# Sketchplanations: all sketches > Sketchplanations explains the world one sketch at a time, turning complex ideas into simple sketches. Each hand-drawn sketch comes with a short explanation, covering ideas from science, creativity, psychology, business and everyday life. Made by Jono Hey. Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Credit the sketch and link to its page when you show or quote it. Terms: https://sketchplanations.com/licence ## Notice Collect Process Share: A process for creating a body of work URL: https://sketchplanations.com/notice-collect-process-share Published: 2026-10-25T13:14:00+0000 Categories: motivation, creativity, framework, business, advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aWENpRibKi3sV1S0_SP1000-NoticeCollectProcessShare.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Notice Collect Process Share. An illustrated process for creating a lasting body of work. Process by Jono Hey of Sketchplanations. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/notice-collect-process-share), CC BY-NC 4.0 This sketch is my 1,000th sketchplanation. (I wrote some reflections on reaching 1,000 in my newsletter) If you're interested in beginning a lasting creative practice, have a project you've been thinking about starting, or keep noticing interesting things but don't act on them, this is for you. This is a reflection on the process I found I followed to create this body of visual explanations: Notice, Collect, Process, Share. 1. Notice It all starts with noticing We all have our own unique perspective, influences and things that attract us. Noticing is not drifting through life but paying attention to it. I think it’s possible to develop a habit of curiosity and a questioning approach. But noticing can be as simple as a small mental note when we find something we like. I’m not sure of the best way to cultivate a habit of noticing, but Rob Walker writes a popular newsletter on The Art of Noticing, I’m sure you will find something in there. Over the years, I have trained myself to notice ideas. They might be ideas I’ve found valuable and found myself sharing with others in conversations. Or concepts in books. Or insights that I think are valuable but not widely known. Or ideas that are not easily accessible and more people could benefit from them. I’ve been doing this for long enough that people now share ideas with me that they think I should include. It’s great. I learn so much. 2. Collect Build a collection For people who want to start a creative practice, I often suggest starting collections. One quote is an interesting lesson. Many quotes can be a book. Collecting can be as simple as noting things down in one place—maybe a notebook, or the notes file on your phone. It can be just clicking like or save when you hear a song you like. I started collecting quotes using a to-do list app. Noting each one down forces you to pay it a little more attention, helps it stick in your memory, and gives you a chance to come across it again. When you start the simple process of collecting, you can start to see patterns. You can see what fits together, make connections others may not, and discover what really interests you. My list for future sketchplanations is now many hundreds strong. A small tip: jot down where you found whatever it is you’re collecting. It’s evident when you note it down, but may not be so obvious when you revisit it, perhaps years later. Your future self will be grateful. 3. Process Process your collection You don’t have to do much for this step. Many collections are simply thrown up onto sites like Reddit and people get some value from it. But I think most collections benefit from a little work on each. It can be a small, consistent action. Identifying and naming butterflies, or sorting them by location, size or colour, makes the collection more valuable than a shoebox full of photos of them. Sorting quotes by theme makes it easier to work with them and easier for readers to learn from them. A collection of songs in the right order is a winning playlist. A photographer may have a few steps of cropping, adjusting exposure, applying filters and writing a line about each. It doesn’t have to be much. In my case, the work has been to try to distil the essence of an idea and share it concisely in a visual with a somewhat consistent style. Each week I take an idea from the collection and work on it, transforming it, and applying my own process to shape it in my own way. Your processing will be different. 4. Share Share it Working on things for yourself is great. You’ll no doubt be happier and take a lot from it. But I think there’s a lot of value in sharing what you create. I’ve written some reflections on sharing before. Several things start happening when you share your work. Others have the chance to discover it and benefit from it. You’ll often raise your bar when you’re name is attached to it. You’ll begin to think harder about it and do a better job. If you set out on your work of processing the thing with the idea that you will be sharing it, it encourages you to consider how others might engage with the work and makes it stronger. Others may provide encouragement, motivation, or support, and it has a better chance of enduring. You’ll be surprised at what others find most valuable. You may inspire others and make a small positive change in the world. Notice —> Collect —> Process —> Shape One thing that strikes me, looking back, is that you can deliberately work on and improve at each of these steps. Is there something you already notice that you could start collecting, processing and sharing? I’d love to hear about it. If you've found sketchplanations valuable, did you know you can become a paid subscriber or buy me a coffee. Also see: Discovering truth and beauty and sharing it with others Beyond mountains there are mountains -- I have Dave Gray to thank for helping me with a first draft of Notice, Collect, Process and Share, while working on a session for his School of the Possible. ## EBEH: Easy, Build, Easy Hard, Repeat URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ebeh Published: 2026-10-18T11:00:00+0000 Categories: sport, endurance, resilience, swimming, psychology, motivation, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7Do4zLKvqt6_THBA_SP999-EBEH-swimmingsetsfortrainingandlife.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: EBEH swimming sets for endurance training and life. Easy, build, easy, hard, repeat. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ebeh), CC BY-NC 4.0 A technique for training and life EBEHs are a technique I use when pool swimming. EBEH stands for Easy, Build, Easy, Hard (I say it as ee-bees). An EBEH means: Swim a length at an Easy pace In the next length, Build with increased effort Then drop back to the Easy pace Then give it a Hard, near all-out effort for the fourth length Then repeat, straight back into an easy recovery. Whenever I remember to swim EBEHs I think, “These are good for so many reasons.”  If you’re training for something physical, they might help, and I find the principles that make EBEHs effective apply so well as an approach to many things in life. Here are some of the principles that I think make EBEHs so good: Break a large indeterminate goal into manageable chunks Rather than thinking, I’ll swim for 40 minutes, or for 2km, I can just focus on completing my next EBEH. The Hard lengths are hard, but the Build lengths get me ready for it. I know what’s coming next and can anticipate it. Even when I'm just contemplating hard work, like going for a swim training workout, I find this helps me get going and keep going. Track progress and know where you’re at Rather than counting to, say, 10 lengths and losing count, with EBEHs I can always tell which part I’m on. Did I just sprint? If I’m swimming back, then I should be going easy. Clear goals and immediate feedback are two of the conditions that help create flow. An endless, indeterminate path is hard to stay motivated for. With EBEHs, I always know what I'm doing now and what's coming next. Intersperse effort with breaks As in life, you can’t sprint all the time. If you’re always pushing hard, you burn out. You stop looking forward to the activity and start dreading and resenting it. But sometimes sprinting is a good thing. With EBEHs, you build up to it. You sprint, but you know you’ll have a break on the other side. And then you do it again. Many things in life are more like a marathon than a sprint. Planning periods of intense effort with breaks, I find, works really well. Recover while still moving One subtle effect of EBEHs I've noticed is that I rest without stopping completely—I recover while still swimming on the easy lengths. If I were to just swim, then my rest would be stopping at the ends. But EBEHs encourage me to work hard and then catch my breath and recover on the nice easy lengths, ready to go again. I’m not tempted to stop. I keep going and cover more as a result. It’s similar to having run up a hill. You don’t want to run up so hard that you have to stop at the top. Can you run up so that at the top you slip back into your standard pace and recover while still running? I’m not against stopping to rest—I love it!—but I find EBEHs raise my baseline and change what feels like rest. Easy swimming becomes recovery rather than something I need to recover from. For endurance, I like how it normalises keeping going. Working in chunks makes progress add up quickly An EBEH is a shorthand for four lengths. I don’t have to count individual lengths. I aim for 3 EBEHs and I know I’ll cover 12 lengths. Just a few more EBEHs and I’m at 20. Progress feels faster when every one I count means I've actually done four. If you’re training for something, maybe give EBEHs a try. And even outside training, I find the same pattern surprisingly useful. Is there anywhere you could apply the principles of EBEHs? Related Ideas to EBEHs Also see: Fast pool, slow pool Fartlek: alternating sprints while running Stand, Sit, Lie - for recovery Flow Anchors and tugboats My training partner and I discussed this, and other things swimrun, on the Low Tide Boyz podcast Plogging The virtuous cycle of exercise and sleep Run further by running further away Everything is aiming I learned EBEHs from a good friend who I do swimrun with, who came across it on an old training plan. I did a lot of EBEHs recently, so they’ve been on my mind. ## Additive and Subtractive Colour, RGB and CMYK URL: https://sketchplanations.com/additive-and-subtractive-colour Published: 2026-10-11T11:00:00+0000 Categories: colour, science, physics, biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aeJ1BNK9oK5Oi-el_SP998-Subtractiveandadditivecolour.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is additive vs subtractive colour (color) mixing? How screens use red, green and blue (RGB) light to create white, while printing uses cyan, magenta and yellow (CMY + CMYK) inks that absorb light, producing darker colours. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/additive-and-subtractive-colour), CC BY-NC 4.0 Making colours by mixing light vs mixing paint I learned about mixing colours from my art teachers at school. Primary colours, secondary colours, complementary colours and if you mix them all together you get a rather dark, brown mess. So I have always been intrigued by how mixing colours of light seemed to do the opposite. You mix red, green and blue lights and you don’t get a dark brown, but instead bright white. What’s going on? Additive and Subtractive Colour Coloured lights behave differently from the pigments in my paints; they mix additively. White light, like sunlight, contains a broad range of wavelengths. You can see this when a prism splits light into different parts of the spectrum, or when raindrops produce a rainbow. But we can also perceive white by mixing red, green and blue light. Adding each light in the right proportions brings it closer to white. The pigments in my paints, on the other hand, behave differently. When I put yellow paint on a surface, it absorbs much of the blue light falling on it, and the remaining reflected light we perceive as yellow. The pigments subtract parts of the light spectrum. As I mix different pigments, they absorb more of the incoming light, generally making the mixture darker. For black objects, very little light is reflected back to our eyes. Screens work with light and additive colour. They tend to use RGB—red, green and blue—lights, which when shining together can produce white and when off, get close to black. Printing on the other hand works with inks and subtractive colour. They tend to work with CMYK—cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Cyan absorbs mostly red light, magenta absorbs mostly green light, and yellow absorbs mostly blue light. By absorbing light from different parts of the spectrum, they are able to produce a wide range of colours. Because using cyan, magenta and yellow together doesn’t quite make black, a separate black ink is usually used as well. I was confused by this, because I think of the traditional painters' primary colours as red, yellow and blue—after all, mixing yellow and blue makes green. But CMY can actually produce a wider range of colours because each pigment absorbs a different part of the light spectrum. Why do screens use RGB? Again, I wondered: if primary colours are red, yellow and blue, why do we use red, green and blue lights for displays? It turns out our eyes have three types of colour-sensitive cones, each sensitive to different, overlapping parts of the spectrum. Red, green and blue light are particularly useful for stimulating them in different combinations. I wonder what the evolutionary root of that was—spotting the fruit in the trees? So red, green and blue happen to work very well for human vision. Dogs have two types of light-sensitive cones. They see blue and yellow but are colour-blind between red and green. Yet, many birds have four types, with some birds sensitive to ultraviolet light. So perhaps a screen designed to mimic what birds can see might need four primary lights, including ultraviolet, instead of the three RGB we have for humans. How RGB and CMY are connected If you look closely at the sketch, there’s an intriguing symmetry to spot. Additive colour (light) Red + Green = Yellow (always surprising to me) Green + Blue = Cyan Blue + Red = Magenta Where the three RGB lights overlap, they produce the CMY colours used in subtractive colour mixing. Subtractive colour (pigment) Each pigment absorbs part of the incoming light (broadly speaking): Cyan absorbs red (leaving green and blue) Magenta absorbs green (leaving red and blue) Yellow absorbs blue (leaving red and green) So when you mix two pigments: Cyan + Yellow = removes red + blue = Green remains Cyan + Magenta = removes red + removes green = Blue remains Yellow + Magenta = removes blue + removes green = Red remains The secondary colours of additive mixing are the primary colours of subtractive mixing, and vice versa. Adding light makes white. Absorbing light makes dark. Related Ideas to Additive and Subtractive Colour Also see: The colour wheel Atmospheric perspective Blending buildings 60-30-10 colour rule Autumn leaves and the compounds that cause their colours Plutchiks’ wheel of emotions The Stroop Test The Olympic Flag Prefer color to colour? I made a US English version of additive and subtractive color for you. I draw and write about what intrigues and interests me, but I’m not a vision scientist. Please send corrections and advice my way! ## The Free-Rider Problem URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-free-rider-problem Published: 2026-10-04T11:00:00+0000 Categories: economics, behavioral economics, sociology, law, sustainability, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/B47ZndSQYy6_zqUl_SP997-TheFree-riderProblem.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the free-rider problem? An economics illustration of collective action showing people benefiting from a shared effort without contributing, until everyone stops paddling and the group fails to reach its destination. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-free-rider-problem), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sharing the reward without the effort Ever been on the back of a tandem bike and been tempted not to pedal? Or at the back of a canoe or kayak and thought about easing off on the paddling? This is the free-rider problem. More generally, when a person can enjoy the benefits of a group’s efforts whether they contribute or not, there’s an incentive to let others do the work. Assuming somebody keeps paddling, then the craft will get to its destination, and as long as you’re sat in it, you’ll get there too, whether you paddle or not. What is the free-rider problem? Here’s Elinor Ostrom in her book Governing the Commons: “Whenever one person cannot be excluded from the benefits that others provide, each person is motivated not to contribute to the joint effort, but to free-ride on the efforts of others. If all participants choose to free-ride, the collective benefit will not be produced. The temptation to free-ride, however, may dominate the decision process, and thus all will end up where no one wanted to be.” Examples of the free-rider problem Unless you are rather lucky, the free-rider problem is a common experience in group projects at school or at work. It’s easy to resent the team member who contributes half as much and gets the same grade. I’ve also experienced the free-rider problem in: group litter picks living in a shared student kitchen—everyone benefits when somebody cleans Wikipedia—so many people benefit from the voluntary work and contributions of a small number of people organising activities or trips (sometimes it might have been me doing the free-riding 😬) team sports—“as long as someone’s back defending, we’ll be fine.” arriving “fashionably” late at parties—which only works if other people arrive on time and the joy of free-riding much of my childhood, with dinner cooked, clothes washed, and the house cleaned whether I helped or not (Thanks, mum and dad!) Free-riding can scale from the shared kitchen all the way up to countries. As a classic example, if everyone else is sticking to fishing quotas to maintain fish stocks, an individual fisher might feel they don’t have to stick to it. The free-rider gets the benefit of everyone’s conservation efforts without making the same sacrifice. This overlaps with another collective-action problem, the tragedy of the commons. Other larger-scale cases include: clean air and climate action—our atmosphere and oceans are perhaps the ultimate common resource. Every country benefits from others' efforts to reduce carbon emissions, and vice versa. vaccination—when enough people are immune, the reduced spread of disease can also help protect people who aren't immune. This herd immunity can create an incentive to free ride on others getting vaccinated. paying taxes—public services continue to function for someone who avoids paying their fair share, provided enough people are paying theirs. In each case, the temptation is the same: if I still get the benefit, why should I contribute? Most of us, however, continue to paddle. Let’s not be that person at the back. Related Ideas to the Free-Rider Problem Also see: The Responsibility Poem, or Whose job is it? The accountability ladder The Tragedy of the Commons The Abilene Paradox—another case of all ending up where no one wanted to be. Groupthink Herd immunity Canoe or Kayak? ## False Needles in Haystacks URL: https://sketchplanations.com/false-needles-in-haystacks Published: 2026-09-27T11:00:00+0000 Categories: statistics, mathematics, psychology, science, data, quote, health, technology, metaphor Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/_14DmkMBZC58Pedy_SP996-Mostneedleswillbehay-frames.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What are false positives? Sir David Spiegelhalter's needle-in-a-haystack analogy shows why searching for rare events can produce many false positives, even with good detection techniques. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/false-needles-in-haystacks), CC BY-NC 4.0 Why rare events produce surprising numbers of false positives If you have a test designed to detect something, a false positive is when your test gives you a positive result when the thing isn’t actually there. Often, we may be looking for something that’s rather rare, say 1 in 1,000 cases. This low base rate can produce a rather unintuitive result: even with what seems like an accurate test, more of your positive results may be false than true. David Spiegelhalter sums it up in his book The Art of Uncertainty with this analogy: When you are looking for a needle in a haystack, even if you have good eyesight, most of what looks like needles will be hay. — David Spiegelhalter A Worked Example of False Positives Let me give an illustration. An example he gives in the book concerns facial recognition. Suppose, from pictures in a crowd, a facial recognition system correctly identifies 7 out of 10 people on a watchlist—a 70% detection rate. And this same system has a false-alert rate of just 1 in 1,000, so that when scanning 1,000 people who aren’t on a watchlist, only 1 would come back as a (false) positive. Now suppose that in a crowd of 10,000 people there are 10 people on the watchlist in the crowd and the facial recognition system scans everyone. Of the 10 people on the watchlist, it will return 7 positive alerts and miss 3 people. Of the remaining 9,990 people in the crowd, at a 1-in-1,000 false-alert rate, the system will trigger about 10 more positive alerts. So, the system—with a false alert rate of just 1 in 1,000, remember—would return 17 positive alerts, with 7 true positives and about 10 false positives. For any one individual with a positive alert, there’s therefore a less than 50% chance (7/17=41%) that the person is on the watchlist. For a system with what seemed a low false-alert rate, it is surprising that a positive alert in this case is still more likely to be false than true. The difficulty in these cases is that what we are looking for is itself rather rare. So even if a test is good at correctly identifying cases and has a low false-alert rate, when the event happens only very occasionally, false positives can easily overwhelm correct identifications. For me, the needle-in-a-haystack analogy works very well. We usually imagine the problem is simply finding the needle among all that hay because there’s only one needle and they look rather alike. What I don’t immediately appreciate is that, before finding it, I would find a lot of things that looked like a needle but turned out not to be one. Other Examples You may not often find yourself dealing with the results of facial recognition tests on dangerous people, granted. However, this sort of result crops up in other situations. Here are a few: Healthcare Testing Suppose a test is developed to screen for a very rare condition. Even if the test is very good at finding the condition and has a low false alert rate, if the condition is sufficiently rare—a very low base rate—we can expect it to falsely identify many people who don’t have the condition. Accordingly, screening programmes often have a second, more specific diagnostic test after an initial positive result. Airport Security Airport security screens enormous numbers of ordinary travellers while genuine threats are, fortunately, extremely rare. As a result, even screening procedures with a very low false-positive rate could flag many regular travellers for every genuine threat it identifies. Perhaps this has happened to you. Fraud Detection Electronic payments are really an incredible thing. I worked for some time at a financial institution, and the number of payments and transactions received and sent just by our company was astonishing. Multiply that by the number of financial companies in a city, and I remember thinking that the challenge of regulating and policing fraudulent payments was quite incredible. If the base rate of fraudulent payments to legitimate payments is very low, then we can expect our fraud detection systems to flag a number of legitimate payments in their search. Defect Detection Suppose you run a factory that produces very high-quality components. Only 1 in 10,000 is defective. An automated inspection system that only very occasionally rejects a good component can still be expected to identify many components as defects that may turn out to be fine. Car Alarms Suppose a car alarm goes off on your street. What is the likelihood that someone is actually trying to steal a car? Only once have I actually seen someone breaking in (in Rome) for all the car alarms I’ve ever heard. So I pretty much assume an alarm is a false positive. A car alarm is looking for a rare event, yet it spends thousands of hours monitoring just in case. It’s possible no one will try to break into your car in its lifetime. Even an alarm with a low false-alert rate could therefore sound more often because of minor disturbances than because someone is actually trying to break into the car. When there's a lot of hay and very few needles, expect false positives. How rare is the thing you're looking for? -- I had the pleasure of speaking with Sir David on a very entertaining and informative episode of the Sketchplanations podcast. Related Ideas to False Needles in Haystacks Also see: Accuracy and precision Sampling bias Correlation is not causation Sneaky averages Survivorship bias Goodhart’s law Mathematics in everyday life ## The Cloze Test URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-cloze-test Published: 2026-09-20T11:00:00+0000 Categories: education, learning, knowledge Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/80PP1jYUwA26N5gr_SP995-TheClozeTest.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Cloze test example of fill in the blank, complete the sentence type quiz question. With a dog buries 'what?' in the garden example Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-cloze-test), CC BY-NC 4.0 If you take a sentence and remove a word from it, could your readers fill in the blank? This type of fill-in-the-blank test is called the cloze test. What are cloze tests useful for? If you’ve used a language-learning platform like Duolingo, you'll be familiar with this kind of exercise—I was happy to discover that there’s a name for it. That’s partly because the cloze test is useful for: Testing understanding How well can someone understand the overall meaning of the sentence, and do they have the knowledge required to complete it? Completing from context We use context all the time when interpreting others’ words, so it’s great practice for language learning. Retrieval practice When you have to produce the missing word yourself, retrieving it from memory can help reinforce learning. In my experience, cloze tests also abound in corporate training. Filling in a blank in a sentence has the handy benefits of testing understanding while also repeating, or even introducing, the answer. Even if you haven't learnt the answer before, context and the possible alternatives can help you figure it out. In some ways, you can teach by just providing the test. Whether you get it right or wrong, it’s an opportunity to consider the alternatives critically, discover the correct answer and reinforce it. Cloze tests are also straightforward to build and automatically mark when learners choose from preset options, which perhaps also explains their popularity. Why is it called a cloze test? While no doubt people had been asking others to “fill in the blanks” for many years, the cloze test was formally introduced as the cloze procedure in 1953 by Wilson L. Taylor in his paper, “’Cloze Procedure’: A New Tool for Measuring Readability.” (PDF) Taylor coined the word cloze from closure, a principle of gestalt psychology where we intuitively complete missing parts, for example, seeing a broken circle as a complete circle. Just as with the circle, Taylor removed parts of a text and asked readers to complete it. The more successfully readers could restore the missing words, the more readable the text. To fill the gap, we draw on the surrounding words, our knowledge of the topic, and our vocabulary. Many modern versions also provide a selection of possible answers. Next time you come across one, you’ll have a name for it. Ideas related to the cloze test Also see: Context is king Gestalt Principles of Visual Perception F-Shaped Reading The Feynman Learning Technique Bloom’s Taxonomy for learning The Learning Pit Wooden’s 8 Laws of Learning I loved Taylor’s introduction to his paper (PDF, courtesy of Gwern Branwen): “"CLOZE PROCEDURE" is a new psychological tool for measuring the effectiveness of communication. The method is straightforward; the data are easily quantifiable; the findings seem to stand up.” If only all research were that clear and confident. The cloze test is sometimes called an occlusion test or cloze deletion test. ## Beyond mountains, there are mountains URL: https://sketchplanations.com/beyond-mountains-there-are-mountains Published: 2026-09-13T11:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, wisdom, mountains, resilience Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0UDWY3GpFrH_mH5n_SP994-Beyondmountains%2Ctherearemountains.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Beyond mountains, there are mountains — proverb from Haiti. Sometimes written as Beyond mountains, there are more mountains. Or Behind the mountain, more mountains. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/beyond-mountains-there-are-mountains), CC BY-NC 4.0 There’s a Haitian proverb, “Dèyè mòn, gen mòn.” It’s often translates as, "Beyond mountains, there are mountains." The proverb captures the idea that we will always face challenges in life. Overcoming the current one won’t be the end. There will be another mountain beyond it. I can see how this proverb might be disheartening. A life of endless hardship? Challenge after challenge? One problem after another? How we face and climb out of difficulty is one of the things that defines us. Resilience is knowing that even once you've climbed one mountain, there may be another, and you can climb that one, too. The proverb is fitting for the mountainous terrain of Haiti, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. It’s a wonderful visual and just so true. It’s hard to head to the mountains and crest a ridge or reach a summit and not be struck by just how many mountains you see. The mountains are some of my favourite destinations, and I've had this experience in the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades, the Rockies, the Brooks Range, the Alps, the Dolomites, the Andes and others. When you’re up there, sometimes it feels like the mountains go on forever. Beyond mountains, there are more mountains. Hopefully, life isn’t all climbing out of difficulties, but I guess I’d rather be mentally ready for the next difficulty so I don’t fall apart when it arrives. I learned about the proverb from a post by Ryan Holiday: 5 Years of Lessons From Running My Own Bookstore The proverb is also the title of Tracy Kidder’s book Mountains Beyond Mountains, about Paul Farmer and his efforts to bring modern medicine to people who need it. Related Ideas to Beyond mountains, there are mountains Also see: Hope Atmospheric perspective For going out, I found, was really going in Naismith’s rule for walking in the mountains Kitchen table survival skills The 3 tallest mountains Parallax When drinking tea, just drink tea Local optimisation: make sure you’re climbing the right mountain ## The Ordering Problem: Reasonable decisions that lead to dumb outcomes URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-ordering-problem Published: 2026-09-06T11:00:00+0000 Categories: economics, behavioral economics, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1tNEgrwefwXBcKpq_SP993-TheOrderingProblem.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The ordering problem: reasonable decisions that lead to dumb outcomes. Illustrated with a parking example where a late arrival curses someone who parked blocking multiple parking spaces Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-ordering-problem), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Ordering Problem is when a series of individually reasonable decisions constrain later choices and result in dumb outcomes. Here are a few examples I’ve noticed time and again. Some examples of the ordering problem The selfish parker Somebody arrives early at a long, empty parking bay. They park their car in the middle, or perhaps near where they need to go. People continue to arrive throughout the day, filling up the other spaces. Later, the car park is busy. People are desperately squeezing their cars in wherever they can. Now, it appears that the first car is blocking several spaces. Drivers pass by, cursing the owner of the car who parked so badly. The ridiculous queue Queues are sensitive to how they form. When a queue is small, it doesn’t matter very much where you stand behind the person in front. You’re at the back after all. But if the queue grows quickly, it will usually follow the initial direction set by where the early joiners chose to stand. Later visitors arrive to see a large queue tracing a dumb route, perhaps across a major walkway or up a flight of steps, rather than queuing out of the way where there’s plenty of space. How could people be so dumb?! Often, it was just because someone early on stood slightly to the left or right of the person in front of them. The decision had little impact on them, and is perfectly reasonable if a queue stays small. The cinema with lots of single seats Arriving early to an empty cinema, you may have the pick of the seats. It doesn’t seem to matter where you choose. Later groups take their seats influenced by the few seats that are taken. Perhaps new arrivals, out of courtesy, make sure to leave a space between them and the people already seated. Sometimes groups mean spaces are left next to the aisles. Arriving late to what’s now a nearly full cinema, you see many awkwardly-sized gaps that don’t work for your group when there are plenty of seats available. Why would people do this?! Naming conventions At the start of a software project, someone chooses a quick naming convention for a few files they are working with. The feature is popular and as code around it grows, people add files following the same approach. Later developers, now working on a more complex system, find themselves battling a confusing structure that’s very difficult to redo. What to do about the Ordering Problem? I think we can’t always avoid the ordering problem, but there are a few things we can do to help. If you arrive before others, you can consider what may happen later—will it get busy?—and make a choice that’s considerate of later arrivals. Many situations that appear dumb or insensitive were created by perfectly reasonable decisions at the point they were made. So, for our own benefit as much as others, we could probably do with cutting people a little more slack. It's quite hard to, for example, reconfigure the direction of a queue if you're just one person joining a queue with no authority over others. So organisations can and should, I think, take responsibility for putting structures in place and giving guidance to steer us all towards better collective outcomes. It can be as simple as marking out spaces, or being the one to say ‘queue this way’. It benefits everyone. For instance, an employee outside a ticket office where a line often develops that can block a path can, and should, move and direct people to a more sensible queuing direction. And where possible, they should anticipate this and use signage and barriers to nudge the queue to be better for everyone. Path Dependency The ordering problem is related to path dependency in the social sciences and economics. Both describe how early decisions shape what happens later. A common example of path dependency is how the QWERTY keyboard layout, though non-optimal, is now too difficult and expensive to change. Other examples are driving on the left/right, or using imperial vs metric. The ordering problem is the challenge of many individually reasonable decisions made sequentially, without coordination, producing an arrangement that later works poorly. It routinely creates frustrating, non-optimal outcomes in everyday life, especially in social situations. Everyday life is full of occasions that appear badly designed but were simply the result of reasonable decision after reasonable decision. Remembering this helps me chill out a bit. It also gets me thinking about how early small design decisions and direction by a few can have a big positive influence for many later on. Have you seen the ordering problem in action? Related Ideas to the Ordering Problem Also see: Hanlon’s Razor The Tragedy of the Commons Use both sides of a buffet The Fundamental Attribution Error Beware of local optimisation The iceberg model ## A Year From Now, You'll be Grateful You Started Today URL: https://sketchplanations.com/a-year-from-now-grateful-you-started-today Published: 2026-08-30T11:00:00+0000 Categories: motivation, psychology, entrepreneurship, writing, quote Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Kv5NJg72kwfielk4_SP992-AYearFromNowYou%27llbeGratefulYouStartedToday.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: A year from now, you'll be grateful you started today. Quote based on Karen Lamb's quote: "A year from now, you will wish you had started today." Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/a-year-from-now-grateful-you-started-today), CC BY-NC 4.0 I know of few simpler thoughts that encourage me to stop dawdling, procrastinating and otherwise putting things off than this wonderful quote from author and journalist Karen Lamb. “A year from now you will wish you had started today.” — Karen Lamb There’s something so undeniable about the logic that I find I can’t argue with it and am forced to get started: “She’s right. I’m sure I will wish I’d started today. I better get on it.” For me, it captures a little of the frustration I would feel if I hadn’t started a year ago. This is a useful kick in the backside. But it also brings the aspirational vision of how I will feel a year from now, looking back, having started today and seeing all my progress. That’s a nice feeling to help me get started. It’s both a carrot and a stick. So when I thought about drawing it, I find I really think about how grateful I will feel to my past self that I chose to get going on that day a year ago. So that’s what I drew. “A year from now, you’ll be grateful you started today.” The quote has a lot in common with the classic wisdom (for another sketch): The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is today. Is there something that in a year you’ll wish you had started today? What’s a small step you could take now? Related Ideas to “A Year from Now” Thinking of getting started? See my collection: on getting started The doorstep mile One in a row — Matthew McConaughey Benefits to getting started Enough molehills make a mountain Public commitment pledge The most important role of a finishing line Trying new things The quote is sometimes written as: “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” The “may wish” gives that little flexibility that helps me not stare daggers at Karen for not understanding my particular circumstances. Maybe you’ll prefer it. I couldn’t find verifiable source information for this quote. Barry Popik shares versions of it from at least 1994, and James Clear, in a 2020 newsletter, says that Karen attributes it to a collection of short stories she edited. ## Petrichor: the smell of rain on dry ground URL: https://sketchplanations.com/petrichor Published: 2026-08-23T11:00:00+0000 Categories: words, weather, water, science Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/U6oHrSs9GdDW0Q3c_SP991-Petrichor.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Petrichor: the smell of rain on dry ground from petra - stone, and ichor - the blood of the gods, with a person enjoying the smell in Richmond Park as the rain comes down. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/petrichor), CC BY-NC 4.0 The smell of rain—I love it. Who doesn’t? And there’s a name for it: Petrichor. Petrichor is the earthy smell released when rain falls on dry ground, especially after a long warm spell. In 2026, here in the UK, after a long, hot and unusually dry summer, we finally had rain. Petrichor hit me hard and gloriously in the local park as the rain splashed the dry earth and grass after so long. Like apricity, petrichor is an evocative name for a beautiful sensation. Origins and Etymology of the Word Petrichor The name petrichor was coined by Australian scientist Richard (Dick) Thomas who researched the phenomenon with Isabel Joy Bear. They published their findings in the journal Nature in 1964. Thomas formed the name from the Greek words: petra, meaning stone, and ichor, for the golden fluid that ran in the veins of the gods They describe it in a later paper: ‘Petrichor’, well known to mineralogists as argillaceous odour, is commonly observed as the pleasant and refreshing odour which frequently accompanies the first rains after a warm dry period. What Makes the Smell of Rain? Much of the earthy smell after a rainstorm or shower comes from geosmin, a compound produced by microorganisms in the soil that humans are remarkably sensitive to. Geosmin, along with other aromatic compounds such as plant oils, is released into the air during rain. This happens when tiny air bubbles trapped by raindrops rise and burst through the droplet in a process with the excellent name splash-induced aerosolisation. It’s one way that bacteria in the soil spread. You can read more technical information than you ever wanted to know about the bacteria and production of geosmin in Petrichor and Actinomycetes: The Smell of Rain Explained. We discussed petrichor on the podcast with Grant Snider, where he shared his lovely series, Words of Wonder. I hope you get to enjoy some petrichor this week. More Word sketches Apricity Pyrrhic victory Snerdle Halfalogue Flotsam and jetsam Greeble Some of my favourite foreign or borrowed words: Uitwaaien Rückenfigur Vorfreude - the pleasure of anticipation Apophenia Schadenfreude Tsundoku Kintsugi Wabi-sabi Hara hachi bu Kaffikok ## Buridan's Ass URL: https://sketchplanations.com/buridans-ass Published: 2026-08-16T11:00:00+0000 Categories: animals, thought experiment, philosophy, psychology, paradox, parable, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b9k04dwmb3rfn_Jb_SP990-Buridan%27sAss.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Buridan's Ass philosophy puzzle: how does an ass choose between two equally tempting choices of piles of hay. How can we choose without a preference? Does it starve? Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/buridans-ass), CC BY-NC 4.0 When every option is equal, how do you choose? It’s nice to think that we have a reason for what we do: It’s a good idea to do this, I really want to do that. But what if two choices are equally good? How do we choose then? That’s the situation for an ass (no snickering, please) in the thought experiment Buridan’s Ass. What is Buridan’s Ass? Buridan’s Ass is the puzzle where an ass is equidistant between two identical, equally tempting piles of hay. But with no reason to prefer one pile over the other, the poor ass remains stuck between them and eventually starves. Philosophically, the puzzle is: can a rational agent choose between two equally good options when there's no reason to prefer one over the other? Buridan’s Ass Examples and Tie-breaking If someone offers you a choice of two £10 notes, one in the left hand, one in the right hand, how do you decide which to take? No doubt the choice wouldn’t paralyse us like poor Buridan’s Ass, but it’s not always clear how we choose. Perhaps you’ve been in a situation where a group of you need to choose a restaurant, everyone’s hungry, and everything sounds good. It may seem like a generous thing not to express a restaurant preference, but it can be frustrating when it doesn’t help narrow down the options. “Always left” Sometimes you don't need a better choice, you just need a way to choose. Many years ago I spent a winter in the Alps where I got to ski regularly with a few friends. We constantly came to junctions where, between us, we had to decide which way to go. But there was usually no clear logical way to choose between the routes, so we developed the mantra “Always left”. There was nothing special about left, and no doubt it was not as good as right many times, but at least it helped us not get stuck at the junction. I still use it to this day. Tie-breaking In computer programming, an algorithm can easily evaluate two alternatives as exactly equal. Maybe you can picture a bad guy in a video game stuck because two routes score exactly the same. The program needs some way to break the tie: choose the first, choose left, or even choose randomly. Your two favourite things A friend of ours had a young puppy. The puppy’s two favourite things were getting fed and running to bark at the door when someone knocked. As luck would have it, one day my friend put down the puppy’s food just as someone knocked at the door. You could see the dog’s wide-eyed excitement bordering on panic. It was like the Buridan’s Ass problem played out in real life. The dog ran towards the food, stopped, ran towards the door, stopped, then ran back, gobbled the food as fast as he could and skittered straight back to the door. He managed to resolve the dilemma. Why is it called Buridan's Ass? The name Buridan’s Ass comes from the 14th-century French philosopher John Buridan, although the unfortunate ass doesn’t appear in his writings. It was attached to his name after his death, possibly as a parody of his ideas about free choice. Among other things, John Buridan wrote about choice, the will, and how we make decisions. Versions of the dilemma go back at least as far as Aristotle. What ways do you use to decide between equally good options? Does choosing require a reason? Related Ideas to Buridan’s Ass Also see: The paradox of choice The Abilene paradox The bandwagon effect Groupthink Mistakes Variable rewards Feedback analysis (to improve your decision-making) Panel of advisors The trolley problem Prospect theory In case you were wondering, I believe a donkey is a domesticated ass, and a mule is a common hybrid, being the offspring of a male ass (a jack or jackass, no less) and a female horse. The reverse—a male horse and female ass—produces a hinny. I learned about Buridan’s Ass from a reader suggestion on the website. Thanks, Samuel 🙏 ## The Wisdom Paradox URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-wisdom-paradox Published: 2026-08-09T11:00:00+0000 Categories: wisdom, quote, thinking, knowledge, education Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/gLZDehKK6HI6UcSh_SP989-TheWisdomParadox.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the wisdom paradox in a chart. Similar to the Dunning-Kruger effect, we are wiser when we realise we're not as wise as we thought. Inspired by the quote from Anthony de Mello Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-wisdom-paradox), CC BY-NC 4.0 Wisdom is a strange thing. The Wisdom Paradox is this: when we realise we are less wise than we thought, we become wiser. Anthony de Mello, in his book One-Minute Wisdom, relates a master’s thoughts on wisdom: It always pleased the Master to hear people recognize their ignorance. “Wisdom tends to grow in proportion to one’s awareness of one’s ignorance,” he claimed. When asked for an explanation, he said, “When you come to see you are not as wise today as you thought you were yesterday, you are wiser today.” Or as the popular wisdom goes: Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. The naivety of youth is a lovely thing. As a teenager, you can be sure that the grown-ups are doing it all wrong, and the path to better is obvious. Then, as an adult, it somehow seems more difficult than before. My experience is that most things are harder than I thought they would be. Perhaps after getting something to work, I'm wiser than I was before I started, when I thought it would be easy. But I keep making that mistake, which perhaps shows how slowly wisdom arrives. That which seems like a false step is just the next step. — Agnes Martin The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. — William Shakespeare (As You Like It, Act 5, Scene 1) A step backwards after making a wrong turn is a step in the right direction. — Kurt Vonnegut Related Ideas to the Wisdom Paradox Also see: The Dunning-Kruger Effect I did this sketch for Big Ideas Little Pictures, but I ran out of space to include it (and am not allowed to post it online yet). Send me proof of purchase, and I’ll send it to you. Unknown Unknowns In Theory, Practise is the Same as Theory Data Information Knowledge Wisdom Physics envy The Johari Window The Lucretius Problem The Consciousness-Competence Framework Optimism Bias Hofstadter’s Law The judgment and experience quote also has its own sketch in Big Ideas Little Pictures, p.126 ## Thumbtrap URL: https://sketchplanations.com/thumbtrap Published: 2026-08-02T11:00:00+0000 Categories: tech, technology, wellbeing, anxiety Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/wGaT_d3FkmaH3QHF_SP988-Thumbtrap.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Thumbtrap: when your thumb keeps scrolling when you've decided to stop. Subway example with infinite scroll, variable rewards, and personalised algorithms Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/thumbtrap), CC BY-NC 4.0 Thumbtrap is “When your thumb keeps scrolling after you've decided to stop.“ Perhaps you know the experience: Something triggers you to pick up your phone, perhaps a message you think of sending, the weather to check, or just a gap with nothing happening. But something else catches your eye, then a post below, something interesting, something boring you skip by, a video starts playing, something fun—the algorithm kicking in. Before you know it, minutes have passed. You become aware that you’re scrolling, you know you should stop, but something peeks up at the bottom that might just be worth checking out. You see your thumb keep scrolling. You’ve been thumbtrapped. Design that Produces Thumbtrap Garry Jones introduced me to the idea of thumbtrap and asked if I would create a sketch of it. He highlights three key design mechanisms that create it: Infinite Scroll Infinite scroll, combined with infinite content, provides an infinite canvas for your thumb to keep scrolling. Originally designed to help users avoid constantly refreshing or clicking ‘next page’, it now helps keep us hooked to our devices. Thumbtrap is not doomscrolling—compulsively scrolling negative media or news—but you can be thumbtrapped while doomscrolling. Variable Rewards Variable rewards hold a mysterious and irresistible power over us. Remarkably, getting occasional highs is more habit-producing than consistent rewards. Variability of content—what’s in my inbox, today?—keeps us hooked for the next high. Personalised Algorithms Old-style mass media doesn’t have the same grip on us as the apps and content on our phones. That’s because what appears on our phones under our thumbs is often tuned, optimised, and curated, just for you. Like a kind of reverse Flow, after time spent scrolling, you can’t really remember the details—you feel empty The scene in the sketch drew inspiration from my own experiences with the time-sucking and thumbtrapping power of a phone on a train commute. Also, the genius use of the train map in the brilliant cartoon from Ellis Rosen: That Party Went Well. In general, Ellis Rosen’s Instagram or Threads posts are perfect material to get thumbtrapped, except you only get consistently high rewards. If you find yourself thinking about kids and screen time, you could do much worse than pick up The Amazing Generation by Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price (which I also mentioned in Trying New Things). Related Ideas to Thumbtrap It’s not the only time that the effects of all this remarkable tech have spurred me into sketchplaining. Also see: Phone zombie Phubbing - and podcast episode on phubbing Continuous partial attention (from Linda Stone) - and podcast episode on continuous partial attention Variable rewards (as mentioned above) Addiction: an alternative definition from Felicitas Vogt Mean world syndrome More about research on thumbtrap at thumbtrap.org ## Night owls and early birds URL: https://sketchplanations.com/night-owls-and-early-birds Published: 2026-07-26T11:00:00+0000 Categories: relationships, observation, animals, wellbeing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/wi6edOGghgNSiuav_SP987-Nightowlsandearlybirds.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Night owls and early birds couple trying to sleep and get on with things at the same time Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/night-owls-and-early-birds), CC BY-NC 4.0 As young kids, most of us were up at 6 am, raring to go on weekend mornings. As teenagers, many of us slept in until late morning or noon. But people are different. Some love Marmite, some hate it. As adults, we start finding what works best for us. And it’s not necessarily the same as, or what works best for, our partners. It struck me that I know a lot of couples, us included, who are night-owl/early-bird combos. One of the couple naturally wakes at dawn and tiptoes out of bed. They’ve usually managed a host of morning peaceful time, exercise or chores before the night owl surfaces, often bleary-eyed. And while the early bird crashes out in the evening, maybe falling asleep on the sofa, the night owl is often just getting going, hitting their productive stride, staying out, or watching late-night TV, before tiptoeing into bed next to the sleeping early bird. Of course, we notice and talk about the differences. So perhaps there are a host of early-bird couples and night-owl couples. But eventually we all settle into the rhythms that work best for us, and I’m pretty sure I see a lot of opposites. I can’t help wishing I were naturally an early bird on the same schedule as my wife. But perhaps it’s a combo that creates time for both partners and secretly a recipe for success? As Kahlil Gibran wrote in The Prophet: "And stand together yet not too near together:   For the pillars of the temple stand apart,   And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow." Are you a night owl living with an early bird, or vice versa? How do you make it work for you? Related Ideas to Night Owls and Early Birds Also see: Grow not in each other’s shadow Shut one eye to keep your night vision Fact tennis Emotional hot potato Don’t compare your back of house with other’s front of house The 4 Horsemen of Relationship Apocalypse Eat the frog ## The Rose Bush Rule URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-rose-bush-rule Published: 2026-07-19T11:00:00+0000 Categories: wisdom, productivity, lifehack, wellbeing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/witFEqUNx9iLSgDe_SP986-Lifeislikearosebush.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Rose Bush Rule with the life is like a rose bush metaphor: pruning roses to allow the others to bloom Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-rose-bush-rule), CC BY-NC 4.0 Imagine your life is a rose bush. Each passion, interest, or piece of your attention at any time is a flower. To allow each bud to blossom, you give it your attention and care. At different times in my life, I’ve had flowers blooming for family, my partner, music, studying, football, staying fit, hiking, exploring, new friend groups, being a father, working on a house, this project, swimming, my career, photography, drawing, a video game and more. Thinking of my life like a rose bush encourages me to realise that putting all my attention across all of these flowers means none of them can be as full. There is only so much time and attention I can give. It leads me to what I think of as The Rose Bush Rule: a rose blooms best when past blooms are pruned. In order for another interest or passion to come in, it may be necessary to prune an existing bloom. When you do that, you give yourself more time and attention to the new things you care about and allow them to blossom to the full. The same may be true for a business as in life. Too many competing priorities ultimately diminishes all of them and leaves you constantly switching focus. Just like saying “no”, I don’t find it easy to prune things I enjoy or consider part of myself. But perhaps it’s just what I need. Is there anything you might benefit from pruning so other flowers can bloom? I learned this metaphor from James Clear’s essay, What to Do When You Have Too Many Ideas and Not Enough Time, and he learned it from Travis Dommert. As James wrote: “…new growth is natural and it's normal for tasks and ideas to creep into your life, but full growth and optimal living requires pruning. We All Need to Cut Good Branches“ Related Ideas to Life Is Like a Rose Bush Also see: Rivers and buckets Everyone’s a geek about something Discovering truth and beauty Only dead fish go with the flow Rose, thorn, bud Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Languishing Trying new things 5 Ways to Wellbeing The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek—Joseph Campbell ## Endonym and exonym URL: https://sketchplanations.com/endonym-and-exonym Published: 2026-07-12T11:00:00+0000 Categories: words, writing, geography, mountains, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/iZkhuDvVOTfS48if_SP985-EndonymandExonym.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is an endonym and exonym with examples of countries Deutschland – Germany, Espana – Spain, Nederland – Netherlands, Ellada – Greece, Nihon – Japan Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/endonym-and-exonym), CC BY-NC 4.0 When I was first learning French at school, I was confused to see that London was known as Londres. It already had a name that people in the UK use. Why did it need another? Then, of course, I gradually realised that I was doing the same with names all over the world. Germany is called Deutschland by Germans. Spain is called España. Italy, Italia. And on and on. I grew up knowing Holland, only later realising the proper English name is the Netherlands (low countries), but to the Dutch who live there, it’s Nederland. It was only years later that I learned about endonyms and exonyms. An endonym is the name locals use for a place. An exonym is a name used by outsiders for a place. Sometimes it can lead to genuine confusion. In a piece of family history, while driving through Italy with friends as a young man, I’m told my Dad decided to steer clear of what looked like the “gritty Northern industrial town” of Firenze, not realising they had just driven past Florence, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and the birthplace of the Renaissance. Etymology of Endonym and Exonym Onym derives from the Greek word “onoma,” meaning “name.” For example, as we have in anonymous: without a name. Endonym is made up of end- (within) and -onym (name). So endonyms are literally the name from within—what the natives call it. Endonyms are sometimes called autonyms as a self-name—what I call myself—from auto- (self). Exonym is made up of ex- (outside) and -onym (name), making it the name from outside. Reasons for Exonyms Just as eponyms always have a story, exonyms always have a reason. As an oversimplification, exonyms may exist from differences in language and letters (some languages lack the sounds of others), ease of pronunciation, literal translation (eg Pays Bas means Low Countries in French, just as the Netherlands does in English), and historical reasons. To my understanding, in 2022, Turkey asked the UN to use its endonym, Türkiye, for all affairs. However, “Turkey” remains a common English exonym. For now at least. Exonyms are frequently political and often contentious. They’re also not just for countries. The British, who mapped and named many things around the world, are responsible for many exonyms, many of which have since been officially changed. To name just a few: Mt Everest was named after Sir George Everest, who never even saw the mountain. It has both a Nepali endonym (Sagarmāthā) and a Tibetan endonym (Chomolungma). Mount McKinley was named in 1896 by prospector William Dickey after presidential candidate, and later president, William McKinley. It was returned to the traditional Koyukon Athabaskan name, Denali by President Obama in 2015. In Jan 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order returning it to Mt McKinley. The encompassing area remains as Denali National Park and Preserve. Uluru, the world’s largest monolith, is the native Aboriginal name of Ayers Rock, a name given by a European Surveyor in 1873. London or Lontoo Exonyms are language-specific. Back to London, Londres is London in French. But in Finnish it’s Lontoo. Wikipedia’s article on endonyms and exonyms gives a remarkable array of names for London: Londres in French, Spanish and others Λονδίνο in Greek Londen in Dutch Londra in Italian and others Londër in Albanian Londýn in Czech and Slovak) Londyn in Polish) Rānana in Māori Lundúnir in Icelandic Londain in Irish Llundain in Welsh Lontoo in Finnish Luân Đôn in Vietnamese لندن (Landan) in Persian, Arabic, Urdu 伦敦 Lúndūn in Mandarin I had no idea. World Cup Endonyms and Exonyms We’re in the middle of the FIFA World Cup 2026, and there are many good examples of endonyms and exonyms. And many more people now know where the Cape Verde Islands are and where the small island of Curaçao is. Here are some of the endonyms and their English exonyms from countries that have been competing. 🇩🇪 Deutschland - Germany 🇲🇦 al-Maghrib / المغرب - Morocco 🇪🇬 Misr / مصر - Egypt 🇯🇵 Nihon / 日本 - Japan 🇰🇷 Hanguk / 한국 - South Korea 🇭🇷 Hrvatska - Croatia 🇹🇷 Türkiye - Turkey 🇦🇹 Österreich - Austria 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire - Ivory Coast 🇳🇱 Nederland - Netherlands 🇪🇸 España - Spain 🇸🇪 Sverige - Sweden 🇳🇴 Norge - Norway 🇮🇶 al-‘Iraq / العراق - Iraq 🇯🇴 al-Urdunn / الأردن - Jordan 🇩🇿 al-Jaza’ir / الجزائر - Algeria 🇸🇦 as-Su’udiyya / السعودية - Saudi Arabia 🇹🇳 Tūnis / تونس - Tunisia 🇨🇭 Schweiz / Suisse / Svizzera / Svizra - Switzerland 🇧🇪 België / Belgique / Belgien - Belgium 🇨🇩 República Democrática do Congo / République démocratique du Congo - DR Congo 🇧🇦 Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина - Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇨🇿 Česko - Czech Republic / Czechia 🇭🇹 Hayti / Ayiti - Haiti 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde - Cape Verde 🇺🇿 O‘zbekiston - Uzbekistan 🇧🇷 Brasil - Brazil 🇲🇽 México - Mexico Related Ideas to Endonyms and Exonyms In case you wanted more name words to talk about: Eponyms Capitonyms Acronyms and Initialisms Contranym Heteronyms Homonyms, homographs, homophones—I had an interesting (for me at least) chat with my niece about these recently after she talked to me about homographs. While I can be reasonably authoritative on what the British call London, I am not, of course, an authority on what all the endonyms are around the world. Those listed here are to the best of my knowledge. Apologies if I have made any mistakes. If you notice something I should fix/improve, please let me know 🙏 Correction: I had 🇬🇷 Elláda / ΕΛΛΑΔΑ - Greece in my World Cup list, but sadly they failed to qualify this time. ## Melody and Harmony URL: https://sketchplanations.com/melody-and-harmony Published: 2026-07-05T11:00:00+0000 Categories: music, education, creativity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/QFtNk75O24AlwJ18_SP984-MelodyandHarmony.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is melody and what is harmony? Definitions and example of the difference between melody and harmony with sheet music Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/melody-and-harmony), CC BY-NC 4.0 Two simple ideas at the heart of music: melody and harmony. I had a general awareness of both of these, but came across this wonderful, clear distinction: Melody is the relation of successive notes. Harmony is the relation of notes sounding at the same time. In other words, melody is about notes over time; harmony is about notes together. The simplicity of melody and harmony makes them beautiful metaphors for so much. If your life is in harmony, the different parts fit together well. The melody may be the journey or story of your life over time. Melody is like a line and harmony the landscape. The example in the sketch is a simplified passage from Let Go - Reprise (sheet music) on my piano EP Deep Down and Not Forgotten. Melody Melody is simply how we interpret a series of notes heard in order. A linear succession made up of pitch and rhythm. As in this example, melody is often the top notes of a piano part. But a melody could be in the middle, or you can have multiple melodies running simultaneously. It’s remarkable to me that what we call melody we pick out automatically from the mass of sound over time. A good melody can stay with you for life. I don’t know how our brains process this, but I distinctly remember, as a teenager, the sudden realisation that the way we hear and interpret the sound of a note depends entirely on the preceding sounds. I found this particularly striking in Shostakovich’s beautiful Piano Concerto No. 2, which has both beautiful melodies and harmonies. I tried to recreate the effect—much less successfully—in my piano piece The Space Between, the artwork of which is based on my sketch of the Japanese concept Ma: the role space plays in your art. Harmony Harmony is the relationship between sounds heard at the same time. It’s nice when these sounds go together well, but technically harmony doesn’t have to be harmonious. Harmony has both a vertical dimension of different notes (or frequencies) stacked together and a horizontal dimension as those sounds change over time. In the sketch, the left-hand notes (on the bottom set of lines) with the red background are held for longer than the notes in the melody and so actually sound at the same time as the blue notes connected by the bars. So the blue notes also become part of the harmony. In my piano music, I use the pedal a lot, which sustains the sound of notes, and create harmonies by layering multiple notes over time. -- As with chess, I find myself in awe of the incredible diversity of combinations it’s possible to create from the simple ideas of melody and harmony. I came across the simplicity of the distinction in Autobiography of a Yogi where he writes: “Melody is the relation of successive notes. Harmony is the relation of simultaneous notes.” Simple. Related Ideas to Melody and Harmony Also see: One-buttock playing The negative is the score, the print is the performance—Ansel Adams Ma: the space that makes the whole 3 ways to listen better Want to compose? Sit down without any music So nothing rhymes with orange? Read music Leading from any chair ## Fast Pool, Slow Pool URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fast-pool-slow-pool Published: 2026-06-28T11:00:00+0000 Categories: sport, design, science, physics, psychology, architecture Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aj5EK1bRV8_Qf6I6_SP983-FastPoolSlowPool.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What makes a swimming pool fast and how is a fast pool different from a slow pool? Physical and psychological factors in swimming pool design to help swimmers swim fast and compete at their best Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fast-pool-slow-pool), CC BY-NC 4.0 Have you ever heard, maybe when watching a swimming event on TV during the Olympics, the commentators say that it’s a fast or slow pool? I was baffled! How can a bunch of water be fast or slow? But there's both science and practice in it, and a fast pool can make the difference between a good swim and a great one. After researching different factors and quizzing a former Olympic swimmer who actually builds swimming pools (The ReCreation Group), here's what I learned about what makes a pool fast. What is a Fast Pool? A fast pool is one where swimmers can achieve their fastest times in competitive events. Many factors contribute towards a pool being fast or not. Here are the main ones. Reducing Waves Waves caused by swimmers can rebound off lane dividers, the pool floor, and the sides, slowing a swimmer's progress. Fast pools have designs that account for these to minimise drag, resistance and general interference from waves. Pool depth In shallower pools, waves rebound off the bottom and back into the swimmer's path. Deeper pools allow waves to dissipate, and rebounded waves might arrive back at the surface after the swimmer has passed. Depth is also a balance between the psychological benefit of clear line markings for visible speed reference points on the bottom. A uniform depth, rather than a sloping bottom, say, may also avoid unwanted turbulence. Effective gutter and overflow design Waves rebound off the sides of the pool, interfering with swimmers in the outside lanes. Leaving the outside lanes empty can help if there is space. High-sided pools reflect waves into the pool, so fast pools tend to have the water level at the poolside. Waves above the pool level can wash over into the gutters. Effective gutters are deep enough to absorb these waves while maintaining the overall water level of the pool. Some pools also manage waves at the ends that swimmers swim towards. Some have overhangs with gutters underneath the starting blocks or even latticed or perforated walls to let water through. Anti-wave lane ropes Within a swimmer's lane, waves bounce off the lane ropes. Well-designed lane ropes can break up waves, minimising rebound and interference with other lanes. Temperature The ideal water temperature should be cool enough that swimmers aren't working harder against the heat, yet warm enough that their muscles aren't tight. Typically, this is around 25–28 °C (or 77–82 °F). Water Composition and Air Quality Maintaining the proper chemical composition of the water and fresh air in the pool arena both impact a swimmer's ability to perform at their best. One measure is Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) (skin cells etc ). In principle, a higher % TDS is more viscous and can slow swimmers down. Starting block design Starting blocks give swimmers the fastest possible starts. Some improvements include fins for the back foot to allow maximum spring without slipping on dives. And to help backstroke swimmers spring off effectively, you can fit bars to grip and a foot ledge. Psychological effects It's not just physical factors that influence speed; some aspects have a psychological influence. These include clear markings on the bottom of the pool, or above for backstroke swimmers, to allow swimmers to gauge their speed. And lane width is also a balance between reducing waves and feeling the competition of adjacent swimmers. A Slow Pool? That's the opposite. Imagine: a shallow pool rebounding waves from the bottom no clear markings lane ropes that amplify waves high sides to the pool that send waves back to the centre too hot or too cold too stuffy, too chemical too wide or too cramped no starting blocks No records here. Not swimming your fastest? Now you have lots you can blame it on. Related Ideas to Fast Pool, Slow Pool Also see: Moon pool Biceps, triceps, quadriceps The ice mile Anchors and tugboats The fun scale Swimrun Rotate your elbow not your hand Anatomy of a wave Topography bathymetry ## Wooden's 8 Laws of Learning URL: https://sketchplanations.com/woodens-8-laws-of-learning Published: 2026-06-21T11:00:00+0000 Categories: learning, teaching, starting, law, innovation, education Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ajUDIo1P9HI4Ut53_SP982-JohnWooden%E2%80%99s8LawsofLearning.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Coach John Wooden's 8 Laws of Learning: Explanation, Demonstration, Imitation, Repetition, Repetition, Repetition, Repetition, Repetition. With learning juggling analogy. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/woodens-8-laws-of-learning), CC BY-NC 4.0 Legendary basketball coach John Wooden won 10 national championships in 12 years with the UCLA men’s team—a record yet to be bettered. His thoughts on coaching still provide insights and wisdom across all sports and teaching generally. He was a big advocate for preparation, dedication in practice, and repetition so that a player could perform instinctively when it counted. To achieve this, he created eight laws of learning: John Wooden’s 8 Laws of Learning Explanation Demonstration Imitation Repetition Repetition Repetition Repetition Repetition I’ve unknowingly followed John Wooden’s “laws” in sports and music—piano practice. Perhaps you have, too. Whether it’s writing, teaching, coding, drawing, or playing an instrument, Wooden reminds us that unconscious competence comes after repetition, not just once you’ve figured something out. Sport is not the same as many of the environments we encounter in our lives. Patterns repeat over and over, and feedback is generally accurate and rapid. It can often be what’s called a “kind learning environment”—where experience leads to predictable improvement. Nevertheless, I’d hazard that running through all of Wooden’s 8 Laws to develop skills in most domains we work in is likely to be a good start. Replicate then innovate. As an aside, creating “laws” of something always sounds great—simple, authoritative, axiomatic. But once something is a “law,” it becomes easy for people to stop looking for alternatives or solutions that circumvent it. But I can’t deny that it’s catchy. What would happen if you spent twice as much time on laws 5–8 as on laws 1–3? Related Ideas to John Wooden’s 8 Laws of Learning Also see: Bloom’s Taxonomy for Learning Replicate then Innovate The Learning Pit The stages of competence learning model Analytics maturity Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose The 3 bricklayers story The Express-Test Cycle The third teacher About the quote John Wooden quotes his eight laws of learning in Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court, by John Wooden and Steve Jamison, 1997 “The four laws of learning are explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition. The goal is to create a correct habit that can be produced instinctively under great pressure. To make sure this goal was achieved, I created 8 Laws of learning; namely, explanation, demonstration, imitation, repetition, repetition, repetition, and repetition.” Some authors have pointed out that, though John Wooden often talked about repetition, what he really implemented was “deliberate practice”: practice that targets specific areas for improvement, with feedback and moderated challenge. ## Einstein's Mirror URL: https://sketchplanations.com/einsteins-mirror Published: 2026-06-14T11:00:00+0000 Categories: science, physics, space, paradox, thought experiment, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aikr0weQX7-eXIWo_SP981-Einstein%E2%80%99sMirror.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Einstein's Mirror - a famous thought experiment about what would you see if you travelled at the speed of light alongside a light wave and what would you see in a mirror Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/einsteins-mirror), CC BY-NC 4.0 What would you see if you tried to travel alongside a light wave at the speed of light? And suppose you held a mirror in front of you as you zipped along. What would you see in the mirror? This and similar thought experiments were posed by the young Albert Einstein to himself in his teens. It’s come to be known as Einstein’s Mirror and is also the title of a popular book on relativity. It would at first seem that light, reflected off your face, could never reach the mirror to, in turn, reflect back into your eyes to see it. So what would you see? It was only years later that Einstein developed a theory that answered this puzzle. And it required some fundamental adjustments to how we understood the world, which still bend my mind to think about them. These include: You can’t travel at the speed of light. Time is not fixed; it is relative. The speed of light is a universal constant—it is the same, independent of the motion of the source. Einstein wrote: “After ten years of reflection, such a principle resulted from a paradox upon which I had already hit at the age of sixteen: If I pursue a beam of light with the velocity c [the velocity of light in a vacuum], I should observe such a beam of light as a spatially oscillatory electromagnetic field at rest. However, there seems to be no such thing…” - Autobiographical notes, 1949 I’ll try to explain a little as I understand it. Our usual experience is that velocities are additive. Suppose I am on a moving train carriage and I throw a ball from the back of the carriage to the front. For an observer outside the train, that ball moves at the speed of the train plus the speed of the ball relative to me. But light behaves differently. As you approach the speed of light, the energy required to keep accelerating approaches infinity. In effect, you can’t reach the speed of light. So an observer of a flying Einstein wouldn’t see light travelling from him to the mirror at twice the speed of light. What changes is time. For the high-speed Einstein, the light would appear to travel away from him to the mirror and back at its usual immense speed. However, for an observer, what would only seem a moment for the high-speed Einstein might take years for the rest of us—the experience of time changes with velocity. It’s a remarkable turn for a simple and fascinating question. It’s amazing to me that the young Einstein would both pose this question, continue work on it, and then think to question some of the most self-evident facts of our world as we experience it: that time is not fixed, that a speed cannot be reached, and of course, ultimately, that energy is matter. The book Einstein’s Mirror is co-authored by my Dad (respect!). It’s full of photographs, fascinating stories, and the characters that moved physics forward. It includes the people, events and science central to another of Christopher Nolan’s films, Oppenheimer. Perhaps Christopher read it 🤔 Related Ideas to Einstein’s Mirror Also see: Laplace’s Demon Redshift Looking back in time The Doppler Effect Sonic Boom The most beautiful equation — Earlier this year, we attended a showing of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar at the Royal Albert Hall in London with Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack played by a live orchestra. It was a fantastic way to experience a remarkable film—a film that manages to make black holes, wormholes, and time slippage both understandable (largely) and part of the plot. It strikes me as an astonishing achievement for a mainstream film. ## Trying New Things URL: https://sketchplanations.com/trying-new-things Published: 2026-06-07T11:00:00+0000 Categories: wellbeing, anxiety, education, motivation, travel, starting, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aiFOxAeQX7-eWuan_SP980-TryNewThings.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The positive and negative reinforcing cycles of try new things and anxiety - with a boat sailing from the harbour Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/trying-new-things), CC BY-NC 4.0 Many things we encounter in life are self-reinforcing. Sometimes in a positive way, other times in a negative way. Trying new things and anxiety can run both ways. Trying new things can be daunting and uncomfortable. But in my experience, usually when I have a go at something, I find it wasn’t as difficult or as bad as it seemed. Doing this enough builds confidence and reduces anxiety about trying new things in the future. And the converse can be true, also. When I don’t try new things, the anxiety about starting them remains. I once read that anxiety is: Anxiety = overestimate chance of danger/underestimate ability to cope Trying new things, volunteering, stepping up, saying yes, even having a go at something when no one is looking, all expand confidence and help lessen the fear for next time. Abraham Maslow, known for Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, wrote: "One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again." Or, as the saying goes: A ship is safe in the harbour, but that’s not what ships were built for. This cycle was reinforced for me recently in the book The Amazing Generation by Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price. Related Ideas to Trying New Things Also see: The Upward Spiral Zone of Proximal Development Goldilocks Tasks The Learning Pit The Awkwardness Vortex Yes Sayers - No Sayers Match challenge with skills for flow at work Optimism bias The bandwagon effect Replicate then Innovate ## Little Openings URL: https://sketchplanations.com/little-openings Published: 2026-05-31T11:00:00+0000 Categories: kindness, relationships, wellbeing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ahr5TQeQX7-eWc5b_SP979-LittleOpenings.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Little openings: small moments that invite connection - sharing an umbrella, holding a door, carrying a suitcase, sneezing, borrowing eggs, directing someone lost, or picking up dropped papers Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/little-openings), CC BY-NC 4.0 I’ve long been intrigued by the innocuous power of Little Openings. Say you are walking down a corridor with your hands full of papers and books. Before long, they start to slip. As you try to stabilise the falling papers, the rest go down in a clatter and flutter. However, a passerby in the corridor kneels down to help you pick everything up. They say hello. You say thank you. You each introduce yourselves, maybe exchange a laugh. You go on your way, books and papers in hand, feeling good about things with a new acquaintance. They continue on their way, happier to have helped someone out, and pleased to have met someone new they otherwise would have passed by. The fall of books and papers, though it would at first seem unhelpful, actually created a little opening that enabled two people to connect who would have passed each other by. So that’s a Little Opening: a small moment that invites connection. Small imperfections in daily life often create opportunities for connection that wouldn’t otherwise exist. If everything worked smoothly and efficiently all the time, we’d have fewer opportunities to connect. A bit of friction can be a blessing. In a Little Opening, you don’t have to help somebody, you don’t have to lend eggs to a neighbour, you don’t have to stop and give directions. But there’s an opportunity there, a little opening where you can. Dogs (and small children) are masters of Little Openings: being inappropriately friendly, running across someone’s path, waiting for them while they snuffle around, or simply walking dogs together. I’m sure you can think of a host of situations like this. Reflecting on them, I think these openings are of at least four different types. Moments of vulnerability When there’s an opportunity to help in a tough spot When you can’t work the parking machine Reaching something off a high shelf Getting a push chair with a baby up a flight of stairs Looking lost in a foreign city, holding a map upside down Helping with a car breakdown Letting someone know what stop this is on a train Picking up dropped shopping Offering your parking spot in a busy parking lot Borrowing eggs from your neighbour Helping work the printer Enforced cooperation When people have to interact to go on their way Waiting to let someone pass in a narrow space or on the stairs Pressing the buttons for others in an elevator Passing around a leaflet or sign-in sheet Moving down in a packed commuter train Clearing your things from a desk as someone sits down Sometimes connection comes not from kindness or vulnerability, but because people briefly have to coordinate with one another. Acts of kindness When an opportunity for generosity presents itself Holding the door for someone Offering a snack Sharing your umbrella Moving seats for someone at a theatre Giving away excess food at a picnic or camping Lending a tool to make someone’s task easier Micro-connections Connecting through a moment of shared understanding or shared inconvenience An old-fashioned cigarette break Catching someone's eye when a speaker says something you both think is silly/clever/funny Waiting for a bus or an appointment together Watching a beautiful sunset Joining in a round of happy birthday for another table at a restaurant A mutual groan as a train delay comes through the speaker Coordinating in a power cut Saying “Bless you” when someone sneezes Travel in a foreign country opens up a host of Little Openings. It’s much easier to connect with fellow travellers trying to figure things out abroad than it would be to connect with them at home. These little openings—through vulnerability, cooperation, kindness, or shared experience—form a little social bridge. Often they relax social barriers—don’t talk in the elevator, keep yourself to yourself, don’t make eye contact. I stop short of deliberately dropping my books and papers on the floor, but I don’t hesitate to accept help when offered, give it when it might be appreciated or exchange a glance of shared understanding. These small disruptions make my everyday life a little warmer and kinder. What Little Openings have you experienced? Brendan Leonard wrote an illustrated story about “When we hold the door” Related Ideas to Little Openings Also see: Be nice to tourists Learn kind words first in new countries Clear is kind Hanlon’s Razor The Fundamental Attribution Error Compliments are gifts Calm like a duck Equality and equity Front stage, back stage - life as theatre ## Understanding El Niño URL: https://sketchplanations.com/el-nino Published: 2026-05-24T11:00:00+0000 Categories: weather, oceans, nature, earth Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ag2YqKYofJOwHbEz_SP978-ElNinoBasics-3PhasesofENSO.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Understanding El Niño, what it is, how it works and the 3 phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation including the Neutral Phase, El Niño and La Niña Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/el-nino), CC BY-NC 4.0 The 3 Phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation I expect you have heard of El Niño. Huge parts of the world, if not all of us in some way, are affected by El Niño, or, more completely, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). ENSO is a weather pattern that varies over a period of years. From typical conditions, to El Niño (the boy), the warm phase, to La Niña (the girl), the cold phase. ENSO includes changes in both the atmospheric and the tropical Pacific Ocean. It includes variations in sea surface temperatures, rainfall, air pressure and atmospheric circulation. El Niño refers mainly to the ocean warming pattern, while the Southern Oscillation describes accompanying shifts in atmospheric pressure and circulation. Now, El Niño always seemed complicated to me, and I never really understood it. But with El Niño on the horizon, and wonderful content from the American Meteorological Society, I wanted to try to explain the basics. El Niño is complex and varied, and the effects are widespread. I don’t profess to cover everything here. ENSO does not follow a perfectly regular cycle. Events vary in timing, strength and duration, and not every El Niño is followed by a La Niña. As George Box said: All models are wrong, but some are useful. Because El Niño is a change in the normal conditions, to understand it, I think you need to understand how it’s different from normal. So here, and in the sketch, I focused on the three phases: Neutral, El Niño and La Niña. The Neutral Phase - typical conditions In typical patterns, between El Niños, trade winds push warm surface waters in the tropics of the Pacific Ocean to the west. All this movement of warm water leads to strong evaporation, low pressure and high rainfall in the western Pacific towards Indonesia and Australia. It also raises the sea level in the western Pacific compared to the east. These patterns of winds, rainfall and rising and sinking air across the Pacific are part of what is called the Walker Circulation. At the same time, the western movement of surface waters creates an upwelling of deep water by South America, particularly along the coast of Peru. This upwelling provides nutrients that feed phytoplankton, which feed vast numbers of fish and, in turn, support major fisheries. The colder water is associated with higher pressure and drier conditions along the coast of Peru. El Niño - The Warm Phase El Niño is known as the warm phase because the warm surface waters spread east towards South America. This happens because the trade winds blowing westward weaken or even reverse. As the trade winds weaken, the slope in sea level across the Pacific relaxes, and warm water spreads east and suppresses the upwelling that supported the marine life near Peru. Rainfall decreases in the western Pacific causing dry spells or drought. The fish stocks decline along the coast of Peru. And with the reduction of Peru’s typical high-pressure system, rainfall there often increases causing flooding. Because the Pacific Ocean is so large, some El Niños cause weather changes in monsoon rains, the poles, Europe, Africa, and as far north as Alaska. La Niña - The Cold Phase Sometimes, after warm water spreads east during an El Niño event, conditions swing back strongly the other way—with stronger trade winds and increased cold upwelling. With the difference in sea level across the Pacific, I think of it a bit like a giant slosh in a bathtub. In La Niña conditions, the trade winds strengthen, pushing warm waters further west. High pressure often develops along South America, and the cold upwelling increases. Warmer water around Indonesia and Southeast Asia intensifies the low pressure, resulting in high rainfall and often flooding. Strong El Niños Because the El Niño phase spreads warmer sea surface temperatures across a larger area of the Pacific, it often coincides with warmer-than-normal global average temperatures. Strong El Niño events can increase the risk of drought, flooding, heatwaves and wildfires in different parts of the world. Does this give you a better idea of it? More about El Niño The differences in low and high pressure for the Southern Oscillation are sometimes measured as the difference from normal between Darwin (Northern Australia) and Tahiti (in the central south Pacific). Why is it called El Niño? El Niño, Spanish for the boy, actually corresponds to Christ, as it was first noticed by South American fishermen around Christmas. The Walker Circulation The trade winds and rainfall patterns behind ENSO are part of a larger atmospheric circulation called the Walker Circulation. I sketched that separately, too, as it varies during Neutral, El Niño and La Niña phases. You can see it in the newsletter for this sketch. Related Ideas to El Niño Also see: Seasons Know Your Clouds Latitude and longitude: which is which? Weather and Climate, an analogy Thermocline Thunder Clouds Time hierarchy - fast and slow layers for robust, adaptable systems Temperature scales: Celsius and Fahrenheit All models are wrong, but some are useful Read more I learned about ENSO, El Niño, La Niña, the Walker Circulation and others from some oceanography textbooks. Find it in Chapter 7 of Introduction to Ocean Sciences 5th edition by Douglas Segar, the AMS Ocean Studies textbook, and the soon-to-be-released open-access Introduction to Ocean Sciences 6th Edition. ## Opening stubborn jars: an escalation of methods URL: https://sketchplanations.com/opening-stubborn-jars Published: 2026-05-17T11:00:00+0000 Categories: food and drink, lifehack, kitchen Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/agcJtqYofJOwHRZG_SP977-OpeningStubbornJars.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Methods for opening jars. A how to lifehack list of techniques for when you can't open stubborn lids Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/opening-stubborn-jars), CC BY-NC 4.0 It can be extremely frustrating to be separated from your pickles or jams by only a powerful twist of a jar top. Can’t open a jar? Here are my personally tried and tested methods of escalation: 1. Grip and turn harder (and breathe out) Sounds dumb, but often we have that little bit of extra in us that we didn’t realise. Go on, give it some welly. You can also try forcibly exhaling as you turn. Just as you naturally do before a strenuous movement like lifting something heavy, a strong breath out helps lock the arm muscles and tighten the core muscles that counter the rotational movement. Hannah Fry explains this in a video. 2. Ask someone big and strong Handy strong person around? Perhaps they’re your ticket to the jar’s contents. Plus, thanks to the Benjamin Franklin Effect (sketch in Big Ideas Little Pictures), they’ll probably like you more for asking them—especially if they succeed. 3. Wrap in a tea towel or cloth A tea towel is surprisingly effective as it: can give a better grip than dry hands softens the ridges digging into your hands, meaning you can get more purchase with less pain Both of these mean you can twist it better. And it also deals with any moisture if that was making it slippery. 4. Use a rubber band As you try and turn the lid your hand can slip. A rubber band that fits the lid gives you very effective grip. It’s rare that a rubber band doesn’t do the trick for me. 5. Warm the lid with water For really jars, this trick has almost always got me inside. Run hot water over the metal lid, avoiding the jar if you can. The hot water expands the metal lid very slightly, and more than the glass expands. This can be just enough to loosen it so that one more go, probably with a cloth as it’s now wet, will let you in. 6. Turn to the machines Still stuck. Time to get a contraption specially designed to grip and give leverage. Update: As is so often the case with this project, I get educated by people. A number of people highlighted that the vacuum seal is often the problem—created when the contents is often put in the jar hot. Breaking that seal is key to release the tension. So, several alternative popular methods suggested to me include. Using a screwdriver, spoon or blunt knife to get under the rim of the jar lid and lever it open to break the seal. You can also lever it with a can opener, or a device specifically for it like this Lee Valley jar opener. Tap the edge of the lid with the back of a knife or on the counter in several different spots—aim for where the little tabs are. Once the seal breaks it will open easily. Turn the container and hold the cap—move the bigger object. I will make it my business to try them. With regard to the machines, there are many. People shared special grippy mats, tools to pop the tricky child-proof caps, jar keys, and simply 10–12" adjustable pliers. At least, when jars are mostly glass, if you were really in a pickle, you could probably get into them, which is more than can be said for tins.  Tins are genuine puzzles if you don’t have an opener. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone had starved surrounded by tins of food. Incidentally, the screw-top lid always strikes me as a pretty incredible achievement—particularly the quarter-turn lids. With a small motion, you can create a seal between metal and glass that protects the contents through rain, shine or throwing around a room. And, usually, with only a little effort to remove it. Good luck with your jars. Let me know what works for you or if I missed anything. Related Ideas to Opening Stubborn Jars Also see: Open a coconut Open bananas like a monkey Peel a Post-it so it doesn’t fall down Catch drilling dust with a Post-it Deseed a pomegranate The Finger-dip test for watering houseplants Fix wobbly tables by rotating Fix out of synch toilet paper Freeze lemons and limes More lifehacks ## I will study and get ready and perhaps my chance will come — Abraham Lincoln URL: https://sketchplanations.com/study-and-get-ready-lincoln Published: 2026-05-10T11:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, motivation, history, wisdom Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/af-uB6YofJOwHCPM_SP976-StudyAndGetReadyLincoln.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: “I will study and get ready and perhaps my chance will come” — Abraham Lincoln quote. Inspirational quote about preparation, patience, hard work, self-improvement and being ready for opportunity Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/study-and-get-ready-lincoln), CC BY-NC 4.0 Abraham Lincoln stands among the most admired US presidents. Apart from his deeds and what he stood for, from what I’ve read, he also appears kind and wise. As a model for behaviour, Dale Carnegie points out Lincoln’s humble and kind approach several times in his awkwardly titled book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Apart from highlighting the value of a sharp axe to cut down trees efficiently*, my favourite words from Lincoln are: “I will study and get ready and perhaps my time will come.” —Abraham Lincoln This quote, or at least sentiment, was also a favourite of the legendary basketball coach John Wooden. He would use it to help players stay focused on training even when they weren’t playing. If a player isn’t ready when the chance comes, they may not get another anytime soon. Lincoln’s simple statement echoes some of my other favourite advice, that is surprisingly hard to follow, in: “The time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining,” the Chinese proverb to “Dig the well before you are thirsty,” and Louis Pasteur’s wise words, “Chance favours the prepared mind.” My experience has taught me that I can’t predict my future. I also don’t know what chance meeting will lead to my next opportunity, or what bit of work will turn out to be the one that I’m most grateful for later. I take from Lincoln’s quote: Work hard. Do my best. Stay humble. Prepare if I can. Look out for opportunities. Don’t rush it. Be patient. Don’t be too hard on myself if things come slowly or not at all. The universe doesn’t owe me anything. But if I study and get ready, if something does come my way, I’ll hopefully be able to make the most of it. Or at least I’ll try to. What do you take from it? Related Ideas to Study and Get Ready Also see: Sharpen the saw Everything is aiming The Pomodoro Technique and the importance of breaks Hitched to everything else in the universe To scale, first do things that don’t scale Replicate then innovate The upward spiral And above all, never give up Unknown unknowns Notes on the quote As with most old quotes, it seems to exist in myriad slightly different forms. I like the one here, but I’ve also seen it as: I will prepare and someday my chance will come. I will study and prepare myself, and someday my chance will come. I will study and get ready and someday my chance will come. I will study and get ready and maybe my chance will come. I will prepare and some day my chance will come. According to Wikiquote, this quote was cited in “Steps Upward in Personality: What Kind of Person Do I Want to Be?” (1931) by Laura Haddock, though I have failed to get hold of the original. Lincoln died in 1865, so I guess the precise words he used may be lost to time in any case. If you know of a reliable source, please let me know. *Another famous quote from Lincoln: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” ## Thermocline URL: https://sketchplanations.com/thermocline Published: 2026-05-03T11:00:00+0000 Categories: oceans, science, geography, water, animals, nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/afMu9MBOoF08xfhA_SP975-Thermocline-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is a thermocline? The meaning of water temperature changing with depth with view of ocean layer and density of molecules and sea ice Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/thermocline), CC BY-NC 4.0 Perhaps, like me, you’ve tried diving down towards the bottom of a lake and noticed how after the first few metres, the water quickly drops in temperature. It has been a personal joy to test this in mountain lakes. Even just a few metres down, the water can be much colder than at the surface. This temperature gradient is a thermocline. In the ocean, the thermocline is the zone below the surface mixed layer where water temperature decreases rapidly with depth. Because cooler water is denser than warmer water, the deeper water is typically denser than the warmer surface water. The thermocline tends to have a greater temperature difference in tropical and temperate latitudes, and in the summer, when the surface layer is heated more. In the polar regions, thermoclines are much weaker. Thermocline comes from thermo-, for temperature or heat, and -cline for slope, lean or bend—along with incline (bend towards), decline (turn aside), recline and others. Thermoclines and Ocean Layers Changes in temperature, salinity, and density lead to layers in the oceans. Ocean layering has important and far-reaching effects. Deep water may be doing something quite different from water at the surface. And areas where density causes water to rise or sink help drive ocean currents. In some cases, cold water at the bottom may be travelling in one direction, while surface water driven by winds may be travelling in the other direction. NASA Goddard created a beautiful visualisation of ocean currents at different layers that’s well worth a 5-minute watch. The three main ocean layers are the surface layer, sometimes known as the mixed layer, the thermocline, and the deep ocean. The surface layer gets heated by the sun. Mixing by winds and waves distributes the heat. Underneath, the thermocline is where temperature changes significantly with depth. The thermocline usually begins tens of metres below the surface and can extend to around 1000 m. In the deep ocean, at the bottom, temperature and salinity tend to change little. Most of the oceans’ water is down here. And sea ice, being less dense than water, floats on the surface. Haloclines and Pycnoclines Also affecting ocean layering is salinity—how salty the water is. Salty water, as well as colder water, is denser than fresh water and so will tend to sink beneath it. Ever since the incredible “underwater lake” in BBC’s Planet Earth, I’ve been meaning to sketch a halocline, the change in density when fresh and salt water meet. Fresh water entering the North Atlantic from Greenland’s ice sheets reduces the density of surface waters. This may, in turn, weaken the sinking that helps drive major ocean circulation patterns. A pycnocline is a density gradient, often caused by changes in both temperature (thermocline) and salinity (halocline). Related Ideas to Thermocline Also see: Know your poles — polar bears or penguins? Why ice doesn’t sink Topography and bathymetry Mirage — light bends as it passes through air at different densities Moon pool Latitude or longitude Buoyancy — how mega ships float Parallax — different layers moving at different speeds Once, when swimming across the stunning Lake Sils in the Engadin Valley in Switzerland, an upwelling of ice-cold water from the bottom of the lake took my breath away. Just when I had decided that I couldn’t swim further, I arrived out the other side of the cold water back into the, relatively, warmer surface water. I thanked my lucky stars. Thermocline can refer both to a temperature gradient in water and to the specific ocean layer where that gradient is strongest. I’ve tried to discuss both here, not just the layer. I created this sketch for a series on oceanography with the brilliant team at the American Meteorological Society. ## Recursive Islands URL: https://sketchplanations.com/recursive-islands Published: 2026-04-26T16:19:00+0000 Categories: geography, sea, oceans, mountains Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aeej1sBOoF08xL1V_SP974-RecursiveIslands.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What are recursive islands and lakes? Drawing showing an island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island, illustrating higher-order nested islands and lakes Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/recursive-islands), CC BY-NC 4.0 What do you get if you have a lake on an island with an island on it? A recursive island. Visual recursion happens when something contains a smaller version of itself—a pattern within a pattern or a scene within a scene. A recursive island is a geographical version of this: an island, within a lake, which itself is within an island. Kind of like a nested island, or perhaps an island squared. But it needn’t stop there. In the Philippines, on the large island of Luzon, is Lake Taal, which fills an old volcanic caldera. Lake Taal has an island called Volcano Island. On Volcano Island is a small crater lake. Inside the small crater lake is a small island called Vulcan Point. Therefore, Vulcan Point is: an island in a lake Vulcan Point, within Taal Volcano’s crater lake on an island in a lake Volcano island in Taal Lake on an island within Luzon in the Philippines We can think of these as orders. An island in the ocean is the first order. An island on a lake on that island would be second-order. An island in that lake would be third order. That makes Vulcan Point one of the few third-order islands in the world. Canada, with its vast archipelagos and watery lowlands, seems to have an abundance of higher-order islands. You can zoom in and out to explore some on Google Maps. Stream Order Thinking of islands within islands as “orders” is similar to the Strahler stream order used to classify rivers. A single new stream straight from the source is first order. When two first-order streams meet, they form a second-order stream. Larger rivers accumulate higher orders as more streams combine. This can continue all the way up to the mighty Amazon, a 12th-order river. Related Ideas to Recursive Islands Also see: Strahler Stream Order The Droste Effect Volcanic Explosivity Index The Coastline Paradox The three tallest mountains Heat islands are a very different type of island Point Nemo, the furthest you can be from an island Double-landlocked countries Isochrones, kind of like travel time islands Red volcano, grey volcano Wikipedia has a table listing islands in lakes on islands in lakes on islands... I learned that the traditional definition of an island is land surrounded by water that is not a continent. By that definition, Madagascar and New Zealand count as islands, while Australia doesn’t. ## Moravec's Paradox URL: https://sketchplanations.com/moravecs-paradox Published: 2026-04-19T11:00:00+0000 Categories: paradox, engineering, tech, technology, science, software development, games Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aeIORp1ZCF7ETSWw_SP973-Moravec%27sParadox.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Moravec's Paradox meaning for AI with examples Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/moravecs-paradox), CC BY-NC 4.0 On the capabilities of machines and people In his 1988 book Mind Children, Austrian robotics researcher Hans Moravec, wrote: “…as the number of demonstrations has mounted, it has become clear that it is comparatively easy to make computers exhibit adult-level performance in solving problems such as intelligence tests or playing checkers, and difficult or impossible to give them the skills of a one-year-old when it comes to perception or mobility.” This surprising pattern became known as Moravec’s Paradox, the idea that machines often do well at things people find hard, and do poorly at what is easy for us. As classic examples: We consider chess grandmasters to be among the most intelligent people on the planet, yet computers eventually triumphed over them. A young child can (in principle) place raspberries gently on a plate, stack glasses in a dishwasher, read a friend's emotions, crawl up some stairs, or play with a dog, and yet our machines still find this hard. It sounds rather reasonable. That Google Maps can, in seconds, provide me with an optimised walking route between places hundreds of miles apart is a source of consistent amazement for me. Yet it’s challenging for a self-driving car to understand if a traffic official is gesturing for it to slow down, something I find effortless. Yet some of the traditional examples of Moravec’s paradox now feel dated. As Hans said, “Unfortunately for humanlike robots, computers are at their worst trying to do the things most natural to humans, such as seeing, hearing, manipulating objects, learning languages, and commonsense reasoning.” Machines have now made great strides in most of these. Princeton Computer Science Professor Arvind Narayanan, thinks Moravec’s Paradox is neither useful nor true. Yet UC Berkeley Robotics Professor Ken Goldberg cautions that robotics still faces a “100,000 year data gap.” He explains that the extraordinary capabilities of models that produced the AI capabilities we all know are created from the internet-scale amount of image and text data we already had available. He calculated that it would take a person 100,000 years to read or view all the data that we had ready to feed into our AI models. In contrast, we have comparatively little data ready to use for applying similar techniques to, say, robot dexterity. He advocates an approach where we make robots that are functional enough to be useful, and use these for data collection to improve, much as Waymo have been doing with self-driving cars for over 15 years. What do you think? Related Ideas to Moravec’s Paradox Also see: The Automation Paradox: the better the machines get, the more we struggle when they fail Fauxtomation: claims of automation for work actually done by people Cognitive offloading: delegating our thinking Jevon’s Paradox: Fuel efficiency gains tend to increase, not decrease fuel use Chaos monkey Looking under the Lamppost More paradoxes Ken Goldberg’s view on robotics at UC Berkeley News, Aug 2025 ## So Nothing Rhymes with Orange? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rhyme-with-orange Published: 2026-04-12T11:00:00+0000 Categories: words, music, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/add5Yp1ZCF7ETA4y_SP972-Rhymewithorange.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Eminem rhyme with orange example: "I put my orange four-inch door hinge in storage and ate porridge with George" showing how "nothing rhymes with orange" is wrong Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rhyme-with-orange), CC BY-NC 4.0 Maybe you, like me, heard that there are no words that rhyme with orange or chimney. From time to time, I've wondered at this. For orange, I got as far as lozenge, which I don't think is bad, but beyond that, it's not clear to me what works. In a short segment on the 60 mins show, Eminem said, "People say that the word orange doesn't rhyme with anything, and that kind of pisses me off because I can think of a lot of things that rhyme with orange." "If you're taking the word at face value and you just say orange, nothing is going to rhyme with it exactly. If you enunciate it and you make it more than one syllable, or-range, you could say: I put my orange, four-inch door hinge in storage and ate porridge with George." I love that the general incompetence kind of pisses him off. It's all in how you say it. So, if you need practice (or convincing) before relating this to anyone else, I recommend watching the 2-minute clip yourself. With how easy he makes it I figured I should try with chimney. I got this far: Climbing the chim-ney, in the city, I scraped my flimsy, right knee, when I saw a big bee, getting all filthy and making me dizzy. Hmm. Eminem is impressive. Got any good rhymes for chimney? Related Ideas to Rhyme with Orange Also see: The rhyme as reason effect Ablaut reduplication (flip-flop, not flop-flip) Chiasmus — Fail to prepare, prepare to fail Pleonasm — An unexpected surprise Ordering adjectives — a great green dragon, not a green great one Collective nouns — a shush of librarians Everyone's a geek about something And related to oranges somewhat: Mandarins, clementines, satsumas, tangerines?? ## The McNamara Fallacy URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-mcnamara-fallacy Published: 2026-04-05T11:00:00+0000 Categories: eponym, measurement, strategy, leadership, data, analytics, war, politics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/acUgspGXnQHGY_Zs_SP971-TheMcNamaraFallacy.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The McNamara Fallacy, also known as the quantitative fallacy, where we measure what is easy and ignore what is hard Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-mcnamara-fallacy), CC BY-NC 4.0 The McNamara Fallacy is a belief in easy-to-measure quantitative metrics at the expense of ignoring hard-to-measure qualitative factors. Robert McNamara was president of Ford Motor Company and later the Secretary of Defense for the USA during the war in Vietnam. He was highly intelligent and excelled at dealing with data and using it to inform strategy. Coined by social scientist Daniel Yankelovich, the McNamara Fallacy, also called the Quantitative Fallacy, involves: Prioritising easier-to-measure quantitative metrics and Disregarding hard-to-measure qualitative metrics as unimportant The fallacy can progress as follows: Measure what can be measured Disregard what we can’t measure Assume what cannot be measured is not important Conclude that what can’t be measured doesn’t exist In the words of Yankelovich: “The fallacy is: If you’re confronted by a complex problem that is full of intangibles, you decide to measure only those aspects of the problem that lend themselves to easy quantification, either because you find other aspects difficult to measure or because you assume that they can’t be very important or don’t even exist.” … “It is a short, fatal step from the statement, ‘There are many intangibles and imponderables that we can’t put on our computers,’ to the statement, ‘Let’s measure what we can and forget about the intangibles.’” Yankelovich cites working with Ford during McNamara’s time and sharing research that included both quantitative and qualitative factors. As the research was assessed, the qualitative data on the meanings people gave to small cars were discarded, and the less significant quantitative and demographic data were retained. Examples of the McNamara Fallacy I first learned about the fallacy from a reader’s article about one of the easiest to measure aspects of a bike: its weight. All things being equal, we’d probably prefer a lighter bike, but other aspects like maintenance, reliability, and handling are important yet harder to measure, report on and compare. As a result, weight often comes to the fore at the expense of the others. Other examples might include: Perhaps your hiring time is down, but how is the fit of the people you’re bringing in? Maybe more people are visiting your website, but they aren’t the right people for your service. We can calculate a country’s GDP, but GDP doesn’t account for human labour without a monetary transaction—like a home-cooked meal—and vital work done by nature, like filtering water, sequestering carbon, or lifting spirits. If food in a can gives you all the nutrients you need, what are you missing by skipping family meals? David Epstein, in his book Range, describes the highly quantitative culture at NASA at the time of the Challenger Space shuttle disaster: "NASA was, after all, the agency that hung a framed quote in the Mission Evaluation Room: 'In God We Trust, All Others Bring Data.'" "The very tool that had helped make NASA so consistently successful, what Diane Vaughan called “the original technical culture” in the agency’s DNA, suddenly worked perversely in a situation where the familiar brand of data did not exist. Reason without numbers was not accepted." "At NASA, accepting a qualitative argument was like being told to forget you are an engineer." While engineers had reservations about the safety of the launch, without quantitative data to support their views, the launch proceeded with fatal consequences. A commonly cited example of the McNamara Fallacy is the US military's approach to measuring progress in the Vietnam War. The McNamara Fallacy and the Vietnam War As the US Secretary of Defense from 1961–1968, McNamara employed similar techniques to those he had used successfully in business contexts to assess the progress of the war in Vietnam. If wars were won by inflicting damage on the enemy, then metrics measuring the damage inflicted should be decent proxies. In particular, assessing body count evolved to be the primary measure of progress. Reliance on purely quantitative metrics had significant shortcomings. In this context, enemy body count was more easily quantified than their morale, political support, or resolve to defend. Because of the interest in this measure, many officers believed that it was also often inflated (see Goodhart’s Law and Campbell’s Law below). Measuring the tons of explosives dropped is easier than measuring the reduction in capabilities they caused. Knowing the number of troops you have is easier to measure than the abilities of those troops. According to the numbers, the U.S. was winning the war, yet it failed to overcome the resistance of North Vietnam. Related Ideas to The McNamara Fallacy An over-reliance on quantitative metrics quickly leads to several other related problems to deal with: Goodhart’s Law When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. For example, assessing the progress of war on the numbers of enemy dead may lead to increased killing to inflate numbers. Campbell’s Law The more a metric counts for real decisions, the greater the pressure for corruption, and the more it distorts the situation it’s intended to measure. For example, if reducing crime rates matters for law enforcement jobs, it creates an incentive to under-report cases or downgrade crimes. The Streetlight Effect Looking where it’s easiest to look, rather than where it matters. Also known as the drunkard’s search or looking under the lamppost, the Streetlight Effect is named after the economists’ joke of a person scrabbling on the ground for their car keys under a street light. When asked where they lost them, the person says they dropped them “over there,” but the light’s much better over here. For example, optimising an existing product because it is known and does well, rather than working on an uncertain new product. You Get What you Measure The instrument you use to measure affects what you see. “For example, in school it is easy to measure training and hard to measure education, and hence you tend to see on final exams an emphasis on the training part and a great neglect of the education part.”—Richard Hamming The Cobra Effect When an implemented policy backfires causing the opposite of the intended outcome. Named after a British attempt to reduce cobras in Delhi by introducing a bounty on dead cobras. Seeing the lucrative bounty, people started farming cobras thereby increasing their numbers. For example, the Streisand Effect is a well-documented case of a cobra effect when Barbara Streisand tried to suppress images of the coast that included her house. The attention drawn to her attempts to suppress the images brought thousands of people to look at them who otherwise would never have considered it. And all of these are examples of the broader Law of Unintended Consequences, which comes from trying to regulate a complex system with a simple system. More Related Ideas to The McNamara Fallacy If the ideas above aren’t enough, you might also see: In theory, practice is the same as theory, but not in practice All models are wrong but some are useful Reliability vs validity: You can hit the target but miss the point. Analytics maturity What gets measured gets better The map is not the territory (no sketch!) For a super discussion on the measurement of all sorts of things, including acute (being run over by a bus) and chronic risks (smoking), I recommend the fun podcast episode: Microlives & The Art of Uncertainty with Sir David Spiegelhalter The article about bike weight is: The McNamara Fallacy and Bikes by Peter Verdone Daniel Yankelovich, who named the McNamara Fallacy, stressed no disrespect to “one of our most distinguished citizens,” Robert McNamara, “a brilliant and dedicated man who brings a vital intensity to bear on his work.” Some of the complexities of the war and McNamara are covered in the Academy Award-winning documentary The Fog of War, which makes fascinating and, at times, uncomfortable viewing. ( Text just to aid search: Mc Namara ) ## All models are wrong, but some are useful — George Box quote URL: https://sketchplanations.com/all-models-are-wrong-but-some-are-useful Published: 2026-03-29T11:00:00+0000 Categories: framework, statistics, quote, mathematics, transport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/acPdQpGXnQHGY86N_SP970-Allmodelsarewrongbutsomeareuseful.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: All models are wrong, but some are useful - George Box statistics quote example and meaning with a map and simple model Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/all-models-are-wrong-but-some-are-useful), CC BY-NC 4.0 One of my favourite statisticians’ quotes is British statistician George Box’s point that: “All models are wrong, but some are useful.” — George Box His point, as I understand it, is simply that any model is inherently a simplification and approximation of reality. It will never capture reality in its entirety. This applies to your formula of expected revenue and expenses that you drag down cells in a spreadsheet. And it applies to our largest, immensely complex, weather and climate models with millions of individual variables and data points. They can never be complete. And while we should keep this in mind for the limitations of all our models, forecasts, predictions and explanations, it doesn’t stop them from, many times, being useful. While you can, and many people do, argue with the premise of models being “wrong,” I like the quote because it reminds me to be humble and duly sceptical of any models I read about or put together. While their accuracy varies enormously, they are all fallible. It also reminds me that any model has a purpose—emphasising some features of reality and ignoring others. On Maps While a map is not a model in the statistical sense that George Box likely had in mind when he uttered the phrase, I find that maps are a great example of selective focus. In the sketch, you can see the messy complexity of the world, the traditional map where buildings and roads become marks on paper, and the simplification of a bus route’s sequential stops. Other times, maps may focus on: Human geography: streets, buildings, shops Tourist attractions Relief, elevation and geographic features Water courses and watersheds Traffic and travel times Political boundaries And any number of other things. They are all models representing some aspects more accurately at the expense of others. As the saying goes, “The map is not the territory.” Other Examples Some other examples of simplified, yet still useful models. Weather: imagine trying to condense all the complexities of a day’s weather in the UK into a single icon. Not so easy. And yet, it can still help you decide if you should bring an umbrella or postpone a sailing trip. The Mercator projection: Useful for sailors. Massively distorted at high latitudes. Naismith’s Rule: for estimating walking time in the mountains based on distance and elevation An orthographic drawing of a house or product: may highlight relevant features for construction—wiring, plumbing, structural integrity—while ignoring textures, colours, imperfections or cost. The Bohr model of the atom: electrons orbiting like planets around the nucleus. Imperfect, but useful. Normal distributions: such as you might see in people’s height, are rarely, if ever, perfectly normal and yet can still be useful approximations. Supply and demand curves: approximate buyer and supplier behaviour while making assumptions about rationality and the availability of information. The London Underground map: famously simplified to perpendicular and angled lines, transforms travelling on the tube and confuses walking distances. A model is a tool, and its usefulness depends on what you are trying to do. If you’re trying to plot courses on a flat map, then the Mercator projection is extremely helpful. If you’re trying to understand how large Greenland is compared to other countries, then it’s misleading. Box advocates using economical models that allow us to interrogate practice while staying aware of where they may be importantly wrong. It’s not lost on me that I present a lot of simpler models than reality in Sketchplanations. I think that’s because, when we consciously acknowledge their imperfections and limitations, a good model, like a good framework, can be just so helpful. As Larry Keeley said, “Building a good framework is like cutting cubes out of fog.” Related Ideas to All Models are Wrong Also see: Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion — W. Edwards Deming The Metrics Onion VUCA: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity Sneaky averages Measures of central tendency: Mean, median, mode Correlation is not causation In theory, practice is the same as theory, but not in practice Sampling bias Chihuahua syndrome Science and engineering: what’s the difference? The mathematics of everyday life Rick Wicklin wrote a helpful write-up of his investigations on the quote: Did George Box say, "All models are wrong, but some are useful"? (Spoiler: Yes) ## The Iceberg Model URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-iceberg-model Published: 2026-03-22T12:00:00+0000 Categories: framework, thinking, thinking tool Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aeIYnp1ZCF7ETSe0_SP969-TheIcebergModel.