When things in our lives no longer “spark joy”, the advice we’re given is to thank them for their service and send them on their way. It works for old DVDs and unwanted clothes – but will it work for languages?
Hint: it ain’t what it used to be.
This short essay starts with a personal story and ends with some thoughts about learning, and learning design. Along the way, I’m going to talk about metaverse, tabletop card games, and nostalgia.
I’m writing this because I think that the way we build, live, and learn in the future matters – and our past holds some answers to all this. If you’re still with me, let me start by telling you about my weekend.
Every productivity system breaks down sooner or later. The sticks get blunt or broken; the carrots lose their sweetness. There are very few methods which kept me productive over the years. This is a love letter to the quirkiest of them all.
As this year finishes, I’m doing the usual – wrapping up my projects and thinking about how it all went. I’m tempted to write a more bitter post, I really am. Instead, I choose to talk about the good things. Here are ten titles – books, films, albums, TV series, games – which helped me get through 2021.
It’s so easy to get mad at Meta and Mark Zuckerberg. The tough bit comes later, when it’s time to articulate the things I’m actually mad about. After all, the Metaverse is coming – isn’t this what I always wanted?