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

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

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.” 😂

Read more

№ 80 | Magical Gatherings, Dixit + A Canvas!, OuiSi Cards, The Hidden Curves of the Gartner Hype Cycle, Threshold Spotting, and Case Studies… with a Twist?!

№ 80 | Magical Gatherings, Dixit + A Canvas!, OuiSi Cards, The Hidden Curves of the Gartner Hype Cycle, Threshold Spotting, and Case Studies… with a Twist?!

Designing for Magical Gatherings So, interesting sidenote: I was in a webinar earlier this week where I was asked to reflect on especially memorable or meaningful gatherings I’ve been a part of. The common themes for me were things like adventure, discovery, challenge, fantasy, immersion, and so on. On

By Stephen P. Anderson
№ 77 | Branching Scenarios and eLearning, Surviving Design Projects, Ursula K. Le Guin on Growth, Quests (Not Goals), I’m Voting Postcards, and Levels of Automation

№ 77 | Branching Scenarios and eLearning, Surviving Design Projects, Ursula K. Le Guin on Growth, Quests (Not Goals), I’m Voting Postcards, and Levels of Automation

Branching Scenarios and eLearning In 2020, I did a deep dive into how narrative games could be used for learning purposes, which left me with a deep appreciation for (and small collection of) CYOA books, gamebooks, interactive fiction, solo RPGs, and similar experiences with branching paths. Anyway, this post on

By Stephen P. Anderson