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Iceberg Model in psychology and systems thinking - above the surface and beneath the surface Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-iceberg-model), CC BY-NC 4.0 Icebergs make powerful metaphors because much of what matters is hidden. Despite knowing the maths, it’s still genuinely surprising and sometimes hard to believe that 90% of an iceberg is beneath the surface. Icebergs are, therefore, a super metaphor for when visible outcomes are shaped by unseen forces. And where we see just a small amount that is built on top of a whole lot that’s out of sight. Even better if this “whole lot more” is unexpected. In my experience, this fits a lot of things. It’s a fair representation, for example, for the unseen work that goes into near enough anything. Icebergs have been mobilised in the name of better understanding psychology, culture, and, in this case, systems. I like the model because it prompts us to question what could be “under the surface” and, in terms of observed behaviour, what’s driving what we see? This version of the iceberg model is adapted from the work and teaching of the systems thinker Donella Meadows and the Academy for Systems Change. Layers of the Systems Thinking Iceberg Model The four layers of this iceberg are: Above the surface Events What is happening? What are the facts? What behaviours do you see? Below the Surface Patterns Are the events connected by trends over time? Do events relate to each other? Structures What influences the patterns you see? Think about routines, incentives, environments, organisations, policies, and rituals. Mental Models What are the values, assumptions and beliefs people hold that shape the system? The deeper down you go, the more leverage you have to create change. For example, changing someone’s attitudes and beliefs about eating will have far-reaching effects on a person’s behaviours around meals. Example of the Iceberg Model What might this look like in practice? Event A child steals their sibling’s toys. Patterns The behaviour only started recently. It tends to happen after swimming lessons or before bed. Structures They’re tired and hungry after swimming, lowering their tolerance and patience. Parents are often busy preparing dinner. The younger child gets more attention. Mental Models Older children are expected to be more self-sufficient. “When I act up, I get attention.” Overscheduling activities. Or Event A colleague is late to a meeting, again. Patterns They used to be on time for meetings. Being late to the first meeting in the morning is most common. Structures Meetings rarely start on time. There are no consequences to being late. Some people have many meetings, others have few, and so don’t pay close attention to the calendar. Mental Models Don’t value the meetings. They don’t understand the impact it has on others. Promptness is respect and required vs promptness doesn’t matter if you get results. In each case, looking below the surface reveals what’s really driving the behaviour. How to Use the Iceberg Model Start with an event or situation you want to understand. Work down through the iceberg, asking yourself questions at each level and writing the answers. It doesn’t have to be a big exercise. Write down patterns you see about the event and those that might be related to it. Think about what structures might be causing it. Consider physical things, organisations, policies, and rituals that all may be contributing. Write these down. Then dig into the source of these structures. What beliefs enable them? What values align with them? What attitudes or expectations keep them going? You don’t need to be exhaustive — even a quick pass can reveal useful insights. Many solutions focus on the events. But lasting change often comes from addressing issues below the surface. I made some blank versions of these with the blue and on white that you can use to fill out your own icebergs: Iceberg model templates Related Ideas to the Iceberg Model Systems, thinking and systems thinking: Pace layers Rich pictures 9 Windows Powers of 10 The S-Curve Data - Information - Knowledge - Wisdom Icebergs: Overnight success Iceberg orientation — for the 90% bit Buoyancy I created this iceberg model illustration as one of a series of visuals for Kaine Ugwu about Systems Thinking. ## Uitwaaien: The Dutch Word for Walking in the Wind URL: https://sketchplanations.com/uitwaaien Published: 2026-03-15T12:00:00+0000 Categories: nature, beach, wellbeing, walking, words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/abFOvVxvIZEnjkMm_SP968-Uitwaaien.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is uitwaaien: Dutch word meaning walking in the wind to clear your head, with worries blown away on a windy beach Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/uitwaaien), CC BY-NC 4.0 Have you ever found something rather wonderful about a walk in a strong wind? You might appreciate the Dutch concept of Uitwaaien. What does “uitwaaien” mean? Uitwaaien is a Dutch word meaning to go out into the wind, often for a walk or bike ride, to clear your head and refresh your mind. Uitwaaien combines two words: uit, meaning out, and waaien, meaning “to blow”, as wind blows. How to pronounce uitwaaien: roughly o-ut-vye-en. In English, the idea of uitwaaien is the refreshing feeling of going out into strong wind and letting it clear your head. Like getting an airing out, I picture it blowing your worries away. A breath of fresh air. We like to go to the southwest of England in autumn and winter. A walk on the coast or up a tor in Dartmoor, getting battered around with a strong wind in your face pulls you into the roar and immerses you in it. It’s bracing and never fails to give a satisfying, relaxed calm when you finally get back inside and exhale. And there are plenty of windy spots across the Netherlands, where the Dutch word uitwaaien comes from, to enjoy a regular walk in the wind and clear your head. A walk in nature always has the power to soothe, calm, and clear your head, be it the three-day effect, forest bathing, or solvitur ambulando. But nature, combined with a strong wind, seems to have an extra power. Uitwaaien is one of many beautiful foreign words that capture a feeling English describes only with a longer phrase. I’ve linked some others below. I also made prints of Uitwaaien with words and without words Related Ideas About Walking in Nature Also see: The three-day effect Forest bathing Solvitur ambulando Apricity: the warmth of winter sun 5 Ways to Wellbeing How to Instantly Feel Better Some other super, non-English words: Rückenfigur Wabi-sabi Kaffikok: the distance before you need a cup of coffee Tsundoku: buying books and letting them pile up without reading them Vorfreude: the pleasure of anticipation Schadenfreude: pleasure at someone else’s misfortune Grateful to my Dutch friend for sanity checking all this 🙏 ## Coffee: The Glorious Solution to The Coffee–Sleep Cycle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/coffee-the-glorious-solution Published: 2026-03-08T12:00:00+0000 Categories: coffee, framework, food and drink, wellbeing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aal66VxvIZEnjW4x_SP967-Coffeetheglorioussolution.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Coffee: the glorious solution to the coffee sleep cycle with poor sleep caused by coffee, leading to tiredness, solved by coffee Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/coffee-the-glorious-solution), CC BY-NC 4.0 The genius of coffee: it’s the solution to a problem of its own making. Too much coffee leads to poor sleep, which leads to waking up tired, which leads to craving that glorious coffee fix to make the tired go away. An ingenious self-reinforcing cycle. Few other substances or systems seem to manage the elegance and simplicity of this cycle. Imagine if wine cured the effects of drinking too much wine. The stark clarity of this coffee-sleep cycle was made clear to me in Michael Pollan’s recent This is Your Mind on Plants, which has one-third of the book devoted to caffeine. Before coffee and tea made their way to Western Europe with their doses of caffeine, Michael explains, it was common to drink ale and beer throughout the day, starting at breakfast. The result surely being that many people must have been going about their duties in a light haze. The replacement of the fuzziness of alcohol with the clarity, focus, and alertness that caffeine brings may genuinely have played a major part in human progress since. Intriguing. Although many people—though not me—can fall asleep after a late coffee, there’s evidence that it still affects sleep quality. However, despite knowing what coffee is doing in perpetuating my need for it, I, and millions of others, happily rejoin the cycle each day. As I sketched this, I wondered if it were clearer simply as The Coffee-Sleep Cycle (prints). What do you think? Right. About finished this. I’m off for a coffee. More Coffee-related Ideas Also see: Kaffikok: the distance you can go before you need a cup of coffee When drinking tea, just drink tea Half caff: adjust your daily caffeine intake Nappuccino The Half-life of caffeine Clear the fog with a redeye American - Long black Make an Irish coffee Make Vietnamese coffee Microlife: the unit of life The virtuous cycle of exercise and sleep Painkillers and vitamins Addiction ## Pyrrhic Saving: "Saving" money by spending more URL: https://sketchplanations.com/pyrrhic-saving Published: 2026-03-01T10:01:00+0000 Categories: money, happiness, psychology, behavioral economics, products Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aaFrl8FoBIGEg6qV_SP966-Pyrrhicsaving.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Pyrrhic saving concept showing shoppers leaving a megastore with an overloaded trolley under deal signs, captioned “If we save any more money, we’ll be ruined” – spending more to save money example Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/pyrrhic-saving), CC BY-NC 4.0 Perhaps you've heard of a Pyrrhic victory: a victory so costly that it feels almost like a defeat. The name comes from the tale of King Pyrrhus of Epirus in 279 BCE. On defeating the Romans, yet seeing the loss of so many of his best warriors, he declared, "If we are victorious in one more battle, we shall be ruined!" A Pyrrhic victory is an apparent gain that comes at too high a cost. What Is a Pyrrhic Saving? A Pyrrhic saving is a saving that costs you more than it benefits you—spending more to save money you wouldn’t otherwise have spent. “If we save any more, we shall be ruined!” Ever bought something you didn’t need just because it was on sale? Or chosen the bundle when you only wanted one? These are Pyrrhic savings. A saving money trap disguised as a bargain. Examples of Pyrrhic Savings Some personal Pyrrhic saving examples: A £20 voucher that has you spending another £40 to use it. Low-cost memberships that make you buy more than you would have done (Prime?). Going to buy one digital download and choosing the discounted pack of three, then never using the other two. A free kids' meal that results in eating out as a family when you would otherwise have stayed in. In business, it can look similar: Getting the larger office space that’s cheaper per square foot, but largely sits empty. Upgrading to the higher software tier because it’s a better deal, yet barely using the extra features. Bulk-purchasing inventory at a discount that ties up cash and costs you to store. Locking into a multi-year contract at a saving when you would otherwise have switched. Saving money is satisfying. And sometimes a saving genuinely pays you back. But it could be worth asking: is this truly a saving — or money better left for another day? Related Ideas to Pyrrhic Saving Also see: Pyrrhic Victory The Subscription Trap Contentment Sales aren’t always the bargains they seem The decoy price The mathematics of everyday life Sneaky casinos Spend better Debt’s vicious cycle Euphemisms for losing money Mental accounting Bull market, bear market ## The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI): Comparing Eruptions URL: https://sketchplanations.com/volcanic-explosivity-index Published: 2026-02-22T12:00:00+0000 Categories: mountains, geography, science, weather, scale Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aY7z6FWLo0XkEe_8_SP965-VolcanicExplosivityIndex.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Volcanic Explosivity Index VEI 0 to 8 with examples Kilauea, Etna, Mt St Helens, Pinatubo, Tambora and Yellowstone, each level about 10 times more material Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/volcanic-explosivity-index), CC BY-NC 4.0 Volcanoes are big, so eruptions are big. But how big? And how would you compare one eruption with another? Well, like the Richter Scale for earthquakes, there’s a scale for eruptions. It’s called the Volcanic Explosivity Index. What Is the Volcanic Explosivity Index? The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) ranges from 0 to 8. It covers everything from a shoot of ash with a trickle of lava (Effusive), for example, Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano, to the mega-colossal explosions in the distant past from the Yellowstone caldera, the largest supervolcano in North America. Volcanoes erupt in different ways, and the index uses several measures, such as the volume of ash (tephra) ejected and the height and scale of the plume and ash clouds. And some eruptions are sudden, while others go on for years. Because of this difficulty in classification, one division I like is red volcanoes and grey volcanoes. A red volcano is an effusive eruption with lava and often a lava lake, like Hawaii’s Kīlauea. A classic grey volcano eruption is Mt St Helens that created an ash cloud rising to around 15 miles above the summit. Like the Richter scale, the Volcanic Explosivity Index is a logarithmic scale. This means that, after the first levels, each level ejects roughly ten times more material than the previous(!)—hence the sketch not being to scale. Volcanic Explosivity Index and Example Eruptions Here’s the scale with associated adjectives, approximate sizes of the eruption column, and some example eruptions you may have heard of: 0 · Effusive or Non-explosive 100m,  Kīlauea (Hawaii, current) 1 · Gentle/Mild 100m–1 km 2 · Explosive 1–5 km, Mt Etna (Italy, 2006 and many others) 3 · Severe 3–15 km 4 · Cataclysmic 10–25 km, Eyjafjallajökull (Iceland, 2010) 5 · Paroxysmal 20–35 km, Mt St Helens (USA, 1980), Vesuvius (Italy, 79 AD), Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai (Tonga, 2022) 6 · Colossal >30 km, Pinatubo (Philippines, 1991), Krakatoa (1883) 7 · Super-colossal >40 km, Tambora (Indonesia, 1815), Santorini (Greece, 1600 BC) 8 · Mega-colossal > 50km (uncertain, though massive), Yellowstone (USA, several times...) On a personal note, some of my favourite places in the UK are the museums in South Kensington, London. The Earth galleries in the Natural History Museum are always fascinating and inspiring. I learned about the volcanic explosivity index there and had been meaning to sketch it for at least ten years. The descriptive adjectives for each level vary slightly across the sources I’ve seen. In particular, levels 4 and 5 are sometimes 4 Catastrophic and 5 Cataclysmic. But I liked the labels the Natural History Museum uses, including Paroxysmal. Learn more about the VEI The USGS (United States Geological Survey) have a helpful article on the VEI from geophysicist Michael Poland. And you can read the original 1982 paper that proposes the scale from volcanologists Chris Newhall and Steve Self:  The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI): An Estimate of Explosive Magnitude for Historical Volcanism (archived pdf), Journal of Geophysical Research Related Ideas to the Volcanic Explosivity Index Some more scales: The Fun Scale The Bortle Scale — Clarity of the night sky The Scoville Scale — Chilli heat Temperature scales — Fahrenheit and Celsius Solar System Sizes Time hierarchy Dunbar’s Number More volcanoes: Red volcano, grey volcano Dirty thunderstorm ## Mathematics in Everyday Life URL: https://sketchplanations.com/mathematics-in-everyday-life Published: 2026-02-15T12:00:00+0000 Categories: mathematics, education, inclusion Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aY8Iw1WLo0XkEfTO_SP964-TheMathematicsofEverydayLife.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Mathematics of Everyday Life showing everyday maths examples including budgeting, shopping, splitting a bill, travel planning, buying a house, voting statistics, baking measurements and fitting furniture, created for the VERDI inclusive mathematics project. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/mathematics-in-everyday-life), CC BY-NC 4.0 At school, it’s easy to think that mathematics is a somewhat arcane and abstract subject and that we don’t need to learn it. But I was surprised when I thought about all the times that knowing maths helps us in our everyday lives. Examples of everyday mathematics Here are some scenarios I noted over a few weeks, both where I personally ran into everyday maths challenges and where I noticed how much it matters: Travel and time Comparing the relative costs of holidays Deciding the cheapest or best way to get somewhere, balancing journey time, ease, cost, and comfort Estimating travel times to know when you can meet someone Converting between units when travelling (for example, miles and kilometres) Manipulating dates and shifting between time zones Homes and DIY Fitting furniture in a room, or checking whether a sofa will go up the stairs Estimating how many tiles you need for a bathroom Working out how much paint you need for a fence or wall Food and sharing Estimating the cost of your shopping and comparing value (this one’s buy one, get one half-price, but that one’s cheaper per 100g…) Splitting a bill at a restaurant Adapting recipes for different numbers of people Estimating food quantities for a party or a camping trip Converting weights and measures—oz to g, Fahrenheit and Celsius What I like to call “baguette maths”: dividing three baguettes between five people while keeping the largest intact sections Money and finances Understanding interest and return rates for savings and investments Comparing insurance policies Working out interest rates and monthly payments for a mortgage Financing a car and comparing deals Calculating tips Media and society Interpreting statistics in headlines, advertising claims, or medicines Understanding the maths behind political claims, arguments, and elections I’m sure you could add to the list—I didn’t even start on the sorts of metrics and measurements you might need at work. Thinking about these everyday moments matters. Difficulty with basic, practical maths doesn’t just affect school performance—it affects independence, confidence, and daily life. You might not need a Fourier transform or integration by parts for most of these. But facility with numbers, fractions and ratios, plus a little algebra and geometry, will go a long way toward making your life easier. In the case of the big financial decisions, like buying a house and deciding on your mortgage, just a little maths could make the difference of ten years of saving. And a little understanding of statistics can help temper wild advertising claims and misleading headlines. The VERDI Project I tried to capture a few of these in this sketch for Francesca Granone, Associate Professor at the University of Stavanger, and her co-researchers Glenn, Mia, Adam, Fionn and Mariagrazia who work on the project VERDI. The project is funded by Stiftelsen Dam and developed in cooperation with The Norwegian Association for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NFU) and aims to develop learning resources for everyday mathematics as a route to inclusion, particularly for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) such as autism or Down Syndrome. Traditional approaches to teaching mathematics don’t work for everyone, which can create challenges not just in learning environments but also in everyday life. An aim is to reduce unnecessary barriers to confidence and independence and improve the quality of life for a large group of people. Read more about the VERDI project or get in touch with Francesca. Mathematics isn’t all abstract theory; it’s also vital to making everyday life a little easier, fairer, and more enjoyable. Related Ideas to the Mathematics of Everyday Life Also see: Temperature Scales: Fahrenheit and Celsius Naismith’s Rule for estimating walking time in the mountains Sneaky averages Sampling Bias Parts of a circle The 9 times table on your fingers Asymmetry of returns BODMAS - order of operations ## When there's a gold rush, sell shovels URL: https://sketchplanations.com/gold-rush-sell-shovels Published: 2026-02-08T12:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, wisdom, money, business, entrepreneurship, mountains Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aYXrSN0YXLCxVf07_SP963-Whenthere%27sagoldrushsellshovels.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: When there’s a gold rush, sell shovels and picks, a classic business and entrepreneurship quote with prospectors chasing gold and suppliers lining the road Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/gold-rush-sell-shovels), CC BY-NC 4.0 I love this age-old wisdom. It may be about the gold rush, but I see it everywhere to this day. When everyone is trying to get rich in the sensational way, the people who reliably do well are those who sell to the people trying to get rich. In the gold rush, prospectors and miners seeking their fortunes headed up to the hills to find gold. A few of them found it. But, like all get-rich-quick schemes, the vast majority of them found no gold claims that made their fortune. Whether they got lucky or not, they needed tools—shovels, picks, buckets, pans. They also might have purchased mules, food, lodging, supplies, guidance, and maybe they bought whiskey to drown their sorrows. Famously, they might have needed hardwearing work clothes, of which denim was the perfect solution. And the interesting thing about all the people who sold to the prospectors is that they could make money whether their customers found gold or not. They can sell to the people winning and the people losing. The saying has at least a few different forms: The secret to getting rich in a gold rush is selling picks. When Everybody Is Digging for Gold, It’s Good To Be in the Pick and Shovel Business Don’t dig for gold, sell shovels. Some Modern Examples Selling shovels in the gold rush is the classic example, but modern-day examples abound. It often looks like selling access, tools, platforms or advice to people chasing a quick buck. Investment brokers and platforms that charge for trading. Brokers and platforms make a profit when the market dives and when it soars. The more activity there is, the better they do. Exchanges and marketplaces. Where the trading happens, whether it’s stocks and shares, second-hand goods, or vintage furniture. Tooling and platforms. YouTube, AWS, Domain providers profit the more people try to seek their fortune. “How to make money doing X” courses and education. Looking to make money doing X? Buy the course, and you’ll get the exact steps to replicate the winning strategies. Earn on YouTube. Monetise your newsletter. Publish your book. And some slightly more oblique examples: Transformation industries. Gyms and supplements sell the promise of transformation, regardless of whether people achieve their goals. Self-help and productivity. Just implement this new productivity tip, and you’ll transform your prospects. In each case, millions of people purchase without achieving the ends they were hoping for. But the shovel-sellers do well either way. A Simple Formula It’s seductive because, in classic survivorship bias, we see the people who’ve made it: the YouTubers with millions of followers, the crypto early adopters who didn’t sell in a crash, the property flippers who bought at the right place and time. But sometimes the people doing best seem to be those promising to teach you how to get rich that way In most of these cases there’s: A new way of making money High-visibility successes A self-reinforcing loop: the more people follow or buy your course, program, or product promising success, the more successful you look, and the more legitimate your service seems. Try Selling Shovels I share this because I regularly reflect on it as a lens for my own activity. Am I trying to follow the herd and the gold rush? Maybe I would be better off helping others in their journey for gold? How could I support them instead of rushing myself? It’s tempting to imagine yourself as one of the winners of the gold rush. But all that activity creates opportunities to support the prospectors. Selling shovels means your future is less dependent on being lucky, early, or exceptional and hitting a gold seam. Or maybe I'm just jealous ;o) -- As usual, if you’re looking for the origins of the phrase selling shovels in a gold rush, Quote Investigator has done the work for you. Related Ideas to Selling Shovels in a Gold Rush More business and entrepreneurship advice and ideas in sketches: Sell painkillers, not vitamins To scale, do things that don’t scale Starting a company is like jumping off a cliff The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker The twin engines of altruism and ambition Don’t ask the barber if you need a haircut The Big Ideal TM The Golden Circle—People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it Survivorship Bias Optimism Bias Contentment: what you have, relative to what you want ## Front-load Key Words URL: https://sketchplanations.com/front-load-key-words Published: 2026-02-01T12:00:00+0000 Categories: writing, design, ux, ui, marketing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aXyUkwIvOtkhCHTb_SP962-Front-loadKeyWords.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Front-load key words in lists and when writing for the web for clearer communication with a conference features example Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/front-load-key-words), CC BY-NC 4.0 People don’t usually want to read online—they want to get something done. This means that when deciding whether a service is worth subscribing to, figuring out which plan is better, trying to understand a set of features, or determining whether you need this product or that, people mostly just want to skim through. So the easier you can make this for them as a writer and designer, the better. One simple tweak I use regularly when writing or editing is to front-load the meaningful words in lists. What Is Front-Loading Meaningful Words? Front-loading means placing the words that signal most—those that convey meaning or make the point—right at the start, not buried in the middle or end. I learned this lesson through many painful examples of people not reading what we’d written on a page and then complaining that we never told them. Here’s a list I worked on from the welcome email to the newsletter. This was my first draft: Explore the sketch archive on sketchplanations.com Dig in more with the Sketchplanations podcast. At 50+ episodes and counting. Fun, lighthearted and thought-provoking, my co-hosts and I take a sketch each week and dive in, sometimes with an expert guest to help us out. Prefer reading off devices? Me too. You can catch up on past sketches with my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Revision: More to explore 🔍 The full archive on sketchplanations.com 🎙️ Sketchplanations podcast—50+ lighthearted episodes diving into one sketch a week, often with expert guests 📔 Big Ideas Little Pictures—Prefer reading off devices? Me too. A collection of nearly 150 of my favourite sketches in a book (emojis optional, but in this case, they perhaps are an even better scanning tool. Or not.) Now, you may prefer the first one, but if you’re in a hurry or still undecided about whether this is worth reading, the second is more likely to convey the key points I wanted to share. No doubt more improvements are still possible. Because links have formatting that draws attention, it also helps to have each of those at the start, or at least in a consistent place, to aid scanning and skimming—as in the revision where your eyes can scan straight down the key information. This supports the F-Shaped Reading pattern, in which people often scan pages in an F shape. The revision is also shorter, so it’s more likely to be read. This is not a tip for writing novels. Nor, perhaps, for your email newsletter. But in situations where people are skimming—often not even sure they want to read your writing—it helps a lot. That includes almost everything on the web except long-form essays, but also plenty that’s off the web too: Safety notices Public transport information Shop signage Job descriptions Menus Instruction manuals Onboarding checklists Property listings Event schedules And more. Front-Loading to Refine your Link Text The same front-loading principle applies to the words you use within link text, for example, take this sentence and link: For another use case, see the F-Shaped Reading pattern For scanning, this is generally better as: For another use case, see the F-Shaped Reading pattern. ...because scanning the text of the link itself immediately tells me “F-Shaped Reading” rather than “see the...” Link text is one of those places I always want to improve. I made a ‘click here‘ category of sketches to get across this idea: Rewrite to avoid click here. For another post. When time is short, attention is limited, or people just want the next step. So, start with the most useful words. Related Ideas to Front-Load Meaningful Words in Bullets Also see: Front-load names to cue attention F-Shaped Reading Cognitive Overhead Micro-editing Redundant Words By Monkeys — Write actively The First Draft is Always Perfect Happy talk must die ## Laplace's Demon URL: https://sketchplanations.com/laplaces-demon Published: 2026-01-25T12:00:00+0000 Categories: physics, philosophy, thought experiment, science, mathematics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aXCuQAIvOtkhBxMk_SP961-Laplace%E2%80%99sDemon.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Laplace's Demon thought experiment quote by Pierre-Simon Laplace about determinism and predictability Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/laplaces-demon), CC BY-NC 4.0 For an all-seeing, all-knowing being, the future is as clear as the past Perhaps you, like me, have once considered a thought experiment: Given all the laws of nature and given the current state of everything in the universe, in principle, you could figure out exactly what was going to happen. The laws of nature would just keep things moving as expected, and events in the universe would unfold predictably and imperturbably. What about free will and all that? This idea of a being that knew all the laws and the current states of everything, and therefore how everything would play out, is called Laplace’s Demon. It was named after an extremely smart French mathematician and polymath, Pierre-Simon Laplace, who once wrote (translations vary a little): “We ought then to regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its anterior state and as the cause of the one which is to follow. Given for one instant an intelligence which could comprehend all the forces by which nature is animated and the respective situation of the beings who compose it—an intelligence sufficiently vast to submit these data to analysis—it would embrace in the same formula the movements of the greatest bodies of the universe and those of the lightest atom; for it, nothing would be uncertain and the future, as the past, would be present to its eyes.” — Pierre-Simon Laplace, A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities Determinism is the idea that everything is pre-determined and nothing is left to chance. Laplace’s Demon thought experiment represents the extreme side of that. There are a few challenges to this idea since then, including the practical unpredictability of chaotic systems, quantum mechanics, the difficulty of measuring without disturbing, as well as philosophical and religious ideas about free will. Even if the future did follow perfectly from the past, in practice we couldn’t work it out. Notes on Laplace’s Demon I learned about Laplace’s Demon in David Spiegelhalter’s The Art of Uncertainty after he joined us on the podcast about microlives. Laplace’s Demon is less well-known than Maxwell’s demon — a teeny being that appears to violate the second law of thermodynamics. More generally, Laplace’s Demon is a thought experiment—a hypothetical scenario that helps stress-test and illuminate ideas. Related Ideas to Laplace’s Demon Also see: Laplace’s Demon is an eponym Russell’s Teapot Chesterton’s Fence Black Swan events The Lucretius Problem Hanlon’s Razor The Monty Hall Problem More eponyms You can read a translation of Laplace’s words in his article A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities on Project Gutenberg (this appears near the beginning). ## Dune Types: Transverse, Linear, Barchan, Star Dunes URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dune-types Published: 2026-01-18T12:00:00+0000 Categories: geography, science, nature, beach Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aWovaQIvOtkhBpcN_SP960-Dunetypes.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Common dune types showing how different wind patterns and sand availability shape transverse dunes, linear dunes, barchan dunes and star dunes. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dune-types), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sand dunes can be beautiful and awe-inspiring. And, though they come in infinite shapes and sizes, specific combinations of winds and sand together create common dune types. I find it interesting to try to recognise the basic types and why they form in the way they do. Here are some of the most common dune types. Transverse Dunes Transverse dunes form, somewhat counterintuitively for me, perpendicular to the wind direction. It’s rather like how a dirt road washboards perpendicular to the direction of traffic, and ripples on the beach will often form at right angles to the wash of the waves. When there’s plenty of sand and the wind is predominantly from one direction, sand begins to pile up and creates sheltered depressions on the other side of growing dunes. The sheltered zones help set up fairly consistent spacing between dunes. It’s fascinating to observe both at a tiny scale on the beach and flying over a vast desert. Transverse dunes typically have a shallower up slope in the direction the wind arrives from and a steeper slip slope on the sheltered side. I learned that the shallower upface is called the stoss side, and the steeper slipface is called the lee face. Linear Dunes When wind blows from two directions, dunes can be pulled into long, linear ridges, forming longitudinal dunes or linear dunes. The ridges align with the average direction of the wind. Some ridges can run for a hundred miles. In contrast to transverse dunes, wind from both directions creates slip faces on both sides, often forming sharp edges along the dune ridges. This leads to the more poetic name of seif dunes, meaning sword in Arabic. Barchan Dunes When the prevailing wind is from one direction and sand is less plentiful, crescent-shaped barchan dunes form. They have characteristic horns extending in the direction the wind blows. Sands are always shifting, and barchan dunes can move relatively quickly along the desert floor compared to other large dunes. Star Dunes When winds blow from many directions, sand can get blown into dunes that grow vertically in a star or pyramid shape. Remarkably, they can reach up to 500m tall. In some areas, star dunes form along longitudinal ridges. Other Dune Types The interactions of sand and wind are endlessly complex, and other types of dunes exist. These include: Dome dunes, without prominent ridges, as you might imagine Parabolic dunes, which look like barchan but face the opposite way. Look out for these near the coast. Reversing dunes, which have a sort of mini-dune facing the opposite way at the top of the ridge. Draas: mega-dunes sometimes made up of other dune forms. Related Ideas to Common Dune Types Also see: The 3 Tallest Mountains Tectonic Plate Interaction Boundaries Settlement Patterns Shapes of Valleys One hump or two hump camel? Topography - Bathymetry Rain Shadow Types of Surf Break Strand line Point Nemo — the remotest place in the oceans ## Contentment: What you Have Relative to What you Want URL: https://sketchplanations.com/contentment Published: 2026-01-11T12:00:00+0000 Categories: happiness, wellbeing, money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aWEKlQIvOtkhBOcY_SP959-Contentment-havevswant2026-01-09-13.52.16-Cr.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is contentment? Happiness, wellbeing and contentment is what you have relative to what you want, from Morgan Housel’s The Art of Spending Money. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/contentment), CC BY-NC 4.0 Morgan Housel, in his book The Art of Spending Money, says that contentment is what you have relative to what you want. If you have money for a life full of comforts but envy a more glamorous one, you will make yourself unhappy. If you have a simple life with friends, family, health, and interests, and don’t want anything more, then you will be happy as you are. Money makes this visible, but the same rule applies to almost everything: time, relationships, status, health, and freedom. Being content with what you have is a counter to the hedonic treadmill: how people can easily get used to a better situation and start longing for the next thing (been on the list to sketch for a long time!). As Morgan says, “If your expectations grow faster than your income, you will never be happy with your money.” It’s funny how knowing that someone or something has something better can affect your own satisfaction with what you have. “If I hadn’t seen such riches, I could live with being poor.” — from Sit Down by James (video) I think about this song line quite often. One of my favourite perspective shifts on this is comedian Louis C.K.’s Everything is Amazing, and Nobody is Happy clip with Conan O’Brien. He captures brilliantly how quickly our sense of what is normal inflates, even as life objectively improves. Low expectations? In a class on utility theory long ago, I remember mathematically seeing that if you expect little value, then you’ll be satisfied with whatever you get. And I’ve heard it said that the secret to happiness is low expectations. There’s something in it for sure, but it always seems like a double-edged sword to me. Sure, if you expect your team to lose every time, you might not be bothered when they do. But if you hope that they’ll win, you can get some happiness from that excitement, too. It’s always intriguing how supporters of better teams get more frustrated when they do slightly worse than usual, even while they are still doing much better than my team. Expectations are tricky. It’s so easy to recalibrate what counts as normal. You can skip the ups and downs of supporting a team by not supporting one and not caring what happens. You avoid the downs, but you miss the ups, too. (see The Supporter’s Paradox in Big Ideas Little Pictures) The late Queen Elizabeth II said it beautifully: "Grief is the price we pay for love." — Queen Elizabeth II You can skip the grief by not loving, but that seems a shame. How life feels depends on what we expect as much as what we get. Related quotes "Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six , result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery." ― Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield by Charles Dickens "Comparison is the thief of joy" — Often attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, but from various sources "You never truly need what you want. That is the main and thoroughgoing key to serenity." — Albert Ellis Related Ideas to Contentment Also see: Five Ways to Wellbeing Spend better: If money doesn’t make you happy, you’re not spending it right “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.” Flow: state of total focus and joy Prospect Theory Languishing The irresistible power of variable rewards The Overview Effect Don’t compare your back of house with other’s front of house ## SMART Goals URL: https://sketchplanations.com/smart-goals Published: 2026-01-04T12:00:00+0000 Categories: goals, leadership, productivity, management, framework, product management, business, habits Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aVjTLnNYClf9ovx5_SP958-SMARTgoals.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Explanation of SMART goals meaning, showing that SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound, and how setting SMART goals leads to clearer progress Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/smart-goals), CC BY-NC 4.0 If you’ve heard of one framework to help with goal-setting, it could well be this one: SMART Goals. SMART is an acronym to keep in mind a few ideas for setting better goals, ones you’re more likely to make progress on and complete. I’ve lost track of when I first learned it, and I do keep it in mind when I set goals. Running through as a little mental checklist helps me go from vague, easy-to-ignore goals to ones with more tangible progress. What are SMART Goals SMART stands for: Specific Avoid vague, fuzzy goals Measurable How will you see your progress, and when you’ve achieved it? Achievable Are you able to control and influence your progress? Relevant Is it really what will help you most? Time-Bound A timeline and deadline spur action I’ve seen some variation in the words, in particular with Achievable, Attainable, Agreed or Actionable, Relevant or Realistic, Time-Bound and Timely. Either way, the broad intent, as I understand it, is generally the same: turning vague, passive, and imagined goals into decisions, signals, and progress. SMART Goals help you go from something like: Next year I will get fit to: I will run three times a week, aiming for a 10k personal best in July I have found that if I do actually want to make progress and not just make the same goal next year, the second formulation here will help me. There are many goal-setting frameworks. And there’s advice to focus on habits and systems rather than goals (see, for example, Atomic Habits). SMART isn’t always the answer and at times other strategies might serve you better. Use what works for you. How I use SMART Goals I’ve definitely found SMART help me over the years. Here’s how I think about each of the aspects of SMART Goals: Specific Specific is better than vague. Just like breaking down a big project makes it easier to get started on, getting specific helps me focus on something I’m more likely to act on. Try more new foods, I find, is not as good as Cook one new meal a week. Getting specific forces you to think about how you will make progress on your goal. There are many different ways, and I sometimes find that I didn’t choose the right thing. No matter, just switch it up when you find what really helps you. See Implementation intentions. Measurable I have been involved in several projects at work where we made changes only to realise we had no way of knowing whether they improved things. Sometimes we hadn’t bothered to take a measurement before we started working on it. Other times, we hadn’t included a way to measure an outcome from the change we made. These projects weren’t very satisfying. Keeping your goals measurable helps you know if you’re making things better, and is more motivating along the way (see Flow). For example, measurable helps you go from "Improve the onboarding experience" to "Improve the satisfaction score post-onboarding by 50%." Or ”Get healthier” to “Lose 3 kilograms”. Sometimes changes in what you really care about may take time, and you may need to consider leading rather than lagging metrics. Achievable It’s miserable and demotivating working on goals you stand no chance of hitting. It’s great to think big (as in the BHAG: Big Hairy Audacious Goal) and, in my experience, it also helps to set goals that are hard but that you stand a chance of getting close to. I have spent a year or more working on company goals that no one really believed we had a chance to hit. Missing it every week is no fun. It’s not always easy to set a specific, measurable goal that’s achievable, usually because I don’t always have a good sense for what’s possible. Fortunately, goal-setting doesn’t have to be a one-time exercise. If you set something too high or too low because you didn’t know what was possible, readjust. And if nothing else, you’ll have made progress and be wiser. If your goal is to run a sub-3-hour marathon but you’ve never really run before, you might be better off starting with “Complete a half-marathon,” until you know how hard running a sub-3-hour marathon is (it’s very hard). Relevant The idea with Relevant goals is that they are the most important ones. It can require some thinking about what you really want to achieve. You don’t want to climb the wrong mountain. A little thought to check I’m really on the right path at the beginning is helpful. Time-Bound This is a reminder to me that a goal without an end is very easy to ignore. Setting a timeline and end date allows me to plan and forces me to make progress even when I don’t want to. Related Ideas to SMART Goals Apparently, as for productivity, I think about goal-setting a lot. Here are some other concepts that might help when setting or working on your SMART goals: The Fresh Start Effect (podcast episode) Leading and lagging metrics Implementation Intentions Clear is kind Local Optimisation The Power of Streaks The Doorstep Mile Enough molehills make a mountain The twin engines of Altruism and Ambition What Drives Us Everything is Aiming Replicate then Innovate Accuracy vs Precision Public Commitment Pledge Commitment Device Goodhart’s Law—very relevant if you’re setting goals for others What gets measured gets better Flow Find your why not ## Diagonal Billing (or Staggered Billing) URL: https://sketchplanations.com/diagonal-billing Published: 2025-12-28T12:00:00+0000 Categories: film, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aUlrdXNYClf9olIG_SP957-Diagonalbilling.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is diagonal billing in cinema, film credits, titles, and design? Example of Steve McQueen and Paul Newman from the Towering Inferno in a movie theatre. Also staggered billing. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/diagonal-billing), CC BY-NC 4.0 A solution for equal movie star billing The 1974 disaster movie The Towering Inferno had the advantage of two huge stars: Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. Supposedly, neither of them wanted to be portrayed as second to the other. So the studio had a problem: whose name should go first on the movie poster and in the credits? What is Diagonal Billing? Diagonal billing, sometimes called staggered billing, is a way of arranging the names of movie stars to give them equal prominence. Instead of listing one above or in line with the other, the names are placed diagonally: • one name in the bottom-left, • the other in the top-right. This balances the natural reading hierarchy—left to right, top to bottom—so that either name can be read first. It was the clever compromise used for McQueen and Newman in The Towering Inferno, and it has been repeated in many Hollywood films since. Why Diagonal Billing Works In English, we naturally read from left to right and top to bottom. We start reading this way in articles like this, but also posters, adverts, and web pages. Which means what we see top-left is naturally emphasised compared to what we encounter towards the end in the bottom-right. It's also why my sketches typically have a title in the top-left and a logo in the bottom-right: you're meant to see them in that order. Diagonal billing cancels out a name on the left by placing it at the bottom, and emphasises the name on the right by placing it at the top. Examples of Diagonal Billing Balancing Steve McQueen and Paul Newman in The Towering Inferno is how I first learned of staggered but equal billing (from my Dad, though he denies it). You can see the staggering of names in the original movie poster. Other examples include: Cheers TV credits: Ted Danson and Shelley Long Scenes from a Marriage (2021): Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac Chicago (2002): Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones Westworld (1973): James Brolin, Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004): Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow Righteous Kill (2008): Robert De Niro, Al Pacino Keep an eye out for it in movie posters and opening credits, and help me add to the examples! Related Ideas to Diagonal Billing Also see: The Gestalt principles of visual perception The Blur Your Eyes Test F-Shaped Reading The Rule of Thirds Use styling instead of colons Design for a Glance, a Look, a Read Information Radiator The real shape of a crossing (diagonal!) The site TV Tropes also discusses diagonal billing. ## Cream Tea: Cream First or Jam First? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cream-tea-cream-or-jam-first Published: 2025-12-21T12:00:00+0000 Categories: food and drink, geography, history, uk Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aTrcGXNYClf9oEWE_SP956-Creamteacreamfirstjamfirst.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Cornwall vs Devon cream tea styles shown side by side: jam first for Cornwall, cream first for Devon. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cream-tea-cream-or-jam-first), CC BY-NC 4.0 The classic cream tea is a simple and delicious affair: a freshly baked scone, clotted cream, jam, and a pot of tea to share. But there’s something brewing, and it’s not just the tea. It’s a question that divides even the most peaceful tea room: should it be cream first or jam first on a scone? The Devon vs Cornwall Cream Tea Debate The two neighbouring English counties most associated with the cream tea are Cornwall and Devon, both in the southwest of England (I included a little map). I learned that, traditionally, each county prepares its cream tea in different ways. The Devon cream tea is cream first, then jam. The Cornwall cream tea is jam first, then cream. As someone with more ties to Devon, I’ve always gone the cream then jam route. But I know that some people swear by the other way. Either way, I can vouch for both a Devon cream tea and a Cornwall cream tea being delicious. Unsure how to eat a cream tea? Perhaps you should follow the locals. If you haven’t had one on location, I recommend you give it a try. Which way do you go? Cream first or jam first? Related Ideas to The Great Cream Tea Debate Also see: Types of sushi How to make Irish coffee The egg float test The tomato test Mandarin, clementine, satsuma, tangerine Fruit or Vegetable Hedgehog a mango Dice an onion Gelato, sorbet, or ice cream P.S. This is a revision of an early sketch I did on this subject. It deserved a stronger one! ## 10 Contradictory Traits of Creative People URL: https://sketchplanations.com/10-contradictory-traits-of-creative-people Published: 2025-12-14T12:00:00+0000 Categories: creativity, psychology, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/w1ahpYkd-6uLWRY6_SP955-10ContradictoryTraitsofCreativePeople.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What are the contradictory traits of creative people? Illustration of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s 10 paradoxical personality traits, showing each pair of opposites such as energetic and restful, smart and naive, and passionate and objective. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/10-contradictory-traits-of-creative-people), CC BY-NC 4.0 Creative people display contradictory personality traits. This finding has stuck with me since I read it over 20 years ago in psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. Csikszentmihalyi drew this finding from over 100 interviews with exceptional people—engineers, writers, historians, chemists, musicians, business people and more—and his lifetime of research into psychology, happiness, and flow. Alongside dismantling several myths surrounding creativity, such as the tortured genius, Mihalyi explores the central idea that creative people do not lean only toward one side or the other on a range of personality traits. Instead, creative people will display quite opposite characteristics at different times, or even at the same time. The 10 Contradictory Traits of Creative People Creative people often display both sides of these traits: Energetic and Restful Smart and Naive Playful and Disciplined Imaginative and Realistic Extroverted and Introverted Humble and Proud Feminine and Masculine Traditional and Rebellious Passionate and Objective Sensitive and Joyful The Importance of Contradiction This idea of contradictory personality traits was exciting to me when I read about it. I was a young design and engineering graduate learning and applying the Theory of Inventive Problem-Solving (TRIZ) for what seemed like creative solutions. I was fascinated with where ideas come from, what creative people do differently, and how I could become one. A fundamental idea in TRIZ is that solutions evolve through the resolution of contradictions. For example, you want a tent to be strong and sturdy so it doesn’t blow over or break. The standard approach for this makes it heavier. But you also want it to be lightweight to carry. How can it be both strong and lightweight? Enter creative solutions. Compromise and trade-off are sometimes necessary, but whenever you find what seems a truly creative solution, you’ll usually find that someone’s resolved a contradiction at its core. And here was Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi finding that creative people benefit not just from being imaginative, but also, at times, from being realistic. Not just smart, but also, at times, naive. Resolving a contradiction of personality. Resisting Labelling Labelling others or yourself usually seems to me a misguided and often harmful act. For example, attribution bias is the tendency to attribute behaviour to fixed personality traits rather than to circumstances or actions. Considering someone a genius, a loser, or a natural artist, without considering the circumstances and actions that got them where they are, gets us off the hook. As David Macauley pointed out (video), when people say they can’t draw, they’ve usually never really tried. The idea of displaying contradictory or paradoxical traits was very freeing to me. To be creative, you don’t have to be this or that. You can be this at times and that at times. And perhaps this fluidity helps us towards creative insights. I generally consider myself fairly introverted—I easily recharge through time by myself—but in the right company and the right time, I can appear quite extroverted. The smartest people can also ask naive questions. Being proud and confident can help try things that others won’t. And being humble enables you to accept help and ideas from others, and not drive collaborators away. At times, you may be energetic and productive; at other times, you may want to rest and recharge. We don’t have to be one or the other. We can be open to being both. Excerpt on Creative Individuals and Complex Personalities Here’s Csikszentmihalyi from the book: “Are there no traits that distinguish creative people? If I had to express in one word what makes their personalities different from others, it would be complexity. They show tendencies of thought and action that in most people are segregated. They contain contradictory extremes – instead of being an ‘individual’, each of them is a ‘multitude’. These qualities are present in all of us, but usually we are trained to develop only one pole of the dialectic. We might grow up cultivating the aggressive, competitive side of our nature, and disdain or repress the nurturant, cooperative side. A creative individual is more likely to be both aggressive and cooperative, either at the same time or at different times, depending on the situation. Having a complex personality means being able to express the full range of traits that are potentially present in the human repertoire. Creative individuals have a great deal of physical energy, but they are also often quiet and at rest. Creative individuals tend to be smart, yet also naive at the same time. A third paradoxical trait refers to the related combination of playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility. Creative individuals alternate between imagination and fantasy at one end, and a rooted sense of reality at the other. Creative people seem to harbor opposite tendencies on the continuum between extroversion and introversion. Creative individuals are also remarkably humble and proud at the same time. Creative individuals to a certain extent escape this rigid gender role stereotyping [of ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’]. Creative people are both traditional and conservative and at the same time rebellious and iconoclastic. Creative persons are very passionate about their work, yet they can be extremely objective about it as well. The openness and sensitivity of creative individuals often exposes them to suffering and pain yet also a great deal of enjoyment.” Related Ideas to 10 Paradoxical Traits of Creative People Also see: Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis Everyone’s a Geek About Something, and no one is one-dimensional, as I like to say The Spectrum Policy Attribution Bias Flow Match challenge with skills for flow at work Yes sayers, no sayers The Bandwagon Effect Groupthink The same excerpt above is also in the excellent Farnum Street. ## Latitude and Longitude: How to Remember Which is Which URL: https://sketchplanations.com/latitude-longitude Published: 2025-12-07T12:00:00+0000 Categories: geography, weather, maps, memory, earth, planet, navigation, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aTGkgnNYClf9n1E8_SP954-LatitudeLongitude-howtoremember.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How to remember latitude and longitude on a world map, understand which is which, which is x or y, and how to read lat–long coordinates using an easy mnemonic: latitude is flat and longitude converges Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/latitude-longitude), CC BY-NC 4.0 Latitude and longitude together give you your position on the globe. They are the two types of lines that wrap the planet on globes and our world maps. One set is the horizontal lines, and the other vertical, but for the longest time I struggled to remember which was which. No more. How to Remember Latitude vs Longitude The mnemonic I've found that has never failed for me to remember which is latitude and which is longitude is: Latitude is flat. (or just Lat is flat) Longitude converges. So lines of latitude are the lines that lie flat on a globe or map. Lines of longitude are the tall ones that converge at the poles (latitude lines don’t converge). Two other ways that might work for you: Imagine the map grid as a ladder. Latitude lines are the flat rungs you could step on, and longitude lines are the long vertical lines connecting the rungs. Longitude lines are always long, as they all pass through the poles. Whereas latitude lines, as they encircle at different positions north-south around the planet, are long by the equator but short around the poles. Which Way Latitude and Longitude Run (and What They Mean) When you give a latitude for a city or location, you're saying which of the horizontal lines of latitude the location is. Somewhat counterintuitively then, this tells you how far up or down the planet you are between the poles—your north–south position. Latitude behaves like the y position on a graph. Latitude values increase as you go north from the equator and decrease as you go south. When you give a longitude, this corresponds to which of the tall vertical longitude lines you mean. Longitude tells you where you are east–west around the world. Longitude behaves like the x position on a graph. Longitude values increase as you go east from the prime meridian at Greenwich in London, and decrease (-ve) as you go west. So: Lines of latitude are horizontal, but latitude gives you your vertical position (y position) Lines of longitude are vertical, but longitude gives you your horizontal position (x position) Which comes first: latitude or longitude? Most consumer tools like Google Maps write coordinates as lat, lon. An easy way to remember which comes first is alphabetical: latitude, then longitude—a then o. So a GPS coordinate typically corresponds to your latitude (north–south) first and your longitude (east–west) second. Watch out for this if you, like me, are used to thinking of coordinates as x, y—horizontal position first, then vertical position. Although many consumer tools use lat, long, some technical formats use long, lat, so it’s always worth checking. It can be a real pain if you travel to the wrong location. A Lat/Lon Example To take a real coordinate example. The coordinates for The British Library in London, written in the way Google Maps expects (latitude, longitude) are: 51.53005,-0.12765 That is 51.53005 degrees north of the equator, and just a tiny bit west of the Greenwich Prime Meridian. You can type this into a search in Google Maps or Apple Maps to go straight there giving you: https://www.google.com/maps?q=51.53005,-0.12765 And you can see the GPS coordinates for any point on Google Maps by right-clicking. Other Ways that may Help to Remember A number of readers told me how they remembered it. Perhaps one of these will work for you: One reader told me what solved it for them was the Corona ad: change your whole lattitude From the Jimmy Buffett song, "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes". Picture yourself going further south towards the equator and the warmer it gets the happier you become. Works every time. Latitude lays Lat = Fat = Wide = horizontal lines Lines of LATitude run LATerally. lonGitude = oranGe because of the wedGes Latitude, like altitude—kind of like going "up" the globe LAtitude - Lines Around the world. LOngitude - Lines Over the world Summary An easy way for how to remember latitude and longitude: Latitude is Flat — the horizontal lines on a map Longitude converges — the north-south lines that converge at the poles As a ladder: Latitude are the flat rungs, longitude are the long rails of the ladder. A latitude coordinate is which of the latitude lines you are on, your north–south position on the planet. A longitude coordinate is which of the longitude lines you are on, your east–west position on the planet. Coordinates in most consumer mapping tools are written as lat/long. Hope that helps you, like it helped me. PS A mnemonic, pronounced nuh-MON-ik, is a technique that helps you remember something more easily. Related Ideas to Remembering Latitude Longitude Also see: Find the North Star Know your poles Remember Days in the Month Bactrian or Dromedary Camel Kayak or Canoe Venomous or Poisonous Centipede or Millipede Dolphin or Porpoise Crocodile or Alligator Tortoise or Turtle Stalactite or Stalagmite Americano or Long Black? Maze or Labyrinth ## Apples and Ideas URL: https://sketchplanations.com/apples-and-ideas Published: 2025-11-30T12:00:00+0000 Categories: thinking, metaphor, design, language, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aSlzKnNYClf9nkRH_SP953-Applesandideas.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Apples and ideas quote (not) from George Bernard Shaw illustrated as a concept - giving an apple vs sharing an idea Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/apples-and-ideas), CC BY-NC 4.0 "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples, then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas." This quote, commonly attributed to George Bernard Shaw, though probably not from him, highlights one of the lovely things about ideas. They behave differently from physical things. They're not exclusive; they're additive and abundant. Ideas Don't Behave the Same as Apples Though we talk about intellectual property, ideas don't behave like property in the usual sense. One of the simplest ways to see the difference between ideas and objects is to look at what happens when we share them. I can give you an idea, and we both have the idea, but if I give you my apple, then I no longer have one. This also makes ideas very hard to take back once they are out. Ideas are harder to control than objects. Because ideas are abstract—they don't exist in a physical form—we use conceptual metaphor to talk and reason about them. What follows are some of my favourite examples of how we think about ideas, drawn primarily from Philosophy in the Flesh and the very readable Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. The Ideas Are Objects Metaphor Metaphors are how we talk about abstract concepts, like an idea. And the Ideas Are Objects metaphor is one of the most common ways we understand them. This means that a lot of how we talk about apples and ideas overlap. So I can: give you an idea (or an apple), and maybe you'll grasp it, or perhaps it might go over your head Ideas can be: solid or weak shared or hoarded fragile or bulletproof cheap or gold Thinking Is Object Manipulation Because you can examine objects and manipulate them, we have the metaphor Thinking Is Object Manipulation. When you think about an idea, you might: play with it toss it around see if it sticks share it with others try to break it When you communicate with someone, you exchange ideas. you can give an idea get an idea across Together with the Mind Is a Body metaphor (mental exercise), a teacher might try to: put an idea into students' minds fill them up during the term see how much they've retained And I've certainly employed cramming before a test. Because Understanding Is Grasping—having an idea under control—when you don't understand something, it might: be slippery resist definition—has no shape be beyond your grasp As Thinking Is Object Manipulation, you can work on an idea: reshape it craft it fashion it analyse it by taking it apart deconstruct it Together with Knowing Is Seeing, we can: Turn an idea over to see both sides of it hold it up to scrutiny shine a light on it put it under the microscope Ideas Are Food and Acquiring Ideas Is Eating Another fun and common metaphor for ideas is rather more like apples. If the Mind Is a Body, then we need to feed it healthy, nutritious food. I like to think readers of Sketchplanations have an insatiable curiosity. In much of our reasoning, then, ideas are a special kind of object—they are our food for thought. Unhelpful ideas are unhealthy, and helpful ideas are healthy, so they might be: raw fresh half-baked sweet Or an idea might be: rotten disgusting or unsavory unpalatable hard to digest Or they might: smell fishy leave a bad taste in your mouth Or perhaps they need to be: put on the back burner chewed on for a while sugar-coated Significant ideas are: meaty something to chew on let stew for a while So What Are Ideas Really Like? So, given all this talk about Ideas As Objects, it's easy to assume that ideas should behave like them. But before they take on a physical form — say, as a building or product — they don't behave the same as objects. Hopefully, this sketch conveys this idea to you while keeping it with me, too. I think a more suitable conceptualisation is the magical powers of software with its infinite copy/paste. As software becomes more of our daily experience, we might gradually adopt more accurate metaphors for how ideas actually behave. These are not the only metaphors we use across languages for understanding and reasoning about ideas and thinking, Ideas Are Locations, and Thinking Is Moving in particular ("I don't follow you"). There are many. Do check out Metaphors We Live By if you're curious for more (or Philosophy in the Flesh if you really want to get stuck in). Thanks to Franc M for suggesting this one. Related Ideas and Metaphor Sketches Also see: Primary metaphor A Teacher is a DJ for Learning Since I cover a lot of abstract concepts, many of my sketches share and make use of metaphors. Here are some: Rivers and Buckets Muddy Puddles and Leaky Ceilings Pace Layers The Trust Battery The Spectrum Policy The Overton Window The Johari Window Don't Think of an Elephant Lateral Thinking Compliments Are Gifts Looking Under the Lamppost The Learning Pit The Frog Boil Metaphor Sharpen the Saw (poor trees) Eat the Frog (poor frogs) Chickens and Pigs (poor pigs) Metaphors for Ideas Here's a print of the apples and ideas quote by itself ## Spectrum of Abstraction URL: https://sketchplanations.com/spectrum-of-abstraction Published: 2025-11-23T12:00:00+0000 Categories: drawing, communication, art, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aSnNu3NYClf9nlm1_SP952-SpectrumofAbstraction-Niemann.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Spectrum of abstraction for finding and the essence of a symbol for communication and design. From realistic to abstract: symbols for love, death, excellence, awareness, and growth, as examples. Abstract-o-meter concept and heart example from Christoph Niemann Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/spectrum-of-abstraction), CC BY-NC 4.0 A fundamental act of art is choosing what to leave in and what to leave out. These choices express a point of view and what you communicate. I’ve long been intrigued by iconography for exactly this reason. Icons strip things back to their essence so the message comes across without all the distraction. Choosing What to Leave In and What to Leave Out A pencil icon, like this emoji ✏️, ignores the scratches, the wood grain, the worn eraser, the pencil shavings, all the colour variations. It concentrates on the two ends and the colours, and the intent comes across more clearly. Whenever you draw a scene, you get to choose what to include and what to omit. And in photography, I’ve often framed a shot to leave out the road, the power line, the signpost or the rooftop that would otherwise detract from what I was trying to show. It happens in storytelling, too. You see a bottle of whisky and an ashtray for the grizzled detective in a film or novel. They also have cleaning spray in the cupboard and junk mail on the floor. But some of these add, and some detract. Christoph Niemann on Abstraction One of my favourite explanations of this comes from the Netflix documentary, Abstract: The Art of Design, in the episode with the brilliant Christoph Niemann. Here's how he describes abstraction: "I would say that abstraction probably is, for me, the most important concept of art. ...I start with a thousand different thoughts and then I, one by one, throw them all out, until, at the end, I have the one or two or three that are essential to the whole question. But the abstraction, for me, is this idea of getting rid of everything that's not essential to making a point. ...each idea requires a very specific amount of information. Sometimes it's a lot: a lot of details, a lot of realism. Sometimes it's really just this one line. The one pixel. But each idea has one moment on that scale. So, let's say you want to illustrate the idea of a heart as a symbol for love. When you illustrate it as, just, like, a red square, which is the ultimate abstraction of a heart, nobody knows what you're talking about, so it totally falls flat. When you go all the way realistic and draw an actual heart made out of flesh and blood and pumping, it's just so disgusting that the last thing anybody would ever think about is love. And somewhere between that abstract red square, and the real kind of butcher heart, is the graphic shape that kind of looks like that, and kind of looks like that, and it's just right to transport this idea of a symbol for love." The episode includes a brilliant Abstract-o-meter with the example of the heart and the scale: too realistic --- just right --- too abstract Just the Right Information It's stuck with me. In each sketch, with any icon or scene, there's a choice to be made about how much detail to include. What adds to the message? And what distracts from it? Are there things you can leave out to make your message stronger? Or are there things that are missing? Related Ideas to A Spectrum of Abstraction Also see: The Pyramid Principle - organise ideas to communicate clearly Skeuomorph - design that mimics earlier ones Design for: A Glance, A Look, A Read Word spectrum Mapping: "If your design needs labels, consider another design" Rich Pictures for making sense of complex problems The Golden Ratio The Rule of Thirds Design by Committee ## The Newsletter Paradox: Your newsletter grows when you do nothing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-newsletter-paradox Published: 2025-11-16T12:00:00+0000 Categories: writing, marketing, paradox, motivation, art Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aRRXT7pReVYa4Xss_SP951-TheNewsletterParadox.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the newsletter paradox: your email newsletter subscriber list grows when you do nothing and people unsubscribe when you send Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-newsletter-paradox), CC BY-NC 4.0 Here's a curious and unsettling paradox that you might experience if you choose to write a newsletter: When you do nothing, people join, and your list grows. When you send an email to your list, your list shrinks and people leave. It can seem that people like it when you do nothing, and people don't like it when you publish. There's a fair chance this newsletter would reach more people if I hadn't published anything for a year. The Sawtooth Shape of Subscriber Growth The chart of my subscribers over time looks like a sawtooth. Every growth period is me doing nothing. Every dip—people unsubscribing—is me sending out my work 😅 It can seem like working hard and sending out your best work actually drives people away. A Familiar Pattern for Marketers If you're an email marketer, you're likely familiar with this phenomenon. Your website works hard to drive sign-ups. And when you send out mail, some people buy, but others unsubscribe. Every communication on a list or newsletter is a filtering moment—another chance for a reader to decide, "This is not for me," or "Yes, I still like this." It's also the only practical time to leave. I wonder at the sheer number of lists I must be on, but that aren't sending, and I actually can't unsubscribe because they haven't sent me anything with a link to do it. It's a little like my sampling bias sketch in reverse—if people can't easily unsubscribe without receiving a mail, you'll only see unsubscribes when you send. Much like when you ask people to enter an email address on a business site, a goal is to be clear enough about what people will get, so that when you deliver it matches expectations and people stay. Promise vs Selection Signing up is the Promise of receiving something interesting in the future. Every time you receive something, there's another Selection moment—Do I want this? Hope vs Reality. Each send is like a test to see if you and they are still a good fit. If you're writing a newsletter, the longer people stay, in principle, the better the fit. And, as in business, I learned not to take it personally. When people leave, it doesn't mean what you are doing is bad. It's not personal, it's just not for them. And other times, more prosaically, circumstances change, and what was a good fit just isn't needed anymore. So it’s not really a paradox, but it can certainly feel like one. Don't lose heart. A Note on Substack Sending emails feels very different from posting on social media (I also post new sketches on various social platforms). On social platforms, you literally can't ignore engagement metrics: likes, reposts, shares, comments—and most people don't want to (sort of). They can be either very motivating—"Wow, people loved that one!"—or demotivating—"I thought that one was great. Why did nobody like it??" Either way, you get a rough and skewed measure of interest in what you're doing. But don't take it as truth. For example, something I post that received no likes or interactions is then posted by someone else and takes off. Social media gives you a very distorted, if not downright misleading, view of what's valuable. Contrast that with sending an email newsletter. While a post on social might rack up likes and shares, with email, you often get nothing. I would send an email to 20,000 people and get tumbleweeds (apart from, inevitably, unsubscribes). Did people like it? Did people hate it? But from time to time, instead of likes or thumbs up, with email I receive wonderful, personal, thoughtful replies, notes and stories from individuals—something you will rarely, if ever, receive through social platforms. Substack (the platform I used to send this when I first published it) goes some way to bridging email and social. I can send an email like this one and receive personal replies straight to me. And I can also get a vague and imperfect idea of what people think about it through likes and comments. By the way, if you ever want to click the "like" button on an email, I appreciate it and it probably helps more people find this newsletter, but no obligation. Substack feels different from both traditional email and social platforms. A Personal Note on This Project I've wondered about this curious paradox for years. On a personal note, this project didn't start as a business venture. I’ve always seen it as a way to reach people who might share my interests. Nobody is one-dimensional, so I know that you won’t care about or like everything I send. You’re not me, and I’m not you. I’ve been “building an email list” slowly for over ten years. But that’s a very impersonal way to say it. This project has connected me with so many wonderful, generous, and fascinating people through this journey of putting work out in the world. It’s nice to find others who do share some of my interests about the world. I know that some people have been reading these for the whole journey—wow, thank you. And for others, this might be your first, and you might be about to throw the letter in the bin like the person in the sketch, or dig into the archive, or wait for the next one. All of these are fine with me. And if you're writing a newsletter or growing a list yourself, I'm partly sharing this to show that this is an entirely normal, if not required, part of reaching people who want what you're offering. Keep at it! Related Ideas to the Newsletter Paradox Also see The Subscription Trap The Business Flywheel Discovering truth and beauty and sharing it with others The Irresistible Power of Variable Rewards To Scale, First Do Things That Don't Scale The Shirky Principle Goodhart's Law - social media likes? You Get What You Measure Enough Molehills Make a Mountain More paradoxes ## Mirage: why do we see a pool of water? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/mirage Published: 2025-11-09T12:00:00+0000 Categories: science, physics, waves Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aQ96HrpReVYa4Q8-_SP950-Mirage.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Mirage explained: what causes a mirage and why it looks like water, showing hot air bending light from the sky so it appears as a reflection on the ground. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/mirage), CC BY-NC 4.0 Walking through a baking desert, you see a distant pool of water towards the horizon. An oasis to save the day, perhaps? No—just a mirage. But what causes it, and why does it look like a pool of water? I remember the satisfying Aha! moment I experienced when I learned that the apparent pool of water is simply a reflection of the sky above appearing on the ground. Because it looks like a reflection of whatever’s above, our brains go for the most likely explanation: it must be water. What causes a mirage? A few things come together to trick us. First, on a hot day in a hot place—such as a tarmac road in a desert—the ground heats up strongly. This warms the air just above it, creating a temperature gradient: the air nearest the ground is much hotter than the air above. Second, light refracts, or bends, as it passes through mediums of different densities. When you see a straw appear to bend in a glass of water, it’s because light travels at different speeds in air and water, and the change in speed makes it change direction. On our hot road with a temperature gradient in the air above, the hotter air near the surface is less dense than the cooler air above. As light passes through these layers, it bends smoothly. Under the right conditions, light from the sky may bend so much that it curves back upward before reaching the ground, eventually entering your eyes. Lastly, when we see sky-coloured light coming from the ground, our brains interpret it as a reflection—so we perceive a shimmering pool of water. Perhaps it's easier with a picture... Types of mirages: inferior and superior Strictly speaking, a mirage like this one—the most common to experience—is an inferior mirage, where the image appears below the real object. For example, a car driving on a hot road can look as though it’s reflected in a pool beneath it. There's also a rarer but striking superior mirage, where the mirage appears above the real object. This happens with the opposite temperature gradient—when colder air lies below warmer air—such as in winter or over polar ice. The results can be startling, such as ships that seem to hover above the sea. Related Ideas to Mirage Atmospheric Perspective Redshift The Doppler Effect Sonic Boom Parallax The moon illusion Looking back in time Estimating the distance of a storm: the Flash-to-bang method ## Collective Nouns: Examples, meanings, and the best ones for animals URL: https://sketchplanations.com/collective-nouns Published: 2025-11-02T12:00:00+0000 Categories: writing, words, language, animals Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aPijq7pReVYa3jfw_SP949-CollectiveNouns.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What are collective nouns for animals? Illustration of African animals showing examples of collective nouns: a tower of giraffes, a crash of rhinos, a pride of lions, a dazzle of zebra, a murder of crows, a bask of crocodiles, and others. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/collective-nouns), CC BY-NC 4.0 A tower of giraffes. A murder of crows. A shiver of sharks. Some of the most delightful words in English are collective nouns. A collective noun is a word used to describe a group of individuals or things — most commonly groups of animals. The best capture character and imagination in a single word. Watch a replay of drawing this sketch Everyone loves a good collective noun. So here's a small collective nouns list with some of the most delightful examples. Fun Examples of Collective Nouns for Animals Some crackers: A tower of giraffes A crash of rhinos A galaxy of starfish A shiver of sharks A destruction of wildcats A bask of crocodiles A pride of lions A bloat of hippopotamus A nest of vipers A confusion of wildebeests A shrewdness of apes A dazzle (or zeal) of zebra A labour of moles A prickle of porcupines An embarrassment of pandas A skulk of foxes A leap of leopards Collective Nouns for Birds We all know a gaggle of geese, thanks to the great alliteration, but these are lovely too: A parliament of owls A murmuration of starlings A charm of goldfinches A pandemonium of parrots An ostentation of peacocks An exaltation of larks A flamboyance of flamingos A murder of crows A deceit of lapwings (poor lapwings) An exaltation of larks A raft of coots Collective nouns for other things Are collective nouns for other things, not just animals? Yes. We say a bunch of bananas, a quiver of arrows, a bouquet of flowers, a fleet of ships, or a squadron of aircraft. Collective nouns for professions or groups of people are some of the more fun. Take, for example: a pack of thieves a coven of witches a haggle of vendors a sentence of judges a flock of tourists a wince of dentists an absence of professors a shush of librarians a tangle of coat hangers or a torment of personal trainers Collective nouns are everywhere. Where do collective nouns come from? Many collective nouns still used today were first recorded in a 1486 book by an English noblewoman called The Book of St Albans, or The Book of Hawking, Hunting and Blasing of Arms. It includes an appendix in wonderful olde englishe with "The Compaẏnẏs of beestẏs and fowlẏs." It meant that people out hunting could correctly identify their "Besynes of ferettis" (business of ferrets) and "Brace of grehoundis" (brace of greyhounds). But English continues to evolve, and the older zeal of zebra may give way to a dazzle when enough people decide to use that one. As there appears to be no established authority, may the best collective noun win. Wiktionary has a mighty list of collective nouns in case you ever wanted to discover a glitter of generals, an implausibility of gnus, or a helix of geneticists. I can't vouch for their accuracy, though. If you know or find any others you particularly like, please share them with me in a reply or comment. However, the best and most well-researched collection I’ve seen is from James Lipton’s An Exaltation of Larks. What makes a great collective noun? For me, the best collective nouns sum up, often with a touch of humour, poetry, and perhaps a wink, the most salient qualities of their nouns. It’s what makes a shiver of sharks, or a bask of crocodiles, so much more enjoyable than, say, a cloud of sharks, or a litter of crocodiles, or just a bunch of either of them. Perhaps we need a collective noun for a group of sketches? A gallery of sketches An insight of sketches A clarity of sketches A spark of sketches A scribble of sketches A wonder of sketches Favourites? Related Ideas to Collective Nouns Also see: Spoonerism Dialogue, monologue, halfalogue Days of the week Ordering adjectives Sea jelly, sea star Crazy English: fish - ghoti Word spectrum RAS Syndrome Advise vs advice NATO Phonetic alphabet Learn more: A short BBC video, The Strange World of Collective Nouns, gives a lovely overview of their origin and some fun examples. A pedant of Oxford commas? As Susie Dent says, "The only boring thing about collective nouns is their name." Update 10 Nov 2025: I added a few more from suggestions and a link to the excellent book An Exaltation of Larks. ## Rich Pictures: Making Sense of Complex Problems URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rich-pictures Published: 2025-10-26T12:00:00+0000 Categories: thinking tool, design, research, ux Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aPdPDbpReVYa3gPX_SP948-RichPictures.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is a rich picture diagram — a group of people sketching a rich picture about planning a group holiday, showing connected ideas, icons, and notes on a large whiteboard to visualise a complex situation. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rich-pictures), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sometimes, when faced with a new challenge, you just don't know where to start. One good way to get going is with a rich picture. What is a Rich Picture? A rich picture diagram is a systems thinking tool used to make sense of complicated or unclear situations. It helps you visualise everything you know or think about a problem space — without needing a strict method, structure, or artistic skill. I love it because the format is deliberately flexible: you can include people, processes, relationships, emotions, metaphors, and connections. It does not have to look good. In fact, it’s probably better if it doesn’t so you’re more likely to get stuck in and edit it. The act of drawing it out helps you clarify your thinking and see how different parts of the situation connect. It's not just getting what you know onto a page; it's actually thinking and making connections as you go. It makes your thinking visible, allowing you to create and discover more connections. It's part analysis, part reflection, and part creative exploration. Why Use Rich Pictures? Rich picture diagramming is widely used in business analysis, systems design, and problem-solving because it: Reveals hidden assumptions Encourages collaboration and shared understanding Highlights conflicts or misunderstandings early Supports creative and divergent thinking Provides a low-pressure, inclusive way to explore ideas You don’t need a rich picture template — just a large piece of paper (or whiteboard) and the freedom to draw. Rich Pictures in a Group for Shared Understanding Even more powerful than creating one alone is creating a rich picture in a group. The magic of doing an activity like this together is making team members' implicit understanding visible and differences in opinions and assumptions apparent. By making mental models visible, the rich picture helps uncover where people's views differ and where they align — a critical step for building shared understanding in teams. When these implicit understandings and assumptions are in conflict, the team can work together to build a shared understanding or determine what data they need to gather. Shared understanding is critical for high-performing teams to solve problems and create new products or services. Rich Picture Example: Planning a Group Holiday Here's an example: imagine a team designing a product to help people plan group holidays. People arrange group holidays all the time, but if you've been involved, you probably know that it's not straightforward. The team could start by sketching a rich picture that captures everything involved: Initial interest Preferences of types of holidays coordinated between the group Ways of sharing options Filtering and decision-making processes Tools to gather practical options Constraints like budget, dates, baggage limits, length, language, and travel times Coordinating payment Meal planning Logistics Individual preferences in comfort, luxury, food, activities, sleeping arrangements Travel means, distances and time Tools to communicate and plan There's so much! While any team wanting to improve this process should speak with people who have gone on, or want to do, group holidays, drawing a rich picture is a great way to start. You will quickly find out, for example, that different team members have different views of which are the difficult parts, which parts are easy, past experiences that worked or didn't, and more. By mapping these visually, the team can quickly see pain points, hidden complexity, and different perspectives — insights they can later validate through user research. As an aside, a rich picture in this sort of situation is a great example of the framing cycle from my PhD thesis: Effective Framing in Design (pdf). Rich Pictures are the Start A rich picture diagram doesn't solve things by itself. It's a way to get into a problem space, to unblock a team, to give avenues to explore, and to uncover hidden conflicts and assumptions. Once created, a team can start to dive into any aspect of the picture, refine it, or just put it to one side. It can be a starting point for more formal models like process maps, user journeys, or systems diagrams. Advantages of Rich Pictures Rich pictures are great when: You don't know where to start The problem is complex, cross-disciplinary, or wicked People have different views Everyone has lots of thoughts to get out There's some knowledge, but it's incomplete I love them because: they are very low pressure artifacts to create they don't require any special skills everyone can contribute they mix words, and simple visuals they can be structured or unstructured they're useful to look back on it's so releasing to get everything out of your head where it can be interrogated and understood they are inclusive for all thinking styles they spark great conversations A mind map is similar to a rich picture, but, in its traditional forms, has a more prescribed structure. Still, as in a mind map travel journal, it has a lot of similarities. Not sure where to start? Lots going on? Multiple perspectives? Maybe try a rich picture next time. Related Ideas to Rich Pictures Also see: Don't let your thinking be limited by your tools Six Thinking Hats Information Radiator Roger Martin's Knowledge Funnel: Mystery, Heuristic, Algorithm Build a mind map Mind map Travel Journal 6 Simple Sketch People I created this rich picture illustration and example as one of a series of visuals for Kaine Ugwu about Systems Thinking. ## Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure URL: https://sketchplanations.com/systolic-and-diastolic-blood-pressure Published: 2025-10-19T11:00:00+0000 Categories: health, science, measurement Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aPJZm55xUNkB2GfX_SP947-SystolicDiastolicBloodpressure.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is systolic and diastolic blood pressure — diagram showing heart contraction (systolic) and relaxation (diastolic) with 120/80 example and pressure graph. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/systolic-and-diastolic-blood-pressure), CC BY-NC 4.0 When a doctor or nurse takes your blood pressure, you’ll usually be told two numbers — for example, 120 over 80. But what do these numbers actually mean? Understanding Blood Pressure Readings A blood pressure reading measures how strongly your blood pushes against your artery walls as your heart beats. About once every second, your heart contracts and relaxes — your heartbeat. Each contraction pushes blood to your lungs to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen and sends oxygen-rich blood around your body. Inside your heart, a set of clever valves ensures blood flows in just one direction — out to your body during each contraction, then back in to refill the heart as it relaxes. Systolic Blood Pressure When your heart contracts, it forces blood out at its peak pressure — this is called systolic blood pressure. It’s the higher of the two numbers in a blood pressure reading. For example, in a reading of 120/80 mmHg, the 120 is your systolic pressure. It shows how hard your heart is working to pump blood through your arteries during the systole phase. Diastolic Blood Pressure When your heart relaxes between beats, the pressure in your arteries drops — this is called diastolic blood pressure. It's the lower number in your reading and represents the baseline pressure as blood continues to flow even while the heart rests. This occurs during the diastole phase, when the heart refills ready for the next contraction. A generous reader shared an analogy with me: Imagine a garden hose watering the grass. If you stomp on the hose the height of the spraying water briefly goes up from the extra oomph from the foot. This is analogous to the heart contracting (systolic). If you then raise your foot, the height of the spraying water goes down, but it continues to flow. This is analogous to the low flow state when the heart expands and refills (diastolic). An Example Blood Pressure Reading: 120/80 mmHg So, in a normal blood pressure range like 120/80: 120 – Systolic blood pressure (heart contracting) 80 – Diastolic blood pressure (heart relaxing) Together, these two numbers give a clear picture of how your heart and blood vessels are functioning — whether your blood pressure is normal, low, or high. The pressure readings, e.g. 120 mmHg, are values above atmospheric air pressure, which at sea level is usually around 760 mmHg. So the absolute pressure in this case would be 880 mmHg (120 + 760). The unit mmHg means millimetres of mercury. It corresponds to early pressure gauges that measured pressure by the height of mercury in a glass column. Related Sketches to Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure Also see: 1.5 billion heartbeats in a lifetime The half-life of caffeine Biceps, Triceps, Quadriceps Proprioception Crossmodal perception Anatomy of a wave In case it's not obvious, this is not medical advice, and I am not a doctor—I just wanted to know what those two numbers really meant when someone took my blood pressure. ## And, above all, never give up URL: https://sketchplanations.com/and-above-all-never-give-up Published: 2025-10-12T10:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, nature, wisdom Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aOeChZ5xUNkB1x2g_SP946-Aboveall%2Cnevergiveup.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Quote and advice from Jane Goodall's mother: If there's something you really want, you're going to have to work really hard, take advantage of opportunity and, above all, never give up. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/and-above-all-never-give-up), CC BY-NC 4.0 I wanted to share not just a short tribute to Jane Goodall, but also a tribute to Jane’s mother. Parents, after all, play a part in remarkable children. Here Jane shares a lesson from her mother that she clearly took to heart: If there’s something you really want, you’re going to have to work really hard, take advantage of opportunity and, above all, never give up. — Jane Goodall's mother, Vanne Goodall, (as recounted by Jane) It’s simple advice, but Jane embodied it. To her last days, she never gave up fighting for all of us. As she said, “I went to Africa as a scientist. I left the jungle as an activist.” One of her key realisations was that if we want to protect animals and the natural world, we have to help people out of extreme poverty. When you’re struggling to survive, the environment isn't your main concern, and animals can look like food. That’s why, perhaps counterintuitively, I've read that some of the most effective ways to help the planet and its wildlife are to help people out of poverty, and particularly by providing education and opportunities for women. For example, see Factfulness by Hans Rosling. Maybe your kids will hear what you tell them after all. A Little About Jane Goodall If you don't know much about Jane, she left England to study chimpanzees in Africa. She made many new discoveries about their behaviour, such as tool use, and hunting and eating meat. She also saw the threat to their habitat and safety and resolved to do something about it. She founded Roots & Shoots (global, USA), a program with the mission: "To foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for animals, people, and the environment." It particularly focuses on young people. The program continues today through the Jane Goodall Institute. “We have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place.” — Dr. Jane Goodall Jane shared these lessons from her mother in the course I took from her on Masterclass. Jane has also written many books, though I haven't read them. There are also plenty of talks from her that you can watch online. As a small aside, Masterclass isn't cheap, but if you're at a point where you're ready to pack in some learning, there are some amazing classes and teachers on there. They don't sponsor this newsletter...but maybe they should 🤔 Related Ideas to Above All, Never Give Up Also see: A World of 4 Income Levels: beyond developing and developed Going Out was Really Going In Mangroves There is No Away Climate anxiety and the cure of action Hitched to Everything Else in the Universe ## The Buttered Cat Paradox URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-buttered-cat-paradox Published: 2025-10-05T11:00:00+0000 Categories: paradox, animals, physics, thought experiment Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aN4RQ55xUNkB1Y7S_SP945-TheButteredCatParadox.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Buttered Cat Paradox meme explained with the buttered toast phenomenon and the cat righting reflex Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-buttered-cat-paradox), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Buttered Cat Paradox goes like this: Cats always land on their feet Falling toast always lands butter side down So what will happen if you strap buttered toast to the back of a falling cat? Presumably, the cat righting reflex will fight against the pull of the buttered toast. John Frazee proposed the buttered cat paradox in a July 1993 competition in Omni magazine, including a practical application based on the inevitable hovering that must result: "When a cat is dropped, it always lands on its feet, and when toast is dropped, it always lands with the buttered side facing down. I propose to strap buttered toast to the back of a cat. The two will hover spinning, inches above the ground. With a giant buttered cat array, a high-speed monorail could easily link New York with Chicago." The Buttered Toast Phenomenon Incidentally, the buttered toast phenomenon—why toast always lands butter side down—was the subject of an experiment on the British TV show QED, finding that buttered toast, when thrown into the air, landed equally on the buttered and unbuttered sides. However, Robert Matthews conducted a mathematical analysis of toast falling, as it would more commonly, from the edge of a table. His work showed that landing buttered-side down is the most likely result given the height of an average table, the gravitational constant, and the typical mass of toast. It won him an Ig Nobel Prize in 1996. Buttered toast has been falling for a long time. There's an 1884 poem by James Payn: I never had a slice of bread, Particularly large and wide, That did not fall upon the floor, And always on the buttered side! The Cat Righting Reflex The innate ability for cats to twist around and land on their feet is called the cat righting reflex. They can do this thanks to a very flexible spine and no collarbone. I dropped no cats in the making of this sketch. Please don't drop cats. Here's a print of the cat only More paradoxes The coastline paradox: the length of a coastline depends on how close you measure The transparency paradox: the more transparent the workspace, the more privately people behave The paradox of choice: more choice can make it harder to choose The automation paradox: the better the machines get, the more we struggle when they fail The Abilene paradox: a group can take an action that no one thinks is good The liar paradox: I am lying The paradise paradox: the belief that moving to paradise will solve all our problems Jevon's paradox: Fuel efficiency gains tend to increase fuel use Also see: Murphy's Law: What can go wrong, will go wrong Learn more This archived Scientific American article on the murphodynamics of toast gives more detail about the buttered toast phenomenon. ## Pace Layers: Six layers of robust and adaptable civilisations URL: https://sketchplanations.com/pace-layers Published: 2025-09-28T08:59:00+0000 Categories: government, law, framework, nature, design, economics, technology, innovation Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aNpXJp5xUNkB1Nkj_SP944-Pacelayers.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Pace Layers diagram by Stewart Brand explained: fashion, commerce, infrastructure, governance,culture, nature. Fast layers innovate, slow layers stabilise. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/pace-layers), CC BY-NC 4.0 What makes a resilient system? It needs to be strong, but flexible. Pace Layers, sometimes called pace layering, is a framework created by Stewart Brand of the Long Now Foundation that explores how different parts of civilisation change at different speeds. Fast-moving layers like fashion bring novelty and experimentation, while slower layers like culture and nature provide stability and memory. Together, the layers support, reinforce, and challenge each other—creating robust, adaptable societies. Pace layers is a model I have come back to again and again. What is the Pace Layers Framework? The pace layering model has six levels, with each deeper layer moving more slowly than the one above it. In Brand's words: Fast learns, slow remembers. Fast proposes, slow disposes. Fast is discontinuous, slow is continuous. Fast and small instructs slow and big by accrued innovation and occasional revolution. Slow and big controls small and fast by constraint and constancy. Fast gets all our attention, slow has all the power. In short: the fast layers innovate, the slow layers stabilise. Brand argued that all durable dynamic systems have this sort of structure—it’s what makes them adaptable and resilient. According to pace layering, the six layers of pace and size in the working structure of a robust and adaptable civilisation are: Fashion/Art Commerce Infrastructure Governance Culture Nature Pace Layering Example: Electric Scooters An example brings pace layers home to me. Here, I consider electric scooters, but you can take almost any innovation and think through the layers. Fashion/Art New scooter designs, colours, marketing campaigns, and influencer hype cycles. These come and go quickly—some stick, most fade. Commerce Scooter rental startups, pricing models, venture capital funding, and competition with bikes, cars, and other transport. Commerce runs slower than fashion, but still moves quickly through experimentation. Infrastructure Charging docks, scooter lanes, designated parking areas, and integration with city planning—all these take time. Cities and transport systems have to adapt, if electric scooters persist, for them to thrive rather than die out. Governance The laws and regulations surrounding scooters often lag behind the pace of commerce, including speed limits, taxes, penalties, incentives, safety requirements, age restrictions, or bans. Governance responds as the effects of scooters unfold. Culture Culture in the deep sense of how this changes mobility and ideas around travel. It may affect socialising, where people work and live, and what we choose to do as a society. Culture evolves slowly as habits and norms change in tandem with governance and infrastructure. Nature The environmental realities of scooters vs other transport means. Batteries, natural resources, long-term sustainability, and the effect on the climate. Applying the Pace Layers Model to AI Applying pace layers to the growth and development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also instructive: Fashion: AI tools and interfaces change daily. Commerce: Models and capabilities change weekly or monthly. Companies compete on quarterly and annual cycles. Infrastructure: Investment, data centres and energy generation are being approved and built slowly. Governance: The rules, ethics, court cases, and legal challenges surrounding the regulation of AI content and companies are developing on a case-by-case basis. Culture: How AI changes work, employment, where people live, and power structures are all in progress. Nature: Effects on the planet, energy and climate take longer to play out. AI can feel like it's changing every day, yet its deepest consequences will play out over decades and centuries. Pace Layers and Time Hierarchy In his book The Clock of the Long Now, Brand also discusses time hierarchy in nature. He describes a coniferous forest: The needle changes within a year. The tree crown over several years. The patch over many decades. The stand over a couple of centuries. The forest over a thousand years. The biome over ten thousand years. The faster elements are constrained by the slower ones: the needle by the crown, the crown by the patch, and so on up to the biome. Yet innovation still percolates through the system via evolutionary competition. Occasionally, shocks—fire, disease, human activity—disrupt the whole structure, sometimes all the way to the biome. You can see this idea in my sketch on Time Hierarchy. Considering the Pace Layers Model I find pace layers thinking interesting as a way to differentiate between the fast and slower changes I see around me. It helps me make better sense of the world and see the age-old tussle between innovation and stability. Related Ideas to Pace Layers Also see: Time Hierarchy The Overview Effect The Overton Window: the range of politically acceptable ideas Human pace The Gartner Hype Cycle Marchetti's Constant The Destiny Instinct The S-Curve The Law of Unintended Consequences I revised my original pace layers sketch because I kept discussing it with people and thought it needed a better visual. Read more on Pace Layers at the Long Now ## The Repeated Word Illusion URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-repeated-word-illusion Published: 2025-09-21T11:00:00+0000 Categories: illusion, psychology, books, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aMKSt2GNHVfTPCOu_SP943-TheRepeatedWordIllusion.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Repeated Word Illusion using "I love Paris in the the Springtime" with a repeated "the" set in a pyramid layout Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-repeated-word-illusion), CC BY-NC 4.0 I distinctly remember the first time I saw the “I love Paris in the the springtime” illusion. It definitely got me. My mind happily skipped past a 'the' without a second's notice. Why do our brains do that? Why do so many people fall for this “I love Paris in the springtime” illusion? This little illusion is a fun and memorable example from psychology that illustrates how our minds use shortcuts when reading. There are a few factors at work that let us completely miss repeated words—even when they’re right in front of us. Our minds love taking shortcuts Thinking is expensive—it takes energy. So when our brain sees something familiar, it often skips ahead to save effort. We rely on mental shortcuts (heuristics) to help us move faster and more efficiently, but sometimes those shortcuts trip us up. Top-down and bottom-up processing When presented with a simple sentence, as in the sketch, our minds may engage in top-down processing, jumping straight to the meaning. In contrast, when something is unfamiliar, important (like an exam), or when our role demands precision (like a proofreader), we tend to slow down and use bottom-up processing—scanning each word more carefully. Saccades When reading, our eyes don’t move smoothly along a line—they jump in quick bursts called saccades. How far we jump depends on word length, spacing, familiarity and complexity. Some words may be skipped entirely. Short, common and predictable words Paris and Springtime, though well known, are less common than "the". We are more likely to focus on the less usual, meaning-carrying words and skip short, common, predictable words. Layout matters By stacking the sentence in a pyramid, we subtly guide attention downward and to the right. That extra “the” hides off to the left, where we’re least likely to look back. -- The psychology of what we actually do when we read is much more complex and fascinating than I first realised—as I find so often the case with things. PS Did you catch the repeated 'are', too? Related Ideas to The Repeated Word Illusion More illusions: The Droste Effect The ring-segment illusion The impossible staircase (Penrose stairs) Anamorphosis The moon illusion Hermann grid, Necker cube, Blivet Also see: Leading, tracking, kerning The availability heuristic The frequency illusion Gestalt principles Context is king More This paper has an interesting discussion of word skipping and reading models that try to understand and simulate what we really do when we read: Drieghe, D., Rayner, K., & Pollatsek, A. (2005). Eye movements and word skipping during reading revisited. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 31(5), 954. I wasn't sure of the name of this illusion. If you know what it should be called, please let me know. ## Science and Engineering: What’s the Difference? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/science-and-engineering Published: 2025-09-14T11:00:00+0000 Categories: science, engineering, quote, transport, animals Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aL6uRmGNHVfTOwpd_SP942-ScienceandEngineering.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The difference between Science and Engineering: quote by Theodore von Kármán "Scientists discover the world that exists; Engineers create the world that never was." Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/science-and-engineering), CC BY-NC 4.0 People often ask, "What's the difference between science and engineering?" Having studied engineering but always loved science, I've come across a few perspectives I find useful to understand the two. In England at least, studying science usually comes first. In fact, you can't really study engineering until you head off to University. So discussing science and engineering together never came up when I was at school. Engineering seemed to be machines and buildings and projects and design and technology, and science seemed to be everything else. But what really makes science science and engineering engineering? Science vs Engineering: Five perspectives Here are five simple ways people have described science and engineering. Theodore Von Kármán on Scientists and Engineers Aerospace engineer Theodore Von Kármán said: Scientists discover the world that exists; Engineers create the world that never was. — Theodore Von Kármán Richard Hamming on Science and Engineering Bell Labs engineer Richard Hamming, in his book The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn, captured the difference this way: "In science if you know what you are doing you should not be doing it. In engineering if you do not know what you are doing you should not be doing it." — Richard Hamming Hamming also points out that there's a lot of science in engineering and a lot of engineering in science: "Much of present science rests on engineering tools, and as time goes on, engineering seems to involve more and more of the science part." For example, dealing with huge amounts of data, of the sort generated by weather sensors or particle colliders, requires exceptional engineering techniques. And engineering new displays or ever smaller processing chips requires a lot of scientific knowledge. The two are intertwined: science enables engineering to push forward, and engineering opens new doors for science. Richard Feynman on Computer Science Physicist Richard Feynman, in a talk on quantum computers at Bell Labs (video excerpt), said: "I don't believe in Computer Science. To me, science is the study of the behavior of nature. And engineering or applied things is the behavior of things we make. You need to know how Nature works in order to make the things, and so you use science in engineering, but you're doing it for a human purpose." — Richard Feynman Mythbusters' Adam Savage on Science vs Screwing Around Adam Savage, Mythbusters host, shared: "Remember kids, the only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down." Adam said that the quote was actually from the ballistics expert on a shoot, Alex Jason. It doesn’t quite get to the heart of science versus engineering, but it’s a great reminder of good practice. Why, How, What's Next? A reader shared this framing with me: Science asks “Why” Engineering asks “How” And together, they answer, “What’s next?” And finally, my own phrasing in the first draft for the sketch used: Science: Study of the world Engineering: Doing things with what we've learned about the world So while there probably isn't a single neat answer to the question of what’s the difference between science and engineering, maybe these give some food for thought. If you know of other interesting framings for science and engineering, please let me know. Related Ideas to Science and Engineering Also see: The Feynman Learning Technique Data Information Knowledge Wisdom Bloom's Taxonomy for learning Hitched to Everything Else in the Universe You Get What You Measure - Richard Hamming What Gets Measured Gets Better - Richard Hamming Darwin's 5 Principles of Natural Selection Accuracy and Precision are not the same thing Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis a progression of ideas Unknown unknowns Greeble (I learned from Adam Savage) ## The Figure Skater's Spin and the Conservation of Angular Momentum URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-figure-skaters-spin Published: 2025-09-07T11:00:00+0000 Categories: physics, sport, mathematics, science Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aLrnN2GNHVfTOtHT_SP941-Figureskater%E2%80%99sspinandConservationofAngularMomentum.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Figure Skater's Spin and Conservation of Angular Momentum Illustrated with equations Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-figure-skaters-spin), CC BY-NC 4.0 Why figure skaters go slower with their arms outstretched When a figure skater pulls into one of those incredible spins, they provide one of the clearest examples of the conservation of angular momentum. When they pull their arms in, they go fast, and when they stretch out their arms or legs, they slow down. What's going on? Angular Momentum You can think of angular momentum as the oomph in a rotating object, like a weight on a string. It's the rotating equivalent of linear momentum. A system's angular momentum depends on the distribution of mass around the axis of rotation, known as its moment of inertia, multiplied by its velocity of rotation. This is written as: L = I x ω Angular momentum L is the product of moment of inertia I and angular velocity ω. If you swing a weight on a short string versus a long string at the same spin rate, the one on the long string carries more angular momentum. That’s because its mass is further from the axis, giving it a bigger moment of inertia. Devices like flywheels store energy by setting a large mass spinning. The faster it spins and the heavier it is, the more rotational energy it stores. I think we know this intuitively because when we see a large thing spinning, it looks dangerous. The Conservation of Angular Momentum The conservation of angular momentum is a fundamental principle in physics that states that if no external torque (rotational force) acts on a system, then the total angular momentum of that system stays constant. In the figure skater's case, this means that when they spin with their arms in and their arms out, their angular momentum—their distribution of mass from the axis of rotation x rotational velocity—remains constant. Arms out With arms out, mass is further from the axis, so rotation slows. Arms in With arms in, mass is closer to the axis, so rotation speeds up. Examples of Angular Momentum We can see this at work in other places as well. The first three are pretty easy to test yourself, as I have done. The Swivel Chair An easy and fun place to test this is with a swivel office chair. If your office chair spins relatively friction-free, then if you set yourself spinning—or have someone else do it—you'll find that you can change your speed by extending or retracting your legs. Tuck them in and you'll go faster; stick them out and you'll slow down. You can also hold something heavy in your hands and stick your arms out. Roundabouts Set a roundabout spinning. If you move towards the centre, it will spin faster than if you move your weight to the edge. You can watch amusing demonstrations by scientists who hate roundabouts. Playgrounds tend to have other spinny-hell devices, so there may be others you can test with. Swing a Yo-Yo After making sure that you're not near anyone, you can set a yo-yo or other object swinging around you and pull the string to shorten it. You should find the speed increases just like for the figure skater, as its angular momentum is conserved. High Divers Divers that jump from high platforms spin faster when they tuck their legs and arms into their body and slower when they come out of the tuck. Planets and satellites A satellite, or planet, travelling in an elliptical orbit will tend to speed up as it comes closer to the body it's orbiting and slow down further away. Related Ideas to the Conservation of Angular Momentum Also see: The Square Cube Law—why adults are no good at the monkey bars Orbit The Doppler Effect Super Moon — perigee, apogee Buoyancy Sonic Boom Learn More Physics teachers like to demo this by holding weights on spinning office chairs, for which there are lots of videos. I thought the video of a spinning Hoberman sphere (contracting/expanding sphere) was a lovely, clear example. As an example of iterating on sketches, I produced both a more complex and simpler version of this one. ## Chiasmus: What It Is and Famous Examples URL: https://sketchplanations.com/chiasmus Published: 2025-08-31T11:00:00+0000 Categories: language, writing, words, quote, grammar, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aLGYZmGNHVfTOcPQ_SP940-Chiasmus.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is chiasmus? Illustration showing JFK's quote "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" arranged as A-B-B-A symmetry of thoughts. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/chiasmus), CC BY-NC 4.0 When JFK, in his inaugural address, said: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," He wasn’t just delivering one of the most famous presidential lines ever—he was also using a rhetorical device called chiasmus. Whether you stumble across them in literature, politics, or everyday pop culture, famous exemplars and examples of chiasmus show just how powerful this symmetrical flip can be. What is Chiasmus? Chiasmus is the name for arranging words, phrases, or ideas in the structure A-B-B-A. The second half of the sentence mirrors the first half, flipping the order. The symmetry of thought of this rhetorical technique makes language more memorable, striking, and often more persuasive. Chiasmus can involve just ideas, or the exact repetition of words (that special case is called antimetabole). Submit a chiasmus for the examples below Famous Political and Presidential Chiasmus Chiasmus shows up again and again in political speeches, literature, music, and everyday expressions. Mark Forsyth, who is full of brilliant and entertaining examples, notes that few presidents and presidential candidates in recent memory have resisted the lure of chiasmus. Here are some well-known presidential and political chiasmus examples: "You stood up for America; now America must stand up for you." — Barack Obama "Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done." — George W Bush (Jr) "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate." — JFK "People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power." — Bill Clinton "The difference between them and us is that we want to check government spending, and they want to spend government checks." — Ronald Reagan "America did not invent human rights; human rights invented America." — Jimmy Carter "In the end, the true test is not the speeches a president delivers, it's whether the president delivers on the speeches." — Hillary Clinton We are no longer relying on just the strength of our values, but also on the value of our strength. — Mark Carney (Prime Minister of Canada, 2026 Davos speech) Literary and Philosophical Chiasmus Between what is said and not meant, and what is meant and not said, most of love is lost. — Kahlil Gibran Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed that is not faced. — James Baldwin If you have to ask, you will never know. If you know, you need only ask. — The Grey Lady, Helena Ravenclaw He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears. — Michel de Montaigne They went to sea in a Sieve, they did, In a Sieve they went to sea. — Edward Lear Everyday Idioms, Pop Culture, and Catchphrases using Chiasmus We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us. — Winston Churchill Products define our culture and are defined by our culture — Dev Patnaik We shape our tools, and thereafter they shape us. — often attributed to Marshall McLuhan (see QI article, however) Fail to prepare, prepare to fail A place for everything and everything in its place. Don't push information up to authority, push authority down to information. — David Marquet Tea for two and two for tea, Me for you and you for me — the 1925 Musical, No, No Nanette When the going gets tough, the tough gets going — Billy Ocean With my mind on my money and my money on my mind — Snoop Dogg All for one and one for all. — the 3 Musketeers What is a number that a man may know it, and a man that he may know a number? — Warren McCulloch The difference between theory and practice is greater in practice than in theory. It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog - Mark Twain(?) You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy. I don't always say what I mean, but I always mean what I say. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence — Attributed to either Martin Rees or Carl Sagan Never let a fool kiss you, or a kiss fool you A winner never quits, and a quitter never wins. — Attributed to NFL coach Vince Lombardi We don't stop playing because we get old. We get old because we stop playing. Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less. Humorous and Modern Chiasmus Working hard or hardly working? Better late than never, but never late is better. Good from far but far from good. It's not the men in my life, it's the life in my men. — Mae West If I only scrape a living, at least it’s a living worth scraping. — photographer Micky Smith in the film, The Dark Side of the Lens When I was 20, I wanted to be a millionaire. When I became a millionaire, I wanted to be in my 20s. And I have never forgotten a printout at the bottom of some stairs in UC Berkeley: "Take the stairs and add years to your life and life to your years." Frequently Asked Questions About Chiasmus Why is Chiasmus Effective? I don't know if there is a scientific reason why chiasmus is appealing to us, but a few ideas come to mind. It's rhythmic. The mirrored structure is naturally pleasing to the ear, as in Edward Lear's, "They went to sea in a Sieve, they did, In a Sieve they went to sea." It's clever. Chiasmus surprises us by flipping words or ideas into a new sense, as in the use of the word "life" in Mae West's "It's not the men in my life, it's the life in my men." It's easy to remember. If you can remember the first half, you can often reconstruct the second: A place for everything...and everything in its place. What is the difference between chiasmus and antimetabole? Chiasmus is about flipping ideas, as in: The green of summer; an autumn of blue — Chiasmus (ideas inverted - colour, season, season, colour) When the same words are repeated in reverse order, it's technically antimetabole, a special case of chiasmus, as in most of the examples here: Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind (JFK)— Chiasmus and antimetabole (mankind, end to war, war will end, mankind) Have any fun chiasmus examples that you created or you've spotted? Submit a chiasmus or send it by email, and I'll add it to the list. Where does the word chiasmus come from? Chiasmus is based on the Greek letter Chi (pronounced kai), which is an X. If the terms of the chiastic phrase A B B A are placed on top of each other, you get: AB BA Which gives AA and BB in an X shape, just like Chi. (I always ask my amazing aunt who taught classics for this kind of thing) We discuss chiasmus briefly in the podcast episode with Mark Forsyth. Related Ideas to Chiasmus More techniques of rhetoric and curiosities of language: Anadiplosis — Yoda! Pleonasm — Unexpected surprises Ordering adjectives — green great dragon? Ablaut reduplication — hip-hop, zig-zag RAS Syndrome — ATM machines The Golden Circle — It was the "I have a dream" speech, not the "I have a plan" speech Learn More Mark Forsyth covers the chiasmus meaning and examples (and anadiplosis, pleonasm, adjective order, ablaut reduplication and others) in the entertaining The Elements of Eloquence. You can also listen to and watch him recite examples in his TEDx Talk: How to Talk Yourself into the White House (12 min). He shares most of the examples included here. Earlier versions of JFK's "Ask not what your country can do for you..." exist, including from author and poet Khalil Gibran (also see Grow not in each other's shadow). ## Murphy's Law URL: https://sketchplanations.com/murphys-law Published: 2025-08-24T11:00:00+0000 Categories: eponym, law, psychology, design, planning, engineering Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aKcd1qTt2nPbakv6_SP939-Murphy%E2%80%99sLaw.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Murphy’s Law? Meaning and example shown by a giant box labeled “This Way Up” lying upside down showing "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/murphys-law), CC BY-NC 4.0 When you're in a hurry and the light turns red. When your toast falls butter side down. When you visit the shop on the only day it's closed—all classic Murphy's Law. What is Murphy's Law Murphy's Law is: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Other common phrasings of Murphy's Law include: If it can go wrong, it will If something can go wrong, it will go wrong Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. I'd always taken the meaning of Murphy's Law as a pessimistic view of the universe. A kind of "well, typical," "just my luck," "of course it would happen to me," kind of attitude. People invoke it as a convenient excuse for things not going well — a chance to complain and feel that events weren't their fault. My dad always called it Sod’s Law, the more British version of the phrase. I've come to realise that the original meaning of Murphy's Law was more optimistic than pessimistic. For instance, if a box should be a particular way up, we should assume that at some point, someone will put it the wrong way up. So maybe we could design it so that it can't be placed the wrong way up, forcing people to orient it correctly. If you think of the ways something could go wrong and plan for them, there's less chance of them getting you. The Murphy's Law Legend There's a strong—though disputed—origin story for Murphy's Law. The most common story goes something like this. A U.S. Air Force team at Edwards Air Force Base was investigating the effects of extreme acceleration and deceleration on the human body using rocket sleds. They installed new strain gauges, supplied by an engineer named Edward Murphy. But they found the gauges didn't work. Murphy was called in and discovered that someone had installed the gauges incorrectly. Frustrated, he reportedly said something along the lines of: "If that guy has any way of doing something wrong, he'll do it wrong." The team were in the habit of inventing "laws" for different members of the team. George Nichol's recalls changing the initial phrasing to If it can happen, it will happen. And in a press conference, John Paul Stapp, the inspirational team lead who subjected himself to the extreme testing, shared Murphy's Law as: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. It caught on. Murphy himself later said about the strain gauges, "I made a terrible mistake—I didn't cover every possibility for putting these together." In other words, the lesson was not that fate conspires against you, but that if something can be done incorrectly, it eventually will be—so design to prevent it. This connects Murphy's Law to concepts like foolproof design, forcing functions, or the Japanese poka-yoke (mistake-proofing). Incidentally, the team also coined Stapp's Law as: The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle. Stapp's work in understanding the limits of the body didn't just improve aerospace safety. He saw that more people, even in the Air Force, were dying in car crashes than aircraft accidents. Rather than just focusing on preventing crashes, with a very Murphy's Law mindset, Stapp instead asked, When the inevitable car crash does happen, how can we prevent people from dying? His advocacy helped bring about seatbelts, safety glass, and eventually airbags—saving countless lives. But we love a good story. Fred Shapiro, a law librarian and editor of the Yale Book of Quotations, disputes this as the origins of Murphy's Law. He also offers us these wise words: "Anytime someone tells you 'Mark Twain said this,' the one thing you know is that Mark Twain didn't say that." Misunderstanding Murphy's Law A few cognitive biases make us notice failures more than successes: The frequency illusion naturally makes us more aware of what's top of mind—if we're looking for bad things happening to us, we'll start to notice them more frequently. Survivorship bias leads us to overlook all the times that something bad didn't happen to us. And because unfortunate events easily stick in our memory, salience bias can lead us to overestimate how common they really are. For instance, my Law of Lockers is that if you're the only two people in the changing rooms, your lockers will be next to each other. But of course I'm sure I'm ignoring all the many more times our lockers weren't on top of each other. Murphy's Law as an Optimistic Viewpoint And so, in a classic Murphy's Law style example, I've concluded that I generally misunderstood Murphy's Law. It doesn't have to highlight all the bad luck I have. Instead, it can be a call to consider what can go wrong, and given there's a chance that it will, prepare for that so it doesn't. Related Ideas to Murphy's Law Muphry's Law: when criticising spelling or grammar, you'll make a mistake yourself. Plan ahead A mistake is not something to be determined after the fact Hanlon's Razor Thoughtless acts Forcing function Kitchen table survival skills Unknown unknowns Eponyms Finagle's Law: Anything that can go wrong, will—at the worst possible moment. More about Murphy's Law and its origins: Nick Spark's book A History of Murphy's Law A super Decoder Ring podcast episode on Murphy's Law by Willa Paskin, from where I learned much of the origins I did several different versions of this sketch and kept coming back to the wonderful Far Side cartoon of the penguin and the banana skin. O'Toole's comment on Murphy's Law: Murphy was an optimist. Just because someone called it a law doesn't mean it is. ## Temperature Palindromes: Converting Between Fahrenheit and Celsius URL: https://sketchplanations.com/temperature-palindromes Published: 2025-08-17T11:00:00+0000 Categories: temperature, science, weather, scale Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aJYP9KTt2nPbaE5z_SP938-TemperaturePalindromes.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Temperature palindromes: Handy reference points for converting fahrenheit to celsius - 82-28 and 61-16 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/temperature-palindromes), CC BY-NC 4.0 As someone who’s spent time—and has friends—on both sides of the Atlantic, I’ve often needed to understand temperatures in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. Like learning a new language or switching between miles and kilometres, the best way is to immerse yourself in a new scale so you just know what 55°F or 24°C feels like. But if you haven't reached that point, it can be helpful to have a few conversion benchmarks. Fahrenheit and Celsius Temperature Palindromes These two temperature palindromes are handy markers for gauging temperatures in both Fahrenheit and Celsius—and they’re surprisingly accurate: 82°F is 28°C 61°F is 16°C I'm partial to a palindrome—a word or number that is read the same backwards as forwards—and as far as I'm concerned, it makes these two much easier to remember. A couple of related points people shared with me, though some are less useful for the average weather forecast: 68°F = 20°C and 86°F = 30°C — useful benchmarks and 68/86 are palindromic 104°F is 40°C — almost a palindrome 11°F is ≈ -11°C (Actually -11.7°C.) -40°F = -40°C How to Convert Fahrenheit to Celsius (and vice versa) The actual formula to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius is: C = (F – 32) x 5/9 This is because: The Fahrenheit scale starts at 32° higher than the Celsius scale. So, 32°F is 0°C. The 5/9 means that each degree Celsius is just under 2 degrees Fahrenheit—it's actually 1.8°F. This is why the basic conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius that I use is "Minus 32, divide by 2" (which handily rhymes). It's not perfect because each degree Fahrenheit is not quite half of a degree Celsius, but it's pretty close. Using this simplified formula for the palindrome figures gives: 82°F-32=50, divide 50/2 = 25°C (it's actually 27.8°C) 61°F-32=29, divide 29/2 = 14.5°C (it's actually 16.1°C) If you don't fancy some mental maths, using the palindromes is not a bad starting point. If you see a temperature around 61°F, you know it's around 16°C, and a temperature around 82°F is going to be around 28°C. Hope it's helpful! Related Ideas to Temperature Palindromes Palindromes and Semordnilap I learned about 82–28 from my neighbour when I mentioned I was working on the sketch for Temperature Scales: Fahrenheit and Celsius. Some digging gave me the 61–16 point as well. The Fun Scale: three types of fun The Bortle Scale: the clarity of the night sky The Scoville Scale: chilli heat The Goldilocks Zone Word Spectrum ## Grandma's Rule: First___, Then___ URL: https://sketchplanations.com/grandmas-rule Published: 2025-08-10T11:00:00+0000 Categories: eponym, motivation, habits, psychology, food and drink, productivity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aJXWs6Tt2nPbaDnS_SP937-Grandma%27sRule.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Grandma’s Rule? Illustration of the Premack Principle showing a child told ‘Vegetables first, then dessert’ and the First, Then Rule Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/grandmas-rule), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's not clear to me whether the familiar childhood refrain of "First eat your vegetables, and then you can have dessert," is borne out of desperation or generational experience. As a parent myself, I'd hazard desperation, but perhaps I was simply passing down time-tested wisdom. The technique of sequencing a preferred activity contingent on completing a less preferred one is known as Grandma's Rule. It follows the pattern: First ____. Then ____. The Premack Principle Grandma's Rule is also known as the Premack Principle, after psychology Professor David Premack. The principle is that more probable behaviours can reinforce less probable behaviours. In our grandma example, the promise of cake (high-probability behaviour) encourages eating vegetables (low-probability behaviour). For the rule to work, there has to be a clear preference difference between the two activities—a probability differential. “First tidy your room, then do the dishes” likely won’t cut it. Premack studied the principle, including when it works and doesn't, with both animals and people. He also did some remarkable work teaching language to chimpanzees using elements of the rule to reinforce correct interpretations. For example, a chimp might receive fruit if it placed a symbol in the correct spot. Alternatives to Grandma's Rule Grandma's Rule can be effective, but it's rather transactional. And it's unlikely, except through habit and repetition, to engender happy thoughts towards eating your vegetables. However, it might get some fibre into kids. A close cousin is Temptation Bundling, a self-motivation technique studied by Katy Milkman. Temptation bundling motivates you to do something you need to do by pairing it with something you enjoy. In her experiment, for example, participants were only permitted to listen to an audiobook of The Hunger Games—which is indeed rather compelling—while exercising at the gym. But you might also bundle your need-to-dos with your temptations in sequence, Grandma's Rule style. For instance, only buying a smoothie after finishing a workout. Grandma’s Rule as a Commitment Device When you use Grandma's Rule on yourself, it can act as a light-touch commitment device. For example, you might buckle down on your essay by holding a delicious snack "hostage" until it's finished. The rule helps lock you into a future course of action when you are tempted to do otherwise. Making Good Habits More Attractive By pairing the less enjoyable with the enjoyable, Grandma's Rule also makes an activity, or a good habit, more attractive. This is one of the simple habit-building strategies suggested in James Clear's Atomic Habits. You can also connect a good habit to your identity by saying, for example, "I'm the kind of person who eats vegetables first." Over time, this may have the effect of making it less about extrinsic motivation—rewards or punishment. Perhaps you'll even grow up to love your vegetables. Lastly, now we understand the full irresistible power of variable rewards, I wonder if Grandma wasn't missing a trick by incorporating some variability into dessert 🤔 Related Ideas to Grandma's Rule Here are some related concepts to Grandma's Rule: What Drives Us: Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose Temptation Bundling Extrinsic Motivation The Power of Streaks Commitment Device Public Commitment Pledge Implementation Intentions Eat the Frog The Irresistible Power of Variable Rewards Unconditional Parenting The Fun Scale The Pomodoro Technique Eat less with smaller plates Anyone would think I have a problem with getting myself to do things 🙄 PS Here's Calvin eating his vegetables ## Topography and Bathymetry URL: https://sketchplanations.com/topography-and-bathymetry Published: 2025-08-03T11:00:00+0000 Categories: geography, science, oceans, mountains, words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aI8Yg6Tt2nPbZy_Q_SP936-TopgraphyBathymetry.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What are topography and bathmetry, and their meaning, shown as land elevation and ocean depth Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/topography-and-bathymetry), CC BY-NC 4.0 Most people are familiar with topography but lesser known is its underwater cousin, bathymetry.  What is Topography? Topography is the study of land elevation, the ups and downs, forms and features, relief and terrain. The word topography comes from the Greek topos, meaning place, and graphia, meaning writing. In its original sense, similar to ethnography, which is writing about people, topography means writing about a place. What is Bathymetry? Bathymetry is like topography flipped upside down. Bathymetry is the study of the ocean depths, underwater features and terrain. It's everything from the water's surface downwards rather than upwards. The word bathymetry comes from the Greek bathy, meaning deep and metron, meaning measure. In case you were wondering, the highest peak shown is Mount Everest, at 8,848 m above sea level, drawn to scale alongside the Mariana Trench, which plunges nearly 11,000 m below. Also visible: the typical depth of the Atlantic seafloor and the underwater peaks of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Related Ideas to Topography Bathymetry Also see: The 3 Tallest Mountains Tectonic Plate Interaction Boundaries Naismith's rule for mountain hiking time Point Nemo — the remotest place in the oceans The Coastline Paradox ## The Trolley Problem URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-trolley-problem Published: 2025-07-27T11:00:00+0000 Categories: philosophy, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aIOb9VGsbswqTQjY_SP935-TheTrolleyProblem.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Trolley Problem original variant with the runaway trolley and moral dilemma of switching the tracks Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-trolley-problem), CC BY-NC 4.0 The famous moral dilemma: switch the tracks or not? (Here's a combined version of the Trolley Problem and 3 Variants) Imagine you’re the driver of a runaway trolley whose brakes have failed. Ahead on the track, five people are working and will be killed if you do nothing. But you notice a side-track—if you switch the trolley to it, you’ll avoid the five, but one person on that track would be killed instead. Should you pull the lever and switch the tracks—killing one to save five? This is the start of the famous moral dilemma of The Trolley Problem. The fictitious scenario, and others like it, are so effective because they force us to confront our internal moral compass: what seems like the right thing to do, and why? Trolley Problem Variants As we formulate a position on a scenario, it's possible to devise variant scenarios that test our moral reasoning more sharply. For example, in the original problem, many people might suggest that it's OK for the driver to choose to save five people's lives at the expense of the one person on the other track on the basis that killing five people is worse than killing one. Where would you stand on these other variants? The Bystander at the Switch Sketch of the Bystander at the Switch Variant You’re no longer the driver. This time, you’re simply passing by when you see a runaway trolley heading toward five people. The trolley is driverless, and you’re standing next to a switch that could divert the train to another track—where one person would be killed instead. Is it morally acceptable to intervene? Does it feel different when you’re not the driver but an onlooker? The Heavy Man Problem Sketch of the Heavy Man Variant Or suppose that you were on a bridge above the track when you saw the train on its way to crash through the five people working on the track. There’s no switch—but next to you stands a very heavy man. If you push him off the bridge, his body would stop the trolley and save the five. Most people react more strongly against this version, even though the outcome is similar: one life traded for five. (This variant was originally the 'Fat Man' problem, but it's not important that the person is fat, just that they're heavy enough to stop the trolley). The Mafia Problem Sketch of the Mafia Variant Suppose once again you were the bystander at the switch passing the track in this deadly scene. This time, however, you see that the five people on the track are not workmen but hardened criminals. What's more, they've tied an innocent person to the other track. If you switch the trolley, the innocent person dies. If you do nothing, the five criminals die. Does who the people are affect your decision? How to Decide? It may be clear to you what the right path to choose is. And yet, your position may differ from someone else faced with the same scenario. The philosopher Philippa Foot introduced the Trolley Problem in a 1967 paper discussing abortion (PDF), along with several options for reasoning about it. Judith Jarvis Thomson invents some of the further scenarios (such as the mafia case) and alternative arguments in a 1985 paper, The Trolley Problem (pdf). Some possible positions and distinctions you might keep in mind include: Passive vs Active Harm Is it morally different to let five people die (by doing nothing) than to actively cause one person’s death (by switching tracks or pushing someone)? Are you killing or are you failing to save? Is there a difference in what we do and what we allow? Negative Duties vs Positive Duties Some argue there’s a moral difference between duties not to harm (negative duties) and duties to help (positive duties). Avoiding Injury vs Bringing Aid Is there a difference when you are making choices that save different numbers of people rather than making choices where people will die as a direct result of your choices? For example, suppose you face a choice of rescuing a large group of people while leaving another small group to die. Or what if a villain asked you to sacrifice an innocent person, or they will kill five others. Rights vs Utility Does your action violate someone’s rights? Even if the outcome is better overall, is it acceptable to use a person as a means to an end? Is it a matter of degrees? For example, violating an individual's rights by pushing them off a bridge versus stealing from them as a route to save someone. Doctrine of Double Effect Philippa Foot discusses the Doctrine of Double Effect—that our actions may have intended consequences and other outcomes that are foreseeable but not intended—the distinction between "direct" and "oblique intention". In the case of the runaway trolley, it's "one thing to steer towards someone foreseeing that you will kill him and another to aim at his death as part of your plan." Or, for example, in surgery to save a mother during childbirth, the death of a child may be foreseen but not intended. Dilemmas While fictitious moral dilemmas are intriguing thought experiments, real dilemmas surround us. A general orders his troops on a dangerous mission. Adjusting the speed limit on a dangerous road. People die from driving too fast, but walking isn't an option—what's the appropriate risk of death we're comfortable with? Who should receive aid? Who should be rescued first? Should a pilot steer a plane that's about to crash into a less populated area? I remember, in the film Beneath Hill 60 (spoiler), a commander must decide whether to detonate underground munitions to execute the battle plan, knowing that one of his team members is trapped. I find moral dilemmas to be at once fascinating, puzzling, troubling, and uncomfortable. Related Ideas to the Trolley Problem The Front Page Test Equality and Equity The Prisoner's Dilemma Learn More About the Trolley Problem You can, and should, have fun with absurd trolley problems at the brilliant neal.fun—and also see what other choices people made In Michael Sandel's course and book, Justice, he discusses the trolley problem and many other difficult questions of ethics and morals and how to reason about them Both Philippa's and Judith's original papers are quite readable: Philippa Foot, The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of the Double Effect (PDF) Judith Jarvis Thomson, The Trolley Problem (PDF) Prints of the Trolley Problem Trolley Problem standalone prints Trolley Problem and Variants prints ## Looking Back in Time: The Speed of Light and the Night Sky URL: https://sketchplanations.com/looking-back-in-time Published: 2025-07-20T13:32:00+0000 Categories: astronomy, physics, science, history, planet, earth, perspective, moon, space Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aH5LwEMqNJQqIJnG_SP934-Lookingbackintime.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Looking back in time as we look to the stars: A visual explanation of how light from the Moon, Sun, stars, and galaxies shows us the past because light takes time to travel. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/looking-back-in-time), CC BY-NC 4.0 The speed of light is a mighty ~300,000 km/s. But even at that speed, because the distances in space are so vast, sometimes it has to settle in for the ride. When we see the light from a distant star or galaxy, we're not seeing it as it is now—we're seeing it as it was when the light first left on its journey to Earth. Why Looking at Stars Is Like Looking into the Past When you hear a thunderclap after seeing lightning, you know that you're hearing something that happened some time ago. Looking into the night sky is similar—except here, it's light that causes the delay, not sound. Take the moon, for instance. At a little under 400,000 km away, light that has reflected off the moon takes around 1.3 seconds to reach us. But the sun is much further. At around 150 million km away, it takes a little over 8 minutes for light from the sun to reach us. So what we are seeing at the sun, for example, a solar flare, happened 8 minutes ago. (The distance from the sun to Earth is called 1 AU - Astronomical Unit). As soon as you look at more distant objects, you realise that looking up at the night sky is looking way back in time. To measure these distances, we use light years—the distance light travels in one year. So, the number of light years an object is away from us is how far back in time we are seeing. Our nearest star system is Proxima Centauri at around 4.24 light-years away. What we see on Proxima Centauri happened over four years ago. Here are a few stars you can spot at night (in the northern hemisphere) and how long ago the light from each started its journey: Polaris (the North Star): 433 years ago, around 1590 AD Pleiades (Seven Sisters): 444 years ago, around 1580 AD Betelgeuse: 548 years ago, around 1480 AD Put another way, if you were in Betelgeuse right now, you’d be looking at light from our sun around the time Leonardo da Vinci was pioneering sketchplanations. The Andromeda Galaxy, the nearest spiral galaxy to our Milky Way, is a staggering 2.5 million light-years away. This means the light we see from Andromeda today set off on its journey 2.5 million years ago — around the beginning of the Pleistocene, the most recent ice age era, when early mammoths and sabre-toothed cats were emerging. Seeing the Early Universe As we look with increasingly larger telescopes at more distant objects, scientists gather clues about the Universe's earliest days. The farther we look, the farther back in time we see. In 2024, the James Webb telescope detected a galaxy so far away that the light we see started travelling when the Universe was just 2% of its current age. So, as you look up in the sky, it's also like looking at a map of different times. Crazy. Related Ideas to Looking Back in Time Find the North Star Use the Southern Cross to find south Solar system planets: how big is the solar system? Redshift Orbit Point Nemo Antipodes Super moon The Overview effect Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, and Meteorites: know your space objects The Flash-to-Bang Method for estimating the distance of lightning The Doppler effect ## Going Out Was Really Going In — John Muir Quote URL: https://sketchplanations.com/going-out-john-muir-quote Published: 2025-07-13T11:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, nature, mountains, wellbeing, hiking, trees Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aHOozUMqNJQqH0f0_SP933-GoingOutwasReallyGoingIn-JohnMuir-fullwidth.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: John Muir quote illustration: I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in — John Muir quote Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/going-out-john-muir-quote), CC BY-NC 4.0 John Muir is one of my heroes. A Scotsman who moved to California, and through his writings and public engagement (in his later years), played a direct role in America's Greatest Idea: the creation of the National Park system. He wrote prodigiously and is very quotable. The National Park Service has a lovely page of inspiring John Muir quotes, as does the Sierra Club he founded, with sources. But most of all, he spent long days and years by himself exploring the Sierra Nevada mountains of California and taking in everything that Nature offered. Drawn from his later writings and published in John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, 1938, is this wonderful quote: "I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." — John Muir I'm sure people draw their own value from this quote. But for me, it reminds me that we are part of Nature and belong outside, not in. Is there some out that you can make your in this week? -- The quote appears on pages 427 and 438 of the copy in the wonderful Internet Archive. Or some rare copies are available to order. An eye-opening and readable view into John Muir's writings is his book My First Summer in the Sierra, about the year he spent driving sheep up into the mountains and living alongside them. It gives an early taste of his poetic writing, the wild life he embraced, complete with remarkable stories, and the raptures the mountains produced in him. Among others, My First Summer in the Sierra includes the lovely quote (also sketched): "As soon as we take one thing by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." John Muir's life and writings have had some reevaluation in recent years, see, for instance, this piece from the Sierra Club after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. I recommend reading Muir's writing for yourself. The backdrop is from Upper Grove in Mariposa, Yosemite. Related Ideas to Going Out was Really Going In Also see: Rückenfigur Hitched to Everything Else in the Universe The 3-Day Effect 5 Ways to Wellbeing Forest Bathing Time hierarchy How to Instantly Feel Better Truth and Beauty ## Halfpinion: considering only the benefits or the costs URL: https://sketchplanations.com/halfpinion Published: 2025-07-06T11:00:00+0000 Categories: thinking, politics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aGal13fc4bHWjBi9_SP932-Halfpinion.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is a halfpinion with example of someone arguing for the benefits and another arguing the costs are too high. It's not a real opinion unless it considers both. Term from Scott Adams. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/halfpinion), CC BY-NC 4.0 Governing sometimes seems easy from afar. We should spend more on education. We should pay hospital staff more. We should fix the roads. More police. Everyone should work harder. These would all be great if they were free. Unfortunately, doing more in one area often means taking from another. What is a Halfpinion? The reality is that most actions have benefits and costs. A halfpinion is a handy term for when someone is ignoring one half of a topic—either the costs or the benefits. When you only consider one side of an issue, often just the benefits, you don't have a full opinion, you just have a halfpinion, and can't make an informed decision. Getting a pet, having a child, moving to the country, working remotely, working in-house versus working at an agency, going freelance, banning plastics, staying up all night, or launching a new feature — each of these has benefits and also costs. It applies to values, too. If your company values speed, it might mean that you have to accept that not everything will be perfect. If you value quality, it won't always be the cheapest. Valuing speed while tacitly assuming that quality won't be affected is a halfpinion. If you don't consider both aspects, you might find the grass isn't always greener. Providing a credible perspective requires comparing the full benefits of a choice to the full costs. Now, you don't have to accept a trade-off—the benefits or the costs, or somewhere in between. In design, I learned that we innovate through resolving contradictions. In the progression of ideas, this might follow thesis, antithesis, synthesis. Perhaps there's a creative solution to be found that gets the benefits without most of the costs. But considering only one or the other is just a halfpinion. Related Ideas to Halfpinion Also see: Confirmation bias Features are like pets The Priority No: saying yes, as long as we drop something else (one of Judd Antin’s three types of “no”) Feedback analysis: predicting, comparing and learning Halfalogue: hearing only one side of a conversation Halfpinion is a term coined by Scott Adams. I read about it in his book Loserthink. An example he gives is one group of people saying, "We can't do this, it's too expensive," and another responding, "But children are our future." The groups aren't so much disagreeing as pointing out one side of the issue: children are our future, and education is expensive. ## Congested Equilibrium URL: https://sketchplanations.com/congested-equilibrium Published: 2025-06-29T11:00:00+0000 Categories: transport, travel, planning Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aF1hw3fc4bHWiwZq_SP931-Congestedequilibrium.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Congested equilibrium and how suppressed journeys and latent demand build-up means you can't build your way out of congestion Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/congested-equilibrium), CC BY-NC 4.0 You, like me, probably dislike being stuck in traffic. If you live in a densely populated area, it's likely that for at least some of the day, a number of the major roads around you are congested, i.e. there's a lot of traffic, and it tends to go slowly. Unfortunately, as I learned with the phrase "Congested equilibrium," from UCL Professor David Metz, there's no magic wand to wave for roads that will run smoothly and get you to your destination with minimal hassle. What is Congested Equilibrium? It's easy to assume that there's a fixed amount of traffic on the roads. So if your local road agency widens, improves, or adds alternative fast roads to get to your destination, you might think that traffic will improve. And it does, but only briefly. Then somehow the traffic jams return. The reality is that in densely populated areas, traffic congestion tends to be self-regulating. When driving is slow and somewhat painful, people who would have driven make other choices: choose not to travel—maybe a video call instead, or just don't go to the shops take a different means of transport such as a train or bike travel earlier or later take different routes After millions in road investment—perhaps widening roads or building a bypass or extended stretch of motorway—traffic runs faster, for a time. But when people realise that roads are again a good option for travel, some of those who had chosen not to drive or didn't use that route before, jump back in the car and make use of the new, improved roads. And the increased traffic once again leads to congestion that gets progressively worse until people decide to make other choices once again. Traffic congestion is a feature of road networks that is very hard to avoid because densely populated areas have a vast reserve of these suppressed trips—people who would drive if the traffic was better—ready to make use of an improved road network when it arrives. From congested equilibrium comes the maxim in travel planning circles: "You can't build your way out of congestion." I learned about congested equilibrium and the general trials and challenges of travel planners in the book Good to go? Decarbonising Travel After the Pandemic by Professor David Metz. Although the book had less to do with decarbonising than I expected, it did teach me a great deal about the challenges and considerations of travel planning. Update: I have since learned that this is very closely related to the Downs-Thomson Paradox which states that: "the equilibrium speed of car traffic on a road network is determined by the average door-to-door speed of equivalent journeys taken by public transport or the next best alternative." And the Lewis-Mogridge Position: traffic expands to meet the available road space. Also called the "Iron Law of Congestion" by Anthony Downs. Related Ideas to Congested Equilibrium Marchetti's Constant—as we travelled faster, we travelled farther, maintaining about an hour's daily travel time Laws of Expansion Isochrones Pollution is highly localized: take the back streets Travel choices in London Our Senses are Built to Take in Information at Human Pace Jevons paradox Cobra effect Frequency is freedom, a line from Jarrett Walker about the impact of frequency on public transport. I haven't sketched this yet, but it's so catchy I thought I'd share More I learned About Traffic For the last half a century or so, the average daily travel time has remained unchanged. This is despite huge investments in road networks in urban areas. When I find myself stuck in and complaining about traffic, my mind flashes back to a memory of a billboard in San Francisco that read, "You are not stuck in traffic. You are traffic." Then I feel better about my fellow drivers. What people like least is uncertainty about journey time. So digital navigation, as exemplified by Google Maps, is doing an amazing job at giving us peace of mind here. Until ChatGPT, I put Google Maps as the best app out there. In European cities you tend to find either high public transport use (like London), or a lot of cycling (think Copenhagen). But you don't tend to find high levels of both. Copenhagen's proportion of car journeys is similar to London's. The car has an appeal when the roads allow it. Improving cycling tends to pull people from public transport and vice versa rather than pull people from their cars. Of David Metz' points that stick with me is also that the most effective way to reduce car usage in city centres, in conjunction with improving other means of travel, is to reduce the availability of parking. Also, each city is different: some cities like London are spread wide and the distances are large, some have more cooperative weather, some have a lot of hills, and some are in countries where cars are a significant status symbol. There's no one-size-fits-all. ## Calm Like a Duck URL: https://sketchplanations.com/calm-like-a-duck Published: 2025-06-22T11:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, animals, wellbeing, anxiety, leadership, japan Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aFQZcHfc4bHWiivR_SP930-CalmLikeaDuck.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Calm like a duck quote showing a duck who's calm on the surface, but under the water, I'm paddling like hell. Also, a Michael Caine quote Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/calm-like-a-duck), CC BY-NC 4.0 Before our first child was born, we attended a series of classes with other expecting couples. The class aimed to prepare us for the joys and challenges of childbirth and the life changes that come with becoming parents. Most parents-to-be were feeling a little anxious. One dad, though, never seemed fazed—he stayed cool through everything. At one point, I asked him how he was so relaxed. He said, "I'm calm like a duck. On the surface, I'm gently floating, but under the water, I'm paddling like crazy." It's over 10 years ago now, but I remember it clearly. It stuck with me for two reasons. First, it's a brilliant analogy for calmness—the two halves of a duck—and makes for a funny picture, which is why I thought it deserved a sketch. Second, it reminds me that when I'm in a stressful situation or feeling nervous, it's easy to look around and see people who seem calm and confident. And if I start thinking I'm the only one feeling anxious, it usually makes it worse. However, when I recall this story, I remember that just because someone looks calm, it doesn't mean they feel calm. They might be "calm like a duck." Under the surface, their legs may be waggling furiously, just like I'm feeling. Michael Caine, in his 2018 book Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life, said: "Ducks look calm as they glide along the surface of the water but they're paddling like hell underneath. When you're doing your preparation right, it sometimes looks so good that people watching you make the mistake of assuming it's all natural and effortless. In my experience, it never is." In some ways, this misconception is everywhere when we see high performers who make things look easy: A finished book without all the awful first drafts A polished theatre performance without the chaos of rehearsals A calm statement from a leader without the deliberation or doubt that led to it A marathon finish, without the 6 am runs they didn't want to do As a leader, it can help to offer a calm demeanour, but don't mistake the appearance of calm for having everything sorted out. We all have to work hard through times that aren't easy if we want to do great things—even ducks. And Michael Caine. Related Ideas to Calm Like a Duck The First Draft is Always Perfect The Doorstep Mile One in a Row The Best Writing is Re-writing Don't Compare Your Back of House with Others' Front of House Front Stage - Back Stage The excellent QI looked into the source of this quote and had it down to the Japanese practice of duck diplomacy. ## To Scale, First Do Things That Don't Scale URL: https://sketchplanations.com/do-things-that-dont-scale Published: 2025-06-15T11:00:00+0000 Categories: entrepreneurship, business, tech, software development, product management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aEr55LNJEFaPX6lg_SP929-Dothingsthatdon%E2%80%99tscale.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: To scale, you first have to do things that don't scale, advice from Paul Graham and Brian Chesky of AirBnB for scaling companies shown with a founder packing boxes themselves like Jeff Bezos of Amazon Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/do-things-that-dont-scale), CC BY-NC 4.0 The startup paradox: grow big by starting small One of the seeming contradictions in a company's journey is that, as Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator, points out in a well-known essay, to get your company operating at scale, you first have to do things that don't scale. Why does this sometimes seem like a contradiction? If we picture large, successful tech companies, it's easy to imagine all sorts of clever technology and automation that makes everything work automatically. How else would you serve thousands, if not millions, of users simultaneously? In the early days, it's easy to think of a new offering or feature, or even the very core of the business, as "that's too manual, we can't do that," and then keep building and guessing. But the reality is that doing things that don't scale at first is the way many companies get to massive scale. Brian Chesky, founder of Airbnb, shared a classic do things that don't scale example. In the early days, he and his cofounder went door-to-door to the first users of the platform, photographing apartments and asking customers what they could do better. They processed and uploaded photos manually, managing with spreadsheets and some hired help until they later automated the process. Why Do Things That Don't Scale Here are some of the advantages I've seen of starting with things that don't scale: You learn what customers need. The more time you spend close to your customers, ensuring your product works for them, the more empathy you develop for what it's like to be in their shoes. This empathy will help you over and over again. You can start now. Before investing a lot of time building software or figuring out how to automate, you can begin learning immediately. It's cheaper. You don't have to design, spec and build for weeks before launching. Everything you later build will be useful. When running it manually gets too painful, you know that whatever you build to automate the process will help you immediately. You find product-market fit faster. Running things manually helps you experiment and adapt quickly. It's easier to kill things that don't work. It's less painful to stop doing a manual process than to rip out features or code customers aren't using. Examples of Doing Things That Don't Scale It doesn't have to be your whole business—it could be a new feature or tool. If your platform would eventually generate a dashboard automatically, maybe the first ones you just create by hand. If you need to manage people's availability, you can start with a calendar on a whiteboard. Marketplaces that operate at thousands of transactions a day started with a spreadsheet and a phone. Jeff Bezos packed and delivered the first books shipped by Amazon. Hewlett-Packard famously started in a garage. If your business is already at scale and you want to try something new, see if you can run it manually for a small group of users first. If you can make it work for them—fine-tuning out all the issues—then there's a good chance you can scale it more widely. I've personally made the mistake of aiming for scale too early. At my first startup, we spent longer than we should have building what we thought was needed for a system that worked automatically, rather than just getting started—even if it meant taking more manual steps. I've also been part of successful new products and services that we initially ran manually, using spreadsheets and people's effort, before fully automating them, sometimes many months later. As Brian Chesky says: Do it until it hurts, then automate it away. Learn more: Paul Graham's original essay: Do Things that Don't Scale I always recommend the very first Masters of Scale podcast episode with AirBnB's Brian Chesky on this topic. Not directly related, but this short article on the AI agency, and how starting by operating manually, and then using technology to automate and improve efficiency also affected my thinking on this: The AI Agency, Tomasz Tunguz Seth Godin wrote: "The thing is, you don’t get to 3% of the market by trying for 40% and failing. You get there by embracing the 1% and doing such a good job that the word spreads." - Big scale, Big impact, Seth Godin Related Ideas to Do Things That Don't Scale The Business Flywheel Fauxtomation Painkillers and vitamins The Long Nose of Innovation Sexy Value Desire Paths Overnight Success The Knowledge Funnel ## Types of Sushi: Decoding a Sushi Menu URL: https://sketchplanations.com/types-of-sushi Published: 2025-06-08T11:00:00+0000 Categories: food and drink, japan Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aEA3Arh8WN-LVlKr_SP928-Typesofsushi-full.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: List of common sushi types, explained with names and pictures — a visual guide including nigiri, sashimi, maki rolls (hosomaki, futomaki, uramaki, temaki), inari, chirashi, and temari. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/types-of-sushi), CC BY-NC 4.0 I don't know about you, but I love sushi. We didn't have a Japanese restaurant in the town where I grew up until I hit my 20s. A conversation around sushi was always, "You eat raw fish?!" accompanied by "ew" s and amazement. Of course, since then, I've learned it's delicious. It took me a little while to become familiar with the various types of sushi and how to decipher a sushi menu. I have a lot still to learn, but I wanted to capture the common sushi types—with names and pictures—in case it helps others. I'm not an expert, so if you've got wisdom to share, feel free to write to me. Here's the breakdown reflected in the sketch: Sashimi Raw fish or seafood served on its own or with simple garnishes. Sashimi is not technically sushi, as there's no rice, but it's a classic that's virtually synonymous with sushi. Nigiri A shaped piece of seasoned sushi rice with a slice of fish or other topping laid on top. I've seen the literal translation of nigiri as something like "two hands to make rice ball food."  Maki Maki means "rolled" and refers to sushi wrapped in sheets of nori (dried seaweed). Classic maki rolls have the nori on the outside and are sliced into mouthful-sized pieces. The genius of maki, much like the genius of the sandwich, is that it allows you to eat the delicious filling by only touching the nori with your fingers. Here are a few types: Hosomaki - Thin rolls Hosomaki are typically filled with just one ingredient, such as tuna or cucumber. Tekka maki ( tuna roll) was popular in casinos and was sometimes called the "casino roll." Futomaki - Thick rolls Futomaki are much larger than hosomaki and can have several fillings inside. They're often served at festivals and celebrations. Uramaki - Inside-out rolls Uramaki was developed with the California roll and have the rice on the outside, hiding the nori. They're medium-sized and can fit a few more fillings than hosomaki. Incidentally, several people claim to have invented the California roll. Since the California roll, an amazing variety of rolls have been created, such as the rainbow, dragon, spicy tuna, caterpillar, Philadelphia, spider, and others. Temaki - Hand rolls Meaning "roll in hand", the temaki is a little like the burrito of sushi. Wrapping the nori around the filling in a cone shape makes it easy to hold. Other Types of Sushi Inari Named after a Shinto god said to ride a fox and love fried tofu, inari are pouches of fried tofu filled with sushi rice and other fillings. Chirashi Meaning scattered, chirashi is a sushi plate where the chef lays the main ingredients on top of a bed of rice in a bowl. Temari Temari are small, decorative sushi balls. A small ball of rice is wrapped in fish or vegetables, making an amazing-looking snack. The language of sushi is vast, but if you're not fluent yet, I hope this provides a few pointers. If you want to try making your own, which is both fun and delicious, I recommend: Let's Make Sushi! by Chef Andy Matsuda I also created this version with additional callouts. Related sketches Kawaii - the Japanese culture of cute The Open-Air Kitchen Know your b'linis - bellini vs blini Fruit vs Vegetable Cuba libre - Santo libre When drinking tea, just drink tea Hara hachi bu Stock, Broth, Jus Mandarins, clementines, satsumas and tangerines Cuts of beef Gelato, sorbet, ice cream Still more food and drink sketches ## Cognitive Offloading: Delegating Our Thinking URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cognitive-offloading Published: 2025-06-01T11:00:00+0000 Categories: ai, thinking tool, tech, technology, psychology, education Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aDmNgydWJ-7kSu1M_SP927-Cognitiveoffloading.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the meaning of cognitive offloading? Shown by delegating our critical thinking to tools like calculators or AI chatbots Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cognitive-offloading), CC BY-NC 4.0 Thinking Feels Like Work I've often found myself wondering how thinking is hard work. If someone gives me a long list of arithmetic to do, it's tempting not to do it. If I have a tricky problem, it's easy to procrastinate and do "easier" stuff instead. Deep reflective thinking, and even shallow thinking that requires holding information in memory, seems like work—ever been tempted to delegate the adding up of scores for a board game? What is cognitive offloading? Cognitive offloading is delegating our thinking tasks—using tools, notes or technology—so we don't have to do them. I've never quite figured out where the hard work is in thinking—after all, it's not physically tiring like heading out for a 5-mile run—but it's definitely there. It's this work, I think, that leads to the tempting and irresistible rise of cognitive offloading. Examples of Cognitive Offloading in Everyday Life We've been cognitive offloading for a long time. When I carried the 2 in a long sum, I was offloading a task for my memory. And I grew up remembering phone numbers rather than dialling a person, and I don't feel the change has made things worse. Hiring employees can be a form of delegating thinking. Using a calculator rather than a slide rule or working something out on paper leaves more room for deeper thinking. Other common examples of cognitive offloading include using notes apps, reminders, calculators, navigation systems, and now AI chatbots. AI Chatbots and the Shallows But what happens when we can offload deeper thinking too, as we can now with AI chatbots? That may leave room for more interesting tasks. Or maybe, like not training my muscles and endurance by going out for a 5-mile run, it reduces my ability for deep thinking. Nicholas Carr discussed a shift to shallow thinking from the pervasive use of the internet in his 2011 book The Shallows. We became proficient at skimming and scanning for answers rather than interrogating and questioning. Does cognitive offloading reduce critical thinking? There's some evidence that more cognitive offloading reduces our critical thinking abilities, and an MIT study showed that: "the more help students had from AI, the less their brains worked. People using ChatGPT struggled to remember or quote from the essays they had just written and reported feeling little ownership of their work. By comparison, the essays written by the “brain-only” writers were more original and their brains more active." If a developer uses an AI chatbot in an interview and gives a strong answer, will that make them worse at the job when they would use an AI chatbot on the job anyway? I use ChatGPT as a thinking partner for posts these days. I think that it helps make them better, but who knows what it's really doing to me =) Are Sketchplanations just staying surface-level or engaging some thinking? It would be nice to think that it grinds a few gears. Here's hoping! Related Ideas to Cognitive Offloading The Automation Paradox Don't let your thinking be limited by your tools Build your personal panel of advisors The X–Y Problem Fauxtomation Cognitive overhead Solvitur Ambulando ## Unknown Unknowns URL: https://sketchplanations.com/unknown-unknowns Published: 2025-05-25T11:00:00+0000 Categories: framework, knowledge, planning, parenting, business, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aDBh2ydWJ-7kSfhY_SP926-Unknownunknowns.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Unknown Unknowns or the Awareness-Understanding matrix, or the Rumsfeld Matrix illustrated with the example of having a baby Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/unknown-unknowns), CC BY-NC 4.0 In a 2002 Pentagon briefing, then U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld famously said: "Reports that say something hasn't happened are interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult ones." It wasn't typical media material. It even won Rumsfeld the "Foot in Mouth" award from the Plain English Campaign in 2003. But the idea of unknown unknowns has endured. Awareness—Understanding examples When placed in a 2x2, somewhat like I have done, some people have referred to it as the Rumsfeld Matrix (although he didn't invent it), or the Awareness—Understanding Matrix. I prefer diving straight into Unknown Unknowns as they're the crux of it. For example: Say you find out you're going to have a baby. There's a lot you know and a lot you know you don't: Unknown Knowns — things you know that people know about being a parent and having a baby, but you just don't know them yet. Doing your research and homework transforms these into Known Knowns. Known Knowns are the things you already know (or just learned) you'll need to do when you're a parent. Your baby will need feeding and changing, clothes, a place to sleep etc. You plan for these, you buy clothes, a crib, and learn about breastfeeding or the bottle. Known Unknowns — Things like the baby's gender, or whether they'll arrive early or late. You know you don't know these yet, but you can make a plan either way. Finally, there are Unknown Unknowns — which, in this case, could be that, despite all your plans, you find yourself with twins. Or, say you plan to start a café: Unknown Knowns What you know is knowable, but you don't know it, yet You can find data on the market, the costs, and potential customers. These things can be known through research—others know them—but you didn't know them. Known Knowns What you know you know Your costs, your product, your route to market, everything you learned in your research. You make your plan around these. Known Unknowns What you know you don't know How people will respond to your product, how fast sales will be, and whether your rent will change. Unknown Unknowns What you didn't know you didn't know Just as you launch your café, Starbucks moves in next door, or we hit a global pandemic. It's what you don't know, that you don't know, that gets you. After all, if you knew it, you'd have prepared for it. He Who Knows There's a well-known saying called "He who knows" which relates to Unknown Unknowns: He who knows not, and knows not he knows not, is a fool; shun him. He who knows not, and knows he knows not, is simple; teach him. He who knows, and knows not he knows, is asleep; awaken him. He who knows, and knows he knows, is wise; follow him. Note that, like most interpretations of the Awareness/Knowledge-understanding framework, Unknown Knowns is interpreted as things you know but don't know you know. These might be implicit knowledge that you are yet to make a connection with. Quotes and Ideas Relating to Unknown Unknowns We have a host of sayings and thoughts that relate to this. Nassim Nicholas Taleb's Black Swan events: if every swan you've ever seen is white, it's easy to assume that all swans are white, but the next one you see could be black. The Lucretius problem, also from Taleb: We tend to believe the biggest event we've seen is the biggest that could happen. For example, we test our financial models against the most significant market crashes, but each was bigger than any that had hit before. In theory, practice is the same as theory, but not in practice. No plan survives contact with the enemy — from Prussian Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder It has often and confidently been asserted, that man's origin can never be known : but ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge : it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science. — Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man (1871) introduction Douglas Herz sent me Herz's corollary: "There are two types of Unknown Unknowns. Those Unknown Unknowns that some other(s) know about (just not you), and those that no one knows about. These latter Unknown Unknowns expand the limits of human understanding and are thus of immense value." Whatever our plans, or what we think we know, or even what we think we know we don't know, we must adapt to succeed. Related Ideas to Unknown Unknowns Unknown unknowns evidently weigh heavily on me, as I seem to have drawn many more related ideas: Black Swan events The Lucretius Problem The Johari Window — for self-knowledge The Conscious Competence framework In theory, practice is the same as theory, but not in practice VUCA - Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity OODA Loop - Observe, Orient, Decide, Act, Repeat On mistakes Hindsight bias — everything is obvious after the fact Physics Envy Hofstadter's Law The Cobra Effect The Law of Unintended Consequences Do a 2x2 Matrix Kitchen Table Survival Skills ## Don't Think of an Elephant URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dont-think-of-an-elephant Published: 2025-05-18T11:00:00+0000 Categories: reframe, language, thinking, politics, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aCSqPydWJ-7kSGru_SP925-Don%E2%80%99tthinkofanelephant.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Don't think of an elephant framing example where even negating a frame activates it Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dont-think-of-an-elephant), CC BY-NC 4.0 When teaching framing at UC Berkeley, Professor George Lakoff would often begin with a simple test: "Don't think of an elephant." Except everyone does. When he said elephant, like it or not, all things elephant—large, slow, floppy ears, tusks, trunk, jungle, savannah—were likely to come to mind. Lakoff gives another example: When Richard Nixon came on TV and said, "I am not a crook," everyone thought about him as a crook, even though he explicitly said he wasn't. Another case he shares is when someone says tax relief, it evokes a frame whereby taxes are a burden, someone imposing those taxes is hurting people, someone relieving you of that hurt is helping you, and anyone who wants to stop that relief is a villain. Suppose you think taxes are good, not bad; if you use the term tax relief when arguing against it, you're setting yourself up as the villain. Using someone else's language draws you into their worldview. Some Framing Examples Here are some more everyday examples of framing at work: Taking sides in an argument suggests there has to be a winner and loser. When someone helps you, saying "I owe you one" frames the favour as a transaction to be repaid rather than a gift. Stay-at-home parent and working parent evokes a frame where staying at home isn't work. Quality time frames certain family moments as more valuable and implies that some time is less meaningful. Screen time evokes a frame of off-screen vs on-screen time, as opposed to considering the value of what you're doing, whether on-screen or off. Reframing Signage I love spotting signs that shift the frame in positive, thoughtful ways. Rather than presupposing bad behaviour, they invite good. For example, this sign from Kew Gardens: "Respecting Significant Trees Please help us manage our trees to ensure we can enjoy them for as long as possible. This tree needs a break from adults and children climbing on it. Please don't climb." Rather than setting Kew up as the rule-enforcer spoiling your fun, it frames them as caretakers—inviting you to help give a tired tree a break. Not climbing becomes an act of kindness, not a restriction. Not climbing becomes an act of respect rather than restriction. Our local wetlands has a "Ducks only" sign instead of an admonishing "Keep off the grass". Or at an ATM, even saying "Wait" rather than "Don't remove your card" helps keep removing your card further from your mind. A reader shared with me that as a lifeguard, he learned to yell "Walk!" rather than "Don't run!" A positive action to take is direct, rather than a negative that needs to be processed—see Point Positive. Language shapes and reflects how we think. Using language that negates a frame evokes the frame. What frames are you evoking? Related Ideas to Don't Think of an Elephant Everything I've learned about framing, metaphor, and how they shape our thinking continues to fascinate me. Here are some related sketches and powerful metaphors: Primary metaphor The Frog Boil Metaphor Rivers and Buckets Compliments are Gifts The Learning Pit The Swiss Cheese Model Trust Battery The Accountability Ladder Sharpen the Saw Ideas Are Locations, Objects, Food Framing Get More Participation: Instead of "Anything Else?" ask "What Else?" See Don't Think of an Elephant by George Lakoff ## How to Instantly Feel Better URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-instantly-feel-better Published: 2025-05-11T11:00:00+0000 Categories: wellbeing, happiness, anxiety, nature, health, lifehack, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aB3YPCdWJ-7kR0hp_SP924-HowtoInstantlyFeelBetter.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How to Instantly Feel Better — a visual guide pairing common feelings like anger, anxiety, or burnout with simple actions like singing, walking, or breathing to feel better, boost happiness, and improve wellbeing. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-instantly-feel-better), CC BY-NC 4.0 When I first saw a version of How to instantly feel better I could immediately relate. I thought it could do with a Sketchplanations version. Maybe try some of the suggestions and let me know how it goes. If you're: Angry -> Sing Burned out -> Walk Overthinking -> Write Anxious -> Breathe Stressed -> Exercise Sad -> Gratitude Impatient -> Reflect on progress Lazy -> Cold shower Your mileage may vary. I can't help but think that Walk in nature, which is about as close to a miracle cure as we have, is also a good strategy for all of them. Angry -> Walk in nature Burned out -> Walk in nature Overthinking -> Walk in nature Anxious -> Walk in nature Stressed -> Walk in nature Sad -> Walk in nature Impatient -> Walk in nature Lazy -> Walk in nature Here's a visual of this instead: How to instantly feel better - walk in nature I recently learned the term Green Prescription for when your doctor prescribes time in nature rather than drugs. I wish I'd come up with it. I didn't create the original graphic for How to Instantly Feel Better. I saw this one, shared by the brilliant Info is Beautiful. Many people have created versions of this. If you know—or are—the original creator, thank you! And please get in touch. In our podcast on this sketch the Sad -> Gratitude action we thought was one of the hardest to do. So here are a few lovely quotes about gratitude in case they can help: Gratitude is the intention to count your blessings every day, every minute, while avoiding, whenever possible, the belief that you need or deserve different circumstances. — Timothy Miller Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. — Melody Beattie Related Ideas to How to Instantly Feel Better Also see: Forest bathing The 3-Day effect Box breathing 5 Ways to Wellbeing Snerdle Maze, Labyrinth Compliments Are Gifts Vorfreude — the pleasure of anticipation Languishing Notice when you're happy Don't compare your back of house with others' front of house When drinking tea, just drink tea Prints/cards etc of How to Instantly Feel Better, and of How to Instantly Feel Better — Walk in nature (horizontal) and How to Instantly Feel Better - Walk in nature (vertical) ## Variable Rewards URL: https://sketchplanations.com/variable-rewards Published: 2025-05-04T11:00:00+0000 Categories: motivation, psychology, behavioral economics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aBSgJvIqRLdaB0d6_SP923-VariableRewards.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Examples of variable rewards and their irresistible addictive power to get us hooked like the reward chest, email, and gambling Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/variable-rewards), CC BY-NC 4.0 Variable Rewards are remarkably powerful. Sometimes, you get something good. Sometimes, you get nothing. But every so often, it's something amazing. That unpredictability keeps us coming back. What Are Variable Rewards? A variable reward is a type of reward given unpredictably. You don't know exactly what you'll get or when—and that's what makes it so compelling. The randomness taps into our brain's reward system, creating a powerful loop of anticipation and surprise. Examples of Variable Rewards This kind of reward schedule—and variations in psychology, such as variable ratio reinforcement or intermittent variable rewards—is known for being highly addictive. It shows up everywhere in daily life and product design. Here are a few examples I've witnessed or experienced firsthand: The Reward Chest The reward chest, or comparable source of goodies, has proliferated in games. Here's how it can work: Each day, or few hours, there's another chance to open a reward chest. It's scarce—don't miss it. Most of the time, it gives you something standard. But once in a while, you open it to find something amazing — a rare weapon or skill. Better open just one more… The Email Inbox Mostly, it's standard stuff. Sometimes, it's great — an exciting job intro, a message from an old friend, a special offer. That occasional thrill keeps us checking in. I've noticed this with print sales of the sketches or new paid subscribers. From time to time someone places a big order—it could be tomorrow, it could be never again, or it could be this one time I check my inbox. Reviewing animal camera trap photos We were recently checking through the photos from a set of animal camera traps in a nearby park. Often, the camera trap was triggered by another crow or raven. But sometimes you get a badger or an animal looking right at you. And the next photo might have a hedgehog or a rare bird. Better just look at one more. Beachcombing Beaches are wonderful environments for serendipity (and play). It's always a joy walking along the strand line to see what you might find. There are usually a few lovely shells. Other times, there's nothing. But sometimes there's a crab. Or a starfish. Or once, a war relic. Maybe it'll be this time. The variable reward examples go on: Slot machines — just enough wins to keep you playing, with the occasional sound across the casino of a bumper win. Pret A Manger — employees could occasionally give a free coffee. If you got one once, there's always the chance it'll happen again. Pokémon cards — most cards are standard and just build up your deck, but there's always a shot at a rare card worth hundreds in the next pack you open. A generous compliment from your boss — might have you hoping the next project brings another. A surprise gesture of affection — from a friend or partner might keep you on the edge for more. Social posts — the one that blew up with thousands of likes. Maybe that'll be yours this time. Your football team — they don't win every week, but they win just enough to keep you dreaming that today might be a great day. Maybe even Sketchplanations — in most weeks, maybe you're ambivalent about the new one. But occasionally, it hits just right. Maybe next week's will. Variable Rewards in Nir Eyal's Hooked Nir Eyal discusses Variable Rewards as part of his Hook Model: Trigger > Action > (Variable) Reward > Investment Because the rewards are sporadic and unpredictable, we build anticipation before we act—and when a reward comes, it satisfies an emotional itch and fuels habit formation. Variable rewards can be much more engaging than predictable rewards. Nir Eyal breaks them into three types: Social rewards—feeling connected or admired (Rewards of the Tribe) Material or informational rewards—such as money or finding something (Rewards of the Hunt) Intrinsic rewards—mastering a challenge, beating a level (Rewards of the Self) Summary Variable rewards have the power to get us hooked. Life has intermittent variable rewards. However, some products and games are built around them deliberately. And I have come to realise that they are powerfully addictive. Please don't use them for evil. Related Ideas to Variable Rewards Also see: Narrative bias — stories feel better than randomness The Power of Streaks Addiction Yes Sayers, No Sayers Complaining at the Weather Rivers and Buckets Extrinsic Motivation Autonomy Mastery Purpose The Fun Scale ## The Subscription Trap URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-subscription-trap Published: 2025-04-27T11:00:00+0000 Categories: economics, business, money, anxiety Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aApj6fIqRLdaBlcN_SP922-TheSubscriptionTrap.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the subscription trap? A picture example showing how canceling subscriptions is made difficult with delays, friction, and sludge. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-subscription-trap), CC BY-NC 4.0 Subscription traps are contracts that are easy to sign up for and hard to cancel. Subscription traps are sneaky. Just like Hotel California, "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave." What a Subscription Trap Looks Like Sometimes, you may go from a free trial to a paid subscription without realising it. Sometimes, you may go months without noticing you're still paying for a subscription. Your contract may renew for a full year before you spot it. And when you try to cancel, you may find yourself jumping through hoops—compared to the few clicks it took you to sign up. My experiences include: Searching for a cancel link online Turning to a customer support chat, which turns out to be a chatbot Finding the chatbot can't cancel for me or, more often, links me to the help article where I started and found I couldn't cancel online Eventually, being transferred to an agent and having to repeat everything Being given a phone number to call Finding they're closed because it's the weekend Scheduling a reminder to call back on Monday between meetings Calling, waiting in a queue (as opposed to the rapid response for prospective customers) Running out of time and forgetting to try again until the office is closed. Perhaps you'll recognise some of this. Sludge and Why it Matters The kind of bureaucracy and red tape you encounter when trying to cancel or do other things like claim on health insurance is sometimes called sludge. It's the friction stops us from getting things done. In 2014, the UK government thought that unwanted subscriptions were costing people £1.6 billion a year—nearly 10 million of 155 million active subscriptions. They've held a consultation for measures to help avoid subscription traps and scams. California, for example, already has legislation requiring companies to offer online cancellation if they allow online sign-up. Best practice includes Providing clear information about contracts before entering Reminders before moving from trials or discount periods to full-price Reminders before subscriptions renew Making it simple to cancel Some Subscriptions are More Slippery than Others We're less likely to get trapped in some types of subscription. If we subscribe to a box of groceries that appears at our door, we'll trip over the box rather than forget about it. But online-only services or access-based platforms easily slip into the background. You may not notice they're still ticking along if you don't actively visit them. The only trace might be buried in your bank statement—monthly or even annual. Economist Neal Mahoney and colleagues found a neat way to spot the subscription trap in action (pdf). They looked at cancellation rates over time and noticed something curious: when people's payment cards expired, they often didn't bother to restart the subscription with new card details. That simple disruption—a forced pause—was enough for many people to realise they didn't need the service after all. Incentives and Legislation I've been on both sides of the subscription trap. It might be deliberate on behalf of a company. However, it can also be a product of incentives and environment. Without new customer growth, a business doesn't last long. So, there's a lot of incentive to work on streamlined sign-up and onboarding. Hopefully, effort also goes into building a great product that makes people want to stay. However, once someone has decided to leave, there's often less incentive to make it a great experience, short of avoiding bad reviews. I think it's generally not malicious—see Hanlon's razor. People know that cancelling isn't as easy as it should be, but they're measured on other targets that increase revenue or decrease costs. New projects are launched to do the same rather than "sink" money into making it easier for people to leave. There will also often be a new customer onboarding team and no offboarding team at all (see Conway's Law). This makes it a natural place for legislation to help out us punters just looking to cancel without spending all morning on the phone. The Roach Motel The subscription trap is similar to the unsubscribe roach motel anti-pattern for email subscriptions. A roach motel is a trap for cockroaches which is easy to get in and hard to get out. Harry Brignull, author of Deceptive Patterns, gives a great example of contrasting subscribe and unsubscribe steps in his article on the unsubscribe roach motel. Don't get Caught! If you want to save money, reviewing your subscriptions and knowing what you're spending is a smart first step. We have a spreadsheet with all active monthly payments. A quick scan makes it easy to see what we still use or don't. And yes, battle through the sludge and bureaucracy—it's worth it! Related Ideas to the Subscription Trap Also see: Dark patterns - using design to deceive The Shirky Principle - institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution Goodhart's Law - when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure Campbell's Law - the more any quantitative social indicator is used for decision-making, the more likely it is to be distorted Conway's Law - software reflects the structure of the teams that built it You Get What You Measure Don't ask the barber if you need a haircut Amazon and Uber's Virtuous Cycle for Mega Growth The Business Flywheel For interviews with Mahoney and Thaler (of sludge and nudge), see (once again) Freakonomics, Sludge, Part 2: Is Government the Problem, or the Solution? ## The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker — Adam Smith quote URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-butcher-the-brewer-the-baker Published: 2025-04-20T11:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, economics, money, design, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aAUNdFvg_A-GMrBC_SP921-Thebutcher%2Cthebrewerandthebaker.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Illustration of Adam Smith’s quote about trade: “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker…” showing how self-interest leads to mutual benefit in trade and a tipsy baker. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-butcher-the-brewer-the-baker), CC BY-NC 4.0 One of the most famous lines from Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations is: "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages." —Adam Smith One interpretation is that this quote underpins capitalism: people trade because it benefits them, which is true. But what I like about this passage is that it hints at something else, too. There is a two-way benefit in effective trade. To help ourselves, we have to help others. And to help others, we have to understand what they want. Good trade depends not just on self-interest but on the ability to take another person's perspective. The magic of trade is that both sides are better off when it works well—a genuine win-win. You can find more interpretation on this short passage at the OLL. I first read the passage in The Invisible Hand, part of Penguin's Great Ideas Series. It makes a good introduction to Adam Smith. Freakonomics also did a great two-part podcast series on Adam Smith: In Search of the Real Adam Smith. Related Ideas to the Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker Also see: Rival and Non-Rival Goods Fungible and Non-Fungible Goods Veblen Goods The Bullwhip Effect Recession vs Depression The Business Flywheel ## BASE Jumping — Building, Antenna, Span, Earth URL: https://sketchplanations.com/base-jumping Published: 2025-04-13T11:00:00+0000 Categories: nature, flow, risk, words, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z_uZyOvxEdbNO-fl_SP920-BASEJumping.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: BASE jumping is an acronym for Building, Antenna (like a radio or communication tower), Span (such as a bridge), and Earth (a cliff or natural formation)—the four types of fixed objects people jump from Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/base-jumping), CC BY-NC 4.0 BASE jumping is the hair-raising pastime of leaping off tall, fixed objects instead of out of planes, for example. It's a great name because it works as-is and is also an acronym—which I didn't realise for years. BASE stands for the types of fixed objects BASE jumpers might throw themselves off: Buildings, Antennas (like radio or communication towers), Spans (i.e. bridges), and Earth (like a cliff or natural formation). The term BASE jumping was coined by filmmaker Carl Boenish, who famously jumped off El Capitan, among other dramatic locations. It remains one of the most dangerous sporting activities, and tragically, Carl died on a jump in Norway. People even BASE jump into caves. Perhaps you remember the spectacular opening sequence from the BBC Planet Earth Caves episode. Bungee jumping isn't technically BASE jumping. BASE jumping involves a parachute, whereas bungee jumping uses the trademark stretchy cord and involves bouncing around before being pulled back up. BASE jumping is an acronym like laser or radar, where the letters form a word you say as a whole. If we said B–A–S–E jumping (saying the letters individually), it would instead be an initialism. BASE jumping is often carried out illegally, such as by trespassing on private buildings to jump off from them. Just to be clear—I'm not recommending you try it out =) Related Ideas to BASE Jumping BASE Jumping is a good opportunity to share some of my favourite sketches to think about: The Fun Scale Flow Optimism Bias Acronyms and Initialisms Know your flying fabrics Nine-Enders What drives us? Core components of risk Microlives and micromorts ## Landlocked States URL: https://sketchplanations.com/landlocked-states Published: 2025-04-06T11:00:00+0000 Categories: geography, travel, coastline, maps Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aApPGPIqRLdaBlOD_SP919-Landlockedstates.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Landlocked states of the USA including the double-landlocked states and the one triple-landlocked state, Nebraska Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/landlocked-states), CC BY-NC 4.0 Landlocked typically means having no direct access to the oceans or open seas. Looking at the US, we find 27 States are landlocked—you need to pass through another state or country to reach the ocean. Double-Landlocked States More interesting, though, is that 10 of those states are double-landlocked: to reach the coast, they must first cross a state that is itself landlocked. The 10 double-landlocked states are Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The Triple-Landlocked State And then there's Nebraska, with the unusual distinction of being triple-landlocked. It's surrounded by double-landlocked states, meaning that to reach the ocean from Nebraska, you need to pass through: 1. A double-landlocked state 2. A singly landlocked state 3. A coastal state or country Name That State I spent six months as a child living in New York State. We had a board game called Name That State. It got me surprisingly good at identifying US states and their capitals—some of that knowledge stuck. In the sketch, I left the state names as initials so you can test yourself by mentally filling in the map =) Double-Landlocked Countries Usually, being landlocked applies to countries. I remember learning that Bolivia has a navy (primarily for Lake Titicaca) despite being landlocked. And, years ago, a family member shared with me that there are only two double-landlocked countries in the world. I didn't even know what double-landlocked meant. You can see both of them in my article on Double-Landlocked Countries. It's worth noting there are a few subtly different ways to define what counts as landlocked—especially when considering access via rivers or lakes. I found the definitions used by World Atlas made sense to me and seemed like a good basis for this sketch. Related Ideas to Landlocked States Also see: Double-Landlocked Countries The Coastline Paradox Point Nemo The 3 Tallest Mountains ## Canal Locks URL: https://sketchplanations.com/canal-locks Published: 2025-03-30T11:00:00+0000 Categories: engineering, water, invention, physics, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z-Pi5XdAxsiBv67Q_SP918-Canallocks.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How canal works to allow a boat to travel uphill Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/canal-locks), CC BY-NC 4.0 There's something remarkable about a boat travelling uphill. Canal locks are a simple yet ingenious system that has made it possible for centuries. How a Canal Lock Works The humble lock gate has more to it than first appears. Here's how one of the most common types works. For a boat approaching a lock from below and meeting a closed gate: 1. Bring the water to your level Close the top gate to seal the lock. Then, open the sluice (or paddle) in the lower gate — often a sliding panel — by cranking it with the ever-handy windlass (a simple metal crank that fits onto square spindles on the lock mechanism). 2. Enter and seal the gate Once the water is at the lower level, you can push the giant counterweights to open the gate and steer the boat inside. Don't nudge too far forward, or you'll bump the cill, a stone ledge at the top end of the lock. Close the gate behind you and shut the sluice to stop water escaping. 3. Raise the water level With the lock sealed, open the top sluices. These often feed through side channels or culverts, letting water in gently from upstream, usually below the surface, to reduce turbulence. You'll gradually float upward as the lock fills. 4. Head upstream Once the water level matches the upper pound (the upper stretch of water), open the top gates, close the sluices, and cruise on your way. The same principles, in reverse, work for approaching the lock from above. As you can imagine, operating locks is much harder work if you're boating solo. Water Supply for Canals One thing that makes all this possible is a steady supply of water. You can't rise in a lock without water to fill it. So, canal builders had to ensure the canal had enough water to stay navigable and to keep the locks functioning. For some of the London canals, the builders created huge reservoirs with long feeder channels to ensure the canals had enough water. In some places, water is pumped back uphill to be reused at the top of a flight. Canal water doesn't flow much — it's a closed system in many places. I'd heard that, in principle, it only takes one lock's worth of water for a boat to travel down a whole flight of locks: each lockful of water carries the boat one step down and ends up in the next pound. So, a boat going down several locks essentially transfers a single chamber's worth of water from the top to the bottom. But in practice, how much water gets used depends on boat traffic from either side, whether you meet locks full or empty, and water-saving features such as side pools. In my research, it wasn't as simple as it seemed. The Mitre Gate Holding back tonnes of water is no small task. Mitre gates are angled to meet, pointing upstream and forming a shallow V. This shape means the water pressure pushes the gates closed, creating a tight seal — the water effectively locks itself in. A stone arch bridge uses a similar principle—compression strengthens the structure under pressure. Leonardo da Vinci sketched an early design for the mitre gate around 1500. The design still looks like a modern lock gate. Not bad for an invention 500+ years ago. Understandable Engineering at Large Canal locks are like playing with water in the bath but on a massive scale. They're inherently satisfying to watch and operate. At their peak, they revolutionised transport across much of Europe and beyond. The same basic idea still operates in the Panama Canal, where giant ships are lifted 26 metres over the isthmus simply by filling and draining the lock chambers in sequence. The dimensions of a lock determine the size of the boat that can pass through. Panamax is the maximum size a ship can be to fit through the Panama Canal—a constraint that shapes shipbuilding worldwide. In the UK, Tardebigge Locks has 30 locks to raise boats 67m over just 3.6km. Not to be outdone, Caen Hill Locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal has 29 Locks, 16 of which are in a straight line, rising 72m over 2.1km. For a single, remarkable lock, have a look at Falkirk Wheel lock in Scotland. It's the "one and only rotating boat lift", which replaces 11 locks with a 2 min rotating journey lifting boats through the air. Full disclosure: We recently took a canal boat trip on London's Regents Canal, including a visit to London's Canal Museum. Far from its industrial heyday, the whole place was buzzing with people out for leisure up and down the length of the journey. The towpath—horses towed the barges by walking alongside—was packed with walkers, joggers and cyclists. And it never failed to fascinate when the boats moved up or down a lock. Engineering at work! Related Ideas to Canal Locks Also see: Everyone's a Geek About Something Buoyancy: how do mega ships float? The Plimsoll Line Siphon Kayak vs Canoe Strahler Stream Order Iceberg orientation Why ice doesn't sink Naismith's Rule (including the term "lock miles") Rivers and Buckets ## Everyone's a Geek About Something — Revised and Expanded URL: https://sketchplanations.com/geek Published: 2025-03-23T12:00:00+0000 Categories: happiness, wellbeing, health, podcast, mindfulness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z91z7TxkOkZ2kIlK_SP917-Everyone%E2%80%99sageekaboutsomething-redux.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Everyone's a geek about something with people geeking out on many different activities Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/geek), CC BY-NC 4.0 Are you passionate about something? Do you know something inside out where others barely give it a glance? As a schoolboy, I thought I was into birds—until my dad and I stayed with some family friends who were truly into birding. They had a powerful telescope trained on the birds at the feeder in their garden. They had crystal-clear binoculars we used on a bird walk, which showed me birds clearer and closer than I'd ever seen. They knew what birds to look for and had tape recordings of specific bird calls that brought them to nearby bushes. They talked us through trips they'd been around the world to spot rare and remarkable birds. Spending time with them changed how I saw birds forever. It was impossible to be around them and not start to love birds. There are classic disciplines for geekiness: science, maths, computers, birdwatching, plane spotting, model trains. But over the years, I've seen people geek out about so much more: gardening, plants, pottery, DJ'ing, Pokemon, sport, skiing, cycling, endurance, beekeeping, writing, business, spreadsheets, coding, magic tricks, sailing, a musical instrument, nightclubs, restaurants, personal development, gaming, crypto, cooking, travel, film, thrillers, local history, deals, football boots, coaching, shopping, clothes, cars, building, cameras, art, museums, relationships, pets, insects, decorating, and on and on. If you don't pay close attention to Premier League football, it might be boring, but if you follow every detail, it can be engrossing. I didn't think much of textiles, but I found it fascinating after spending an afternoon weaving in Laos. One of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing is Take Notice. Being a geek is noticing everything about something. It can also Connect you with others and keep you Learning—two more of the five. The word geek derives from a word meaning fool or freak as if it's foolish to devote so much attention and time to one area. But the truth is, as the physicist Richard Feynman says: "Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough." The writer Henry Miller wrote: "The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." And Alice Walker says: "The more I wonder, the more I love." Some of us had "publicly being a geek about something" trained out of us at school. The challenges of trying to fit in, to look cool, to make ourselves less vulnerable, to conform to social stereotypes (pretty, sporty, funny...), and to avoid snarky comments. As I've gotten older and more confident in myself, it's easier to unashamedly be a geek about something. I still meet with sarcasm and raised eyebrows at times, but now I'm comfortable enough to brush it off (most of the time). I love this quote from Simon Pegg about it: "Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It's basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating." Let's embrace our inner geeks. Dive deep into what fascinates you. Try not to dismiss others' passions until you've had a go at getting into depth yourself. Their joy could be just the same that you feel with something else. Everyone's a geek about something. And that's wonderful. This is a revised and expanded version of my original sketch, which had just a few passions. I've thought about it so much since I first heard the phrase—I couldn't remember where—that I thought it needed an update. And we had a blast talking about this on the podcast. When putting together a draft of a Sketchplanations book, this was my first title idea (preview). Related Ideas to Everyone's a Geek About Something Also see: 5 Ways to Wellbeing Flow The writer's in the writing. The artist's in the art. Discovering truth and beauty The Learning Pit Eponym One-buttock playing ## Grow not in each other's shadow URL: https://sketchplanations.com/grow-not-in-each-others-shadow Published: 2025-03-16T12:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, happiness, wellbeing, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z9QD3BsAHJWomibE_SP916-Standnotineachother%E2%80%99sshadow.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: An illustration for Kahlil Gibran’s On Marriage from The Prophet: an oak and a cypress tree with two figures holding hands, grow not in each other’s shadow. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/grow-not-in-each-others-shadow), CC BY-NC 4.0 The reading from our wedding I remember most clearly is a passage from Kahlil Gibran's beautiful book, The Prophet. We were drawn to it then, and I still am now. The end of the passage offers one of the most beautiful, uplifting, and—at the time—surprising perspectives on marriage. "And stand together yet not too near together:    For the pillars of the temple stand apart,    And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow." From the outside, marriage often seems like a complete merging—becoming one, but perhaps also losing part of yourself in the process. I love that this passage says that two people can and should unite and support each other without lessening each other individually. We retain what makes us ourselves while being stronger together. The image of the oak and the cypress has stayed with me ever since our wedding day. The full passage from the Prophet is below: On Marriage, by Kahlil Gibran Then Almitra spoke again and said, And what of Marriage, master?   And he answered saying:   You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.   You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.   Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.   But let there be spaces in your togetherness,   And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.   Love one another, but make not a bond of love:   Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.   Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.   Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.   Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,   Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.   Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.   For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.   And stand together yet not too near together:   For the pillars of the temple stand apart,   And the oak tree and the cypress grow   not in each other's shadow. Related Ideas to Grow Not in Each Other's Shadow Also see: The 4 Horsemen of Relationship Apocalypse Everyone's a Geek About Something Second cousins once removed Fact tennis Notice when you're happy ## F-Shaped Reading URL: https://sketchplanations.com/f-shaped-reading Published: 2025-03-09T12:00:00+0000 Categories: design, ux, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z8q4NRsAHJWomN3N_SP915-F-ShapedReading.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: F-Shaped Reading of content on the web from eye-tracking Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/f-shaped-reading), CC BY-NC 4.0 Many of us absorb and sift through huge quantities of information on the web daily. We've trained ourselves to quickly pull out the most important information and decide if the rest is worth our time. When this happens, which is most of the time, people commonly use F-Shaped Reading. What is F-Shaped Reading? F-Shaped Reading is a pattern seen in eye-tracking studies of people reading content on the web that seems to follow the shape of an F. That looks like scanning the top words most, maybe making it to the end of a headline. Then moving down the left-hand side and heading right again when we hit another sub-head or line that draws our attention. In languages that read right-to-left, you can see a reverse F-shape. We don't always read in an F-shape. There are several other common text-scanning patterns, such as spotted, layer-cake, marking, bypassing or commitment patterns—getting stuck in and reading the whole thing. However, an F-shaped reading, first identified around 2006, is still common and used on mobile devices. F-Shaped Reading is about reading content. It's not how we might scan a shiny new web page with fancy navigation and CTAs (Calls To Action). Why an F-Shape? F-Shaped Reading means that your headline and your first sub-head matter a lot. And also, the content on the left matters more as a way to draw people into your work. But it doesn't have to be this way. An F-shape arises because we're trying to be efficient and decide if this page is worth more of our time. It's hard to get that from a block of text, so we improvise—getting an idea of the content areas from the headlines and trying to see which content blocks, if any, are relevant to read by scanning quickly down the page. I'm not too proud to admit that you may be scanning this. Improving on F-Shaped Reading and Helping Our Readers F-Shaped Reading, to my knowledge, is from the NN Group, who also has a comprehensive article on it. They have a useful list of antidotes, which I paraphrase below, together with a few additions of my own: Put the most important information first Structure with headings and subheadings Front-load words in headings and bullets with the most information (check the first word of the titles in this post) Group related content visually — see 7 Gestalt principles Highlight important content Ensure links have information-bearing words (information scent)—rewrite to avoid "click here" Use lists Cut unnecessary content Avoid big blocks of text and use a sketch instead (Sketchplanation anyone?) =) Use visuals and captions as gateways to content Related Ideas to F-Shaped Reading Also see: Happy Talk Must Die Gestalt Principles The Blur Your Eyes Test Front-load names to cue attention Skeuomorph Micro-editing redundant words Let your data speak for itself Progressive enhancement—mobile first Mobile is snorkelling. Desktop is diving (less true these days) Dark patterns: using design to deceive ## Asking for What You Want URL: https://sketchplanations.com/asking Published: 2025-03-02T08:53:00+0000 Categories: management, leadership, advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z8BEo57c43Q3gTVg_SP914-ChancesofGettingWhatYouWant.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Chart showing the chances of getting what you want if you ask for what you want vs if you don't Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/asking), CC BY-NC 4.0 It took me a long time in my professional life to learn that my chances of getting what I wanted increased significantly if I asked for it. It seems obvious, but somehow, between politeness, awkwardness, fear of rejection, or humility, I forgot. As a child, I had no hesitation in asking for things. But somewhere along the way, I got out of the habit. Like in a relationship, asking for what you want avoids others having to guess—and potentially getting it wrong. If no one knows what you need, it's easy to feel overlooked, even when no one meant to ignore you. That's not to say asking is easy or without risk. Social norms, power dynamics, and biases mean that the same request can be received very differently depending on who asks. In some cases, asking outright might even backfire. But when possible, asking remains a powerful tool. Sometimes, asking is an obligation. If you're seething with resentment because you stayed late at work when you really needed to be back early today, that serves no one very well. You might do a worse job and be unhappy to boot. If there's something you need to be happy in your job and your manager doesn't know, it's hard for them to help. Twenty years ago, my wife and I went on an expedition to climb Mt Kenya. As we reached camp on the second day of hiking, one group member shared that he couldn't eat any foods containing gluten. By then, finding alternatives was challenging—the meals had been planned and packed days before—and jeopardised the whole trip. To ask for what you want, you must first figure out what you want. This isn't always straightforward, and it's easy to drift along without thinking about what you'd like and where you want to go. Doing the hard work to figure that out helps you and those you work with when planning and opportunities for change arise. You might never get what you ask for. But I've found that even when I didn't get what I wanted at the time, I sometimes got what I asked for later. When people know what you're looking for, they're more likely to think of you when the right moment comes. Is there something you want but haven't actually asked for? Maybe now's the time. "You get in life what you have the courage to ask for." — Oprah Winfrey (supposedly) Related Ideas Also see: Leading from Any Chair Manager time, maker time What Drives Us: Autonomy Mastery Purpose Whose Job Is It?: The Responsibility Poem The Accountability Ladder ## The Blur Your Eyes Test URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-blur-your-eyes-test Published: 2025-02-23T12:00:00+0000 Categories: design, communication Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z7iY8Z7c43Q3gExa_SP913-TheBlurYourEyesTest.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Blur Your Eyes Test for testing designs and communication for structure showing an example of little and clear structure Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-blur-your-eyes-test), CC BY-NC 4.0 The blur your eyes test is a way to evaluate the big picture and clarity of communication and designs by squinting to blur your eyes. Good designs give you a sense of the structure, even through a blurry lens. Poor designs leave you no wiser. What is the blur your eyes test? The blur your eyes test is a practical first screen for evaluating most communication, even if you don't consider yourself a designer. It works because it's simple and tests whether you're making life easy for the reader. To try it, head to a well-designed web page and squint until your vision is blurred. Can you still get an idea of the page even without seeing the details? If I blur my eyes, where do I expect the key message to be, and what are the supporting messages? Where do I expect to click if I want to continue? My team probably got sick of me squinting my eyes, asking them to do the same, and reporting that it wasn't apparent to me what to expect. Because people naturally skim content, making it as easy as possible to understand your message is essential. Clear hierarchy. Obvious next steps. It's also why Happy Talk Must Die and why wireframes and low-fidelity prototyping are helpful. Communicating with Busy People I spent a little time with Stanford design Professor Larry Leifer. Like all Professors, people constantly inundated him with requests for his time and expertise—I sometimes wonder how talented academics cope. If you were writing to him—or anyone—you could help him and yourself by being clear. Clear was not just in the message and the words you wrote but also in the structure of your writing. He told me that he felt you should be able to narrow your eyes to blur your vision and still see the basic structure of an email: greeting, intro or context, ask, sign off. Well-structured emails were more likely to get his attention and response because you'd made it easy for him to deal with. I've applied that tiny snippet of advice thousands of times since when writing emails, Slack messages, product releases, announcements, invitations, page designs, banners, chats and articles. As I reviewed more and more designs, I would use it to check, "Are we making this easy for the reader?" And yes, I also use it for Sketchplanations. Try blurring your eyes on past sketches and see if you think they pass—I'm sure I don't always manage it. It's also part of why I love the idea sketch format on which I've based so many sketches. The blur-your-eyes test works to communicate with busy people—and we're all busy people when we're trying to find what we want on the internet. As a separate lesson, another Stanford Professor, Bernie Roth, also taught me that a short, polite, timely rejection is much more valuable than a delayed, in-depth rejection. Ideas Related to the Blur Your Eyes Test Also see: Design for a Glance, a Look, and a Read Inverted Pyramid writing Happy talk must die Omit unnecessary words The Minto Pyramid Principle Short Words are Best How to Speak Plainly ## One in a Row URL: https://sketchplanations.com/one-in-a-row Published: 2025-02-16T12:00:00+0000 Categories: starting, productivity, motivation, quote, inspiration, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z6tdRpbqstJ9-e1s_SP912-OneinaRow.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The One in a Row principle: the way it all starts - with a person pushing over the first bowling pin — wisdom from Matthew McConaughey Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/one-in-a-row), CC BY-NC 4.0 Any success takes one in a row. Do one thing well, then another. Once, then once more. Over and over until the end, then it's one in a row again. — Matthew McConaughey From the book Greenlights Big things start small. It's easy to get caught up in trying to do everything at once, but you have to start somewhere. You don't need to complete the whole row today. Every sustained success starts with the first one. Sketchplanations started as one in a row. After the first few successes, the power of streaks can take over. Oh, and never miss twice. I created a series of sketches on getting started. Find them at: https://sketchplanations.com/categories/starting Greenlights is full of fun stories. I highly recommend the audiobook of Greenlights with Matthew McConaughey's full-of-life performance—like no other audiobook I've listened to. Related Ideas to the One-in-a-Row Principle Also see: The Doorstep Mile The First Draft is Always Perfect Benefits to Getting Started Eat the Frog ## One-buttock playing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/one-buttock-playing Published: 2025-02-09T12:00:00+0000 Categories: music, flow, wellbeing, creativity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z6YgWpbqstJ9-Xcr_SP911-One-buttockplaying.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: One-Buttock Playing: Benjamin Zander's term for how the music moves us Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/one-buttock-playing), CC BY-NC 4.0 This week, I released a short second collection of piano-based tracks called Deep Down and Not Forgotten. Listen on Spotify Listen on other Music platforms May I ask a favour? If you enjoy the music, would you please click to save/like on each track or the album to help others find it? Thank you. If you want to follow me as an artist that also helps. My sketch this week is related: one-buttock playing. What is One-Buttock Playing? We all experience the power of music to move us either as players or listeners. In his entertaining and insightful TED talk about The Transformative Power of Classical Music, Benjamin Zander begins with a memorable sequence of imitating a child learning to play the piano. With each new year of practice, the child's playing becomes more gentle, more accomplished, and more emotional. When playing as if an eleven-year-old, now leaning into the music, only one buttock in contact with the piano stool, Ben Zander says, "I don't know how we got into this position. I didn't say, 'I'm going to move my shoulder over, move my body.' No, the music pushed me over, which is why I call it one-buttock playing." He goes on to say, "You know, a gentleman was once watching a presentation I was doing, when I was working with a young pianist. He was the president of a corporation in Ohio. I was working with this young pianist, and said, 'The trouble with you is you're a two-buttock player. You should be a one-buttock player.' I moved his body while he was playing. And suddenly, the music took off. It took flight. The audience gasped when they heard the difference. Then I got a letter from this gentleman. He said, 'I was so moved. I went back and I transformed my entire company into a one-buttock company.'" Reaching Flow, Getting in the Zone For me, one-buttock playing means going with the music, letting it take you, and being fully involved, ignoring everything else. It's like reaching a state of Flow, or, as in Pixar's movie Soul, being in "the Zone." And as a more general metaphor, one-buttock playing is a fun reminder to give your all to an activity and be in the moment. Also, buttock is just a funny word. There are many ways to get into Flow. You can be in Flow working on a spreadsheet. But no spreadsheet has the same effect that music can or matches how I feel when playing and composing on the piano (have a listen). Expertise and One-Buttock Playing Zander doesn't mention it in his talk, but expertise is key to one-buttock playing. The younger pianists he emulates don't experience one-buttock playing—they're too busy trying to play the damn piece properly in the first place. One-buttock playing emerges only when they are skilful enough and know the piece inside and out. In other words, to lose yourself in the emotion or expression of a piece of music or a challenge, you must first master the craft. Once the execution is the baseline, you create space to focus on the expression. So it is, I think, with all pursuits. Picasso could sketch with abandon because he'd first mastered painting. Shakespeare could play with language because he'd first mastered it. Federer could make tennis look like an art form because his mastery of the fundamentals gave him freedom on the court. A great CEO can take a company to new heights only when the team executes the basics like clockwork. Replicate, then innovate. You may remember Benjamin Zander from the leadership sketch Leading from Any Chair Related Ideas to One-Buttock Playing Also see: Collective Effervescence: the magic of shared experience The Absorbing Power of a Labyrinth 5 Ways to Wellbeing Forest Bathing Flow Match Challenge with Skills for Flow at Work Goldilocks Tasks Sit Down Without Any Music Live in the Present ## Chinese Zodiac 2026: Year of the Horse, Animals, Years, and Meanings URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-chinese-zodiac Published: 2025-02-02T12:00:00+0000 Categories: time, travel, storytelling, animals, culture Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aBxkDidWJ-7kRvXc_SP910-TheChineseZodiac-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Chinese zodiac calendar showing the 12 zodiac animals, their personality traits, and zodiac years from 2025 to 2036, with 2026 marked as the Year of the Horse and early-2026 births belonging to the Year of the Snake Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-chinese-zodiac), CC BY-NC 4.0 Chinese Zodiac 2026: What Animal Year Is It? The Chinese zodiac year for 2026 is the Year of the Horse. People born in January and early February 2026 are still born in the Year of the Snake. The Chinese Zodiac is a repeating 12-year cycle of animals, with each year linked to a specific animal, forming the Chinese zodiac years and their traditional personality traits. The animals are those who took part in the Jade Emperor's Great Race. Chinese New Year marks the start of a new Chinese zodiac year, which is why the Chinese zodiac sign for 2026 changes in February rather than January. The Chinese lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon—lunisolar—meaning the New Year shifts slightly each year. Also known as the Spring Festival, the New Year marks the shift between Winter and Spring. It begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February, typically falling between late January and mid-February. Celebrations continue until the Lantern Festival, 15 days later. Chinese Zodiac Animals and Personality Traits Each Chinese zodiac sign is thought to shape the personality of those born in that year. If you were born in the Year of the Rat, you might be quick-witted and charming, while those born in the Year of the Dragon are often confident and enthusiastic. I always forget the full list of Chinese New Year animals—it's one of those things that's beyond 7 ± 2 and just won't stick in my head. So here it is, for future reference: Rat — Charming, Quick-witted Ox — Patient, Determined Tiger — Brave, Competitive Rabbit — Gentle, Compassionate Dragon — Confident, Enthusiastic Snake — Wise, Intuitive Horse — Energetic, Independent Goat (Sheep) — Calm, Creative Monkey — Witty, Curious Rooster — Hardworking, Observant Dog — Loyal, Honest Pig — Generous, Diligent The Legend of the Great Race: Why These 12 Animals? The Chinese zodiac animals are from an old legend: the Great Race. The Jade Emperor, Chinese mythology's ruler of all gods, hosted a great race across a river. The first 12 animals to finish would earn a place in the Chinese zodiac calendar. Cat and Rat, who were friends, hitched a ride on the back of Ox, who slowly swam through the river's deep water. As they crossed, Rat moved, knocking Cat into the river, but it was too dangerous to go back. As Ox neared the other bank, Rat jumped off, swimming the final metres and winning first place. Meanwhile, Dragon, despite being powerful, stopped to help others and finished fifth. Cat was left behind and finished last with a new dislike for rats. Variations in Other Countries Not all countries use the exact same Chinese zodiac signs. Vietnam, for example, swaps out two animals: The Rabbit is replaced by the Cat The Ox is replaced by the Water Buffalo Chinese New Year Symbols and Traditions Chinese New Year is full of traditions designed to bring good fortune: Red envelopes (hóngbāo) – Given to children and unmarried adults, filled with money as a symbol of luck and prosperity. Lanterns – Hung up or released into the sky, symbolizing brightness and good fortune. Firecrackers – Set off to scare away evil spirits and welcome the Lunar New Year with a bang. Red and gold – The most common colours in Chinese New Year decorations, representing happiness, wealth, and good luck. Other beliefs and traditions include: washing your hair can wash out your luck for the year giving oranges and tangerines to hosts as symbols of abundant happiness sweeping and cleaning the house to sweep away ill fortune decorating windows and doors with red paint, paper cutouts and banners giving respect and honour to gods and ancestors. Chinese Zodiac List from 2026 to 1945 Not sure of your animal or your child's? You can find yours in this list (unless you're over 80). The list shows what Chinese zodiac year each calendar year belongs to, including which animal represents 2026. If your birthday is before the Chinese New Year in January, then your animal will belong to the year before (rather like for birthday creep). 2027 – Goat 2026 – Horse 2025 – Snake 2024 – Dragon 2023 – Rabbit 2022 – Tiger 2021 – Ox 2020 – Rat 2019 – Pig 2018 – Dog 2017 – Rooster 2016 – Monkey 2015 – Goat 2014 – Horse 2013 – Snake 2012 – Dragon 2011 – Rabbit 2010 – Tiger 2009 – Ox 2008 – Rat 2007 – Pig 2006 – Dog 2005 – Rooster 2004 – Monkey 2003 – Goat 2002 – Horse 2001 – Snake 2000 – Dragon 1999 – Rabbit 1998 – Tiger 1997 – Ox 1996 – Rat 1995 – Pig 1994 – Dog 1993 – Rooster 1992 – Monkey 1991 – Goat 1990 – Horse 1989 – Snake 1988 – Dragon 1987 – Rabbit 1986 – Tiger 1985 – Ox 1984 – Rat 1983 – Pig 1982 – Dog 1981 – Rooster 1980 – Monkey 1979 – Goat 1978 – Horse 1977 – Snake 1976 – Dragon 1975 – Rabbit 1974 – Tiger 1973 – Ox 1972 – Rat 1971 – Pig 1970 – Dog 1969 – Rooster 1968 – Monkey 1967 – Goat 1966 – Horse 1965 – Snake 1964 – Dragon 1963 – Rabbit 1962 – Tiger 1961 – Ox 1960 – Rat 1959 – Pig 1958 – Dog 1957 – Rooster 1956 – Monkey 1955 – Goat 1954 – Horse 1953 – Snake 1952 – Dragon 1951 – Rabbit 1950 – Tiger 1949 – Ox 1948 – Rat 1947 – Pig 1946 – Dog 1945 – Rooster A few clarifying notes about the Chinese Zodiac and 2026 2026 is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac, as the Horse year begins in February 2026. People born in January or early February 2026 are still born in the Year of the Snake, as Chinese zodiac years begin at Chinese New Year in February, not on 1 January. Caveat: I am not Chinese or Asian and have gathered this information from many sources over the years. Let me know if something needs correcting. Others The Chinese zodiac years are one of those things I feel like I ought to remember but always forget. Others in the same bucket for me: The NATO alphabet The Greek alphabet Celsius and Fahrenheit Party bottle sizes May 2025: I updated the original image to switch around the orientation of the red envelopes, which are more traditionally portrait than landscape ## Snerdle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/snerdle Published: 2025-01-26T12:00:00+0000 Categories: words, wellbeing, anxiety, weather Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z5NmcZbqstJ990F4_SP909-Snerdle.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Snerdle meaning in English: To wrap up snugly beneath the covers and ignore the world. 18th Century dialect. By Sketchplanations Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/snerdle), CC BY-NC 4.0 How many things are much nicer than wrapping yourself snugly under the covers in bed and ignoring the world for a little longer? That's the meaning of the 18th-century dialect word Snerdle. Snerdle (verb) is from Yorkshire dialectologist Joseph Wright's English Dialect Dictionary. He gives the definition of snerdle, with examples, as: SNERDLE, v. [snə̄·dl.] To nestle closely; to wrap up comfortably in bed; to go comfortably off to sleep. “Snerdle the child up; make it comfortable.” “The children are snerdling together nicely.” “I think the baby will soon snerdle off.” Shared by British lexicographer and etymologist Susie Dent in her book Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment Every Day, snerdling suits a grey, chilly, rainy winter day—which is what we have here—or, at times, hiding from current events. Susie also lets us know: "Snuzzle, snoodge, and snerdle: all verbs in the English Dialect Dictionary for snuggling under the covers as though your life depended on it." Like snerdling? There's also the old Scottish word hurkle-durkle. Hurkle-durkling is revelling in staying in bed long after you should have gotten up. Aaah, bliss. More Fun Words Apricity: the warmth of winter sun Kaffikok: the distance you can travel before needing a cup of coffee Vorfreude: the pleasure of anticipation Schadenfreude: pleasure at someone else's misfortune Greeble: elements that give detail and scale and make something look more advanced Word spectrums Days of the week: the Norse gods among us The Order of Adjectives in English Tsundoku: acquiring books and letting them pile up without reading them Halfalogue: hearing half of a phone conversation The virtuous cycle of exercise and sleep ## Skeuomorph URL: https://sketchplanations.com/skeuomorph Published: 2025-01-19T12:00:00+0000 Categories: design, ui, ux, architecture, history Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z4f9b5bqstJ99gP7_SP908-Skeuomorph.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Skeuomorph meaning and examples with icons of floppy disks, phones and others for save and call Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/skeuomorph), CC BY-NC 4.0 Why is the save icon in your software a floppy disk that no one has used for over 20 years? And that phone icon looks nothing like your mobile phone when making a call. These are both skeuomorphs. What is a skeuomorph? A skeuomorph is when a new design borrows practical elements from a former design and repurposes them in a functional or ornamental way. Skeuomorphs are practical because they make new systems more intuitive. Their comfort and familiarity can help bridge old and new ways. For example, some electric cars are designed to look like they have air intake vents like traditional combustion cars. More poetically, a skeuomorph can offset the loss of physical reality when interacting with our digital devices. Skeumorph examples Skeuomorphs abound in the digital world: The save icon is a floppy disk from the 1980s and '90s Microphone and speaker icons The bin icon for deleting files The battery icon on your computer The envelope icon for email Gears for Settings Storing files in folders Books apps displayed with bookshelves The magnifying glass to zoom The camera icon as a physical SLR camera The shopping cart in an online shopping site The 'desktop' Sliders and knobs, or even connecting wires, are made to look like analogue mixing desks and gear in music software (music software is awash with skeuomorphs) A link icon represented by a link of a physical chain A clipboard for paste Dials and levers or a funnel representing filters Shadows under boxes on a webpage simulate light falling on a surface to show depth Grab bars are indications of friction points where you can change the order of a list The list goes on and on. I once read that when designing, if you can't think of an icon for your feature in about five seconds, you probably need to write the word, as not everyone will understand it. Not all digital icons are skeuomorphs: the printer as the print icon and the folded page for a page layout still map to their physical counterparts. Physical skeuomorph examples include: Electric candles. Slot machine levers that change the state of a circuit rather than spin any wheels. Fake wood grain is used on floors or interiors. Haptic feedback—a simulated click when pressing on a touchscreen. Speed camera signs in the UK use a stylised visual of a classic Kodak Brownie camera. Rivets on jeans are from when fixing denim together required more than just stitching. Electric cars sometimes include imitation air vents at the front that cool traditional combustion engines. Car hub caps with spoke designs from early wheels. Textured wallpaper, such as Anaglypta, echoes leather wall hangings with scored patterns. There's even a design for an early car with a fake horse head on the front—though the inventor designed it to avoid scaring other horses on the road. A smartwatch isn't just a watch; it's a computer you wear on your wrist. Skeuomorphs can borrow sound also: The imitation shutter sound of taking a photo on your phone Simulated engine noise on an electric car Skeumorphs in Software and User Interfaces Software and the digital domain are ripe places for spotting skeuomorphs, as they don't have physical characteristics—it's all 1s and 0s that we can't see or interact with. Apple's early iPhone interfaces were famous for skeuomorphic elements, such as a Contacts app that resembled a contacts book complete with tabs—tabs are also skeuomorphic— and fake leather or paper effects in note apps. Skeuomorphs, like metaphors in design, are helpful. In a magic box that can do anything—a mobile phone—a visual connection to a physical object with a defined purpose helps immediately tell you what something might be or do. As the digital world gradually becomes the first interaction for so many uses, skeuomorphs may become less common. But we'll see them around for decades yet. Early skeuomorphs Skeuomorph is not a recent term. It was coined by archaeologist Henry Colley March by combining the Greek skeuos (σκεῦος) for container or tool and morphe (μορφή) for shape. Skeuomorphs have been used in art and architecture since ancient times. For example, they are decorative features of stone buildings that mimic structural elements from older wooden ones, such as protruding rafters. Ancient pottery sometimes includes decorative rope patterns on the surface. More About Skeuomorphs The BBC has a lovely radio piece on Skeuomorphs, Design, and Modern Craft with novelist Will Self. The piece discusses their subtler side and some great examples, some of which I've included here. In the same episode, they also mention the zombie walk with faces lit by the glowing screen from a phone. Related Ideas to Skeuomorph Also see: Affordance Common button states Dark patterns Desire path Fitts Law "The content is the interface"—Sam Moreau ## Feedback Analysis URL: https://sketchplanations.com/feedback-analysis Published: 2025-01-12T12:00:00+0000 Categories: thinking tool, teaching, framework, feedback Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z35gFJbqstJ99Kni_SP907-Feedbackanalysis.