 |
| |
|
Welcome to the first issue of Dense Discovery, replacing Offscreen Dispatch. Starting with a new brand and format gives me more freedom to experiment and go beyond the scope of the Offscreen brand. Dense Discovery is meant to be more than just a newsletter: consider it a carefully edited digital publication, delivered straight to your inbox every Tuesday. My goal is to continue to provide you with a hand-picked selection of apps, accessories, and thought-provoking stuff to read, watch, and listen, but also mix in other compelling, inspirational, and fun material. I'm excited to try out a few ideas and hope I can count on your continuous support! By the way, besides our one sponsor slot per issue, you can now affordably promote your own project by booking one of four classified ads shown towards the bottom of each issue. I've also made the move away from MailChimp ($$$) to Mailblast now using a 100% custom email template. I've done some testing with major email clients, but it's probably not a smooth experience for everyone yet. Feel free to send in your feedback. I read every email but only reply to those requiring a response. Thanks for being a subscriber and, once again, welcome to Dense Discovery! – Kai
|
| |
Supported By
|
GitHub apps for engineering leaders
|
|
A development team lives or dies by the quality of its code review process. It's the manager's job to ensure their team is happy, healthy, and productive, but keeping up with an engineering team in full flight is a job unto itself. Fortunately, now there is Hecate – ready to help!
|
|
| |
Apps & Sites
|
Text-formatting bar for Mac
|
|
Once you've installed PopClip, every time you select text in any app a small bar above your selection pops up giving you various formatting options (similar to what happens on iOS). The real power of PopClip lies in its over 100 extensions though.
|
|
A Chrome extension to help you focus
|
|
This Chrome extension lets you easily block distracting websites to help you stay productive. Its 'Work Mode' allows you to temporarily limit access to a list of sites and apps you define.
|
|
Create interactive user flow diagrams
|
|
Overflow is one of the many UX design and prototyping tools out there. Throw in your designs or sketches and create smart connections between them to simulate the user experience of the final product.
|
|
| |
In Focus
|
|
Clarity aims to be a decentralised communication device built on open-source hardware and software, offering a minimalist alternative to Android and iOS. Of course, there have been many attempts at building a smartphone that is more fair, more open, and more respectful of the user's attention. Most of all, such a project depends on participation. So if you want this concept to become a reality, join in: Clarity is currently looking for contributors.
|
|
| |
Goods & Accessories
|
Modular notebooks and planners
Moduletto does away with bound notebooks that have a fixed amount and style of pages. Simply mix and match from a variety of modules of different functions, colours, and styles to create your dream notebook. At the end, pick your preferred cover and the rubber band that holds it all together. (I think the site is currently only available in German.)
|
|
Ergonomic high-performance mouse
Painful 'mouse hands' are a real thing which I experienced myself for many years. I don't use a mouse anymore these days (just the Macbook's trackpad), but I did try a vertical mouse for a while back then to help fight RSI. In the end, it did provide some relief but what really cured my RSI was The Mind-Body Prescription.
|
|
| |
Overheard on Twitter
|
|
Undergrad: want to solve the world’s problems?! Learn computer science!
Grad school: Want to solve the problems computer science is creating in the world? Learn philosophy, law, and allllll the social sciences!
|
| |
Read, Listen, Watch
|
|
This Slate article makes a great point in the discussion about whether there is progressive or conservative bias amongst social media companies. First and foremost, their goal is to maximise profits, and so the means to get there are mostly apolitical. “Their real biases are against labor costs and controversy.”
|
|
|
“Advertising, once a creative industry, is now a data-driven business reliant on algorithms. The implications are deeply sinister – not only for the consumer but for democracy itself.”
|
|
|
If you are interested in how empathy works, how we can learn to be more empathetic, and how it can sometimes even be counterproductive, you’ll really enjoy this podcast episode. Studying empathy is an exciting field of the social sciences which I think will only become more important in the digital age.
|
|
|
Not that we needed another reminder of how screwed we are, but this piece points out an important fact: “The transformation of the planet and the degradation may be the biggest and most important story of our time, indeed of all time, but on television, at least, it has nevertheless proven, so far, a ‘palpable ratings killer‘.”
|
|
| |
Aesthetically Pleasing
|
|
|
|
Really enjoying this elegant branding project for architects Morris+Company, playing with materials, geometry, and open space.
|
|
|
The gallery site UI Movement offers a growing collection of UI animation flows.
|
|
|
Neufile Grotesk is a highly legible sans serif typeface very well suited for any display and text use.
|
|
| |
Classifieds
|
|
What are you working towards this week? Life is full of powerful questions, it’s our job to find the right ones for you. Join our community today to level up your mental fitness.
Flume is a beautiful Instagram experience for your Mac that lets you manage multiple accounts, upload directly from your desktop, and so much more. Curious? flumeapp.com
Join the web and design community, when we meet for the annual beyond tellerrand conference in Berlin. Inspiring talks, full-day workshops, and networking in a friendly atmosphere.
Thoughtful design, independent travel, and a balanced approach to life — enjoy 25% off any issue of the lifestyle magazine Lagom with the promo code DD25.
|
|
| |
The Week in a GIF
|
|
Email us the URL to your favourite GIF and we might feature it here in a future issue.
[email protected]
|
|
| |
| |
♥︎ Thanks to Hecate for sponsoring this issue! ♥︎ |
| |
| |
