Finds

№ 44 | Guidelines for Human-AI Interaction, Ethics of Influence, Graphic Nobel, The Apple Game, and The Calm Web

Stephen P. Anderson

Jul 7, 2023 — 2 min read

Guidelines for human-AI interaction

I kind of like these Guidelines for Human-AI Interaction from Microsoft. As they're context-based—mapping to stages of an interaction—they're easy to use as a kind of checklist or assessment for any AI projects in-development or recently launched.

Ethics of Influence

Elizabeth Ayer shares a presentation on the ethics of influence: Changing minds: you can but should you? [⚠️ Warning. Annoying. Slideshare. Ads!] This is one of those topics I tend to weary of, having ‘worked it all out’ while writing my first book, Seductive Interaction Design. However, I like Ayer's simple framing, placing things an ethical spectrum. That, and this tends to emphasize the same place I've landed, with phrases like: “Power to.” “Facilitation.” “Coaching.” “Building Capability.” These kinds of ideas sit behind my professional mantra: “Work and learn together.”

Graphic Nobel

Ooh. Nobel prizes in physics explained with cartoons!
And, you can download the first 3 chapters [PFD] (of Volume 1) for free!

The Apple Game

🤔 The Apple Game, from Tim Urban (of Wait But Why).

I’d like to introduce you to a game I’ve been playing with friends for years. It’s not a game really—more of an exercise. The purpose is to add a bit more depth to the question, “Are you a good person?” Here’s how it’s played: Treat a person like an apple, with three layers of depth… [More in the post]

Calm web

Sigh. I'd like a calm web. Wouldn't you?
The Calm Web: A Solution to Our Scary and Divisive Online World

***BONUS: Clever antonym typography
I'm kind of enamored with this Clever Antonym Typography by Yash Mathur:

(More examples in the post!)

№ 83 | Stop Project 2025 Comics, Future for All: A vision for 2048, eyeConnect Cards, The Rule Book, and the Effects of Geography on Voting

This edition of the newsletter comes a couple days later than usual, but for a wonderful reason—I spent 5 days last week playing board games with my friends at BGG Con. 🎲 🤩 Next issue will resume the normal Sunday schedule! 🥸Reminder: If you're participating in the Create A

№ 82 | Pebble Talk, The Mood Meter, 3 Styles of Play, A Convection Simulation, an Electoral College Simulation, and What If America Had 6 Political Parties?

📍In case you missed it… Throughout November, I’m hosting another Creative Challenge: Create A Real Life Character Sheet. About 15 people have signed up so far, and there’s space for a few more folks—you should join us! Pebble Talk Here’s a way to avoid awkward small

Creative Challenge #3: Create A Real Life Character Sheet

Welcome, new readers. From time to time, I organize “Creative Challenges,” that fit with the whole “playful things to think with” theme. Previously, there was a One Card Serious Game Challenge, followed by the Make a Zine Challenge. I hadn’t planned on doing another Creative Challenge until next year

№ 81 | Scientific Papers as Comic Strips, 52 Things About Cards, Thermodynamics Cards, Collaborative Place Futures Toolkit, and Why The Work is Never Just “The Work”

✉️Look for 2 extra special emails heading your way, later this week! 1/ The promised print-and-play Zombie Leadership cards. 2/ An announcement about our next Creative Challenge… Scientific Papers as Comic Strips Yes! Comics as things to think with. Here’s an interview with Kanaka Rajan, who uses “narrative illustrations