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Feedback Analysis from Peter Drucker: Predict, Compare, Repeat shown with an example of getting a dog Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/feedback-analysis), CC BY-NC 4.0 Feedback analysis is a technique to improve judgment and discover your strengths. It could hardly be more simple: Write down what you think will happen whenever you make a key decision. In 9–12 months, compare what you predicted against what has happened. Repeat. How does Feedback Analysis help? I learned about feedback analysis from management consultant Peter Drucker in the small Harvard Business Review read Managing Oneself. He argues that we can only make our most significant contributions when we act from our strengths. Most people don't know their strengths, so the first step is to discover them. Feedback analysis helps you do this. Feedback analysis reveals your strengths by showing you where you are right in your predictions and which of your intended actions achieve what you hoped. It also shows you your weaknesses, where your expectations are consistently wrong, and where your actions fall short. Drucker suggests, "First and foremost, concentrate on your strengths. Put yourself where your strengths can produce results." The Opportunity to do What I do Best Every Day One of my favourite self-management reads is Strengthsfinder 2.0 by Tom Rath. It also argues that we have the most significant impact, not when we focus on fixing areas where we are weak but when we can make full use of our strengths. The five greatest strengths I learned from that book are valuable for me to reflect on today. In fact, Sketchplanations is in some way a reflection of this: Ideation – you can probably tell I am drawn to and full of ideas. Achiever - consistently creating and moving on. Relator - okay, less so this one, unless it's relating through writing and sharing. Being a relator is about building strong 1:1 relationships. Learner - I am always adding to my stock of concepts. Focus - making space to stay on task and get things done. I like to ask myself and my team members: "Do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?" Then, we get the best out of ourselves and others. Examples of Feedback Analysis Some situations where you might put feedback analysis into action: Taking a new job Hiring a new teammate Moving house Getting a pet Launching a new product Taking a course or learning a new skill Making predictions for your year Write your "Drucker Memo" Dan Pink has a 3-minute video summary of this technique in his Pinkcast. He says it's useful for at least 3 reasons: It helps you see your blind spots. It's a great way to understand your strengths. It makes him a little bolder—after being consistently a little pessimistic in expectations, it caused him to try more new things. Dan says he takes a moment to write his expectations in his "Drucker memo" when beginning each new project. He then files it away and schedules a reminder in 6 months to take a look and see if his expectations are accurate. Simple. Have you got any big decisions coming up? Maybe give feedback analysis a try. Related Ideas to Feedback Analysis Also see: Personal Panel of Advisors The OODA Loop Mistakes Replicate then Innovate The Tyranny of Small Decisions The Johari window Notes Peter Drucker is known, among other things, for coining the term "knowledge worker." "I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day" is one of the 12 Elements of Great Managing. ## Yes Sayers are Rewarded by Adventure, No Sayers are Rewarded by Safety URL: https://sketchplanations.com/yes-sayers-no-sayers Published: 2025-01-05T12:00:00+0000 Categories: wisdom, books, safety, improvisation, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z3l_ypbqstJ99C1m_SP906-YessayersNosayers.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Yes Sayers are rewarded by adventure, No Sayers are rewarded by safety — wisdom from Keith Johnstone Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/yes-sayers-no-sayers), CC BY-NC 4.0 Improv veteran Keith Johnstone shares: There are people who prefer to say "Yes," and there are people who prefer to say "No." Those who say "Yes" are rewarded by the adventures they have, and those who say "No" are rewarded by the safety they attain. There are far more "No" sayers around than "Yes" sayers, but you can train one type to behave like the other. I can't help but put pressure on myself to be a yes-sayer. Perhaps it's the vague belief that saying yes will lead to a fuller life and range of experiences and that saying "no" is the easy option. And somehow, the easy option in my mind can seem like the wrong option. That's why I liked Keith Johnstone's framing for yes-sayers and no-sayers, as it clearly shows the rewards for taking either route in a decision, not just one. If you are improvising, saying yes and accepting offers takes you to situations that may not feel comfortable but give you new experiences. Saying no keeps you where you are. Your situation is known and safe, and you feel good for that reason. In life, we never have to be exclusively yes or exclusively no. And it doesn't have to be white-water kayaking for yes-sayers and reading books at home for no-sayers. But certainly, there are different joys in each path. I love both: the nerves and excitement of new experiences and the comfort and safety of the known and predictable. We needn't bucket ourselves into one or the other. An adventure, even a microadventure, almost by definition, is the result of saying yes. And, like Type II fun, it can be rewarding and fulfilling. But balancing adventure with the safety and calm of staying in one's comfort zone at times feels nice to me. Related Ideas to Yes Sayers, No Sayers And more improv: Accept offers Be spontaneous Microadventure The bandwagon effect Only dead fish go with the flow "The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces"—in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Abraham Maslow, known for Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, shared: "One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again." The quote is from Keith Johnstone's book Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre, Theatre Arts Books, 1979, as quoted in Improv Wisdom by Patricia Ryan Madson. ## Rückenfigur URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ruckenfigur Published: 2024-12-29T12:00:00+0000 Categories: mountains, art, photography, perspective, nature, wellbeing, travel, words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z3CJ55bqstJ983z__SP905-Ru%CC%88ckenfigur.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Rückenfigur example: a person looking out at a mountain scene Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ruckenfigur), CC BY-NC 4.0 Ever taken a photo of a scene where someone is standing with their back to the camera, looking out at the view? That's Rückenfigur, a German word derived from Rücken (back) and Figur (figure), which roughly translates to "figure seen from behind." Rückenfigur is a technique in composition where a person is included in the scene facing out to the view rather than at the viewer. It's associated with German Romantic painting and the artist Caspar David Friedrich, who painted many paintings in this style. I like Rückenfigur's ability to invite you to consider the person's perspective in the scene and what they're experiencing looking out. Especially as it's often used with grand scenes from Nature, I find Rückenfigur helps me appreciate the grandeur and wonder they may feel. When I learned about the term, I realised that I use it all the time in photography. In photos, however, I think there are other good practical reasons to employ Rückenfigur, such as: Focusing on the scene Without showing a face, the viewer's attention is drawn to the landscape, not the individual. Adding scale and context A person in the frame provides a sense of size and invites contemplation from their perspective. Privacy and shareability Travel photos with friends or family members facing away are easier to share. No face awkwardness Like painting, photographing faces has a lot that can go wrong: people can have their eyes shut, be squinting, have an odd smile, no smile, bad hair...not having a visible person is more reliable. When I see a beautiful scene such as this, somehow having a person there looking out helps put me in that person's shoes and experience that wonder again. And I think that's often what I'm trying to capture in a photo of Nature. Or perhaps Friedrich started it because painting faces is hard? The sketch is based on a photo I took in the breathtaking Jonkershoek Nature Reserve in South Africa in 2010. Related Ideas to Rückenfigur Also see: Atmospheric perspective The Golden Ratio Hitched to Everything Else in the Universe The Rule of 3rds Notes Rucksack has a similar derivation translating to backpack. ## The Three Bricklayers Story URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-three-bricklayers Published: 2024-12-22T12:00:00+0000 Categories: storytelling, purpose, motivation, architecture, leadership Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z2QwVpbqstJ98rsf_SP904-The3BricklayersParable.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C4631%2C4067&w=1200&h=4067 Image description: The Three Bricklayers story, or 3 Bricklayers Parable, is about the meaning, vision, leadership, and motivation of work. Originally about Sir Christopher Wren, the image shows three scenes: a brick layer laying bricks (Task), one building a wall (Goal), and one creating a cathedral on scaffolding (Vision) with a cathedral in the background. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-three-bricklayers), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Three Bricklayers’ story illustrates the power of purpose. What is the 3 Bricklayers Story? A simple version goes that a person walked past a building project and asked three workers the same question: “What are you doing?” The first replied, “I’m laying bricks.” The second replied, “I’m building a wall.” And the third replied, “I’m creating a cathedral.” The story highlights how we can view our work differently depending on whether we focus on the immediate task, the short-term goal, or the larger vision. The first worker focuses on the task at hand, the second sees the outcome of their work, and the third connects to the broader purpose of the project. Various tellings have the first worker hunched over or working slowly. The second and third workers take increasing pride in their work, often achieving more. Finding Balance in Work There’s value in all three perspectives. There can be a lot of pride and skill in laying bricks—or whatever your equivalent task is—as well as it can be done. Setting clear, intermediate goals keeps progress on track. And someone who spends all their time looking at plans or daydreaming about what the building will become may not lay bricks as well as they need to. To do something well, we probably need a balance of all three aspects: Pride and skill in detail and craft Progress through clear intermediate goals Vision and meaning for our work Understanding what I’m working towards and believing it’s worthwhile is a powerful motivator for me when the going gets tough. This post isn’t really about cathedrals, but I studied the brilliant Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí in my teens. As a real-life cathedral metaphor, his incredible Basílica de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona is a striking example. Gaudí’s vision for the basilica has inspired generations of artisans and workers since he took over the project in 1882. Execution, however, has been a challenge, with construction ongoing today. But that hasn’t stopped it from inspiring and drawing in visitors for decades. I like the three bricklayers parable as a reminder that when I’m grinding on something, it helps to reconnect with the why behind my effort. Origins of the 3 Bricklayers Parable Like many parables, this story has been told in different forms. An early version appears in Bruce Barton’s 1927 book What Can a Man Believe (p252), featuring Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St Paul’s Cathedral in London after the Great Fire of 1666. “One morning he passed among the workmen, most of whom did not know him, and of three different men engaged in the same kind of work he asked the same question: ‘What are you doing?’ From the first he received the answer: ‘I am cutting this stone.’ From the second the answer was: ‘I am earning three shillings and six pence a day.’ But the third man straightened up, squared his shoulders, and holding his mallet in one hand and chisel in the other, proudly replied: ‘I am helping Sir Christopher Wren to build this great cathedral.’” It’s hard to believe it happened, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be helpful. Related Ideas to the 3 Bricklayers Story Also see: Autonomy Mastery Purpose The Blind and the Elephant Hope Flow Goldilocks Tasks Find Your Why Not The Story Spine Forcing Function ## Build Your Panel of Advisors to Ask for Advice URL: https://sketchplanations.com/panel-of-advisors Published: 2024-12-15T12:00:00+0000 Categories: advice, problem solving, history, thinking tool, thinking Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z1sRmJbqstJ98bDW_SP903-Panelofadvisors.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Build your own panel of advisors and mentors example of the invisible counselors with Mum, Uncle Jim, your science teacher, Marcus Aurelius and Lincoln Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/panel-of-advisors), CC BY-NC 4.0 Building your own panel of advisors is a simple technique to expand your perspectives and guide yourself through tough decisions. Think of people whose judgement and values you respect, add them to your mental panel, and when faced with a dilemma, ask, "What would you do?" While a real panel of advisors is invaluable, an imaginary panel has advantages: it's not limited to people you can call, and it requires no one else's time. Your panel can include your mum, Uncle Jim, your best friend, or your high school science teacher. But why stop there? You could invite Taylor Swift, Marcus Aurelius, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, or the Buddha—famous figures whose qualities and wisdom inspire you. Diversity is key to your panel's success, as it brings a broader range of perspectives. Uncle Jim would likely approach a problem very differently from the Buddha, and you can access both viewpoints simply by considering how each might respond. It's curious how we can get more diverse perspectives by ourselves simply by adopting the view or mindset of someone else (as we understand them). In this way, it's rather like De Bono's 6 Thinking Hats technique. And it reminds me of my favourite research results where people generated more ideas when prompted to ideate as if they were a creative person. Benjamin Franklin regularly sought to emulate his role models, as in his 13th virtue: "Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates." Similarly, Napoleon Hill described meeting with "Invisible Counselors" in Think and Grow Rich to gain insights from imagined mentors. I can't remember where I first came across this strategy but I love to put it into action. Who would you add to your panel? Related Ideas to Building Your Own Panel of Advisors Rubberducking Groupthink The Bandwagon Effect The Abilene Paradox Design by Committee Brilliance Bias ## Eat the frog URL: https://sketchplanations.com/eat-the-frog Published: 2024-12-08T12:00:00+0000 Categories: productivity, motivation, time, goals, animals, metaphor, management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z03p9pbqstJ979dW_SP902-Eatthefrog.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Eat The Frog time management and productivity technique and its meaning with a person about to eat a frog and a to-do list Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/eat-the-frog), CC BY-NC 4.0 Eat the Frog is a memorable, if rather gross, metaphor that means choosing the most important thing you must do today and doing that first. It derives from a variant of a quote that Mark Twain never said, "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first." — Not Mark Twain Another way to think about it is that if you first Eat the Frog, everything else will be easier for the rest of the day. And won't that feel nice? The Eat the Frog time management technique was popularised in Brian Tracy's productivity book Eat That Frog! Get More of the Important Things Done - Today! Many tools in Tracy's book are based on the general premise that there will always be more to do than you can do. So, find the things that will have the most impact and do those first. The others will drift on by. Why is Eat the Frog helpful? I once saw someone ask for advice on getting motivated to clean the house. One person answered: "Write a book." Sometimes, our most significant and impactful goals are those on which we so readily procrastinate. Often, these will be in the important, not urgent, bucket. The Eat the Frog approach helps if: You are prone to procrastination 🙋 You have a lot of things that need to be done or that you want to do You work well in the morning One of the nice things about eating the frog first thing is that getting it done feels really good. It helps build momentum for the rest of the day with a nice endorphin rush of ticking off something significant. Decide on your Most Important Task (MIT) to tackle, ideally the night before. If it's too big and you can't finish it in one sitting, divide it into manageable chunks. Then start on the first chunk and leave everything else. And sometimes, the hardest thing to do is to start. So consider doing just 5 minutes. Once you've started, very often, keeping going becomes easy. Challenges when Eating the Frog Questions that come up regularly in Tracy's book "Eat That Frog", including for the Eating the Frog principle, are variations of: What is the most important thing you could be doing? What is the highest-value activity? What activity will have the most impact? If you weren't already doing this, would you start doing this? What skills will take you furthest in your career? What are you able to do best that others can't? It all looks pretty straightforward when I read questions like these. But I have found that answering them is usually much harder. Our goals are often interrelated. For example, earning more may require you to increase your skills first. And getting clear on what your most important goals are first is a prerequisite and also not always straightforward. Then, what activities are the most important or will have the most impact can be unclear. And, sometimes, small actions such as an unexpected event or connection may have out-sized benefits. Or neglecting a seemingly minor task could lead to losing a significant client. But does it still make sense to try to work on the most important task first thing in the morning? Yes. Don't Drag it Out Like a child leaving a brussel sprout at the side of the plate to get cold while they eat the roast, it's easy to leave our most impactful and daunting tasks until after the easier stuff is done. But it doesn't usually help to wait. As the saying goes, if you have to eat a live frog, it doesn't pay to look at it for long. Related Ideas Face it, you'll never get caught up, so perhaps think about Oliver Burkeman's Rivers not Buckets Eisenhower Matrix: important/urgent Pomodoro Technique The Power of Streaks Don't make important decisions on an empty stomach The doorstep mile Eat the Frog is a fantastic example of putting the principles of making your idea Sticky into action Use checkboxes Present bias Finishing lines Poor frogs: the Frog boil metaphor Another quote "from" Mark Twain appears in Big Ideas Little Pictures: "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment." Notes The always excellent Quote Investigator describes the source of the Eat the Frog family of quotes from the French writer Nicolas Chamfort, who said, more or less, that eating a toad first thing would help steel you against the rest of the day as nothing worse will happen to you. ## The 5 Gift Guide for Christmas URL: https://sketchplanations.com/5-gift-guide-for-christmas Published: 2024-12-01T12:00:00+0000 Categories: christmas, travel, gift giving, products, anxiety, wellbeing, parenting Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z0naC5bqstJ9752F_SP901-5giftguideforChristmas.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The 5 Gift Guide for Christmas: for a meaningful Christmas with less stuff. Showing the 5 categories "Something: I want, I need, to wear, to read, to do." Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/5-gift-guide-for-christmas), CC BY-NC 4.0 If you're a parent or buy presents for kids, perhaps Christmas brings mixed feelings. While we love spending time with family, playing together, and taking a break, Christmas gift-giving easily brings some stress and anxiety (one of the reasons that Thanksgiving is so good). This list from Pragmatic Parent is a potential antidote to the consumerism that can overtake at Christmas. The idea is to give one gift to each child in five categories: Want, Read, Wear, Need, and Do. 8x Christmas-As-Magic No one wants a Dudley Dursley on his birthday, "Thirty-six. That's two less than last year!" But at the same time, as a parent, you may have nostalgia for your Christmas or holidays as a child and want to create the same for your children. Paul Graham wrote in an essay Life is Short: "Having kids showed me how to convert a continuous quantity, time, into discrete quantities. You only get 52 weekends with your 2-year-old. If Christmas-as-magic lasts from, say, ages 3 to 10, you only get to watch your child experience it 8 times. And while it's impossible to say what is a lot or a little of a continuous quantity like time, 8 is not a lot of something." So, while, as parents, you may be working to make it memorable, at the same time, some things can easily get out of kilter. Here are some thoughts that cross our minds: It's easy to think that we're buying more and bigger gifts each year. And we want to ensure this year's presents are as good as last year's to avoid disappointment. It's easy to look at a pile of assembled presents and think, "We never had this much as kids!". And sometimes, the big ticket item we bought at great expense didn't provide nearly as much joy as racing around the house with family at Christmas. We wonder if it was really needed after all. It's easy for Christmas gift-giving to seem out of control. The 5 Gift Guide: Want, Read, Wear, Need, Do Years ago, I learned about this list from Corinne at Pragmatic Parent, which tries to redress some of the balance at Christmas—keeping Christmas wonder while also keeping it sane. The idea is to get one gift in each of the 5 categories: Want, Read, Wear, Need, Do. Something I want can still be the classic Christmas big ticket item that you dream about getting as a kid. This could be a big toy, Lego set, video game, or new bike... Something I need could support a hobby, some sports equipment, a musical instrument, maybe headphones. Or it could be something they need for school—a smart set of pens or pencils or pencil case, perhaps. Something to wear is an opportunity to get something that makes them feel good daily. Something to read might be a book, magazine, comic, or subscription. Something to do could be a game, tickets to a film, a day out or visiting somewhere new. In a later iteration of the list, Corinne added a 6th item, "Something for my family", for an activity everyone can do together. A Less Materialistic Christmas The 5-Gift Rule for Christmas is a potential way to reduce some of the consumerism associated with Christmas and adopt a more minimalist approach. It promotes useful gifts that won't gather dust after the excitement of the holidays has passed. It encourages gratitude for what we receive and minimises pining for what we don't. It also suggests gifts that create experiences for the receiver and the family—one of the best ways to spend our money. Full disclosure: Though we think about the list, we've yet to adopt it wholesale. But it's a handy framework for considering different types of gifts that your children may value. It reminds us to focus on more meaningful and thoughtful gifts and experiences with less accompanying stuff. Related Ideas Also see: If money doesn't make you happy, you're not spending it right The origins of Boxing Day Give gifts others can give Jólabókaflóð Pick a present (Venn diagram) (Groggy parents from Watterson) ## Discovering Truth and Beauty and Sharing it with others URL: https://sketchplanations.com/truth-and-beauty Published: 2024-11-24T12:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, art, creativity, motivation, wellbeing, wisdom Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z0CkAa8jQArT1Nrx_SP899-Truthandbeauty.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Brenda Ueland quote: What is the purpose of existence but to discover truth and beauty and share it with others? showing a person finding a flower, painting it, and then enjoying seeing others experience the same emotions they did Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/truth-and-beauty), CC BY-NC 4.0 This post is sketch 900 of Sketchplanations, according to my numbering. To mark that, I've been reflecting and wanted to share what I've learned from over a decade of this project. It's my longest post, but I created a version you can listen to, or even watch 🙈, if you prefer. And if you don't want to listen, watch or read a long article, I hope you can just enjoy the sketch of Brenda Ueland's lovely wisdom. Listen/watch reflections on a decade of Sketchplanations on YouTube Still here? Let's go: After the first year of one-a-day, I've done one sketch a week, 52 a year, for over a decade without missing. I've tried to stick to James Clear's "Never miss twice" rule by first not missing once. With a few years of experience in creating and sharing under my belt, I wanted to share some thoughts about this project, about sharing your work, and about creative freedom. I watched a talk by Jack Conte a few weeks ago. Jack is the founder of Patreon but was first—and still is—a passionate, talented musician full of energy and drive. The whole talk is interesting—he called it the Death of the Follower. But what drove me to create this was some of what he said towards the end, kind of his "advice to creatives." I want to talk about two things: The why and what of creating, and second, what sort of project a creative project should be. I've been lucky in so many ways with this project: It was accidental, so I wasn't staking my future or my ego on it. It was a side project—until this year—so I wasn't staking my paycheck and whether we could pay the mortgage and support our family on it. And I stumbled on a simple formula that's given me great permission, licence, and scope to explore everything that interests me. Without getting too grandiose about it, my conjured up tag line of "explaining the world one sketch at a time" is a huge mission, one that never really ends. But it also allows me to cover whatever aspects of our fascinating world that I want, in the way that I want. Cartoonists also have a tremendous scope to create, but they usually have to make people laugh. Fortunately for me, I don't have to do that each time. I can cover serious things, or sensitive things, or fun things, or complex things in whichever way I want. I'm also lucky that my drawings don't have to be good. Sometimes, I look back on older ones and cringe, but usually, I don't cringe at what I'm sharing, only my drawing of it. Just a year or so into this project, when I complained to a good friend about not being the best artist, he simply replied, "Yes, but it's the content." It really stuck with me, and it's grown on me over time. The drawings may not be as slick as other artists. Still, the content and topics I tackle are hopefully valuable, or at least interesting, in themselves. So people, I think, forgive me when I don't get it quite right and it's a bit cheesy, or my people are a bit janky. Part of the luck in my formula is that it's become a unique collection in style and approach. The more I've created, the more unique it becomes. I am regularly asked how I choose and find topics to include. I only recently found the answer that really nails it. On my website, I've joked, "Sooner or later, everything I know will be on Sketchplanations." And in some ways, that's true—at least for the useful stuff I know. At first, sketches were a combination of serendipity in what happened to me that was interesting this week and a process of trawling through my experience and memory for the things I've found interesting and helpful over the years. And they were also what I found myself using or thinking about regularly. Over the years, I've trained myself constantly to be on the lookout for topics. Sometimes I see, or read, or remember something that I instantly know I'll sketch at some point. I add it to my list, and those that I'm excited about and have the clearest view on are those I tackle the next week. But that doesn't really address the question of what makes it into the list and what doesn't. What ties these together? The answer I found most profoundly hit when I read a wonderfully opinionated book, "If you Want to Write," by Brenda Ueland. Brenda says:  And what is the purpose of existence… but to discover truth and beauty and…share it with others. — Brenda Ueland And it was suddenly clear to me. What makes it into the list is when I've found something that to me was a truth, an insight, an aha, a new piece of knowledge, something beautiful or fascinating that I realised. I had to feel I'd discovered something. Sketchplanations has given me the wonderful vehicle to act on the impulse to share it with so many others. I usually consider myself knowledgeable about most sketches but an expert in few. But like the age-old realisation that the teacher learns more than the students, I can tell you that there's nothing like spending a day or more a week diving into a topic, thinking how to visualise it, spending several hours sketching it and then writing about it to cement them in my own brain. I'm no doubt the one who's benefited the most from this project. It's not too long in a conversation with me before I might struggle not to interrupt with a "There's a sketch for that." And this diverse collection of 900 sketches therefore, in many ways, reflects everything I find interesting and helpful or beautiful in the world, and so is a reflection of me. In that sense it's really rather personal. Which brings me to the second aspect of what I want to share here. I'm very lucky that many people provide suggestions for sketches they'd like to see. I've worked in design and user experience for many years. Having direct feedback of what your audience would like to see is extremely valuable. I've tackled some of them, but too few. I find that I'm not a very good judge of sketches that will turn out to be popular—at least in the short run. I send out new sketches each week in my newsletter. It's funny that even though I send out 10s of 1,000s of emails each month there's relatively little feedback of what people think about each new sketch. I started posting sketches on social channels many years ago to allow more people to discover them and make it easier for people to share them. And I post sketches on my website, so that people can find them in the future and get the answers they want when they're searching for something or looking for something to use in their own projects. Posting on social media is interesting as, with likes, comments, shares and follower numbers I seemed to have much more feedback about whether what I did was interesting to people or not. Certainly as compared to the newsletter where there's no lightweight, low commitment way, save writing me a direct email, to let me know if it was helpful. I love receiving them by the way. Once you start getting feedback on what seems to be popular however, you have a double-edged sword. For example, what if there's some truth or beauty that I want to share that is unlikely to be popular? Or what if there are things that will be popular that I don't find to be a truth or beauty that speaks to me or makes me want to share it. If I was a business I think the answer is fairly clear—you create the content that your audience wants to see so people come to your site and buy your wares. But what if a project reflects you personally? And what if it's an amateur project, created for the love of it rather than the $ of it? I have tackled some sketches of topics that people asked for and that sometimes people have paid me for. What I found is that very quickly it begins to feel like a job. It's fine to do, but they're not always something that excites me. For me, who fortunately for so long wasn't depending on it for my primary income, I found it very quickly took the joy out of the task. Why would I use my spare time—and often time from my family—to execute something that I wasn't excited about and didn't find joy in and didn't find a little spark or fire in sharing with others? Don't get me wrong. Reaching more people with my work is great. I came round to marketing when I kept hearing "Wow, I just discovered your site. I love it!" 7 years after I'd been working on it. These people could have been following from the beginning if I'd just reached them earlier. That was part of the impetus to create a physical book and hopefully reach a new set of people in a different way. This same feeling also drives me to work on making the website better—as the saying goes: "Business without marketing is like winking at a girl in the dark." What's the point of having good content if people can't find it? It seems a shame. Well, one way I could reach more people, I think of, as "feeding the machine." What I should do is find topics that have high search volume, topics that are topical or current, topics that draw a lot of engagement, topics that may be easy to grasp or share with others, and I should and do those. I should check search queries, watch what others are doing, and look for the content I post that creates the most interactions and create more content to match. Simple messages without nuance or complexity are easy to share and take in and hit repost. But I can't bring myself to do it. The things I keep wanting to share are my version of what Brenda called the "purpose of existence"—discovering truth and beauty and sharing it with others. So I've resisted too much of feeding the machine. I'm sure it's cost me. I'm sure there are a million ways I could grow my followers faster, get more subscribers, get more content engagement, exploit new channels, write traffic heavy content. But I don't want to do those if it means I can't share the truths and beauty that I find valuable. So, at sketch 900, I'm sharing these reflections as the struggles of a creator trying to understand the point and value of their project. And to say that I plan to keep this project idiosyncratic, unexpected, and personal. Or, in some ways, a reflection of me. This will at least keep it unique. I know that you won't find it all speaks to you—you're not me after all. But for the times when I do get it right, when you can see the truth or beauty that I'm trying to share, even if it's just you and me who appreciate it, I hope that will keep it worth it. Jack Conte talks passionately and knowledgeably about the importance of building deep connections with small numbers of true fans. He built Patreon, through which I've benefited so much. And a deep personal thank you to everyone who is now supporting and has supported me in the past. And I've decided I'd rather, slowly, create a deeper, more personal connection with the people, perhaps like you, who have enjoyed my project, by sharing the truth or beauty that I want to share than to feed the machine and create what the machine says is needed. Selfishly, I hope that this will also keep it interesting for me even if it may not do the rounds of the internet as well. Thanks everyone who's visited, enjoyed, talked about, listened to the podcast or shared my work over the years. So many of you have been generous in sharing and singing the praises of this little project. There is of course still so much more to explain about this world. Maybe 900 is a lot of topics sketched—or maybe, I'm just getting started. Thanks for being part of the journey. See you at 1,000. And... If you made it this far, it'd be amazing if you considered helping to get to 1,000 by supporting me at any amount on Patreon 🙏 ## Naismith's Rule for mountain hiking time URL: https://sketchplanations.com/naismiths-rule Published: 2024-11-17T12:00:00+0000 Categories: hiking, nature, mountains, mathematics, time, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZzYJxq8jQArT04Li_SP899-Naismith%E2%80%99sRule-smaller.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Naismith's Rule for calculating walking time in the mountains example explained with a mountain ridge with hikers and lines for the horizontal distance and time and ascent and time Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/naismiths-rule), CC BY-NC 4.0 Naismith's Rule provides a quick estimate for hiking time in the mountains, intended for "easy expeditions." It suggests: 1 hour for every 3 miles (5km) walked +1 hour for every 2,000 ft (600m) of ascent For example, suppose your hike covers 6 miles with 2,000 ft of ascent. In that case, Naismith's Rule suggests allowing 3 hours total—2 hours for distance and 1 hour for elevation. (Here's a metric sketch of Naismith's Rule) Origins of Naismith's Rule William Naismith was a Scottish Mountaineer born in 1856. He spent years trekking in the Highlands and was, to be fair, probably made of nails. In the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal in 1893, he wrote: "...a simple formula, that may be found useful in estimating what time men in fair condition should allow for easy expeditions, namely, an hour for every three miles on the map, with an additional hour for every 2,000 feet of ascent." The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal, Vol. II, September 1892, No.3, p.136 (pdf) Does Naismith's Rule Work? A figure I learned that's stuck with me is that a brisk walk is around 4 mph. But that's actually pretty fast and wouldn't apply on a mountain trail and certainly not hiking up a mountain. So I've run into the challenge myself when planning a trip in the mountains of how to guess how long a hike will likely take. From a recent hike—where I made sure to run through the full kitchen table survival skills and 10 essentials before leaving—limited daylight was a safety consideration. So knowing how long the hike might take was really important. Incidentally, there's a rule of thumb, literally, for estimating remaining daylight. Lots of people have put Naismith's Rule to the test, including me, and though it's a slightly optimistic metric, it's a starting point. On my recent hike, we were slightly over, but not by much. Adjusting Naismith's Rule To adjust for your circumstances, add time for: Tricky or technical terrain and trail condition Steep descents High altitude Lunches and snack stops Not being "in fair [physical] condition" in the view of a rugged mountaineer from Scotland in the 1890s Heavy packs, poor weather Getting lost Walking with children Photography, bird watching, animal spotting Time to stop and enjoy the views The size of your group—I have heard the rule of thumb to add 15 mins for each person in your group Sitting and sketching Presumably, if the hike was really long, you'd slow down The Unexpected So, there are many reasons why Naismith's Rule may be on the light side. But it's a decent place to start from. Killian Jornet Laughs in the Face of Naismith's Rule Someone for whom Naismith's Rule definitely doesn't apply is the incredible Killian Jornet, whom I watched in the beautiful documentary Déjame Vivir on Netflix. Footage of him running along knife-edge ridges at the top of the Alps is breathtaking. In 2024, he hiked all 82 peaks above 4,000m in the Alps in 19 days without using motorized vehicles between them 🤯. Lock-Miles I was told about the term lock-miles, a kind of Naismith's Rule but for canal journeys rather than hikes. To estimate the journey time, you'd first calculate the lock-miles with the idea that it takes as long to travel through a lock as it does to travel a mile. A journey of 10 miles with 5 locks would be 15 lock-miles. For experienced boaters, a typical speed might be 3 lock-miles an hour, so the journey of 15 lock-miles would take 5 hours. Let me know if you give Naismith's Rule a try! Prefer metric? So do I. Here's a metric Naismith's rule (with the approximate rounding) Related ideas Also see: The Fun Scale The 10 essentials Kitchen table survival skills Take photos of maps before a hike Use a compass Rule of thumb for remaining daylight Kaffikok — the time you can travel before needing another cup of coffee Time hierarchy Isochrones Human pace I made some prints and products with and without the text in case, like me, you like a peaceful mountain ridge without any rules ## The paradise paradox URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-paradise-paradox Published: 2024-11-10T12:00:00+0000 Categories: travel, happiness, wellbeing, problem solving, anxiety, paradox Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zy9mdq8jQArT0p7l_SP898-Theparadiseparadox.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the paradise paradox explained with a person on a city balcony dreaming of a beach where a person is dreaming of the city Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-paradise-paradox), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Paradise Paradox is the tempting but misguided belief that moving to a "paradise" will magically make everything better. It's the idea that a change of scene to somewhere beautiful or exciting will somehow sweep away all our problems. And while a fresh setting can give us a lift, the reality is often more complicated: paradise, as wonderful as it might be, won't always solve the everyday challenges we bring along with us. Idealizing Paradise Moving to your paradise might feel incredible, and it's a life-changer for some people, but it's easy to idealize paradise, imagining it as a place where worries simply disappear. Yet even the most stunning places could start to feel ordinary, and your conceptualised paradise may have its own challenges. For instance, perhaps your paradise is a beautiful, distant, exotic land. Such a paradise, however, has the drawback of no longer being distant or exotic once you arrive and the day-to-day takes over. Someone living in a fast-paced metropolis might dream of calm and quiet, while someone surrounded by calm and quiet may dream of the rush and excitement of the big city. Alastair Humphreys, who introduced me to the Paradise Paradox in his book Local, gave a great example in our podcast about Microadventures. In an interview on an American podcast, the interviewers couldn't imagine exploring Kansas to be exciting—it was known or even home to them. But to Alastair, a visit to Kansas would be an adventure, full of new things to see and do. It's a reminder that our ideas of paradise are often fueled by novelty—and novelty, by nature, doesn't last forever. Expectations, the day-to-day, and Adaptability Some of the Paradise Paradox may be explained by how easy it is to build up expectations. If we imagine paradise as the ultimate fix, it could lead to disappointment if it doesn't live up to the dream. As for vorfreude—the joy of anticipation—the build-up can sometimes overshadow the reality. Then there's the simple truth that day-to-day life in paradise isn't a vacation. A tropical beach holiday lets you unwind and enjoy the scenery without a care. But living there might mean dealing with rainy seasons, work deadlines, or just regular old laundry. Humans are also remarkably adaptable. We're good at adjusting to new surroundings, which means something initially remarkable may soon become the new normal. It's a bit like the grass-is-greener mentality we see in many areas of life. If you're a consultant, you might long for the stability of an in-house role, while in-house folks might crave the variety of consulting. The Dark Side of the Paradise Paradox In some cases, the Paradise Paradox takes on a more serious tone. The documentary film The Paradise Paradox, executive produced by Olympic ski racer Bode Miller and filmmaker Brett Rapkin, explores how people drawn to the beauty and tranquility of US mountain towns sometimes face mental health struggles. These picturesque communities, though visually idyllic, have experienced higher-than-average rates of suicide, highlighting the challenges of living in remote, isolated settings. Strategies to Minimize the Pull of the Paradise Paradox To reduce the effect of the Paradise Paradox, it helps to focus on what brings fulfillment in any setting, allowing us to appreciate where we are without feeling the constant pull of an imagined paradise. Here are a few ways to lessen the allure: 1. Cultivating Gratitude Practicing gratitude allows us to recognize the value of what we already have. Focusing on the positives around us may make us less inclined to search elsewhere for happiness, realizing that contentment often lies closer than we think. 2. Prioritizing Experiences Over Material Goods Research consistently shows that experiences bring longer-lasting happiness than possessions. Prioritizing meaningful activities and memories can bring joy and satisfaction, outlasting the initial thrill of accumulating more. 3. Simplifying Life A minimalist approach can help reduce the constant desire for more—whether it's things, places, or achievements. Simplifying our lives can allow us to focus on what truly matters and bring a greater sense of peace. 4. Pursuing Meaningful Goals Focusing on personal growth, nurturing relationships, and contributing to our communities can offer a lasting sense of fulfillment that doesn't depend on our surroundings. Meaningful goals and connections often provide the depth of happiness that location alone can't bring. Paradise can certainly refresh us, but true and lasting happiness is often about embracing where we already are and what we already have. Since writing this I keep seeing related quotes: The only Zen you can find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there. — Robert M. Pirsig (via Waking Up) “We tend to attribute happiness to our circumstances (what happens to us) but studies suggest our happiness is really dependent on what we pay attention to.” — Cal Newport, Deep Work (via Mind Over Tech) "Happiness isn't getting what you want, it's wanting what you got." — Garth Brooks Wherever you go, there you are. Also see: The paradox of choice The transparency paradox The fresh start effect Vorfreude 5 ways to wellbeing ## Isometric projection URL: https://sketchplanations.com/isometric-projection Published: 2024-11-03T12:00:00+0000 Categories: drawing, engineering, architecture, art Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZyTZVa8jQArT0HlP_SP897-Isometricprojection.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is isometric projection drawing technique explained with an example of the Bauhaus Dessau building Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/isometric-projection), CC BY-NC 4.0 What is Isometric Projection? Isometric projection is a simple way to draw 3D shapes. The meaning of isometric is "equal measure," from the Greek words iso- for equal and metric for measure. So, in an isometric drawing, all three axes, x, y, and z, are scaled equally, giving a clear, undistorted view of an object in three dimensions. Isometric Projection vs Perspective Drawing Except that isometric drawings can look a little odd and oversimplified. This is because of the lack of perspective, a visual distortion of 3D shapes we experience in the real world. In a perspective drawing, parallel lines converge in the distance towards a vanishing point, but in an isometric drawing, parallel lines stay parallel, and sizes don't get smaller in the distance. The lack of perspective in an isometric view can make it look artificial, but it always looks clear. Learning Isometric Drawing I learned isometric drawing when studying engineering. Armed with a stack of isometric paper with a printed isometric grid, we had to reel off exercises involving drawing isometric views of 3D objects. And isometric projection is really handy for this. It can take a long time to build the skills to sketch a realistic 3D-looking object, perspective and all, but with isometric paper, you can quite quickly produce something that communicates to you or others what's in your head or on the workbench. Isometric projection is handy for boxy shapes—I chose an approximation of the Bauhaus Dessau building by Walter Gropius to show it. If you need curves and angles, just like with perspective drawings, it can help to draw more boxes around these areas and use them to align your curves and meeting points for your lines. Isometric Views in Games and Media Isometric views and their variations have experienced a resurgence in recent years in video and board games. It turns out they're pretty helpful in map-based or city-building games, such as Zynga's FarmVille, Civilisation, or SimCity. The isometric view allows all parts of a scene to be viewed equally—in the distance or up close—while still seeing every detail in, say, a building, wherever it is. For similar reasons, isometric perspective has also been called God's Perspective, because it equalises all things. It's the view you might have if you were a god looking down on earth and seeing everything perfectly. This is rather fitting for these kinds of games, where you essentially play God to your little civilisations. Creating Isometric Grid Paper If you want to try some isometric drawings, making your own isometric grid paper is easy. Just draw equally-spaced vertical stripes and then a criss-cross of lines in both directions at 30 degrees from the horizontal. This gives a host of equilateral triangles and an easy base to start drawing your 3D objects. Or just download some templates online. You'll find that building up more complex shapes out of cubes is dead simple if you keep to the lines on the isometric grid. Optical Illusions and Impossible Shapes Just as in the drawing here, sometimes shapes drawn in isometric view lend themselves to curious optical effects. The lack of perspective can make the difference between heights and depths ambiguous. So, you can't always tell if two surfaces are at very different heights or if one is in the distance. The brilliant puzzle game Monument Valley uses this quirk of isometric projection to create mind-bending puzzles that are well worth a try. For instance, rotating a high surface can suddenly make a platform that extends far into the distance 🤯. Isometric-like projection can also help make impossible shapes, such as the Impossible Staircase, or Penrose stairs. Another type of projection, anamorphosis, creates a drawing that appears correct only from a particular viewpoint. Anamorphosis leads to some remarkable street art. Related Ideas to Isometric Projection Also see: 2.5D objects, including an old video of me drawing a sketchplanation Orthographic projection One-point perspective Two-point perspective Three-point perspective Atmospheric perspective Anamorphosis The Impossible Staircase, or Penrose stairs When drawn nice and faint, the isometric grid is an example of a ghost grid Isometric projection is quite the opposite of "draw what you see, not what you think." Foreshortening can be hard to get the hang of. Life is 3D—give edges thickness ## Fight or Flight URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fight-or-flight Published: 2024-10-27T16:48:00+0000 Categories: psychology, emotions, anxiety Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZxkcSYF3NbkBX8TM_SP896-FightorFlight.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Fight or Flight response example with someone deciding to fight, flight or freeze from a snake Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fight-or-flight), CC BY-NC 4.0 The fight-or-flight response is our body's automatic and ancient response to perceived threats or danger. This innate physiological response in animals and humans prepares us to either confront a threat (fight) or flee from it (flight). This mechanism, often referred to as entering fight-or-flight mode, likely played a critical role in our survival. Face to face with a tiger At the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards, I saw an astonishing photo of a tiger surprising workers in a field (Tiger Run by Nejib Ahmed). Everyone is in flight mode except one man, much braver than me, who perhaps through instinct has stood to fight, staring down the approaching tiger with a long stick. The photo is captivating in its drama and struck me as a perfect fight-or-flight example in action. Thankfully, no one—including the tiger—was hurt in this instance. The adrenalin that can flood our bodies during such moments may sometimes give us strength to do what we didn't expect, surprising ourselves with what we are capable of—Nicola Morgan, when discussing the amazing teenage brain, gives an example of her leaping a 5ft fence and looking back with amazement. Sudden strength or speed like this is a well-known fight-or-flight symptom. Reptilian brain, Lizard brain The fight-or-flight response is linked to theories about how different parts of the brain developed during our evolution. Modern research has corrected some aspects of this idea, but the basic concept remains. The most primitive parts of the brain—those we may share with, say, dinosaurs—are responsible for automatic behaviours like protecting territory, aggression, fear and fending off danger. This is often referred to as the reptilian brain or lizard brain. These brain areas are key to our survival instincts and play a critical role in activating fight-or-flight mode. Years of evolution since then have given us brain structures like the limbic system, which is responsible for our emotions and social behaviours. The amygdala, part of the limbic system, is especially important in triggering fear and the fight-or-flight response. Later, the neocortex evolved, enabling humans to assess threats rationally, solve problems, and make decisions—giving us more control over how we respond to fear or anxiety. The response, also illustrated by the snake rearing up in the sketch, is a fallback to our oldest instincts from the oldest parts of our brain when faced with a threat, so the theory goes. Freeze, Flight, Fight, Fright Fight-or-flight psychology, coined by physiologist Walter Cannon in 1915, is only part of a broader spectrum of acute stress responses. A more accurate sequence we experience may be freeze, flight, fight, or fright. Freeze: Our immediate reaction to danger might be to "stop, look, listen," remaining hyper-vigilant while we assess the threat, and perhaps hope by not moving, the dinosaur won't spot us. Flight: We may flee the situation to safety. Fight: If escape isn't possible, we might fight back, as shown by the brave individual in the tiger photo. Fright: This might include panic and immobility, playing dead in case a predator decides we're not worth eating after all. As you see, the updated list continues with excellent alliteration, which no doubt helped make the idea sticky in the first place (other proposals add fawn, faint, flock and more). When Fight-or-Flight Doesn't Help While the tiger scenario shows our ancient brain instincts at work, most modern-day situations don't involve life-or-death threats. However, we may still enter fight-or-flight mode during stressful, anxiety-inducing moments, such as public speaking, a challenging work interaction, or a difficult conversation. In these cases, our age-old reactions may not serve us well. The same ancient brain that would help us survive a predator may now cause us to avoid daunting tasks. Whether it's a work presentation, a cold sales call, or confronting a personal issue, we may feel the urge to retreat from the action and get a snack from the kitchen instead. When our ancient instincts—so finely tuned for survival—are no longer serving us in modern situations, it's helpful to pause and let our higher-order thinking take the lead. Techniques like box breathing or meditation help calm the body and mind, allowing us to move beyond fear and resistance. By doing so, we can overcome the automatic urge to "fight or flight," or even freeze or fright, and instead respond with clarity, control, and confidence. Also see: Box breathing The spotlight effect Don't make important decisions on an empty stomach Cognitive overhead See Big Ideas Little Pictures for Melissa Dahl's Awkwardness Vortex and the technique of reframing anxiety as excitement ## Leading from Any Chair URL: https://sketchplanations.com/leading-from-any-chair Published: 2024-10-20T11:00:00+0000 Categories: leadership, management, teaching, inspiration, storytelling, music, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zw-NJoF3NbkBXf1s_SP895-Leadingfromanychair.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Leading from any chair, the fifth practice from The Art of Possibility by Benjamin and Rosamund Zander. From Eugene Lehner's story: What would I say should I suddenly be called upon to lead? Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/leading-from-any-chair), CC BY-NC 4.0 Leading from Any Chair is the idea that we all have the opportunity to influence the action even when we're not standing at the front. It's a principle for effective leadership and teaching yourself and others to lead. The Art of Possibility In their inspiring book, The Art of Possibility, Benjamin and Rosamund Zander relate a story from renowned violist Eugene Lehner, who played in the Kolish Quartet and Boston Symphony Orchestra. One day, in an interpretation class led by Zander with Lehner as a guest coach, Ben Zander asked him, "How can you bear to play day after day in an orchestra led by conductors, many of whom must know so much less than you?" Lehner said he was playing in a rehearsal in his first year in the orchestra when the conductor, Koussevitsky, struggled to lead the orchestra as he wanted through a tricky Bach piece. A friend of Koussevitsky and fellow conductor, Nadia Boulanger, was sitting in on the session. Koussevitsky stopped and asked if Nadia would conduct the passage so he could hear what it sounded like from the back of the hall. Nadia conducted the passage without a hitch, and the rehearsal continued. But the episode left Lehner ever wondering and waiting for the moment when a conductor might say to him, "Lehner, you come up here and conduct. I want to go to the back of the hall and hear how it sounds." "It's now 43 years since that happened," said Lehner, "and it is less and less likely that I will be asked. However, in the meantime, I haven't had a single dull moment in a rehearsal as I sit wondering, 'What would I say to the orchestra, should I suddenly be called upon to lead?'" Stepping up to lead There are many occasions when I have personally grappled with whether now is the moment to step up and lead. Sometimes, I have taken them. Other times, I feel ashamed that I sat back and let events unfold without contributing. It's the easy path to defer to whoever's leading and consider that there may be better times to influence or say what you think needs to be said. Or you can take the view that we're all responsible in some way for what we're experiencing, and we all have the opportunity to influence for the better. You don't have to be the captain on the field to influence your fellow players. A typical example I've experienced is seeing a presenter struggle in a meeting, perhaps with technical difficulties or audience confusion. It may take only a little to try and help with the tech or to ask the presenter to explain a point that you see needs to be clarified for people. Or, as an audience member, you can sit back and consider it not your problem. Once, in the middle of a performance at a wedding, the music suddenly clicked off for the performer. Immediately picking up on the problem, the wedding photographer started singing the melody, picking up where the music left off. Getting the idea, all the guests joined in, continuing the music to the end. This quick intervention undoubtedly led to a better show for everyone, including the performer. Learning to lead When you choose to step up, it's an opportunity to learn to lead. You may discover that there's more to leading than it seems and gain empathy for the leaders around you. By constantly asking myself, "What would I say should I suddenly be called upon to lead?" I am mentally rehearsing for when I am needed, for when I am in the position of a leader. It speeds up my learning and keeps me always ready for action. It's one reason why always thinking of questions at a talk or conference is valuable. It forces you to engage with the material, and when the opportunity arises, you're ready to step up and ask about what matters to you or what everyone is thinking. It's also an interesting exercise, if you follow sports such as football, to ask yourself at any point, "If you were the manager, what would you do right now to lift the game?" Identifying passion and the leaders in front of you As a leader, if you believe you are superior, for example, as the conductor who doesn't consider the orchestra members to have anything to contribute to the interpretation of the music, then you are likely to suppress the voices of the very people you need to deliver. People want to contribute—that's why they attended the class, joined the company, or trained in their discipline. Rosamund Zander advises that, as a leader, we can train ourselves to spot the passion of the people in our teams. We can actively look for occasions to allow team members to lead. And if we don't see the passion, we can ask ourselves, "Who am I being that they are not shining?" Leading from Any Chair We can learn to lead at any time. So the next time you're just one in a crowd, consider that you can lead from any chair. Ask yourself, "What would I say if I were suddenly called upon to lead?" -- In case it wasn't clear, I highly recommend The Art of Possibility, which I listened to as an audiobook read by Benjamin and Rosamund. And I always recommend finding 20 mins to watch Benjamin Zander's classic TED talk, The Transformative Power of Classical Music. Left-buttock playing is a sketch I've been planning for a long time. Related Ideas to Leading from Any Chair Also see: Ask the question at talks Mindmap at conferences Push authority to information The Responsibility Poem: Whose job is it? The accountability ladder What drives us: Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose This is the last time I plan to draw an orchestra. I now know a little of what it must feel like to draw Where's Wally? ## Eponym URL: https://sketchplanations.com/eponym Published: 2024-10-13T11:00:00+0000 Categories: words, products, design, history, creativity, eponym, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Iuw1SQ2s5msbBdA9_SP894-Eponym-corrected.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Eponym examples, explanation and etymology explained in a sketch with Erno Rubik of the Rubik's Cube, the Jacuzzi brothers, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, László Biró, Etienne de Silhouette and Rudolf Diesel and his diesel engine Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/eponym), CC BY-NC 4.0 An eponym is a word named after somebody or someplace. An eponym, almost by definition, comes with a story, making them some of the most intriguing words. Knowing what an eponym is also allows you to use the word eponymous, which is always a good way to sound smart. Some of my favourite eponyms are now commonplace products that took the inventor's name. Some examples: The Rubik's Cube The Rubik's cube is an invention by Hungarian architecture professor Ernő Rubik. The cube has the fascinating property of being a solid object that's also fluid. This year (2024), the Rubik's Cube turned 50, celebrating around half a billion cube sales, scores of speed-cubing championships, and documentaries. When Rubik first invented the cube, he wasn't sure it was solvable and only managed it for the first time several months after creating it. In 2020, Rubik told the story of the cube in his book, Cubed: The Puzzle of Us All. The Jacuzzi The fabulously named jacuzzi, or more generally the hot tub, is named after the Italian Jacuzzi family. The seven brothers of the family—there were also six daughters—trained to become engineers, making plane propellers, irrigation systems and pumps before one of the brothers created a homemade bath to help his two-year-old son who was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The rest, as they say, is history. Saskia Solomon tells some of the brothers' story, which includes the court case Jacuzzi vs Jacuzzi, and the invention of the jacuzzi in the 2023 New York Times article, The Frothy Saga of the Jacuzzi Family. The Sandwich After so long as what seems the most basic of foods, it was remarkable for me to learn that the humble sandwich was named after a person: John Montague, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. Though he probably spent most of his time in London, the title itself is associated with the small town of Sandwich in Kent, in Southeast England. The story goes that the Earl liked playing cards and wanted food he could eat without having to leave his game and that wouldn't give him sticky fingers that would damage the cards. Incarnations of open sandwiches appeared much earlier elsewhere. For example, the trencher—something I had to look up when reading Game of Thrones—involved serving food on top of old bread as a sort of plate. But it took the Earl's dedication to card playing, or at least desk work, to take the next step many years later. The Biro and BiC ballpoint pens László Bíró was a Hungarian-Argentine inventor who created the first truly successful ballpoint pen. In the US, the BiC is more common, an eponym this time from Marcel Bich. It's said that Lázló experienced his fountain pen leaking from heat—fountain pens being very common before the ballpoint—and was inspired by a printing press that used a cylinder to spread the ink. All it needed was to go in all directions. Enter the ballpoint. While the invention seems obvious in hindsight, perfecting it for robust, commercial use was challenging. For example, finding suitable ink for the tiny ball bearing to spread, which doesn't leak or clog and isn't overly affected by heat. Lázló teamed up with an aviation company—who use a lot of ball bearings—which also provided a great use case of finding a pen that wouldn't leak from the air pressure changes in planes. Later, BiC licenced the technology from Biro. A Bic Cristal® Ballpoint pen is part of the collection at the MoMA. Silhouette I only learned that silhouette was an eponym while preparing this sketch, but it's perhaps the best of all. Étienne de Silhouette, a French government finance official tasked with curbing a French deficit in the 1700s, unwittingly gave his name to the classic black-on-white simple outline image of a person. His severe frugal policies of taxes, curbing royal spending and even melting down gold and silverware earned him the reputation of doing things cheaply. Hence, a cheap method of creating a portrait, cutting out black paper and laying it on a white background, became known as a silhouette. Diesel Nearly everyone will recognise the fuel that Rudolf Diesel gave his name to and his diesel engine. Diesel created a breakthrough engine that was more efficient than typical steam engines while being smaller and weighing less. Curiously, I learned that Diesel died in mysterious circumstances, disappearing on a journey across the English Channel in 1913. -- An excellent episode of the 99% Invisible podcast featuring Helen Zaltzman of the Allusionist raised several interesting questions about eponyms I hadn't considered. Here are a few to think about: Eponyms are common in medicine, for example, when we name a disease or condition after those playing a part in the discovery. However, the name, for example, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, tells a medical practitioner very little about the disease compared to a name that relates to the symptoms of the sufferer or the cause. Should examples like these be replaced with more practical names? Eponyms almost always have a way of oversimplifying a story, often wrapping up complex histories with the names of white males. For example, rarely are products invented or diseases identified solely through the actions of one person. Yet an eponym chooses one, or some people, at the expense of others. Eponyms may be the name of someone later discredited or who develops a tarnished reputation from other actions in their lives. Should someone who did evil deeds be remembered in an eponym or should it be changed? Who knew eponyms could be so interesting? Know some good eponyms with fun stories? I'd love to hear them. Eponyms are distinct from the fun concept of Nominative determinism—an aptronym—where someone's name seemingly influenced their future actions or career choices (for example, Les McBurney — Volunteer firefighter). I've covered a lot of eponyms over the years, far more than I realised. Using the handy list page on the site, I've collected some other eponym examples, which include a lot of my favourites: Bloom's Taxonomy Bortle Scale Braille Campbell's law Chesterton's fence Conway's Law Dracula sneeze Dunbar's number: 150 Fahrenheit and Celsius Fitts' Law Goldilocks tasks Goodhart's Law Hanlon's Razor Hofstadter's Law Identify a Douglas fir Jevon's Paradox Johari window Koomey's Law The Kano model Marchetti's constant Maslow's hierarchy of needs Metcalfe's Law Möbius strip Moore's Law Muphry's Law Pyrrhic victory Russell's Teapot Sankey diagram Scoville scale Spoonerisms Strahler stream order The Abilene paradox The Barnum effect The Betty Crocker Effect The Boaty McBoatface effect The Diderot Effect The Doppler Effect The Droste effect The Feynman Learning Technique The Gartner Hype cycle The Generalised Peter Principle The Gini coefficient The Goldilocks Zone The IKEA effect The Keeling curve The Lake Wobegon Effect The Lucretius problem The Mercator projection The Monty Hall problem The Overton Window The Oxford comma The Peter Principle The Plimsoll line The Pomodoro Technique ® The Rashomon effect The Rosetta Stone The Shirky Principle The Streisand Effect The Stroop test Veblen goods Other fun -onym words about words: Endonyms and exonyms Acronyms and initialisms Capitonym Contranym Heteronym Homonyms, homographs, homophones…  Earlier versions of this sketch mistakenly misspelled Ernő Rubik and László Bíró. In Hungarian the names would be reversed eg Rubik Ernő and Bíró László. ## Vorfreude URL: https://sketchplanations.com/vorfreude Published: 2024-10-06T11:00:00+0000 Categories: happiness, travel, wellbeing, words, beach, anxiety Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zv6FOLVsGrYSwVWb_SP893-Vorfreude.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Vorfreude explanation and example: what is vorfreude? the pleasure in anticipation shown by someone looking enjoying looking forward to their upcoming holiday Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/vorfreude), CC BY-NC 4.0 Vorfreude is a delightful German word for the pleasure of anticipation. It combines vor, meaning "before" or "in advance", and freude, meaning "happiness". It's the joy from the anticipation of joy. How to get more happiness from the same activity? Vorfreude! The magic of Vorfreude For me, the magic of Vorfreude lies in how it stretches out the pleasure of any upcoming event or experience. Once I hit 'Confirm' to book a trip, it kicks off joy for months whenever I think about the trip. And the great part about it, if we're organised, is that a trip in December can bring 'anticipatory joy' from when we book it in January. I need only reflect on my positive feelings about the trip, and life seems better. "Vorfreude is the best joy" I've often found that the Vorfreude may surpass the joy of the actual trip. With my Vorfreude glasses on, I never worry about the mosquitoes, the heat, or the inevitable waiting on the journey. Germans have a saying that reflects this: "Vorfreude ist die schönste Freude," or Vorfreude is the best joy. Thanks to something called fading affect bias, the emotional weight of negative memories tends to fade faster than positive ones. This leaves us with a rose-tinted view of past trips and may conveniently erase the niggly parts we didn't enjoy, allowing us to focus on just the good parts of a trip coming up. Or perhaps it's our optimism bias (we had a fun podcast about optimism bias). Vorfreude is not just for the big events Vorfreude doesn't only apply to big events like a holiday or wedding. I find anticipatory joy in small things, too. I look forward to the first coffee in the morning every day. Sometimes, the coffee won't live up to what I'd hoped for, but hey, I'd already been enjoying the idea of it since I finished my last coffee the day before. I look forward to meeting friends and loved ones. I look forward to a dinner out. I look forward to weekends. I look forward to the next football match. I look forward to a cake coming out of the oven. Many people look forward to 5 o'clock each day. By simply reflecting on these moments of future joy, we can experience happiness right now, no matter where we are. Enhancing Vorfreude We can even work to cultivate and enhance our Vorfreude. As a child, nothing built anticipation like an advent calendar, ramping up excitement for Christmas day as I opened each new window. Sharing photos of your holiday destination with friends and family before you go and planning activities increases vorfreude. Getting good things in the diary can kick us out of languishing. In some ways, Vorfreude mirrors the benefits I get from fear-based training plans or the forcing function of signing up for endurance events later in the year—having signed up for the event, I start to benefit from it as soon as I get out training with friends. The opposite of Vorfreude Of course, you may not be looking forward to the trip that's coming up. Perhaps upcoming events are filling you with dread. Anxiety is an emotion perhaps closest to the opposite of Vorfreude, or anticipatory anxiety more specifically. I've also seen Vorangst proposed—with Angst being strong anxiety or fear—which seems a very suitable alternative. Avoiding expectations While thinking fondly about upcoming events can give you Vorfreude, a reader pointed out to me the dangers of thinking too much about how good something will be in the future. It's easy to slip into setting expectations in your mind about how good something ought to be. If it then doesn't live up to your expectations, it could affect your enjoyment in the moment. I guess the sweet spot is expectation-free Vorfreude. Voorpret It's not just the Germans who thought of giving a word to the joyful anticipation and excitement before an event. The Dutch use the word Voorpret for the same concept—pret meaning fun. Enjoy the moment But don't forget to enjoy the moment. I'm sometimes reminded of Calvin talking with Hobbes about the enjoyment of his favourite breakfast cereal, Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs: "Ahhh, another bowl of chocolate frosted sugar bombs! The second bowl is always the best! The pleasure of my first bowl is diminished by the anticipation of future bowls, and by the end of my third bowl, I usually feel sick." While it’s great to savour the anticipation, remember to enjoy the moment when it arrives. More tips for Vorfreude in this excellent article by Rachel Dixon: The Vorfreude secret: 30 zero-effort ways to fill your life with joy Also see: Schadenfreude Fading affect bias 5 ways to wellbeing Wabi sabi If this isn't nice I don't know what is Choose passwords that make you happy Maslow's hierarchy of needs If money doesn't make you happy you're probably not spending it right I made prints for this as: the full Vorfreude sketch a simpler vorfreude picture with text (which works rather well as a message on a clock)—to be honest, this is probably better =) and just the umbrella and beach ## The Writer's in the Writing. The Artist's in the Art. URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-writers-in-the-writing Published: 2024-09-29T11:00:00+0000 Categories: writing, art, wisdom, creativity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zvag57VsGrYSwEuI_SP892-Thewriter%E2%80%99sinthewriting.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The writer's in the writing, the artist's in the art visual showing a red writer writing red words in a book, and a blue painter painting a canvas of The Wave in blue Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-writers-in-the-writing), CC BY-NC 4.0 Every creation is a mirror, reflecting something of its creator. If you and I were to paint the same subject, your painting would reflect some of you, and mine would reflect some of me. If we both write stories, each one will carry something of ourselves—our personality, our experiences. The writer's in the writing. The artist's in the art. The musician's in the music. Take writing as an example. If we're writing authentically, we can't help but share a bit of ourselves in our work. Our past experiences affect what we notice. Our timidity or confidence is reflected in the tone and style. Our education in the choice of words. Our kindness and patience, or cynicism and frustration, is revealed to the reader. And the choice of what you write or paint reflects you. Not if we're trying too hard. Not if we're writing to sound like a writer or if we're adopting a "literary" style because we think that's how it should be done. And not if we focus more on pleasing a search engine or ticking off marketing goals than connecting with readers. But if we write honestly and directly, the writer shows through. The Third Dimension This phrasing hit me while reading Brenda Ueland's book If You Want to Write. She calls the writer the Third Dimension. I believe she means that when you read a book, there are the characters, the reader, and also, inescapably, the writer's personality. She writes that readers can tell when writing isn't authentic, when it's not really you, but instead, a performance to meet someone else's expectations of how one should write—or perhaps a creation of an AI's sycophantic personality. The presence of the writer in the writing, or the artist in the art, leads Ueland to say, "…I have come to think the only way to become a better writer is to become a better person." I believe this principle also holds true across other creative disciplines, though I thought "the cook is in the cooking" didn't quite have the same ring. Still, it holds a ring of truth if I consider a musician and their music, an entrepreneur and their business, a podcaster and their podcast and others. It's hard to write this without wondering what I'm sharing about myself (and what gets scrubbed out and cleansed by Grammarly proofreading). In Sketchplanations as a project, I've come to think that sooner or later, everything I know of value will be there. So, in some way, the whole thing reflects me. Shall we go for a beer? I am a part of all that I have met. — Alfred, Lord Tennyson, from the poem "Ulysses" Related Ideas to the Writer's in the Writing Also see: How to speak plainly The first draft is always perfect The best writing is re-writing Short words are best Micro-editing redundant words Everyone's a geek about something Happy talk must die More sketches about writing — it always surprises me, for a designer and product developer, how many I have. 42 at last count. Here are images for each alone in case you're more one than the other: The writer's in the writing - solo The artist's in the art In addition to prints of this sketch, I added: individual print of the writer's in the writing, and an individual print of the artist's in the art. ## Fauxtomation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fauxtomation Published: 2024-09-22T11:00:00+0000 Categories: ai, software development, economics, productivity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zul70LVsGrYSvb3f_SP891-Fauxtomation.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Fauxtomation explained with claims of automation actually done by people, often across the world Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fauxtomation), CC BY-NC 4.0 Writer and filmmaker Astra Taylor explains fauxtomation as "the process that renders invisible human labour to maintain the illusion that machines and systems are smarter than they are." (Faux means false or fake in French). Taylor gives an example of standing in line to collect food and the person in front of her expressing amazement at how the app knew his order was done 20 minutes early. The server replies, "I sent you a message." With the rise in incredible abilities driven by AI chatbots and tools, it's tempting to believe that AI can run anything. But, in many situations, claims of AI magic and sophisticated automation disguise work done by people—often outsourced and poorly paid. An example of fauxtomation is content moderators, whose job is to review and filter objectionable content from the web when the claim is that sophisticated algorithms and AI are doing the work. Other examples are tagging or searching images, transcribing audio, responding to customer queries, making decisions, or, ironically, training machine learning models. In another twist, ordering on the app or touchscreen at McDonalds or the self-checkout at a supermarket, you, as a customer, become the labour of a server or waiter. Some have argued that automation polarises work into vast quantities of small, menial tasks feeding the machines on one end and sophisticated, high-skilled work in designing and maintaining the machines at the other. Amazon has long offered its Mechanical Turk service, which crowdsources assignments with a distributed workforce—they called it artificial, artificial intelligence. The original Mechanical Turk was a hoax from the 1700s where a concealed human chess player fooled onlookers into believing a machine was playing. As a design and UX professional, I've used the Wizard of Oz prototype technique. Named after the infamous wizard secretly controlling impressive machines from behind a curtain, the idea is to give the appearance of a working software prototype by discreetly controlling what people see based on their actions. AI promises instant automation, but that's rarely the case. As you work to automate and remove inefficiencies, it's natural that systems should be supported by people.  Human-augmented work may be a more appropriate term. In many domains, especially where safety is at stake, such as in self-driving cars, reviewing legal documents, or automated background checks, oversight by people may remain critical. Alongside the AI revolution, a quiet revolution nearly as significant for our everyday experience is the tying together of different tools for automation. Tools like Zapier, Google Sheets, Notion, and the growth of APIs allow us to automate workflows across systems, saving massive amounts of time and effort. While the vision of machines reducing our labour persists, history shows that they often drive increased productivity instead of reducing work. This echoes Jevon's paradox, where fuel efficiency gains usually result in increased fuel usage rather than less. I saw an excellent talk by machine learning and AI expert James Smith, in which, before you try machine learning ("I hear you have Magic Pixie dust. Can I have some?"), he would ask, "Have you tried 50 IF statements?" These programmed rules will be more maintainable, less complex, and result in responses that are easy to understand. I learned about fauxtomation from Tom Humberstone's remarkable visual essay What Luddites Can Teach us About Resisting an Automated Future in the MIT Technology Review. Fauxtomation is similar in concept to Potemkin AI, a term from researcher Jathan Sadowski. You can read Astra Taylor's article, The Automation Charade, or watch her discuss fauxtomation at the AI Now 2018 symposium. Sketchplanations continues to be done by me, by hand. If you'd like to support me, I'm improving my Patreon, which makes such a difference in helping creators like me keep creating. Thank you. Here's a fauxtomation sketch by ChatGPT in case you're interested =) Also see: Jevon's paradox The automation paradox The big data equation The long nose of innovation As well as fauxtomation prints, you can get AI department prints ## Zigzag trenches URL: https://sketchplanations.com/zigzag-trenches Published: 2024-09-15T11:00:00+0000 Categories: history, design, war Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZuG3ExoQrfVKl-xm_SP890-Zigzagtrenches.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Zigzag trenches in WWI: explaining why trenches were built in zigzags to protect against blasts from artillery and to slow enemies if a trench was attacked or captured Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/zigzag-trenches), CC BY-NC 4.0 Trench warfare dominated the fighting in WW1. After the initial hasty digging of trenches in the early days of the war, as each side dug in to defend their lines, trenches evolved to be more complex and sophisticated, including digging them in a stepped or zigzag shape. Why were trenches dug in a zigzag pattern? Zigzagging trenches with sharp corners helped remedy several fatal flaws learned from early trench warfare: 1. Zigzags help contain blasts One of the key advantages of a zigzag trench is its ability to contain blasts. In a straight trench, the blast from mortar or artillery fire would travel unimpeded to either side. However, a trench with frequent bends could confine explosions to smaller portions of the trench, reducing casualties. 2. Zigzags help slow an enemy down after capturing a trench A straight trench meant that breaching a portion of it gave a long line of sight and the ability to fire down the trench which could aid attackers. Angles and corners from the zigzag or wavy shape of a trench meant that line of sight was reduced and gave better defensive positions with cover and concealment. So, the simple change from a straight trench to a zigzag gave defenders significant advantages, and both sides used the design during the war. It's painful to imagine the tragic lessons that led to this evolution in design. I learned about zigzag trench design from a children's book about WW1: 50 Things You Should Know About The First World War, by Jim Eldridge. It's striking how such a simple design change can have a significant effect. It's also a great example of how a simple solution can seem so obvious in retrospect and yet may take time to develop. One of the trends of evolution identified in the theory of inventive problem solving that always fascinated me and has myriad applications is how straight lines in products typically evolve to jointed or bent, then wavy lines. As the theory would say, a straight line has unused potential, and someone will find an advantage in introducing a bend or bends. I sketched a similar trend about flat surfaces having unused potential. The Imperial War Museum has a great 9-minute video explaining trench warfare, which discusses the zigzag or stepped design in this sketch. Also see: VUCA OODA Loop Survivorship bias Design by committee A flat surface has unused potential Kitty Hawk moment More history sketches ## Hanlon's Razor URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hanlons-razor Published: 2024-09-08T11:00:00+0000 Categories: advice, law, philosophy, eponym, kindness, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZtmLxrzzk9ZrXCVi_SP889-Hanlon%E2%80%99srazor.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Hanlon's razor example explained: never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. Here, it's explained in a cartoon of someone getting mad at dropped litter when it accidentally was dropped out of the bin bag of another person around the corner Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hanlons-razor), CC BY-NC 4.0 Hanlon's Razor is the adage: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." Or sometimes, "Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to incompetence." It appears in a similar form by the inimitable Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as, "And I have again observed, my dear friend, in this trifling affair, that misunderstandings and neglect occasion more mischief in the world than even malice and wickedness. At all events, the two latter are of less frequent occurrence," in The Sorrows of Young Werther. The same sentiments are also shared by William James, Churchill, and H.G. Wells. More recently, Douglas Hubbard gave a more modern version in his book The Failure of Risk Management: Why It's Broken and How to Fix It: "Never attribute to malice or stupidity that which can be explained by moderately rational individuals following incentives in a complex system." The mistake of assuming bad intentions was brought home to me when puzzling why people kept leaving paper towels in the sinks of the bathrooms at university. How hard is it to put them in the bin?? A year after assuming my fellow students were either lazy or inconsiderate or both, I was washing my hands when another student dried his hands on the towel, walked to the door, opened it by covering the handle with the paper towel — presumably to avoid the germs — and then aimed his paper towel at the bin which was between the sinks. He missed, and it landed in the sink as he walked off down the corridor. Suddenly, it was clear to me that the hygiene of the door handle was higher in consideration of towel-in-the-sink people than whether or not their towel hit their target (and whether it was worth checking if their towel had hit the bin). It made sense. Someone later moved the bin next to the door, and it didn't happen again. Besides towels in sinks, I've seen people get mad at others pushing in line when the pushers-in didn't realise other people were queuing. I've seen drivers shouting at another driver who's in blissful ignorance of the trouble they've caused. I've seen agents blamed for terrible customer service when the system is at fault, and customer service blame users when the product is at fault. I've seen people despairing at others leaving litter in the park or on the street when animals had dragged out the mess overnight. I've seen people vilified for not moving down on a train when they weren't aware of the squeeze at the other end. And, usually, I think people aren't smart or capable enough, or in fact wicked enough, to carry out the conspiracies that people credit them for. Very often it's the person assuming bad intentions and getting mad who suffers the most. To be sure, there are different degrees of negligence. We can all make mistakes, but if you're doing your taxes, it's not okay to make a mistake because you didn't read the instructions. If you're standing on a busy train, you owe it to others to be aware that you may be blocking an aisle, and we should do our best to make sure our rubbish stays where we put it. But none of us are perfect and so often I think Hanlon's Razor has some truth to it. Perhaps a better formulation of Hanlon's Razor would be, "Before attributing to malice, try attributing to incompetence." But I'm not a fan of the wording with 'stupidity' or 'incompetence'. Awareness is so often the necessary start and what's missing. Since posting this, a few people also shared with me Clarke's Corollary: "Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice." And another relevant name for a similar situation is Cock-up Over Conspiracy. Source for Hanlon's Razor Hanlon's Razor, which encourages us first to consider innocent mistakes rather than assuming ill will, was a submission to Murphy's Law, book two: more reasons why things go wrong, by Arthur Bloch (p52). Murphy's Law is "If anything can go wrong, it will." I've also previously covered Muphry's Law, where, when criticising spelling or grammar, you will make a spelling or grammar mistake yourself. Related Ideas to Hanlon's Razor Also see: Fundamental Attribution Error (someone shared Hanlon's Razor with me on posting this) Attribution bias Self-serving bias More conjectures and thinking named after people: Chesterton's fence Russell's teapot Bloom's taxonomy Maslow's hierarchy Muphry's Law The Peter Principle The Generalised Peter Principle Hofstadter's Law ## Kawaii URL: https://sketchplanations.com/kawaii Published: 2024-09-01T11:00:00+0000 Categories: food and drink, words, japan Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZtMr1UaF0TcGJn9J_SP888-Kawaii.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Kawaii examples - the Japanese culture of cute explained with lots of cute sushi with adorable faces Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/kawaii), CC BY-NC 4.0 Kawaii is the word for the Japanese culture of cute, adorable and childlike. When you see a sushi roll with a cute smiley face, that's Kawaii at work. You might also find it in an innocent, high voice like a child's. I love how, by adding a couple of big eyes, maybe with a couple of little highlights, a smiley mouth and perhaps a little shy blushing on the cheek, it's possible to transform a cactus or a pencil case into something adorable. As a family, we've enjoyed the card game Sushi Go, which includes cute wasabi, fried shrimp, and even a chopstick holder. It's a bit like the magic of adding googly eyes to anything to make it fun. The childlike simplicity, sweetness and cute artwork of Kawaii is also in Sanrio's Hello Kitty. Also see: The rules of cute Lego faces More lovely stuff from Japan: Wabi-sabi Kintsugi Tsundoku Ma Hara hachi bu I liked chindogu, the art of unuseless inventions, so much I accidentally sketched it twice: chindōgu back-scratching t-shirt, the 3 tenets of chindōgu ## Buoyancy URL: https://sketchplanations.com/buoyancy Published: 2024-08-25T11:00:00+0000 Categories: oceans, water, physics, science Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zr9ROEaF0TcGJAAt_SP887-Buoyancy.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Buoyancy and how ships float explained showing 1m3 of water displaced supporting a tonne of weight and the same principle floating a 50,000 tonne ship Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/buoyancy), CC BY-NC 4.0 It’s always been mind-boggling to me how some of the largest and heaviest things we build on Earth are ships that float on water. Cruise ships are like floating towns, some able to accommodate over 5,000 people. How can it be that these gigantic, impossibly heavy objects made of steel can float on water? The key is displacement and realising the considerable weight that the water already supports. In a lake or ocean, each drop of water is supported by the water around it. 1m³ of fresh water weighs 1 metric tonne, which is 1,000 kg. If a ship displaces 1m³ of water, the buoyant force of the surrounding water supports 1 tonne of the ship’s weight. Therefore, a ship weighing 50,000 tonnes will just float if it displaces 50,000m³ of water. Sea water contains salt, which makes it denser than freshwater. As the denser water supports a greater weight, a ship will float slightly higher in salt water than in fresh. The International Load Line, previously called the Plimsoll line, shows how deep a boat sits in the water. To realise the immense power of water, you can try submerging a biscuit tin in a bath. It’ll put up quite a fight. Also see: Plimsoll line Watch out for barnacles Sonic boom Iceberg orientation Siphon ## Kitchen table survival skills URL: https://sketchplanations.com/kitchen-table-survival-skills Published: 2024-08-18T11:00:00+0000 Categories: nature, mountains, hiking, backpacking, endurance Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zr3jT0aF0TcGI9J0_SP886-Kitchentablesurvivalskills.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Kitchen table survival skills — skills that keep you out of a scrape in the wild that you can practice at your kitchen table Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/kitchen-table-survival-skills), CC BY-NC 4.0 Kitchen table survival skills are survival skills you can put into practice from your kitchen table. I humbly submit my set of tried and tested (and at times learned from bitter experience) non-glamorous, but effective, kitchen table survival skills: Checking the weather There's not always a choice, but having a good handle on the weather (know your clouds) can mean the difference between a nice day out and a disaster. Sensible route planning As Alistair Humphrey's writes in his book Local, "Unfolding a map is the ritual that launches all good journeys." There's art and science in route planning—considering the needs and abilities of your party, the terrain, the effect of the weather or altitude, availability of water, interest and views, access, timing, trail condition and more. So many varied aspects go into it. When planning a family hike now, we weigh up a very different set of factors than we did for two fit twenty-somethings happy to endure a little hardship. Telling someone where you're going If you're going to the wilderness, go with somebody if you can, and leave your intended plan with friends or family back home. If you're not back when expected, at least you'll have someone looking out for you, and a rescue party will know where to start looking. Hiring a guide OK, so it doesn't seem like a survival skill exactly, but going with a local guide will work wonders for your survival. You might not need one for a walk in the local woods, but if you fancy hiking on a glacier or venturing down a river, and it's not something you do too often, then hiring a guide will be the best survival decision you make. Reading up on your route Sure, you can head out and figure it out when you're out there, but mountains, and wilderness generally, are capricious places. There's so much a good hiking book, or a recent trip report can teach you before you set out. Is a river crossable? Is there still snow on a pass? Are the mosquitoes out in force? How long is it likely to take? How much up and down will there be? Where can you camp? And on and on. Taking the right gear Whenever I've been on semi-serious expeditions, I've been very impressed with the kit lists provided by our guides. Every item is carefully chosen—like, say, bringing the 10 essentials—and lists are refined and revisited after each trip. It's rarely exciting assembling your kit and running through lists, but if it means you remembered spare batteries, the water filter, mosquito repellent, or a fire lighter it may prove your saving grace in the wild. More mundane perhaps, but still helpful, is packing your gear in the right places and order in which you'll use it. You're much more likely to stop and put on sun lotion or a warm hat if it isn't stuffed under your sleeping bag in the depths of your backpack. Staying within your limits When we're tired, it's easy to make poor decisions. The best defence I know for this is to plan trips within your limits so you aren't trying to find a camp spot in the dark, feeling too tired to filter the water, or too tired to keep track of where you're going. After a long day, it's easy to start skipping the things that keep us safe, like putting on an extra layer or stopping for water. A guide once told me, "don't be too lazy to be comfortable." Keeping track of time A small, but very useful practice, I've adopted is having a good awareness of time on your excursions. Plan in advance and estimate how long different sections may take. Making a mental note of when you set off from the trailhead or from a rest stop gives you a sense of your progress, lets you know what it might take to get back if you need to, and teaches you how far you might get ahead of you. If your pace is changing, you'll have a good idea of how strong everyone is still feeling. Knowing when the sun rises and sets and how much daylight you have left means you're less likely to find yourselves in the dark without a headlamp. I'm sure you might have more to add to the list. This set came from reflecting on our survival skills before a brilliant chat with Brendan Leonard of the excellent Semi-rad about all things Ultra on the Sketchplanations podcast (episode out in Autumn 2024). Growing up in the 80s, for me survival skills were things Crocodile Dundee had, or perhaps MacGyver. More recently, Bear Grylls would demonstrate making a shelter in the jungle, starting fires, or catching salmon to survive in the wild. However, I realised that my survival skills were much less glamorous, but still rather effective, and most of them are used before I head out on a trip. In other words, my survival skills are ones that mean (touch wood) I don't get into a scrape that need the traditional survival skills most of us think of. As with so much in life, it's often the unglamorous stuff that makes the difference, like showing up every day, replicating before innovating, writing a rubbish first draft, or re-writing. I hope this set may keep your expeditions Type I or Type II fun, rather than Type III. Also see: The fun scale The 10 essentials Why camp 50yd from water The automation paradox Don't make important decisions on an empty stomach Glacial erratic Microadventure Perhaps you were really expecting something about a kitchen table: how to set a table ## Gestalt principles URL: https://sketchplanations.com/gestalt-principles Published: 2024-08-11T11:00:00+0000 Categories: design, illusion, psychology, thinking Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZrTS9EaF0TcGIyec_SP885-Gestaltprinciples.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Gestalt principles of visual perception showing proximity, similarity, continuity, closure, figure and ground, symmetry and order, and common fate. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/gestalt-principles), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Gestalt principles of visual perception describe how our brains make sense of what we see. For example, they explain how we associate a photo with the text of a newspaper article or understand a series of words as a sentence on a billboard. These principles originated from the field of Gestalt psychology in the early twentieth century. In laying out sketches, I try to consider how a viewer will understand what connects with what, the order in which the viewer will read the sketch with their eye, and how colour or formatting link related elements—skim through the back catalogue to see it in action. In creating each sketch, consciously and unconsciously, I use many of the standard Gestalt principles of design. There are many Gestalt principles and some variations in the names. I chose seven common principles to illustrate: Proximity Objects that are close together are perceived as a group Similarity Similar objects are perceived as a group Continuity Elements on a line or curve are related Closure Completing missing parts of images to create a whole Figure-Ground Identifying what's in the foreground or background Symmetry & Order Perceiving symmetrical or orderly elements as a group Common Fate Objects moving together are perceived as part of a group The Gestalt principles are helpful for information design, user interface design, user experience design, graphic design and just about any design. It is also fascinating to spot how you unconsciously use them when interpreting designs you see. For example, look at the signs in an airport, a menu, or a page of your favourite app and see which principles are in play. The Interaction Design Foundation has a great article on the Gestalt principles that explains their use in design in more depth. You'll also find many others. Also see sketches on: UX Information design Graphic design Web design The isolation effect ## The Olympic Flag URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-olympic-flag Published: 2024-08-04T11:00:00+0000 Categories: sport, geography, history, games, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zq6d4EaF0TcGIqoN_SP884-TheOlympicFlag.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Olympic Flag and the meaning of the ring colours, interlocking of the rings representing the union of the 5 continents competing against each other. and the 6 colours in each of the National flags. And a little flag bearer showing how it's done. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-olympic-flag), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Olympic Flag, which consists of five interlocking coloured rings, was created by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic games, and unveiled in 1914. Coubertin said that the five rings represent the five parts of the world embracing "Olympism" and competing against each other: Africa, The Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The interlacing of the rings represents the unity and coming together of athletes from all parts of the world. Coubertin did not associate individual rings with individual continents. The six colours of blue, dark yellow, black, green, red and white—the field on which the rings are set—"reproduce the colours of every country", and at least one is found on every national flag (I believe that’s still true). I was thinking of including a sketch of each of the Olympic sports, but depending on how you count them, there are 32 sports and over 300 events. You can learn more than you ever wanted to know about the history of the Olympic Flag in The Story of the Rings by Karl Lennartz (pdf). The Olympic flag and various other Olympic Properties (like the rings, torch and motto) are © IOC. Also see: The Union Jack Great Britain, the British Isles, the United Kingdom - eh? ## The street food open-air kitchen URL: https://sketchplanations.com/open-air-kitchen Published: 2024-07-28T11:00:00+0000 Categories: food and drink, travel, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zp_H1h5LeNNTxbgC_SP883-Open-airkitchen.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C4316%2C3475&w=1200&h=3475 Image description: The magic of open-air kitchens for Asian street food shown calling out each aspect that makes it such an ingenious set up Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/open-air-kitchen), CC BY-NC 4.0 While travelling in Southeast Asia, I was in awe of the open-air kitchens of street-food restaurants. Just by wheeling out a few carefully stocked trolleys and some prepared ingredients, one person was able to run a bustling street-side restaurant serving a score of customers delicious, fresh-cooked food each night. It's a remarkable feat of ingenuity and efficiency. We had a delicious meal from an old lady in Vietnam who'd just carried her entire restaurant on a bamboo pole over her shoulder, with two large baskets at either end. The pole held everything necessary to cook, including several small stools to sit and eat on. What Makes Street Food Open-Air Restaurants Work? Some of the attributes I noticed about the best ones: Menus with Prices you can see from a Distance We made part of the decision about whether a place looked good to eat at as we approached a stand. A clear menu with large prices you can see as you walk up is a simple way to slow down the right customers before they've walked past. Fresh Ingredients on Display Seeing the fresh ingredients at the front of the stall builds trust in what you're about to eat and whets the appetite. Pre-chopped Ingredients and Giant Rice Cooker Having boxes of pre-chopped ingredients to throw in makes cooking super speedy, and as so many dishes were served with rice, a single giant rice cooker enabled preparing meals in moments. Trolleys on Wheels and Everything Within Reach Having everything on wheels allows quick and easy deployment and packing up, and a chef can adjust each unit to have everything in easy reach. Carefully Chosen Kit A single high-powered gas stove with a large wok cooks nearly all the dishes Trolleys stacked with plates, bowls, cups and utensils A waste bin handles scraps and excess liquids A multi-use towel wipes surfaces and hands Why Isn't Street Food Like This Everywhere? It helps to have the right kind of weather. A warm and generally dry climate means you don't need to rent indoor space, heat it or cover it. This enables so much creativity with food, reducing prices and barriers to entry and increasing selection. Alas, I'm in the UK for this one. It also suits food that is quick and simple to cook, often using pre-prepared, flavourful sauces and fresh ingredients that cook quickly, as opposed to dishes that require long preparation, ovens, or simmering times. Thai and Vietnamese food, in general, lend themselves well to this. It's remarkable how these simple yet effective setups can spin up a restaurant at the side of the street, turning a few trolleys, some carefully chosen gear and a talented chef into a culinary treat. Related Ideas Also see: Hedgehog a mango Cut an onion into teeny pieces Deseed a pomegranate Open a coconut Arrange kitchen storage to minimise excess travel Learn kind words first The kitchen working triangle 3 miscellaneous cooking tips And all sorts of other food and drink sketches ## The Automation Paradox URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-automation-paradox Published: 2024-07-21T11:00:00+0000 Categories: paradox, tech, skills, learning, nature, products, productivity, ai Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZpZ1gx5LeNNTxMu5_SP882-TheAutomationParadox.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The automation paradox explanation, or paradox of automation, summary with a hiker choosing their phone in place of a physical map and then getting lost in a landscape when there's no signal Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-automation-paradox), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Automation Paradox is that the better our machines get, the more we struggle when they fail. When heading out for a hike in the woods, it's tempting to skip the map and compass and rely on our phones and apps for navigation. Yet when we encounter no signal or lose power, we can find ourselves in a sticky situation. Or perhaps, like me, you've come to rely on popping your destination into the satnav or Google Maps whenever you get in the car and have nearly forgotten the ability to navigate without it. These situations illustrate the paradox of automation, where the more sophisticated and automated our machines and technologies become, the more bewildered we find ourselves when they inevitably fail. Or: the smarter the machines get, the dumber we might get. In his book Messy, Tim Harford suggests three strands to the paradox as our machines get more sophisticated: Automation covers up our mistakes, hiding our incompetence, meaning we may not learn to correct ourselves—consider autocorrect cleaning up our typos as we go. When we rely on automation, we get less practice for our skills, so even highly skilled individuals may find their expertise diminishing—perhaps you've found yourself using your phone calculator for a trivial calculation. When the easy scenarios are taken care of, failures may occur in complex or unpredictable ways that we may find especially difficult to recover from—like a subtle but persistent failure in the steering of a passenger plane, recovering from a skid on an icy road, or when you're deeply lost in the wilderness. More sophisticated technology can even make it useless or more dangerous when it fails. Older cars used to be reparable forever. Now, if your vehicle fails, it's likely to need plugging in at the dealership to figure out what's up. How many electronic devices are thrown away because somewhere inside, some tiny loose connection or component makes the whole thing worthless? Were pilots and flight crews better prepared and able to improvise before the autopilot became ubiquitous? I often wish our devices would fail more like an escalator or an electric toothbrush. If an escalator fails, you can still walk up it. If your electric toothbrush dies, you can still use it to brush your teeth. These could be called Technology-Enhanced Products, perhaps. But when most of our devices die, they're often rendered worthless. Automation and sophisticated machines help me so much. I did use Grammarly to help check this post. I use Google Maps nearly every time I put in my destination to home, and I often use a calculator to check my maths. But I do pay attention to grammar corrections, bring a paper map when I can, and keep trying to do the maths in my head. But as Tim Harford explains it, we still face "the paradox of automation: the better the machines get, the more bewildered we are when the machines fail." Also see: The bus factor Normalisation of deviance Chaos monkey Know your tech Jevon's paradox The law of unintended consequences The Dunning-Kruger effect (send me proof of purchase of Big Ideas Little Pictures, and I'll send the sketch to you) More paradoxes: The coastline paradox The transparency paradox The Abilene paradox The paradox of choice The liar paradox Tolkein-style landscape inspired by the excellent Lord of Maps. ## Point Nemo: The Most Remote Place on Earth and the Spacecraft Graveyard URL: https://sketchplanations.com/point-nemo Published: 2024-07-14T11:00:00+0000 Categories: geography, oceans, nature, water, maps, earth Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zo7NKx5LeNNTxATI_SP881-PointNemo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: A map showing where Point Nemo lies - the furthest point from land with distances to the nearest land. This would be a long swim Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/point-nemo), CC BY-NC 4.0 Point Nemo is the furthest point in the ocean from any land. Imagine falling overboard and needing to swim to the nearest shore; the longest possible swim would start at Point Nemo. This puzzle, known as the Longest Swim Problem, finds its solution far into the South Pacific Ocean at Point Nemo. Where is Point Nemo? (Location & Coordinates) Point Nemo, officially known as the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility, sits at 48°52.6′S 123°23.6′W, over 2,688 km from the nearest land. It is the single most remote location on Earth, entirely surrounded by open ocean. The furthest point from land is a point with a maximum equal distance to three points of land. If you moved in any direction from Point Nemo, you'd be closer to one of the points than the others. The three nearest landmasses to Point Nemo, each about 2,688 km away, are: Ducie Atoll in the Pitcairn Islands Moto Nui, a small islet off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Maher Island, off the coast of Antarctica If you've ever been somewhere with only the sea in all directions, imagine what it would feel like to begin a 2,688 km swim (!) from there. How Was Point Nemo Discovered? Croatian survey engineer Hrvoje Lukatela identified and named Point Nemo using computer calculations. Lukatela named it after Captain Nemo from Jules Verne's classic story Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Nemo means nobody in Latin. Lukatela faced challenges in determining its exact coordinates, such as choosing the edge of Ducie Atoll's tidal sandbar and Maher Island being beneath ice for most of the year. Facts about Point Nemo A Spacecraft Graveyard One of the strangest facts about Point Nemo is that it is a designated spacecraft cemetery. Since the 1970s, NASA, the European Space Agency, and others have deorbited satellites and spacecraft over this remote spot. The lack of human activity and extreme remoteness make it the perfect safe crash site for space debris. Over 250 spacecraft, including the Mir space station, have ended their journeys here in this region. The International Space Station itself is also planned to end here when it is retired. The Loneliest Place on Earth At any given time, likely the closest people to Point Nemo are often those in the International Space Station passing overhead a mere 400km above. A Dead Zone in the Ocean The waters surrounding Point Nemo are part of the South Pacific Gyre, a massive current system that isolates it from nutrient-rich waters. As a result, marine life here is scarce, making it one of the least biologically active parts of the ocean. The Oceanic and Continental Poles of Inaccessibility Point Nemo is also known as the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility. In contrast, the Continental Pole of Inaccessibility—the point on land furthest from the ocean—is in northwestern China near Kazakhstan, a remarkable 2,645 km from the nearest shore. And the antipode to Point Nemo, the point directly opposite it on Earth's surface, lies somewhere in Kazakhstan. Related Sketches to Point Nemo Also see: The three tallest mountains The coastline paradox Antipodes Know your poles Orbit Point Nemo has a lovely spread in Simon Kuestenmacher's book Marvellous Maps. Writing about Point Nemo makes me want to rewatch Life of Pi and listen to the captivating music. ## Iceberg orientation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/iceberg-orientation Published: 2024-07-07T11:00:00+0000 Categories: ice, nature, science, geography, physics, mathematics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZoVPkx5LeNNTwwZp_SP880-Icebergorientation.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Iceberg floating orientation explained: Icebergs are usually drawn floating vertically, while a stable iceberg orientation is usually on its side Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/iceberg-orientation), CC BY-NC 4.0 Nearly every iceberg you see in a picture or diagram is probably floating the wrong way. This was what I learned (from Megan Thompson-Munson) after sketching Biz Stone's brilliant saying about the myth of overnight success. With some approximation, the density of ice is around 900 kg/m3, and seawater is around 1,000 kg/m3. Therefore, the fraction of an iceberg that's submerged is around ~900/1000 or 0.9. So, about 90% of an iceberg is below the surface and 10% above, which is partly why they can be so dangerous. While most iceberg pictures get this part more or less correct, most of these icebergs will be floating vertically. In reality, a tall, thin iceberg will likely topple, so most icebergs end up floating on their side, not their tips, even though we rarely draw them this way. I remember learning about a fascinating experiment with children of different ages estimating which glass holds more water: a tall, slender one filled high or a wider glass filled to a lower level. Younger children almost always chose the glass with the higher water level as the most water, even when it was significantly less than the shorter and wider glass. I wonder if it's part of why we draw icebergs vertically, at least when we're using them as a metaphor. It's easier to grasp quantities vertically, and we commonly underestimate volume spread over a wider area. We may still want to draw our icebergs tall and deep to make our point, but now, at least, we can do so with the knowledge that they're not like the real ones. If you want to see it yourself, Joshua Tauberer made a brilliant draw-an-iceberg-and-see-how-it-will-float game. I recommend you give it a go so it sinks in forever (sorry). Also see: Overnight success Why ice doesn't sink Ice-cream, gelato, sorbet Know your poles: penguins or polar bears, frozen ice or land ## Pillars of hope URL: https://sketchplanations.com/pillars-of-hope Published: 2024-06-30T11:00:00+0000 Categories: design, software development, architecture, culture Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zn0oi5bWFbowe72t_SP879-PillarsofHope-smaller.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Pillars of hope, steel starter bars or starter rods stick out of a house so that in the future it's easier to add an extra storey Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/pillars-of-hope), CC BY-NC 4.0 "Pillars of Hope" is a tongue-in-cheek name for steel starter bars, also known as starter rods or rebar extensions, that protrude from the roofs of houses after construction. Leaving starter bars sticking out is a pragmatic approach, saving time and money when adding the next floor, as the structure is already partially prepared for the expansion. The "hope" in the name reflects the anticipation and optimism of adding to their homes in the future when the family grows or their financial situation improves. Growing up in the UK, I never encountered the practice of leaving exposed starter bars on houses. However, while travelling through Central America and Asia, I was surprised to see these exposed rods in many towns and cities. At first, I couldn't understand why so many buildings seemed unfinished, making the skyline somewhat messy. Only when someone explained their purpose to me did it make complete sense. Steel bars in concrete combine the tensile strength of steel with the compressive strength of concrete, creating a remarkably effective and widely used building method. The starter bars embedded in and protruding from the existing structure provide a strong and stable connection between a new addition and the existing building. The bars transfer loads and anchor the two together. Pillars of Hope are a conspicuous example of futureproofing. Other examples in buildings are electrics or plumbing, where you might leave capped-off pipes or electrical connection points in anticipation of future work. Laptops and desktop computers with empty expansion slots also use this approach, as does a first edition of software that includes an update manager. In software and agile development, I like the sentiment from the book Rework: "A kick-ass half is better than a half-assed whole." Have no parts of your product not yet working or "under construction" that are visible to users. Don't leave any visible "starter bars" sticking out of your product. And try not to solve problems that you don't yet have. While it might seem worth adding something now to make a future feature easier to build, it's a tricky balance. So often, you choose to do something else in the future instead and are left with some software pillars of hope sprinkled throughout your code—technical debt you may have to pay off later. While my first reaction to steel rods sticking out of houses seemingly willy-nilly was that it was chaotic and messy, when I think about them as Pillars of Hope I now find it kind of beautiful—looking out over a skyline and seeing the aspirations and future development of families, homes and a city sketched out on the rooftops. Edit: Several people told me that leaving starter bars sticking out of a roof makes the building 'unfinished' and not liable to tax on the work. While this is repeated in many places, I'm not 100% sure of the truth. If you have experience with it, please get in touch! Also see: Hope Hofstadter's Law Forcing functions for foolproofing ## Parallax URL: https://sketchplanations.com/parallax Published: 2024-06-23T11:00:00+0000 Categories: animation, perspective, drawing, physics, mathematics, science Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZnVS1Jm069VX18kR_SP878-Parallax.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is parallax explanation - how parallax works showing different layers moving at different speeds Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/parallax), CC BY-NC 4.0 Parallax is the change in the apparent position of objects from different viewpoints. For example, from one viewpoint, a nearby house may appear in front of a hill, and from another, it may be in front of a lake. Objects at different distances appear to move by different amounts. As you move between viewpoints, say when driving along a road, nearby objects move past you quickly, while distant objects appear to move by slowly. This difference in motion from near to far objects helps us determine how far objects are away. I remember learning parallax from video games, like playing Sonic the Hedgehog on the old Sega Mega Drive. As the character moves in the foreground, elements at different distances in the background move progressively slower, creating a sense of depth. Saturation and contrast change at with distance also, known as atmospheric perspective. I also enjoy observing parallax while looking out of a train window; nearby hedges and trees race by, buildings in the middle distance move more slowly, and distant hills or mountains barely seem to change. It's fascinating how our brains interpret this relative movement to judge distances. One of the more intriguing applications of parallax is stellar parallax in astronomy. The basic geometry of parallax allows us to measure the distance of (relatively) nearby stars by observing relative shifts against the background of distant stars. Here's how it works: we observe the stars from different points in our orbit around the Sun. As a result, the stars appear to move relative to each other. By measuring this apparent shift, we can calculate the distance of the stars. Also see: Redshift The Doppler effect Atmospheric perspective Two-point perspective Pace layers Time hierarchy ## Word spectrum URL: https://sketchplanations.com/word-spectrum Published: 2024-06-16T11:00:00+0000 Categories: words, scale, language, culture, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZnQy4Zm069VX165S_SP877-Wordspectrum-4-5crop.