegut—I can respect that. Reading that interview I got so excited hearing about his writing process, about the early days of science fiction, about Mr. Electro. All of it. That quote played over and over in my head, that science fiction isn’t a far future pronouncement, but rather a take on today.

At some point I realized that it connected with what I read in the Task Newsletter #2 about mundane science fiction. It is about our near future realities, the incremental steps. Mundane science fiction is not about escapism, that we can’t just peace out at the speed of light once we’ve fucked the Earth. “That the most likely future is one in which we only have ourselves and this planet.”²

This can be seen as a negative or bleak position, but I think it can inspire a meaningful response. Things like experimental and more efficient architecture, transportation, or ways of living. A reassessment of our current trajectory, I hope.

Spoiler: He really doesn’t give a fuck about science. ↩
Mundane SF ↩

Your Dreams My Nightmares

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:16:00 -0400

Your Dreams My Nightmares:

This interview show is really good and honest. I’ve been enjoying it a ton. I find myself smiling and giggling a lot listening through the archives. It is probably right up your alley designers, illustrators, whomevers.

"You know, I was really struck—there’s this argument recently about Lena Dunham, and there are lots..."

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:34:00 -0500

“You know, I was really struck—there’s this argument recently about Lena Dunham, and there are lots of journalists who say that they’re aren’t enough black people in her show. I kept on wondering how many of those journalists—it’s a genuine question—have black people in their lives. I thought, Probably not very many. It’s like a strange accusation thrown from upper-middle class white New Yorkers to an upper-middle-class white New Yorker. We can project our anxieties onto other people rather than looking at our own lives and saying, “Well, wait a minute. Is this a terribly prejudice show, or an accurate reflection of my own circle, of my own life?” That kind of thing interests me.”

- The Rumpus Interview With Zadie Smith

"Try to do some BAD work – the worst you can think of and see what happens but mainly relax and let..."

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 17:32:45 -0500

“Try to do some BAD work – the worst you can think of and see what happens but mainly relax and let everything go to hell – you are not responsible for the world – you are only responsible for your work – so DO IT.”

- Sol LeWitt’s Advice to Eva Hesse: Don’t Worry About Cool, Make Your Own Uncool

"For example, some initially raised concerns of exclusivity about App.net: Would a pay-only social..."

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 10:17:00 -0500

“

For example, some initially raised concerns of exclusivity about App.net: Would a pay-only social network exclude people with things to say but without the money to say it? Moreover, would it disproportionately affect people of color, in effect creating a gated community and — if App.net became popular — possibly simulating the real-life white flight of previous decades?

On podcasts, in blog posts, and on Twitter, the idea was hand-waved away as ludicrous — “I’m just joining this because I’m a geek, not because I want to get away from black people” — but we live in a world of racial disparities, and those have implications for the things we do online. The conversation about race and App.net was one worth having, but was unfortunately dismissed.

”

- And Read All Over — Jamelle Bouie

"Pretty pictures can no longer lead the way in which our visual environment should be shaped. It is..."

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:02:04 -0500

“Pretty pictures can no longer lead the way in which our visual environment should be shaped. It is time to debate, to probe the values, to examine the theories that are part of our heritage and to verify their validity to express our times.”

- 1983 Call for Criticism — Massimo Vignelli

It is funny watching people take flash photos from the...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 13:11:06 -0500

It is funny watching people take flash photos from the observation deck of the Empire State Building. It is like the Super Bowl, lots of people who don’t know how cameras work.

We Enjoy: Best of 2012

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:01:52 -0500

In July of 2011, the current era of We Enjoy began. I wanted it to have a consistent schedule and format, 6-8 links, most weekdays. I really enjoy composing these little lists. It kind of gives direction to the reading I do.

2012 was the first full year of this format. In 2012 I made 198 posts, an average of 16.5 posts per month. I’m always pleasantly surprised when people mention that they follow it. So without further ado, here are a few of my absolute favorites from last year, the ones I probably talked to you about.

Friends of mine.

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 23:54:31 -0500

Friends of mine.

"Everyone who blogs probably knows this feeling: talking is easier than writing. I have a huge list..."

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 09:51:59 -0500

“Everyone who blogs probably knows this feeling: talking is easier than writing. I have a huge list of unfinished blog posts. I always hold back because I wonder ‘Will anyone care about this?’”

- Rafaël Rozendaal - Writing is not like talking

"The point I’m trying to make is that we shouldn’t be fearful of writing about what we know. Even if..."

