Why you should prioritise quality over speed in design systems

"Speed for the sake of speed means nothing. If our design systems don’t ultimately lead to better quality experiences, we’re doing it wrong." Not just design systems. [Link]

Thoughts and actions for the week of November 8, 2021

Thoughts 1. There is no reason for a startup to be in the San Francisco Bay Area anymore, and lots of reasons to not. 2. That’s not to say that the Bay Area isn’t great. For me, it’s one of the places in the US with saner

Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent

"Tech companies based in San Francisco and Seattle have "innovation hubs" whose primary role is to create a place that talent that hasn't been able to get a visa to the US. We've also started to see this in places like Lagos and

Tracy Chou's life as a tech activist: abuse, and optimism

“As an Asian-American woman who has spent much of her career calling out the gender inequities and racism embedded in Silicon Valley, Chou is all too familiar with this sort of abuse and harassment. Since 2013, when she famously urged tech companies to share data on women in technical roles,

Fairness Friday: Trans Rights in the UK

I’m posting Fairness Fridays: a new community social justice organization each week. I donate to each featured organization. If you feel so inclined, please join me. This Friday, I’ve chosen to donate to two organizations that support trans rights in the UK, where I grew up. Gendered intelligence

On COP26

As world leaders leave the COP26 climate summit and negotiations begin, I’m not feeling hopeful. I’d love to think that this is a problem we can solve using incremental changes within the existing system, but the evidence so far is scant. Headlines about lack of aid to the

Belgian gallery uses art after being turned down by artist

"The friendly stranger who clocked the familiar image asked the gallery about it, and a representative allegedly claimed they’d been in touch with Bateman and worked something out. Bateman searched her email and found a permission request from the gallery, dated in March—which she had politely declined

Research: People prefer friendliness, trustworthiness in teammates over skill competency

"People who are friendly and trustworthy are more likely to be selected for teams than those who are known for just their skill competency and personal reputation, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York." File under "no shit, Sherlock": if you&

Appalling Monica Lewinsky Jokes—And the Comedians Who’ve Apologized

“But in the two-plus decades since those jokes were made, some comedians have taken responsibility for their cruel comedy. Ahead, a rundown of some of the hosts and comedy programs that targeted Lewinsky and Tripp—and the parties who have since publicly taken responsibility for their hurtful barbs over the

Reading, watching, playing, using: October, 2021

This is my monthly roundup of the books, articles, and streaming media I found interesting. Here's my list for October, 2021. Books The Girl with All the Gifts, by M. R. Carey. I wasn’t prepared for the visceral gore, but beyond the zombie shenanigans, this is a

Are We on the Verge of Chatting with Whales?

"If Bronstein’s idea works, it is quite realistic to develop a system analogous to human language models that generates grammatically correct whale utterances. The next step would be an interactive chatbot that tries to engage in a dialogue with free-living whales. Of course, no one can say today

Introducing Untitled

This year, in conjunction with National Novel Writing Month, I’m kicking off my own writing project, Untitled. Untitled is a serial novel that will be written to coincide with NaNoWriMo’s goals, but is likely to carry on beyond that limit. It’s also designed in such a way