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Word spectrum examples and explanation showing what is a word spectrum as gradations of description and examples of different word spectrums for size, frequency, talk volume, intelligence and taste Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/word-spectrum), CC BY-NC 4.0 A word spectrum highlights different aspects of a concept from one extreme to another. By arranging words on a spectrum, we can see their subtle differences and nuances. For example, a word spectrum of happiness might range from "Miserable" on one side to "Ecstatic" on the other, passing through "Gloomy", "Content", and "Happy" along the way. Or a word spectrum of tiredness might be: Asleep - Drowsy - Groggy - Awake - Alert - Energised It's not a science, and there's a fair amount of latitude for people to place different words in different positions. Looking at many spectrums, it strikes me that some writers excel at selecting specific and perhaps more intriguing words such as "scrumptious" or "mouth-watering" over the more common "delicious." Roald Dahl often had his characters "guzzle" instead of "eat hungrily," for example. I became curious about word spectrums when I realised that my understanding of the spectrum of approval was different from that of many of my American friends. In British English, "quite" is often used to mean "a bit less than," but in the U.S., I found it was more commonly used to mean "a lot" or "very." So, my British English word spectrum of approval would be: OK - Quite good - Good - Excellent While the word spectrum of approval for many of my U.S. friends might be: OK - Good - Quite good - Excellent It left me confused several times before I figured it out. For other variations in interpretation, such as where you might put "awesome", there's an excellent table as a Guide for U.S. students interpreting feedback from faculty trained in the U.K. (and vice versa). At times, it really matters what someone means with a descriptive word. In the "intelligence" trade "words of estimative probability" relate to specific odds meant by certain terms. For instance, if an attack is "highly likely," just how likely is it? If something is "almost certainly an airfield," how certain is that? Clearly, the choice and interpretation of these terms can be very significant. For a fascinating insight on this, see CIA analyst Sherman Kent's previously classified report Words of Estimative Probability (pdf). Other research has studied individual differences in people's perceptions of probability—and created some fun graphics showing the results. Estimative probability is also critical in medicine. If exact numbers aren't shared, how frequent is a side effect that occurs "rarely"? Specific guides have been created listing associated probabilities for terms such as "likely", "frequent", "occasional" and "rare". A reader also shared with me a classic chocolate advert of Fry's five boys, with the face of a boy moving from: desperation, pacification, expectation, acclamation and the realisation "it's Fry's". More word spectrums, including those illustrated here: Size: tiny - small - medium - large - huge - gigantic Frequency: never - rarely - occasionally - sometimes - often - always Talk volume: whisper - murmur - talk - shout - yell - scream Intelligence: stupid - dim - average - bright - brilliant - genius Tastiness: disgusting - bland - tasty - delicious Smell: foul - stinky - scented - sweet More fun scales and spectrums: Fahrenheit and Celsius The Bortle scale The fun scale Solar system scale The Scoville scale The square-cube law Do a 2x2 ## Detecting prostate cancer: old way, new way URL: https://sketchplanations.com/detecting-prostate-cancer Published: 2024-06-09T11:00:00+0000 Categories: health, safety, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZmLIQ5m069VX1iji_SP876-Detectingprostatecancer.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Detecting prostate cancer summary - how screening for prostate cancer has changed DRA, PSA blood test and MRI screening compared in the old way and new way Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/detecting-prostate-cancer), CC BY-NC 4.0 1 in 8 men in the UK get prostate cancer, according to the charity Prostate Cancer UK, and the risk of prostate cancer doubles if you're black. It's also the second most common cause of death from cancer for men in the UK, after lung cancer. Prostate cancer is not always life-threatening, but an early diagnosis can be life-saving. So, for Men's Health Week 2024, I worked with experts at Prostate Cancer UK to visualise how screening for and diagnosing prostate cancer has changed. In short, it's more accurate and safer than before and needn't rely on a chance conversation to trigger a discussion—you can do a 30s online check for your prostate cancer risk on the Prostate Cancer UK website right now. The new way has reduced reliance on the imperfect DRE (digital rectal examination—the test that might come to mind for many). After a suspicious PSA blood test result, you can be referred for a pre-biopsy MRI scan. Clinical trials show that pre-biopsy MRI triage can rule out 27% of men from having an unnecessary biopsy (a biopsy is when a doctor removes some cells for analysis). Biopsies have also improved and can now be guided by imaging, allowing doctors to identify the areas of the prostate they need to biopsy. It makes it safer and has fewer side effects. These changes, together, mean fewer unnecessary biopsies and diagnoses that find a higher proportion of clinically significant cancers over clinically insignificant cancers (which may not require treatment), meaning fewer men are at risk of harm from the screening. Rob Bell, host of the Sketchplanations podcast among many other talents, is an ambassador for Prostate Cancer UK, which supports our "dads, brothers, partners and friends by raising awareness, funding life-changing research, campaigning for change and providing much-needed support." Rob made the connection (this isn't a paid promotion), and you'll hear our discussion with Amy Rylance, Assistant Director of Health Improvement, on how screening has changed in this week's podcast. Medical research and knowledge is always changing. This sketch has been checked by the team at Prostate Cancer UK based on research. See, for example, the article Fewer Men Face Harm in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis. It's intended to raise awareness, help early diagnosis now or in the future for men reading this, and maybe even save a life. If you have feedback or comments on it, please do write to me: jono.hey@gmail.com Didn't know when Men's Health Week was? I learned that International Men's Health Week is the week preceding and including Father's Day. Don't forget, you (or someone you know or love) can do a 30s online prostate cancer risk check online now. Aside from helping your father avoid prostate cancer, he might like a copy of Big Ideas Little Pictures.   Also see: The Swiss Cheese model Dracula sneeze Reference: Most common causes of cancer death ## The Village Venus Effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-village-venus-effect Published: 2024-06-02T11:00:00+0000 Categories: thinking tool, animals, thinking Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZlsugqWtHYXtT_eI_SP875-TheVillageVenuseffect.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Village Venus effect example, a term from Edward De Bono, with a fish declaring that another fish in the fish bowl is the most beautiful fish in the whole world Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-village-venus-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Village Venus effect describes the experience of someone living in an isolated village and knowing the most beautiful person there. Because the person is the most attractive person they've ever seen, it's easy to think that no one could be more so. Yet, beyond the village is a whole world of people, many of whom could be more beautiful. The Village Venus effect can remind us that we often think within context and constraints without realising or considering what may be outside them. In that way, it can nudge us to think bigger or look outside our sphere of familiarity. Travel is always an eye-opener for me. I'm consistently surprised (I should probably get used to it now and stop being surprised) at how ideas or delicious foods from one country or region don't reach others. Sometimes, the simplest way to innovate is to learn what people already do elsewhere. In design research projects, we deliberately went on inspiration trips to broaden our thinking and escape the Village Venus Effect, often looking at adjacent industries. For example, when working on a premium sports equipment project, you could visit premium food stores to see what makes a food premium. Working in the US, I consistently found Asian stores a great source of inspiration for thinking wider. I remember each time I went to the next level of my education (primary, secondary, college, Masters, PhD) whether, even though I had achieved well at my current level, I would fit in with the next calibre of students. The Village Venus effect is related to the challenge of local optimisation—not realising there may be a higher level elsewhere—and the Dunning-Kruger effect, where it's hard to evaluate your level before you know how good "the best" can be. It's also an example of something Daniel Kahneman called What You See Is All There Is—WYSIATI. If you're hiring and you interview five candidates, should you hire the best of those you've seen, or could there be a set of candidates in a different pool who would all be a better fit than those you've spoken with? How many builders should you meet with before you're confident you have one who'll do an excellent job for your project? How often do we unintentionally limit our choices by only looking at the immediate options presented to us? The Village Venus is a term from lateral thinking originator Edward De Bono. For a funnier take on the Village Venus watch Flight of the Conchords, The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room. More ideas from Edward De Bono: Six thinking hats Things get more complex before they get simple Lateral thinking sketches: Lateral thinking: increasing the breadth of options Lateral thinking: labels are not fixed Lateral thinking: you don't have to be right at every step Lateral thinking: changes perspective ## Hara Hachi Bu URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hara-hachi-bu Published: 2024-05-26T11:00:00+0000 Categories: japan, food and drink, health, wellbeing, lifehack, words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZlBWNCol0Zci9anY_SP874-Harahachibu.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Hara Hachi Bu meaning summary showing a person, perhaps in Okinawa Japan, declining food at 80% full Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hara-hachi-bu), CC BY-NC 4.0 Hara Hachi Bu is a saying from Okinawa in Southern Japan that advises people to stop eating when they're 80% full. Okinawa is famous for the longevity of the people who live there. I learned it from Michael Pollan's excellent book Food Rules many years ago. He shares traditions, including the Ayurvedic in India, the Chinese, and the prophet Muhammad, that all counsel stopping eating earlier than your stomach might be telling you. That, and the German expression, "You need to tie off the sack before it gets completely full." Hara hachi bu also appears in Dan Buettner's Netflix documentary Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. Blue Zones are areas in the world with the longest lifespans. Dan Buettner identifies eating to no more than 80% full as one potential factor in Okinawans' long lives. The more literal translation of hara hachi bu is stomach eight parts (out of ten). Some other methods to eat less without sacrificing enjoyment include: Eat slowly so that changes in hunger signals from your stomach have a chance to reach your brain Avoid distractions such as the TV while eating (when eating dinner, just eat dinner?) Use smaller plates Have a good selection of convenient (stacking) Tupperware for storing leftovers Also see: When drinking tea, just drink tea (I like this sketch—I have it on my wall—so I drew hara hachi bu in the same Ligne Claire style) Smaller plates Non-stacking Tupperware should be destroyed Advice to eat well from Michael Pollan 1.5 billion heartbeats It's sometimes misspelled hari hachi bu or said as hara hachi bun me. ## Equality and equity URL: https://sketchplanations.com/equality-and-equity Published: 2024-05-19T11:00:00+0000 Categories: inclusion, cycling, equity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zkd6Syol0Zci9P5u_SP873-EqualityEquity.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Equality equity difference illustration: showing 3 of the same bikes that fit just one adult as equality vs 3 differently-sized and equipped bikes to fit an adult, a child, and an adult with a baby Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/equality-and-equity), CC BY-NC 4.0 Equality and equity are two important ideas that help us understand how to make things fair for everyone. Here's one way that helps me think about the difference between equity and equality: Equality is fairness through uniformity, and equity is fairness through a recognition of individual needs. If everyone gets the same—equality—this is fairer than some people getting something and others nothing. However, if a group were to go bike riding, as in the sketch, if everyone had the same bike, then it might work well for one person but not fit at all for a child or a shorter person. And if you had extra gear, young children to handle, or a disability, getting the same bike might not work at all. In contrast, equity considers each person's individual needs to give everyone the same opportunity. Since getting the same bike doesn't meet everyone's needs, this might involve getting a bike that is the right height, or has a child seat to allow a parent and child to ride together, or other adaptations to accommodate someone with a disability. This way, everyone can ride comfortably and safely. Equity is about understanding that everyone has different needs and making sure those needs are met so that everyone has a fair chance to succeed. Thinking about it this way helped me understand the difference between equality and equity, two concepts I had never clearly distinguished. By focusing on equity, we can ensure that everyone has the support they need to do their best, even if it means giving different kinds of help to different people. I am self-educated in this and don't consider myself an expert, so I'd be happy to receive guidance or links to articles for further education if you have them. Also see: the curb-cut effect, one-size-fits-men, how to draw a bike ## Public commitment pledge URL: https://sketchplanations.com/public-commitment-pledge Published: 2024-05-12T11:00:00+0000 Categories: motivation, productivity, psychology, goals, starting Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zj8cjEFLKBtrWytU_SP872-PublicCommitmentpledge.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is a Public commitment pledge explanation - a soft commitment device shown by someone battling a desire to eat cookies with a public commitment Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/public-commitment-pledge), CC BY-NC 4.0 Public commitment pledges are surprisingly effective and free ways to help you reach your goals. A public commitment pledge is simply writing what you will or won't do, perhaps something you know you find hard, signing it, and displaying it publicly. Soft Commitment Devices In her excellent book, How to Change, Katy Milkman describes how the simple intervention of a public commitment pledge in doctors' offices significantly reduced prescriptions of unnecessary antibiotics—just through a poster on the wall. Commitment pledges are a form of what Katy calls a soft commitment device (of Odysseus fame). This strategy helps us stick to our commitments even when tempted to go astray. Why do commitment pledges work? Pledges may work through our desire for consistency and create cognitive dissonance when considering going against the pledge. The benefits of what we desire to do, say "eat cookies," are pitted against the potential guilt or discomfort we'd feel by going against what we said we'd do, not "eat cookies." You don't want to let yourself down. The pledge gives us a greater chance of sticking to our actions and a defence against our present bias. Is there something you wish you'd do more of or less of? A simple public commitment pledge could help you on your way. Other free ways to help you achieve your goals: Temptation bundling The Fresh Start Effect Commitment device Nine-enders Implementation intentions ## Muddy puddles, leaky ceilings URL: https://sketchplanations.com/muddy-puddles-leaky-ceilings Published: 2024-04-29T11:00:00+0000 Categories: problem solving, thinking, metaphor Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZjCtid3JpQ5PTQto_SP871-Muddypuddlesleakyceilings.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Muddy puddle leaky ceilings - James Clear's model of two types of problems Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/muddy-puddles-leaky-ceilings), CC BY-NC 4.0 What type of problem are you dealing with? James Clear shared a technique of splitting problems into two types: muddy puddles or leaky ceilings. A muddy puddle problem is one where leaving it alone can help to make it clearer. A leaky ceiling problem is one where leaving it alone causes more problems. Leaky ceilings need resolving soon. Muddy puddles can be left until they are clearer. Here's James Clear explaining it in his own words: "I split problems into two groups: muddy puddles and leaky ceilings. Some problems are like muddy puddles. The way to clear a muddy puddle is to leave it alone. The more you mess with it, the muddier it becomes. Many of the problems I dream up when I'm overthinking or worrying or ruminating fall into this category. Is life really falling apart or am I just in a sour mood? Is this as hard as I'm making it or do I just need to go workout? Drink some water. Go for a walk. Get some sleep. Go do something else and give the puddle time to turn clear. Other problems are like a leaky ceiling. Ignore a small leak and it will always widen. Relationship tension that goes unaddressed. Overspending that becomes a habit. One missed workout drifting into months of inactivity. Some problems multiply when left unattended. You need to intervene now. Are you dealing with a leak or a puddle?" Also see: lateral thinking sketches, The XY Problem, Point Positive, Solvitur Ambulando ## Rose, Thorn, Bud URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rose-thorn-bud Published: 2024-04-28T11:00:00+0000 Categories: product management, products, productivity, software development, learning, education Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zij9ePPdc1huKu86_SP870-Rosethornbud.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Rose Thorn Bud reflection technique summary showing a rose with thorn and bud highlighting successes, challenges and potential Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rose-thorn-bud), CC BY-NC 4.0 Rose, thorn, bud is a simple tool for reflection for yourself or your team. The basic idea is to look back at a recent project or how things are going and consider each aspect of a rose: Rose: what are the successes? What's gone well? Thorn: what are the challenges? What could we do better? Bud: what are opportunities with potential? What could we explore or try? If running as a team retro activity or retrospective, you might spend a few minutes individually adding thoughts for each prompt, then talk through each of the thoughts in Rose, Thorn and Bud. A separate but no less important step is often to capture actions from the reflection—what you'll do as a result. If you're conducting retros regularly, consider revisiting actions from previous sessions. I like "rose, thorn, bud" as it's beautiful to consider that a rose contains such different facets, like so many things. I've come across many retro and reflection activities that are variations of these three prompts: "What went well?", "What didn't go well?" and "What else?" A few to mention: The sailboat retro: Goal/vision, Rocks, Wind, Anchor — a nice feature for a team is that this activity places you all in the same boat Glad, Mad, Sad Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for Wishes, Risks, Appreciations, Puzzles I liked, I wish, What if Start, stop, continue Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) A reader suggested a fourth aspect of the rose analogy to reflect on as its leaves or roots: what are the unnoticed or behind-the-scenes things that contribute to the rose's success? I've come to consider that it doesn't matter too much what activity you choose to get a discussion going. What matters most is regular reflection, hearing all the voices in a team, and making progress together. One teammate ran an excellent retro by us all finishing early and heading to the pub. I didn't intend it, but some of the products and prints for rose, thorn, bud out to be some of the nicest I have. Also see: Information radiator, MoSCoW prioritisation, RACI, How to peel a Post-it so it doesn't fall down, the upward spiral ## Me or I? When to Use “Me” vs “I” in a Sentence URL: https://sketchplanations.com/me-or-i Published: 2024-04-21T11:00:00+0000 Categories: grammar, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZiJU5vPdc1huKotO_SP869-MeandI.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Simple grammar rule for when to use me or I in a sentence with example Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/me-or-i), CC BY-NC 4.0 In a list of names, when should you use "I", and when should you use "Me"? I confess to having blundered my way through whether it should be "Rob, Tom, and I on the podcast," or "a podcast with Rob, Tom and me." In other words, in a list of names, of which I am one, should I be using "I" or should I be using "Me"? When to Use I or Me: Doing the action or having it done to you A general rule to help you know which to use when is to remember that: If an action is being done to you, or for you, or involves you as the object of the sentence, use "me." If it's you doing the action, then use "I." In this case, you're the subject of the sentence. As a simple grammar rule: Use "I" when you are doing the action. Use "me" when the action is done to you. So, in the example in the sketch, the kind owners of the cottage are lending the bike to us both, so it should be: "The kind owners lent a bike to Nicky and me." I'm not the one doing the lending but instead am receiving the bike as the object of the sentence. Conversely, when we cycle off, it's both of us cycling, so here it should be: "Nicky and I cycled to the beach." Because we are the subject doing the action. A simple trick to know if you should use I or Me While it's fine to try and figure out if you're the object or subject of a sentence, there's an easier way I find to check whether you should use Me or I: Try removing the other people from the sentence. Often when you remove the names of the other people from the sentence it makes it obvious which of I or me you should use. Take these two sentences for example: "Dad and I went to the match" - ✅ Is correct because: - I went to the match - ✅ - Me went to the match - ❌ "It will be hard for Dad and I to get there on time" - ❌ Is wrong because: - It will be hard for I to get there on time - ❌ - It will be hard for me to get there on time - ✅ In the example from the sketch, removing Nicky from the sentences would leave: The kind owners lent a bike to I — ❌ The kind owners lent a bike to me — ✅ Me cycled to the beach — ❌ I cycled to the beach — ✅ When you do this, at least for a native English speaker, it becomes pretty straightforward which is right or wrong. Between you and me... And if you were wondering, it should be "Between you and me," not "Between you and I." Other Writing and Grammar Ideas Explained Also see: Know Your Dashes Affect effect Less or fewer Tandem By monkeys Oxford commas If you like this sort of thing, I recommend the excellent The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. ## Winking in the dark URL: https://sketchplanations.com/winking Published: 2024-04-14T11:00:00+0000 Categories: marketing, quote, business Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zhk1nDjCgu4jzyMs_SP868-Businesswithoutmarketing-winkinginthedark.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Business without marketing is like winking at someone in the dark illustration: with three panels including someone winking in the dark, someone leaving, and then concluding that they weren't interested (from the Steuart Henderson Britt quote) Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/winking), CC BY-NC 4.0 An often-quoted adage goes: Doing business without marketing is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you're doing, but no one else does. As someone with a background in product development and engineering, I've always cared more about the product than about letting people know that the product exists. But it's an uncomfortable truth that there's no point in having a better product if no one knows about it. More ventures have likely died from not reaching others than from having a lousy solution. This is also why great businesses are built by multi-disciplinary teams—it takes many complementary skills to make a great product succeed. I think the phrase "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door" is rarely true. Along these lines, if you can think of others who'd find Sketchplanations helpful or who might like my book Big Ideas Little Pictures, please consider sending on a link or your favourite sketch. After all, business without marketing... ;o) The quote is usually attributed with "advertising" instead of "marketing" to Steuart Henderson Britt, a marketing professor and psychologist at Northwestern University. But I couldn't find any verifiable source of the quote to him on the internet, and I prefer it with the more generally applicable marketing, so I went with that. If you know of a trustworthy source for the quote, please let me know! Also see: The rule of 7, the business flywheel ## Rivers and buckets URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rivers-and-buckets Published: 2024-04-07T11:00:00+0000 Categories: metaphor, wisdom, productivity, perspective Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZhKIyRrFxhpPBWs3_SP867-RiversandBuckets-small.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Rivers and buckets metaphor illustration: one person sits calmly by a river watching interesting things go by, another gently stresses holding a bucket with an overflowing list surrounded by more buckets on the floor, each with long lists Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rivers-and-buckets), CC BY-NC 4.0 Too many interesting articles to read? Too many places to visit? Too many projects to work on? Too many podcasts to listen to? Too many interesting things to learn? Try thinking of each as rivers, not buckets. Oliver Burkeman shared a beautiful and powerful metaphor to reframe the bucket list of everything we want to do but can't possibly get done. There's an endless stream of books to read, programs to watch, and things you may want to get done. Instead of a bucket list to get through, try thinking of it as a river where attractive options drift by. Rather than feeling pressure to clear out the bucket or tick off all the items, instead, you can choose from the river what interests you in the knowledge that more will always come along. This reframing resonated with me when I considered everything I wanted to read or the emails in my inbox. When you have too many emails, you find you answer the ones that really need answering. There will always be more. Growing up with a scarcity mindset regarding photos, I used to carefully trim each photo I didn't want after a weekend away or travelling. It was a revelation to me to consider selecting the ones I liked instead of worrying about removing every one that I didn't.  Maybe you do have to get through everything at work, but this mindset doesn't need to apply to your personal life. Don't beat yourself up. It's impossible to keep up with everything. Consider thinking of areas of your life like rivers, not buckets. Oliver explains rivers not buckets in "Treat your to-read pile like a river". Or listen to Oliver reading the short essay in the Waking Up app. Related Ideas to Rivers and Buckets Also see: The Overview Effect The four pillars of too much Lifetime reads Tsundoku ## Painkillers and vitamins URL: https://sketchplanations.com/painkillers-and-vitamins Published: 2024-03-31T11:00:00+0000 Categories: business, marketing, entrepreneurship, strategy, health, products Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZgQ85Mt2UUcvBO1z_SP866-Painkillersandvitamins.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Sell painkillers, not vitamins illustration: showing two stores, one for vitamins with just one customer and vague future benefits, next to a busy store selling painkillers with a queue of people seeking "relief now!" Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/painkillers-and-vitamins), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sell painkillers, not vitamins, the classic business advice goes. The vitamin seller aims to help you stay healthy in the long run— to help you avoid future pain and trial by keeping you clear of sickness. However, the painkiller seller has some advantages. If you're experiencing pain right now, a painkiller offers immediate relief. The benefit is instant and tangible. Unlike the vague and uncertain nature of future illnesses, pain is immediate and unmistakable. Knowing if a painkiller worked is easy, as the pain will disappear. It's hard to tell if a vitamin worked. If I don't get sick, was it the vitamins, my sleep, exercise, or, well, anything else that did it? This dynamic can lead to unfortunate consequences. We may prioritise our current needs over future well-being, such as fixing a broken car when it breaks rather than maintaining it. We need help saving money for the future. We tackle the "urgent" and neglect the "important-not urgent."  We might overestimate the likelihood of making good choices in the future. In essence, it's easy to downplay future challenges compared to our current predicament. Some examples: implementing security measures vs. fixing bugs looking after your car vs. fixing your car when it breaks down doing daily exercises vs. going to the doctor when you're sick shopping and preparing food vs. ordering takeaway now making a product easier to use vs. making the product compliant preparing fruit to eat later vs. grabbing a cookie now insulating your house vs. putting the heating on now Some see business as selling candy, vitamins, and painkillers. Candy is a treat, but it's easy to live without. Vitamins promise to make life better, but you can do without them. Painkillers are must-haves as they solve an immediate, tangible need. Also see: present bias, tragedy of the commons, the dilution effect, the Shirky principle. ## There is no "away" URL: https://sketchplanations.com/there-is-no-away Published: 2024-03-24T12:00:00+0000 Categories: sustainability, economics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZfnEJQ4qyfNhFytw_SP865-Thereisnoaway.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: There is no away illustration: A 4 panel cartoon has a child asking a parent what to do with some trash or rubbish. The Dad says just throw it away. After some confusion the child chucks it off planet earth. The final panel reads: Oh wait. There is no "away" Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/there-is-no-away), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's a phrase I always grew up with: you throw rubbish and trash "away" and take what you don't need to "the dump" or "the tip." However, a comment in a nature documentary made me reevaluate: "You can't throw anything away. There is no 'away'." Unless we're throwing a leaf or some grass cuttings back on the lawn, it matters where what we've used ends up. It doesn't go away—it goes somewhere, and eventually, that somewhere will catch up with us. This is why I think "the garbage dump" is better as "the Recycling centre." And we should try to only buy things that we make good use of. And we should try and repair when we can and, if possible, find another home for what we no longer need rather than "dump" it. And why we try to buy recycled products to give a market for those making them. It can be hard work. It's easier and more fun to bring new, shiny things into my life than to find homes for older, less shiny things. But there is no "away." The effort will pay us back in the long run. (I don't mean to get preachy about it, it's just the comment has stuck with me from the moment I heard it) Also see: think cradle to cradle ## The Upward Spiral URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-upward-spiral Published: 2024-03-17T12:00:00+0000 Categories: framework, learning, education Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZfSRNXYkiKrtlJ5P_SP864-TheUpwardSpiral.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The upward spiral from Stephen Covey illustration: showing a spiral growing from the bottom with Learn Commit Do repeating as it rises and someone reading a map, packing their gear and heading off determinedly on a trip illustrating each step Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-upward-spiral), CC BY-NC 4.0 The upward spiral is Stephen R. Covey's simple model of personal growth and change, which repeats the three steps: Learn, Commit, and Do. Of course, we are all doing all of the time. The difference is taking the time and effort to learn from our doing, and deciding to commit to how we want to grow, and deliberately putting it into action. Getting better is in our control. Though it didn't seem like it would take any effort, I've found the commit step to be surprisingly important. For me, "Commit" means actively deciding to make a change and following through with it. It's the difference between finding something intriguing versus deciding that you're going to do something about it. Coupling the "Commit" with getting specific using, for example, implementation intentions can increase the chance of getting on that upward spiral. "Commit" is the mental shift of telling yourself you're going to make a change. Repeating each of the three steps again and again is a simple and guaranteed path to improving at anything we try. Stephen Covey discusses the upward spiral as part of sharpening the saw—renewing, refreshing and recharging ourselves to be the best we can be: "Renewal is the principle—and the process—that empowers us to move on an upward spiral of growth and change, of continuous improvement." — Dr Stephen R. Covey Also see: sharpen the saw, the express-test cycle ## Impossible staircase URL: https://sketchplanations.com/impossible-staircase Published: 2024-03-10T12:00:00+0000 Categories: illusion, drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/13f6a539-9bcd-4c16-89a5-0a4b2af6843d_SP+863+-+Impossible+staircase.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Impossible staircase illustration (also Penrose staircase, impossible stairs) with some people visiting MC Escher's house and being pointed to the bathroom at the top of the never-ending stairs Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/impossible-staircase), CC BY-NC 4.0 The impossible staircase, also known as the Penrose stairs, is an optical illusion of never-ending stairs. Named after its inventor, the mathematician Roger Penrose, who first introduced this concept in the 1950s, the illusion uses multiple, conflicting lines of perspective to trick your eye into seeing the stairs continually rise. I imagined this is what would happen if you visited M.C. Escher's house. Escher made the staircase famous in his drawings Ascending Descending, and Waterfall, after being introduced to it by Roger Penrose, who Escher had inspired to create some impossible shapes. The mindbending Penrose steps also appear in the movie Inception. It took quite a long time to get the perspective right. Ultimately, I used the handy tutorial on drawing the Penrose staircase from the excellent Circle Line Art School. Also see: the ring-segment illusion, the frequency illusion, the moon illusion, and the Hermann Grid, necker cube, and blivet ## The Fundamental Attribution Error URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fundamental-attribution-error Published: 2024-03-03T12:00:00+0000 Categories: psychology, bias, kindness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0009f4d6-3501-4133-9a36-5719a1b0623d_SP+862+-+Fundamental+Attribution+Error.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Fundamental Attribution Error illustration: a driver assuming someone is rude when they swerved in front of them rather than considering that they may have been running late and it been an accident - attributing character over context Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fundamental-attribution-error), CC BY-NC 4.0 The fundamental attribution error is the attribution of the source of behaviour to the character and personality of a person above the consideration of context. It's sometimes described as over-attributing causes to disposition over situation. In a classic example, if a driver swerves in front of you suddenly, it's easy to attribute the cause of the behaviour to the driver being a jerk, i.e. to their character. What we may not see is that the driver is late to pick up their kids, was distracted by a challenging conversation they just had at work, and they're worried they've gone the wrong way and are driving an unfamiliar car. If a colleague is late to meet us, we might infer that the person is lazy or disrespectful when, in fact, they may have been held up by a traffic accident, been on the phone with a sick relative, and have had trouble sleeping lately. If we are late for a meeting, well, then it's probably for all sorts of good reasons outside our control. Like confirmation bias, the fundamental attribution error is a big one that can easily colour our interactions with others without us being aware of it. Some ways to minimise it include: Remember that what we see is just a tiny fraction of any other person's life and that we don't see the complete picture. Minimise judgment, particularly around character and personality. Avoid jumping to conclusions. Where appropriate, ask if anything is bothering others. Build empathy for others as you would for yourself. Reflect on the positive things others do. Also see: Self-serving bias Attribution bias Confirmation bias Hanlon's Razor Muphry's Law ## RAS Syndrome URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ras-syndrome Published: 2024-02-25T12:00:00+0000 Categories: words, grammar, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2bef4865-86ef-49da-8bdc-b2b7df95c68a_SP+861+-+RAS+Syndrome.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: RAS Syndrome illustration: Redundant Acronym Syndrome shown with a person using their PIN Number in an ATM Machine Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ras-syndrome), CC BY-NC 4.0 RAS Syndrome is Redundant Acronym Syndrome Syndrome. It's when an acronym is followed by a word that's also part of the acronym. Some examples you may come across: ATM machine - Automated Teller Machine PIN number - Personal Identification Number ISBN number - International Standard Book Number PDF format - Portable Document Format LCD display - Liquid Crystal Display HIV virus - Human Immunodeficiency Virus DC Comics - Detective Comics RSVP please - Répondez S'il Vous Plaît — Reply please MLS soccer - Major League Soccer PAT testing - Portable Appliance Testing While, in principle, the following word is redundant were we to spell out the acronym, that we tend to include it in everyday speech means it's usually serving a helpful function. Quite often, it's clarifying what you're talking about given many people won't know what the acronym actually stands for (see TLAs). By the way, ATM is technically an initialism, while PIN is an acronym. I'd guess you've probably come across RAS Syndrome, too. However, I didn't realise there was a name for it until recently, even though it was coined in New Scientist magazine back in 2001. Also see acronym or initialism, TLAs, Capitonym, pleonasm ## The Wheel of Death URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-wheel-of-death Published: 2024-02-18T07:34:00+0000 Categories: software development, business, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f8ccc691-fea5-47a2-87df-70bd7cdf4797_SP+860+-+The+wheel+of+death+-+revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Wheel of Death illustration: a pie chart of last week's support issues from large categories of login problems, and payment issues to smaller ones at the end in shades of blue. A tool to help review and prioritise issues. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-wheel-of-death), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Wheel of Death is a handy and simple tool to help prioritise issues and where to spend time fixing things. I learned it from the domain of customer service. It's used something like this: Keep track of customer issues that you encounter each week by tagging them. At the end of the week, tally up the responses and produce the Wheel of Death to see the highest volume of questions or issues taking up the team's time. Use the Wheel as part of a conversation about where the company should focus to improve the experience and save time for the team and customers. The proportion of issues is only part of the story, and other factors like how critical the issue is, how much time it takes to resolve it, and how much work it is to make it go away will all be part of the decision. I learned it from working with a talented head of customer experience as we worked on fixing support issues, though don't confine its use to that. I find "the Wheel of Death" a name that sticks with me, but it could also be called the Wheel of Fortune. If you focus on the Wheel for a spell, it's hard for things not to improve. Worth bearing in mind that in its form as a pie chart, you'll need to combine it with volume or time metrics, or it can look like you're not making progress. I revised this sketch slightly from the original ## Chickens and pigs URL: https://sketchplanations.com/chickens-and-pigs Published: 2024-02-11T12:00:00+0000 Categories: software development, product management, metaphor, animals, accountability Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1f665377-bd12-4673-a1f5-5554bb3674f6_SP+859+-+Chickens+and+pigs.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Chickens and pigs illustration: also known as the bacon and eggs principle, shows a bacon and fried egg breakfast with an egg for the chicken's involvement and a cleaver for the pig's Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/chickens-and-pigs), CC BY-NC 4.0 Chickens and pigs is a metaphor for who's got skin in the game. Or to leave metaphors behind, who's involved in a project vs who is fully committed. Also known as the bacon and eggs principle, it's from the old joke (sometimes told as a short story), "In a bacon and eggs breakfast, the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed." Many people may be interested in and share their opinions on a project or decision. But only some will be responsible for delivering the project and directly accountable for its success. Everyone may be interested in a bet, but only some players have money to lose. The chickens and pigs metaphor used to be part of the scrum guide for developing software but was removed. While it memorably distinguishes accountability in a project, there's a danger that it alienates or diminishes valuable input that might make a project successful. For a more conventional grouping of stakeholders in a project, see RACI ## Bellini — blini URL: https://sketchplanations.com/bellini-and-blini Published: 2024-02-04T12:00:00+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ea9835c0-07ae-4bd7-9250-7dfd34bfeb32_SP+858+-+Bellini+blini.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Bellini or blini illustration: a glass of a bellini—a prosecco and peach cocktail—shown next to blini—small Russian pancakes with smoked salmon and caviar Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/bellini-and-blini), CC BY-NC 4.0 While both are excellent starts to an evening, it's easy to mix up a bellini with a blini, if only because you might mishear one for the other. What's the difference between a bellini and a blini? A bellini is a refreshing cocktail made with peach nectar and prosecco. A blini is typically a bite-size pancake often served with smoked salmon or caviar due to its Russian origins. Both are delicious in very different ways and yet sound almost exactly the same (like a homophone). The good news is that at a noisy party, even if you can't quite make out whether someone is offering you a bellini or a blini, the safe answer is always yes. In Russia, I am told, blini tend to be thinner, pan-sized pancakes rather than the topped, cocktail party style, thicker but mini pancakes they have evolved to in Western cooking. More food and drink sketchplanations ## The Normalisation of Deviance URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-normalisation-of-deviance Published: 2024-01-21T14:00:00+0000 Categories: safety, psychology, management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2d7da8cb-9e15-4ceb-aab5-75aa09d9c7db_SP+857+-+Normalisation+of+deviance.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Normalisation of deviance: A person looks dubiously on at a building site which seems to be ignoring all the safety signs. (Normalization of deviance) Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-normalisation-of-deviance), CC BY-NC 4.0 Normalisation of deviance is the process where what was unacceptable gradually becomes acceptable over time in the absence of failures. So, the longer a period without incidents, a safety requirement to wear a hard hat may start to be taken less seriously and later ignored. The unacceptable becomes the norm, no longer seen as deviant. The term was used by Diane Vaughan when discussing the culture and events leading to the Challenger disaster. However, it’s easy to recognise it in much more mundane examples. Classic workplace examples where deviance may start to become normalised include: Wearing the correct protective equipment Sticking to speed limits Not sharing passwords Closing gates or tailgating Smoking Testing backups Handwashing and cleaning Thorough background checking Normalisation of deviance can be particularly tricky to avoid when failures are rare yet severe or with known but distant dangers, such as smoking. Related Ideas to the Normalisation of Deviance Also see: The McNamara Fallacy The Swiss Cheese Model Recency bias The Overton Window ## Amphitheatre and theatre URL: https://sketchplanations.com/amphitheatre-and-theatre Published: 2024-01-14T14:12:00+0000 Categories: words, architecture, history Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/688744c4-70f6-4eaa-a09f-89be23c78de7_SP+856+-+Amphitheatre.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Amphitheatre and theatre (or amphitheater and theatre): an open theatre like the Minack theatre is shown on the coast on the left, contrasted with a larger amphitheatre with seating on both sides (or all the way round) on the land on the right. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/amphitheatre-and-theatre), CC BY-NC 4.0 Theatre and amphitheatre (or theater and amphitheater) have the distinction that a theatre is one-sided viewing of a central stage, and an amphitheatre has viewing all around. The word amphitheatre derives from the Greek word amphi- loosely meaning on both sides or all around. For years, I've used amphitheatre for any large open galleried seating, but technically, as for the spectacular Minack theatre in Cornwall, England, if it's one-sided, then it's a theatre. You'll also see the same pattern in amphoras, which commonly have handles on both sides of the vessel, and amphibians who are at home on both land and water. Plus, related ambivalence, ambidextrous (amphi- Greek, ambi- Latin). It's fun having an aunt who used to teach classics =) Also see: classical columns, pyrrhic victory, the Rosetta stone ## The XY Problem URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-xy-problem Published: 2024-01-07T14:14:00+0000 Categories: tech, software development, business, product management, questions, problem solving Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/685157ae-ec27-4e9b-9749-eb689a8c65c5_SP+854+-+The+XY+problem.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The XY Problem (or X-Y Problem): a child tries to reach a balloon by precariously stacking chairsand asks how they can stick them together to someone outside of the room who, eventually, wonders what for? Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-xy-problem), CC BY-NC 4.0 The XY Problem (or X-Y Problem) often comes up in software development or customer support, where someone asks for help to achieve a solution (X) that they have chosen as a way to solve a different problem (Y). Helping with their solution may not help them solve their actual problem if it's not a good approach in the first place. An example from software development is a person asking how to extract the last three characters of a filename (solution X), because they want to know the file type (problem Y). After helping them do solution X, it still wouldn't solve problem Y as some files have extensions of more than three characters. Another example is a customer asking for help accessing their online account without realising that what they really want to do has to be done over the phone anyway. There's art and skill in respectfully answering questions and helping with what's asked while seeking to understand the real goal. And if you're asking questions, providing more context may help others provide better answers. In development, it saves time and effort. In customer support, it leads to happy customers. In design, it may be uncovering unmet needs. The name is indirectly from Eric Raymond in How to Ask Questions the Smart Way: "Q: How can I use X to do Y? A: If what you want is to do Y, you should ask that question without pre-supposing the use of a method that may not be appropriate. Questions of this form often indicate a person who is not merely ignorant about X, but confused about what problem Y they are solving and too fixated on the details of their particular situation." Also see a better hierarchy of needs, the metrics onion, challenge and clarification questions, prefer open-ended questions, ask the question at talks, don't fill the silence. ## Box breathing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/box-breathing Published: 2023-12-31T14:00:00+0000 Categories: wellbeing, anxiety, health, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aab82987-6303-470b-9527-11e23309b00e_SP+854+-+Box+breathing.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Box breathing illustration: a person demonstrates breathing in, holding breath, breathing out, holding breath, counting 4 each side around the sides of a box. Also called square breathing: breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/box-breathing), CC BY-NC 4.0 Box breathing can help us focus on the present, reduce stress and anxiety by lowering cortisol levels, and generally relax and be calm. Box breathing involves four steps repeated in sequence, each for an equal count: Breathe in Hold your breath Breathe out Hold your breath It's called box breathing or square breathing, as the four equal steps are like the sides of a virtual box. Counting to four is typical, though it can be more or less. Because of box breathing's simplicity and effectiveness, it's also used by the Navy SEALs—for example, ex-Navy SEAL Mark Divine can lead you through box breathing on video. I find meditation surprisingly difficult and the steps and simple counting of box breathing help me stay focused and free of distraction as well as any other technique. Even a few cycles of box breathing before a difficult conversation, a public talk, or after a challenging spell with our children helps me stay cool and be better. A variation of box breathing is the 4-7-8 breathing technique. This involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 7 seconds then a long, slow exhale for 8 seconds. ## Jólabókaflóð URL: https://sketchplanations.com/jolabokaflod Published: 2023-12-24T14:15:00+0000 Categories: books, christmas, travel Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d44d6b5d-3f44-49f5-b9f2-e19efa0d8314_SP+853+-+Jolabokaflod+-+optimised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Jólabókaflóð (Jolabokaflod) illustration: The Icelandic Christmas book flood with books flooding through a cosy cabin door and other housemates quietly reading near the fire with hot chocolate. Also, Jólabókaflóðið Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/jolabokaflod), CC BY-NC 4.0 Jólabókaflóð, or Christmas Book Flood, is the charming Icelandic tradition of giving books as gifts, opening them on Christmas Eve, and settling in to read them together, ideally with hot chocolate or other warming wintry drink. The "flood" refers to the traditional release of books in the months leading up to Christmas. While there may be a book flood without gifting them on Christmas eve, it's such a nice extension that it seems worthy of its adapted meaning. Iceland has a long literary tradition, and a high percentage of Icelanders both read regularly and become authors themselves. Jólabókaflóð has its roots in various causes to do with wars, rationing, ancient sagas, and, I'd guess, also long winter nights. Also see: Tsundoku Lifetime reads ## The Barnum effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-barnum-effect Published: 2023-12-17T14:00:00+0000 Categories: bias, psychology, effect, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/657b0e8d531ac2845a2669a0_SP852-TheBarnumEffect.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Barnum effect (also the Forer effect) illustrated by 3 people, each getting the same seemingly personalised personality test result and figuring it described them perfectly. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-barnum-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Barnum effect is our tendency to apply personal meaning to statements that could apply to many people. For statements such as the results of a personality test, the effect is stronger if: we believe they are personalised to us they are sufficiently vague — handy phrases include "at times," "a tendency to," "some of," etc. they are mostly positive — we're more inclined to accept positive evaluations of ourselves than critical ones they come from a source of authority You may recognise these tricks from a horoscope or your star sign, magicians, fortune-tellers, fortune cookies, con artists and, perhaps, marketing. There's a fascinating magician's technique you may have seen called cold reading that uses the Barnum effect with other tricks ("I see someone with heart pain in your family.") to make it seem like they know a lot of personal details about someone at a first meeting. Originally from Bertram Forer, who called it "the fallacy of personal validation," it was later known as the Forer effect until Paul Meehl suggested it should be named the Barnum effect after P. T. Barnum (now of The Greatest Showman fame) for the way he could easily fool an audience with these techniques and to emphasize that we should all know and be on the lookout for being fooled. For that reason, I called it the same here. Bertram Forer ran an experiment with his students (pdf), giving everyone the same results for their individual personality assessment. Generally, the students all thought the same description applied very well to themselves. He used these statements taken "largely from a newsstand astrology book": You have a great need for other people to like and admire you. You have a tendency to be critical of yourself. You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage. While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. Your sexual adjustment has presented problems for you. Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic. Security is one of your major goals in life. Not a bad description of me... I learned about it from a discussion of the Meyers-Briggs test (I'm an ENTP btw). Here's Paul Meehl advocating for the Barnum effect: "Many psychometric reports bear a disconcerting resemblance to what my colleague Donald G. Paterson calls “personality description after the manner of P. T. Barnum” ... I suggest—and I am quite serious—that we adopt the phrase Barnum effect to stigmatize those pseudo-successful clinical procedures in which personality descriptions from tests are made to fit the patient largely or wholly by virtue of their triviality; and in which any nontrivial, but perhaps erroneous, inferences are hidden in a context of assertions or denials which carry high confidence simply because of the population base rates, regardless of the test’s validity. I think this fallacy is at least as important and frequent as others for which we have familiar labels (halo effect, leniency error, contamination, etc.). One of the best ways to increase the general sensitivity to such fallacies is to give them a name. We ought to make our clinical students as acutely aware of the Barnum effect as they are of the dangers of countertransference or the standard error of r." Meehl, P. E. (1956). Wanted—a good cook-book. American Psychologist, 11(6), 263–272. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0044164 ## Birthday creep URL: https://sketchplanations.com/birthday-creep Published: 2023-12-10T14:00:00+0000 Categories: travel Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0100002b-dfcf-4d2b-a015-3f38b2f18443_SP+850+-+Birthday+creep.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Birthday creep illustration: how does your birthday move each year illustrated by some people jumping a weekday timeline—1 day each year, 2 days around leap years Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/birthday-creep), CC BY-NC 4.0 Your birthday creeps one day of the week forward each year and two around leap years. Here's why: A common year has 365 days. 52 weeks is 364 days (52 x 7), so the year has 52 weeks plus one day as a bonus (364 + 1 = 365). So for most years, if your birthday was on a Friday, the following year it will walk forward to be on a Saturday 🎉 Leap years have another bonus day on 29 February. The bonus day means that your birthday will move forward two weekdays instead of one around leap years, however, how your birthday moves depends on whether it is before or after that date each year. Here's an example. Birthday after 29 Feb: Sun 9 Jul 2023 Tue 9 Jul 2024 (leap year) — leaps 2 weekdays on the leap year Wed 9 Jul 2025 Birthday before 29 Feb: Sun 1 Jan 2023  Mon 1 Jan 2024 (leap year) Wed 1 Jan 2025 — leaps 2 weekdays after the leap year Perhaps someone told me this when I was a child, and I was keeping close track of birthdays but even if they did it never sunk in. Hopefully, the little person leaping a day will help you, like me now, remember forever. It was pointed out to me that the changing weekday of your birthday is a very good thing—would seem a little unfair if you were stuck with a Tuesday all of your life. ## Phone zombie URL: https://sketchplanations.com/phone-zombie Published: 2023-12-03T14:00:00+0000 Categories: tech, mindfulness, safety, walking Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3a59b6d5-b432-4b49-a013-06966357975c_SP+849+-+Phone+zombie.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is a phone zombie example: pedestrians turned zombies staring into their phones run into danger and bump into each other while crossing a road Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/phone-zombie), CC BY-NC 4.0 A phone zombie is a regular pedestrian turned zombie walker because they’re busy staring at their phone. Sometimes it’s hard not to be a phone zombie—whether it’s a notification about where you’re about to meet, a message about something you just finished at work, texting to say you’re on your way home, a sudden thought to look something up, reading a weekly newsletter, or maybe it’s just switching the podcast. On a long, quiet street on my commute, I’ve also read a book while walking. There are so many reasons why it’s easy to turn into a phone zombie walking unthinkingly down the street. Once, while waiting for a crossing light to change and checking train times on my phone, I noticed the people around me starting to cross. Taking my cue, I began to walk too, only realising a few steps later, with a car bearing down on me, that the light hadn’t changed to signal it was ok to cross. I’ve also seen people walk into cyclists, a near miss with a bus driving close to the curb, and someone tripping and falling. Take care, and don’t let it be you! In a lovely BBC radio episode on skeumorphs, novelist Will Self described what he calls the zombie walk: "You see people doing what I call the zombie walk, which is reading their phone, particularly when it's dark, and you see the uplight on their slightly vacant faces as they stumble through the environment. Because they're no longer really aware of the environment around them; they're semi-virtual at that point." Phone zombies are also known as smartphone zombies, smombie for short, or zombie pedestrians. Phone Zombie Prints You can get a printed gift of phone zombies, but as zombies aren't that nice to look at, I also made a friendlier version of phone zombies. Related Ideas to Phone Zombie Also see: Continuous partial attention When drinking tea Phubbing: snubbing people for your phone Halfalogue: hearing half a phone conversation ## Overnight success URL: https://sketchplanations.com/overnight-success Published: 2023-11-26T14:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, wisdom, entrepreneurship, business, starting Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b87940fa-28ec-465c-88bf-0877206574e9_SP+849+-+Overnight+success+-+iceberg.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Biz Stone quote: Timing, perseverance and 10 years of trying will eventually make you seem like an overnight success — illustrated by someone on the tip of an iceberg with a whole lot of it underwater Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/overnight-success), CC BY-NC 4.0 Twitter co-founder Biz Stone is fond of saying: "Timing, perseverance and ten years of trying will eventually make you seem like an overnight success." Rarely have I heard someone so clearly articulate what it usually takes to do well at something and how commonly we misrepresent the path to success. Sketching an iceberg in which about 90% of the iceberg is unseen under the surface seemed like an appropriate approach. Biz Stone explains his story in Things a Little Bird Told Me. Related Ideas to Overnight Success Also see: the long nose of innovation survivorship bias optimism bias Hofstadter's law Kitty Hawk moment starting a company altruism and ambition ## The Pyramid Principle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-pyramid-principle Published: 2023-11-19T14:00:00+0000 Categories: writing, framework, leadership, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c5802b45-23e5-42dc-9ba3-2bc63666ed31_SP+848+-+The+Pyramid+Principle.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The Pyramid Principle - Barbara Minto: a muddled message of a burst water main becomes clear that the school is closed when someone uses the pyramid principle Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-pyramid-principle), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Pyramid Principle is an approach to getting your message across by starting with the main idea supported by the relevant facts or arguments grouped by linking ideas. In this way, the writer clearly makes their point and shows how each idea supports it rather than having the reader try to piece it together as they muddle through.* As everyone is different, we can't help others draw inferences different than we intend if we present each point in isolation. Instead, leading the reader through by first showing where you're going then raising and answering questions in turn, helps make the reader's life easier. Barbara Minto, who presented this idea in her book The Pyramid Principle, distinguishes between our everyday approach of thinking through an issue where we often start bottom-up and ultimately get to, or figure out, our main point at the end. While this may be fine for a memo to reschedule a meeting, it's not ideal for an important proposal. Communicating bottom-up makes the reader work harder throughout and risks losing them along the way. Minto advocates doing the work upfront of organising your ideas and presenting them top-down, in a pyramid fashion, to get to the outcomes you want. Rather confusingly, a related writing technique for journalism is called inverted pyramid writing. *I first wrote the last sentence here in reverse while thinking through my point: "In this way, rather than having the reader wonder as they go through what point you're making and how the ideas fit together, you have instead done this work for them." Interesting to compare the two. ## Greeble URL: https://sketchplanations.com/greeble Published: 2023-11-12T14:00:00+0000 Categories: words, design, film Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/40a5d30a-1f7e-4943-a477-548fcbc75c07_SP+847+-+Greeble.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Greeble or greeblie illustration: showing a panel of buttons on a wall and a ship in a spaceport rather like the Millenium Falcom full of small elements that give detail and scale Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/greeble), CC BY-NC 4.0 A greeble, greeblie or greebly, is the name for the small elements that add detail and scale to models and, often, help make them look more advanced and realistic. Greeble can be both a verb and a noun. Greeble or greeblie, George Lucas' term, originated on the early Star Wars sets when creating the impressively detailed and realistic models. You can take a simple ship, wall or rooftop, and by adding switches, boxes, cabling, lights and buttons, hey presto, there's a whole lot more technology involved. You can add greebles, or greeblies, to something, or you can greeble it. A common modelmaking technique for adding elements and greebles to make a design look realistic and sophisticated is to scavenge from existing model kits. Borrowing other parts and repurposing them on a new model is called kit-bashing. Speaking personally, it's also very satisfying making up greebles to add to a LEGO build (MOC—My-Own-Creation)—sometimes the most fun part. Here's Adam Savage, an ex-Star Wars modelmaker discussing greeblies and kit-bashing (video) or an ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) model shop greeblie (video) used on Star Wars Episode 2. Greebles also make an appearance in the fascinating documentaries about the making of the Star Wars films, Empire of Dreams, and the making of episode 9, The Skywalker Legacy. Sometimes, the making-of is more interesting than what was made. I remember the same feeling watching the making of the Lord of the Rings films, too. ## Whose job is it? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/whose-job-is-it Published: 2023-11-05T14:00:00+0000 Categories: leadership, accountability, management, poem, storytelling, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aa428cb0-d1e7-414b-9159-e1bc74108fa2_SP+846+-+Whose+job+is+it.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Whose job is it? or The Responsibility Poem illustration: four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. Everybody is given a job but in the end Nobody takes responsibility for it Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/whose-job-is-it), CC BY-NC 4.0 There’s an old short story called “Whose job is it?” that goes like this: This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done. It used to be up on the wall in my secondary school many years ago. Its message of taking ownership and responsibility and not assuming others will do what you don’t want to do has stuck with me ever since. It’s rather like the famous advice to be the change you wish to see happen. Litter doesn’t clean itself up. Broken things don’t fix themselves. It might be up to you. (see the Bystander effect) The story seems to be a condensed version of a longer piece by Charles Osgood called "The Responsibility Poem," though I couldn't find an original source anywhere. Also see: For want of a nail, the story spine, the Accountability Ladder, RACI ## Affordance URL: https://sketchplanations.com/affordance Published: 2023-10-30T02:00:00+0000 Categories: design, usability Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/78e71b33-ad49-48d2-8fe5-c4cecba93621_SP+845+-+Affordance.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Affordance illustration: one person effortlessly pushes open a door with a flat plate while a victim of poor design struggles to pull open a door with a bar handle and a discreet push sign Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/affordance), CC BY-NC 4.0 An affordance is what someone can do with an object. When you see a well-designed everyday product, the perceived affordances should indicate how to use it. You shouldn't have to struggle to figure out how to use your shower to take a shower, and you shouldn't have to use trial and error—perhaps drenching yourself in cold water in the process. The design of an everyday thing should make it evident. An object should communicate a good part of how to use it through its affordances. A recessed button affords pressing it. A sticking-out dial affords twiddling it. A toggle switch affords toggling. An apple affords tossing and catching it; an anvil doesn't. A high stool affords sitting, leaning against or standing on it. Don Norman, who popularised the term in his classic book The Design of Everyday Things, talked a fair bit about doors. We can push or pull a door or slide it to the side. Sometimes, doors open upwards (though rarely downwards). In something as fundamental to our everyday living as a door, you might think that we had nailed their design sufficiently not to misuse them. However, I'm willing to bet that, like me, you have pulled a door when you needed to push it. A common culprit is adding a bar handle to a door on the side you need to push. While a flat plate attached to the door affords only pushing, a bar handle begs you to pull it. Often, a door designed this way gets a sign saying "Push." As Don Norman says, if your design needs a label, consider another design.  Once, I nearly walked away from a library with my two small boys because of door confusion. After going through an outer set of glass doors that slid open automatically as we approached them, the next set of glass doors stood resolutely shut. Concluding that the library must be closed, we were just walking out when someone walked up to the second set of glass doors and simply pushed them open. The first set of automatic doors had so cued me that the second set would also be automatic, and the glass doors held no clue that they would operate differently from the outer set that I almost failed to get into an open building. Don Norman became so well known for pointing out the flaws of everyday objects that poorly designed products became known as "Norman doors." Don Norman's frustrations are mostly for everyday things. If you are an air traffic controller or an astronaut flying a space shuttle, it's reasonable to expect that some training may be wise to use all the advanced functionality. Yet in specialised environments like healthcare, good design—like avoiding storing drugs in alphabetical order—is critical to reduce the potential for failure. Digital products struggle to provide affordances. Apple's touchscreen interactions and trackpads have little discoverability of what you can do with them: swipe down from the top-right, swipe up from the bottom, double-tap the side button, long-press on an icon, two-finger swipe right, triple-finger tap—all effectively invisible. Interactions like these reward repeated use and require learning to be effective. However, I think it's reasonable to expect a warm shower in a hotel on your first try without requiring training. Also see: mapping, forcing function. ## VUCA URL: https://sketchplanations.com/vuca Published: 2023-10-22T13:00:00+0000 Categories: software development, leadership, framework, management, product management, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6fdab71e-4cdf-41b3-8b5a-ddefe4265d76_SP+844+-+VUCA.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: VUCA illustration: Examples of Volatility (a stock-like chart), Complexity (a circuit-like confusion), Uncertainty (a direction splitting into 3) and a person sweating over Ambiguity (a Necker cube). Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/vuca), CC BY-NC 4.0 VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. The VUCA framework is a reminder to consider how to lead and adapt to the challenges of living in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. In his book Leaders Make the Future, futurist Bob Johansen provides counterpoints to each that leaders can use: Volatility yields to Vision Uncertainty yields to Understanding Complexity yields to Clarity Ambiguity yields to Agility We live in a VUCA world, but we can handle it. The VUCA framework originated in the US Army War College. VUCA is an acronym, as opposed to an initialism. Also see OODA Loop. ## Blending buildings URL: https://sketchplanations.com/blending-buildings Published: 2023-10-15T13:00:00+0000 Categories: architecture, design, illusion, colour Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f9020755-bbf4-4a7b-a6da-e5c7f6630a6d_SP+843+-+Blending+buildings.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Blending buildings illustratiion: example of two large distribution warehouses one coloured in greens to blend better into countryside, and one in shades of blue to blend better into the sky. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/blending-buildings), CC BY-NC 4.0 While historic buildings in an ancient city centre make tourist attractions, most people would prefer the giant distribution warehouses that power online commerce and our world of delivery-everything to remain out of sight. Several recently constructed distribution warehouses have started using enormous blocks of colour at scale to gently lead the eye and help buildings of exceptional size blend better into their surroundings.—greens to blend into countryside or "a beautiful sky blue" (video) to blend better with the sky. Having passed both buildings with the patterns in this sketch, I can attest that the effect, in the right angles and light, is compelling—even though I noticed them more than ever as I spent time thinking about how well it works. Read more about buildings designed to disappear into the landscape in Rowan Moore's Guardian article ​"A shed the size of a town:​ what Britain's giant distribution centres​ tell​ us about modern life" This effect also reminded me of dazzle camouflage. ## Anchors and tugboats URL: https://sketchplanations.com/anchors-and-tugboats Published: 2023-10-08T13:00:00+0000 Categories: sport, endurance, wellbeing, mindfulness, swimming, resilience, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e2f516e2-df29-4a63-a013-ed1acc896c17_SP+842+-+Anchors+and+tugboats.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Anchors and tugboats illustration: a swimmer thinking negative thoughts is pulled back by an anchor and thinking positive thoughts is pulled forward by a tug. Confused fish look on. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/anchors-and-tugboats), CC BY-NC 4.0 Anchors and tugboats. One holds you back, and one pulls you forward. Negativity can act like an anchor holding you back, narrowing your focus and restricting your potential. By contrast, positivity acts like a tugboat pulling you forward. It's expansive. It opens us up to opportunity, gratitude or joy. I heard this analogy from sports psychologist Justin Ross. It's a curious thing, he points out, that we don't actively learn how we should talk to ourselves; it just happens. If you're out running and things get tough, or if you're having a hard time at work or as a parent, our self-talk starts about how things are going and how we got here. But rarely do we consciously think about how we should talk to ourselves. To get to positivity from a place of negativity, Justin says, the first step is awareness and noticing the negativity anchoring us down. Only then can we think about transforming the negative thoughts into positive ones and starting to feel the pull of the tugboat. This example is sports psychology, but it applies throughout our lives. Justin discusses this from 29:40 in the Löw Tide Boyz podcast episode 193. Related Ideas to Anchors and Tugboats Also see: swimrun the fun scale ## Three Types of "No" URL: https://sketchplanations.com/three-types-of-no Published: 2023-10-01T13:00:00+0000 Categories: business, software development, product management, parenting, management, animation Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a23d8d13-7303-44e0-8c55-dd1b170f866f_Three+types+of+%E2%80%9Cno%E2%80%9D+animation.gif?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Three types of "no" illustrated animation with parenting examples. The Yes No (no to ice cream, yes to eating). The Material No (Yes I'd get it down if I had a ladder). The Priority No (Yes we can take the bear but we'll leave to have one of the others) Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/three-types-of-no), CC BY-NC 4.0 Saying "no" isn't easy. But there are different ways to say "no" to someone's requests without feeling like you've let them down while being realistic and constructive and ensuring the requester feels heard. I really like this framework of three types of "no" from Judd Antin: 1. The Yes No With the Yes No, you say "yes" to the need and "no" to the specific ask.  So, a child asking for an ice cream may indeed need something to eat even though they might not get an ice cream. Or the request to make the sign-up button larger might well indicate that it's easy to miss, though a better solution may be to change its colour or the layout of the page. 2. The Material No With the Material No, you are saying yes to the request if you have the time/budget/people/tools to do it. So, you would love to get the kite out of the tree if you had the tools to reach it. Or the request to make an additional change might be possible on the basis that you can push back the launch date or add another person to the team. 3. The Priority No With the Priority No, you are saying yes, we can do it as long as we're happy to drop something less important. So, you can take the extra cuddly bear in the car if we can choose a different one to leave behind. Or that you can do that project on the basis that we postpone another we had planned. In each type of "no", the intent is to support and meet the needs of the person requesting while clearly explaining the reasoning for what you'd need to get it done. In each case, the "no" leads to valuable discussions of larger issues of what the real need is, what's required to get a job done, and what's really important. Read Judd Antin's article, How to Say No, in his series One Big Thought. Here's a version with all three types of "no" in one image and individually The Yes No, The Material No, The Priority No. ## Hotel Drying Technique URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hotel-drying-technique Published: 2023-09-24T13:00:00+0000 Categories: lifehack, travel Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/09438d52-9af0-4be2-8502-9a62bc3dd34a_SP+840+-+Hotel+drying+technique.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Hotel drying technique: a guest washes their underwear in the sink before rolling in a towel, wringing well and leaving it to dry overnight. Clean, fresh underwear in the morning! Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hotel-drying-technique), CC BY-NC 4.0 Here's a helpful technique when you want to freshen-up some clothing at a hotel and need it to dry quickly. It's useful when you've packed one day short or need an extra day's wear out of something. The hotel drying technique: Wash the item in the sink/shower. Rinse out as much as you can directly with a squeeze. Lay a towel flat and place the item on top. Roll the towel up tight, making multiple layers of clothing, towel, clothing, towel. Wring the towel well, working your way up and down. A lot of the water will transfer from the clothes to the towel. Repeat as necessary, perhaps placing the item in a different, drier patch of the towel. Leave the item to dry that last bit overnight while you sleep. With any luck, your underwear will be wearable again in the morning. And if it's not quite there, there's often a hair dryer to help finish off. Of course, the technique works anywhere, but it's convenient in hotels where you don't have to worry about drying the towel afterwards. Caution: only use for fabrics that are happy to be wrung—not recommended for things like wool. This tip was discovered by my wife—like many of my most handy lifehacks—in this case while backpacking together in Central America. Related Ideas to the Hotel Drying Technique Also see: Hotel HQ Enjoy your hotel room more Learn kind words first in new countries ## Self-serving bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/self-serving-bias Published: 2023-09-17T13:00:00+0000 Categories: psychology, sport, kindness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/39563af9-b96a-4a55-921d-70ab2029f701_SP+839+-+Self-serving+bias.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Self-serving bias example explained: two tennis players think on their contrasting fortunes, the winner proud of their athleticism (character), and the loser blaming the umpire (the situation). Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/self-serving-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 A self-serving bias is one where we attribute our failures to external factors and our successes to our own admirable qualities and efforts. So, a tennis player might internally credit their athleticism and skill for their victory, while the loser may blame the umpire's decisions, their racket or the court. You might have seen it in professional sports. Self-serving bias may be rational and positive, maintaining our self-esteem and a positive view of ourselves. Conversely, it can hide reality (and give referees and umpires a more draining job) or cause us to reject negative but objective feedback. Self-serving bias is a form of attribution bias where we misattribute behaviours or events to characteristics rather than circumstances or vice versa. Self-serving bias is covered nicely (pdf) by Donelson R. Forsyth in the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd Edition. ## The Overton Window URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-overton-window Published: 2023-09-10T13:00:00+0000 Categories: politics, economics, metaphor, framework, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5e35511d-c92a-419b-800f-740df143d2a6_SP+838+-+The+Overton+Window.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The Overton Window illustration: with the example of two children lobbying their parents on bedtime policies and the range of politically acceptable ideas Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-overton-window), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Overton window is a simple device to consider the full spectrum of policy ideas and identify the range of politically acceptable ones. Attitudes generally change slowly, as does policy to support them—with exceptions. Ideas that seemed radical or unthinkable at one time may gradually become plausible and popular. As this happens, the Overton Window shifts or expands. Consider how attitudes have changed towards slavery, segregation, women's rights, animal welfare or gay marriage. Or consider policies made alongside the development of driverless cars or supporting sustainable energy. At one time, prohibition—banning the production and sale of alcohol—was popular enough to become policy in the US, though it would be unlikely to be proposed now. Generally, the public is unlikely to elect politicians if they stand on policies too far outside the Overton window. And elected politicians will have difficulty enacting policies outside the window. Named after Joseph Overton of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the original model was a cardboard window that could slide over paper, and looking through the window, you could see policy options in one direction towards more government control and in the other towards less government control. He called it the window of political possibilities. The Centre named it after him after his death. He made the slider vertical to avoid associations with the political left or right. ## Design by committee URL: https://sketchplanations.com/design-by-committee Published: 2023-09-03T13:00:00+0000 Categories: design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/95f5088e-f556-4ccc-9f94-385bab4ffb7f_SP+837+-+Camel.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Design by committee illustration: A person demonstrates a camel as the solution to all the requirements for Horse 2.0 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/design-by-committee), CC BY-NC 4.0 A camel is a horse designed by a committee, so the saying goes. It's not fair on camels, which are remarkable animals, but the idea that meeting everyone's requirements leads to a weaker product without a strong vision has a lot of truth to it. Like a remote control with 50 buttons or a policy so watered-down by different requirements that it has no effect, design by committee can be the death of an initiative. Part of strong product leadership and creating designs that wow is having an opinion, saying no, and not trying to please everybody. Much easier said than done. To bring it home, the movie Pentagon Wars has an entertaining satirical scene about the evolution of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle (11 mins). The clip shows how the plan for an infantry transport vehicle became "a troop transport that can't carry troops, a reconnaissance vehicle that's too conspicuous to do reconnaissance. And a quasi-tank that has less armor than a snow-blower but has enough ammo to take out half of D.C." Perhaps most informative is the effect on the motivation and morale of the designers—"Can you make it amphibious?" Also see: groupthink, the tyranny of small decisions, the Abilene paradox, the bandwagon effect. Or Jeff Bezos' guidance: Be stubborn on vision. Be flexible on details. ## The Droste effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-droste-effect Published: 2023-08-27T13:00:00+0000 Categories: illusion, art, psychology, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7c6bcf87-702e-423f-a70e-785f2c4c3a04_SP+836+-+The+Droste+effect.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The Droste effect illustration: where the picture contains the picture which contains the picture which contains the picture... Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-droste-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Droste effect is an endless picture-in-picture—a part of the picture contains the whole picture, which contains the picture, which contains the picture, and on. Most of us are likely familiar with it from the fun visual effect you often see when sharing your screen on a video call, which contains the video call where you're sharing your screen, on which is the video call where... Always entertaining. Google calls it an infinity mirror. The name derives from a Dutch brand of cocoa powder, Droste, where the classic advert was a picture of a nurse carrying a tray with a box of the cocoa powder, with the picture of the woman on it carrying the tray with a box of the cocoa... Articles about the Droste effect often mention the amazing M.C. Escher's Print gallery, a picture without beginning or end. ## Chihuahua syndrome URL: https://sketchplanations.com/chihuahua-syndrome Published: 2023-08-20T13:00:00+0000 Categories: data, analytics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7ed3c475-d55c-48ac-ac1c-c1f4c0d01d9b_SP+835+-+Chihuahua+syndrome.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Chihuahua syndrome illustration: an analyst wonders at the number of dog breeds when most of them are misspellings of chihuahua Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/chihuahua-syndrome), CC BY-NC 4.0 Chihuahua syndrome refers to messy data from variations in spelling or input—Chihuahua is easy to misspell. The quality of your data matters—errors can creep in anywhere, particularly when people enter data. Garbage in, garbage out. Here's Chris Groskopf quoted in Seeing with Fresh Eyes—Meaning, Space, Data, Truth by Edward Tufte: "There is no worse way to screw up data than to let a single human type it in, without validation. I acquired a complete dog licensing database. Instead of requiring people registering their dog to choose a breed from a list, the system gave dog owners a text field to type into, so this database had 250 spellings of Chihuahua. Even the best tools can't save messy data. Beware of human-entered data." —Chris Groskopf Capitals, spaces, misspellings, hyphens, numbers stored as text, numbers entered as letters (I, O), accents, straight/curly apostrophes, dates out of order, languages, dialects, abbreviations, and more are all routes for misleading your analysis. Spend time with your data. The name The chihuahua syndrome is from Edward Tufte. Adding these terms below to help anyone searching for the sketch ;o) che hua hua, che-hua-hua, che-wara, chee-hua-hua, cheehuahua, chehuahua, chehaha, chehawa, chewawa, chihaha, chihuahua, chihuawa, chiwawa, chiehuaua... ## Dark patterns URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dark-patterns Published: 2023-08-13T12:00:00+0000 Categories: design, ux, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fbf936bc-4a65-4d47-95ed-b630c51a2fe9_SP+834+-+Dark+patterns.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Dark patterns: using design to deceive, like hiding the 'I don't need insurance' option in the country list rather than as its own option Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dark-patterns), CC BY-NC 4.0 Dark patterns are when people design interfaces intending to deceive or trick. Sadly we are all familiar with these. They're everywhere.  It could be the free trial that unexpectedly led to a subscription or the subscription that was easy to sign up for but had to be canceled by mailing in a letter. Or it could be an outward attempt at giving control over privacy but with options so confusing as to do the opposite. Perhaps you tried to adjust cookie preferences on a news website but could only find a button to 'Accept all' after editing your preferences—grrrr! Tricking people like this into sharing more information than intended has come to be known as Privacy Zuckering. Remember popups that could only be closed once you found a tiny 'x' that moved around the screen? I recently wanted to pause a subscription only to be told it would invalidate all the accumulated unused credits I'd paid for (I'm still paying). The Pudding published a great analysis of unsubscribing from online services. At times this may be unintentional—there's naturally less incentive to work on great account closing and unsubscribe experiences than on signing up. The example in the sketch was a real one I experienced (I wish I'd grabbed a screenshot) from an airline website where the designers buried the option not to buy insurance within the country select list. And they're not just online. Sneaky casinos employ design in the physical world for their gain, such as removing references to time passing, such as clocks or windows, using mazelike navigation and the continual winning sounds of jingling coins.  "Dark patterns" was coined by Harry Brignull and documented at the Deceptive patterns site and now a book. ## The isolation effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-isolation-effect Published: 2023-08-06T12:00:00+0000 Categories: effect, design, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2e83818a-f5c8-48f4-8a3c-669d60cf248c_SP+833+-+The+isolation+effect.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The isolation effect: remembering better what stands out from a set of otherwise like items in a set. Also known as the Von Restorff effect Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-isolation-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The isolation effect is our tendency to remember an item that stands out in some way from a set of otherwise similar items—you might easily guess, for example, which name we are more likely to remember from a list of Tom, Terry, Angelica, Theo and Tyler. When presenting information, the isolation effect is practical if you wish to draw attention to specific items. By standardising the presentation of other items in a list, maybe by muting the colours, making them the same size, or removing features that stand out, you can draw people's attention and improve people's memory of your chosen items. The isolation effect is standard in web design by using distinctiveness: red notification bubbles on a set of otherwise homogenous apps, a "most popular" plan more prominent than the other options, or a Call-To-Action (CTA) button in a contrasting colour. The isolation effect is also known as the Von Restorff effect after the German psychiatrist Hedwig von Restorff. See, for example, Hunt, R.R. The subtlety of distinctiveness: What von Restorff really did. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 2, 105–112 (1995) for a summary of Von Restorff's most cited paper on the effect. ## Point positive URL: https://sketchplanations.com/point-positive Published: 2023-07-30T13:00:00+0000 Categories: nature, problem solving, metaphor, advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fb9b76be-249f-4132-835b-23b30dc43c4a_SP+832+-+Point+positive.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Point positive illustration: Rafters pointing towards the safe way down a rapids for a swimmer in the water rather than pointing towards the dangers Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/point-positive), CC BY-NC 4.0 Point positive is a rafting term for agreeing in advance to point towards the safe way out of danger rather than towards the dangers themselves. So, should a raft get stuck on a rock in a rapid, pointing positive would be pointing away from the obstacles to help a raft behind navigate through safely. Or should there be an unintentional swimmer, pointing positive is pointing towards the safest channel to steer towards. Like "Don't fix the blame, fix the problem," point positive is a valuable metaphor and reminder that it's often less helpful to dwell on difficulties and problems than to direct others and our energies toward positive ways forward and solutions. Also see: It's easier to give privacy than to find it ## Orbit URL: https://sketchplanations.com/orbit Published: 2023-07-23T13:00:00+0000 Categories: space, physics, science, engineering, moon, astronomy Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e63f5aac-f397-42a5-843a-83e0e19d7bc7_SP+831+-+Orbit.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Orbit illustration: how a satellite stays in orbit - the balance between its velocity and gravity pulling it towards Earth Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/orbit), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's mindblowing to me to think at any moment, over 6,000 satellites are whipping around the Earth at terrific speeds and somehow not drifting off into space or crashing into Earth. How does this work? An orbit around Earth is a delicate balance between the momentum of a satellite traveling at speed parallel to the Earth's surface and the constant tug of gravity towards the Earth. If the satellite travels too slowly, gravity wins, eventually pulling the satellite back to Earth. If it travels too fast, gravity isn't strong enough to hold it, and the satellite will shoot off into space. But at just the right speed—which depends on its distance from Earth—gravity will pull the satellite towards Earth, but the satellite's speed ensures it will keep missing and instead continue its journey orbiting around Earth. In this case, gravity acts as a centripetal force, a force acting towards the centre, enabling satellites to stay in orbit. Newton had a thought experiment known as Newton's Cannon where he imagined firing a cannonball off a high mountain at different velocities and what the resultant trajectories would be. Most orbits are slightly elliptical or oval-shaped. For example, the elliptical nature of the Moon's orbit gives us the joys of things like supermoons. ## Mangroves URL: https://sketchplanations.com/mangroves Published: 2023-07-16T13:00:00+0000 Categories: nature, sustainability, oceans, sea, fishing, climate, waves, resilience, forest Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ac22a1f6-9b96-430f-a0c1-6953318ecd07_SP+830+-+Mangroves.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Mangroves illustration: showing the coastal habitat and their benefits in protecting, stabilising, nurturing and sequestering Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/mangroves), CC BY-NC 4.0 Mangroves are many species of tree adapted to living in salty water along coastlines and tidal rivers not far from the equator. They are remarkable in many ways and confer a host of benefits to their habitats. Here are some significant ones. Protect Mangroves and mangrove habitats play a major role in protecting coastal settlements from storm surges and waves. Mangroves significantly reduce the energy of waves, lowering wave height inland, including from tsunamis, and reduce surges from tropical storms. We took a boat through the mangroves in Southern Vietnam once, and it was an eye-opening maze of channels and islands. I could see how they act like a natural breakwater. Stabilise Mangroves help stabilise land from erosion. This helps plants and fauna inland make their homes. Mangrove root systems also trap sediment brought downriver or from the sea, building their environment and creating peaty soil when they decay. Nurture Their incredible prop root network creates a wonderful sheltered space for marine wildlife to grow and develop. The nooks and crannies help protect young from predators until they are older and can better fend for themselves. This protective environment increases populations and helps local fishers and communities. The calm and sheltered waters inside mangrove habitats also provide sanctuary for birds and a host of other non-marine wildlife. Sequester Mangroves are an excellent carbon sink. They capture carbon as they grow, and the low-oxygen sediments deposited beneath them help lock carbon away. — I've contributed to plant trees through Eden Projects with a portion of any monthly or one-off support I receive. I wanted to explain Mangroves partly because, as of July 2023, together, we've passed 26,000 trees planted, most in mangrove restoration projects in Madagascar, and provided over 350 work days for locals. As Eden Projects explain: "Madagascar is one of the world's top biodiversity conservation priorities because of its endemic species and severe habitat loss rates. Restoration in Madagascar is important because the destruction of the mangrove estuaries along the coastline has caused mudflats to wash into the ocean, destroying once-productive fisheries and increasing the vulnerability of coastal communities to hurricanes, tsunamis, and floods. In the dry deciduous forests, deforestation threatens one of the world's rarest and most diverse forest systems." Mangroves make a real difference. To everyone who's helped make this happen, thank you! ## Two types of checklists: Read-Do, Do-Confirm URL: https://sketchplanations.com/read-do-do-confirm-checklists Published: 2023-07-09T13:00:00+0000 Categories: design, safety, security, software development, health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8ea8eaee-b432-443c-b740-0030a0264e88_SP+829+-+Two+types+of+checklist+read-do_+do-confirm.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Read-Do and Do-Confirm checklists illustration: examples of a Dinner party fail and an Expedition checklist Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/read-do-do-confirm-checklists), CC BY-NC 4.0 I always considered a checklist, a checklist, so I was interested to learn the distinction between two types of checklists: Read-Do and Do-Confirm. A Read-Do checklist might be prepared in advance for several potential possibilities. You check off the tasks as you do them, like following a new cooking recipe. They may be geared towards helping people understand what they should be doing and in what order and helping them remember key steps in unusual or unplanned scenarios. So, for example, if a plane develops a particular type of rare fault, such as an engine failure, a Read-Do checklist could be pulled out for that scenario. The pilot and crew can use it to make the most of others' past experiences and failures. Even with training, given the situation's relative rarity, and especially if a serious situation might interfere with normal thinking, a Read-Do checklist helps steer the crew to safe outcomes without relying solely on training and memory. The calm security and simplicity of steps of a checklist can be just what's needed. A Do-Confirm checklist is more of an aid to memory to make sure nothing gets missed. It's a safety net for normal operation catching lapses in memory. In principle, we know what to do, so we run through those steps from experience and memory and use the Do-Confirm checklist at a designated pause point to ensure we didn't miss anything. The WHO Safe Surgery checklist has helped save 1,000s of lives. Because a simple checklist can never account for every unexpected occurrence in complex environments—for example, healthcare, aviation, building a skyscraper, or software projects—both checklist types can benefit from items that require a communication step. An item can just be to ensure that all those with the relevant knowledge have discussed things. It's a simple and powerful way to improve outcomes across a wide range of unexpected scenarios. I learned about the simple power of checklists, the two types, and the resistance to adopting them—from Atul Gawande's, The Checklist Manifesto: How to get Things Right. ## Complaining at the weather URL: https://sketchplanations.com/complaining-at-the-weather Published: 2023-07-02T13:00:00+0000 Categories: advice, weather, wisdom Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0f960932-e5b6-4b73-a91c-61f3662873ed_SP+828+-+Complaining+at+the+weather.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Complaining at the weather illustration: An adult complains about the rain, the sun and the snow while a child enjoy all three Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/complaining-at-the-weather), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's easy to want to complain at the weather. The trouble is, it doesn't have any effect on it. It's not only a question of maturity, of course. Farmers may love the rain that a couple on their wedding day despairs of. Windsurfers love a windy day that others don't. As Norwegians say: Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlig klær, which loosely translates as, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.” Quotes Related to Complaining at the Weather “Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.” — Bob Dylan "Do not be angry with the rain; it simply does not know how to fall upwards." — Vladimir Nabokov More about this sketch in the newsletter ## Siphon URL: https://sketchplanations.com/siphon Published: 2023-06-25T13:00:00+0000 Categories: design, invention, water, sustainability Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5b274d1f-838c-4ac6-ac0c-c2acb31c7742_SP+827+-+Siphon.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Siphon illustration: how a siphon works draining a reservoir by running a water uphill, unaided, until it empties into a lower reservoir. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/siphon), CC BY-NC 4.0 The siphon, or syphon, is a simple device that uses only a tube to seemingly pump water from a higher spot to a lower one. It's ingenious because once you start the siphon by filling the pipe to below the height of the upper reservoir level, it will continue draining the water, pulling it over the hump and towards the collection below without further help. Most of us use siphons several times daily, as there are often two at work in the standard toilet. Sometimes there's one in the flush mechanism—one push of the handle to start the siphon drains the water from the reservoir until it runs out. And you can flush a toilet using the second siphon by pouring enough water directly into the bowl to push the water over the bend in the pipe to start it— think how the water drains by itself almost completely before filling up to the level of the bend once again. It's a clever way to power a toilet flush with just the press of a button or turn of a handle. They also minimise leaks and control the flow by running the water uphill. We set up a greywater siphon to drain water from the bath and showers to a water butt in the garden. To get it started, we connected the end of the hose in the garden to a tap and ran water back up the hose until it shot out the top. Then, dipping it in the water, turning off the tap, and putting the end in the water butt, like magic, the siphon pulls water out of the bath until it's empty. Surprisingly, a few effects are at work in a siphon, and its mechanism is debated. They can be made to work in a vacuum and even spray liquid upwards with the right setup. I read that it is from the ancient Greek siphōn meaning a tube or pipe, often for drawing wine from a cask—that would be a decent situation to start the siphon by sucking on the end. ## Cake wreck URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cake-wreck Published: 2023-06-18T13:00:00+0000 Categories: metaphor, design, food and drink, software development, product management, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c617f1a8-7cad-4857-9147-ec13ad0078cb_SP+826+-+Cake+wreck.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Cake wreck: a cake where instructions for the cake—"Happy birthday in purple, no nuts"—have been smartly written across the front. Intended as a metaphor for literal misinterpretation. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cake-wreck), CC BY-NC 4.0 Cake Wrecks is the blog and book of when professional cakes go hilariously wrong, by Jen Yates. But a cake wreck is also a useful metaphor for how easy it can be to misinterpret instructions—often by simply taking something literally when it was expected to be interpreted. Examples from Jen's collection include a smart-looking cake with "Nothing" written across the front, a graduation cake with "I want sprinkles" next to a graduation cap, or a cake sporting a full "Happy birthday on a gluten-free cake." If you haven't seen them, you could do much worse than look some up now. It's easy to laugh at these examples, but it's also easy to find real examples in day-to-day work. I learned about cake wrecks from Jeff Patton's excellent book User Story Mapping. He gives cake wrecks as an all too common example of communication in software development. For example, a user story or specification for a feature is written and passed on to developers who, in the absence of other communication and with perhaps cultural or status barriers, may carefully build exactly what is written rather than what the writer intended. Cake wrecks are funny and silly—except if it was for your special occasion—but mistakes in projects are expensive in time, money and relationships and are worth avoiding. The recipe for avoiding a cake wreck is, in principle, simple: Communicate more Don't assume that what you see is what someone else will see Share richly Use stories and specifications as tools for talking about what's needed and not as equivalents of it Create a safe space for everyone to question what they don't understand or don't agree with Give everyone the 'why' behind a project and autonomy and flexibility to suggest other ways to meet the goal Check in during a project and adjust as needed Apron? ## The ring-segment illusion URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ring-segment-illusion Published: 2023-06-11T13:00:00+0000 Categories: illusion, play Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d9f24a7f-f6a8-43e1-84c4-101282d06a74_SP+825+-+Ring-segment+illusion.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The ring-segment illusion, or Jastrow illusion: A child wonders at two identical train tracks that, when aligned next to each other seem to be different sizes Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ring-segment-illusion), CC BY-NC 4.0 Yes, the two train track pieces are the same lengths. I know this because we have a basket of toy train tracks, and I took two identical curves and lined them up for the outline of this sketch. But it's easy to be fooled and think the one at the top is shorter than the one at the bottom. While there may be other factors to help explain the ring-segment illusion, a common one is that our brains compare the short inner side of the top track against the longer outer side of the lower track leading us to believe the top one is shorter. Aligning the top track to the outer left point of the lower track enhances the illusion by increasing the horizontal contrast. I like the ring-segment illusion as the name for it. It's also known as the Jastrow illusion after the Polish-American psychologist Joseph Jastrow, also known for the ambiguous figure of the rabbit-duck, who published a tapered version of the ring-segment illusion. In his paper, he gives a related example of how a square sitting on a point can look larger than one sitting on a side as we subconsciously compare the longer diagonal length with the shorter side length. You can test that in the sketch. More sketched illusions ## Fortnightly URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fortnightly Published: 2023-06-04T13:00:00+0000 Categories: words, writing, time, grammar, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/58370dc2-9683-47bb-833e-f6cda6a1d704_SP+824+-+Fortnightly.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Fortnightly: a person considers whether 'biweekly' really means "twice a week" or "every two weeks" and resolves to use fortnightly for "every two weeks" in the future. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fortnightly), CC BY-NC 4.0 What does biweekly mean to you? How about bimonthly or biannually? While each of us will have our own, perhaps unambiguous, reaction to it, the word biweekly is interpreted as "twice a week" or "once every two weeks." I know this from personal experience of confusing people en-masse. The dictionary even carefully, if unhelpfully, defines it as meaning either. It's a strange quirk of the English language. But it's so handy, what to do? An excellent, concise solution is the word fortnightly. Fortnightly has the helpful unambiguous quality that it means "once every fortnight," so "once every two weeks." And it's also just one word. If something happens "two times a week," I think you need to spell it out or use "twice a week" or perhaps "every Monday and Thursday." Or perhaps semi-weekly might give you some mileage. The same source of confusion applies to the words bimonthly and biannually—to be sure of being understood correctly, it's best to avoid them. Phrases like "every second month," "every two months," "twice a month," or "two times each year" are helpful here. Ambiguity in how we talk about time is also illustrated in some of my favourite research done by Lera Boroditsky. For example, if I say, "The meeting on Wednesday has been moved forward by two days," when is the meeting now? It turns out that people are split on whether the meeting is now on Monday or on Friday. And I remember a fascinating example of the Kuuk Thayore aboriginal people in Australia who don't use words like left and right, and instead, always use the cardinal directions like north, south, east and west—"Oh, there's an ant on your southwest leg". There's a taster in her talk, How Language Shapes the Way we Think. ## The Feynman Learning Technique URL: https://sketchplanations.com/feynman-learning-technique Published: 2023-05-28T13:00:00+0000 Categories: teaching, education, learning, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d22f9a01-990e-4dcd-a7c4-14d4fcba0d53_SP+823+-+The+Feynman+learning+technique.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The Feynman Learning Technique illustration: a flow diagram of picking a topic, writing about it to explain to someone until it's clear and then simplifying and adding analogies Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/feynman-learning-technique), CC BY-NC 4.0 Richard Feynman was one of the great scientists of the 20th century, making significant contributions to physics and other related fields. Part of what made him stand out was his gift for teaching. He had a remarkable knack for explaining some of the most complex things in ways anyone could understand. He was also a model of the desire to deeply understand how things worked, often deriving a result in several ways to be more confident he was right. The Feynman learning technique is typical of how he approached understanding something deeply and helps explain some of his teaching skills. Spend time writing about a topic as if explaining it to someone. Then practice explaining it, speaking and drawing as if you were a teacher at the front of the class. You may figure out some other aspect wasn't as clear as you thought and need to look into something. Refine any gaps you reveal until you can share the topic fluently and clearly. Then, simplify your language by replacing complex words and ideas with simpler ones and considering analogies to help people relate. Now, you can explain it because you deeply understand it, too. "You can know the name of that bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird." — Feynman's father, from Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman? Learn more: I loved the Fun to Imagine interviews to experience some of Feynman's joy and skill for teaching. The sketch was inspired by this excellent animated video of the Feynman Learning Technique. Though he was primarily a theoretical physicist, Feynman also made lasting contributions to the field of computation. If you want to get into those, you might enjoy the Feynman Lectures on Computation from the last course he taught at Caltech, edited, no less, by my Dad. ## Anadiplosis URL: https://sketchplanations.com/anadiplosis Published: 2023-05-21T13:00:00+0000 Categories: words, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3e926987-c8dd-4712-a1f3-74b0f50fe1cb_SP+822+-+Anadiplosis+-+smaller.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Anadiplosis illustration. Yoda speaks his famous lines: Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering—on a dusty desert planet with two moons Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/anadiplosis), CC BY-NC 4.0 Writing has power. Power grows through repetition. And repetition, should you reuse the last words of a sentence at the start of the next, is called anadiplosis. Like the amazing addition of alliteration, anadiplosis is a simple device to give more oomph to your words. Words that are barely changed but pack a lot more punch. Examples of Anadiplosis Even if you can't remember the specifics, there's something about Yoda's wisdom that makes the logic sound impeccable and irresistible and the message deep. Deep, at least partly, from anadiplosis. "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." — Yoda Sun Tzu, another character famed for their wisdom, real this time, uses anadiplosis very effectively in the eminently quotable Art of War: "The skilled warrior...maintains safeguards and discipline. And so he may steer wins and losses by management: Commitment Numbers Supplies Comparisons Victory The terrain determines your commitment. Commitment affects your Numbers. Numbers affect your supplies. Supplies affect the comparison of your forces. The comparison of your forces sways your victory." From Chapter 4 of Disposition, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, translated by Jonathan Clements, in the lovely Macmillan Collector's Library edition. The late Jane Goodall used anadiplosis to give an irresistible logic, sense and emotion, when she says: "Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall all be saved." — Dr. Jane Goodall And the writer H. P. Lovecraft wrote: "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." Notes I learned about anadiplosis—and pleonasm, and ordering adjectives—from the entertaining and educational, The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth. Anadiplosis is from the ancient Greek ana meaning again, and diplous meaning double. The Greeks were fond of their techniques for persuasive speeches. Related Ideas to Anadiplosis Also see: Ablaut reduplication — zig, zag Ordering adjectives Pleonasm Ghoti ## The frog boil metaphor URL: https://sketchplanations.com/frog-boil Published: 2023-05-14T13:00:00+0000 Categories: climate, metaphor, animals, products, product management, software development Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d425ee4f-b1ed-4bb3-9786-a3fe369202f5_SP+821+-+Frog+boil.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The frog boil metaphor illustration: showing a frog put into cool water that is slowly raised not complaining until it's too late. Poor frog. Don't try this. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/frog-boil), CC BY-NC 4.0 The frog boil metaphor illustrates how it's easy to miss small changes that build up over time until it's too late. The scenario, as told, is that of a poor frog who would leap away from hot water but, if put into cooler water that is gradually warmed, won't respond in time to getting boiled. As a metaphor, it describes a powerful and pernicious shortcoming in how we perceive the world. A student kitchen that gets messy mug-by-mug, a business with gradually slowing sales, software that builds up with tech debt, a river that is slowly polluted, a road that gets busier each day, a bay that sees fewer fish each year, content that drifts, cancer that slowly spreads, a story or behaviour that becomes normal, a website that gets slower feature-by-feature, or a climate that slowly warms are all cases where we may not be happy where we end up, but we didn't notice how we got there. It's hard to respond to gradual change, especially when it spans generations. Jared Diamond called it out as a potential fate of the Easter Islanders and how they could have cut down the last tree. One barnacle is nothing, but many barnacles can cause significant headaches for big ships. Fortunately, there's a flip side. Many, many things are getting better without us realising. Small positive changes, such as in attitudes, education, or healthcare, add up over time—the Destiny Instinct can mislead us. Fast and slow layers make a system, like a forest, more robust. Getting one percent better each day leads to a 37x improvement in a year. And enough molehills can make a mountain. — What a frog does, in this case, is not, apparently, true—don't try it—it's much better as a metaphor, not an experiment. The frog is Ed Emberley style. ## Feedback fear URL: https://sketchplanations.com/feedback-fear Published: 2023-05-07T13:00:00+0000 Categories: feedback, design, anxiety, productivity, reframe, motivation, starting, sharing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6bb61579-3b7a-4094-b4b8-f4f99892df93_SP+820+-+Feedback+fear.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Feedback fear illustration: A poor soul goes through all sorts of internal doubts about what they might have done wrong and how they might have failed when someone gives a friendly suggestion to ask what others think Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/feedback-fear), CC BY-NC 4.0 Feedback is how we get better. It's how we find out what we couldn't see ourselves. But there are many reasons why it's more challenging to gather than we might hope. You might have a design prototype, a book or article draft, a new practice you want your team to adopt, or a project you've been working on. Feedback will make it better, but it's easy to feel anxious. You might want to avoid having to talk to people. Maybe you're worried about what others think—perhaps they won't like it. Maybe you'll have to start over. Maybe you'll hear what you know deep down. Maybe you might see that others could do it better than you, that it shouldn't be you that's doing it. Maybe you'll find out that you're a failure. If we care about achieving the best outcome, we can dispel most of these fears with a few moments of reflection—of course, I'm not a failure for trying!—but it doesn't mean they feel any less real at the time. As is often the case, action can be the solution, and gathering feedback is, in my experience, usually energising and confidence-building—now you can see what will make your project fly. Jane Austen was known to read her novels aloud to her family for both evening entertainment (pre-Netflix) and to help revise and hone her writing. Some strategies to get past these fears: Remember, the first draft is always perfect. Don't take things personally or yourself too seriously. Don't get attached to one option—attach yourself instead to a great outcome. To avoid sunk costs clouding your judgment, seek feedback before you're too invested. Stay fuelled and energised. Share multiple options when you can. It makes it easier for others to give comparative feedback and reduces the chances of taking it personally. Remember how valuable good feedback has been in the past. Consider who to gather feedback from. Sometimes complete strangers can help (who cares if they don't like it?), and other times a friendly face can ease you into it. Remember the spectrum policy to focus on the good in an idea. Try rubberducking. Be open to be changed. Try the six thinking hats. ## The tomato test: how to tell if your knife needs sharpening URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-tomato-test Published: 2023-04-30T13:00:00+0000 Categories: food and drink, safety Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/619a683f-b273-4aaf-90d6-816dec1225a2_SP+818+-+The+tomato+slicing+test.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The tomato slicing test to see if you need to sharpen your knife. A knife running over the surface of a tomato followed by a disaster needing sharpening or some perfect precise slices Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-tomato-test), CC BY-NC 4.0 The tomato test, or tomato slicing test, is a handy way to see if your knives could do with sharpening. The idea is that a properly sharpened blade should slice through the taut skin of a tomato with minimal pressure. Somewhat counterintuitively, most cooks seem to agree that sharp knives reduce the risk of accidents as you don't have to push down as hard as with blunt knives. To do the tomato slicing test: Place a tomato on a board and gently run the knife over the top surface. A sharp blade will glide through the tomato skin, cutting it precisely all the way down. You shouldn't need to apply any pressure if the knife has weight. If you need to push down to pierce the skin, it could be time to sharpen. Cutting the top off the tomato first allows it to sit stably on its end, so you don't have to hold it. Alternatively, you could use a serrated knife which is handy for foods with a hard outside and a soft inside. The sharper the knife, the less mess you'll make and the easier you can ghost cook. Related Idea to The Tomato Test Also see: The egg float test ## Collective effervescence URL: https://sketchplanations.com/collective-effervescence Published: 2023-04-23T13:00:00+0000 Categories: happiness, wellbeing, purpose, music Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/00f79e4c-a5e6-4c54-b785-456c330f299e_SP+818+-+Collective+effervescence.