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 09:44:00 -0500

“The point I’m trying to make is that we shouldn’t be fearful of writing about what we know. Even if you write from the most basic point of view, about something which has been ‘around for ages’, you’ll likely be saying something new to someone. They might be new to the industry, you might just be filling in the holes in someone’s knowledge.”

- Laura Kalbag - display: none;

I see this as one of the largely undiscussed issues with ebooks....

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Not even sure how this happened... small caps?

Microscopic headlines

Crazy rivers making me crazy

Kindle on the iPad is not much better

I see this as one of the largely undiscussed issues with ebooks. As I have been reading more and more on my Kindle or iPad I have come across poorly constructed ebook files. Like really bad. The above is Brave Companions. I bought it shortly after reading Robin Sloan’s iPhone essay Fish. The book content is good, but I find myself getting so distracted by what seems almost deliberately bad. The standards of print production have been ignored. The process was perhaps outsourced or batched together without any oversight by Simon & Schuster.

This is what I get for always boasting about how I never have...

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:04:00 -0400

This is what I get for always boasting about how I never have dropped my phone. Karma or something. Actually, I did not drop it, I just fell on it. I feel completely lost and need to get a watch and an alarm clock ASAP.

Beginning Again

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 10:54:48 -0400

I am having a not surprisingly tough time getting back into articulating my thoughts in writing after not for a while. Some people seem to think best aloud or at least have the capacity to express themselves well through written word. Regarding and Mills come to mind. I think speaking and writing in this regard are the same, talking through things equals figuring out what you think. If you know me you are more than aware that I am not the most eloquent of speakers. “Who’s that guy from that thing?” is not a far-fetched example. Those closest to me could probably answer this question because they are totally smart and my friends. Yesterday I tried to ask Laura for Neosporin but I couldn’t remember its damn name so I said Neutrogena and then hydrogen peroxide. But she knew and was patient with me as I stumbled through. I am pretty sure I have shocked my coworkers with my lack of eloquence.

I enjoy writing. I do. It does not come naturally (as I illustrated above) but when I work hard on it and do it well I feel proud. Sometimes when I look back on what I wrote I am surprised that I even wrote it (in a good way). It is not that I am dumb. I really don’t think I am. I think I have this tendency to put things off or put them aside when they are hard, not an admirable trait, but the first step is admitting that. I put off writing because I want it to be the most perfect thing, super interesting, well written, researched maybe, knock-your-socks-off kind of stuff. So I put it off. Tomorrow morning maybe. People say they write best in the mornings. But the people who write the best, you know they write all the time.

They write shitty stuff sometimes, but they fucking get better by doing. This is what Merlin is always harping on about. I know this, I try to remind myself. But when I put things online I want them to be perfect, groundbreaking. Anyone could read it. It could influence potential employers or clients. People might think I am dumb and there would be a record. But truly it is more damning to not post. Why is there gaps? The more delay the more anticipation for myself and for whoever will end up reading this. Similar to how it’s hard for me to keep a good running schedule without a race, it is hard for me to write regularly without an audience.

I am pretty obsessed with this series on Slate about walking. I keep telling Laura about it. Like that famous Internet guy talking about how calling people “users” abstracts who they are, that series poses the question: why do we call people walking pedestrians? Pedestrians totally makes them the other, or us the other. When I am walking I do not think of myself as a pedestrian. Or how that guy Jeff Zupan refuses to eat street food because it obstructs the sidewalk. The more I think about it, the more I look at things like parking meters and think “fuck cars.” These things should be in the street, in the car’s way, since they are serving them and not me. Like that moment in Urbanized when Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogota, says that the buses deserve their own lane on the freeway because they are serving many times more people. Makes sense. “I don’t see anywhere in our constitution the right to parking.”

"Stop chasing “awesomeness”, close all your browser tabs, and figure out your first step. Make it as..."

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:50:32 -0400

“Stop chasing “awesomeness”, close all your browser tabs, and figure out your first step. Make it as small and doable as possible. Break it into steps until the first one feels manageable. Then do it.”

- FJP: They Mean Well

"You can’t use the web to emulate native. You should use the web in a webby way. Which I guess means..."

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:55:46 -0400

“You can’t use the web to emulate native. You should use the web in a webby way. Which I guess means a simpler interface with less flourishes.”

- QuirksBlog: Facebook’s HTML5 mistake?