Finds

№ 49 | Local-First Software, Time and Energy, Board Games and Climate Action, Six Verbs for Accessible Design, and a Topologists World Map

Stephen P. Anderson

Aug 11, 2023 — 2 min read

Local-first software

By way of this Wired article—“The Cloud Is a Prison. Can the Local-First Software Movement Set Us Free?”—I came across a new to me term (and manifesto): “Local-first software: You own your data, in spite of the cloud.” While the term is new, the concept is something I've been looking forward to (see my post on “Building A Preferred Future”). Oh, and this looks like the same group behind “Programmable Ink,” a really cool concept that was making the rounds earlier this year.

Time and energy?

Or, “Energy makes time.” Great read, and… I think I agree. I'll spoil things a bit with the punchline:

The question to ask with all those things isn’t, “how do I make time for this?” The answer to that question always disappoints, because that view of time has it forever speeding away from you. The better question is, how does doing what I need make time for everything else?

Board games and climate action.

“How board games can get people involved in climate action.” 🙂 I love the emphasis here on the social aspect of board games, and how board games (more so than video games) lend themselves to opening up conversations. Combine these social interactions with the ‘magic circle’ which creates a safe space for “players to experiment with different strategies and outcomes without real-world consequences,” and you have a winning combination.

Six verbs for accessible design

“Six verbs for accessible design” actually proposes three verb pairings. Each of which presents a thought-provoking tension:

destigmatize / celebrate
mitigate / accommodate
automate / accompany

Topologist’s world map

Ooh… A thing to shift our perspectives. By omitting “size or position, this map only shows which countries border which other countries.”

More about this, and the process used to create it, at “The topologist’s world map.”

[Sidenote: In a way, this reminds me of Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion map, which, while more like a traditional geographic map, was designed to show how we're all connected.]

*** BONUS: For a fun bit of satire… Check out the “Government Consulting Barbie.” 😂

№ 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