2 / An anti-fray charging cable and a weekly habit builder Dense Discovery

Thank you all for the feedback and kind words on the first issue of Dense Discovery last week! Keeping my subscriber list clean and not giving in to the temptation to inflate numbers for the sake of impressing advertisers means that we had an open rate of 74%!

Yesterday I announced that Offscreen is taking a break which means that I will dedicate more time to building out Dense Discovery. Similar to publishing Offscreen, I rely on sponsors and patrons to help me do just that. Based on the feedback I received our sponsor slot and classified ads perform really well – in part because of the lean subscriber list I mentioned above. If you think Dense Discovery is a good match for your product/service, please check out our advertising options and book a slot. Feel free to contact me (just reply) with any questions you have. Thanks so much! – Kai

Supported By

Domainr →

Fastest way to name your next thing

Naming something is hard. Domainr makes it easier. We built Domainr to help you name your next product or side project. Instantly check results, find domains you didn’t know existed, and register the domain where you always do.

Apps & Sites

The Weekr →

One-page weekly habit tracker

The Weekr is a very simple one-page tool to jot down all the things you want to do on a weekly or daily basis. Check them off your list as you get them done and use the stats page to find out how successful you are at sticking to your plan over time.

Helium →

The floating browser window for Mac

Helium is made for people who want to watch a tutorial video or a sports live stream while working without having to constantly bring that browser window back into the foreground. With Helium, you can create a permanently floating window that stays on top no matter where you click on your screen.

Crowdfire →

The social media manager

Crowdfire is Buffer on steroids: among many other things it helps you consolidate your social media posting schedule. If you run a blog, shop or YouTube channel, it automatically pulls in the latest content updates with its visual assets ready for sharing.

Ecosia →

Plant trees by searching the web

We've profiled this in Offscreen Issue 18 but in case you're not a reader, make sure to check out Ecosia, a truly wonderful social impact project built on top of Bing search results. Every time you click on a search results ad, Ecosia plants trees.

Inbox Happy

Three (other) newsletters worth subscribing to.

The Whippet →

Let writer McKinley Valentine surprise you with her thoughtful, witty exploration of bizarre science facts and unsolicited life advice. (Archive)

Future Crunch →

A dense, fortnightly email with smart science and tech writing, looking at the world through the lense of intelligent optimism. (Archive)

The Discourse →

Sean Blanda's newsletter explores the complicated collision of technology, government, and media, and how it changes the way we discuss ideas. (Archive)

Goods & Accessories

USB93 →

The first unbreakable charging cable?

The USB93 has an interesting new rotating ball design at the plug which is meant to prevent the cable from fraying, giving you 90° flexibility in two directions.

Capstone →

A thoughtfully engineered backpack

What impresses me most about the Capstone backpack are its many hidden compartments and access flaps, the lightweight, waterproof material, and of course its good looks. Have a browse through all the product shots on the website to fully appreciate its design.

Overheard on Twitter

Why did they call it "Airbnb" when they could have called it "localhost"?

– @rishmishra

Food For Thought

The Case for Slow Design →

Read

Jesse Weaver makes a compelling case against our obsession with speed in designing new products: “When a startup does win, it’s often not because they were fast, but because they were focused.”

Where in the World Is Larry Page? →

Read

The head of arguably the world's most influential company is mysteriously absent at a time when we need tech leaders to show corporate responsibility and ethical leadership. I mean YouTube alone is an algorithmic moshpit of hate and lies.

Distinguishing between Hobbies, Jobs, Careers, & Vocation →

Watch

Bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert has some sage advice for anyone considering a change in their life. Her distinction between the different types of activities that fill our days makes a lot of sense to me, especially when we dissect the concept of 'work/life balance' in that way.

We Are All Accumulating Mountains of Things →

Read

In the age of click-to-buy we're collecting (and eventually throwing away) a mind-boggling amount of stuff. “The 16,000 students who live in dorms at Michigan State University left behind 147,946 pounds of goods like clothing, towels, and appliances when they moved out this year, a 40 percent increase from 2016.”

Aesthetically Pleasing

36 Days of Type is a beautiful exploration of type design and lettering by Mario de Meyer.

If you're in need of some (print) graphic design inspiration, PRINT.PM has you covered.

You can easily spend hours on the Font Review Journal reading in-depth analysis and browsing case studies of remarkable typefaces.

I guess you'd expect a timber company to know how to work with wood and natural materials, but, boy oh boy, this office ticks all the boxes in my book.

Classifieds

Stop wasting your time wading through tech blogs & social media for tech news. One email a day from The Sizzle keeps you in the loop without the time sink – subscribe now!

Got a Nintendo Switch? Here's a concise weekly digest that brings together what you need to know, plus a list of upcoming games. In your inbox every Sunday.

Design and send gorgeous newsletters – just like this one! Mail Designer 365 is an email newsletter design tool for your Mac – no coding required. Create your newsletter today.

‘Better With Basecamp’ is the ebook to help you learn Basecamp, the best app for managing your projects & teams. Save $5 now and get free updates for the life of the book.

Classifieds are paid text-only ads that support DD. Book yours here.

The Week in a GIF

Email us the URL to your favourite GIF and we might feature it here in a future issue.

new@densediscovery.com

♥︎ Thanks to Domainr for sponsoring this issue! ♥︎

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Author/Editor:
Kai Brach

Published by:
Offscreen Media
149a Brunswick St
Fitzroy VIC 3065
Australia

Dense Discovery aims to promote an inclusive, diverse tech community guided by ethical principles. If you believe anything in this newsletter contradicts these efforts, please reply with your concerns. We read every email but only reply to those requiring a response.

Our office is located in Fitzroy, Melbourne, the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and pay our respects to elders past, present, and emerging.

Send us your suggestions for GIFs, apps, accessories, visual inspiration, etc. to new@densediscovery.com

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