Inevitable. What a sneaky, dangerous word.

It closes off the possibility space and points to a specific (person’s, group’s, ideology’s) version of the future as the only one possible.

Loops, Not Divides Letters & Action - Design, Technology, and Community

www.thisisdavekim.com/notes/loops/

The best people I've met aren't strategy people or execution people. They're both.

So when the cost of building something approaches 0, they go faster, but they're also more generative (and strategic and playful). They aren't just building derivatives of the same thing.

Whether you call it play, care, dreamweaving, or just giving a damn, how you do something matters.

Great post by @behzod.com on infinite romance.

The Imagination Curriculum A reading list for strategists who want to think dangerously

On the imagination crisis and how science fiction can help us think and feel our ways to different ways of being. zoescaman.substack.com/p/the-imagin...

What are you optimizing for? What are you playing for?

Claude is a space to think | Anthropic Anthropic explains why Claude will remain ad-free—how advertising incentives conflict with building a genuinely helpful AI assistant users can trust.

Great position to not include ads. Marking this moment. www.anthropic.com/news/claude-...

Every so often, I wonder what David Graeber would think of this moment. From bullshit jobs to anarchy to play to human ingenuity and more

If you ever doubted that branding matters, just look at how people are reacting to digital gardens vs personal operating systems.

After all of the AI-enhanced digital gardens have been set up, will you be wiser? Will you be more kind? Will you have more grace? Will you be more brave? Or is this just another example of dialing in your workshop and never actually making something.

5/22/2025 - Confirmed by OpenAI: openai.com/index/introd...

What does this part mean?

193 ☼ Behind the Zine: How 101 Portraits Became The Best Medicine New Zine Out Now! How a portrait project about comedy turned into something much deeper.

Just read @readprocess.co's work on creating The Best Medicine. Super relevant to this as well.

wesley.substack.com/p/193-behind...

Ooh. This is wonderful. Too bad that it is sold out!

I'm feeling the pendulum swing in real time right now. More of this, please.

Two Lists

My friend, Vicky, keeps two lists of people.

One list is of people she would love to hire.

The other list is of people she would love as a boss.

If you see that there are people who are on both of your lists, go find them and make some good trouble.

www.thisisdavekim.com/notes/twolis...

I'm feeling the pull to start sending physical letters to people again.

And when in doubt, it could make some good makeshift insulation, fire starter, compost helper, you name it. :)

Outsourcer in Chief: Is Trump Trading Away America’s Tech Future?

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/b...

OpenAI may build data centers in the UAE | TechCrunch OpenAI is reportedly considering building data centers in the United Arab Emirates to greatly expand its Middle East footprint.

5/14/2025 - Potential deal with UAE

techcrunch.com/2025/05/14/o...

In Search of Country-Model Fit

Are we in search of country-model fit or will we have a plurality of models in the future?

Some thoughts on that here: www.thisisdavekim.com/notes/countr...

We're about to start the fourth season of our giving circle. If you'd like to donate alongside us for this season, give me a shout! We'd love to amplify our impact - and perhaps inspire you to start or join one yourself!

We're developing technology that has so much potential, and we're spending most of our time reinventing B2B SaaS. What is even going on?

Is this because some of the finest* minds of our generation spent a decade optimizing the color of a blue button?

* Caveat, caveat, caveat

While reading a friend's essay, I added this comment:

Can pixels age? Do pixels have a patina? Can pixels show where the cursor has rubbed against it the most?

I've been thinking a lot about personal stories recently and stumbled on something Yancey Strickler wrote last year.

"First we live, then we learn, and last we narrate."

The path is rarely clear when you're on it. It's only when we look back at where we've been that we see the common thread.

Completely. They look like a kind shop owner who would absolutely give you some extra treats on the house.

Ha, I love this!

We focus so much of our attention on algorithms, but not enough on the design of social networks.

Loved this insight from @randomwalker.bsky.social on what makes TikTok feel so different here: knightcolumbia.org/blog/tiktoks...

If you're also working and researching in this space, please reach out!

I'm in the middle of researching social networks and what it might take for us to go "beyond the feed." It's such a treat to get together with other people and organizations who care deeply about how these social networks can be better and promote healthier and better experiences.

We should normalize bringing your friends to work.

Chill music + live dispatches from air traffic control? Yes, please. What a vibe.

www.chillyatc.com

Jazzkeys by Plan8 (plan8.se).

(turn the sound on!)