Gem finds vintage and secondhand clothes and accessories from a huge range of online marketplaces such as eBay, Etsy, Poshmark, ASOS Marketplace, Reversible, GoodwillFinds and hundreds of independent online stores and makes them easily discoverable.

Ice is a simple, free macOS app that lets you permanently or temporarily hide icons in your menu bar, keeping it clean and tidy. Temporarily hidden icons are revealed on hover, click, scroll or swipe.

This visualisation project shows where (in the US only) city neighbourhoods have essential amenities within a short distance of travel. “Proximity governs how we live, work, and socialize. Close is an interactive travel time map for people who want to be near the amenities that matter most to them.”

For typography geeks: “Primarium is a pioneering educational project by TypeTogether which studied the methods of Latin script-based handwriting instruction for primary school children, spanning five continents and about one-quarter of the world.” Browse over 68 handwriting models taught to primary school students around the world. (via)

The Extended Mind →

The power of thinking outside the brain

Based on a wealth of research, The Extended Mind attempts to teach us the benefits of using our entire bodies, our relationships, and everything around us rather than just relying on our brain to move us through life. “A host of ‘extra-neural’ resources – the feelings and movements of our bodies, the physical spaces in which we learn and work, and the minds of those around us – can help us focus more intently, comprehend more deeply, and create more imaginatively.”

Permission to Rest →

Guide to self and collective care

Through a collection of personal essays, author Ashley Neese teaches us how to prioritise rest as a deeply healing practice, addressing common roadblocks and offering practical strategies for incorporating rest into daily life. “In a culture that constantly tells us to do more of everything but simultaneously pressures us to do nothing, Permission to Rest is a passionate cry for a more regulated, resourced, and rested life.”

A really interesting piece that challenges your views on art and self-expression, arguing that they may not bring about real change or challenge power. The focus on self-expression in modern times may actually contribute to conformity rather than rebellion. “If you want to make the world a better place, you have to start with where power has gone. It’s very difficult to see. We live in a world where we see ourselves as independent individuals. If you’re an independent individual, you don’t really think in terms of power. You think only in terms of your own influence on the world.”

So-called ‘third places’ refer to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace, and they are key for experiencing a sense of belonging and community. This Vox piece suggests that we should reimagine and prioritise these spaces to combat loneliness. “Third places are trust and relationship builders: You encounter a person frequently enough that you naturally graduate from a polite smile to small talk to perhaps deeper conversation. ‘You start to get the feeling that maybe I can trust that person if they say hello to me,’ Giuffre says. ‘It’s not the beginning of some scam.’”

A conversation between George Monbiot and a local conspiracy theorist that goes pretty much as you’d expect it to go. “Why, when there are so many real conspiracies to worry about, do people feel the need to invent and believe fake ones? These questions become especially pressing in our age of extreme political dysfunction. This dysfunction results, I believe, in large part from a kind of meta-deception, called neoliberalism.”