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Collective effervescence illustration: two people hold their phones up as lights with 1000s of others in a stadium concert at night Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/collective-effervescence), CC BY-NC 4.0 Collective effervescence is an eye-catching name for the magic of shared experience and moving in unison. As described by the French sociologist Émile Durkheim, it picks out those times when people come together in synchrony for an experience that's different and often greater than those you can have alone. It might be gathering and singing at a music festival, swaying to the music as one being at a concert, experiencing the wonder of nature together, when the crowd erupts together as a goal goes in and hugging the person next to you, taking a yoga or spinning class, worshipping together, the pilgrimage to Mecca, or that magical Shawshank Redemption moment listening to the duet from The Marriage of Figaro as one. Despite my feeble clarinet skills, I remember a brief goosebump feeling when the school orchestra played it all correctly. And I remember my hair standing up when Twickenham Stadium carried Swing Low, Sweet Chariot in unison. Collective effervescence is something we missed during the pandemic. It was identified in Dacher Keltner's book Awe as one of the 8 Wonders of Life. Also see: forest bathing, notice when you're happy, 5 ways to wellbeing ## Temptation bundling URL: https://sketchplanations.com/temptation-bundling Published: 2023-04-16T13:00:00+0000 Categories: habits, motivation, exercise Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a1334c40-5253-48a6-bf2e-993ea5bca6b1_SP+817+-+Temptation+bundling.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Temptation bundling illustration: examples of running on a treadmill to watch your favourite shows or ordering your favourite in a cafe only while working Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/temptation-bundling), CC BY-NC 4.0 Temptation bundling is a self-enforced technique that combines something you want to do with something you find hard to do. If you find it hard to work out at the gym, you can make it more appealing by only watching your favourite shows when you're there. If you struggle to get down to working on a project, combine it with the only time you order your favourite drink. The hope is that the treat is enough to get you stuck into the hard task. Temptation bundling is a kind of commitment device like that used by Odysseus. Temptation bundling is from Katy Milkman, who also taught me about the Fresh Start effect, and has a book called How to Change. It's also one of the techniques discussed in James Clear's Atomic Habits. Related Ideas to Temptation Bundling Grandma's Rule (the Premack Principle) — First eat your vegetables, then you can have dessert Commitment Device The Fresh Start Effect Eat the Frog Public Commitment Pledge More For a study evaluating temptation bundling, see: Holding the Hunger Games Hostage at the Gym: An Evaluation of Temptation Bundling, Milkman et al., Management Science, 2014 ## Hotel HQ URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hotel-hq Published: 2023-04-09T13:00:00+0000 Categories: lifehack, travel Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e4680404-f38d-42eb-8bf2-9d233cb2d437_SP+816+-+Hotel+HQ.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Hotel HQ: using a folded flannel on a desk as a base for important bits like room keys and wallet Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hotel-hq), CC BY-NC 4.0 Stay organised in your hotel room with this one weird tip. When arriving at a hotel room clear the desk and fold a bathroom towel or flannel to make a little square space and use it as a store for all your useful stuff. OK, so it actually does seem a little unusual, but having tested it on all hotel stays over the last few years I can say that it genuinely helps me not lose key things, like room keys, around my hotel room. It also reduces the chances that I'll leave without something important like a passport. Maybe give it a try. This tip I learned from Dan Pink's Pinkcast episode where he calls it his hotel inbox — the place to leave everything when he walks into the room. ## Pyrrhic victory URL: https://sketchplanations.com/pyrrhic-victory Published: 2023-04-02T13:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, strategy, history, words, eponym, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b5243183-325b-47da-ae9c-843e1546c6f6_SP+815+-+Pyrrhic+victory.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What does a Pyrrhic victory mean example: King Pyrrhus laments a victory that wasn't worth winning as he surveys the remains of his troops after a victory on the battlefield Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/pyrrhic-victory), CC BY-NC 4.0 A Pyrrhic victory is one where your own losses or damage make it nearly as costly as defeat. Perhaps that business rival finally went out of business after you lowered prices so much that you can now barely get by. Maybe you managed to prove you were right at the cost of ruining a relationship. Or it could be that the kids did in fact get in the car and go out on that blasted walk only for everyone to have a miserable time, angry at each other for the rest of the day. Or maybe, as King Pyrrhus of Epirus found in 279 BCE, you won several battles against the Romans while losing so many of your best warriors as to make you wonder at the worth of the whole campaign. Related Ideas to Pyrrhic Victory Also see: Pyrrhic saving Optimism bias ## Red volcano, grey volcano URL: https://sketchplanations.com/red-volcano-grey-volcano Published: 2023-03-26T13:00:00+0000 Categories: geology, volcanoes, mountains, geography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ac1c8529-190a-4a7b-9e33-d1156a7c8cd7_SP+814+-+Red+volcano+grey+volcano+-+medium.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Red volcano gray volcano - a red volcano's effusive eruption has lava flowing down its slope while a gray volcano's explosive eruption shoots ash into the air Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/red-volcano-grey-volcano), CC BY-NC 4.0 While each volcano is unique they can largely be divided into red volcanoes and grey volcanoes. Red volcanoes typically have effusive eruptions dominated by the classic red-glowing lava flow or lava lake. The constant mild eruptions of lava let gases escape reducing the chances of gas build-up and larger explosions. A classic red volcano is Kīlauea in Hawaii. Grey volcanoes are known for explosive eruptions. Trapped gases and heat can build up within the volcano releasing explosive eruptions that can shoot ashes and rock high into the sky and cause fast-moving pyroclastic flows of solidified lava and ash. Grey volcanoes are typically much more destructive than red volcanoes and can exhibit some behaviours like their red counterparts. A classic grey volcano is Mt St Helens. I learned this distinction from the remarkable film Fire of love. Also see: Dirty thunderstorm The 3 tallest mountains The Keeling curve Order of adjectives (came to mind as I wrote 'classic red-glowing lava flow' - try the adjectives in other orders =) ) ## Braille URL: https://sketchplanations.com/braille Published: 2023-03-19T14:00:00+0000 Categories: language, writing, inclusion, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a34aef47-6800-458f-8751-a3365f87774a_SP+813+-+Braille.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Braille reading and writing system: the letters of the alphabet in english braille showing how it's constructed from 6 dots Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/braille), CC BY-NC 4.0 Braille is a tactile writing and reading system for the blind and visually impaired. It was invented by Louis Braille when just 15 in 1824. Respect! I don't know about you, but when I've tried braille on signs occasionally, it's always seemed difficult to train my fingers to differentiate the shapes and the dots. Perhaps it would have helped if I'd known how it worked. Braille is based on a pattern of 6 dots, like a 6 on dice, with different letters, numerals, or sounds being different combinations. It doesn't match the shapes of written letters though, instead breaking the alphabet up into groups of 10. The first 10 letters are combinations of the top 4 dots. The following 10 letters repeat the combinations and add dot 3 in the bottom-left. Then the remaining letters, except w start again adding with dot 6 added. W wasn't in Louis Braille's original French alphabet so appears tacked on at the end. Since its invention, it's gone through multiple iterations and languages, and there are combinations for punctuation (some common ones formed by shifting down the original 10 combinations), numbers, accented letters, maths symbols, and more. There is also agreed-upon shorthand where a letter may mean a common word eg l for like, and there are contractions where a symbol may mean a sound or set of letters like 'ch'. The sketch shows the Latin alphabet for modern English braille. ## Ask the question at talks URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ask-the-question Published: 2023-03-12T14:00:00+0000 Categories: questions, advice, teaching, learning Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fb3760ac-2ec6-40d6-b47b-1e82eba17b0d_SP+812+-+Ask+the+question.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: A speaker is saved from confusing the listeners with a chart when one brave soul asks what on earth a TLA is Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ask-the-question), CC BY-NC 4.0 At times we've probably all been confused or struggled to understand a talk or a class. When I'm lost or confused my rule of thumb is to ask, even when it's not easy. The desire to understand what's being said fights with the urge not to interrupt the talk or ask what may be a dumb question — perhaps everyone else already knows? But in my experience, if I'm confused, others likely are too. It helps to believe this because I know that asking will probably help others and not just myself — asking is a public service. It's very easy as a speaker to assume that others will know what you know and so jargon and TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms - really an initialism) so easily slip in. When someone asks it helps include everyone again. And you're not just doing a favour for the audience by asking — it's a gift for the speaker too. If I'm giving a talk I want people to get what I'm sharing and not suffer in silence thinking they're stupid and I'm confusing. I want everyone to follow from start to end. It's one more good reason to thank people for the questions you receive. Let's banish confusion and all get to the end together by asking the question. This advice stands provided you've been paying attention along the way. I was surprised to find there are a number of, mostly older, sketches on questions and asking: Challenge questions Don't fill the silence Perform good social research Prefer open-ended questions Ask a question early at conferences Start 3 mindmaps at conferences Ask for what you need Get more participation ## Apricity URL: https://sketchplanations.com/apricity Published: 2023-03-05T14:00:00+0000 Categories: words, sun, wellbeing, temperature, nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7618c016-4222-42b1-8a38-fe8c607ecbba_SP+811+-+Apricity+-+small.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Two people are loving soaking up the low winter rays of sun in a park Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/apricity), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's hard to beat the feeling of the warmth of the winter sun on your face. There's a word for it too: apricity. Uplifting, hopeful, calming — even a few short moments to bask in an unexpected, weak but glorious gleam of winter sunlight is wonderful. A brief burst of apricity warms the spirits and your skin. It reminds me of distant warm, long, summer days, and the promise of spring in a few months. If it has been bleak and cold, apricity is that much more welcome. From the UK's position in the Northern hemisphere, with the sun low on the horizon, you can let the sun hit full in your face in the middle of the day without craning your neck or leaning back. It's never too hot to seek shade, and often just the right brightness that facing it dead on with your eyes closed is ideal. Together with the long shadows of winter, the effect can have you swept up with the rays, letting them soak into your skin and transporting you away from the cold under your feet. From the latin aprico, 'to warm in the sun', and in turn aperio, 'lying open', it has been around since at least 1623. It feels to me like we'd benefit from its resurgence. ## Without data you're just another person with an opinion URL: https://sketchplanations.com/without-data Published: 2023-02-26T14:00:00+0000 Categories: data, quote, business Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/91a56409-7270-4693-a447-9f3c13522bdb_SP+810+-+Without+data.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: An employee is flummoxed by a set of opinions without data about how to proceed on a project Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/without-data), CC BY-NC 4.0 Data avoids arguments. So does the willingness to seek out data. If none of us has data to share then we can't help but bring our own personal biases, preferences, and opinions to the table — anyone might be right, but who's to say (often the HiPPO: the Highest Paid Person's Opinion)? It's why I love this quote from W. Edwards Deming: "Without data you're just another person with an opinion." Perhaps you've been in a car with several backseat drivers who all seem to know better than the driver. Or maybe you've been part of a review for a new initiative where everyone has their own views of what will make it succeed. Or a discussion on what's driving some unexpected behaviour. We can't know who's right until we bring some data. It's amazing how even a little data can avoid an "I'm right, you're wrong" situation. And where there isn't data, framing a discussion on how to quickly gather data or experiment to find out which approach may be best so often focuses a team, removing ego and opinions. After all, as Jim Barksdale, former Netscape CEO said: "If we have data, let's look at data. If all we have are opinions, let's go with mine." ## Attribution bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/attribution-bias Published: 2023-02-19T14:00:00+0000 Categories: psychology, bias, parenting, kindness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c16fcc5d-8083-49ad-b216-b713faea8fdf_SP+809+-+Attribution+bias.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is attribution bias example explained: a parent consoling a child and correcting their attribution of winning and losing to the situation and actions not to personal traits Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/attribution-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 Attribution bias includes a set of more specific biases where we may attribute behaviour to fixed personality traits or characteristics of a person rather than specific circumstances or actions. For example, a child may be labelled a genius or gifted when they actually had a supportive environment and worked hard, or someone may be labelled a loser rather than recognising specific circumstances that led to some failures. Criticism — one of the four horsemen of relationship apocalypse — can become toxic when it's attributed to someone's personality traits. For example, calling someone 'lazy' rather than sharing how it makes you feel when they don't keep the place tidy. A form of attribution bias may be applied to whole societies via the Destiny Instinct. Specific examples of attribution bias include the fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias. ## Advise vs advice and other s and c's URL: https://sketchplanations.com/advise-vs-advice Published: 2023-02-12T12:00:00+0000 Categories: words, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7c9bc1d0-adc4-4e6d-ac60-9d2e38d84346_SP+808+-+Advise+Advice.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: When to use advise vs advice, licence vs license, practice or practice explained. Fellow devising a device as a way to illustrate how Devise, Advise, License, and practise (with an s) are all verbs in British English and device, advice, licence and practice (with a c) are all nouns Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/advise-vs-advice), CC BY-NC 4.0 Is it advise or advice? Devise or device? And if you're using British English, license or licence, practise or practice? Verb vs noun Handily, the general practice is to use an 's' for the verb, and a 'c' for the noun. So advise is something you do, and advice is something you give. In American English, there is only license and practice for both verbs and nouns. However, in British English, you would you use license if you were licensing someone and what they received would be a licence — with a 'c'. And in British English, you would practise when you went to practice. Tips to remember - se or -ce Some places suggest thinking of the '-ice' at the end as ice, which is a noun. A reader suggested another way to help me remember it think of: rise, which is clearly a verb, and rice, which is clearly a noun. Whatever works for you. License/licence and practise/practice are homophones Also see: stationary and stationery compliment and complement affect and effect ## Temperature Scales: Fahrenheit and Celsius URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fahrenheit-and-celsius Published: 2023-02-05T14:00:00+0000 Categories: temperature, physics, ice, water, eponym, scale Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5c1c9045-eedb-410e-a699-bcebeddf8d39_SP+807+-+Celsius+and+Fahrenheit.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The two primary temperature scales of Celsius and Fahrenheit side-by-side calling out water freezing, body temperature and water boiling Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fahrenheit-and-celsius), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's remarkable to think that for most of human history, there was no standard way to describe how hot or cold something was. The invention of temperature scales made it possible to quantify temperature in science, medicine, and daily life. The two most widely used temperature scales worldwide are the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales. Most of the world uses the Celsius scale. The US is the main, though not the only, user of the Fahrenheit scale. What is the Celsius Scale? The Celsius scale, named after Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius, sets 0°C at the freezing point of water and 100°C at the boiling point of water at standard atmospheric pressure (sea level). What is the Fahrenheit Scale? The Fahrenheit scale sets 32°F as the freezing point of water and 212°F as the boiling point, creating a span of 180°F between the two. This means that each degree Celsius equals 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. There are several stories about how Daniel Fahrenheit developed the scale. The general idea is that he chose: 0°F at the freezing point of a salty brine solution 32°F at the freezing point of pure water and another point at body temperature around 96F (now 98.6F) He divided up the scale between these points, giving a scale with helpful resolution and practical reference points. Quick Tricks to Convert Between Fahrenheit and Celsius Having lived on both sides of the Atlantic, I've tried to get somewhat familiar with both temperature scales. To convert between them in my head, at least around most air temperatures, I use a quick approximation. To go from Fahrenheit to Celsius Subtract 32, then divide by 2 (or slightly less for better accuracy) As 32°F is 0°C, and for each one Celsius you move almost two Fahrenheit, you can roughly go from Fahrenheit to Celsius by subtracting 32 and dividing by 2 (or a little less to be closer). So, for example: 50°F is approximately 9°C (actually 10°C), 86°F is approximately 27°C (actually 29.4°C). To go from Celsius to Fahrenheit Use the reverse: Multiply by 2 and add 32. 10°C --> 52°F (actually 50°F) 30°C --> 92°F (actually 86°F) It's not perfect, but it's often good enough if you need to work out if it'll be hot out. Temperature Twins There are also at least two simple anchor points that can help just by swapping the digits around: 82°F is near enough 28°C 61°F is near enough 16°C Not only do they mirror each other visually, but the conversions are surprisingly accurate. The Kelvin Scale Both Fahrenheit and Celsius are now defined relative to the Kelvin scale—a temperature scale used in science that sets absolute zero (0 K) as the lowest possible temperature, where molecular motion essentially stops. Zero on the Kelvin scale is around -273°C. As such, the Kelvin scale, though helpful for scientists, is not very practical for discussing the weather. Related Ideas to Temperature Scales The Fun Scale: three types of fun The Bortle Scale: the clarity of the night sky The Scoville Scale: chilli heat The Goldilocks Zone: the circumstellar habitable zone just right to support liquid water Heat Islands: urban areas with higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas with more greenery Weather and Climate: an analogy It's not the Weather, it's the Unpredictability Word Spectrums ## Redshift URL: https://sketchplanations.com/redshift Published: 2023-01-29T14:00:00+0000 Categories: astronomy, physics, science, space, waves Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/dceb2e2d-eed5-4b46-95f0-04bbbc629cf4_SP+806+-+Redshift.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is redshift diagram: Astronomer watching the light of one star moving away being redshifted and one star moving towards being blueshifted Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/redshift), CC BY-NC 4.0 Redshift refers to light being 'shifted' towards the redder end of the spectrum — longer wavelengths — as objects move away from each other. If a light source is moving towards us, then the light is blueshifted, shifting towards the bluer end of the spectrum, which corresponds to shorter wavelengths. Imagine waving a spring back and forth to create a wave and then starting to run away – the waves would be stretched longer. Because the universe is expanding 🤯, distant galaxies are moving away from us faster than nearer ones. Picture some chocolate chip cookies baking in an oven. As the cookies bake and grow, the chocolate chips move apart from each other. By comparing the redshift of light seen from distant galaxies with what we would expect to see, it's possible to use redshift to determine how far they are away. I once heard: Roses are red, roses are blue, depending on their velocity relative to you. Redshift is an example of the Doppler effect, or Doppler shift, in action. It's more commonly known from the stretching or compressing of soundwaves, as, say, an ambulance moves towards or away from you, or how the sound in front of a moving aircraft eventually can produce a sonic boom. ## Optimism bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/optimism-bias Published: 2023-01-22T14:00:00+0000 Categories: psychology, bias, entrepreneurship, endurance, kindness, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/366f6a64-99fc-4bcf-9537-05e61b6349cd_SP+805+-+Optimism+bias.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Optimism bias example explained: A stunt rider overestimates their chance of leaping a canyon thanks to optimism bias. Various onlookers gasp. "Huh" says the rider Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/optimism-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 Optimism bias is believing things will turn out well despite past evidence or circumstances. It can be extremely helpful. It allows us to attempt things that many may deem impossible. It probably helps motivate entrepreneurs even when everyone doubts them. Optimists are often healthier and happier. But it can also undermine us. We might overestimate our chances of success because of what we want to happen rather than what's likely to happen. We may feel pressure from others to give a rosier outlook — like when you might underestimate a timeline when speaking with your boss. We might want others to succeed, or they may be paying us money and hoping for good news. We probably think we'll get more done next week. We probably think we'll be more disciplined than we will be. We might think that this time it'll be different or that everyone can't be wrong. Or we may be just discounting evidence without realising it. May your optimism be well-founded. Related Ideas to Optimism Bias Related: Hofstadter's Law Survivorship bias Kitty Hawk moment Optimism bias print with a little colour ## Ghost grid URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ghost-grid Published: 2023-01-15T14:00:00+0000 Categories: drawing, sketching, design, thinking tool Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/cd9fb633-ae78-478c-82d5-a32c06671e7e_SP+804+-+Ghost+grid.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Examples of a ghost grid: a lightly dotted grid, and a grid of ghostly houses so that extension options can clearly be seen Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ghost-grid), CC BY-NC 4.0 A ghost grid is a guide for organising thoughts, information and sketches, that doesn't compete with content. Content itself can also be the ghost grid to highlight changes and help draw comparisons — as when you might sketch options for extending a house or designing a garden. A grid is useful for structure and creation but needs to fade back from content or disappear when no longer needed. Like freeing data from its data prison, a ghost grid emphasises content and information without non-data-ink taking attention. I learned the term ghost grid from Edward Tufte's Seeing with Fresh Eyes: Meaning, Space, Data, Truth. I rarely buy other notebooks for work than a dot grid, preferably in a funky colour. Some of my favourites: Leuchtterm dot grid hardcover, Moleskine dot grid softcover, Moo soft cover dotted journals ## Phonetic alphabet URL: https://sketchplanations.com/phonetic-alphabet Published: 2023-01-08T14:00:00+0000 Categories: communication, language, words, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/046918f3-1a84-432b-9186-7bb83a565427_SP+803+-+Phonetic+alphabet.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What are the NATO phonetic alphabet words: helping two pilots correctly identify Y I V B D T which is easily misheard Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/phonetic-alphabet), CC BY-NC 4.0 How do you avoid confusion when spelling things out verbally, particularly when the sound isn't clear or there may be background noise? So, for example, something like Y I V B D T doesn't unintentionally get heard as Y Y B P D D. Or perhaps as I Y P V T D. A lot of letters sound similar. A phonetic alphabet, or spelling alphabet, is a way to ensure all letters are unambiguously heard correctly by using words starting with each letter. The set of words was chosen from 1,000s of tests, including real-life ones, to maximise clarity and avoid overlapping sounds with other letters that might cause mix-ups. When written out they include deliberate misspellings Alfa and Juliett to avoid misinterpretation. The NATO phonetic alphabet is a standard one, but there are other variations. ## Front of house, back of house URL: https://sketchplanations.com/front-of-house-back-of-house Published: 2023-01-01T14:00:00+0000 Categories: parenting, wellbeing, anxiety, happiness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a1fc71cf-5567-48a2-86ce-6a5658e7b300_SP+802+-+Front+of+house+back+of+house.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: A parent and child entering an immaculate living room with perfectly behaved children unwisely find themselves comparing with their own chaotic house. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/front-of-house-back-of-house), CC BY-NC 4.0 Don't compare your back-of-house with others' front-of-house. Usually, we only see others' front-of-house, and because we know all about our own house, it's easy to find ourselves comparing how we're doing in the back with how others are doing in the front. Often a recipe for unhappiness. I remember wondering how a friend was so calm before their first child. They said, "I'm like a duck, calm on the surface, but underneath my legs are kicking like crazy." The truth is, we don't know how others are doing, so it's best not to compare at all. This idea is inspired by an exercise about the hidden parts of parenting from The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Philippa Perry, though I'm pretty sure as a metaphor it can be quite widely applied. Related Ideas to Front of House, Back of House Also see: Fact tennis Front Stage - Back Stage: Life as theatre Calm like a duck Emotional Hot Potato ## Plan ahead URL: https://sketchplanations.com/plan-ahead Published: 2022-12-25T14:00:00+0000 Categories: planning, strategy Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/46d1d45e-7940-4f2c-a140-d981e34e5681_SP+801+-+Plan+Ahead+-+smaller.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Plan ahead illustration: A painter with passers-by contemplate the lack of planning ahead on a billboard that says Plan Ahead without the D fitting on. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/plan-ahead), CC BY-NC 4.0 Plan ahead and avoid mistakes like this. Writing a card? Try air-writing first. 'Plan ahead' is also a nice example of a pleonasm. And I've lost count of how many times I've found this technique useful to draw a bike. This idea was shared with me from this Instagram account. ## Phubbing: What It Means and Why It Matters URL: https://sketchplanations.com/phubbing Published: 2022-12-18T14:00:00+0000 Categories: words, tech, relationships, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bddb887e-917a-40b8-bfdf-959a5f90aeec_SP+800+-+Phubbing.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is phubbing - snubbing someone or ignoring them for your phone - example: Someone sat in a cafe being phubbed by their friends on their phones while a parent and child walks by, gently heartbroken by being upstaged by a phone Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/phubbing), CC BY-NC 4.0 Phubbing is snubbing people for your phone. We've probably all experienced it—heck, we've probably all done it at one point or another—or at least it's likely familiar. It could involve someone in a restaurant waiting for their friends to put their phones down, a family gathering where people are no longer talking to each other, a teacher without the attention of their students, or a child failing to get the attention of an adult who's trying to process some messages on their phone. These are all classic moments of digital distraction creeping into everyday life. Phubbing meaning The word phubbing is a portmanteau combining the words phone and snubbing. It describes the behaviour of ignoring a companion to pay attention to a phone or other mobile device. The word phubbing has the unusual distinction of being created for an advertising campaign to sell a dictionary. The Psychology of Phubbing Research on phubbing, mostly since the word was coined, says it largely has the effects you'd think it would. Being ignored, even briefly, can make people feel excluded, less valued, and less connected. The effects vary with who's being phubbed and who's doing the phubbing: bosses and employees, family members, parents and kids, or partners. Whoever's phubbing who, snubbing is a suitable root word for it — it's not so nice to feel snubbed. Effects on Children and Relationships Kids are sensitive to phubbing. It can affect their mood, trust, and sense of attention from the adults around them. I've been asked by my children about my screen time habits. In relationships, frequent phubbing can chip away at closeness and make conversations feel more fragmented — a bit like trying to talk to someone who is only half in the room. See, for example, Knausenberger, J. et al. (2022). Feeling Ostracized by Others’ Smartphone Use: The Effect of Phubbing on Fundamental Needs, Mood, and Trust. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.883901 Quick questions Is phubbing bad? Not always, but repeated phubbing can make people feel ignored or less connected. Why do people phub? Often it’s habit rather than intention — phones are designed to pull attention, even when we’d rather stay present. I learned about phubbing from the Mind over Tech community, which also publishes a newsletter on forming better digital habits. Related Ideas to Phubbing Also see: For more phone annoyance, see Halfalogue. Phone zombie Continuous partial attention When drinking tea Phubbing is a portmanteau Prints and products without the text ## Parts of a circle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/parts-of-a-circle Published: 2022-12-11T14:00:00+0000 Categories: mathematics, refresher Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/81940056-49a7-401d-9374-1ab229197aa0_SP+799+-+Parts+of+a+circle.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: A circle with a number of its mathematical parts labelled. And someone trying to climb up the tangent. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/parts-of-a-circle), CC BY-NC 4.0 A recap of some of the fundamental parts of a circle, including some that are easy to forget: Diameter — a line crossing the circle through its centre. Also the longest straight line you can draw in a circle. Radius — a line from the centre to any point on the edge. Also, half the diameter. Sector — the classic Trivial Pursuit cheese, pizza or cake slice formed by two radii. Area — equal to pi x the radius squared. Circumference — equal to pi x the diameter. Arc — a section of the circumference. Chord — a straight line touching any two points of a circle. The longest chord is the diameter. Segment — the areas on either side of a chord, major and minor. Tangent — a straight line just touching the edge of the circle without crossing it. It forms a right angle to the radius on the edge. Just as if you were able to lean a ladder against one. More maths and science refreshers: States of matter, BODMAS (or PEMDAS), the 9 times table on your fingers, binary, incidence and reflection ## Sharpen the saw URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sharpen-the-saw Published: 2022-12-04T14:00:00+0000 Categories: advice, productivity, wellbeing, metaphor, habits, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/af-1KqYofJOwHCP1_SP798-Sharpenthesaw.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Sharpen the Saw principle by Stephen Covey from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People about not having time to stop and sharpen the saw because you are too busy cutting, and the importance of rest, renewal and self-improvement Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sharpen-the-saw), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sharpen the saw is a metaphor and story to remind us to refresh and recharge ourselves. When you're deep in, it may feel like you have no time to pause. No time to take a break, there's too much to get done. Perhaps no time to stop and think about how you're working. No time to step back and improve your processes or work on your tools. Maybe even no time to look after yourself, to recharge, to reflect, to take a walk. As the metaphor goes, you may feel you have no time to stop and sharpen the saw. Until you do it, and then you may realise you have no time to not stop and sharpen the saw. Sharpen the saw is habit 7 of Stephen Covey's classic The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Related Ideas to Sharpen the Saw Also see: The Pomodoro Technique The Upward Spiral Box Breathing The Learning Pit Feedback analysis Study and get ready — Lincoln ## The metrics onion URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-metrics-onion Published: 2022-11-27T14:00:00+0000 Categories: data, analytics, food and drink, metaphor, statistics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c5d73c3c-d340-4bc3-8319-8aec31e806f0_SP+797+-+The+metrics+onion.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Peeling away the intent and subtlety behind what seems a simple metric. Next to an onion. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-metrics-onion), CC BY-NC 4.0 Metrics are like an onion: full of layers. A simple question to ask can often be complicated to answer. Or we may find that we need to ask a different question. While it'd be lovely to have one simple metric to understand our business the reality is usually a lot more nuanced and interesting than it first seems. Averages will deceive. Vanity metrics may wow —  by, say, quoting a total user count and conveniently ignoring whether those users are actually paid, active, or leaving. Growth overall can hide declines in other areas or product lines and vice versa. The people on monthly subscriptions may be doing great, while revenue from add-ons may be declining. New users may be signing up in droves while existing users are churning. Mobile traffic may be different from desktop, online sales different from store sales... In practice, it's the hard questions we're usually asking even if we don't know how to ask them. It pays to carefully consider what you're trying to learn and to understand all aspects of a business before putting faith in the numbers. And it may make sense to start with simpler metrics first. Spend time with your data. ## Bus factor URL: https://sketchplanations.com/bus-factor Published: 2022-11-20T14:00:00+0000 Categories: software development, risk, business, design, management, product management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/67a14065-777b-458e-9161-6a5e706d8ab1_SP+796+-+Bus+factor.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The bus factor summary - A poor soul squashed by a bus lamented because they were the only one who knew the password Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/bus-factor), CC BY-NC 4.0 The bus factor is how exposed you are if key people, perhaps with critical knowledge or skills, were hit by a bus. Examples might include the only people able to keep a company running, restore a server from a backup, or someone who held the only key to unlock crypto assets of its customers. As a result, many places are set up with, or required to have by investors or insurers, some redundancy — say two experienced developers with knowledge of how a service works — to minimise the risk of a tragic accident also being a severe problem for a company or its customers. As a metaphor, the bus factor may be helpful to consider without the need for people to actually be hit by a bus. It may be worth thinking through how you might operate if someone was late, missed their flight, was ill on the day, or simply quit. In operational roles, this will often lead to a minimum of two people for each key position if nothing else to allow one to take a break from time to time. An alternative framing, with fewer fatalities, is 'what if we all won the lottery?' and so decided to go do something else. ## Ma URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ma Published: 2022-11-13T14:00:00+0000 Categories: japan, art, drawing, music Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/addcc7a2-5b81-4786-b495-2dcd8ee31e8d_Ma+-+reflection+-+kayaker.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Ma sketch: a kayaker glides through a calm lake with a shoreline reflection on a moody grey day Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ma), CC BY-NC 4.0 Ma is the negative space — the space that makes the whole. Formed by the rather beautiful Chinese characters of 'Door' and 'Sun', like the sun gleaming through a doorway, it represents what isn't there and how that helps form what is. Ma is present in art, including beautiful minimalistic ink brush drawings and music where the silence and quiet that surround the notes help make a piece what it is. Some vintage-related sketches: figure and ground, use white space with care, John Cage Original ma sketch (without kayaker) ## Heating people, heating spaces URL: https://sketchplanations.com/heating-people-heating-spaces Published: 2022-11-06T14:00:00+0000 Categories: sustainability, energy, framework, design, japan Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ee655b49-63de-4ccc-ab41-30dd3b7ea820_SP+794+-+Heating+people+heating+spaces.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Two houses showing different approaches to heating: heating people and heating spaces Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/heating-people-heating-spaces), CC BY-NC 4.0 With well-insulated houses and central heating as standard, I always grew up with heating the space as how you stay warm in the winter. A colleague once shared with me that where he'd lived, they thought of it as heating people, not spaces when looking to stay warm. The heating people approach means rather than heating the air in the room, you focus on heating the person: warm clothes, hot drinks, baths, cosy furniture with high backs and sides that traps heat in, or furniture that is itself heated like the kotatsu or aga, and generally local heating where a small room or even part of a room may be warm while the rest may be cool — dividing screens are sometimes used. This approach was common until relatively recently and also still is in countries where it was difficult to stay cool in the summer and houses weren't typically built to keep heat in. Thanks to Peter Wyatt-Brandenburg for sharing with me many years ago. ## A common orb spider web URL: https://sketchplanations.com/orb-spider-web Published: 2022-10-30T14:00:00+0000 Categories: nature, design, animation, animals Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3d1b0f78-24b0-445f-893f-78a309108150_SP+793+-+Orb+spider+web+-+animation.gif?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: A spider constructing a common orb spider web Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/orb-spider-web), CC BY-NC 4.0 I've always been fascinated by how a tiny spider can create a web spanning a gap where climbing and dragging a thread across the floor would be impossible, maybe between trees, from a building to a lamppost, or over a stream. How do they do that? Here's a common technique by many orb weaver spiders — known for building orb-shaped, or circular wheel-shaped webs — for bridging the gap and creating the web. The spider stands on the edge and lets out a long thread. It waits for the breeze to blow the thread away from them. If the thread catches onto something it can form a bridge thread. Once it catches, the spider may reinforce the thread and then put down other anchors. These then form the frame of the web into which it will add radial threads from the centre. The spider may then put down an auxiliary thread that provides a non-sticky frame, together with the radial threads, for it to walk on while it lays down the final sticky capture spiral. It's then set to lie in wait. Some spiders will eat their webs at the end of the night but leave a bridge thread in place — perhaps for you to walk into in the morning — ready to rebuild the next night. There is a vast diversity of spiders and webs. This is a fairly common example, but even within orb spider webs, there are a ton of different strategies for capturing prey. But perhaps, the next time you spot a bridge thread spanning a seemingly impossible gap this will give you a thought as to how it might have been done. Here's a common orb spider web as a static sketch You can watch darwin's bark spider on the BBC creating a web spanning a remarkable 25 metres ## In theory, practice is the same as theory, but not in practice URL: https://sketchplanations.com/in-theory Published: 2022-10-23T15:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, advice, software development Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f5c75dfa-53a0-46a7-8ae4-4c840af97c6d_SP+792+-+In+theory+practice+is+the+same+as+theory.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: In theory practice is the same as theory, but not in practice, or In theory practise is the same as theory, but not in practise - confused parents wondering at babies not sleeping Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/in-theory), CC BY-NC 4.0 Anyone who's tried their hand at research, built some software, or even run a kid's birthday party may relate to this idea: In theory, practice is the same as theory, but not in practice. (Or in American: In theory, practise is the same as theory, but not in practise.) It's a lovely encapsulation of similar ideas to "All models are wrong, but some are useful" from George Box, or "No plan survives contact with the enemy." Or one of my favourites, Hofstadter's Law: "It always takes longer than you expect, even when you account for Hofstadter's Law." Related Ideas Also see: Physics envy The quote, in varying forms, has been attributed to a number of people — QI suggests that Benjamin Brewster should get the credit from 1882. ## Groupthink URL: https://sketchplanations.com/groupthink Published: 2022-10-16T13:00:00+0000 Categories: psychology, creativity, business, sociology, management, product management, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/643ae602-7e71-453e-9c0c-7fe132c5b78e_SP+791+-+Groupthink.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Groupthink: People acquiescing to the manager's and what they see as others' views during a meeting Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/groupthink), CC BY-NC 4.0 Groupthink arises from the desire of a group to maintain harmony and consensus. Groupthink can reduce the diversity of ideas and opinions — people can seek to avoid conflict, or avoid expressing unpopular views, and end up thinking down the same path. When psychological safety is low and people feel they may experience disapproval, particularly from people with higher ranking or status within the group, groupthink can get worse. It can be uncomfortable to express opinions different from a group. Perhaps you remember that feeling when a teacher asked a question in class and if everyone raised their hand to one answer it wasn't always easy to be the only hand up for a different one. Fortunately, there are some solid ways to minimise the tendency to groupthink. These include: Generating ideas separately before coming together — can be effective remotely too Hiring diverse teams Increasing psychological safety so everyone feels comfortable expressing contrarian views A culture of questioning assumptions Making use of a devil's advocate Establishing the norm of a shared work product rather than individual credit/blame Also see: The firehouse effect The bandwagon effect The Abilene paradox ## Halfalogue URL: https://sketchplanations.com/halfalogue Published: 2022-10-09T13:00:00+0000 Categories: words, psychology, communication, technology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a24eac1c-e08d-4b9d-88b6-78133e6696dd_SP+790+-+Dialogue+Monologue+Halfalogue.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Two people enjoying a dialogue, one falling asleep to a monologue, and one being distracted from their book by a halfalogue Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/halfalogue), CC BY-NC 4.0 You know that time when you couldn't concentrate at all because of someone having a phone conversation right next to you? It's the trouble with a halfalogue. Hearing only one side of a conversation, it turns out, can be more distracting than hearing the whole dialogue. This might stem from the unpredictability of the conversation — our brains working overtime to connect the dots and uncertain what's coming next. Halfalogues were investigated in a paper by Lauren Emberson and coauthors: Overheard Cell-Phone Conversations: When Less Speech Is More Distracting. The distraction potential of halfalogues could have more serious impacts on a driver from a passenger's phone conversation in the back. A halfalogue is a nice extension of the dialogue and monologue. Here's a halfalogue sketch by itself Emberson, Lauren & Lupyan, Gary & Goldstein, Michael & Spivey, Michael. (2010). Overheard Cell-Phone Conversations: When Less Speech Is More Distracting. Psychological science. 21. 1383-8. 10.1177/0956797610382126. ## Pleonasm URL: https://sketchplanations.com/pleonasm Published: 2022-10-02T13:00:00+0000 Categories: words, writing, grammar, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/949b7b1f-cb27-4878-bbaa-c6a8ac1452c8_SP+789+-+Pleonasm.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What does pleonasm mean? An unexpected surprise seeing a personal friend in a museum with exact replicas and free gifts Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/pleonasm), CC BY-NC 4.0 A pleonasm is using redundant words, often in established phrases or idioms. I tried to write something to explain it, but it's hard to beat this excellent excerpt by the comedian George Carlin from When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops — spot the pleonasms: "My fellow countrymen, I speak to you as coequals, knowing you are deserving of the honest truth. And let me warn you in advance, my subject matter concerns a serious crisis caused by an event in my past history...At that particular point in time, I found myself in a deep depression, making mental errors which seemed as though they might threaten my future plans. I am not over-exaggerating. I needed a new beginning, so I decided to pay a social visit to a personal friend with whom I share the same mutual objectives and who is one of the most unique individuals I have ever personally met. The end result was an un­expected surprise. When I reiterated again to her the fact that I needed a fresh start, she said I was exactly right; and, as an added plus, she came up with a fi­nal solution that was absolutely perfect. Based on her past experience, she felt we needed to join together in a com­mon bond for a combined total of twenty-four hours a day, in order to find some new initiatives. What a novel innovation! And, as an extra bonus, she presented me with the free gift of a tuna fish. Right away, I noticed an immedi­ate positive improvement. And although my recovery is not totally complete, the sum total is I feel much better now knowing I am not uniquely alone.” Other examples people have shared with me include: One-year anniversary Revert back Emergency Appendectomy The other day, I wrote "new discoveries", which Grammarly helpfully suggested shortening to "discoveries." I also wrote "we haven't met before" before deleting "before" along with a face-palm. Related Ideas to Pleonasm Also see: Ablaut reduplication — zig, zag Anadiplosis Ordering Adjectives in English RAS Syndrome Ghoti Rhyme with orange More sketches about words ## It's easier to give privacy than to find it URL: https://sketchplanations.com/give-privacy Published: 2022-09-25T13:00:00+0000 Categories: privacy, nature, hiking Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aa28c324-20a1-4d41-8dd2-04d6d4e44916_SP+788+-+Easier+to+give+privacy.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Two people on a desert island trying to find some privacy Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/give-privacy), CC BY-NC 4.0 Often, it's easier to give privacy than it is to find it. This is often true in the great outdoors. If you can't easily find privacy then it's good to have an attitude among your group to give privacy instead. When stopping a raft for lunch at the side of a river there may be no cover at all. A handy phrase for how to give some privacy when you needed to go pee was 'skirts up, pants down' — girls go upstream, boys go downstream. Or try finding some privacy when you're roped in a group of six walking up a glacier all day where you can't unrope — in that case, it's boys to one side of the rope, girls to the other. You can give privacy almost anywhere even when it's near impossible to find it. I was taught this by the excellent river guides at ROW. ## Clear is kind URL: https://sketchplanations.com/clear-is-kind Published: 2022-09-18T13:00:00+0000 Categories: leadership, management, relationships, kindness, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ad962647-27eb-4abf-8609-3a833d10f862_SP+787+-+Clear+is+kind.gif?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What Clear is Kind means example with someone explaining clear is kind and not being clear along the way Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/clear-is-kind), CC BY-NC 4.0 Being clear is not just being helpful. It's actually being kind. Being unclear about expectations, fuzzy on what you really need, or skirting around an issue, is actually unkind — it sets people up to fail and creates problems in the future. If you don't give clear feedback, you're holding that person back from improving. If you say two weeks, but you're really expecting one week, you'll resent it when it's not done in time. If you say it's really fine when it's not, you'll continue to be upset about how things are going. Clear is kind is a simple reminder, though by no means always easy, of how being clear in your communication is the generous, brave, helpful, and kind thing to do. I learned clear is kind, and unclear is unkind from Brené Brown in Dare to Lead. She said she first heard it in a 12-step meeting. I borrowed the dancing emphasis from the always excellent Eva-Lotta Lamm. Static sketch of clear is kind ## Veblen goods URL: https://sketchplanations.com/veblen-goods Published: 2022-09-11T13:00:00+0000 Categories: economics, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/14bdf205-0234-48e4-99ff-f2a2e4c7a76d_SP+786+-+Veblen+good.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Comparison of typical goods selling by the box load at a retailer, and veblen goods — that have greater demand the more expensive they are — with people on a fancy yacht Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/veblen-goods), CC BY-NC 4.0 Most things increase in demand as they get cheaper — as the price of electric cars comes down we can expect more people to buy more of them. Veblen goods are the opposite. They thrive on exclusivity. Veblen goods are more desirable exactly because they are more expensive. If everyone could buy a Rolex, the vintage whisky, or that supercar, then they wouldn't seem so super anymore. Many luxury items are veblen goods. The I Am Rich iPhone app briefly sold for $999.99 and displayed only a glowing red gem and a mantra about being rich. Genius/madness. Veblen goods are named after Thorstein Veblen, coiner of the concept of conspicuous consumption. ## Maslow's hierarchy of needs URL: https://sketchplanations.com/maslows-hierarchy Published: 2022-09-04T13:00:00+0000 Categories: psychology, framework, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9757b79c-724f-4faf-8ffd-306b3540748d_SP+785+-+Maslow%E2%80%99s+hierarchy.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The side of a pyramid of needs: physiological, safety, love-belonging, esteem, self-actualization Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/maslows-hierarchy), CC BY-NC 4.0 Maslow's hierarchy of needs, or Maslow's pyramid of needs, was created as the basis for a theory of human motivation by the psychologist Abraham Maslow shared in a 1943 paper. He was interested in what gives our lives meaning and what makes people happy — particularly in the context of a world increasingly driven by consumerism. He suggested there were our basic needs and our higher level needs — psychological, spiritual, and growth. In the basic needs you have physiological needs such as not being hungry, thirsty, or cold. Then we have our safety needs such as being free from the threat of violence, or being healthy. Then we have the higher-level needs of love and belonging including friendship, connection, family. Then esteem needs such as self-respect and self-esteem. And finally our need for self-actualization — reaching our potential, achieving mastery, or being the best we can be. Maslow continued to refine his original framework. For all its flaws — it always provokes discussion and counter-arguments in my experience — it's remained a clarifying and remarkably enduring model. If you're designing for needs I prefer Patnaik's hierarchy of needs. ## Fungible - non-fungible URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fungible-non-fungible Published: 2022-08-28T13:00:00+0000 Categories: economics, money, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e8812903-27c2-4ddf-ad59-d3dda0bde0ff_SP+784+-+Fungible+non-fungible.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is the meaning of fungible and non-fungible goods with examples Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fungible-non-fungible), CC BY-NC 4.0 What are Fungible Goods? Fungible goods are mutually interchangeable in that, in principle, you could swap in any unit for any other unit of the same type or kind, and it would be equivalent. Money is a classic fungible good. A $10 bill is equivalent to any other $10 bill, so if you were to borrow $10 from someone, they wouldn't care or expect to get the same $10 bill back. What are Non-Fungible Goods? Non-fungible goods are unique and not mutually interchangeable. Each house, even cookie-cutter houses, is in a unique location with different neighbours, quirks, and histories. A print of the Mona Lisa on your wall is not the same as having the original from the Louvre. Swapping people between work teams, even people with similar experience, will still result in different outcomes. Distinguishing Fungible from Non-Fungible Goods A nice thought experiment to distinguish fungible and non-fungible goods is to ask if, if you were to borrow one, it would make a difference if you returned a different one. For example, if you were to borrow my car, you could return it to me with a different tank of fuel (a fungible good), and it wouldn't make any difference to me. But if you were to return a different used car (a non-fungible good), that would be rather odd. What About NFTs? If you've heard of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) and would like to understand their flaws and promise better, I recommend the NFT Freakonomics episode of the 3-part series What can Blockchain do for you? Related Ideas to Fungible and Non-fungible Goods Also see: Rival and non-rival goods Veblen goods The Diderot Effect ## The first draft is always perfect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/first-draft Published: 2022-08-21T21:00:00+0000 Categories: creativity, writing, design, innovation, inspiration, starting, motivation, reframe Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a2708ef1-c897-4287-8758-f48e6811037a_SP+783+-+The+first+draft+is+always+perfect.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The first draft is always perfect: A person creating multiple drafts of a sketch before reaching the one that hangs on the wall Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/first-draft), CC BY-NC 4.0 The magic of a first draft is that the first draft is always perfect. It doesn't matter if it's rubbish, if it's messy, if it doesn't flow, if it lacks personality, or if it won't work. The job of a first draft is to be a draft and get the process started. So however it turns out, the first draft has done its job perfectly. In the illustrated art collection by Dr Seuss you can see some of the first drafts and iterations of text and images that go to refine the seemingly effortless rhythm, rhyme and combination of text and images from his wacky illustrations. Donald Schön, in his classic The Reflective Practitioner, goes further by sharing his analysis of design as a reflective conversation – observing each mark sketched on paper informs the next you make. You don't know how it will turn out until you put pen to paper. Seeing what comes out allows you to adapt and modify as you go in a back-and-forth of discovery and evaluation. Don't worry about your first draft — it'll be perfect. Start small. Start now. I read this for the first time in an article by Casey Fowler that's no longer live. Most likely, it originates from the novelist Jane Smiley: "Every first draft is perfect because all the first draft has to do is exist. It's perfect in its existence. The only way it could be imperfect would be to NOT exist." ## Ponderosa pine fire protections URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ponderosa-pine-fire-protections Published: 2022-08-14T21:00:00+0000 Categories: trees, forest, nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1c525b74-995b-40bc-912e-82b0d1330b2a_SP+782+-+Ponderosa+fire+protections.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Ponderosa pine and its bark listing out some of the fire protections it has Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ponderosa-pine-fire-protections), CC BY-NC 4.0 Many trees and forests were built to live with fire and in many cases, fire is essential for a healthy ecosystem. Giant sequoias, for example, have cones that dry out during surface fires releasing their seeds so they can germinate at the ideal time to grow with less competition. Ponderosa pines have a number of ways they have evolved to live with fire. They have bark that when heated can split off from the tree protecting the trunk and reducing the spread of fire. They often lose lower branches, sometimes from smaller fires, reducing the likelihood of ladder fires that climb towards the crown. The shade they cast and the acidic soil they favour helps reduce understory plants that could catch fire beneath the tree and help a fire to latch onto the main trunk. They have deep roots that can remain intact after a fire allowing the tree to still gather water and nutrients even when surface roots are damaged. Some policies of suppressing natural fires have changed the balance of many forest systems and helped promote some of the recent mega-fires. More about the Fire ecology of ponderosa pines (pdf). Also see: identify a douglas fir, time hierarchy ## Kintsugi URL: https://sketchplanations.com/kintsugi Published: 2022-08-07T21:00:00+0000 Categories: words, mindfulness, beauty, japan Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/afc30a9d-1d4d-47fa-b73e-36dc27c3b14f_SP+781+-+Kintsugi.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Kintsugi: A bowl repaired with kintsugi with bright gold seams visible next to a flower Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/kintsugi), CC BY-NC 4.0 Kintsugi is the repair of a ceramic item, perhaps a bowl or vase, with a bright gold seam. Like wabi sabi, kintsugi reflects a view that wear and use of an object adds value rather than detracts. Rather than try to hide the past damage and the repair instead it is celebrated and enhanced. A bowl repaired with kintsugi might be seen as more valuable than one that had never been broken. An ebook might reload the same every time. A book, instead, accumulates its previous use in its pages and appearance — the slight bend in the pages, discoloration from fingerprints or sunlight, creases in the spine at frequently visited pages, a pencil mark here and there. The book itself hints at the story of its own life. A well-thumbed secondhand book can be a beautiful thing. You may have noticed some modern kintsugi in Kylo Ren's helmet. ## Flash-to-bang method URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-flash-to-bang-method Published: 2022-07-31T13:00:00+0000 Categories: weather, physics, geography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/35040311-932b-42d4-b769-5bdb4904e7e3_SP+780+-+Flash-to-bang+method.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Two hikers look at distant lightning and count how long it takes to hear the thunder to estimate how far the lightning is away Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-flash-to-bang-method), CC BY-NC 4.0 How far away is the storm? The flash-to-bang method can help. When lightning is made by a storm the rapid heating and expansion of the air create the thunderclap. But because sound travels slower than light, there's a gap between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder it produced. Using Distance = speed x time, by counting the seconds from seeing the lightning you can easily estimate how far away it is. Conveniently, the speed of sound in air is about 330 metres/second. So depending on your unit preference: every 3s you wait the thunder travels about 1 km every 5s you wait the thunder travels about 1 mile Give it a try at a safe distance from your next lightning storm. Also see: thunderclap or rumble, thunder clouds, dirty thunderstorm ## Urban heat islands URL: https://sketchplanations.com/heat-islands Published: 2022-07-24T13:00:00+0000 Categories: climate, weather, geography, nature, temperature, trees, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/802780b3-a8ed-43c1-9bb0-57431fb4bdfc_SP+779+-+Heat+islands.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: An urban area next to a more natural rural area showing how the urban area gets hotter than the surrounding land Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/heat-islands), CC BY-NC 4.0 The urban heat island effect is the phenomenon where urban areas have higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas with more greenery. What causes heat islands? Urban heat islands are caused by several factors, including: the types of materials we use in cities for buildings, pavement, and roads that can absorb more heat than natural surfaces such as leaves or grass human additions to the sun's heat, such as air conditioning, vehicles, cooking, or machinery the shapes of our cities that may restrict airflow to carry heat away the mass of our buildings that can absorb heat and release it gradually, even through the night In contrast, more natural, often rural areas with greenery may reflect more light, release moisture and provide shade. The urban heat island effect is usually strongest on hot, calm days and can be especially noticeable at night, when buildings and roads slowly release the heat they stored during the day. How can we reduce the urban heat island effect? There are ways to help reduce the urban heat island effect, such as planting more urban trees or using green roofs. Deciduous trees have the handy feature of providing shade for a house in the summer while letting light through in the winter when the leaves fall. A study using 2015 data found that "doubling tree cover in European cities could cut the number of heat-related deaths during summer months by nearly 40 per cent." In Columbia's Medellín, creating 30 Green Corridors helped to reduce temperatures by 2°C in the first three years of the program. Learn more about the urban heat island effect on the EPA site. ## Happy talk must die URL: https://sketchplanations.com/happy-talk-must-die Published: 2022-07-17T13:00:00+0000 Categories: writing, design, usability Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c81c3a83-8e63-4cd6-8897-5db5cff7b85f_SP+778+-+Happy+talk+must+die.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Happy Talk Must Die example: explained with an example web page with lots of useless happy talk and a person thinking blah blah as they look for the payments button Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/happy-talk-must-die), CC BY-NC 4.0 Happy talk is fluff and often self-congratulatory promotional talk, usually intended to be friendly but generally just getting in the way of people trying to get a job done. On the web, and to be honest, in most places, happy talk must die. Brenda Ueland, in her book If you Want to Write, put it perhaps the best I have seen: 'Oh, this over-explaining! It is the secret of all boredom. It is like this: You, the writer, go slowly and laboriously with many words, while the reader gropes through it, saying impatiently: “Yes, yes, hurry, hurry up! I see it—I get it! Go on to the next."' Happy Talk Must Die is a gem from Steve Krug's legendary book on usability, Don't Make Me Think. Here's an excerpt on Happy Talk. Related Ideas to Happy Talk Must Die Omit needless words ## Black swan events URL: https://sketchplanations.com/black-swan Published: 2022-07-10T13:00:00+0000 Categories: economics, behavioral economics, animals Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/652a891d-3887-4fe2-b62e-3c3d66b07faf_SP+777+-+Black+swan.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Two people walk through many white swans before bumping into a black swan. One claims it was obvious all along. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/black-swan), CC BY-NC 4.0 A swan in Europe was a white swan. So, naturally, swans were thought of as only white by Europeans until news came from travelers to Australia in the late 1600s where black swans are in fact relatively common. Black swan events can turn a worldview upside down. They are unprecedented, unexpected, rare, and with a significant impact. The infrequency of black swan events means prior data about them is too little to reliably guess the likelihood of one, and you may not even think to anticipate the event anyway. Except after the fact, when all of a sudden many people will claim to have predicted it — black swan events are prone to be rationalised in hindsight, believing that all the signs were there beforehand even if they weren't. The idea of black swan events is from Nassim Nicholas Taleb. He writes: "One single observation can invalidate a general statement derived from millennia of confirmatory sightings of millions of white swans. All you need is one single black bird." Examples Taleb gives include the September 11 terrorist attack, the 2008 financial crisis, World War I, or the rise of the Internet. More Taleb sketches: on mistakes, the firehouse effect, and the Lucretius problem. Also, hindsight bias. ## Only dead fish go with the flow URL: https://sketchplanations.com/only-dead-fish Published: 2022-07-03T13:00:00+0000 Categories: nature, inspiration, wisdom, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/45419b91-30d0-4b62-86bb-0f1ea5c4ab4f_SP+776+-+Only+dead+fish+-+smaller.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Only dead fish go with the flow quote. Two fish in a stream. One is dead and floating with the current. The other is swimming against it and jumping out of the water. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/only-dead-fish), CC BY-NC 4.0 Only dead fish go with the flow. To me, this is a nice reminder to swim your path in life and be true to yourself. I heard about this from Patricia Ryan Madson in her book Improv Wisdom, and she, in turn, saw it in a Welsh pub. However, James Clear found a very similar saying from the author G.K. Chesterton: "A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it." — G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man ​​ I also really liked this related saying: "To reach a port we must sail. Sail, not tie at anchor. Sail, not drift." —Franklin D. Roosevelt ## The cost of fixing bugs URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fixing-bugs Published: 2022-06-26T13:00:00+0000 Categories: software development, product management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/61eb251d-ae49-46f0-8887-30e9b081c4de_SP+775+-+The+cost+to+fix+bugs.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The cost of fixing bugs: Chart showing how the cost to fix bugs rises the longer you leave before fixing them Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fixing-bugs), CC BY-NC 4.0 Just as mistakes and the unexpected are part of life, bugs are part of software development. In general, the longer the time between when a bug was first introduced and when the bug is identified and fixed the more expensive it is in both time and money. It might go something like this: If you spot a bug as you're writing a new feature everything is fresh in your mind and it can sometimes take just a moment to fix. If a bug turns up later or perhaps soon after it's deployed you might have an idea of where it might be and track it down fairly quickly. If a lot of time has passed since a feature was worked on and a bug is spotted or tackled then it might take a fair bit of time to figure out how everything works again before you can fix it. And if a really long time has passed then, aside from the cost of interrupting what you are otherwise working on, it may not even be clear what was intended by the original code, probably written by others, and there's a fair chance more has been built on top of the buggy code making it more complex and a bigger task to tackle. The only way to solve it may be stepping through and figuring out behaviour slowly and steadily line-by-line. You could probably replace 'bugs' with 'code' 'problems' or 'mistakes' in most scenarios. Aside from it matching my experience, Joel Spolsky gives a nice explanation in his classic article The Joel Test. ## Stand sit lie URL: https://sketchplanations.com/stand-sit-lie Published: 2022-06-19T13:00:00+0000 Categories: health, cycling, endurance, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e6582ed2-ed48-41ad-b73e-937b243e28c6_SP+774+-+Stand+sit+lie.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: A drawing of 3 people resting on a cycle, one standing, one sitting, one lying down Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/stand-sit-lie), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's an old cycling mantra for recovery: If you're standing, sit down. If you're sitting, lie down. It's something I like to keep in mind after a big workout, particularly on the legs — get the weight off them! ## Extrinsic motivation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/extrinsic-motivation Published: 2022-06-12T11:00:00+0000 Categories: motivation, psychology, productivity, management, business, leadership, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b3c548b0-71ab-48c5-8c6e-e14bf07d6ac5_SP+773+-+Extrinsic+motivation.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: A sketch of extrinsic motivation with a donkey being followed by a man with a stick and in turn following a carrot that's strapped always just out of reach Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/extrinsic-motivation), CC BY-NC 4.0 Extrinsic motivation is the carrot or the stick — when the motivation for doing something is an IF/THEN reward or punishment. We use extrinsic motivation all the time like paying people to come into work, or issuing speeding fines to make people slow down. It can work well for simple problems, basic compliance, and short-term results. However, when you need long-term behaviour change, when creativity is needed, or you're tackling complex problems, external rewards and the threat of punishments can even decrease performance and productivity. Rewards only go so far if you want to inspire a hit album, create the next Oscar-winning film, or create a breakthrough product. That is, for most of the important work we do in our lives, including I believe parenting, using extrinsic motivators of rewards or punishments is likely to be far less effective than tapping into intrinsic motivation — motivation that comes from inside ourselves. I like Dan Pink's Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose framework for intrinsic motivation. His TED talk on the Puzzle of Motivation is also a fun and interesting watch. ## Hybrid meetings URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hybrid-meetings Published: 2022-06-05T13:00:00+0000 Categories: productivity, business, management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1821e36d-722b-41c6-98ce-ab53c466b40d_SP+772+-+Hybrid+meetings.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: A meeting with some in-person participants and one remote participant showing the disadvantages of each Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hybrid-meetings), CC BY-NC 4.0 A hybrid meeting is when some participants are in-person, using shared equipment, and some are remote using their own. Generally speaking, hybrid meetings have a number of disadvantages you may have experienced and are best avoided if possible. Perhaps you've been on a call where everyone's laughing about something except the people joining remotely who have no idea what's going on. It can be pretty rubbish. For the in-person participants, it's easy to chat with the people in the room, but with just one person controlling the screen it can be hard to see details of any docs that are shared, and it's difficult to see the remote participants as clearly as those in the room. Those not driving also can't scan through docs at their own pace, or share a screen, or collaborate on a document. It's like having just one person with access to the whiteboard. The remote participants have it worse. Because the camera is likely not as good for the in-person participants the people are smaller and it's hard to see expressions or track who's talking. Some may be off-picture. Without seeing expressions, and with a delay even a tiny bit longer than being in-person it's much harder to find when to join in a conversation. The sound quality ƒrom the room will often also make it harder to hear some of the participants and because the shared mic won't be on mute there'll be background noise. Taken together these disadvantages make hybrid meetings best avoided where possible. Where possible, for the in-person meeting have everyone use their own equipment, joining the call on their own laptop so their video is clear and if not using headsets buy a high-quality speaker. Thanks to GitLab whose list — hybrid calls are annoying — made the disadvantages much clearer to me and led to better meetings at work. ## Because URL: https://sketchplanations.com/because Published: 2022-05-29T13:00:00+0000 Categories: psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4c8e497a-17c1-454b-a5b4-f54ec51229e2_SP+771+-+Because.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Someone asks to cut in line at the photocopier with a lame reason - but the favour and reason combo mean the person mindlessly complies Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/because), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's an old study now known as the photocopier study. The experiment had the experimenter try to cut in line at a copy machine at a University campus. The researchers found that when the ask was small — just 5 pages to copy — asking to cut in line with the rather circular reason of 'because I have to make some copies' was almost as successful as asking to cut in for the valid reason of 'because I'm in a rush', and both of them beat providing no reason at all. The effect disappeared with a larger ask of 20 pages. The theory was that with a small ask just providing any reason after the word 'because' may trigger an automatic script of 'Favour + Reason --> Comply' — if we don't really think about it we just see the pattern and act. Which suggests that a) if you have a small ask you might be better off providing a reason for it, no matter how small, and b) if we want to avoid acting mindlessly when people ask a favour it may benefit us to pay closer attention. The study was led by Ellen Langer who has since gone on to write a host of books on mindfulness. Also see narrative bias From: Langer, E. J., Blank, A., & Chanowitz, B. (1978). The mindlessness of ostensibly thoughtful action: The role of "placebic" information in interpersonal interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36(6), 635–642. ## The tyranny of small decisions URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-tyranny-of-small-decisions Published: 2022-05-22T19:00:00+0000 Categories: behavioral economics, behavioral economics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/eb443c45-f2f2-44d3-ae29-5cdf3ee5e380_SP+770+-+The+tyranny+of+small+decisions.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The tyranny of small decisions: 3 people order more expensive items and end up with a large bill because they knew they were splitting it Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-tyranny-of-small-decisions), CC BY-NC 4.0 The tyranny of small decisions is the challenge we face when many individual decisions, when taken together, result in an outcome that is suboptimal or that the group as a whole doesn’t want. Say you’re at a restaurant with friends and early on there’s a plan to split the bill. Your thoughts of a cheap night evaporate with the knowledge that just getting a salad makes little difference if others are getting martinis and appetizers. Heck, if you’re paying for those anyway why not get a dessert? And so a group will often pay more when splitting the bill. It’s also an example of the tyranny of small decisions. Named in a paper by the Cornell economist Alfred E. Kahn, he also discussed the example of the passenger services on the Ithaca railroad. The many daily decisions of people choosing to drive or fly rather than travel by train ended with a train route that was no longer viable and closed, even though each person may have actually wanted to keep a train option. Similar ideas to the tyranny of small decisions include the tragedy of the commons, the Abilene paradox, and local optimisation. ## Banner cloud URL: https://sketchplanations.com/banner-cloud Published: 2022-05-15T13:00:00+0000 Categories: weather, mountains, physics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fd005286-a295-48e5-b8e2-5854ce653241_SP+769+-+Banner+cloud.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Banner cloud on the Matterhorn showing strong wind of cold dry air on one side and warmer humid air on the other producing the cloud in a banner shape Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/banner-cloud), CC BY-NC 4.0 Banner clouds can form on the side of a high or exposed peak and seem to stick to the mountain face like a banner, even on an otherwise cloudless day. There are several theories for how they form but in general strong winds of cold dry air from one side likely interact with warmer humid air on the other. Look out for them next time you're in the mountains. Also see lenticular clouds, thunder clouds, and more clouds. ## Sneaky averages URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sneaky-averages Published: 2022-05-08T13:00:00+0000 Categories: mathematics, statistics, analytics, data, product management, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c6e801bc-c87d-449c-bbae-c3a0621939ea_SP+768+-+Sneaky+averages.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Sneaky averages: A statistician sinking in the deep part of a pond by a sign saying the average depth is 3ft Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sneaky-averages), CC BY-NC 4.0 There's an old story about the statistician who drowned after seeing that the average depth was 3ft. Averages, or in this case the mean, necessarily hide some data, but very often they also hide what's really going on. Say you run a delivery service and have an average delivery time of one day; it could be that most deliveries are actually a few hours, while just a few have people waiting for a week. A figure of average incomes might mask the fact that most people have low salaries, while a few are millionaires. My Dad, who did a lot of flying for work to conferences, to visit collaborators, used to joke about calculating your average height above sea level. If you spend most of your hours at 10 ft above sea level and just enough at 20,000 ft, then your average height has you floating tens or a few hundred feet in the air. This tells you very little about where the person is likely to be right now. Just looking at the average for each of these, you can't tell much. Sometimes a different measure of central tendency, like the median, can provide a clearer picture. Sheldon Zedeck, a UC Berkeley psychology professor who taught me about the design of experiments, gave wise advice: "Spend time with your data." Sometimes it's the only way to know what's happening for sure. Related Ideas to Sneaky Averages Sampling bias All models are wrong, but some are useful—George Box You get what you measure The McNamara Fallacy Goodhart's Law The metrics onion Mathematics in everyday life Measures of central tendency: mean, median, mode Darrell Huff, in his book, How to Lie with Statistics, covers many of the dangers of averages with fun and memorably examples. ## Chaos monkey URL: https://sketchplanations.com/chaos-monkey Published: 2022-05-01T13:00:00+0000 Categories: software development, animals Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a5370906-c352-4ab8-a9b3-4a96a7b2e302_SP+767+-+Chaos+monkey.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Chaos monkey illustration: A monkey hangs from a girder in a room of servers cheekily pulling out wires to simulate the servers turning off at random and to build resilience, the Netflix principle Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/chaos-monkey), CC BY-NC 4.0 The chaos monkey is a smart piece of software and a brilliant idea from engineers at Netflix. The chaos monkey deliberately switches off servers in live environments at random. It takes the pain of disappearing servers and brings that pain forward. By deliberately sabotaging their own systems it created strong alignment for the team to design-in redundancy and automation for the necessary resiliency and reliability in the face of random failures. Training for this randomness helps make stronger, more resilient and fault-tolerant systems and software and keeps your movie streaming so you can keep chilling without interruptions. The chaos monkey is a great metaphor and trigger to actively work on what life could throw at your system before it happens. More monkey inspiration for writing and for bananas. ## Challenge questions URL: https://sketchplanations.com/challenge-questions Published: 2022-04-24T13:00:00+0000 Categories: leadership, questions, listening Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/97dd4243-cf07-4ac0-a900-9d4a2ea5888b_SP+766+-+Challenge+questions.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C3508%2C3507&w=1200&h=3507 Image description: Challenge questions and clarification questions: 2 different interpretations of the question 'When will it be ready?' as either a clarification question, or a challenge question Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/challenge-questions), CC BY-NC 4.0 Two types of questions you might face when presenting are Clarification questions and Challenge questions. Clarification questions are usually pretty simple — someone is curious or didn't understand an aspect of what you said. You just need to answer as best you can and check with them that you answered their question. Challenge questions are when someone disagrees or has concerns about what you've presented. Not all of us, however, are likely to say so clearly, and so challenge questions are often disguised as clarification questions. A "How it will work for new visitors?" might actually come from the thought: "I don't think this will work for new visitors." Or a "When will it be ready?" may stem from "I don't think this will be done on time." You may pick it up in the tone of how it's asked. Challenge questions usually benefit from a different approach. Responding effectively to a Challenge question may require exploring the concern or issue behind the question. I've seen many short, factual responses to Challenge questions where the person asking is not at all reassured by the response. Reminding myself that a question may be a Challenge, not a Clarification question, helps me make sure everyone is brought along with me during a meeting, presentation, or plain old conversation. This along with many other useful frameworks is from Trenton Moss' excellent Human Powered. ## Reasons stop mattering URL: https://sketchplanations.com/reasons-stop-mattering Published: 2022-04-17T13:00:00+0000 Categories: wisdom, quote, leadership, management, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/cd2e9481-bcc6-4620-a9a1-f134112bdacf_SP+765+-+The+janitor+and+the+CEO.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The janitor and the CEO story inspired by Steve Jobs illustrating how reasons stop mattering somewhere between the janitor and the CEO Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/reasons-stop-mattering), CC BY-NC 4.0 I've read that Steve Jobs used to tell a story to new VPs about a janitor and a CEO. If you were the janitor and were asked to clean an office, it's reasonable to have not cleaned it if you found the door was locked and you didn't have the key. However, somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, the reasons or excuses for why something happened or couldn't be done stop mattering. It probably isn't your fault that the system went down, or that you didn't have access to the office, but as a leader it's your responsibility to make things happen and mistakes are now your responsibility too. The sketch is not meant to downplay the role or attitude of janitors in any way or say that this is the difference between janitors and CEOs. Here's more on how Steve explains it. The story is a nice example of the accountability ladder. I learned this from the excellent Julie Zhou. ## One-size-fits-men URL: https://sketchplanations.com/one-size-fits-men Published: 2022-04-10T13:00:00+0000 Categories: bias, music, design, inclusion, equity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0e665922-0c23-4627-a336-4ccd011ef6ed_SP+764+-+One+size+fits+men.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: One-size-fits-men summary: Piano keyboard showing different handspan widths and that standard keyboards advantage larger handspans Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/one-size-fits-men), CC BY-NC 4.0 We're all different sizes, and there is no one-size-fits-all, but when it comes to the chosen size it turns out that that size mostly fits men better. Caroline Criado Perez in her book Invisible Women shares how so much of the designed world fits men better than women — examples include piano keyboards that make playing more technically difficult and more prone to injury for smaller hands, stab vests that didn't take account of breasts, crash test dummies for car seats tested only with males, toilets that always lead to queues, phones that don't fit female hands or pockets, and voice recognition that picks out male voices more easily. It's a stark reminder of how we need to do more to design with more of the world in mind rather than the default reference male. Read more: The deadly truth about a world built for men – from stab vests to car crashes. See also brilliance bias and the curb-cut effect. ## Chesterton's fence URL: https://sketchplanations.com/chestertons-fence Published: 2022-04-03T13:00:00+0000 Categories: innovation, law, business, wisdom, eponym, kindness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4ad84bfb-f64d-4d8f-b726-6f2dabde2d19_SP+563+-+Chesterton%E2%80%99s+fence.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is Chesterton's fence example explained: the meaning of Chesterton's Fence shown by two people contemplating a barbed wire fence stretching through rolling hills and wondering why on earth someone put a fence there, unaware of the large animal down the slope Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/chestertons-fence), CC BY-NC 4.0 Chesterton's fence put simply is: Don't take a fence down unless you know why it was put up. It is tempting, in a spirit of progress, to want to do away with old designs, laws, policies, or institutions that no longer help. To think, perhaps, that the people that made them weren't maybe as smart as we are, or seeing things in the right way. Yet institutions, policies, or fences, weren't usually made by accident — they require effort and action, even putting up a fence. Chesterton's fence, after GK Chesterton, is a reminder that before we remove the old and perhaps replace it with the new we would do well to at least understand why the original was put in place. Once we understand why the fence was there in the first place if we still think it's of no use, then by all means pull it down. Read more on Chesterton's fence, including its origins. ## Correlation is not causation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/correlation-is-not-causation Published: 2022-03-27T14:00:00+0000 Categories: statistics, data, animals Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f1f6cafb-6444-453f-a5c5-8f603ab41a23_SP+562+-+Correlation+is+not+causation.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Correlation is not causation illustration: A chart of the correlation between storks nesting on roofs and children in a household is shown above a street of progressively larger family houses with more and more storks and someone wondering if the storks are bringing the babies Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/correlation-is-not-causation), CC BY-NC 4.0 When we notice two things change with each other — sunny days and ice cream sales, or player height and goals scored — it's natural to think that one thing is the cause of the other. And it's only a small step to consider that if you do more of one, you'll get more of the other. But this instinct and our natural sense-making behaviours can easily lead us astray. Just because two things change together — are correlated — doesn't mean that one causes the other: correlation is not causation. You might reasonably notice a correlation between the number of children in a household and the number of storks nests on the roof of houses in Denmark or Holland. Fortunately, while the two may be correlated it's not hard to see that it's most likely not the storks that are causing the larger families and instead another factor such as the size of the house that is the more likely cause. As such it's a handy reminder that correlation is not causation. This is also the subject of my favourite xkcd on correlation, and another on cell phones to drive the point home. For more see the excellent spurious correlations. The stork nest example is from Darrel Huff's How to Lie with Statistics, as is the example on Sampling Bias. ## Short words are best URL: https://sketchplanations.com/short-words Published: 2022-03-20T14:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6787297d-2f64-40a9-9f2c-1a31826097f1_SP+561+-+Short+words.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Short Words Are Best illustration: A quote by Winston Churchill, about how using short words is best, appears next to an iconic portrait of the man himself wearing a Homburg hat and bow-tie, whilst smoking a big cigar. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/short-words), CC BY-NC 4.0 Whenever I find that I've accidentally written 'proceed' instead of 'carry on', 'affirmative' instead of 'yes', or 'convene' instead of 'meet' I try to remember Churchill's wise words: "Short words are best and old words when short are the best of all." Don't be like owl in Winnie the Pooh. Short, old words give power and clarity. As an illustration of the remarkable power of Churchill's writing, I highly recommend the quick read of We Will All Go Down Fighting to the End, an eye-opening and stirring short collection of Winston Churchill's war speeches. ## For want of a nail URL: https://sketchplanations.com/for-want-of-a-nail Published: 2022-03-13T14:00:00+0000 Categories: poem, design, animals, entrepreneurship, productivity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e454ac73-6163-4b74-bf80-9e934de35b64_SP+560+-+For+want+of+a+nail.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: For want of a nail poem: from the shoe, to the rider, the battle and the kingdom it's all lost because that fellow dropped the nail Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/for-want-of-a-nail), CC BY-NC 4.0 An ode to the importance of little things. This classic poem memorably paints a picture of how small details can matter, and how small changes can make a difference. Taking that extra bit of care, adding that extra bit of polish, helping that person when you had nothing to gain, showing up with generosity — all small actions that through their effect on others can, ultimately, have a large impact. This same idea also applies to how we choose to spend our money and our time through contagious commerce — from Seth Godin: Early adopters change the world. While one person choosing not to eat meat will have a small impact on our climate, it will have a much bigger impact on the restaurants, groceries and food suppliers who notice what you’re doing. They’ll change what they offer, and that will lead to a multiplier effect of other people changing their habits. Buying an electric car or installing solar before they’re the obvious economic choice has the same impact. Because once marketers and investors discover that there’s a significant group that likes to go first, they’re far more likely to invest the time and energy to improve what’s already there... ...Very few people have the leverage to change the world. But all of us have the chance to change the people around us, and those actions change what gets built, funded and launched. --- For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for want of a nail. ## Möbius strip URL: https://sketchplanations.com/mobius-strip Published: 2022-03-06T14:00:00+0000 Categories: mathematics, animation, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a93d784d-dd12-4ab5-b603-0401c96520a7_SP+759+Mobius+strip+-+animation.gif?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Möbius strip animation: a small red ball continuously rolls around the surface of a 2-dimensional strip that has been twisted before having its ends joined - meaning the ball covers the entire shape. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/mobius-strip), CC BY-NC 4.0 Möbius strip: the mindbending shape with only one side. It's very simple to create: take a long piece of paper, give one end a 180-degree twist and then stick the ends together. The simple shape just created has only one side. What?? You can test this by running your finger over the surface and you'll cover the entire shape and end up back where you started. Try to follow the red ball in the animation as it follows the surface over the entire loop. Möbius strips have a couple of other interesting properties including how cutting them in half down the middle simply makes a longer loop, and cutting a third of the way in over the full length will reveal two distinct yet interconnected loops. Fun to try! I once spent a memorable evening with a friend trying to feed a Möbius strip through a regular printer to see if we could print on both sides in one go. In case it's handy, here's a static Möbius strip sketch ## Don't fill the silence URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dont-fill-the-silence Published: 2022-02-27T14:00:00+0000 Categories: research, questions, listening, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/777f7298-a8b5-4aad-b778-ff70d8c14a54_SP+758+-+Don%E2%80%99t+fill+the+silence.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Don't fill the silence illustration: Someone does much better at eliciting a more in-depth response by simply waiting after asking their question rather than filling in an awkward silence Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dont-fill-the-silence), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's easy to want to fill an awkward silence. However, a pause in conversation is often a time for reflection. When conducting research, and maybe even in normal conversations, try to trust your questions and avoid filling the silence after asking a question. Just wait and listen. My experience is that it's very easy to follow a nice open-ended question such as "How do you feel about it now?" with all sorts of qualifications or assumptions because silence feels uncomfortable. It can quickly become, "How do you feel about it now?... I guess it must have been hard for you, right?" And instead of giving someone space to share a thoughtful answer of your open-ended question all you might get is a "Yes" and perhaps your chance of finding out what they really thought has gone. Instead, have faith in what you ask and stick out the silence. Related Ideas to Don't Fill the Silence Also see: Prefer open-ended questions Some social research tips Feedback fear Happy talk must die ## Short speeches URL: https://sketchplanations.com/short-speeches Published: 2022-02-20T14:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, charts Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1b0493f5-1b80-423e-bd80-f2fe6385bdff_SP+757+-+Short+speeches.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Short Speeches illustration: A bar chart shows how the the length of time it takes to prepare a speech decreases as the length of the speech itself increases - to the point where the plucky character charged with delivering a speech of no pre-determined length is happy to wing it. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/short-speeches), CC BY-NC 4.0 Supposedly when asked how long it took to prepare his speeches, President Woodrow Wilson said: “That depends on the length of the speech. If it is a 10-minute speech, it takes me all of two weeks to prepare it. If it is a half hour speech, it takes me a week. If I can talk as long as I want to, it requires no preparation at all. I am ready now.” It's rather like the saying: "If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter." It's easy to think that a longer document, report, or talk would be more difficult. So it's a nice thought that it can actually be harder to do something short and well than it is do to something long. It's rather like Edward De Bono's observation that things get more complex before they get simple. If you want to make something simple, you have to do the work. QI has good articles on shorter speeches and letters. ## Physics Envy URL: https://sketchplanations.com/physics-envy Published: 2022-02-13T14:00:00+0000 Categories: physics, economics, behavioral economics, psychology, science, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3d549825-c4c3-4cb6-8572-067d9f1e5fee_SP+756+-+Physics+envy.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Physics envy: a football coach looks on exasperated as none of his young team play according to the plan Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/physics-envy), CC BY-NC 4.0 Physics envy refers to the wish that a field of study would turn out to be as precise, as predictable, as repeatable, and as amenable to modeling and theory that replicates practice as physics is. As it turns out, most fields that involve people — such as economics and the social sciences — are rarely so tidy and orderly and neatly mathematically modeled. They are instead usually messy, uncertain, and filled with context, nuance, history and confounding factors such that making sense of them in broadly applicable ways is rather difficult. And while we do our best to quantify and identify effects, or cleanly isolate our cognitive biases or our quirks of behavioural psychology, rarely are they able to live up to the purest standards of physics. It's enough to turn one green with envy. It reminded me of the best laid plans of our Saturday sports coaches turning for their substitutes to execute their plans, only to find the players climbing trees in the adjacent field. ## Features are like pets URL: https://sketchplanations.com/features-are-like-pets Published: 2022-02-06T14:00:00+0000 Categories: design, software development, business Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6d28a3ad-c54d-417d-aaf0-efeea6b0f2e1_SP+755+-+Features+are+like+pets.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Features are like pets illustration: a series of images shows different practical roles and responsibilities involved with owning a pet dog, compared with a solo image of how simple and rewarding one might imagine it to be - all presented as a simile for the time, effort and cost involved in developing new software features. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/features-are-like-pets), CC BY-NC 4.0 When adding features to a software product it's easy to underestimate the overall time and cost they may take up. To keep the full impact in mind it can be helpful to think of Features As Pets. When I think of Features As Pets it helps me look past the initial cost of designing and developing a feature and consider its full lifecycle. For example: you're going to want to tell your users about it you'll want to check it's being used as intended you'll need to support it and check that it works in all different places and fix it when it breaks you may need to work hard to make sure it's compatible with new features you add you may have to return to the code and refactor it to improve performance you may need to upgrade libraries and maintain security patches finally you'll have to decommission it gracefully when it's no longer needed including dealing with data you may have stored New features are probably one of the key differentiators of your offering compared to others, but it bears a little consideration before adding something — a feature is not just for Christmas. Features Are Like Pets is from the excellent Intercom on Product Management podcast (Apple, Spotify, ebook). ## Don't ask the barber if you need a haircut URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dont-ask-the-barber-if-you-need-a-haircut Published: 2022-01-30T14:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, advice, bias, money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a52bbd70-a51d-4a5a-84f3-79c672152e3d_SP+754+-+Don%E2%80%99t+ask+the+barber+if+you+need+a+haircut.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Don't ask the barber if you need a haircut - quote from Warren Buffet and others Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dont-ask-the-barber-if-you-need-a-haircut), CC BY-NC 4.0 "Don't ask the barber if you need a haircut" is a simple reminder that asking someone with a vested interest in the outcome isn't likely to lead to an unbiased answer—"Do you need a haircut? Of course, you do!" Should I upgrade my phone? Mobile provider: Yes! Should I review my mortgage? Mortgage broker: Yes! Should I review my portfolio? Stockbroker: Yes! Should I get some more insurance? Insurance salesperson: Yes! Do I need a security audit? Cybersecurity firm: Yes! While we can decide about our hair with few consequences to anyone but ourselves, on more significant occasions or domains where we lack expertise, asking a professional may be precisely what we need. A professional with skills and knowledge we don't have can see what we can't. So, asking a professional to review what you're doing might tell you what you didn't and couldn't think to ask. Just be thoughtful about who and how you ask. Warren Buffet famously shared this phrase, though it appears in several similar earlier forms. I learned that in Italy, people say, "Don’t ask the innkeeper if the wine is good." Related Ideas to Don't Ask the Barber Also see: The Shirky Principle Goodhart's Law Campbell's Law The Law of Unintended Consequences This sketch, along with plenty of other sketches for advice, appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## Sankey diagram URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sankey-diagram Published: 2022-01-23T14:00:00+0000 Categories: data, infographics, charts, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6cbf3cc2-1913-4bc5-8f6c-b54ce2bd7905_SP+753+-+Sankey+diagram.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Sankey Diagram illustration: a diagram shows an example of the flow of materials in a system. The example illustrated is the point of disposing of domestic waste. The jumbled, inbound mix of waste brought in on the left gets separated into outbound flows on the right including card recycling; plastic, glass & metal recycling; compost; landfill and directly re-useable items (such as milk bottles). The width of each outbound arrow represents size of flow. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sankey-diagram), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sankey diagrams are handy ways to visualise material or energy flows through usage and time. They are excellent for displaying energy source and usage, for example the UK government publishes a Sankey diagram of UK energy each year (pdf). Perhaps the most famous example is Charles Joseph Minard's remarkable visual showing Napoleon's invasion of and retreat from Russia in the Winter of 1812–13. In that chilling example the thickness of the lines represent the remaining size of Napoleon's army. I learned about Sankey diagrams from Edward Tufte but perhaps people see them most commonly today in Google Analytics showing the different paths visitors take on a website before leaving. ## The Rhyme As Reason Effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rhyme-as-reason-effect Published: 2022-01-16T14:00:00+0000 Categories: effect, writing, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f839ab7d-5a81-47a7-b5db-d345e0e355ff_SP+752+-+Rhyme+as+reason+effect.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Rhyme As Reason Effect illustration: whilst on a stroll, one friend shrewdly convinces the other about how aphorisms that rhyme tend to be more believable, by including a rhyme in their statement. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rhyme-as-reason-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Rhyme As Reason Effect suggests that we're more likely to consider something as accurate or truthful when it rhymes. In a lovely study that asked people to consider the accuracy of both rhyming and non-rhyming aphorisms, "Woes unite foes," or "What sobriety conceals, alcohol reveals," for example, were considered more accurate than "Woes unite enemies," or "What sobriety conceals, alcohol unmasks." A classic example outside of old sayings is OJ Simpson's trial where the defense attorney memorably noted "If the gloves don't fit, you must acquit!" You can read the study in the delightfully titled paper, Birds of a feather flock conjointly: Rhyme as Reason in Aphorisms (pdf), by Matthew McGlone and Jessica Tofighbakhsh. In a related note I was always curious how "Beer before wine, you'll feel fine," tallied up with what I heard in the US: "Beer before liquor, never been sicker," or even "Grape or grain but never the twain." It turns out from a neat 2019 study that, whichever way round you rhyme them, they have no effect on your hangover despite how persuasive the Rhyme As Reason effect may be — even after a few beers. ## Reef knot and clove hitch URL: https://sketchplanations.com/reef-knot-and-clove-hitch Published: 2022-01-09T14:00:00+0000 Categories: knots Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4c338cb9-d290-4568-8d75-8a5dfc20ad88_SP+751+-+Reef+knot+and+clove+hitch.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Reef Knot and Clove hitch illustration: arrows highlight the path for a length of rope or string to take when tying a reef knot, often used to tie belts, bandages and bundles (left) and a clove hitch, often used to tie up to a post (right). It is noted that neither should be used when safety is at stake. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/reef-knot-and-clove-hitch), CC BY-NC 4.0 A refresh for basic guiding and scouting skills — two satisfying and simple, but not secure, knots: the reef knot, or square knot, and the clove hitch. The reef knot was also known to the ancient Greeks as the Hercules knot. You can use it for non-safety critical things like belts, bandages, tying bundles and parcels but it doesn't hold weight well so don't use it when safety is important. The clove hitch is a simple knot that can quickly, say, tie a rope to a post. But don't use it if you need something to really hold. Again, don't use either for safety critical applications, but they're both nice knots to know. Also see a sheet bend ## Kitty Hawk moment URL: https://sketchplanations.com/kitty-hawk-moment Published: 2022-01-02T14:00:00+0000 Categories: innovation, transport, creativity, inspiration Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/afb1b5b6-2a5b-483e-9bf9-822f847c4d4d_SP+750+-+Kitty+Hawk+moment.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Kitty Hawk Moment illustration: The Wright brother's first successful bi-plane, The Wright Flyer is shown taking flight; shifting the concept of human flight from the impossible to the possible. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/kitty-hawk-moment), CC BY-NC 4.0 On 17 December 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright brothers took the first short flights in their Wright Flyer. It's the original Kitty Hawk moment: when the impossible becomes possible. The first radio transmission, the first autonomous vehicle journey, the first sub-2 hour marathon could all be Kitty Hawk moments. A Kitty Hawk moment as a metaphor doesn't have to be big or as clear cut — it could be your first 5k, the first video call with an elderly relative, or the first sale for your business — it just needs to help to break a barrier and show what's now possible. In a lovely article on The Kitty Hawk moment, after Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne flight, Bob Clarebrough highlights that not everyone will see the significance of a Kitty Hawk moment. And it was nearly 24 years before the first plane crossing of the Atlantic. Like Bill Buxton's idea of the long nose of innovation there may be a lot of work left before the new development hits the big time. ## Micro-editing redundant words URL: https://sketchplanations.com/redundant-words Published: 2021-12-26T14:00:00+0000 Categories: writing, words, ux Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5bb2493a-bca5-4a01-aaa8-ada1a748c0d8_SP+749+-+Micro-editing+redundant+words.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Micro-Editing Redundant Words illustration: A list of frequently used phrases in web copy is shown, with redundant words highlighted in red. A good reminder when writing these image captions! Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/redundant-words), CC BY-NC 4.0 When writing for the web every word counts. We scan pages, instructions, and emails, sometimes skipping reading completely. So it's key to make sure that every word is doing a job. Over the years I find there are words that I routinely trim from web copy to save space and keep focus while preserving intent. While context always matters and these can't be cut everywhere, here are a handy few that regularly get the cut from web copy: Obviously, clearly, of course and the like — if it's obvious then don't write it, if it's not, then it's not relevant. If it's obvious to you and not to me then no need to make me feel stupid reading it Note, please note, note that, notice — we're noting it by writing it so trim the noise by leaving out reminders for readers to note things. If you really want someone to notice you can use the extra space from removing it by making it bigger or bolder That — can often be trimmed without changing the meaning of a sentence Any — very often superfluous Exact — very often makes no difference to a sentence Famous — if it's famous then maybe I've heard of it. If I haven't, then perhaps it's not so famous Current — if someone asks for my age or job then it's normal to assume they're not asking for what it used to be Successfully — it's always nice to trim a long word that doesn't add a lot Have — like 'that', it can often be removed without changing the meaning of a sentence All, total — when I take these out I often find it's the default assumption anyway Interestingly, surprisingly and the like — it may be interesting or surprising to you, but I think it's polite, and briefer, to let the reader decide if it's interesting or surprising for them If you're writing for the web, try removing some and see if it still works. ## The cave you fear to enter URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-cave-you-fear-to-enter Published: 2021-12-19T14:00:00+0000 Categories: wisdom, quote Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2a694262-e9b0-4f11-9536-592bddefc7be_SP+748+-+The+cave+you+fear+to+enter+-+smaller.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Someone exploring the mouth of a large, dark cave where they can see a mysterious light Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-cave-you-fear-to-enter), CC BY-NC 4.0 There's a lot of wisdom in this thought from Joseph Campbell: The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. After all, if it was the easy path, if it wasn't the place we hadn't yet looked because we were afraid, we would have already done it. Perhaps tackling what you're avoiding most is what you most need to do. ## Leading and lagging metrics URL: https://sketchplanations.com/leading-lagging-metrics Published: 2021-12-12T14:00:00+0000 Categories: data, business, analytics, product management, business Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e7398d3d-67d3-4f91-8fb2-afe5991257ef_SP+747+-+Leading+lagging+metrics.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Leading metrics and lagging metrics: illustrated by diet and exercise as a leading metric with weight loss as the lagging metric Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/leading-lagging-metrics), CC BY-NC 4.0 Lagging metrics are usually the ones we care about most. In business, they're things like revenue, sales, or profit. The trouble is, we can't act always act on those directly. By the time we assess our revenue everything we did to get there has already happened, so if we don't like it, it's too late. Leading metrics are what we need to focus on to drive the lagging metrics. If we want to lose weight we might be better off focusing on eating less and eating healthier, working out more, and sticking to our workout schedule. To increase our revenue we may want to look at deal size, ease of sign-up, or our referral rate. Paying attention to and improving the leading metrics gives us leverage over the lagging metrics we may really care about. Also see: Analytics maturity ## Joy and vulnerability URL: https://sketchplanations.com/joy-and-vulnerability Published: 2021-12-05T14:00:00+0000 Categories: emotions, happiness, parenting Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/82fb0b0d-2b7a-4244-bc34-98e6975907c7_SP+746+-+Joy+the+most+vulnerable+emotion.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Joy and Vulnerability illustration: as a parent tucks their young child into bed at night, they simultaneously acknowledge their deep-felt love and anxiety for if anything should happen to the child; they simultaneously experience joy and vulnerability. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/joy-and-vulnerability), CC BY-NC 4.0 To feel great joy we have to be ready to feel vulnerable. I found this counterintuitive. As Brené Brown shares, if we can't tolerate joy, if we're not open to being vulnerable, we can find ourselves dress-rehearsing tragedy — when things are at their best we might be telling ourselves that it won't last, we don't deserve it, something will go wrong. Hence, joy is the most vulnerable emotion. An antidote to this she says is to practise gratitude. Be thankful and appreciative of what we have. For a lightweight intro to some of Brené Brown's work you could do worse than spend an hour watching The Call to Courage on Netflix. More from Brené in her book Dare to Lead Related Ideas to Joy Also see: Hope Listening with passion ## Hump-back stations URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hump-back-stations Published: 2021-11-28T14:00:00+0000 Categories: energy, sustainability, transport, london Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bbfa71cc-2012-4978-82f3-72bf806e7c9e_SP+745+-+Hump-back+stations.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Hump-Back Stations illustration: an above and below ground cross-section of an urban environment is shown, displaying the rise and fall of an underground transit tunnel as it approaches and departs a station platform - allowing gravity to play its part in slowing the train down, uphill as it comes into a station and accelerating it away, downhill on departure. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hump-back-stations), CC BY-NC 4.0 A rather clever way of capturing energy as vehicles slow down is to store the energy you'd use in braking as gravitational energy. This way of storing energy is used on a number of central London underground stations by constructing the stations at the top of a small hill in the track. Once built, the hump-back-station design has the handy effect of naturally slowing trains down as they approach a station and naturally accelerating them as they leave a station. Apparently, on London's Victoria line this saves 5% in energy and helps the trains run 9% faster. You're not always going to be able to put a slope just where you need to slow down, unfortunately. However, it makes a ton of sense for pedestrian crossings where raising the crossing to the level of the payment means pedestrians don't have kerbs to negotiate and cars are naturally encouraged to slow down. Victoria line data from Sustainable Energy without the Hot Air, by the late David JC MacKay ## Time hierarchy URL: https://sketchplanations.com/time-hierarchy Published: 2021-11-21T14:00:00+0000 Categories: time, nature, mountains, trees, innovation, technology, forest Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5193ea12-dccf-41a7-93dd-4db473b0f1ed_SP+744+-+Time+hierarchy.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is a time Hierarchy example explained: a lush, verdant, coniferous alpine forest is depicted as a means of explaining the range of layers within any durable system that develop at different speeds. From the individual needles on the trees that develop over a year, to the surrounding biome, 10,000 years in the making. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/time-hierarchy), CC BY-NC 4.0 A time hierarchy example is how durable dynamic systems have elements, or layers, that change at different rates. Just like for pace layers, the fast layers that change quickly provide innovation, while the slower layers stabilise and remember. In his short article Pace Layering: How Complex Systems Learn and Keep Learning, Stewart Brand gives this evocative example of the time hierarchy of a coniferous forest: "Take a coniferous forest.  The hierarchy in scale of pine needle, tree crown, patch, stand, whole forest, and biome is also a time hierarchy.  The needle changes within a year, the crown over several years, the patch over many decades, the stand over a couple of centuries, the forest over a thousand years, and the biome over ten thousand years.  The range of what the needle may do is constrained by the crown, which is constrained by the patch and stand, which are controlled by the forest, which is controlled by the biome.  Nevertheless, innovation percolates throughout the system via evolutionary competition among lineages of individual trees dealing with the stresses of crowding, parasites, predation, and weather.  Occasionally, large shocks such as fire or disease or human predation can suddenly upset the whole system, sometimes all the way down to the biome level." It's an example of his wonderful framework of pace layers, which he applies to the working structure of a robust and adaptable civilisation. ## Flotsam and jetsam URL: https://sketchplanations.com/flotsam-jetsam Published: 2021-11-14T14:00:00+0000 Categories: sea, words, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/cd6bbca3-95df-449a-828c-5f32a95c9345_SP+473+-+Flotsam+and+jetsam.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is the meaning of Flotsam and Jetsam illustration: a bright yellow rubber duck floating in the sea is flotsam; as it is an item of cargo accidentally lost overboard from a container ship listing heavily to one side (left). This is contrasted by jetsam; green crates, actively being thrown overboard by a team of sailors desperately trying to avoid their small boat from sinking (right). Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/flotsam-jetsam), CC BY-NC 4.0 I'd never heard the words flotsam and jetsam used in any way but together so had always assumed it was a term to mean general debris floating in the water or washed up. It turns out they have distinct meanings that also affect how they're treated by law. Flotsam, from flotter to float, refers to debris accidentally lost or washed overboard, often from a shipwreck or accident. Jetsam is debris that was deliberately jettisoned by a boat in distress, likely to try and lighten the load. Being that flotsam was lost accidentally, under maritime law, it can be claimed by the original owner, but jetsam can be claimed by the person who found it. The rubber duck in the sketch refers to the story of the thousands of rubber ducks that washed overboard (flotsam) in the Pacific ocean in 1992. Over the next 25 years, the ducks found themselves washed ashore all across the world revealing much of the ocean's currents as one giant connected system. More on flotsam and jetsam ## The rule of 7 URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-rule-of-7 Published: 2021-11-07T14:00:00+0000 Categories: marketing, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bba61026-cf3b-417c-8157-34d37ae37262_SP+742+-+The+Rule+of+7.