Doug Thomas

This is a great day for humanity.

In addition to phone-free schools, there seems to be one more area where left and right can agree: Pervasive frictionless heavily advertised gambling is a scourge. States that legalized it are harming their own citizens and especially their young adults.

This is the way. chronicle.com/article/is-ai-…

UX Design for Global South, Under-Represented, and Digitally Disadvantaged Language communities Free Tuition | Apply by March 20, 2026 Powered by SILICON @Stanford kbiux.org

@johnmaeda Hear! hear!

DESIGNING DESIGN: “Verbalizing design is another act of design.” —Kenya Hara (2011) There is a wonderful book on design from Lars Müller Publishers that is unfortunately no longer in print. It was written by one of Japan’s foremost designers, arguably at the peak of his career. Everyone knew about Hara-san in Japan, and this book in English put his flag everywhere as an understated, perfectly designed book. Instead of a Phaidon coffee table book with pictures pictures pictures. With all the blah-blah about “taste” out there #DesignInTech right now, Hara’s book stands out for its restraint (= “taste”) and its audacity (= “taste”) in the context of the non-digital domain just as computers began to emerge. To me, the work of designers Erik Spiekermann and Hartmut Esslinger carry a similar nuanced genius that is revealed thru directly experiencing their work, and sometimes in their writings. More often, the artifacts of their work spoke for them. Loudly. Similarly, it’s only by flipping through the pages of Hara’s book when the actual pages as text become secondary to the book-as-object-itself. Its weight. Its binding. Its printing. Its exceedingly high paper quality. This is the kind of design experience that many in the newer generation may not have had a chance to “feel” because frankly, great design objects are usually priced out of their market. While we hear about “world models” in the AI universe, it’s increasingly clear to me that for many centuries artisans, artists, and designers have held very clear models of our world that couldn’t easily be reduced to written language. And for that reason alone, the idea of automating “taste” with modern generative models will remain an elusive task. Long live design. —JM

Smart post on type licensing

If Congress doesn’t act, the last nuclear arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia will expire. It would pointlessly wipe out decades of diplomacy, and could spark another arms race that makes the world less safe. This piece is worth the read. nytimes.com/2026/01/30/opi…

Key point by Robert Kagan: if you admit your foreign policy is naked self-interest, other countries will band together against you theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/…

Excellent article on icons in system interfaces.

@tsmullaney @Stanford Congratulations!!

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Director of the Program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) @Stanford

7am on New Year’s moning, #Berlin by László Moholy-Nagy (1930).

@usgraphics This is stunning. I’d love to use this!

The sun was just right this morning. Houston Mono™ in print.

Spectacular northern lights outside tonight. Khiv Peak, Provo, Utah

Important read, smart observation as always from @domesticetch

@vanlancker @untitleddotnew Yes, please, send the guide my way

If you'd like to read it, reply below and I’ll send you a link.

In addition to @untitleddotnew, I wrote a comprehensive “how-to” guide that covers the art and act of naming. With this process, you can name anything in an afternoon. It is incredibly thorough but can be moved through efficiently. How to Name Anything in an Afternoon

@kevinrcantrell Nice! Which projects?

Never gets old getting in the CA Type Annual!

“Last Sunday, the shadow came for the men, women and children of a church in Michigan. But there is still light and high beauty, and last week the light that flooded America came from people of faith who were determined to demonstrate the character of the Savior they love.” nytimes.com/2025/10/05/opi…