Finds

№ 45 | Board Games for Change, Psychological Safety vs Comfort, Climate Hope, Tinkering with Tools for Thought, and Ursula K. Le Guin

Stephen P. Anderson

Jul 14, 2023 — 2 min read

Board Games for Change

‘And the nominees are…’ Games for Change, known for recognizing video games with a social impact, has added a new category recognizing…wait for it… board games!! 🎉

Check out this article from Polygon for more about each of the four nominees. Oh, and can I brag that I backed Solarpunk Futures (pictured above) when it was on Kickstarter? 😜

Psychological safety (not psychological comfort)

Once again, two words that when placed next to each other, make the distinctions clear. This time round it’s Safety and Comfort. “Why Psychological Safety is Important For Productive Teamwork.”

Climate hope?

So, wow. There’s this: Project Drawdown, ”The World’s Leading Resource for Climate Solutions.” Next time I feel like there's little that can be done, I'll browse their Table of Solutions.

Tinkering with tools is not necessarily procrastination

“Not necessarily.” I’ve used that qualifier before… 😉 For all of you jumping between “Tana, Obisidian, Logseq, Remnote, or something else” as your note taking tool of choice, this is for you: “Tinkering with tools is not necessarily procrastination.”

Ursula K. Le Guin’s passionate defense of art over profits

Ursula K. Le Guin? Introduced by Neil Geiman?! Yes.

In 2014, when Ursula K. Le Guin accepted the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, she used her acceptance speech to speak out about what she considered to be publishers’ increasing emphasis on profits over art. She said to the crowd, which consisted of the most powerful players in the publishing industry, “Books aren’t just commodities; the profit motive is often in conflict with the aims of art.” Her speech made a splash online in 2014, and now you can watch it in its entirety here. It’s a must-see.

Oh, and now I know the context of this oft circulated quote:

We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings.

№ 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