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Rule of 7 illustration: two people walk together along the street, bombarded by imagery of apples; on posters, on the front page of newspapers, by a large promotional 3-D apple perched atop a news-stand. By the end of the scene, their conversation about whether they are hungry has turned to one specifically about buying an apple to eat. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-rule-of-7), CC BY-NC 4.0 The rule of 7 is an idea in marketing that it can take hearing a message 7 times before we might take action. Apparently the rule is from early movie marketing and while I don't know if I'd rely on the number it certainly seems a sensible idea to keep in mind that you can't expect people to take action the first time they hear your message — if you're trying to get people to try something new be it buying food, downloading your app, watching a movie, or a choosing an electric car, it takes a while and repeated exposure before you can expect it to pay off. I can't remember where I heard it, but some advice I keep in mind when communicating is that by the time you're tired of saying it, others are just starting to hear it. It's not a bad thing to repeat your main message. I learned about the Rule of 7 from the recent book Human Powered by Trenton Moss. When putting an apple in the adverts on this sketch I was reminded that so often it's the things in the supermarket that are most healthy for us that don't get anyone shouting about them at all. ## Sonic boom URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sonic-boom Published: 2021-10-31T14:00:00+0000 Categories: transport, sound, physics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/120542e6-2f5e-4aec-98be-5aa862bfd88c_SP+741+-+Sonic+boom.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Sonic Boom illustration: a series of increasingly fast planes flying in the sky is shown from left to right, along with their position in relation to the sound shockwaves produced as the air in front of each plane is compressed. The plane on the left travels slower than the speed of sound and is thus behind its shockwaves. In the middle, the aircraft travels at the speed of sound and the shockwaves are shown bunching up near the nose of the plane. On the right, the supersonic, speedy aircraft surpasses the speed of sound creating a loud boom to the delight and / or fright of those on the ground nearby. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sonic-boom), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sonic booms are the noise heard when an object travels at or faster than the speed of sound. As an object travels through the air it pushes air out of the way creating a shockwave — like the wake of a boat. If you were traveling fast in a plane you can imagine that as the shockwaves move away from you at the speed of sound (around 340 m/s), because you're traveling too, the ones in front of you compressed together a little. As you reach the speed of sound, you're now traveling as fast as the shockwaves and they all bunch up forming a strong pressure wave. An object traveling faster than the speed of sound leaves its shockwaves behind it in a cone-shape called a Mach cone after Ernst Mach. To an observer on the ground the sudden change in pressure as the pressure wave passes is experienced as a loud boom. There's quite a lot of subtlety to sonic booms and we're still researching technology to reduce them to make faster than sound travel less, well, noisy. ## Primary metaphor URL: https://sketchplanations.com/primary-metaphor Published: 2021-10-24T13:00:00+0000 Categories: metaphor, language, thinking Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/190ad72f-b0d5-4201-9d28-72219db16b5c_SP+740+-+Primary+metaphor+animation+-+long.gif?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Primary metaphor examples: Important Is Big with parents and a small child, Knowing Is Seeing looking in a box, and Affection Is Warmth with a parent hugging a baby Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/primary-metaphor), CC BY-NC 4.0 One of the few books I've read all in one sitting is Metaphors We Live By, by George Lakoff. It was so fascinating learning how some of the most fundamental concepts we use to govern our lives are understood through metaphor. For example, one understanding of time is through our experience of space, so it seems natural to say, the hard times are behind us, or, I'm looking forward to the future. Or that Ideas Are Objects so you can give someone an idea, or toss a few ideas around. Or that Understanding Is Grasping, so you can get the idea, or get to grips with a concept. Primary metaphor is a theory of how these metaphorical understandings may form when we're young as we associate abstract ideas with direct experience. So it's natural that, when we're young, important things are often big and can exert control over us, leading to Important Is Big — Tomorrow's a big day, it's just a little thing, It was a huge deal. Or experiencing warmth when we feel affection leading to Affection Is Warmth — he greeted me warmly, she gave me the cold shoulder. Or how sometimes to know something is to see something, such as when we find out what's in a box by seeing what's in a box, leading to Knowing Is Seeing — I see what you mean, that's clear to me know, I'm feeling in the dark on that, let's shed some light on the matter. Primary Metaphor Examples Other examples of primary metaphor from Philosophy in the Flesh by Lakoff and Johnson include: More Is Up — from seeing things increase in height when there is more of them eg the prices are rising Difficulties Are Burdens — from difficult things literally being harder to deal with eg I'm feeling a bit weighed down at the moment States Are Locations — from associating experiences with actual places eg I'm in a rut right now, but I'll get out of it. Bad Is Stinky — from bad things actually smelling bad eg that movie stinks Purposes Are Destinations — from achieving goals when we get somewhere such as having a drink eg I'm going to be a star but I'm not there yet There are many more, plus the whole world of metaphor guiding how we construct our place in the world is fascinating. The theory of primary metaphor is from Joseph Grady. If the gif is annoying here are individual static images (and prints) for: Primary metaphor · print Knowing Is Seeing · print Affection Is Warmth · print Related Ideas to Primary Metaphor Also see: Apples and Ideas A Teacher is a DJ for Learning More metaphors: Rivers and Buckets Muddy Puddles and Leaky Ceilings Pace Layers The Trust Battery The Spectrum Policy The Overton Window The Johari Window Don't Think of an Elephant Lateral Thinking Compliments Are Gifts Looking Under the Lamppost The Learning Pit The Frog Boil Metaphor Sharpen the Saw (poor trees) Eat the Frog (poor frogs) Chickens and Pigs (poor pigs) Metaphors for Ideas ## Settlement patterns URL: https://sketchplanations.com/settlement-patterns Published: 2021-10-17T13:00:00+0000 Categories: geography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8947543e-7ff2-4872-8018-3abb7d54ce3f_SP+739+-+Settlement+patterns.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Settlement Patterns illustration: in the foreground, buildings line the banks of an estuary as an example of linear settlement. A few miles inland, we see a dense grouping of buildings in a town perhaps, representing a nucleated settlement. In the foothills further back from the town, a few buildings dotted about depict dispersed settlement. And a lone dwelling half-way up a mountain in the distance is an example of an isolated settlement. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/settlement-patterns), CC BY-NC 4.0 I like these common settlement patterns — look out for them. Nucleated settlements, or clustered settlements, gather around one or more central hubs like a church or a square. Linear settlements form alongside roads or landscape features like waterways or shoreline. Dispersed settlements are common in agricultural areas where houses or farmsteads are spread out but form a loose settlement area. Isolated settlements are the loners in the most magical and isolated wilderness by themselves. ## Be open to be changed URL: https://sketchplanations.com/be-open-to-be-changed Published: 2021-10-10T13:00:00+0000 Categories: advice, improvisation Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aea8982f-dff5-4ef3-9e1a-791382afafba_SP+738+-+Be+open+to+be+changed.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Be Open To Be Changed illustration: in the top half, two people are in conversation; as one speaks, the other is only waiting their turn to tell their story. In the bottom half, the same two people are in conversation but this time, as one speaks the other simply listens - allowing their mind to remain open to what is being said. It's perhaps more rewarding to be involved in the second of these two conversations. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/be-open-to-be-changed), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's all too easy. Someone's talking with you and you make a connection to a story to share or a solution to give. From that point on it's so easy to switch off from what they're sharing with you and just be waiting for your moment to jump in and regale your story, or share your solution. You might have noticed it when it's happened to you — it didn't seem to matter what you said, they didn't really seem to take in what you were saying and why it was important, it just bounced off. It's not very satisfying. The alternative is to really listen, perhaps to listen with the same passion with which we want to be heard. It can be a little scary. You might not have an answer, and what you hear might challenge your beliefs or teach you something you didn't really want to learn — it might change you — and it requires effort. But it's surely a better way to relate to each other. I don't get this right all the time, but I did at least become aware of it when learning improvisation with Dan Klein and the second rule of improv: be spontaneous. ## Brilliance bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/brilliance-bias Published: 2021-10-03T13:00:00+0000 Categories: psychology, education, science, mathematics, inclusion, equity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c6d76358-2b01-46ce-9bcd-da0e3431f6f6_SP+737+-+Brilliance+bias.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Brilliance bias: A group of people in a gallery of portraits of famous people lament that the brilliant women were forgotten again Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/brilliance-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 Brilliance bias is the tendency for people to think of 'brilliance' as generally a male trait. With fewer women generally recorded in the history books, the brilliant people that come to mind from a young age tend to be men. Underrepresentation has consequences. Careers that are generally understood to require 'brilliance' to succeed, such as maths, physics, or philosophy, are likely to have fewer women working in them. Even at school age, attitudes start to shift in both girls and boys. For example, having an interest in games that require you to be 'really smart' or whether, when asked to draw a scientist, we draw a woman or a man. We need to stop teaching brilliance bias, and we need to celebrate the many female role models we have. My sister shared with me a page on drawing famous faces that showed 49 men to draw, and an example of the board game Guess Who having as many women to guess as it has men with facial hair as an attribute. Caroline Criado Perez's eye-opening book Invisible Women taught me about brilliance bias, including the examples here. Related Ideas to Brilliance Bias One size fits men Build your own panel of advisors ## Front stage, back stage URL: https://sketchplanations.com/front-stage-back-stage Published: 2021-09-26T13:00:00+0000 Categories: metaphor, sociology, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1e79de97-746f-4dbb-a9d0-1d6656cfef08_SP+736+-+Front+stage+back+stage.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is the Front stage back stage metaphor example: the Irving Goffman metaphor of life as theater illustrated with a couple and a waiter at a fancy restaurant Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/front-stage-back-stage), CC BY-NC 4.0 Most of us behave differently in a flashy restaurant than we do in a job interview or at a funeral. We naturally tune our behaviour to our audience and environment. As part of the metaphor of Life As Theatre with Social Life As a Performance, the famous sociologist Erving Goffman called this front stage behaviour — how we behave when people are watching. In contrast, we may only let our guard down and fully relax when we're by ourselves — here we're back stage. In a flashy restaurant, wait staff will behave differently in their interactions with guests than they will out back in their break time, and you may find yourself saying a wine you've just tasted is lovely even when you don't think it is. Once you start thinking about front stage and back stage behaviour you'll spot the "performance" of social life throughout almost every daily interaction. In his classic sociology book The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Erving Goffman explains the front stage, the back stage, and more. ## Russell's Teapot URL: https://sketchplanations.com/russells-teapot Published: 2021-09-19T13:00:00+0000 Categories: philosophy, religion, space, astronomy, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/cad9eef9-c37d-47c4-83c2-29a01e8318c5_SP+735+-+Russell%E2%80%99s+teapot.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Russell's Teapot illustration: an unexceptional china teapot floats peacefully in space with part of a large burnt-red planet visible in the background. Bertrand Russell's quote fills the space: "If I were to claim "there's a teapot, too small to spot, orbiting between Earth and Mars", the burden of proof lies on me." Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/russells-teapot), CC BY-NC 4.0 Russell's teapot is a memorable example illustrating how, if you are going to make claims that are difficult to verify, the burden of proof lies on the one making a claim — not on any skeptics to disprove it. The example he gave was claiming there's a china teapot in elliptical orbit somewhere between Earth and Mars that's too small to spot with a telescope. He suggests it would be unreasonable to expect anyone to believe such a patently unfalsifiable claim. Bertrand Russell original invoked the teapot in the context of religion and the existence of an unverifiable God, in a similar vein to the Flying Spaghetti Monster and Carl Sagan's invisible dragon. It can however be applied much wider than that. I learned about it from a helpful commenter on the BS Asymmetry Principle, also known as Brandolini's Law. ## Content drift URL: https://sketchplanations.com/content-drift Published: 2021-09-12T13:00:00+0000 Categories: animals, data Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d98583a7-864b-44b3-a9e4-36a63653671f_SP+734+-+Content+drift.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Content drift illustration: A cat-lover is seen on their mobile device, delighted at having linked to an online article containing pictures of cute cats. When they check the same link at a later date, they are confused / annoyed that it now navigates to an article with pictures of cute dogs! Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/content-drift), CC BY-NC 4.0 Content drift is how a piece of linked content may change over time such that what was once linked may in fact now be very different. An article you link to may be corrected, opinions may be changed, content may be expanded or removed, a paywall may be put in the way, and yet the link keeps steadfastly pointing. Content drift, along with link rot — pages being lost — is one of the ways that the information we have come to rely on on the internet can be gradually undermined. Here's a thread on content drift and link rot from Harvard's Jonathan Zittrain — at least, it was a thread on it when I wrote this. Also see: The Internet is Rotting. ## Altruism and ambition URL: https://sketchplanations.com/altruism-and-ambition Published: 2021-09-05T13:00:00+0000 Categories: entrepreneurship, business, wisdom Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/db66dc39-cdc9-481d-9a18-274a06f53144_SP+733+-+Altruism+and+ambition.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Altruism and Ambition Richard Reed quote illustration: a determined character soars through the clouds miles above the earth below and has a large wing strapped to their back. On the left hand side of the wing is a jet engine labelled "Altruism". On the right hand side is a jet engine labelled "Ambition". Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/altruism-and-ambition), CC BY-NC 4.0 The twin engines of altruism and ambition are a powerful force for positive change in the world. They need to be balanced. Ambition without altruism and change may not be positive and altruism without ambition may be nice without impact. But put the two together, for example with a mission-driven business like B-corps, and it can be a recipe for wonderful, positive, and meaningful change — and probably what we need to deal with the challenges of our times. This lovely concept is from Richard Reed, co-founder of Innocent Drinks, and I learned it from Holly Tucker's Conversations of Inspiration podcast. Also see: overnight success, building a plane on the way down ## Bloom's Taxonomy URL: https://sketchplanations.com/blooms-taxonomy Published: 2021-08-29T13:00:00+0000 Categories: learning, education, framework, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6786d6c5-fa04-467a-9d11-601ffe9caf82_SP+732+-+Bloom%E2%80%99s+Taxonomy+%28revised%29.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Blooms Taxonomy explanation: A series of 6 building blocks are stacked on top of each other, decreasing in size as they go up, creating a pyramid-style construction. Each block represents one of 6 thinking skills. These skills become more sophisticated as the pyramid climbs and reminds us that the foundation of learning is knowledge. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/blooms-taxonomy), CC BY-NC 4.0 Bloom's taxonomy has 6 levels of increasingly sophisticated thinking skills. It was originally developed in a slightly different form to here for classifying educational objectives and with additional variations, dimensions and sub-levels in the full models, it is useful for informing teaching and learning. The hierarchy reflects, among other things, that a strong foundation for learning is knowledge. The Six Levels in Bloom's Taxonomy The 6 levels in the revised Bloom's Taxonomy for learning are: Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create Also see: the learning pit the third teacher zone of proximal development ## BODMAS URL: https://sketchplanations.com/bodmas Published: 2021-08-22T13:00:00+0000 Categories: mathematics, refresher Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/74d7f90a-9ef3-409c-bad8-311b60818419_SP+731+-+BODMAS.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Figuring out the order of operations in a calculation using BODMAS (or PEMDAS) Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/bodmas), CC BY-NC 4.0 School mathematics refresher: when faced with a calculation that looks like it could be tackled multiple ways, use BODMAS to help clear it up (See PEMDAS at the end). BODMAS is an acronym (as opposed to an initialism) that tells you the order of operations to tackle in a calculation. BODMAS stands for Brackets, Order/Indices, Division, Multiplication, Addition, and Subtraction. So in 2 + 4 x 2 you don't end up with 6 x 2 = 12 but instead, 2 + 8 = 10 BODMAS is generally built into calculators (you can search 2 + 4 x 2 in Google to see). If you need additions or subtractions to be carried out first you can surround them in brackets eg (2 + 4) x 2 I always learned it as BODMAS, but many people told me they learned this as PEMDAS. The idea is the same just the words are different, and the ordering of Division and Multiplication, which are interchangeable: PEMDAS: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction ## Prints and performances URL: https://sketchplanations.com/prints-and-performances Published: 2021-08-15T13:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, mountains, nature, photography, music Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/91078df3-7f50-4c8e-b133-09e8ebda7e7b_SP+730+-+Ansel+Adams+-+smaller.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Prints and Performances illustration: a black and white artistic representation of the Half Dome rock formation in Yosemite National Park, California. The peak is named for its distinct shape; one side is a sheer face while the other three sides are smooth and round, making it appear like a dome cut in half. The image is accompanied by a quote from celebrated American photographer, Ansel Adams. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/prints-and-performances), CC BY-NC 4.0 "This negative is the score. The print is the performance." This memorable analogy is from Ansel Adams, one of the foremost American photographers. From the negative captured by the camera, Ansel would experiment with cropping, dodging and burning (lightening and darkening) to create the final print. We have a large print of moon and half dome in our hallway. It reminds me that what the camera captured directly isn't the final piece. You still have the performance to perform. The analogy works beyond photographs. A recipe, a script, a joke, or a business idea all still need the right performance. ## The Gini coefficient URL: https://sketchplanations.com/gini-coefficient Published: 2021-08-08T13:00:00+0000 Categories: economics, eponym, money, inclusion Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/497b6c0b-09ee-4478-9620-facd994bd05c_SP+729+-+Gini+coefficient.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Gini Coefficient illustration: a scale of wealth distribution is depicted where green squares represent the wealth of an individual within a population. On the left, every individual has a green square - equal wealth distribution. In the middle, the wealth sits with only half the population. On the right, all the wealth sits with only one person - they have a shiny crown and gold chain to display that wealth! Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/gini-coefficient), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Gini coefficient, or Gini index, is a common way to gauge income or wealth inequality within a population. The coefficient gives a single number showing how equal a distribution is. For example, in a population where everyone earns the same amount the Gini coefficient would be 0 — total equality — and in a population where one person earned all of the population's money, the Gini coefficient would be 1 (sometimes expressed as 100%) — maximum inequality. In practice all countries' Gini coefficients are somewhere in between, at around 0.25 to 0.5 after taxes. Like any simple measure the Gini has its difficulties, like being easily misinterpreted when compared, but is still widely used. The BBC has a short piece on its history and an alternative measure called the Palma ratio. Of course, we have some high profile zillionaires at the moment. You might like this old sketch of wealth inequality in America. Order print ## Ablaut reduplication URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ablaut-reduplication Published: 2021-08-01T13:00:00+0000 Categories: words, writing, language Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7bc7e8f7-8e37-45f2-86b9-28bca16d75f5_SP+728+-+Ablaut+reduplication.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is Ablaut reduplication example explained: showing zig-zag, hip-hop, and splish-splash-splosh Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ablaut-reduplication), CC BY-NC 4.0 English speakers will almost always find: a flip-flop is more natural than a flop-flip a pitter-patter of tiny feet is more natural than a patter-pitter of tiny feet and a tick-tock is more natural than a tock-tick When the vowel changes in a reduplicative term — such as wishy-washy or hip hop — it's known as ablaut reduplication, and the vowels almost always follow the order I-A-O. They almost always sound weird if you say them in any other way. It's quite fun to think of examples. I learned this neat thing from Mark Forsyth while reading about the even more surprising grammar convention about ordering adjectives in English. He explained why we say the Big Bad Wolf (thanks, ablaut reduplication) instead of the Bad Big Wolf, as our other grammar convention would dictate. A possible explanation for ablaut reduplication is that when making the sounds, we start at the front of the mouth and move to the back, which feels slightly easier or more natural. Try it! Related Ideas to Ablaut Reduplication Also see: Anadiplosis Ordering adjectives in English Pleonasm Ghoti ## The front page test URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-front-page-test Published: 2021-07-25T13:00:00+0000 Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2adda655-88ab-4de3-b077-0c35a3e00336_SP+727+-+The+front+page+test.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The Front Page test illustration: a stack of today's newspapers show a big picture of you on the front page, symbolising your actions or decisions being splashed in the news. How do you feel about that? Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-front-page-test), CC BY-NC 4.0 The front page test is a handy thought experiment for your decision-making ethics: how would you feel if your actions were on the front page of a major newspaper? Would you squirm or would you stand proud? There are many ways to think about making ethical decisions: sticking to promises, considering the net good and bad consequences, considering what would happen if everyone behaved the same way, and others. The front page test is simple and cuts through much of the noise to how you truly feel about an action. ## Yak shaving URL: https://sketchplanations.com/yak-shaving Published: 2021-07-18T13:00:00+0000 Categories: productivity, product management, software development, podcast, animals Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZtWTjEaF0TcGJqtO_SP726-Yakshaving-revised-smaller.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is yak shaving and what does it mean example: someone looks on confused as another explains the convoluted story which led to them sitting there shaving a yak, just like solving problems in software development Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/yak-shaving), CC BY-NC 4.0 Yak shaving describes how when setting out to do something, you found you had to first do something else, which needed you to finish this other thing, and so on until you found yourself shaving a yak, or equally unrelated activity, to do the first thing you set out to do. It's pretty frequent in life — tidying your room? — and particularly resonates in software development, where when tackling one thing, you often find yourself fixing something else, which needs you to fix something else, and so on. Here's the ever brilliant xkcd on fixing problems. Yak shaving features, lovingly polished, in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures. More: Here's a brilliant 40s clip of Hal changing a lightbulb from Malcolm in the Middle, classic yak shaving Early yak shaving features in the song There's a Hole in My Bucket in which fixing a bucket requires straw, which requires a knife to cut it, but the knife needs sharpening, which needs a stone, which is too dry and needs wetting with water, which needs fetching...with a bucket The first I found of yak shaving was a short article on productivity in the first issue of Make magazine by Danny O'Brien and Merlin Mann. Yak in the style of Alison Green and Adam Stower's excellent children's book, What can you Stack on the Back of a Yak? ## Context is king URL: https://sketchplanations.com/context-is-king Published: 2021-07-11T13:00:00+0000 Categories: psychology, illusion Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/54aaa859-b561-49fc-8e1c-9b6ef0338eb7_SP+725+-+Context+is+king.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Context is King illustration: the capital letters A, B and C are handwritten in sequence on the top row. On the bottom row, it's the numbers 12, 13 and 14 - again handwritten. When you look closely, you notice that the letter B and the number 13 take exactly the same form. It is only the characters that come before and after in each sequence that define them. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/context-is-king), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's been called the expectation effect. Is it a B or a 13? It appears that how we see depends on the context and what we expect to see. This neat example is from a 1955 experiment by Jerome Bruner and A. Leigh Minturn. One of the findings, other than people seamlessly identifying a B or 13 when surrounded appropriately by letters or numbers, was that when asked to draw what they saw "as is" participants were more inclined to draw a closed or partially closed B when it was surrounded by letters. What participants expected to see appeared to affect what they did see. Order print ## Push authority to information URL: https://sketchplanations.com/authority-to-information Published: 2021-07-04T13:00:00+0000 Categories: leadership, quote, management, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9fefef29-e309-42fa-accb-e66476c1e302_SP+724+-+Information+and+authority.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Push Authority to Information principle from David Marquet example explained: on the left in a position of authority, a boss waits expectantly to hear the latest updates from their team in order to make a decision. On the right, a leader distributes their authority out to team members who become empowered to make decisions themselves based on the information they have. Everyone seems happier on the right. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/authority-to-information), CC BY-NC 4.0 Bosses push information up to authority. Leaders push authority down to information. This little gem is from ex-submarine captain turned leadership guru, David Marquet. We had the absolute pleasure of meeting him on the Sketchplanations podcast: Submarine Lessons for Business Leadership with David Marquet Pretty much any talk by him is great, but here's an entertaining and thought-provoking talk by him I enjoyed. David talks about this principle, and what you need to put in place to make it work, in his book: Turn the ship around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders Related Ideas to Push Authority to Information Also see: Leading from Any Chair Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose The Responsibility Poem: Whose job is it? The accountability ladder The Three Bricklayers Manager time, Maker time The Golden Circle Umbrellas and Funnels The Pyramid Principle: organise ideas to communicate clearly OODA Loop Leading from Any Chair ## Sampling bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sampling-bias Published: 2021-06-27T13:00:00+0000 Categories: statistics, science, marketing, mathematics, data, analytics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f2fdb7cb-f126-4897-ad78-4fd11c743172_SP+723+-+Sampling+bias.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Sampling bias: a presenter proudly shows the conclusion of a bar chart of responses from people who were asked if they love responding to surveys. A resounding 'yes'. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sampling-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 If you wanted to know who would win an election, then the only reliable (most of the time) way to do that is to ask everyone to vote for real and count them all. Short of doing that, if you want to get an idea who would win you can pick a group that you hope is representative of the whole of the voting population, ask them what they plan to vote instead, and then multiply up to the full group. But it turns out, whenever you ask people things, it's jolly hard to really have confidence in what you're extrapolating up to as all sorts of bias can creep into your sample. If you ask people what they plan to vote they may lie, they may tell you what they plan to do then change their mind, they may tell you what they think you want to hear depending on who's asking, they may say the first option because it's easiest, and you may ask in the places where it's easy or cheap to do so, or hear from only the people who are happy and not too busy to talk with you. In the example in the sketch, if you hope to receive responses to your questions by surveys then you get responses from people who happen to not mind doing surveys — from anyone who throws them in the bin you won't receive a single data point. All of these, and others, can lead to a bias in your sample and, at times, to drawing wholly inaccurate conclusions. Extreme example from How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff. Related Ideas to Sampling Bias Sneaky averages All models are wrong, but some are useful—George Box You get what you measure The McNamara Fallacy Goodhart's Law The metrics onion Mathematics in everyday life Measures of central tendency: mean, median, mode ## By monkeys URL: https://sketchplanations.com/by-monkeys Published: 2021-06-17T13:00:00+0000 Categories: writing, design, product management, software development, accountability Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d9bcd263-15da-481c-9d5b-cb802b807662_SP+722+-+By+monkeys.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: By Monkeys writing principle explained: on the left, representing passive communication, a group of monkeys climb all over a typical office work station causing havoc; seemingly without much productivity. On the right, representing active communication, a diligent worker sets to fixing a software bug. There's no sign of those pesky monkeys. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/by-monkeys), CC BY-NC 4.0 Compare if you please: Sentences that have been written in a passive voice are generally less powerful than sentences that have been written in an active voice. Active writing hits harder than passive writing. It's easy for passive writing to slip in. Here's a handy technique to help you spot passive writing in your sentences. Try adding "...by monkeys" to the end of the sentence. If it still makes sense, then there's a good chance it's passive. In the example in the sketch: "The bug will be fixed" you can tack on "...by monkeys" and all makes sense. It's passive. Passive writing is an easy way to distance ourselves and our opinions from what we're writing. Active writing takes ownership and responsibility and connects with the reader. "We'll fix the bug. Sorry about that." I love the "...by monkeys" example for spotting passive writing as it vividly shows how responsibility disappears. This super example and technique is from Monzo's excellent writing principles. Handy for writing copy on the web, for your brand, and for everyday life. You might like the excellent Hemingway app to spot other non-Hemingway slips in your writing. I ran this post through it and cut out a lot of fluff. I also love the classic The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. More writing sketchplanations ## T-shirts make a team URL: https://sketchplanations.com/t-shirts-make-a-team Published: 2021-06-13T13:00:00+0000 Categories: psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/599692da-2b02-475c-ac08-355239962ceb_SP+721+-+T-shirts+make+a+team.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: T-Shirts make a Team illustration: The group of people on the left have different coloured t-shirts and seem a bit lost. The group on the right are all wearing green t-shirts and they're celebrating success. What a team! Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/t-shirts-make-a-team), CC BY-NC 4.0 "Whatever your current T-shirt budget is, double it," said Tom Kelley in his book The Art of Innovation. He was talking about what makes 'hot teams' through his experience leading the global design company IDEO. I'm still amazed by the power of wearing the same thing to instantly unite a group. From the dressing up of bachelor and bachelorette parties, to putting on a shirt for a sports team, a demonstration, a company event, or just a night out, wearing the same thing feels good and brings people together like little else can. Order a print ## Passing on an inside bend URL: https://sketchplanations.com/overtaking Published: 2021-06-06T13:00:00+0000 Categories: lifehack, safety, travel, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9321160b-d08b-4a92-9a4f-b0d0b14f1156_SP+720+-+Passing+on+an+inside+bend.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Time passing on an inside bend illustration (UK edition): showing a two-lane carriage way bending to the right with a red arrow to show the shorter route for overtaking Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/overtaking), CC BY-NC 4.0 We all know that racing drivers overtake on the inside — it's the shorter, faster route. It was only relatively recently that I found how useful it can be on a long drive, too, not for racing but for using the bend on a multilane road for easier, safer overtaking. Perhaps this scenario will resonate: after cruising at a steady speed for miles of a long journey you slowly catch up with a car traveling just a few miles an hour slower. You're not driving fast enough to zip by them, but the difference is enough to slow your steady progress on a long journey, and if you're driving near the speed limit anyway you probably don't want to accelerate much to overtake. On a multi-lane road like a motorway or freeway — not a single lane road where you'd be overtaking with reduced visibility on the corner in the opposing lane — timing your overtaking so you're on the inside of a bend and the slower car is on the outside allows you to get round the slower driver in a shorter time and without needing to travel nearly as fast. And the converse is also true: if you've timed your overtaking when approaching a bend where you'll be on the outside you'll find that you'll have to go a lot faster to get round or perhaps that your intended overtaking is actually not getting you past at all. ## Umbrellas and funnels URL: https://sketchplanations.com/umbrella-funnel Published: 2021-05-30T13:00:00+0000 Categories: management, product management, leadership, metaphor, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3ba5136b-de89-438b-aa1d-fe3fb8bb2cab_SP+719+-+Umbrellas+and+funnels.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Umbrella and Funnel management style example explained: Todd Jackson's shit umbrella or shit funnel metaphor shown with on the left, the effective manager uses an umbrella to shield their team from a downpour of tasks and requests coming from all directions. This sheltered team are focussed and productive and celebrate their achievements. On the right, in place of the umbrella, the less effective manager uses a funnel as a catch-all, showering their team with actions, sending the team members running scared. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/umbrella-funnel), CC BY-NC 4.0 A manager or leader can be an umbrella or a funnel. An umbrella shields the team from distractions, last-minute changes, and conflicting priorities, creating a protective space where they can focus and thrive. This umbrella management style ensures the team has the clarity and autonomy needed to do their work. A funnel, however, allows every request, deadline, and distraction to pour straight through, leaving the team overwhelmed and struggling to keep up. As organisations grow, the demands on a team often increase dramatically—especially in areas like product management at tech companies. Left unchecked, these demands can drain a team’s time, energy, and ability to focus on what really matters. Todd Jackson, former product manager of Gmail, captured this perfectly with the umbrella and funnel analogy: great managers act as umbrellas, shielding their teams and enabling progress. Poor managers, by contrast, become funnels that overload their teams. All of us want autonomy to choose our own actions, but none of us want to be overwhelmed. Be the umbrella. Related ideas: Push authority to information Manager time, maker time (or Manager's Schedule, Maker's Schedule) ## The curb-cut effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-curb-cut-effect Published: 2021-05-23T13:00:00+0000 Categories: usability, design, effect, law, inclusion, equity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f103d71e-0ecb-4e78-bc02-e6dce18d0ed8_SP+718+-+The+curb-cut+effect.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The curb-cut effect: A range of people of all ages next to a crossing, road, and park show how the curb cut design for disabilities benefits everyone Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-curb-cut-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The curb-cut effect illustrates how when we design to benefit disadvantaged or vulnerable groups we end up helping society as a whole. Angela Glover Blackwell explains how campaigning by students with disabilities in Berkeley in the early 1970s led to adding curb cuts to the Berkeley sidewalks to make access easier for those in wheelchairs. Yet it wasn't just people in wheelchairs that it helped. Curb cuts also made life easier for people pushing children in strollers, people using trolleys for deliveries, people pulling a suitcase, those wheeling bikes or on skateboards, and it also helps save lives by guiding people to cross at safe locations. Another example is adding closed captioning to TV that helps anyone watch in a noisy bar, a waiting room, or watching an airline safety video. Or a classic example of universal design in the OXO Good Grips range originally made to be comfortable for holding a peeler even if you have arthritis. It's also a useful analogy for "how laws and programs designed to benefit vulnerable groups, such as the disabled or people of color, often end up benefiting all," (PolicyLink) whether that be increasing broadband access, improving public transport or taking cuts out of curbs. Here's a short, fun video of Gary Karp explaining the curb-cut effect. Thanks to my patron Quintin Balsdon for sharing it with me. ## When drinking tea, just drink tea URL: https://sketchplanations.com/when-drinking-tea-just-drink-tea Published: 2021-05-16T13:00:00+0000 Categories: mindfulness, wellbeing, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f0ae9327-1788-4d3d-9fb1-ee930b87de0f_SP+717+-+When+drinking+tea+just+drink+tea.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: When Drinking Tea, Just Drink Tea - Zen proverb illustration: a blue tenshi teapot, often used in Japan, sits beside two cups of steaming hot tea, next to an open window looking out onto a calm natural scene of trees, hills and a river.. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/when-drinking-tea-just-drink-tea), CC BY-NC 4.0 When drinking tea, just drink tea. While I sometimes find myself drinking coffee and reading a book with a little background music, the basic idea of this Zen proverb seems sound. Stay in the moment. Don't try to do things at the same time. Focus on what you're doing. Leave the phone in the other room. Avoid continuous partial attention. This proverb has stuck with me since I first came across it in a NYT article from Michael Pollan in 2009, no longer available online. He later published a summary of much of his food wisdom in his simple, approachable book: Food Rules. Several of them I realised I'd covered in some form here as sketches: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants Shop healthy Buy smaller plates If it's not good enough for bugs, it's not good enough for you Sketch in the ligne claire art style of Tintin. ## Languishing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/languishing Published: 2021-05-09T13:00:00+0000 Categories: wellbeing, health, happiness, psychology, anxiety Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3fbc8cd3-ba72-4dd3-937a-45ee9e3f4488_SP+716+-+Languishing.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Languishing illustration: an unmotivated, apathetic figure sits slumped in an armchair with a TV remote in hand, clearly fed up and demoralised - for the time being at least. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/languishing), CC BY-NC 4.0 Meh. Blah. Can't be bothered? Not excited about the future? Perhaps you're languishing. Adam Grant's NYT article, There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing, resonated with so many people as the coronavirus pandemic drew on. While not having a mental illness or being clinically depressed, many of us associated with a general stagnation or apathy towards things — an absence of, or poor, mental health. Languishing is a counterpoint to how we might feel in prime mental health, full of wellbeing or Flourishing. While languishing may not be necessarily dangerous in itself, if you're languishing you may be at higher risk of mental illness. Some steps Adam suggests we can take: Naming our state can be a first step to doing something about it Looking for small wins that show us progress Asking how our friends and family are doing — having the opportunity to speak to someone about it You also might consider working on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing, getting in some forest bathing, walking a labyrinth, aiming for some flow, noticing when you're happy, or seeing what might bring you hope. — The term languishing for that part of the mental health continuum is from Corey Keyes. See for example, Corey L. M. Keyes. “The Mental Health Continuum: From Languishing to Flourishing in Life.”Journal of Health and Social Behavior, vol. 43, no. 2, 2002, pp. 207–222. Armchair and inspiration, as usual, from Bill Watterson. Order a print ## Confirmation bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/confirmation-bias Published: 2021-05-02T13:00:00+0000 Categories: psychology, bias, politics, kindness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1ebcea55-8f8d-48d3-8360-dce84f43acd2_SP+715+-+Confirmation+bias.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Confirmation bias: people dressed in blue buy the blue newspapers at a newsstand while some reds are buying the red papers. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/confirmation-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 Confirmation bias is the big one. The bias that leads us to live in a world of our own choosing, finding the information that already fits with our beliefs and ignoring or discounting what doesn't. It's the bias that makes two sides get further apart rather than closer together. Edward De Bono in Water Logic suggested a metaphor for thought as channels of water. As water runs through the channels the channels get deeper, and as they get deeper it pulls more of the water into the main channels until there is only one way. Confirmation bias can act like that. It's important to work to understand different opinions, not discount them upfront. To use our empathy to understand why others feel the way they do. And when we deliberately seek out information that challenges our point of view we will usually find a richer, more nuanced world that helps build bridges with others rather than drive us apart. ## Herd immunity URL: https://sketchplanations.com/herd-immunity Published: 2021-04-25T13:00:00+0000 Categories: health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e63015d6-0f6b-470a-96aa-9248a7f70fb2_SP+714+-+Herd+immunity.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Herd Immunity illustration: in a line of 10 people, we see how members of a society immunised or protected from a disease or infection (in blue) can act as a buffer between unprotected members (in red) and those vulnerable to infection (in green). Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/herd-immunity), CC BY-NC 4.0 When studying rates of infections, notably with measles, researchers have seen that in cases where a sufficiently large proportion of a population has been immunised or developed protection against a disease then infection rates also reduce in unprotected members of the population. In other words, the unprotected members appear to receive some indirect protection from the protected members of the population. This effect is known as herd immunity and is a tantalising goal for reducing the prevalence of epidemics. While appealing in theory this article in Nature provides Five reasons why COVID herd immunity is probably impossible. These include: Uncertainty around whether vaccinations prevent transmission. For example, herd immunity works when diseases can't be passed between protected members of a population to the unprotected. With COVID-19, vaccines seem to reduce symptoms but may still allow transmission. It's also challenging to get vaccines evenly to all areas. These combined with complications brought by new variants, immunity fading before widespread vaccination is achieved, and people changing their behaviour — say, mixing more widely — once they've received some protection, means COVID-19 may be more likely to be something we live alongside rather than eradicate. Also see: the Swiss cheese model Order print ## The dilution effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-dilution-effect Published: 2021-04-18T13:00:00+0000 Categories: effect, psychology, risk Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e8343ab5-b92f-4dc5-8e0c-ad90c185d951_SP+713+-+The+dilution+effect.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The dilution effect illustration: showing how adding a side effect of 'itchy feet' to sleeping pills reduces perceived risk of the other side-effects of heart attack and stroke! Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-dilution-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 In much of life we're used to things adding up — got one scoop of ice cream? Two is likely to be better. Buying one thing? Getting another free is probably a good thing. The dilution effect, however, illustrates an interesting action of our brain when evaluating our options. Niro Sivanathan showed that when displaying possible side-effects of drugs, if you were to add another side-effect, a minor one like 'itchy feet', instead of the extra negative side-effect increasing our overall perception of the risk of the drug it actually lowered it. So, people would deem a drug with the side effects heart attack, stroke, and itchy feet, as less risky than one with just heart attack and stroke. In another clever experiment by Christopher Hsee at the University of Chicago, people were willing to pay less for a new dinnerware set when the set was actually larger but also included some broken items. Even though a set had more intact items the presence of a few broken ones decreased the set's perceived value. And the same may be true when making an argument to persuade someone to see our point of view. If you have 2 strong points and 1 weaker one, your argument may actually be made weaker by adding the extra point. As Niro Sivanathan, an Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School, explains: Arguments don't add up. They average out. Next time you're making your case, consider sticking to your strong arguments. Order a print — Hear Niro Sivanathan explain the dilution effect in his 10 min TED talk The counterintuitive way to be more persuasive The paper: Sivanathan, N., Kakkar, H. The unintended consequences of argument dilution in direct-to-consumer drug advertisements.Nat Hum Behav 1,797–802 (2017). ## Replicate then innovate URL: https://sketchplanations.com/replicate-then-innovate Published: 2021-04-11T13:00:00+0000 Categories: innovation, creativity, learning, starting, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/34fd8152-70aa-41ac-8fe1-370ec31411e7_SP+712+-+Replicate+then+innovate.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Replicate, then Innovate illustration: inspired by seeing a peer present their decorative star, a young creative sets to; making lots of stars in different styles and sizes, seemingly without any plan in mind. Some are hung up on the wall, some coloured in, some combined with other shapes, until a large, multi-coloured, multi-layered star decoration comes together and hangs majestically from 2 hooks. The young creative seems pleased with themself. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/replicate-then-innovate), CC BY-NC 4.0 When it comes to innovating, counterintuitively, I think the surest way to produce something new and noteworthy is to start by replicating the work you admire. If you're making music, first play the music from your favourite artists, then make music like theirs. Only when you've mastered that do you need to go your own way. If you admire Hemingway, practice writing like him, and your own voice will likely develop by itself. Before helping develop cubism Picasso was first an accomplished artist. It's easy to look at the best and think you have to be different. But standing up first makes it easier to stand on the shoulders of giants. In failing to imitate the people and the things that we admire the most, we discover what our own voice is. Because we're constantly making adjustments for what we like. - paraphrased from Luigi Zaninelli What's more, copying is much lower pressure. Replicate, then innovate. I learned this idea while working at Jump Associates ## Looking under the lamppost: the Streetlight Effect or the Drunkard's Search URL: https://sketchplanations.com/looking-under-the-lamppost Published: 2021-04-04T13:00:00+0000 Categories: behavioral economics, metaphor, parable, management, leadership, product management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/54100eae-1fee-40b7-b3d7-c0b9e309da1c_SP+711+-+Looking+under+the+lamppost.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Looking under the lamppost, the streetlight effect, or the drunkard's search: a person asks someone scrabbling on the floor under a lamppost at night if they've lost their keys. The person replies they lost them elsewhere, but the light's much better here. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/looking-under-the-lamppost), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's an old economists' joke: A person out walking at night comes across a man scrabbling on the floor under a lamppost. The man on the floor says he lost his keys. When asked when he dropped them, he replies, "Oh, I dropped them over there, but the light's better here." The joke is also known as The Streetlight Effect, the Streetlight Problem or the Drunkard's Search. It's an apt metaphor for how, if we're honest with ourselves, sometimes we find ourselves working, searching, or staying where we find it easier rather than where we know we ought to be. Examples of streetlight problems Streetlight problems abound. Here are some examples of where we might find ourselves looking under the lamppost instead of where the best answers are. Improving metrics that are easier to track or that you're measured on (see Goodhart's Law) such as page views or clicks rather than things that matter more such as customer satisfaction or long-term outcomes. Running studies using datasets that are easy to gather rather than better data that is harder to gather. Optimising an existing product because it's known and does well, rather than trying riskier new products. Focusing on exam scores when things like curiosity, love of learning, confidence, job prospects, are harder to measure. Counting calories because they are easy to track, while ignoring diet quality, sleep, stress, and habits that matter more but are harder to change. Improving productivity rather than addressing root causes and focusing on the most important problem. Adding automation where data is clean and structured even if the biggest inefficiencies lie elsewhere. Reducing screen time for kids rather than addressing what they're doing on screens. Arguing about chores or tidiness because they are concrete and measurable, while the real tension is about expectations, fairness, or emotional load. I'm sure you can think of many more. In each case, the light is better where we are looking—but what we're trying to fix lies out of the light, somewhere darker, less convenient, and harder to reach. A test you can try: If the light moved, would you still be looking in the same place? Related Ideas to Looking Under the Lamppost Also see: The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek You get what you measure What gets measured gets better Leading and Lagging Metrics Goodhart's Law ## The blind and the elephant URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-blind-and-the-elephant Published: 2021-03-28T13:00:00+0000 Categories: wisdom, animals, storytelling, parable Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/163a7d82-ead0-43c0-8cc7-521534483e0a_SP+710+-+The+blind+and+the+elephant.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Blind and the Elephant illustration: a large elephant is joined by three blindfolded individuals; one reaching out to touch the elephant's trunk, one feels along the elephant's side and the other has hold of its tail. Each individual seeks to identify what's in front of them, but with the limited information they have, none of them guess correctly. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-blind-and-the-elephant), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's an old, old Eastern story about some blind men who encounter an elephant. As the blind make sense of what each feels it's also a memorable illustration of how our own views are shaped by our subjective experience and, as so often, that we don't see the full picture. In various versions the men may argue over what it is, convinced they themselves must be right, or collaborate to identify the elephant together. Most of our experience is somewhat like this. We rarely see the whole truth. When we stay humble and accept others' experience we give ourselves the chance to learn a little more. Order print ## Labyrinths and mazes URL: https://sketchplanations.com/maze-labyrinth Published: 2021-03-21T14:00:00+0000 Categories: words, whats the difference between, wellbeing, anxiety, health, problem solving Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/37d9b43d-a87f-44af-a968-f8a5b61c1eda_SP+709+-+Maze+labyrinth.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Labyrinth maze: A person lost in a maze with many choices and a person thoughtfully walking through a labyrinth following the path inexorably and peacefully towards the centre Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/maze-labyrinth), CC BY-NC 4.0 There's a crucial, and wonderful, distinction between mazes and labyrinths. A maze is a multi-branching, complex structure with twists, turns, choices, dead-ends and treasure or Triwizard cups in the centre. It's confusing, daunting, exciting, fun, challenging, maybe deadly. A maze heightens awareness, concentration, and your heart rate. A labyrinth has a single path. One long, twisting, but unwavering path towards the central destination and back out. It's simple, calming, straightforward, reassuring and satisfying. Every step is progress. There are no tough choices to make. No paths, maps or mental models to balance in your head. Nothing to intrude on your thinking, just your next step. A labyrinth gives space for your thoughts, and is calming and peaceful. If you want adventure and action, find a maze. If you'd like calm and contemplation, find a labyrinth. No wonder then that walking a labyrinth has been found to reduce stress, increase calm and aid recovery in hospitals and centres for therapy and mental health care. Try tracing your finger over the paths of each to feel the difference. Also see: solvitur ambulando. — The two are based on the hedge maze at Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace near where we live, and the wonderful Land's End Labyrinth (video) near where we used to live. The original labyrinth of Crete, of Theseus and the Minotaur fame, was complex and confusing and no doubt not like the labyrinths that have now evolved from it. ## Biceps, Triceps, Quadriceps: Meaning and Difference URL: https://sketchplanations.com/biceps-triceps-quadriceps Published: 2021-03-14T14:00:00+0000 Categories: biology, anatomy, science, health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aPJmBp5xUNkB2Gs-_SP708-Biceps%2Ctriceps%2Cquadriceps-instagram.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the meaning and difference between biceps, triceps, and quadriceps - all about ceps meaning heads Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/biceps-triceps-quadriceps), CC BY-NC 4.0 One day after swimming front crawl — which works the triceps nicely — it all became clear. The triceps muscle has a curious shape at the top because it has three heads or points of origin. Its name literally comes from Latin: tri-ceps, meaning “three-headed.” The biceps — from bi-ceps, meaning “two-headed” — is a two-headed muscle attached with a long and short connection at the top of the arm. The quadriceps, from quadri-ceps or “four-headed,” is a group of four muscles on the front of the thigh that work together to extend your knee, though they're a little harder to see. So the difference between the biceps, triceps, and quadriceps lies in the number of heads or attachments each has — two, three, and four, respectively — and in where what part of the anatomy they’re found: the upper arm and the upper leg. Beyond this concept finally clicking for me, it was fun to emulate some of the anatomical graphical style of Leonardo Da Vinci — perhaps the ultimate at sketchplanations? — which I have long admired. For inspiration, this is a cracking collection: Leonardo Da Vinci the Graphic Works. Related Ideas to Biceps, Triceps, Quadriceps Also see: Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure Readings Proprioception 1.5 billion heartbeats in a lifetime The half-life of caffeine Crossmodal perception ## The Learning Pit URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-learning-pit Published: 2021-03-07T14:00:00+0000 Categories: learning, education, metaphor Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f638ba04-dc17-44d4-8885-49e7bd33323b_SP+707+-+The+Learning+Pit+-+James+Nottingham+-+challenginglearning.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The Learning Pit illustration: a journey from left to right; an individual faces a learning challenge represented by a large pit they need to reach the other side of. Having fallen down into the pit, the challenge seems more difficult than first anticipated. As the picture becomes clearer they discover what they need to climb up the other side to a point where they can look back down at the pit having mastered the challenge. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-learning-pit), CC BY-NC 4.0 James Nottingham's metaphor of The Learning Pit illustrates the struggle before "getting it." It's the learning journey of approaching a new concept, uncovering conflicts or contradictions with your knowledge, confusion, beginning to put new ideas together and finally the clarity of a new concept mastered. There are natural parallels to other models like the stages of competence, Lev Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, or Carol Dweck's growth mindset. Here's a nice animated video explaining the Learning Pit if you're curious. — The Learning Pit was created by James Nottingham (2007, 2010, 2017). More details at: learningpit.org Nottingham, J.A. (2007). Exploring the Learning Pit. Teaching Thinking and Creativity, 8:2(23), 64–68. Birmingham, UK: Imaginative Minds Nottingham, J.A. (2010). Challenging Learning (1st ed.). Alnwick, Northumberland, UK: JN Publishing. Nottingham, J.A. (2017). The Learning Challenge: How to Guide Your Students Through the Learning Pit. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Thanks to Julia Silver of Qualified Tutor for educating me about it. ## Climate anxiety URL: https://sketchplanations.com/climate-anxiety Published: 2021-02-28T14:00:00+0000 Categories: climate, emotions, anxiety Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/021089d5-0699-487e-be7b-109b0c725fcd_SP+706+-+Climate+anxiety.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Climate Anxiety illustration: a disconsolate figure on the left ponders the scale of the climate emergency picturing scenes of widespread drought and flooding. Having considered this predicament, they become motivated and defiant realising that one thing they can do is take some action - no matter how small. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/climate-anxiety), CC BY-NC 4.0 While talking on a walk with our 9-year-old, he suddenly said, "Well, what does it matter anyway? We've messed up our planet, and it's filling up with plastic." This is a mighty burden to bear for a 9-year-old. With increased awareness and education across society, climate anxiety is real. What is Climate Anxiety? Climate anxiety is the background stress and dread caused by thinking about the state of the climate of the planet and where it's going. One good thing, however, is that one way to alleviate climate anxiety is to be taking action, and fortunately, action is also what the planet needs, too. Suffering from climate anxiety? I recommend reading Hannah Ritchie's: Not the End of the World 2025 explainer on climate anxiety from Carbon Brief ## Fact tennis URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fact-tennis Published: 2021-02-21T14:00:00+0000 Categories: relationships, conflict, emotions, parenting, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/178971be-d1ca-4b35-b05e-cf2ceeaf2761_SP+705+-+Fact+tennis.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Fact Tennis illustration: two individuals with tennis racquets knock unproductive, point-scoring arguments back and forth over a pile of laundry. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fact-tennis), CC BY-NC 4.0 There are both constructive and unproductive ways to argue. One classic unproductive style is what Philippa Perry, in The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, calls fact tennis. With fact tennis, the goal can seem more like scoring points over your opponent rather than actually finding a workable solution — facts are hit back and forth until one person wins when the other has no more reasons left to counter with. But of course, the argument isn't resolved, and the result is a hollow victory and a still-frustrated loser. For a more productive argument, we can reframe from winning to understanding — we can seek to share how we feel about it, and to understand how the other person feels about the conflict and their point of view, and take that into consideration. When we have a greater understanding, we can move forward together to find a workable solution. As Philippa explains, "Finding out about differences and working through them is about understanding and compromise, not about winning." Related Ideas to Fact Tennis Also see: Don't compare your back-of-house with others' front-of-house Continuous Partial Attention Emotional Hot Potato ## Wabi sabi URL: https://sketchplanations.com/wabi-sabi Published: 2021-02-14T14:00:00+0000 Categories: words, wellbeing, mindfulness, beauty, japan Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0dbcde9b-b54e-4631-b2c9-fbfec928d5ac_SP+704+-+Wabi+sabi.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is wabi sabi Japanese wisdom meaning and definition with an old bonsai tree in a bowl and some fallen leaves in wabi-sabi style Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/wabi-sabi), CC BY-NC 4.0 Wabi sabi is a beautiful Japanese idea and worldview of appreciating the small traits of imperfection, the changes in things as they age, and that nothing is wholly complete. Nothing lasts, Nothing is finished, Nothing is perfect, And therein lies its beauty. It might be appreciating the unique unevenness in a handmade bowl, the cracks and weathering of wood as it is grows old, or the softened and coloured pages of an old book. It's a lovely frame of mind that helps us see the beauty in things that aren't perfect and brand new. As a society, it's probably something we could do with more of. It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not. — Thich Nhat Hanh The simple phrasing of nothing lasts, nothing is finished and nothing is perfect is from Wabi Sabi Simple by Richard Powell. The final line from me. ## The bandwagon effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-bandwagon-effect Published: 2021-02-07T14:00:00+0000 Categories: effect, psychology, bias Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/42f5c453-6ad5-4e66-a19d-e95ec3e00200_SP+703+-+The+bandwagon+effect.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The bandwagon effect: someone struggles to decide at a path forking between a long empty road of 'what they think' and one full of people and fun of 'what everyone thinks' Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-bandwagon-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 There are a lot of reasons why it can make sense to go with the majority. Going with the popular view is a shortcut for taking the time and effort to make our own decisions from scratch. We might reason that if others believe it, then it's probably true. But we can also keenly feel the desire to conform to the majority view because it's uncomfortable to hold a different opinion — the easy choice is so often to go with the flow even if, deep down, you disagree. So we get the bandwagon effect. The bandwagon effect can lead to the Abilene paradox — where a group can make a decision that no one in the group agrees with. On a night out it may lead to just following the crowd, but in a company it could lead to launching a product that no one thinks is good or, more seriously, in safety critical industries like airlines, if people don't feel comfortable speaking up against the group or authority it could lead to accidents. ## The Bystander Effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-bystander-effect Published: 2021-01-30T14:00:00+0000 Categories: effect, psychology, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/599ae032-0dd6-4d70-bda2-3bb559d2196c_SP+702+-+The+bystander+effect.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The bystander effect: a lady sits dazed on the floor in a busy train station while others ignore her or walk on by — someone really ought to check she's ok Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-bystander-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The essence of the bystander effect is that in a situation where someone needs help, if others are around who could help, then it discourages us as individuals from stepping in. While there may be many reasons for this, and it has been replicated in many different contexts, a recent study of CCTV footage paints a more optimistic picture. In the study, they saw that although the likelihood of any individual intervening may be reduced with other bystanders present, the chances of someone coming to help increase the more people are around. In 9 out of 10 public conflicts they studied at least one person, and often several, came to help. So the lady in the sketch would probably be OK. Given the bystander effect, I remember being taught that if you are in a motor vehicle accident, don't assume that someone has called for help already: it could help to choose someone directly and ask them to call for help to avoid everyone thinking everyone else will do it. It reminds me of the story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody (also known as the responsibility poem): There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have. The paper referenced is: Philpot, Richard & Liebst, Lasse & Levine, Mark & Bernasco, Wim & Lindegaard, Marie. (2019). Would I be helped? Cross-national CCTV footage shows that intervention is the norm in public conflicts. The American psychologist. 75. 10.1037/amp0000469. (pdf) ## Data Information Knowledge Wisdom URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dikw Published: 2021-01-24T14:00:00+0000 Categories: framework, data, knowledge, wisdom Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e97aed8c-e243-4256-9849-f462b1207bec_SP+701+-+Data+information+knowledge+wisdom.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: A funnel of dots of information emerge as a shining ball of wisdom at the bottom — the DIKW chain Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dikw), CC BY-NC 4.0 In his poem The Rock, T.S. Eliot wrote: Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? In these short lines he touched on an intriguing differentiation between wisdom, knowledge and information. Add data at the beginning and people have proposed various models such as a hierarchy, chain, or pyramid to help understand their relationships. It's perhaps like a skier who's experienced the data points of snow and conditions in the mountains most days of their life. They begin to observe predictable patterns and then gradually distill these into knowledge of the relationships between the weather and avalanche risk. And over a lifetime of building and applying such knowledge they may develop instincts and behaviours for predicting risk and living with the mountains that may even be called wisdom. Perhaps there's something in it. In an unlikely scenario, I once wrote a class paper, that somehow people still find to read, on The Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom Chain: The Metaphorical link (pdf). It touches on some of the subtle differences of how we think about each of these, such as how I might complain of information overload, but never of knowledge overload. ## Wishcycling URL: https://sketchplanations.com/wishcycling Published: 2021-01-17T14:00:00+0000 Categories: sustainability, products, economics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/98444b2f-4621-4713-bbc3-33787aa42d20_SP+700+-+Wishcycling.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Wishcycling: someone wonders about whether something can go in the recycling — followed by the effect on each part of the recycling chain after Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/wishcycling), CC BY-NC 4.0 I've been there. I'm holding some packaging that kind of looks like it ought to be recyclable but isn't one of the standard products that are asked for. I could put it in the bin and then it'll head straight to landfill, or I could put it in the recycling and then it has a chance of being recycled, right? So it often seems better to recycle it in the hope that it might be recovered rather than consign it to certain landfill. This is known as wishcycling. Sadly, from all that I've read about wishcycling it's not the best approach. When we put in non-recyclables into a recycling bin it contaminates the high quality recyclable materials and several things can happen: A lot of dry recycling is still manually sorted in Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs). When the quality of the input goes down it can require more people to sort it. It's not a pretty job if it also contains items that are contaminated with food waste Non-recyclable items that processing machines aren't designed for can damage them and mean costly maintenance Items like batteries that make it into regular recycling can start fires in paper bales which is dangerous and expensive Non-recyclables mixed in can mean a lower quality end product to use to turn into new products. This can reduce what it can be used for and make it harder to sell Paying more pickers and sorters and servicing machines costs money, and selling lower quality products brings less in, both of which reduce the profitability and potential viability of recycling operations So the advice I have learned to take on board is: Check what you can recycle locally If in doubt, keep it out Counterintuitively, if we want to recycle more, it seems at the moment we have to recycle less. And even better is to reduce and reuse where possible in the first place. ## Binary URL: https://sketchplanations.com/binary Published: 2021-01-10T14:00:00+0000 Categories: mathematics, software development, refresher Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/dae3fb94-be49-47b5-b4ba-9781dd910b9c_SP+699+-+Binary.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: A breakdown of constructing the number 13 in the decimal system of base 10 next to 13 written in the base 2 of binary Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/binary), CC BY-NC 4.0 We find it handy to count in the decimal system using 10 numbers from 0,9, known as base 10, before we have to put two together to make 10 to keep counting further — 10 fingers and toes and all. But it turns out you can represent all numbers equally using just two digits, known as base 2, a 0 and a 1. This is called the binary system and is credited to Gottfried Wilhelm Liebniz in the 1600s. The binary system is handy because 1s and 0s can be represented by simply by on/off and reproduced in as simple means as pebbles in trays , the sign of a magnetic field eg positive/negative, or a gate as open or closed. This made them the choice for designing computers and is how digital information is stored and transmitted today. When we write a decimal number we use positional notation with each successive position representing 10 to the next power. So 739 is understood as (7 x 10^2) + (3 x 10^1) + (9 x 10^0). 10 to the power 2 is 10 x 10, so is the number of 100s in the number. Anything to the power 0 is 1. The same is true in binary, so 1101 is understood in decimal as: 1101 = (1 x 2^3) + (1 x 2^2) + (0 x 2^1) + (1 x 2^0) or 1101 = (1 x 8) + (1 x 4) + (0 x 2) + (1 x 1) = 8 + 4 + 0 + 1 = 13 Each 0 or 1 in a binary number is known as a bit — named by Claude Shannon as short for binary digit — and 8 bits is known as a byte. Translating to decimal looks fiddly, but computers don't have to do that, they can just add, subtract or multiply the binary numbers directly. Amazing to think that the device you may be reading this on now is just incredibly efficient at manipulating 1s and 0s. For a readable and visual introduction to the history and operation of computers — from binary, logic gates, transistors, circuits, and Moore's law through to software and AI — you could do a lot worse than my Dad's book The Computing Universe 😀 ## Microadventure URL: https://sketchplanations.com/microadventure Published: 2021-01-03T14:00:00+0000 Categories: camping, nature, wellbeing, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a6219f8b-c157-45c4-923d-638e4c862126_SP+698+-+Microadventure.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is a microadventure: short, simple, local, and cheap adventures / like camping on a school night Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/microadventure), CC BY-NC 4.0 Not all of us can ditch jobs, families and responsibilities and choose to spend the next few months trekking across some tundra or cycling to China. Those are adventures, sure, but, argues Alastair Humphreys, we don't need something of that scale to get a perspective-shifting snap out of the daily grind and connection with nature—we can try a microadventure instead. What is a Microadventure? A microadventure might be as simple as camping in the garden with your family, paddling down a local river and camping on the bank, or staying the night on a nearby hilltop under the stars, catching the sunrise with a wild swim to wake up and being back in time for breakfast. The essence is that they are short, simple, local, and cheap. No fancy gear, complex planning, big budgets or long travel—an achievable adventure for regular people without giving up the rest of our lives to do it. At the time of writing, around the COVID pandemic, when bigger trips are challenging, it seems that people have been spending more time exploring locally and discovering the richness of nearby natural spots. In fact, Al wrote another book about precisely that: Local. We could all use a microadventure from time to time. Related Ideas to Microadventures The Fun Scale: type 1, type 2 and type 3 fun Naismith's Rule 5 Ways to Wellbeing The 3 Day Effect ## Starting a company URL: https://sketchplanations.com/starting-a-company Published: 2020-12-27T14:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, entrepreneurship, transport, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e2df14ed-52a9-45ae-9bbc-1435b39165b7_SP+697+-+Starting+a+company.PNG?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Starting a Company - Reid Hoffman quote illustration: a brave soul leaps off a tall coastal cliff with only a backpack for survival. On their way down, they quickly assemble a plane from the components in the backpack and pilot it away from the beckoning sea - just in time! Written in the sky is the quote: "Starting a Company is like jumping off a cliff and assembling a plane on the way down." Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/starting-a-company), CC BY-NC 4.0 Starting a company isn't easy. Reid Hoffman, cofounder of LinkedIn, says: "Starting a company is like jumping off a cliff and assembling the plane on the way down." But just because it's hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. I remember receiving some advice that you shouldn't wait around for the right time to have children as you'll never find it. I suspect starting a company is similar. It reminds me of this lovely quote I have taken to heart from Hugh Laurie: "It's a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you're ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any." As far as I could tell, unconsciously or separately, Reid's version relates to Ray Bradbury's earlier advice of jumping off a cliff and building your wings on the way down. Other times, the excellent Kurt Vonnegut is invoked: "We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down." This quote, modified to a lovely two-page spread, features with a number of others in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures. Prints of the two-page spread visual ## Days of the week URL: https://sketchplanations.com/days-of-the-week Published: 2020-12-20T14:00:00+0000 Categories: time, history, words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7c802f67-3bb8-411e-a0be-8a2a48ab1d5a_SP+696+-+Days+of+the+week.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Days of the week and their Norse Gods: Tyr for Tuesday, Odin for Wednesday, Thor for Thursday and Frigg for Friday. And the Sun, Moon and Saturn for Sunday, Monday and Saturday. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/days-of-the-week), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Norse Gods are still among us in the names of the days of the week. Tuesday — from Old English Tiw, for Tyr the Norse god of combat Wednesday — from Old English Woden, for Odin the one-eyed king of the gods Thursday — for Thor, the quick to fight god of ordinary people with his magical hammer Mjollnir Friday — for Frigg, wife of Odin and goddess of marriage and motherhood While Saturday, Sunday and Monday follow the celestial bodies Saturn, the sun, and the moon. As a wonderful introduction to the Norse myths and gods you could do much worse than the entertaining and beautifully produced Illustrated Norse Myths I was commanded to read by our 9-year old. Illustrations based off of those by the excellent Matteo Pincelli. ## The spectrum policy URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-spectrum-policy Published: 2020-12-13T14:00:00+0000 Categories: ideas, metaphor, reframe, creativity, management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/29befe0d-2f4b-4c83-ac95-4346318d8132_SP+695+-+The+spectrum+policy.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the spectrum policy from the practice of creativity by George M. Prince Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-spectrum-policy), CC BY-NC 4.0 One of my favourite books is a rather dog-eared 1970 edition of The Practice of Creativity by George Prince. The book gives wonderful examples and tools for having successful creative discussions in meetings. So much, George lays out, hinges on genuine listening to understand others points of view, and creating a space which protects the egos of people in the meeting, creating an atmosphere of psychological safety. One really simple tool and reframe he offers is the spectrum policy. What is the Spectrum Policy? The spectrum policy acknowledges that few ideas will come out fully-formed and solve a problem perfectly in one go. Often our first reaction on hearing something is to evaluate it. When we hear an idea we can't help but see the negative aspects of an idea — the things that obviously won't work — and because of these negative aspects we may dismiss the whole idea. The idea is good, or it is bad. As well as the group losing out on what may have been the genesis of a solution, the originator can often feel snubbed and retire from full participation in the rest of the meeting. With the spectrum policy we recognise that, "because you are never dealing with fools", all ideas put forward, even if we see obvious flaws, will have some good points as well as the bad. Before pointing out the flaws we make a point of finding the good in an idea and acknowledging it. This keeps elements of the idea available to build on for others and the egos of all participants intact and fully engaged in solving the problem. This image appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## The paradox of choice URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-paradox-of-choice Published: 2020-12-06T14:00:00+0000 Categories: psychology, behavioral economics, business, paradox Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2a283de2-2249-4fb0-8de8-0f550a7fdefe_SP+694+-+The+paradox+of+choice.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The paradox of choice: a poor soul confronted by a giant pizza selection raises their expectations, wonders about everything they're missing, anticipates getting it wrong and then blames themselves for picking the wrong one Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-paradox-of-choice), CC BY-NC 4.0 There's an all you can eat buffet with all the flavours of the world, you can have whatever you want. This is going to be amazing! You love lasagna, but look at those fajitas. You go for the fajitas, but then your friend arrives with sushi which looks even better. Why didn't you get that?? You always screw up... Barry Schwartz studied how more choice not only doesn't always help us choose better, but can also make us feel worse about what we got even if it was great. Reduced satisfaction arises from: The escalation of expectations The opportunity cost of what we could have had and what was good about other options Regret and anticipated regret of the choice we made Self-blame when we think we are responsible for not doing as well as we could have For an entertaining and educational 20 mins watch Barry Schwartz' TED talk on the paradox of choice. ## Forcing function URL: https://sketchplanations.com/forcing-function-for-productivity Published: 2020-11-29T14:00:00+0000 Categories: lifehack, psychology, running, productivity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/df1b3ab4-02ba-4a04-a55f-dcd7cfdc4e06_SP+693+-+Forcing+function+2.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Forcing function: a person is forced into getting into shape after signing up to a marathon Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/forcing-function-for-productivity), CC BY-NC 4.0 A forcing function is an external stimulus that makes you get to where you want to be. One of the simplest and most effective behaviours that you can try to help you level up is to keep creating forcing functions for yourself. Signing up for an event so that you are forced to get yourself in shape, offering to give a talk so that you learn your material, inviting people to a dinner party so you get your house in order, paying for a personal trainer to make you turn up every week — all useful forcing functions to get you from where you are to where you want to be. Forcing functions play, very effectively, on our fear of letting ourselves down to make ourselves do what we want us to do. Another useful sense of forcing function is a way to help people make fewer mistakes, like putting your passport on the door handle so you can't forget it before your flight. ## You get what you measure URL: https://sketchplanations.com/you-get-what-you-measure Published: 2020-11-22T14:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, measurement, science, data, education, teaching, metrics, parable Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/391d6aec-df76-4ee9-8243-fa6bf9bab40a_SP+692+-+You+get+what+you+measure.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: A fisherman illustrates the parable of the fishing net by concluding a minimum size of fish because they never see any smaller in their nets — you get what you measure Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/you-get-what-you-measure), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sir Arthur Eddington, an English astrophysicist, told a short story involving a scientist studying fish by pulling them up with nets. After checking all the fish hauled up, the scientist concludes that there is a minimum size of fish in the sea. But the fish seen were determined by the size of the holes in the net, the smaller ones having slipped through, unmeasurable. The instrument you use affects what you see. Or as Richard Hamming puts it: "You get what you measure." This analogy provides a nice concrete example of a phenomena that affects us routinely in more subtle ways. What and how we choose to measure affects the conclusions we draw. So, a website may easily measure sales and bounce rate for its pages, while things like trust, authority or satisfaction, which may be more significant longer-term metrics, go unmeasured. Richard Hamming points out: "There is always a tendency to grab the hard, firm measurement, though it may be quite irrelevant as compared to the soft one which in the long run may be much more relevant to your goals. Accuracy of measurement tends to get confused with relevance of measurement, much more than most people believe. That a measurement is accurate, reproducible, and easy to make does not mean it should be done, instead a much poorer one which is more closely related to your goals may be much more preferable. For example, in school it is easy to measure training and hard to measure education, and hence you tend to see on final exams an emphasis on the training part and a great neglect of the education part." Also see: Goodhart's Law What gets measured gets better (an earlier take on this) Campbell's Law Understanding reliability and validity Quote from Chapter 29, You get what you measure, of Richard Hamming's, The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn. If you happen to be in the business of doing research or science Richard Hamming's Bell Lab's talk, You and Your Research (pdf), is an excellent read. ## Flow URL: https://sketchplanations.com/flow Published: 2020-11-15T14:00:00+0000 Categories: flow, happiness, wellbeing, psychology, feedback, goals, time, sport, mountains, nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z-auVHdAxsiBwDXh_Flow-square.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Flow: the psychology of optimal experience illustrated with climbing, clear goals, feedback and matched challenge Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/flow), CC BY-NC 4.0 Ever since I came across Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi's concept of Flow it has stayed with me as a simple framework and beacon for finding joy, creativity, and total involvement with life. When researching happiness Csikszentmihalyi found that be they climbers, ballet dancers, chess players, or gardeners, people gave surprisingly similar descriptions to how they felt at their peak experience while performing an activity. When in flow people are wholly focused on the present moment, they experience a strong sense of control, they lose their self-consciousness and their ego, their experience of time changes so that time can fly by or a moment can seem to slow down, and the joy of performing the activity becomes an end in itself. Flow has a fairly simple set of conditions which I find myself using as a little mental checklist: Clear goals Clear feedback about your progress Matched challenge and skills When climbing, a prototypical flow activity, it's clear that you are trying to get to the top, you can immediately see if you are making progress and whether an action progressed you or not, and it's wise to pick a wall that is difficult but not impossible, for you to enjoy it. No wonder climbing can be so addictive. By contrast, it was evident to me that none of these were present when studying for my PhD. I also like flow because it reminds me that peak happiness is unlikely to be experienced by sitting around watching the TV. Mihalyi himself on his research: "What I 'discovered' was that happiness is not something that happens. It is not the result of good fortune or random chance. It is not something that money can buy or power command. It does not depend on outside events, but, rather, on how we interpret them. Happiness, in fact, is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person. People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us come to being happy." The quote is from, Flow, the psychology of happiness, by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, who also taught me that any name can work to do great work. Related Ideas to Flow Also see: Match joy with skills for flow at work Goldilocks tasks The fun scale Hope Maze - Labyrinth Everyone's a geek about something Flow features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## Hitched to everything else in the universe URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hitched-to-everything-else Published: 2020-11-08T14:00:00+0000 Categories: quote, mountains, nature, animals, kindness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/793bc71e-d4c1-48d9-9759-37ebd05ba5fb_SP+690+-+Hitched+to+everything+else+in+the+universe+John+Muir.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: John Muir quote illustration with a Sierra Nevada lake and distant mountains with a mountain chickadee bird on a branch in the foreground and the quote "As soon as we take one thing by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hitched-to-everything-else), CC BY-NC 4.0 It all matters. Be it one person, one bird, or one tree. We are all connected. As John Muir wrote in My First Summer in the Sierra: "As soon as we take one thing by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." — John Muir Take care of each other. The sketch is Heart Lake in his beloved Sierra Nevada, and one of my favourite ever spots to camp. A related thought: "Not till we are lost, in other words not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations." — Henry David Thoreau I updated this sketch into a two-page spread (along with many others) for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to Hitched to Everything Else in the Universe Also see: Going Out Was Really Going In—John Muir Time Hierarchy The Overview Effect ## Halloween URL: https://sketchplanations.com/halloween Published: 2020-10-31T14:00:00+0000 Categories: travel, religion Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8e203512-ce8d-40e0-be18-c525d560d8b6_SP+689+-+Halloween.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: A graveyard with the timeline of Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls day after Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/halloween), CC BY-NC 4.0 Perhaps when you first dressed up as a ghost and went round the houses asking for sweets you thought to also ask what the meaning of Halloween was? In case, like me, you didn't, I can share for you that Halloween is a smush together — or portmanteau — of hallow, of old English origin meaning Saint, and e'en, a contraction of the Scots word even meaning eve. So it's really the night before All Hallows or All Saints' Day on the 1st of November when Christians celebrate the lives of past Saints and martyrs. It's also part of the season of events called Allhallowtide including All Souls' Day on the 2nd of November and sometimes days beyond. The other Halloween traditions come from a mix of sources over hundreds of years that are both complex and somewhat disputed. I did like that the Jack O'lantern, before transferring itself to a pumpkin in the US, was originally carved out of turnips. And I also read that a mighty one quarter of candy sold in the US is sold for Halloween. Some of the better, sources, explaining the origins of Halloween. Also see, Boxing Day. ## Idling URL: https://sketchplanations.com/idling Published: 2020-10-26T14:00:00+0000 Categories: transport, climate, travel, sustainability, air quality, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aFvA6nfc4bHWitIA_SP688-Idling-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C3682%2C3354&w=1200&h=3354 Image description: Pollution from idling cars exhaust - 150 balloons filled by the exhaust of an idling car in a minute Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/idling), CC BY-NC 4.0 An average car, sitting idling, can produce exhaust emissions to fill 150 balloons. That's a lot of balloons to imagine puffing away out of the cars idling outside a school for a pickup, say. Other tests have found (pdf) that for any time over 10s, fuel use and emissions are always greater when idling than turning off the engine and restarting. Spread the word. I did draw 150 balloons, but a few of them didn't fit on the page. ## The haversine formula URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-haversine-formula Published: 2020-10-18T20:00:00+0000 Categories: navigation, geography, mathematics, earth, maps Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e1e45776-aa40-4806-820e-b5c5b8050f4b_SP+687+-+The+haversine+formula.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Haversine Formula illustration: a portion of the earth's globe is shown with a green arc drawn between the cities of London, UK and Seattle, WA. The mathematical Haversine formula takes into account the curvature of the earth's surface when calculating the true distance between two points on a curved surface. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-haversine-formula), CC BY-NC 4.0 It might seem straightforward to pull out a map and measure the distance between two distant points, however, the larger the distance the bigger the distortion caused by traveling on the curved surface of the Earth as opposed to flat 2D space. So while the distance you measure to your neighbouring town won't be too bad, if you're measuring between London and Rio the curvature of the Earth will make a big difference to the distance that you'll travel. To help figure out the correct distance there's the haversine formula. The haversine formula allows you to calculate the shortest distance between two points on a sphere using their latitudes and longitudes — this will be the arc between them on the great circle that includes both points. A great circle is a circle on a sphere with the same centre as the sphere, like the Equator. The haversine formula isn't perfect in practice, as Earth isn't a perfect sphere — see the 3 tallest mountains. It was invented around two hundred years ago, together with tables to speed any calculations, to help sailors navigate. Also see, the Mercator projection ## The goal-gradient effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/goal-gradient-effect Published: 2020-10-10T13:00:00+0000 Categories: effect, goals, coffee, marketing, motivation, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z-aza3dAxsiBwDjS_SP686-Thegoal-gradienteffect-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Goal-Gradient Effect: the closer we get to a goal the harder we try - coffee stamps example Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/goal-gradient-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 Have you ever noticed the pull of completing the last few pieces of a jigsaw puzzle? Or maybe it’s the last clue of a murder mystery, the final chapter of your book or the ultimate mile of a marathon. Being close to our goal can motivate us to get to the end. That’s the goal-gradient effect at work. What is the Goal-Gradient Effect? The goal-gradient effect—also known as the goal-gradient hypothesis—may be part of why getting started is sometimes the most challenging part and may cause us to over-prioritize near-term goals to the detriment of later ones. In the example in the sketch, Oleg Urminksy and coauthors found that as people approached the final stamp of a loyalty card towards a free coffee, they were more likely to buy coffee faster. And when issued with a new card, the rate of purchase dropped. The urgency diminished with the blank card and the perk once again distant. The researchers also found that it wasn’t the absolute distance from a goal but the perception of distance that mattered. People who started with a 12-stamp card with two stamps already completed tended to complete the card faster than those who started with an empty 10-stamp card, even though they had the same number of stamps to the goal. This related quirk of behavior is known as the endowed progress effect or the progress illusion. Read more in Katy Milkman and Kassie Brabaw's Scientific American article, Why Feeling Close to the Finish Line Makes You Push Harder. Related Ideas to The Goal-Gradient Effect Katy Milkman also educated me about the fresh start effect The Peak-End Rule What Drives Us: Autonomy Mastery Purpose The 3 bricklayers Public commitment pledge This sketch appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## The Swiss Cheese Model URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-swiss-cheese-model Published: 2020-10-03T13:00:00+0000 Categories: safety, engineering, framework, health, washing, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aScxX2GnmrmGqXP3_SP685-TheSwissCheeseModel-revised.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is James Reason’s Swiss Cheese Model showing layered defences with holes to explain human error and accident causation with a covid coronavirus pandemic example. A core safety model used in healthcare, NHS patient safety, and aviation, illustrating how aligned weaknesses can lead to failure. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-swiss-cheese-model), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Swiss Cheese Model helps explain why, despite all our best intentions, accidents happen. Analysis of accidents in large complex systems such as power stations or plane crashes led to an understanding that "no one failure, human or technical, is sufficient to cause an accident. Rather, it involves the unlikely and often unforeseeable conjunction of several contributing factors arising from different levels of the system." James Reason's Swiss Cheese Model is a memorable visual metaphor that illustrates how each safeguard may contain a latent flaw or hole and that an unfortunate circumstance may result in these holes lining up to disastrous effect. It's also a nice reminder that multiple layers of defence will be more effective, but even with our best efforts, there's still potential for something to go wrong. Excerpt from Revisiting the "Swiss Cheese" Model of Accidents (pdf), Reason, Hollnagel and Paries, 2006. Coronavirus example from the Cleveland Clinic. I learned recently that it's sometimes called the "cumulative act effect". This sketch, updated and polished, features with a number of others in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures. Also see: Dracula sneeze Flatten the curve ## The 4 horsemen of relationship apocalypse URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-4-horsemen-of-relationship-apocalypse Published: 2020-09-27T13:00:00+0000 Categories: relationships, love, parenting, conflict, emotions, kindness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9a61e730-d441-4b1a-9914-a48d828da626_SP+684+-+4+horsemen+of+relationship+apocalypse.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Examples of the 4 horsemen of relationship apocalypse from John Gottman: criticism, defensiveness, contempt, stonewalling Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-4-horsemen-of-relationship-apocalypse), CC BY-NC 4.0 John Gottman and colleagues identified what he calls the four horsemen of the apocalypse for relationships. They are called this as, left unchecked, they can spell the death knell to a once healthy relationship. In fact, they found that by watching just 3 mins of a conflict conversation between a couple they could predict whether they would still be together years later with over 90% accuracy. The four horsemen are: Criticism: framing problems as the partner's defect Defensiveness: counterattacking, whining, being the innocent victim Contempt: talking down from a position of superiority, insults, eye-rolling, name-calling — the most dangerous of all Stonewalling: withdrawing from the conflict, refusing to engage In my first draft of this sketch I left it at that, but it felt a bit negative to leave it hanging on everything we do that's wrong and harmful. Fortunately, there are antidotes to the four horsemen, the traits they saw the masters at relationships use instead. The Gottman Institute explains the four horsemen and their antidotes in more detail. Watch John Gottman explain the four horsemen in his own words. ## Notice when you're happy: If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is - Kurt Vonnegut URL: https://sketchplanations.com/if-this-isnt-nice-i-dont-know-what-is Published: 2020-09-19T20:35:00+0000 Categories: advice, happiness, wellbeing, nature, wisdom, quote, mindfulness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/df06f5a4-2053-4827-a121-8c2fb119a4f8_SP+683+-+If+this+isn_t+nice+I+don_t+know+what+is.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Notice when you're happy: advice from Kurt Vonnegut's Uncle Alex to stop and say "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is." Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/if-this-isnt-nice-i-dont-know-what-is), CC BY-NC 4.0 Some simple wisdom from Kurt Vonnegut: notice when you’re happy. “My uncle Alex Vonnegut, a Harvard-educated life insurance salesman who lived at 5033 North Pennsylvania Street, taught me something very important. He said that when things were really going well, we should be sure to NOTICE it. He was talking about simple occasions, not great victories: maybe drinking lemonade on a hot afternoon in the shade, or smelling the aroma of a nearby bakery; or fishing, and not caring if we catch anything or not, or hearing somebody all alone playing a piano really well in the house next door. Uncle Alex urged me to say this out loud during such epiphanies: “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is” Kurt goes on to say: "So I do the same now, and so do my kids and grandkids. And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.” Perhaps needless to say, so do I. This story and other great stories are in If This Isn't Nice, What Is?: The Graduation Speeches and Other Words to Live by Kurt Vonnegut Related Ideas to Notice When You're Happy Here are 5 ways to wellbeing Forest bathing Languishing ## States of matter URL: https://sketchplanations.com/states-of-matter Published: 2020-09-13T15:25:00+0000 Categories: physics, chemistry, science, ice, water, refresher Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4a878e62-ae26-4210-99ab-971d5899da4e_SP+682+-+States+of+matter.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Diagram of the states of matter showing a solid, liquid, and gas, showing all the transitions between each state Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/states-of-matter), CC BY-NC 4.0 A school science refresher: the 3 primary states of matter, solids, liquids and gases and the transitions between each one. If you’re like me you probably forget about the more obscure sublimation and deposition directly between solids and gases. And vaporisation of a liquid is evaporation, occurring at the surface, if it is below boiling point, otherwise it’s boiling. There are some more unusual states including plasma — seen in lightning and fluorescent lights — and Bose-Einstein condensates, but mostly we’re familiar with ice cubes, water and steam. ## Solvitur ambulando URL: https://sketchplanations.com/solvitur-ambulando Published: 2020-09-05T19:26:00+0000 Categories: thinking, problem solving, walking, creativity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0347a06f-9e40-4ee4-9963-95ad13e68993_SP+681+-+Solvitur+ambulando.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Solvitur Ambulando illustration: this phrase from Greek philosopher Diogenes, is represented by an individual walking a winding route around a large open space in nature. When they set out, the thick, dark scribble above them represents a jumbled mind of thoughts. In the distance, about half-way around the scribble is fading. And as they reach the end of their walk the shining lightbulb above them signifies clarity of thought. Translated from Greek, Solvitur ambulando means: "It is solved by walking". Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/solvitur-ambulando), CC BY-NC 4.0 Solvitur ambulando: This phrase from the Greek philosopher Diogenes translates more or less to ‘it is solved by walking’. And, indeed, there is something about walking that helps both clear the mind and think clearly. Try a walk to get a different perspective on a problem when you’ve been banging your head against one sat at your desk. Or try a walking meeting with the bonus that you get a bit of exercise in too. ## Nurse log URL: https://sketchplanations.com/nurse-log Published: 2020-08-30T08:50:00+0000 Categories: nature, trees, forest, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z-aoBndAxsiBwDMS_SP680-Nurselog-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is a nurse log - a fallen giant tree providing a linear nursery for young trees Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/nurse-log), CC BY-NC 4.0 In some forests where the trees grow tall and straight, like those in the US Pacific Northwest, when a giant tree falls it creates an opening in the forest canopy that lets in light for new growth to take foot. The mighty fallen tree trunks themselves provide a new surface for seedlings to take root, away from the competition of the forest floor. When this happens, the fallen tree becomes an integral part of a new ecosystem. Such fallen trees are known as nurse logs. Sometimes, a nurse log is so successful as a nursery for the young trees that they will grow along the full length of the fallen trunk. When the nurse log finally decays, it leaves behind a remarkable straight line of trees. This sketch appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to Nurse Log Not to be confused with phoenix trees The browse line Forest bathing Mangroves Ponderosa pine fire protections The finger-dip test to not overwater houseplants Identify a Douglas fir Autumn leaves ## Manager time, maker time URL: https://sketchplanations.com/manager-time-maker-time Published: 2020-08-22T21:49:00+0000 Categories: business, time, productivity, management, motivation, leadership, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0cadd9fa-9f5e-428d-a47f-eed1b34e3b8d_SP+679+-+Manager+time+Maker+time.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is Manager Time Maker Time example explained: Paul Graham's manager schedule maker schedule illustrated with Manager Time, on the left shows someone in their office at their laptop, scheduling in meetings and calls throughout the day, neatly managing time with hourly and half-hourly slots in their calendar. On the right, Maker Time ideally does away with any scheduled meetings or calls to allow for an open day for our worker at their desk to grind through a complex problem or new project. The passing of time is only marked by day turning to night. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/manager-time-maker-time), CC BY-NC 4.0 Manager Time and Maker Time explain how managers or makers need to manage time differently. In Manager Time, a day is neatly sliced up into hourly chunks according to the calendar. Meeting someone is as easy as finding a free slot that coincides. You don’t have to worry too much about what you’ll be doing next as your calendar will tell you. In Maker Time, a day is an open book to get something hard and meaningful done. Even thinking when a meeting might be and remembering to go can distract from getting on with making. Long, uninterrupted chunks of time, not sliced and diced by meetings on the hour, are ideal for making progress on hard problems and tackling something new. Cal Newport calls this time Deep Work. Even a single meeting in the middle of an afternoon can disrupt that long, meaningful chunk into two, making it harder to tackle something big as you have to context switch and pick up where you left off. Most modern offices operate on Manager Time. It’s great for meetings but comes at the cost of getting meaningful work done. If you’re a maker, you may associate with the feeling that to get some real work done, you need to do it on the weekend or an evening after everyone’s gone home, when you’ll be free of interruptions. If you’re a manager, consider your makers when you schedule your next meeting. This observation is from Paul Graham's excellent article Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule. Related Ideas to Manager Time Maker Time Also see: Umbrella management and funnel management Rubberducking Yak Shaving When drinking tea, just drink tea ## Forcing function — design URL: https://sketchplanations.com/forcing-function Published: 2020-08-16T11:10:00+0000 Categories: design, safety, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c3e8aeff-44a9-4fb5-9a66-15dfbfa6ec98_SP+678+-+Forcing+function+1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Forcing functions in design - 2 examples: a hotel room with the lights controlled by key card and a lawnmower that needs both hands to turn it on Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/forcing-function), CC BY-NC 4.0 Forcing functions are a super way to help make things foolproof, or better, errorproof — as all of us make mistakes with designed things without being fools. You may have used your own forcing function when, in an attempt to make sure you remember your passport or tickets before a flight, you put them directly in front of the door so you couldn’t open it without noticing them. That little dialogue that asks you if you want to save your changes before closing your work, that’s a forcing function too. My first memory of understanding a forcing function was when working with a giant machine capable of cutting through 100 pieces of paper at a time. The two buttons to operate it were on opposite sides of the machine. I couldn’t start the machine without spreading my arms out wide. There was then no way to also accidentally have your fingers in with the paper and near the blades when it started. Smart. I learned this sense of forcing function from Don Norman’s classic The Design of Everyday Things. Also from Don, see Mapping. The other sense of forcing functions for productivity is also really useful: helping kick ourselves into action. ## The BS asymmetry principle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-bs-asymmetry-principle Published: 2020-08-09T13:53:00+0000 Categories: law, science, politics, social media, data Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/71d30e66-9038-498d-8d8c-6bf45cd53760_SP+677+-+The+BS+asymmetry+principle+-+large.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The BS Asymmetry principle, also known as Brandolini's law explained with one person struggling to persuade their friend that the moon isn't made of cheese Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-bs-asymmetry-principle), CC BY-NC 4.0 Also known as Brandolini’s Law, this is the simple observation that it’s far easier to produce and spread BS, misinformation and nonsense than it is to refute it. In fact, the iSchool at University of Washington launched a course on Calling Bullshit with the first class being booked up within one-minute of registration. The professors, Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West have since written a book: Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World. Phil Williamson in Nature also wrote a nice article emphasizing that we should take the time and effort to correct misinformation where we can. In it, he proposed the idea that “The global scientific community could…set up its own, moderated, rating system for websites that claim to report on science. We could call it the Scientific Honesty and Integrity Tracker, and give online nonsense the SHAIT rating it deserves.” ## RACI URL: https://sketchplanations.com/raci Published: 2020-08-01T07:02:00+0000 Categories: management, framework, business, beach, accountability Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ad49f6ca-5c66-433f-a0a5-03787f158f09_SP+676+-+RACI.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: RACI framework illustration: A family making a sandcastle highlights who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/raci), CC BY-NC 4.0 This acronym acts as a handy checklist to consider and clarify roles and responsibilities for projects. You could even build a table — a Responsibility Assignment Matrix —  with what needs to happen and the people who are involved, identifying what relationship each person has for each task. In particular, sometimes making it clear who doesn’t have a say can be the most helpful thing to do. It breaks down somewhat like this: Responsible Who will actually be responsible for doing the task. Accountable Who is accountable for its completion and achieving its goals? Consulted Whose opinion will be sought for the task, though they won’t be doing it themselves. Informed Who doesn’t get a say in the task, but will be kept informed of how it’s going. Related Ideas to RACI Also see: Chickens and pigs MOSCOW Prioritisation ## Schadenfreude URL: https://sketchplanations.com/schadenfreude Published: 2020-07-26T19:55:00+0000 Categories: emotions, happiness, words, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/dfc04bde-ac02-4fdd-bc98-a0153f4d24ac_SP+675+-+Schadenfreude+-+revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the meaning of Schadenfreude with an example: a double layer of schadenfreude as an onlooker laughing at someone tripping is about to fall into a hole and get their comeuppance Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/schadenfreude), CC BY-NC 4.0 That satisfying, superior, and slightly sinful feeling you get when you see the police pull over the aggressive driver who just sped past you? That’s Schadenfreude. What is Schadenfreude? Schadenfreude is the pleasure we take in someone else's misfortune. The word is a loanword from German, combining Schaden (damage, harm, or hurt) and Freude (joy or happiness). Schadenfreude follows the same linguistic pattern as Vorfreude, which means anticipatory joy—the excitement we feel in anticipation of something positive. At first glance, taking pleasure in someone else's hardship might seem unkind or even morally dubious. Is it a character flaw? Am I an evil person? Yet, on a little more reflection, we discover that Schadenfreude escapes few of us and is both commonplace and revealing about ourselves. Why Do We Feel Schadenfreude? I hadn't thought much of Schadenfreude before reading some excerpts from Tiffany Watt Smith's book Schadenfreude. She makes a compelling case for examining the moments when we feel superior at another's expense as a small window into ourselves. The moments we feel Schadenfreude—whether small or significant—often reflect our personal insecurities, values, or sense of justice. As Nietzsche described, Schadenfreude can be "the revenge of the impotent," emerging from feelings of powerlessness or envy. A boost to self-esteem: When a colleague doesn't get a promotion, a little twinge of joy might reveal your jealousy of their situation or a deep-down resentment of unfairness. Justice served: If the person who pushed in front of you in line drops their ice cream right after buying it, your satisfaction might be a sense of justice and equity for obeying the rules when they didn't. A window into our values: Schadenfreude can highlight what matters to us, whether it's fairness, competition, or maintaining a sense of order. Understanding these moments doesn't make the feeling disappear, but it can help us use Schadenfreude as an opportunity for self-reflection. Examples of Schadenfreude Schadenfreude in Films and Stories: The Villain's Comeuppance At first, I thought that, like a Buddhist monk, I might rise above Schadenfreude and not let my weakness affect me. Yet, as we discussed it in our podcast on Schadenfreude, we realised that it's a common theme through so many Western stories and films. An almost universal theme for films involving good guys and bad guys is the eventual comeuppance, or reckoning, for the evil protagonist. In other words, the bad guys tend to lose and suffer in a nasty way. You know, things like getting pushed out of an airlock, having to walk the plank themselves, or being bitten by their deadly pets. Consider James Bond saying "shocking" as the villain he's been battling falls onto electric lines. Much the same as a mob may have felt when bringing a criminal to justice, typically, we don't pity the bad guy. Often, the writer intends the bad guy's nasty end and the good guy's triumph against adversity to be the most satisfying part of the film—Schadenfreude at work. Schadenfreude in sport Schadenfreude is alive and well, in fact, practically encouraged in sports. In some ways, Schadenfreude is what many sports fans enjoy about sports. Imagine if the winning fans always shook hands with the losing fans, saying, "Jolly well played, you were very unlucky," and the losers said, "You were just too good for us today; good luck to you." Much of the rivalry that so many enjoy in sports would be lost. I know I've felt Schadenfreude when a player I dislike misses a penalty they didn't deserve—even when they're not playing against my team. It feels right, and it's hard not to feel satisfied. In fact, it feels good. I also learned that football fans can feel greater joy when their biggest rivals lose than when their teams win. Now, perhaps the world of sport would be a better place schadenfreude-free, but I can't see it happening any time soon. Reflecting on Schadenfreude While I can't wholly evade Schadenfreude, I aim to avoid its strong feelings. It makes no difference to me if a rude person later has a bad day. I should focus on what I can control and how I react to situations. When someone is mean, it's better if they come to understand a little how their actions impact others than if they have a terrible time. Having a miserable time may cause them to reflect on their actions and be more considerate in future. Or, more likely, it will cause them to be bitter and have no change at all. But when Schadenfreude strikes me, it's now an interesting opportunity for reflection. What does this feeling reveal about my values, and how can I use this insight to improve myself? Perhaps give it a try. Read More For a mini-intro to the intrigues of Schadenfreude, try Tiffany Watt Smith's TED Ideas article: Do you secretly feel good when others stumble? 5 ways to make peace with this very human emotion. I revised this sketch for the book Big Ideas Little Pictures. Ideas related to Schadenfreude If you found Schadenfreude intriguing, you might enjoy these related concepts: Vorfreude: The pleasure of anticipation—like the joy of looking forward to a holiday. Fading Affect Bias: Why we tend to remember negative experiences less vividly than positive ones. Emotional Hot Potato: How negative emotions can spread like a game of hot potato. Fact Tennis: The competitive back-and-forth exchange of facts in conversations. Self-serving Bias: Our tendency to attribute successes to our character and failures to external factors. ## Survivorship bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/survivorship-bias-silent-evidence Published: 2020-07-19T13:00:00+0000 Categories: bias, psychology, war, transport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ce000ac3-b8f1-4612-8c86-28f5d65442f7_SP+674+-+Survivorship+bias.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Survivorship Bias illustration: two analysts observe bullet damage, depicted by red dots, on a fighter plane returning from battle. They propose that heavier armour is added to all aircraft in the most hit areas of the plane. A third onlooker wonders whether this surviving plane tells a different story in that it returned because the most vulnerable areas weren't hit. Maybe heavier armour should be added to those areas? Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/survivorship-bias-silent-evidence), CC BY-NC 4.0 So the story goes, as told by Stephen Sigler, Nature May 1989: "The US military studied fighter planes returning from missions to try to improve their survival rate and were considering adding heavy armour to those parts of the plane that tended to show the greatest concentration of hits from enemy fire, until statisticians pointed out the fallacy of that argument. The more vulnerable parts of the plane were those with the fewest hits; planes hit there tended not to return at all. The single most vulnerable part, the pilot’s head, was without serious scar in the sample of planes that returned." It’s easy to draw correlations from what we see in front of us. But what we see usually represents just a small part of what has happened. Focusing on the evidence we can easily see at the expense of that we can’t leads to survivorship bias. To say it another way, when Bill Gates drops out of college and starts Microsoft it might seem like dropping out is a path to success for others too, but that ignores all the dropouts who didn’t create Microsofts and consequently you didn’t hear about. Silent evidence — the evidence that we don’t or can’t easily choose to consider — is a term from Nicholas Nassim Talleb. When trying to discover the veracity of the planes story I enjoyed Bill Casselman’s American Mathematical Society article on The Legend of Abraham Wald. The postscript points to some of the source behind the story including a mention of Stephen Sigler’s letter in Nature quoted above. I covered survivorship bias before, but I like this story so much I thought it was worth doing again. ## Finishing lines URL: https://sketchplanations.com/finishing-lines Published: 2020-07-11T14:49:04+0000 Categories: quote, advice, travel, starting, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7564dc12-b652-489c-93f4-679a194743de_623356353771110400.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Finishing Lines, Stevie Smith quote illustration: a cyclist sits on their bike about to set off on a long journey - the bike is heavily loaded with panniers at the front and the back. The thought bubble above their head shows them visualising the finish line of their journey as their motivation to get going. As Stevie Smith suggests: "The most important role of a finishing line is to get you over the start line." Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/finishing-lines), CC BY-NC 4.0 “Just remember that finishing lines are good, but their most important role is to get you over the start line in the first place.” This little piece of wisdom is from Stevie Smith (not the poet). Stevie embarked on a human-powered journey around the world—Expedition 360—and reached Hawaii under pedal power*. I learned about him from a little chapter in One Man and His Bike by Mike Carter. As soon as I finished the chapter where he speaks with Stevie I immediately reread it. Mike also shared this deeper and more poetic version of the same insight: “Happiness is the acceptance of the journey as it is now, not the promise of the other shore” *Stevie’s companion Jason Lewis completed the circumnavigation of the world 13 years after they began. This quote, modified to a lovely two-page spread, features with a number of others in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures. You can also listen to us discuss this sketch with the brilliant Brendan Leonard in the Sketchplanations podcast episode on Finishing lines Also see: Forcing function The doorstep mile ## Hope: A Cognitive Model for Hope URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hope Published: 2020-07-04T21:55:47+0000 Categories: emotions, psychology, mountains, goals, framework, research Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ahKbjrK9tuLqEGY6_SP672-Hope-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Hope, elements of hope, cognitive model of hope from psychology from Professor CR Snyder requiring Goals, Pathways and Willpower or agency Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hope), CC BY-NC 4.0 Think about when you feel hopeful and when you don't. What distinguishes the two? I hadn’t given much thought to hope, beyond it being a nice feeling to have, until I heard of Professor Charles R. Snyder’s cognitive model for hope, which shed new light on it for me. What is Hope? C.R. Snyder proposed a model of hope where an individual may be hopeful if they have: Goals they desire If you don’t or can’t picture any future state you’d like, then you won’t have a lot of hope. Pathways You need to see some ways that you may make step-by-step progress towards a goal. Willpower or agency You need to be motivated and believe that you have the ability to succeed at your goal. If you’re missing any of these, you’ll find that hope will be in short supply. GK Chesterton, never one to miss a witty line, gave quite a different take: Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances that we know to be desperate. — GK Chesterton Chesterton's tongue-in-cheek hope is fun, but without goals, pathways or willpower, it's not really hope as Snyder would see it. This sketch features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures I first heard about Snyder's model of hope in Brené Brown's Dare to Lead, but is from The Psychology of Hope: You Can Get There From Here, by C.R. Snyder. Related Ideas to Hope Theory Also see: Pillars of Hope Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose Flow Languishing Joy: the most vulnerable emotion Optimism Bias Discovering Truth and Beauty and Sharing it with Others Vorfreude: "before happiness" 5 Ways to Wellbeing How to Instantly Feel Better The mountain is the Ogre, a wholly impossible-looking peak scaled by Doug Scott and others, for which I would have had zero hope to climb (no pathways, no willpower), and yet they remarkably did. ## Sexy value URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sexy-value Published: 2020-06-26T21:53:20+0000 Categories: framework, marketing, strategy, business, venn diagram Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2beebd49-5eaf-437b-bb49-85004c6dd9f1_622024092229500928.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Sexy value illustration: the Venn diagram overlap of better and cheaper Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sexy-value), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sexy Value is what you get when someone can launch something that is not only cheaper but also better. It’s a near irresistible proposition. Most new things that are better don’t tend to also be cheaper—increased quality usually has a corresponding increase in cost. So Sexy Value is often made possible through a new technology or approach. It’s like when the first taxi apps started appearing. To me, the first experience was just so much better than what I was used to—no trying to catch a taxi in the rain, seeing when the cab would arrive and simple, non-awkward, no swinging by the ATM payments—and yet at the same time, it was also cheaper. Sexy Value is not the only way to compete. If you make something better, people will pay for the value it provides them. But you’re on to a winner if you can also do it cheaper. Sexy Value is a name, I believe, from Ogilvy and Mather. You might also like another model of theirs: The Big Ideal ## Solstice URL: https://sketchplanations.com/solstice Published: 2020-06-20T21:31:18+0000 Categories: sun, weather, astronomy, seasons Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6828a223-fcb4-4662-be5d-500c42a74391_SP+670+-+Solstice+-+revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Solstice: illustration showing the paths of the sun in winter, summer and on the equinoxes Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/solstice), CC BY-NC 4.0 From the combination of sol (sun) and sistere (cause to stand or stop) the solstice marks the highest or lowest points of the sun’s path in the sky each year. In summer, for instance, the sun’s arc in the sky stops its daily ascent at the longest day of the year. There it reverses, beginning its descent to the autumnal equinox — with equal day and night — and eventually to its lowest point at the year’s shortest day, the winter solstice. At that point, its descent finished, the sun once again begins its slow climb towards the summer solstice. Also see: Equinox Seasons ## Analytics maturity URL: https://sketchplanations.com/analytics-maturity Published: 2020-06-14T21:20:22+0000 Categories: framework, data, analytics, business, measurement, metrics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/439c9e57-1a8a-4a8f-888f-b1be913e1fd1_620934854164480000.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Analytics Maturity illustration: A young character is very happy, sat at their makeshift lemonade stand next to the sidewalk. When they close their stand, our young entrepreneur can assess their performance today using hindsight and insight to inform preparation through foresight for next weekend. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/analytics-maturity), CC BY-NC 4.0 There are lots of questions you can ask of data. I like this model as it gives a framework for the different types of questions you might ask. It was introduced to me as the data science pyramid with descriptive analytics — measuring what’s happening — being the foundation on which others are built. You don’t have to go in order, but it’s a nice approach to consider how the questions you’re asking of your data might evolve. To take our school Summer fête as an example, for a long time takings were all in cash and put into one bucket at the end for counting. You end up with one number for how much you raised. But you might move to collecting more descriptive data on the takings for each stall — whether the bar earns more than the tombola, for example. You then might be able to ask diagnostic questions like figuring out why one fête earned more than another with a different mix of stalls. If you know how many people came you might be able to make some predictions on the takings of a future fête based on number of people and stall types. And if you get fancy you might start to use your data to figure out how you could raise more money for the school in future. There are many ways to slice and dice data and the questions you ask, but I like the clarifying simplicity of this one. As far as I know, the framework is the Analytics Ascendancy model, or Analytics Value Escalator, or other such business sounding name from Gartner. ## Net Promoter Score URL: https://sketchplanations.com/net-promoter-score Published: 2020-06-06T20:01:55+0000 Categories: business, research, entrepreneurship, data, measurement, metrics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8feb249a-3f4a-4b1b-a08b-3a6858683b53_620205142251388928.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Net Promoter Score illustration: How to calculate NPS from the spectrum of responses to the question "How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?" Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/net-promoter-score), CC BY-NC 4.0 Pitched as the one number you need to grow your business, the Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a way to find out from your customers how many love what you’re doing enough to tell their friends vs how many are ambivalent or negative about your business. The resulting number, your NPS, ranging from +100 to -100 has been shown to be an indicator of companies’ future success. To calculate your NPS ask your customers how likely they would be to recommend your business to a friend—or variations thereof—and give them a scale of 0 (not likely) to 10 (very likely) to answer with. Those who answer 9 or 10 are your biggest fans or Promoters. Those who answer 7 or 8 are passively satisfied—they like your business but are unlikely to shout about it. And those answering 6 or below are your Detractors. If they talk about your business it could well be negative. Your NPS is your % of Promoters minus the % of your Detractors. For example, if you received 100 responses, 35 as 9s or 10s, 37 as 7s and 8s, and 28 as 0–6s then your NPS would be 35 minus 28 = 7. Keep track of your NPS over time and you’ll get a sense of how your business is doing. Follow up with qualitative feedback, for instance, “Why did you give this rating?”, and get a recipe for improving your business. Simple. Learn more in the original Harvard Business Review article, “The One Number You Need to Grow” by Frederick F. Reichheld. ## Submarine shower URL: https://sketchplanations.com/submarine-shower Published: 2020-05-30T08:32:45+0000 Categories: water, sustainability, health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/860fa0fb-1c09-4ae2-b4f6-3258c90e82a5_619527605457125376.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Submarine shower illustration: following these 3 simple steps, we can save water and energy by showering as if there was a very limited supply of water - like on a nuclear submarine. Firstly, the shower-goer wets their entire body using only 10 seconds of water. Secondly, the shower has been turned off for soap or shower gel to be applied and lathered up. Thirdly, the water is turned back on again for a thorough but quick rinsing - again only using 10 seconds worth of water. Job done. Little water used. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/submarine-shower), CC BY-NC 4.0 Life on a nuclear submarine is life under some pretty intense constraints. For one, there’s not naturally any fresh water and any time you use it the waste water builds up in the tanks and then has to be expelled, and when you expel it that makes noise, and because nuclear subs don’t want to give away their location they do their best to minimise the number of times they have to do that. That means taking care of all fresh water. The other reason to take care of fresh water usage is that they have to make it the whole time — any fresh water for cooking, cleaning or drinking has to be made from sea water. If you drink a glass of water on a nuclear submarine you’re probably drinking the most expensive glass of water you’ll ever drink because it’s been desalinated by a nuclear submarine. Hence the submarine shower with a total of 20 seconds of water: 10s with the water on, turn it off while you soap and scrub and finish with 10s of rinsing. That’s it. For me it’s a nice reframe in how much you actually need when you take a shower, and it still works. So if you fancy saving water and energy you could give it a try. Submariner Tom Lewis even wrote a song about showers on submarines. ## Find your why not URL: https://sketchplanations.com/find-your-why-not Published: 2020-05-24T13:46:16+0000 Categories: advice, framework, purpose, venn diagram, wellbeing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z2V0pJbqstJ98u4u_SP666-Findyourwhynot-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Find Your Why Not model by Priya Singh - A Venn diagram of Work that feeds me, Work that feeds the world, and Work that feeds my soul. One project doesn't have to meet all these requirements. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/find-your-why-not), CC BY-NC 4.0 Many of us feel the desire to discover a singular purpose—the one true mission that defines what we should do and where we fit—our ikigai. But perhaps it doesn't have to be that way. Priya Singh offers a refreshing alternative: Instead of chasing one elusive “why,” recognise that we don't have just one singular purpose and that it can evolve. It’s not a pot of gold or treasure to be found, and we're not failing if we haven't found it. Three Types of Work: Feeding You, the World and Your Soul Singh introduces a helpful framework with three types of work: Work that feeds you and those that depend on you Work that feeds the world Work that feeds your soul Your work may fit into one or more of these categories but don’t fall into the trap of thinking it needs to fulfil all three at once. Rather than striving for the mythical “dream job” that checks every box, embrace the possibility of balance across multiple roles or pursuits. Rather than striving for the mythical “dream job” that checks every box, embrace the idea of balance across multiple roles or pursuits. Work that fits into just one or two of these areas is plenty—and can be deeply fulfilling. Ask "Why Not?" When faced with opportunities, try shifting your mindset. Instead of asking, “Why do it?” ask, “Why not?” Often, we reject ideas before even giving them a chance. When presented with an opportunity or an idea, instead of asking why do it, try asking why not—practice not rejecting yourself before you’ve even started. Framework and wise ideas: Priya Singh. Any misinterpretation or inaccuracy is due to me. This sketch appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to Find Your Why Not Also see: The Three Bricklayers Story Autonomy Mastery Purpose Discovering Truth and Beauty and Sharing it with Others ## The Keeling curve URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-keeling-curve Published: 2020-05-16T19:54:46+0000 Categories: science, climate, sustainability, physics, volcanoes, charts, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2052b9b2-3d51-4f44-ba0b-7794dc24dc72_618302156733284352.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Keeling Curve illustration: A line graph shows a tight zig-zag red line rising from around 310 parts per million (ppm) monthly average CO2 concentration in the air at the top of Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii in 1960, up to 410 ppm in 2020. The smaller graph at the top shows the reason for the zig-zag nature of the line; the seasonal variation of CO2 concentration in the air due to more plants blooming and photosynthesising in Spring and Summer. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-keeling-curve), CC BY-NC 4.0 Perhaps the most important curve of our times, Charles Keeling’s curve shows the change in concentration of CO2 in the air with measurements taken every year for over 60 years. Taken at the top of Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii because of its high altitude and relative isolation in the Pacific, Charles Keeling’s measurements show that the monthly average CO2 concentration in the air has risen from around 310 ppm (parts per million) to around 410 ppm in 2020. As a greenhouse gas this change in CO2 concentration is one of the critical causes of climate change. The concentration varies seasonally as plants bloom in Spring and Summer reducing the concentration from its high around May as the CO2 has built up over the Norhern Hemisphere Winter. The Scripps CO2 program is now overseen by Charles’ son Ralph Keeling. ## LEGO faces URL: https://sketchplanations.com/lego-faces Published: 2020-05-10T14:16:36+0000 Categories: drawing, emotions, play, parenting, design, storytelling Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b51cce95-1613-4494-beb2-6a88a11d76c0_617737298931580928.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Lego faces are awesome: a comparison of the expressions on Lego faces from the Lego Movie 2 with one from the 1980s Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/lego-faces), CC BY-NC 4.0 When I look back at the LEGO sets of my youth compared to the LEGO sets of today, a few things are striking. Today’s is much cooler: the colours are better, the pieces are more interesting, and the sets are more clever (they also have a lot more weapons*). And the sets have their own characters: they’re not just nameless people in characterless towns—every set is full of people with names, expressions, backstories, personalities and goals. My observation, ahem, through our children, is that this makes it way more interesting to play with. It’s the characters and the story that make them so good now. A good part of that I think is also the shift in quality of expressions on the faces. I am kind of in awe of LEGO faces. The number and variety and subtlety of expressions it’s possible to make with just a few small changes to a few small lines on a face I find truly astounding. This sketchplanation shows just a tiny bit of the variety from the LEGO Movies. Respect to the artists. *5% of Lego boxes sold in 2001 contained Lego weapons. In 2014 that was 30% according to Bartneck C, Min Ser Q, Moltchanova E, Smithies J, Harrington E (2016) Have LEGO Products Become More Violent? PLoS ONE 11(5): e0155401. ## The law of unintended consequences URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-law-of-unintended-consequences Published: 2020-05-03T19:59:31+0000 Categories: law, nature, government Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z3wOn5bqstJ99Fti_SP663-Unintendedconsequences-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Law of Unintended Consequences example explained - when a simple system regulates a complex system Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-law-of-unintended-consequences), CC BY-NC 4.0 People are complicated. Life is complicated. Ecosystems are complicated. And despite our best efforts or intentions, we have a remarkable history of messing things up in unexpected ways. One simple theory for why this may be is that unintended consequences are likely to happen whenever we try to regulate a complex system by using a simple system. This so often happens in any kind of large-scale or government attempt to control something within a complex system using relatively simple programs, regulations, laws, policies or other actions. Things will happen that we didn’t anticipate. Examples of the Law of Unintended Consequences Examples abound: A policy of suppressing forest fires that goes on to cause even greater fires. An attempt to reduce traffic in Bogotá by restricting who could drive each day based on licence plates that led people to simply buy more cars. More open workplaces that cause people to behave more privately: the transparency paradox. Elimination of predators that leads to the proliferation of grazing animals and a reduction in diversity. The effects of literally any dam built anywhere. What happens when you change software. Desire paths The Streisand effect The Diderot effect Or social distancing policies that results in outdoor natural spaces being crammed with people at weekends. And on, and on. The traffic example in Bogotá is from the Freakonomics podcast episode on the cobra effect. The workplace privacy example is known as the transparency paradox. Related Ideas to the Law of Unintended Consequences Often, as with some of these, the outcome can be the opposite of what you intended, known as the cobra effect. Controlling complex systems is difficult. Goodhart's Law Campbell's Law You Get What You Measure Conway's Law The Law of Diminishing Returns ## Listen with passion URL: https://sketchplanations.com/listen-with-passion Published: 2020-04-26T11:00:26+0000 Categories: advice, quote, listening Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/34e543db-96e2-4455-a2f1-18e6daae7ae1_616456599629905920.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Listen with Passion quote from Harriet Lerner illustration: as one individual talks, another listens intently following the mantra within this quote that we should "Listen with the same passion with which we want to be heard". Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/listen-with-passion), CC BY-NC 4.0 So often do we talk about speaking with passion, much rarer do we think about listening with passion. Conversations are two-sided, they only work if one person is listening while the other is talking. Unfortunately, we tend to have a greater innate interest in making sure others know the smart, interesting and important things that we think than truly absorbing what someone else has to say. So I love this quote from Harriet Lerner: Listen with the same passion with which we want to be heard. If we all could do this routinely with our colleagues, friends, family, children, and partners I’d guess it’d make quite a difference. I learned about it from Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead. ## 3,500 Lifetime reads URL: https://sketchplanations.com/3500-lifetime-reads Published: 2020-04-19T09:47:33+0000 Categories: books, knowledge Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/61e15961-9c0a-4916-ba43-29852334d814_615817835997020160.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: 3,500 lifetime reads: how many books will you read in a lifetime if you read 1 book a week, 50 books a year Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/3500-lifetime-reads), CC BY-NC 4.0 How many books will you read in a lifetime? If you’re a pretty dedicated reader, you may be able to get through one book a week, so roughly 50 books a year. Over 70 years of reading at that pace, you’d read around 3,500 books—counting comfort rereads like Harry Potter for the third time. I only know a few people who actually manage to read like that, so presumably, for most of us, the likely book reads we will manage is much less than that. In her book Art Cure, Professor Daisy Fancourt quotes a conservative figure of 700 books, on average. To put that number in context, my local bookstore has around 30,000 books. So if you were to use your entire life’s reading in that store, you’d still only be a bit over 1/10th of the way through. That’s a lot of books you didn’t even get a chance to start. I won’t deny that 3,500 books is a lot of books, but whatever you do, there will be far more books that you just don’t have time to get to than those you do find time for. So, like for movies, I think it seems wise to be at least a little thoughtful about what books you choose to pick up, and what books you decide to go on to finish. As the author James Joyce said: "Life is too short to read a bad book." P.S. In the course of making this, I learned that in 2010 the Google Books team estimated there were around 130 million books to choose from. This image appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## The liar paradox URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-liar-paradox Published: 2020-04-11T15:17:43+0000 Categories: paradox Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/db8fc235-eb94-44a9-9cc9-a67e1da0390c_615113832106442752.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The liar paradox: one soul gets in a muddle trying to interpret when another says simple "I am lying" Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-liar-paradox), CC BY-NC 4.0 A favourite of our kids is to play opposites day. It usually starts with something simple like where we say “No, they can’t have chocolate for breakfast,” and they then announce that it’s opposites day so that means they can have chocolate for breakfast. Then I say, but if it’s opposites day then that means you just said it’s not opposites day. Then they say, if it’s not opposites day then what they said is true so it is opposites day. After a while we end up being late for school. This is a version of the liar paradox, also known as the Epimenides paradox after a chap from Crete who is supposed to have announced that all Cretans are liars. There are a bunch of versions of the paradox including the simpler one: this sentence is a lie. Some other paradoxes: Jevon’s paradox the coastline paradox the Abilene paradox ## The Bullwhip Effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-bullwhip-effect Published: 2020-04-05T12:00:20+0000 Categories: economics, behavioral economics, health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0c6b9287-76a8-4703-a818-e072fab33fae_SP+659+-+The+Bullwhip+Effect+full+size.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The bullwhip effect: A person whipping a bullwhip showing how the amplitude of shocks increases through retailers, manufacturers and suppliers Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-bullwhip-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 How small changes in customer demand can produce considerable disruption upstream in the supply chain. For instance, a sudden surge in the buying of toilet paper may cause retailers to put in larger orders to make sure they can keep up with demand. Manufacturers, in turn, may put in even larger orders for raw materials to make sure they don’t get caught out. In the meantime, customers had bought all the toilet paper they ever needed and demand suddenly dropped causing retailers to cancel all their orders, manufacturers to halt production and suppliers to be left with big stockpiles of unwanted raw materials. I learned about the bullwhip effect from Tomas Tunguz where he considers economic effects of the coronavirus. He explains it with a brewery example in his article on proxy metrics for startups. ## Solar system planets: how big is the solar system? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/solar-system-planets-distances-to-scale Published: 2020-03-28T21:09:50+0000 Categories: astronomy, planet, sun, scale, perspective, science, physics, measurement Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z1BbhZbqstJ98Bug_Solarsystemsizes-inverted.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the scale of solar system distances explained: show how big is the solar system, what is an astronomical unit and the distances between planets Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/solar-system-planets-distances-to-scale), CC BY-NC 4.0 It’s pretty hard to get to grips with the scale of the solar system. It's really, really, really big. To help process the vast distances within our system, astronomers use Astronomical Units where 1 AU is the distance of Earth from the Sun. If you see Venus in the night sky, our closest neighbour just 0.7 AU from the sun, it looks impossibly far away. But the further out you go, the more the distances multiply. Earth and Venus are practically on top of each other compared to Uranus and Neptune. Neptune is a full 30 times the distance between Earth and the Sun. Now think about the fact that our little solar system is over 250,000 AUs from our nearest star, which is, in turn, just one of many tucked away in a small corner of the Milky Way, which is only one of many galaxies that make up the known universe. It might be time to sit down. James O'Donoghue has made some brilliant videos about the solar system that explain this and more. This sketch, and plenty more in the Starry-eyed Surprises section, features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures The original sketch of solar system sizes is on a paper background. Prints of the Paper background solar system sizes sketch Dark sky background solar system sizes sketch ## Equinox URL: https://sketchplanations.com/equinox Published: 2020-03-21T15:47:03+0000 Categories: seasons, weather, sun Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3efc6e82-c92d-4c96-a8a7-060d8c0eb58c_613216916450000896.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Equinox: meaning equal night, the autumn and spring equinoxes are days where there is an equal amount of daylight as night time. They mark the transitions between seasons Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/equinox), CC BY-NC 4.0 On the equinox there is nearly exactly 12 hours of daylight and night — the day and night are perfectly balanced. On these days the sun rises almost due East and sets due West. The Spring equinox and Fall equinox are the transition between the seasons of Winter to Spring or Summer to Fall, depending on if your days are getting longer or shorter. The other seasons transition at the solstices. Technically, the equinox is the instant “the plane of Earth’s equator passes through the center of the Sun.” (wikipedia) This usually happens around the 20 March and 23 September. The equinox exists due to the tilt of the Earth. Also see: Seasons Solstice ## Flatten the curve of an outbreak URL: https://sketchplanations.com/flatten-the-curve-of-an-outbreak Published: 2020-03-15T20:55:37+0000 Categories: health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2e772f55-1753-4260-a06f-cb1474213e76_612692748142886912.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Flatten the Curve illustration: 4 different containment strategies for a contagion outbreak and their expected effect on the number of cases detected over time are shown through a series of distribution curves. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/flatten-the-curve-of-an-outbreak), CC BY-NC 4.0 Writing this in the middle(?) of the coronavirus outbreak I thought it might be interesting to share these charts, created from the simulations in the excellent Washington Post article “Why outbreaks like the coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to ‘flatten the curve’” by Harry Stevens. The charts represent different strategies for containment and mitigation of the effects of a contagious outbreak. Trying to quarantine an area — where it is difficult to attain complete quarantine — delays the effect of an outbreak somewhat, but once released the impact is still significant with a potentially high peak of cases. Social-distancing — staying away from each other to reduce the chance of infecting others if you are infected and minimise the chance of infecting yourself — in both the bottom scenarios in the simulation manages to both delay the onset of an outbreak and reduce the peak. Not included in this simple simulation is that reducing peak infections in particular helps the healthcare system effectively treat and care for those who are infected, and look after its healthcare workers. When healthcare is not overwhelmed this further minimises both the spread of a disease and fatality rate. Read the article, run your own simulations, and maybe consider supporting the Washington Post, here: “Why outbreaks like the coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to 'flatten the curve’”. Disclaimer: I am not a public health professional. These charts are from my results of the simulations in the article and the simulations represent a simplified, though instructive I think, view of an outbreak and these containment methods. HT: Slava Kremerman ## Chindogu URL: https://sketchplanations.com/chindogu Published: 2020-03-07T20:01:26+0000 Categories: words, invention, design, japan, products Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2af8f1a7-b145-466f-8546-2c15f8bc57dd_SP+655+-+Chindogu.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Chindogu example: A t-shirt with a labelled grid on the back could be a useful tool to guide someone to the exact coordinates you'd like your back scratched. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/chindogu), CC BY-NC 4.0 Chindogu are inventions that are not really useful yet are not completely without use. They make sense, but you’d never use them. They are also, as a result, often really funny. This chindogu article gives some great examples while also sharing the 10 tenets of what makes chindogu, chindogu. Things like: there must be the spirit of anarchy —  they represent freedom of thought and action. And they must exist — just the idea isn’t enough; they must be made. Apparently, the selfie stick was invented as chindogu but failed as people evidently actually found it useful — though you can still see why it might have started as chindogu. Also see: affordance, forcing function, and more genius from the Japanese: Tsundoku ## How to wash your hands URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-wash-your-hands Published: 2020-02-29T08:54:30+0000 Categories: health, washing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a751c6f7-6c68-4229-9246-81c90863708e_611288424379449344.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How to wash your hands illustration: the 6-step guide shows how to make sure you wash your hands thoroughly; getting right into all the nooks, crannies, creases and folds of your fingers, thumbs, palms and backs of your hands. A minimum of 20 seconds wash time is recommended. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-wash-your-hands), CC BY-NC 4.0 In these times, and to be honest, most times, washing your hands well is one of the very best things you can do to keep yourself healthy and free from infections. You should use soap if you have it; it should take about 20s, and if you follow these steps, you’ll cover pretty much all of the different parts of your hands. In standard, cursory handwashing, it’s very easy to miss what ought to be obvious places to clean, like your fingertips. Then, try to avoid touching taps and door handles on your way out of public places. I find doing these steps takes about 20s, but to make sure you could also try singing a song segment you like. NPR has some suggestions: Keep flu at bay with a song. Some other hygiene sketches to bear in mind: Sneezes and coughs are powerful things — a sneeze can travel up to 8m. So always make sure you do your… Dracula sneeze Dry your hands with only one towel And as a basic rule…pour don’t dip when sharing snacks The handwashing guidance is from the wonderful NHS. ## Types of phishing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/types-of-phishing Published: 2020-02-23T12:08:50+0000 Categories: security, tech, fishing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZoKVHx5LeNNTwrK5_SP653-Typesofphishing.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Types of phishing: phishing, spear-phishing, whaling explained — 3 common types of phishing communications are shown from the impersonal, wide phishing net email, thrown out to a large population; to more personalised "spear-phishing", picking you off with a harpoon gun; to whaling, where scammers go after high profile targets like CEOs. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/types-of-phishing), CC BY-NC 4.0 Phishing is tricking people into sharing personal details and logins by pretending to be someone else, and it's surprisingly effective. Some of the smartest people I know have been taken in by it and it only takes a moment’s lapse in concentration or uncertainty to fall for it. The maths is simple: it barely costs anything to send an email to 100,000s of people and it only needs a few people to get caught in the net for it to pay off. Also, look out for targeted spear-phishing attacks where scammers may seem to know specific details about yourself to make the attack more credible. Or what’s known as whaling — the targeting of high-profile figures such has heads of companies or celebrities with elaborately planned and sometimes very convincing schemes. Stay vigilant people. You can also check if you’ve been caught in a data breach at: Have I been Pwned. I updated this image for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Also see: 2-factor authentication ## The dangers of just this once URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-dangers-of-just-this-once Published: 2020-02-16T07:27:18+0000 Categories: advice, quote, habits Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f61df2a9-5d10-4a26-aefb-16d87506595c_190854197236.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The Dangers of just this once illustration: Clayton Christensen's quote that "It's easier to hold on to your principles 100% of the time than it is 98% of the time" is played out by one individual sticking to their guns when being badgered about something and another quickly giving in, and ending up at a point very far from their initial stance. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-dangers-of-just-this-once), CC BY-NC 4.0 Clayton Christensen, in his book and article ’How will you measure your life?’, discusses what he learned about how to live a life of integrity. Among other things he says: It’s easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time than it is to hold to them 98% of the time. If you give in to “just this once,”…you’ll regret where you end up. You’ve got to define for yourself what you stand for and draw the line in a safe place. I think this is relevant, both in the small things — whether to work out today when it’s raining —  and in the larger decisions which help us be proud of our lives. Here's Clayton Christensen telling his story that illustrates this principle in person (video). ## Thunderclap or rumble URL: https://sketchplanations.com/thunderclap-or-rumble Published: 2020-02-09T10:05:32+0000 Categories: weather, sound Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/098ee1bd-088b-40d5-9bcf-8ca15ca8a2cb_190732828106.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Thunderclap or Rumble illustration: a dark, menacing cloud produces a lightening strike, creating a high frequency sound wave that gradually dissipates the further away you get. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/thunderclap-or-rumble), CC BY-NC 4.0 If you’ve ever been close enough to lightning when it strikes you may be familiar with the startling high frequency thunderclap or crack it makes. But the high frequency soundwaves of the clap are attenuated by their travel through the air away from the source so that from a kilometre or so away all you hear is the growling of the thunder rumbling away as it clatters and rebounds off everywhere it hits. I learned about this from Randall Munroe’s fun book How to: Absurd scientific advice for common real-world problems. ## Commitment device URL: https://sketchplanations.com/commitment-device Published: 2020-02-02T06:51:17+0000 Categories: motivation, psychology, lifehack, goals, productivity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8d24ea52-c726-4605-bd56-2f614da95734_190601601401.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Commitment device illustration: Odysseus asking his men to tie him to the mast so that he can resist the siren's song who are kind flying women Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/commitment-device), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sometimes we’re smart enough to know that we’ll have trouble doing something we want to get done. That might be going to the gym, finishing that essay instead of goofing around, quitting smoking, doing your taxes, or, if you happen to be Odysseus, listening to the sirens’ song without going crazy and diving in the water or driving your boat to be crashed on to the rocks. In these cases, you can try a commitment device: a voluntary restriction to help maintain our future self-control. In Odysseus’s case he instructed his men to fill their ears with wax and to bind him the mast and told them if he asked them to let him go then they were to bind him tighter. In this way, he managed to listen to the sirens’ song without ending up at the bottom of the sea. Other commitment device’s may be more mundane, such as publicly announcing to your friends that you’re going to do something, paying a bunch of money to sign up for something upfront, or handing a $20 bill to a friend with instructions not to give it back until you’ve done what you’re supposed to. Here are some nice examples of commitment devices. ## The travelling salesman problem URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-travelling-salesman-problem Published: 2020-01-25T21:21:45+0000 Categories: mathematics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/611d51e9-25b7-4d00-a800-ccde2e672a39_190464809359.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The travelling salesman problem illustration showing a bewildered salesman contemplating the many options he could take to visit all the places the need across America Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-travelling-salesman-problem), CC BY-NC 4.0 You have to drop off 2 things after school, get to the shops and back home — which route should you take? You drive an Amazon delivery van and you have 145 parcels to deliver across London — what’s the most efficient route? It’s pretty clear that for situations like the first one, with fewer stops, assuming you know travel distances or travel times, you could figure out the best route by trying out the different combinations until you hit on the shortest. The trouble is as you keep adding extra stops it doesn’t get just a little bit harder — instead the difficulty continues to increase along with the time it will take to find an answer. Figuring out the shortest route to visit all the stops and return back home is known as the travelling salesman problem. It’s a problem formulated over 150 years ago that still has relevance and interest today whether it’s for delivering parcels, stocking shelves or soldering transistors. ## The transparency paradox URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-transparency-paradox Published: 2020-01-19T20:54:08+0000 Categories: productivity, privacy, management, business, paradox Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/adb6acb4-5d9b-478c-8ba3-54c4f6fb127a_190351031631.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The transparency paradox: In an open classroom one student secretly passes a note to the other illustrating the transparency paradox Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-transparency-paradox), CC BY-NC 4.0 The more transparent your workplace the less transparent your employees. In an age of trackers, wearables, online monitoring, workplace chat and always-on devices it turns out that not only does a more transparent workplace actually drive people to more secretive behaviours, but that adding a little more privacy actually may improve productivity also. As Ethan Bernstein says: Very simply, the transparency paradox is the idea that increasingly transparent, open, observable workplaces can create less transparent employees. See Harvard prof Ethan Bernstein’s The Transparency Paradox study (pdf) or I learned about it from the Freakonomics podcast: Yes, the Open Office Is Terrible — But It Doesn’t Have to Be. ## The Boaty McBoatface effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-boaty-mcboatface-effect Published: 2020-01-11T20:56:21+0000 Categories: psychology, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0273154a-b2df-4c0f-9286-56750d695ecb_190203192386.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Boaty McBoatface effect: Someone holding up a poll for the naming of a boat which was vote-bombed to be Boaty McBoatface for a laugh Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-boaty-mcboatface-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 In 2016 the British Government had plans to launch a new polar research vessel. To decide on a name for it, they put it out to a public vote. Despite a number of serious, meaningful or historic names suggested, like Shackleton and Endeavour, one name put forward, Boaty McBoatface, quickly overwhelmed all the other options put together. It turns out this is not limited to the British sense of humour, and people will vote for a joke candidate because it’s fun and subversive, and people want to see what will happen if it wins. This NYT article by Katie Rogers has some other fun examples of competitions going ‘wrong’, such as an attempt to name a bridge 'Chuck Norris’ and selecting a school for the deaf as a concert location: What you get when you let the Internet decide. I learned about the Boaty McBoatface effect from Dr Roger Miles on the Human Risk podcast. Also see Conduct Risk Management: A behavioural approach by Dr Roger Miles. ## The data prison URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-data-prison Published: 2020-01-04T20:55:15+0000 Categories: data, design, infographics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a37c3451-b698-4d79-a378-a2545058f99a_190065273051.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Data Prison illustration: shows 2 tables with identical data describing a schedule of work and fun for every day of the week. The "imprisoned" data in the table on the left is separated by lines in a grid. The "freed" data in the table on the right has no lines, and instead uses shading and spacing. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-data-prison), CC BY-NC 4.0 The data prison is the default table where the bars of the cells crowd out your data with non-data-ink and lock your data into a prison. When data is locked into cells, their relationships with other data are harder to see, and the reader has to work harder to learn from your table. When making a table of data, consider if, by adjusting spacing and alignment, you can make the columns or rows clear enough as they are without the prison bars. And look for opportunities to remove the visual noise to let your data and the relationships between them shine out. The data prison is a concept from Edward Tufte. Check out the beautiful Envisioning Information More Tufte sketchplanations: Maximise data-ink Watch for the lie factor ## The Peter Principle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-peter-principle Published: 2019-12-28T20:03:43+0000 Categories: management, business, productivity, eponym, equity, kindness, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/147b8eb5-31f2-4d8c-b66c-093f1a206032_SP+646+-+The+Peter+Principle.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Peter Principle explanation: a confident and competent junior worker gets promoted to a senior level. At the senior level, they appear very happy and excel such that they get a promotion to Director. As a Director, their competence has been exceeded and we see them in a state of stress and disarray. Oh dear. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-peter-principle), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Peter Principle is that “every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.” The logic of the Peter Principle of management Someone good at their job is likely to get promoted. However, the promoted position will likely require different skills. If they’re good, they may get promoted again, but if not, they will stay. At some point, each employee in an organisation will be incompetent in their position. The Peter Principle was an observation originally meant as satire. Laurence Peter later wrote a book called The Peter Principle: Why things always go wrong. I like this short take on the Peter Principle by Tim Harford. The Paula Principle We discussed the Peter Principle in the Sketchplanations podcast. During the podcast, I learned about a counterpoint to the Peter Principle called the Paula Principle. In his book, The Paula Principle: why women lose out at work ― and what needs to be done about it, Tom Shuller explains that the Paula Principle is "most women work below their level of competence." Tom explains that the Paula Principle is caused by at least five factors: Discrimination, Caring responsibilities, Self-confidence, Lack of vertical networks, and what Tom calls Positive choice. Read more about the Gender, competence and the Paula Principle in the workplace. The Generalised Peter Principle The Peter Principle is a specific case, the case of people, of the Generalised Peter Principle which states that "Anything that works will be used in progressively more challenging situations until it fails." See rule number 1 of indoor games. Keeping the Peter Principle in mind might help be more tolerant of mistakes from higher-ups—they may be out of their depth. The Peter Principle is different from the Peter Parker Principle, which is: "With great power comes great responsibility." Though Spider-Man popularized this wise proverb, many precursors of the sentiment exist. ## Thesis, antithesis, synthesis URL: https://sketchplanations.com/thesis-antithesis-synthesis Published: 2019-12-21T21:21:18+0000 Categories: philosophy, ideas, design, economics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aTms9nNYClf9oBmD_SP645-Thesis%2Cantithesis%2Csynthesis-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the thesis–antithesis–synthesis model, sometimes erroneously called Hegel’s dialectic? A sketch showing an example for a new idea (thesis), an opposing reaction (antithesis), and the tension resolving into a synthesis that becomes the start of a new idea. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/thesis-antithesis-synthesis), CC BY-NC 4.0 This simple model for the progression of ideas is sometimes called a dialectic. It has many philosophical roots, but regardless, it’s a nice way to think of how ideas and perhaps society can progress. Something is created or put forward. It has some benefits but gives rise to negative effects, and somehow, we figure out a resolution as progress. That new solution then becomes the basis for the next step. In engineering, I learned that we progress by resolving contradictions. As a very simple example, it’s nice to have a walking stick. But a full-length walking stick is difficult to transport. You want it to be long when you’re walking and short when you’re travelling with it. So, we invent retractable ones. But retractable ones break more easily, so we invent…to be determined. You also see a similar idea in stories. See the story spine. It’s sometimes erroneously called Hegel’s dialectic, perhaps partly because Hegel’s work was sometimes so difficult to grasp, and this is nicely simple. ## The two generals problem URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-two-generals-problem Published: 2019-12-14T23:42:28+0000 Categories: software development, war, communication Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/75272020-86d4-4f04-816d-08e99a42df13_189674486091.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Two Generals Problem: Two Generals fighting for the same side, have set up their camps on the high ground either side of a castle to be attacked and use a messenger running between them to coordinate their attack. The problem is that the messenger has to run right past the hostile castle to relay the Generals' messages and confirmation of receipt of messages and there's no guarantee they'll make it past the castle unharmed. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-two-generals-problem), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Two Generals Problem is a fun thought experiment highlighting the challenges of communicating over an unreliable channel. Your message may or may not get through, and how will you know if it didn't? The situation is that two armies on either side of a hostile valley are trying to coordinate an attack, and they want to attack simultaneously to be sure to succeed. The trouble is, to coordinate, they have to send brave messengers through the hostile valley to the other camp, and the messengers may or may not be captured along the way. To coordinate the attack, you have to know that your message got through, which you’d know if you received a confirmation. But how would the general sending the confirmation know that their confirmation got through unless they received a confirmation of the confirmation? And on… Also see: Metcalfe’s Law Idempotence ## The cost of being late URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-cost-of-being-late Published: 2019-12-07T20:31:51+0000 Categories: management, time, business, productivity, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/01135135-6bf2-4d51-8a5f-55687cc2fb7f_189537010576.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The cost of being late illustration: an executive walks into a meeting 10 mins late adding up to 100 total lost minutes of everyone else's time Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-cost-of-being-late), CC BY-NC 4.0 It’s easy to think “it’s just a few minutes.” But as the number of people that you hold up increases, the true cost of being late scales rapidly. Being 10 mins late to a meeting with 10 others is 100 minutes. Holding the door for 20s on a train of 600 people is over 3 hours of time collectively. Unless your time is worth a lot more than everyone else’s it’s worth thinking twice before holding the door to a train or not taking the start of a meeting seriously. I think, at the end of the day, it’s really about respect. ## Law of diminishing returns URL: https://sketchplanations.com/law-of-diminishing-returns Published: 2019-11-30T21:58:05+0000 Categories: economics, law, charts, food and drink, business, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6b64ffe3-b891-4838-989c-a5e0f6d66bce_SP+642+-+Law+of+diminishing+returns+-+revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Law of Diminishing Returns illustration: a chart of broth quality increasing from a lone chef stirring a large pot to eventually decreasing once again as a crowd of chefs get in each other's way and goof off. Standard. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/law-of-diminishing-returns), CC BY-NC 4.0 The law of diminishing returns: at some point, doing more of the same stops paying off like it used to. You might think that adding more of a good thing would make things better. And, yes, that’s often true, up to a point. However, the law of diminishing returns suggests that as you add more of a single factor, you are likely to yield progressively lower benefits. It’s like the old adage, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” Another cook or two might help, but beyond that, they’ll probably start getting in each other’s way. Aside from cooking broth, you might see the law play out in spending on advertisements, quality improvements in production or your wealth. And we should also never forget that more is different. The sketchplanation is an homage to perhaps my favourite comedy sketch with an early-career Simon Pegg in the series Big Train: The Cake Factory (video). Well worth two and a half minutes. Also see: The law of diminishing brownies I updated this sketch for the release of Big Ideas Little Pictures. Here's the original ## Autumn leaves and the compounds that cause their colours URL: https://sketchplanations.com/autumn-leaves Published: 2019-11-23T22:24:42+0000 Categories: nature, colour, trees, seasons, beauty, forest, wellbeing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZuqqCbVsGrYSvgqm_SP641-Autumnleaves.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Why do leaves change colour in fall and Autumn and what compounds make the colours? Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/autumn-leaves), CC BY-NC 4.0 What a lovely time of year—when the leaves of deciduous trees in many forests change from the deep greens of summer to the yellows, oranges and reds of autumn. But what makes the leaves change colour, and what compounds are responsible for nature's spectacular display? Many of us will know the green of chlorophyll, but leaves also contain carotenoids. As the chlorophyll fades, the golden oranges of these carotenoids start to shine through. You may recognize one carotenoid, beta-carotene, from carrots. Another carotenoid, xanthophyll, is responsible for the beautiful bright yellows. The leaves of some trees also produce anthocyanin as autumn begins, which produces those beautiful deep reds. This sketch features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Also see: What causes seasons? ## Stock, Broth, Jus URL: https://sketchplanations.com/stock-broth-jus Published: 2019-11-16T14:16:46+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z0nQzJbqstJ975wP_SP640-Stockbrothjus-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the difference between traditional Stock, Broth and Jus explained: a large cooking pot of water has bones thrown in to make Stock. A second pot has meat added to water to make Broth. The cooking tray used to roast a chicken is tipped up to pour out the Jus, made from pan drippings. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/stock-broth-jus), CC BY-NC 4.0 What is the difference between traditional, meat-based stock, broth and jus? Traditionally, stocks have the flavour and gelatinous collagen-y thickness that comes from cooking bones. Broth was cooked not with bones but with the meat itself. While a jus is a sauce made from the pan drippings, usually from a roast. I learned this simple distinction from chef Thomas Keller. Now, you can also have vegetable stock. So, another useful distinction between stock and broth includes that, generally, stock is intended to be used in the preparation of another dish rather than eaten directly like broth. As such, you would more likely use whole vegetables in stock to impart the flavour, but still scoop them out afterwards, while a broth would have cut vegetables ready to eat in the broth itself. Also see: The tomato test for sharp knives The open-air kitchen Stop chopping board slip Fruit or vegetable The kitchen working triangle How to set the table The egg float test and something different: continuous partial attention ## Who cut down the last tree? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/who-cut-down-the-last-tree Published: 2019-11-10T10:20:42+0000 Categories: sustainability, forest, trees Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fc523634-9b26-43e8-b398-9886efc239e0_188946505806.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Who cut down the last tree illustration: 300 years ago we see someone cutting down a tree with an axe in a large dense forest. 100 years ago we see someone cutting down a tree in a now much more sparse forest. Today, there's only a small sapling left, and someone just snapped a branch off it. So what next? Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/who-cut-down-the-last-tree), CC BY-NC 4.0 If you lived on Easter Island, would you really cut down the last mighty tree knowing that would be it? It seems either foolhardy or desperate to knowingly cut down the last of a kind and your last source of timber. So how could it happen? Easter's End Jared Diamond, in his book Collapse and article Easter’s End, explains how this situation could happen through a gradual, hardly noticeable decline over many years. Those who remembered the great trees that they used to make rafts, canoes, and ships were old or had long since died. Today's trees may be nothing like the forests and towering trunks of tens or hundreds of years ago. As Jared puts it: "Gradually trees became fewer, smaller, and less important. By the time the last fruit-bearing adult palm tree was cut, palms had long since ceased to be of economic significance. That left only smaller and smaller palm saplings to clear each year, along with other bushes and treelets. No one would have noticed the felling of the last small palm." An alternative Easter Island history More recently, I read Rutger Bregman's story of Easter Island in his book Human Kind: A Hopeful History. In the chapter "The Mystery of Easter Island," he digs into the reconstruction provided by Diamond and others and questions whether the Easter Islanders really were reduced, after losing their trees, to infighting and destitution. Bregman found evidence to suggest that rather than driving themselves to the brink of extinction, the Easter Islanders were likely still thriving when Peruvian slave traders arrived in 1862, and sixteen slave ships carried off a third of the island's population, 1,407 people. Yet the worst for them was still to come a year later when the government was pressured to return the islanders home. A smallpox outbreak carried by the returning islanders wreaked devastation during the voyage, with hundreds dying at sea. The 15 islanders who made it home carried the virus with them, and it spread to the inhabitants who remained. He cites that the population was reduced to just 110 inhabitants in 1877 when the epidemic finally subsided. Until the arrival of the slave ships, the population, despite their trials, was still thriving. Bregman suggests that it was, in fact, contact with the rest of the world that destroyed Easter Island. For another thought-provoking perspective, Seth Godin asks who cut down the second-to-last-tree? ## The Doppler Effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-doppler-effect Published: 2019-11-02T21:43:53+0000 Categories: sound, physics, waves, eponym, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aikc-weQX7-eXHqL_SP638-TheDopplereffect-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Doppler Effect? Example of relative motion changes perceived frequency, with sound waves compressed ahead of a passing siren and stretched behind it. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-doppler-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Doppler effect is the change in frequency of a wave as its source moves relative to the observer. The same effect that causes a siren's pitch to change as it drives past is also used to estimate blood flow with ultrasound, measure the speed of a passing car, and even determine the motion of the stars. Doppler shift-based satellite navigation was also the first operational use of a system that eventually led to GPS. When a siren or similar sounds approach, I try to imagine the crunching of the sound waves—the vehicle seemingly chasing after its own sound—and the stretching out of the waves as it heads past and into the distance. At least it makes it less painful on the ears. Here's an excerpt from my Dad's book, Einstein's Mirror, in a fascinating chapter discussing the speed of light: "In 1845 in Utrecht, a troupe of trumpeters played their instruments while being transported by a train. Another group of musicians arrayed alongside the railway track were paid to listen carefully as the train and the trumpeters went by. This seemingly bizarre experiment was the invention of the Austrian physicist Johann Christian Doppler. Most readers will have noticed the drop in pitch of a whistle as a train goes by, or of a siren as an ambulance or police car passes. It was precisely this same change in pitch with motion that Doppler was investigating with his entertaining train and trumpet experiment." A polished version of this sketch appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to the Doppler Effect Also see: Redshift Looking back in time The Doppler Effect Sonic Boom Einstein's Mirror Laplace’s Demon ## Apophenia URL: https://sketchplanations.com/apophenia Published: 2019-10-26T19:59:16+0000 Categories: weather, nature, words, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/770ca3b3-4128-484b-8d95-ecf7f1cce5bf_188611704726.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Apophenia example: two hikers look up into the sky with surprise to see a cloud in the form of Godzilla! Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/apophenia), CC BY-NC 4.0 Apophenia is finding meaning and connections in unrelated things. This might be faces in pieces of toast, or the man in the moon, or clouds making incredible shapes. Seeking patterns and meaning in random data is something we seem naturally inclined to do. Also see: narrative bias — how stories feel better than randomness. Other sketches explaining clouds ## Ordering adjectives URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ordering-adjectives Published: 2019-10-19T16:15:25+0000 Categories: words, grammar, writing, language Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z3wSkpbqstJ99FuU_SP636-Orderingadjectives-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Ordering adjectives in English example - opinion, size, age, shape / colour, origin, material, purpose Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ordering-adjectives), CC BY-NC 4.0 How do we order our adjectives when speaking English? Remarkably, when we describe a noun, we almost always unconsciously arrange adjectives in this order: opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, and purpose. If you try mixing them up in a different order, it just doesn’t sound right. Compare, for example, a super little Italian coffee to an Italian little super coffee. Or, as Mark Forsyth points out in The Elements of Eloquence: How to turn the perfect English phrase, you can have a great green dragon, but not a green great one. Related Ideas to Ordering Adjectives in English Also see: Ablaut reduplication — zig, zag Anadiplosis Pleonasm Ghoti ## 5 Ways to Wellbeing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/5-ways-to-wellbeing Published: 2019-10-13T09:07:05+0000 Categories: wellbeing, health, play, exercise, nature, mindfulness, anxiety, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0add8608-c840-469b-9433-78c4528baad2_188316826736.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What are the 5 Ways to Wellbeing poster: in a busy park scene the 5 ways to wellbeing are depicted as families and friends come together to socialise and interact with their surroundings to Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/5-ways-to-wellbeing), CC BY-NC 4.0 The five ways to wellbeing are five simple, evidence-based ways to improve mental capital and mental wellbeing throughout life. What are the 5 ways to wellbeing? Developed by the New Economics Foundation, the 5 ways to wellbeing are: Connect With the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day. Be active Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness. Take notice Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you. Keep learning Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun. Give Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you. What Works Wellbeing has a neat post on how the UK compares to other European countries on the 5 ways to wellbeing and how they are affected by age, gender and other factors: 5 ways to wellbeing in the UK. Curious? Evidence for the 5 ways from the New Economics Foundation (pdf). Also, in doing this sketch, it’s quite clear that parks are awesome for wellbeing. Related Ideas to The 5 Ways to Wellbeing Also see: Forest bathing The 3-Day effect If this isn't nice, I don't know what is If money doesn't make you happy, you're not spending it right Languishing ## Continuous partial attention URL: https://sketchplanations.com/continuous-partial-attention Published: 2019-10-05T14:49:27+0000 Categories: wellbeing, tech, technology, mindfulness, anxiety, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0b334c11-c31c-454f-b7bf-736251db4858_188148581056.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Continuous partial attention illustration: A family spill the dinner and miss what's said while a baby paints the floor and another child has to go to yoga for some focus to remain in the present Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/continuous-partial-attention), CC BY-NC 4.0 Continuous partial attention describes the state many of us find ourselves in as we try to stay connected to all the different areas of life that are now possible — as a result, we pay only partial attention to anything. The accompanying stress or tension and, sometimes, decrease in relationship quality may contribute towards our increasing desire and awareness for the opposite: the wholly disconnected times of meditation, yoga, forest bathing, time in the outdoors (the 3-day effect), and other activities that allow us to give our full engaged attention for our wellbeing once more. Continuous partial attention was coined by Linda Stone. Also see: phubbing ## The tragedy of the commons URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-tragedy-of-the-commons Published: 2019-09-28T21:00:11+0000 Categories: climate, earth, behavioral economics, water, fishing, air quality Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/29dc1fc1-a63b-4b47-9068-35e8ac99309f_188008521657.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Tragedy of the Commons illustration: a cross-section of land shows a shared source of underground water being heavily used by one with access to it, leaving very little for everyone else. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-tragedy-of-the-commons), CC BY-NC 4.0 The tragedy of the commons is the all too common outcome of individuals making use of a shared resource and one of the true challenges of our times. The original scenario referred to commons land that soon becomes overgrazed as each individual tries to maximise their value from the share resource. The tragedy is that the overgrazed land is then ruined for all. We see the effect, perhaps most perniciously, with invisible or hidden shared resources such as taking water from underground aquifers for irrigation, or overfishing of fish stocks in the sea. The same effect is at work with problems such as littering, or washing plastics into the sea, or polluting the atmosphere — while it’s easier for any individual to take another fish, leave their litter on the ground, let pollution run into a river or the sea, or not worry about air pollution, the tragedy is it can have the effect of ruining them for all of us. When shared resources are moderated or governed fish stocks can be managed to recover, water supplies to replenish or pollution to be naturally treated. For more, check out this 5 min video on the tragedy of the commons by TED-Ed. ## Bactrian or dromedary camel? Never be confused again URL: https://sketchplanations.com/bactrian-or-dromedary-camel Published: 2019-09-21T20:33:37+0000 Categories: animals, whats the difference between, memory, mnemonic Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0fecda19-09ea-43b7-bc47-54b576e9a680_187865301761.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the difference between a Bactrian or Dromedary Camel: how many humps do each have and how to remember it with letters B and D Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/bactrian-or-dromedary-camel), CC BY-NC 4.0 How do you know which is a Bactrian or a Dromedary camel? Which camel has 1 hump and which camel has two? And how can you remember it? After sharing my original camel identification sketch a reader shared with me a foolproof way to tell whether you're looking at a Bactrian camel or a Dromedary camel. The Bactrian camel has 2 humps, just like a B on its side The Dromedary camel has one hump just like a D on its side Never wonder again which is which. The Bactrian camel is found in central Asia, for instance in the Gobi desert. The Dromedary camel is generally found in the Middle East and Northern Africa. You may also like: stalactites or stalagmites, tortoise or turtle, crocodile or alligator, dolphin or porpoise, how to tell a centipede from a millipede More "what's the difference between" sketches for things that are easily confused. ## The Shirky Principle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-shirky-principle Published: 2019-09-14T15:02:29+0000 Categories: theory, business, management, eponym, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1420301f-444d-41af-a8bb-8b830a42baba_187710050511.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is The Shirky principle explained — from Clay Shirky — illustration in a garage where a manager is astonished by a mechanic fixing the cars so they'll never need to come back Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-shirky-principle), CC BY-NC 4.0 Named after the brilliant Clay Shirky his principle broadly states that: Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution. Sometimes this may manifest itself as blindness towards new or different ways of doing things, other times it’s the challenge of and innate resistance to making oneself obsolete. Examples include there being more money in life-long illnesses than cures, traditional newspapers’ resistance to alternative online news forms, planned obsolescence of products, committees requiring the presence of committees, or resistance to self-checkouts at a supermarket. Some exceptions include Vitality health insurance in the UK that rewards a healthy lifestyle, and the lightbulb industry, in its move towards ultra long-lasting and efficient LED lights, boldly eliminating the need to replace most of its products for a lifetime. I’m still waiting for a breakdown service to reward people for taking care of their cars rather than focusing on fixing the breakdowns. ## Does this spark joy? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/does-this-spark-joy Published: 2019-09-08T09:30:11+0000 Categories: tidying, wellbeing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b45769f6-97c1-48d3-9dc3-3259875a4eae_187572911031.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Does this spark joy illustration: As they sort through their t-shirt collection to determine what stays and what needs to go, an individual holds up a shirt and is reminded how much they love it. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/does-this-spark-joy), CC BY-NC 4.0 Japan’s — if not the world’s — tidying guru, Marie Kondo, proposes this simple and rather beautiful criteria for deciding which of your possessions to keep and which to discard: does it spark joy? If you follow this benchmark for which of your posessions to keep you will surround yourselves only with the things that you really treasure and that give you a small thrill of joy. ## Capitonym URL: https://sketchplanations.com/capitonym Published: 2019-08-31T22:55:09+0000 Categories: words, writing, grammar Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6776673d-c527-4704-b4ca-98a7baa1b2a9_187405420621.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Capitonym illustration: a large turkey and a map of the country Turkey shows how adding a capital changes the meaning Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/capitonym), CC BY-NC 4.0 A capitonym is a word that changes meaning and sometimes pronunciation when capitalised. You'll be familiar with many examples: turkey/Turkey may/May march/March august/August lent/Lent reading/Reading mobile/Mobile polish/Polish alpine/Alpine china/China For years as a kid, no joke, I couldn’t understand why there was a polish club at the bottom of our road. Yes, it was a Polish club. Capitonyms are also heteronyms when they change pronunciation as for polish and Polish. Also see acronym or initialism ## Strand line URL: https://sketchplanations.com/strand-line Published: 2019-08-24T20:51:42+0000 Categories: coastline, beach, sea, oceans, waves Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/595bc7bb-84dc-48ba-bef8-1e234e7728ff_187242024181.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Strand line illustration: a beach showing the line where debris is stranded by high tide Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/strand-line), CC BY-NC 4.0 The strand line is the often lovely line of interesting seaweed, driftwood and things to find left behind by the waves at the top of high tide. Hopefully, with not too much plastic. More lines: Browse line Plimsoll line Draw smooth lines Choose the fast line The coastline paradox More beaches: Surfing breaks Beaches—amazing for play Gastropod anatomy Sea jelly—sea star ## Weather and climate: an analogy URL: https://sketchplanations.com/weather-and-climate-an-analogy Published: 2019-08-18T08:44:39+0000 Categories: weather, climate Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/12e7898c-bf86-4978-803d-735cb42a1f92_187091284016.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Weather and Climate illustration: weather is likened to the notes and loose change kept in your purse and the climate is likened to a graph showing your financial status over a long period of time. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/weather-and-climate-an-analogy), CC BY-NC 4.0 If weather is like the money in your pocket on any one day, climate is like your net financial worth over time. I liked this simple analogy to distinguish between weather and climate in a New York Times article by Kendra Pierre-Louis. While there are many causes of extreme weather, keeping this analogy in mind helps keep some overall context even when you’re in the midst of an unexpected cold snap. ## The Overview Effect A Profound Shift in Perspective URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-overview-effect Published: 2019-08-11T20:01:32+0000 Categories: moon, effect, space, astronomy, psychology, sustainability, perspective, beauty, wellbeing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z1BQoZbqstJ98Bmp_SP626-Theovervieweffect-revised-stars.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is The Overview Effect example explained: the classic moonrise photo from the Apollo 11 moon missions with 2 astronauts have a bit of a moment and need to sit down when taking in the majestic view of Earth from the moon and realise this is all we've got. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-overview-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The overview effect is the ultimate example of "seeing the forest for the trees." It’s the realisation that we live on a fragile planet, that we are all connected, and that this is all we’ve got—our one and only home. Coined by author Frank White, this phenomenon is most vividly experienced by astronauts, who return to Earth profoundly changed by seeing our planet from space. Their reflections highlight the emotional and philosophical impact of this shift in perspective: “You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty.” — Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut Or this: “When we look down at the earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile … Anybody else who’s ever gone to space says the same thing because it really is striking and it’s really sobering to see this paper-thin layer and to realize that that little paper-thin layer is all that protects every living thing on Earth from death, basically. From the harshness of space.” — Ron Garan, Shuttle/ISS astronaut This sketch is inspired by the iconic photograph of Earth taken from the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. The image captures the striking beauty and fragility of our planet and perfectly embodies the spirit of the Overview Effect. This sketch appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to The Overview Effect Also see: Wabi sabi Time hierarchy Pace layers Lifetime reads Rivers and buckets ## Deseed a pomegranate URL: https://sketchplanations.com/deseed-a-pomegranate Published: 2019-08-04T03:39:04+0000 Categories: food and drink, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d359f97f-a196-4409-915c-899aeb38b5f4_186759179861.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Deseed a Pomegranate illustration: this 5-stage process shows how to separate the seeds from within a pomegranate using the back of a spoon and a bowl of water. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/deseed-a-pomegranate), CC BY-NC 4.0 If you like pomegranate but are put off by the prospect of the effort of pulling out each individual seed and spraying pomegranate juice across the kitchen, then this is a fun and handy tip. It brings together two techniques: deseeding pomegranates in a bowl of water helps stop spraying when pulling them apart and naturally separates the light fluffy pith from the seeds, and whacking them on the back with a spoon is a surprisingly effective and fun way of making the seeds shoot out. Enjoy! ## Proxemics URL: https://sketchplanations.com/proxemics Published: 2019-07-28T04:53:33+0000 Categories: social engineering, design, architecture, culture Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/86f8083b-3487-40ea-9c21-0fc39f8457d2_186599365806.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Proxemics illustration: inside a large cathedral we see opposite ends of the proxemics scale; a family whisper to each other as they walk around the cavernous main hall and someone else gives confession inside a tiny booth. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/proxemics), CC BY-NC 4.0 I love this concept of the study of social distance, or how humans use space. Distinct from ergonomics, which is more about how people fit into their environment, proxemics focuses on the social aspect of space. For example: At what distance are you intimate? Where does your personal space end? How far away should you be for a good conversation? Why are the big circular wedding and conference tables so bad? How close should desks be in an office to encourage collaboration without feeling jammed together? Dev Patnaik at Jump Associates used to give the fine example of how you will whisper politely and with awe in the vaulted ceilings of a cathedral, while the confessional box — for people to share their deepest secrets — is low and close. An olde English pub that you stoop to enter under the low ceiling immediately feels friendly and intimate, whereas you’ll struggle to have a deep conversation on entering a warehouse. Proxemics was coined by the cultural anthropologist Edward Hall. His book The Hidden Dimension has the details. ## Campbell’s law URL: https://sketchplanations.com/campbells-law Published: 2019-07-20T17:54:00+0000 Categories: metrics, measurement, law, behavioral economics, eponym, politics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/447964f5-0a42-4886-8e0c-51b58d85de41_186426290506.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Campbell's law illustrated with examples from elections and leading to fake news and a crackdown on crime distorting how it is reported and measured Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/campbells-law), CC BY-NC 4.0 Campbell’s law, rather pessimistically suggests: "The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor." Campbell's law is kind of a Goodhart’s law with more explanation. It pretty much seems to work with everything, unfortunately. If you measure the performance of an employment office by the number of cases handled you may get quick but ineffective placements and interviews. If, instead, you measure them on number of persons placed in jobs you may unintentionally drive a focus on placing the simplest cases at the expense of those who most need the service. When customer support is measured by number of tickets dealt with I’ve heard of writing quick answers that don’t fully solve a question in the knowledge that the customer will soon come back with another ticket to solve. When policing effectiveness is judged by crimes reported and the number of unsolved cases you may get both under reporting of crimes, and a form of plea bargaining where a criminal may be encouraged to confess to extra crimes — therefore fewer unsolved cases — in exchange for more lenient sentences. Campbell notes that: It seems to be well documented that a well-publicized, deliberate effort at social change–-Nixon’s crackdown on crime–-had as its main effect the corruption of crime-rate indicators, achieved through underrecording and by downgrading the crimes to less serious classifications. Measuring schools on attendance encourages creative reasons for children being taken out of school. Assessing learning can quickly become teaching to, and cramming for, the test. When reviews come to dominate purchase decisions pressure increases for fake reviews. And then there’s elections and voting… Campbell, Donald, Assessing the Impact of Planned Social Change, Dec 1976. (pdf) Related Ideas to Campbell's Law Also see: Goodhart's Law What gets measured gets better You Get What you Measure And Seth Godin’s take on Campbell’s law: Speedometer confusion The Streisand Effect The Law of Unintended Consequences The Cobra Effect Scott Carter gave a pithier paraphrasing of Campbell’s law: “What gets measured, gets corrupted.” ## Human risk URL: https://sketchplanations.com/human-risk Published: 2019-07-13T17:00:35+0000 Categories: risk, psychology, money, design, security, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ef0c5666-beea-442a-9f67-98f29d18221b_186260630138.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Human Risk example: an enormous line of Mongol soldiers easily march through an open gate in the Great Wall of China as the two bribed guards take a nap. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/human-risk), CC BY-NC 4.0 In Don Norman’s classic book The Design of Everyday Things, Don gives an example of how to break into an office: just turn up at the door with a bunch of unwieldy computer equipment that looks difficult to carry and ask someone if they can open the door for you. Generally, someone will. Which goes to show no matter how well your system is designed, how seemingly impregnable your defences are, or how robust your processes, human risk — people doing things they shouldn’t or not doing things they should — are most likely the biggest ones. Like accidentally leaning on the keyboard before sending a bank transfer. The sketch is loosely based on a story, which is not true but illustrates the point nicely, that the Mongols got past the Great Wall simply by bribing the guards. If you like behavioural science, cognitive biases and the like, and want to build a better understanding of human risk, take a look at the human risk newsletter run by a long-time patron of Sketchplanations Christian Hunt. You can listen to a fun, example-packed conversation of human risk in our podcast episode on human risk with Christian Hunt. ## The Cobra Effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-cobra-effect Published: 2019-07-07T06:34:56+0000 Categories: effect, behavioral economics, economics, animals, measurement, metrics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aBNh8_IqRLdaByQ1_SP621-TheCobraEffect-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Cobra Effect? A visual explanation showing how a plan to pay for dead cobras in India backfired when people began breeding cobras to claim the reward. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-cobra-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The cobra effect is when well-intentioned actions to achieve an aim backfire and sometimes produce the opposite effect. The story goes something like this: Back in colonial India, the top Brit in charge decided there were too many cobras around Delhi. To reduce the population, they put in place a cash reward, or bounty, for anyone who brought in a dead cobra. The intention was clear. Legend has it that people did bring in the cobras reliably because some enterprising souls had started breeding cobras for the very purpose of getting the bounty. When the authorities realised this, they scrapped the scheme, the cobra farms closed, and the bred cobras were released into the wild, significantly increasing the cobra population by a few orders of magnitude. Hence, the cobra effect: when a well-intentioned measure can have the opposite effect to that desired. It’s not clear how true this story is, but the cobra effect has been demonstrated many times. The Freakonomics podcast on the cobra effect discusses some excellent examples (with references), including: A bounty on rats in French colonial Hanoi, where the bounty was earned by bringing in a rat tail, which went the same way as the cobra story Removing wild pigs at Fort Benning, Georgia, at $40 a pig's tail, that didn’t make a dent. It's possible that the hunters would bait the pigs with all sorts of tempting scraps. Many pigs learned to avoid the hunters and instead bred like crazy while well-fed on scraps. The capital of Colombia, Bogotá, tried to reduce traffic congestion by restricting each car from driving on one day during the week. The result: people started buying more than one car and drove more on weekends. The publication of proposed areas for habitat protection to be protected for endangered species led land developers to respond by building in those areas before the land was protected. People are smart. Incentives work—in the sense that you tend to get what you incentivise. So be careful what you are incentivising. As Charlie Munger said, "Show me the incentive, and I'll show you the outcome." Related Ideas to the Cobra Effect Also see: The law of unintended consequences Goodhart’s Law Campbell's Law What gets measured gets better You get what you measure The Boaty McBoatface Effect ## 1.5 billion heartbeats in a lifetime URL: https://sketchplanations.com/15-billion-heartbeats-in-a-lifetime Published: 2019-06-29T19:00:39+0000 Categories: scale, biology, animals, charts Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/agcccaYofJOwHRhe_SP620-1.5billionheartbeats-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Mammals share 1.5 billion heartbeats in a lifetime from a mouse to an elephant. From Kleiber's Law and Geoffrey West's book Scale Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/15-billion-heartbeats-in-a-lifetime), CC BY-NC 4.0 For almost all mammals, 1.5 billion heartbeats, more or less, is how much you’ve got. Over the course of its expected life, from the teeniest, tiniest shrew weighing just a few grams to the largest whale—passing through animals as diverse as robins, monkeys, sea lions and giraffes—every mammal’s heart will beat roughly 1.5 billion times. What’s more, knowing a mammal’s weight helps predict several other fundamental aspects of its life. Tiny mammals tend to have hearts that go like crazy and they live briefly and reach maturity quickly. Large animals, in contrast, have slow heart rates, long lives and take time to reach adulthood. The most significant outlier is humanity, largely because, in recent years, we’ve significantly extended our lifetime from what would be expected from nature. This gem, and many other fascinating insights about size, scale, Nature and physics, from the book Scale by Geoffrey West. Related Ideas to 1.5 Billion Heartbeats in a Lifetime Also see: The square-cube law The coastline paradox Dunbar's number This, and other fascinating insights about scale, feature in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## The continental axis hypothesis URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-continental-axis-hypothesis Published: 2019-06-23T06:22:41+0000 Categories: geography, history, animals, technology, maps, climate Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9c4e0004-7e2f-49b0-96d9-5a66128721cb_185787123841.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The continental axis hypothesis: from Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel, illustrating how the llama didn't manage to travel North-South Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-continental-axis-hypothesis), CC BY-NC 4.0 Jared Diamond’s classic book Guns, Germs and Steel, proposes some remarkable hypotheses about how the pattern of history played out, notably trying to answer the question of why it was generally the Europeans that invaded much of the rest of the world rather than the other way around. One hypothesis, striking in its simplicity if you’ve ever looked at a world map, is the significant contribution of the general orientation of the major continents. The Americas are largely lined up north–south, while Europe and Asia (Eurasia) are largely lined up east-west. An east-west alignment means the land generally has a more similar climate, day-length and seasonal variations. The general logic of the hypothesis is that the similar latitude of an east–west alignment means animals, crops, as well as travel and trade, more easily spread across the continents than across those with a north–south alignment — of the Americas and Africa — which naturally encounter more different climatic zones. As a simplified example, horses and other large animals and crops spread throughout the shared temperate latitudes of Eurasia. In contrast, South America’s only large domesticated animal, the thick-coated llama (and related species like the alpaca), couldn’t easily spread to North America through the impassable tropical barrier of the isthmus of Panama. They just aren’t built for it. There are a lot of viewpoints on the theory, and Diamond includes many more factors of geography and others — like never being able to domesticate the zebra — that go towards answering his question of why Spain invaded the Americas and not vice-versa. But ever since reading his simple hypothesis, available to anyone with a world map, I’ve found it hugely intriguing. ## Stop chopping board slip URL: https://sketchplanations.com/stop-chopping-board-slip Published: 2019-06-15T21:00:39+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b3cd0e01-d296-4fff-a2a8-a5408d59a751_185616185407.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Stop chopping board slipping illustration: a tea towel is made damp at the sink in a kitchen. The damp tea towel is then laid out underneath the copping board. And hey-presto, the chopping board doesn't slip around as our chef happily chops their carrots. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/stop-chopping-board-slip), CC BY-NC 4.0 Before getting started in your kitchen both Thomas Keller and Gordon Ramsay picked out this safety tip to stop your chopping board slipping while cutting. Just lightly wet a piece of kitchen towel or a tea towel and lay it flat between the surface and your chopping board. Hey presto! No slipping while cutting so all your fingers stay intact even with those tricky butternut squash. ## The accountability ladder URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-accountability-ladder Published: 2019-06-08T16:35:15+0000 Categories: framework, accountability, management, product management, leadership, starting, entrepreneurship, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZvGN0LVsGrYSvt8b_SP617-TheAccountabilityLadder-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the accountability ladder example explained: A child explains to a parent why homework wasn't done, illustrating each rung of increasing accountability on the accountability ladder from a victim mindset to a powerful accountable one Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-accountability-ladder), CC BY-NC 4.0 The accountability ladder is a framework for taking accountability for a situation in which we can move from a powerless victim mindset to a powerful, accountable mindset. There are many ways to respond when things go wrong or need to be done. If you choose a victim mentality, it’s easy to ignore the situation, blame others for it, declare your powerlessness, or just wait and hope. Or you can consider yourself accountable and adopt a mentality of power, acknowledging the situation, owning it, looking for solutions, and taking action to do your best. Bruce Gordon explains the accountability ladder (grainy, slightly odd video) with a fun story about him and his son in which they realise his son has homework due tomorrow that’s not done. Most of us have more power over our situations and more potential for impact than we usually give ourselves credit for—whether it's our jobs, our friends, the environment, or local issues. Perhaps considering your position on the accountability ladder is a good place to start. I love this quote from Erling Kagge, the first person to walk to the Triple Poles: "Most people underestimate the possibilities you have in life. And that’s a bit sad…But don’t underestimate yourself. Also, like I said: Get up in the morning." — Erling Kagge There are many versions of the accountability ladder. I couldn’t find a definitive source. If you know, please get in touch. ## Fading affect bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fading-affect-bias Published: 2019-06-02T12:04:43+0000 Categories: bias, psychology, emotions Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0f50a29f-c07d-4d9b-a8ae-b3caac44eccd_185313845246.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Fading affect bias illustration: showing that the emotional intensity of negative memories, like dropping your ice cream, fades faster than for positive memories Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fading-affect-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 Fading affect bias is the name given to the fact that the intensity of emotion, or the affect, of our bad memories seems to fade faster than for our good memories. This means that, say, our happy memories keep us happier for longer, and our bad memories don’t affect us as much in the future. It’s called the fading affect bias, as the fading is biased more strongly for negative memories. This is handy as it naturally gives us a more positive disposition. So, for instance, after some time has passed, we may find we remember the good parts of a holiday — like an amazing beach — more clearly than the bad — like the mosquitoes at the beach. And thinking about the good parts keeps making us happy longer than thinking about the bad parts might make us sad. Brilliant! This is a different use of affect than the common affect/effect confusion. ## The finger-dip test to not overwater houseplants URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-finger-dip-test-to-not-overwater-houseplants Published: 2019-05-25T18:00:11+0000 Categories: nature, water, tip, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/agcaHKYofJOwHRgc_SP615-TheFinger-diptestforwateringplants-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How to avoid overwatering houseplants using the finger-dip test Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-finger-dip-test-to-not-overwater-houseplants), CC BY-NC 4.0 The finger-dip test helps solve probably the biggest killer of houseplants: overwatering. I love this simple tip known as the finger-dip test, or the knuckle test, to determine if your plant needs watering. Sadly, it came too late for many of my plants, but perhaps not for yours. Just dip your index finger into the soil near the stem of your plant up to about your first knuckle. If the soil feels dry and your finger comes out clean, then it’s probably time for some water. If the soil around your fingertip is still moist, then it’s time to sit back next to your plant with a good book and enjoy it. I learned this from the good people at Patch Plants and their resident plant expert Alice Vincent. Certain plants, like cacti and orchids, will live by different watering rules. Related Ideas to How to Avoid Overwatering Houseplants Also see: Kintsugi Wabi-sabi Fruit vs vegetable How to grow your own fresh air Grass grows from its base Catch drilling dust with a Post-it This tip appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures along with a host of others. ## The trust battery: A handy metaphor to think about trust URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-trust-battery Published: 2019-05-18T16:00:32+0000 Categories: trust, metaphor, management, leadership, relationships, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Y9V60jAfJvE2mCIP_SP610-Thetrustbattery-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the trust battery example, from Tobias Lütke at Shopify, explained with a manager considering how interactions fill or deplete the trust battery Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-trust-battery), CC BY-NC 4.0 We know it intuitively: We consider some people a safe pair of hands, while with others we feel the need to watch over their shoulders. The trust battery is a metaphor that helps think about and visualize these trust levels. The concept is from Tobi Lütke, the CEO of Shopify. He suggests that in each interaction, we subconsciously consider the level of our trust battery. That level affects how we respond to people. The trust battery can be helpful to discuss in performance reviews without things getting too personal. He explains, for example, that when a new colleague joins your company, the trust battery between the two of you may start at around half full. Each time the new colleague acts in a way that earns your trust, that level increases. And if they let you down, the trust battery level goes down. But watch out—while the trust battery fills up slowly over many interactions, it can quickly drain. Lütke says at Shopify they found it a useful way to surface and talk about trust in reviews without it feeling too personal. Related Ideas to the Trust Battery Also see: The trust equation RACI The accountability ladder The Johari Window I learned about it from the excellent book It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work ## The 3-day effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-3-day-effect Published: 2019-05-11T20:24:31+0000 Categories: nature, backpacking, wellbeing, hiking, camping, mountains, effect, psychology, mindfulness, anxiety Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/abFaG1xvIZEnjkV9_SP614-The3-Dayeffect-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The three-day effect: spending three days in nature improves creativity, clarity and wellbeing Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-3-day-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The three-day effect is the name given to what happens after we spend three days or more in nature. Spending three days or more in nature appears to reset our attention and improve mood, wellbeing, and mental clarity. River rafting guide Ken Sanders noted the three-day effect after seeing a marked change in the groups he led on the third day of a river journey. By the third day, the river becomes the reality of the travelers, and their old reality fades away, Sanders explains. Since that original observation, cognitive neuroscientist David Strayer has conducted studies that measured increases in participants' creativity and problem-solving ability after three or more days in nature. We start to think more clearly. As we spend more time on phones, laptops and digital devices, many of us spend less time outdoors in nature. Perhaps it’s time to schedule a trip, turn our devices off, and experience the three-day effect ourselves. The benefits we are missing out on may be significant. As Ken Sanders says: "I think it takes the first two days and nights to wash away whatever veneer of civilization you have brought with you. The new reality begins on that third day." Related ideas about the benefits of nature No doubt similar things at work to the magic of forest bathing. 5 Ways to wellbeing Uitwaaien Solvitur ambulando More about the 3 day effect at National Geographic: This is your brain on Nature and REI: The Nature Fix. Updated from the original for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## The 9 times table on your fingers URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-9-times-table-on-your-fingers Published: 2019-05-05T09:22:38+0000 Categories: mathematics, refresher Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c89ba646-e61d-4895-a70e-45104849bfd6_184662424416.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The 9-times table on your Fingers illustration: holding up both hands in front of you, the example of 3 x 9 is given; whereby the 3rd finger from the left is lowered leaving 2 fingers to the left of the gap and 7 fingers to the right. 2 and 7 gives 27. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-9-times-table-on-your-fingers), CC BY-NC 4.0 You may remember this little trick from school. If you’ve not seen it before, give it a quick try 🙂 ## The story spine URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-story-spine Published: 2019-04-27T16:07:24+0000 Categories: improvisation, storytelling Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6d5b6778-3f25-46eb-8752-8fb0a7f2bdb0_184482944121.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the story spine and example: showing a common pattern of storytelling with a small example Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-story-spine), CC BY-NC 4.0 Kenn Adams’s story spine is a wonderfully simple and flexible backbone for creating or analysing stories. I learned it from Dan Klein at Stanford as a fun improvising game: standing in a circle each person in turn takes on the next step of the story spine making up what happens. You’ll effortlessly produce some fascinating and amusing stories. We would extend the middle section as many times as felt natural to lead to the climax. An optional extension to the original spine was to add a final step of stating the moral of the story. I have found the story spine very useful for coming up with on the spot bedtime stories. Also a fun game at the pub. Why not give it a try now? Like improv? You might like: the first rule of improv: accept offers the second rule of improv: be spontaneous the improv attitude Watch Dan Klein in action at TEDxReset 2014 ## The Egg Float Test URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-egg-float-test Published: 2019-04-20T20:00:48+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3977552c-5739-4462-b1dc-89a0a50dca3a_184324792123.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Egg test: how to use the egg float test to know if an egg has gone bad by checking it's floating behavior underwater Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-egg-float-test), CC BY-NC 4.0 Together, and with the help of a small bowl of water, let’s save millions of perfectly good eggs from being thrown away using the egg float test. Egg shells are very slightly porous. Over time, air seeps into the shell making it lighter than it was, and, when it is old and no longer good to eat, it floats. Hence, the egg float test. Here's how to test your eggs. Carefully, place an egg into water taking care not to crack it, and watch. If the egg: …sinks to the bottom and sits on its side, then it’s fresh and good to eat. …sinks to the bottom but perches on its end, then it’s good to eat, but should be eaten soon — it’s been around long enough to get enough air in it to start lifting it off the bottom. …floats to the surface, then it’s old and likely no longer good to eat. Word is that it’s not a good idea to wash eggs well before you plan to use them as it removes a natural membrane coating on them called bloom that protects the eggs from bacteria. So best to only wash them when you’re ready to eat them. Now, does anyone know of an equivalent test for avocadoes? ## Fruit vs vegetable URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fruit-vs-vegetable Published: 2019-04-13T19:00:40+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/830b4519-24f4-465a-914c-12f05a200767_184160745832.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Fruit vs vegetable drawing: showing the elements of a plant that are fruit or vegetable and a 2x2 matrix for which are commonly miscategorised Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fruit-vs-vegetable), CC BY-NC 4.0 What's the difference between a fruit and a vegetable? There's that classic thing: tomatoes are really a fruit — well, a whole lot of other vegetables are technically fruit too. I do find this way of thinking of it helpful: Fruit — ovaries developed from the flowering parts containing seeds. They’re basically what grows where the flower was. Vegetable — other edible parts of a plant. So basically, anything else, with a handy list being: leaves, roots, stems and flowers. So this makes tons of other common vegetables actually fruit, including peas, avocadoes, cucumbers, eggplants, bell peppers and more. And corn and raspberries are still rather complicated. Also see: hedgehog a mango de-seed pomegranates the hungry gap freeze lemons and limes scoville scale what’s the difference between mandarins, clementines, satsumas and tangerines? open bananas like a monkey roll limes before squeezing cut an onion into teeny pieces advice to eat well ## The business flywheel URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-business-flywheel Published: 2019-04-07T09:19:22+0000 Categories: marketing, business, framework, products, product management, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a8f43f82-3ea3-48cb-80e2-53ebfe2c62ab_184006651836.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Business Flywheel example explained: the model of The Business Funnel, where prospects are filtered to yield end customers is compared with The Business Flywheel, where customers are at the centre, acting as the driving force behind your business momentum. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-business-flywheel), CC BY-NC 4.0 Perhaps, like me, you’re used to thinking about bringing customers onboard as a funnel. It’s a very natural metaphor for thinking about customer acquisition. For example, you market to 10,000 people, 500 people visit your website, 50 of them put something in the basket and 10 of them buy. If you draw it out it looks like a funnel. And the next time you market you start fresh with a new 10,000. But the real world isn’t like that. Delivering a good service to your customers helps the next customers come in. Hence the flywheel model. A flywheel is typically a big heavy wheel that stores and releases energy from an engine or vehicle. The flywheel metaphor is about happy customers driving your growth. And when you think about your business this way it can cause you to make different decisions. Having more customers is like a bigger, heavier flywheel containing more energy. Happy customers speed you up, unhappy customers slow you down. Making it easier for customers to try your product reduces friction, as does making it easier for for customers to talk about and share your product. Get your flywheel big, heavy and spinning like crazy and your business is doing well. The flywheel model is from Brian Halligan at Hubspot. I’ve thought about customer funnels for literally years and I wish I’d known about the flywheel long ago. Check out Hubspot’s flywheel intro for more. ## Proportionality bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/proportionality-bias Published: 2019-03-30T20:18:19+0000 Categories: psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/288899a7-7301-4327-aea5-0befd3cb2368_183825991136.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Proportionality Bias illustration: a dice has landed on a six and the person who rolled it gave it a really good shake beforehand. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/proportionality-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 We have a natural tendency to think that big events must have big causes. For instance, in one study, participants who were told that a plane had crashed and everyone died were more likely to believe it was a terrorist incident than one in which they were told a plane had crashed but people survived. It might also help explain why, when we want to roll that big lucky number to win, we might find ourselves giving the dice an extra shake before rolling, as if the extra effort might lead to the better outcome. Normally, proportionality bias makes a lot of sense, but sometimes it leads us astray. Working with software, for example, might help train this out of us as a mere misplaced comma can bring entire systems grinding to a halt. And small changes to ecosystems, or, say, a small temperature rise on a planet, can lead to massive consequences. Proportionality bias is considered one of the drivers of conspiracy theories. For example, we might be inclined to think that someone like Lady Diana couldn’t possibly have just died in a driving accident — there must be more to it. Or JFK couldn’t have been killed just by a lone gunman — there must be a larger plot at work. ## Tsundoku URL: https://sketchplanations.com/tsundoku Published: 2019-03-23T20:00:41+0000 Categories: books, words, knowledge, sleep, japan, happiness, wellbeing, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aWpTGAIvOtkhBp0E_SP606-Tsundoku-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Tsundoku meaning and example: the act of collecting books without reading them shown by a person snoozing happily on their bed surrounded by books, books and books Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/tsundoku), CC BY-NC 4.0 Have a pile of books by the bed or on the shelf that you haven't gotten to, yet? Congratulations, that's tsundoku. What is Tsundoku? Tsundoku is a beautiful Japanese word that means buying and piling up books without reading them. It is constructed from two words that loosely mean "piling up" and "reading." It's easy to fall prey to tsundoku. Immediately upon entering a bookstore, I'm filled with the promise of knowledge and entertainment that exudes from the books. Each book calls out to share its wisdom and the draw of quiet hours spent reading it. Given that it takes hours to read most books and only moments to buy them, practising tsundoku is a common pastime. The sketch is loosely based on my parents’ bedroom while I grew up, both of whom are experienced and talented tsundoku-ers/tsundokists. This sketch and many other word-related sketches appear in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures. I won't be offended if the book makes it into a beautiful pile—just please pop it at the top. Related Ideas to Tsundoku I wrote more about Tsundoku in the newsletter Enjoy the podcast episode on Tsundoku Also see: 3,500 Lifetime Reads—the number of books you might read in a lifetime The Writer's in the Writing, the Artist's in the Art Rivers and Buckets ## The Abilene paradox URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-abilene-paradox Published: 2019-03-16T19:50:30+0000 Categories: paradox, psychology, eponym, management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/571090a6-84bf-4ad7-ba66-05a37e3afbb6_183501747461.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Abilene paradox: a family sets out on a trip to Abilene on a hot dusty day only to discover on the way back that none of them actually wanted to go Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-abilene-paradox), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Abiliene paradox is the paradox of how groups of people can take actions that no one in the group actually thinks is a good idea. Though individually, we each may think that an idea is a bad one, we may go along with the group decision thinking that it’s just us that disagree when, in fact, no one thinks it’s a good idea. It was coined by Jerry Harvey, a management professor, who illustrated the phenomenon with a fictional story of a family who ended up on a rubbish day out to Abilene that no one wanted to do. On a hot afternoon visiting in Coleman, Texas, the family is comfortably playing dominoes on a porch until the father-in-law suggests that they take a trip to Abilene (53 miles north) for dinner. The wife says, “Sounds like a great idea.” The husband, despite having reservations because the drive is long and hot, thinks that his preferences must be out-of-step with the group and says, “Sounds good to me. I just hope your mother wants to go.” The mother-in-law then says, “Of course I want to go. I haven’t been to Abilene in a long time.” The drive is hot, dusty, and long. When they arrive at the cafeteria, the food is as bad as the drive. They arrive back home four hours later, exhausted. One of them dishonestly says, “It was a great trip, wasn’t it?” The mother-in-law says that, actually, she would rather have stayed home but went along since the other three were so enthusiastic. The husband says, “I wasn’t delighted to be doing what we were doing. I only went to satisfy the rest of you.” The wife says, “I just went along to keep you happy. I would have had to be crazy to want to go out in the heat like that.” The father-in-law then says that he only suggested it because he thought the others might be bored. The group sits back, perplexed that they decided to take a trip that none of them wanted. They each would have preferred to sit comfortably but did not admit to it when they still had time to enjoy the afternoon. More paradoxes: The coastline paradox Jevon’s paradox the liar paradox the transparency paradox the paradox of choice Also see: groupthink the bandwagon effect Harvey, J. B. (1974). “The Abilene paradox: the management of agreement”. Organizational Dynamics. 3: 63–80. Excerpt as quoted from Wikipedia :) This is not to diss Abilene. I’m sure it’s a neat place. ## Choose the fast line URL: https://sketchplanations.com/choose-the-fast-line Published: 2019-03-10T09:18:37+0000 Categories: lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a6024849-6a20-4bf3-ae09-b986d4e731a2_183354031941.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Choose the fast line illustration: two lines of shoppers at a supermarket feed up to three servers at the checkout. Choosing a longer line with more servers could still be quicker. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/choose-the-fast-line), CC BY-NC 4.0 You’re at the supermarket. There are 8 self-checkouts and 15 people in line, there are 3 servers scanning baskets only with 5 people in line and 4 checkouts for trolleys each with 2 trolleys at each. Or you’re at immigration after getting off a plane, and you can see 3 lines each of different lengths, but it looks like they’ve just opened up another agent who’s only accessible from the right-hand line, but it already looks longer. Or there’s a jam on the highway but it looks like one lane splits into two up ahead. Or they’re checking passports at the gate and it looks like there are two people checking at one line and only one at the other. OK, chances are we probably won’t get it right, and most of all it’s worth just making peace with that and not stressing about it. But, there are times when a little counting, checking ahead and some mental arithmetic can save you a little time and give you a little glow of satisfaction. Good luck. ## The Coastline Paradox URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-coastline-paradox Published: 2019-03-02T19:29:58+0000 Categories: paradox, coastline, geography, mathematics, scale, uk, maps, measurement Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aN5DEZ5xUNkB1ZeL_SP603-TheCoastlineParadox-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the coastline paradox explained - meaning the length changes depending on the size of your ruler, with Great Britain's coastline as an example Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-coastline-paradox), CC BY-NC 4.0 How long is the coastline of Britain? The surprising answer is: it depends. This is the essence of the coastline paradox. What is the Coastline Paradox? The coastline paradox, sometimes called the coastline problem, is the observation that the measured length of a coastline changes depending on the size of the ruler you use and how closely you look. If you measure Britain’s coast with straight segments of 100 km, you might get around 2,800 km. Reduce the step to 50 km, and the length increases to about 3,500 km. Go down to 1 km, and the length leaps to more than 8,000 km. The closer you look, the longer it gets. Why does this happen? Coastlines are full of detail. If you were to measure the coastline of a country using a ruler on a globe, you’d get a very different result than if you paced around every bay, inlet, and headland. The closer you look, the more wiggles and squiggles you find. And instead of converging on one “true” length, the coastline just keeps getting longer. The smaller your measuring stick, the longer the coastline appears. Origins of the Coastline Paradox and the Fractal Dimension This effect was first spotted in the 1950s by the Englishman Lewis Richardson, while testing a theory that the likelihood of war between countries depended on the length of their shared borders. He found something remarkable: the quoted lengths of borders varied widely. By measuring with different map scales (or smaller callipers), the measured length systematically increased. When examining coastlines rather than borders, Richardson noticed that some countries’ coastlines grew faster than others as the scale shrank. Norway’s crinkly fjords, for example, produced a much sharper increase than Britain’s, which in turn increased faster than South Africa’s. This rate of increase later became known as the fractal dimension of the coastline. In some ways, it's a measure of the wiggliness of a coast. Long after Richardson’s research, Benoit Mandelbrot published a paper, "How Long Is the Coast of Britain? Statistical Self-Similarity and Fractional Dimension", that discussed how the wiggliness of something like a coastline at one scale can be repeated at smaller and smaller scales. The work led to the later term fractals. Many other things exhibit fractal-like behaviour, such as river networks, mountain ranges, borders, brains, frequencies, lightning, and even the stock market. There’s a super section on this in Scale, by Geoffrey West. And it's also covered in my Dad's book (!) The New Quantum Universe. So is there a true length of a coastline? Not really. That’s the paradox. At very small scales, the length approaches infinity. Crazy. Related Ideas to The Coastline Paradox Also see: The Mercator Projection The difference between Great Britain, and the UK Strahler stream order The 3 Tallest Mountains More paradoxes: The transparency paradox: the more transparent the workspace, the more privately people behave The paradox of choice: more choice can make it harder to choose The automation paradox: the better the machines get, the more we struggle when they fail The Abilene paradox: a group can take an action that no one thinks is good The liar paradox: I am lying The paradise paradox: the belief that moving to paradise will solve all our problems Jevon's paradox: Fuel efficiency gains tend to increase fuel use I updated this sketch from the original for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## Imposter syndrome URL: https://sketchplanations.com/imposter-syndrome Published: 2019-02-23T19:00:33+0000 Categories: psychology, starting, motivation, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b55b1881-4d0c-423c-b4dc-a114e11a0f26_183007553766.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Imposter Syndrome illustration: even as an appreciative audience applaud, an award recipient at the rostrum on stage questions whether they actually deserve this recognition. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/imposter-syndrome), CC BY-NC 4.0 Ever had that feeling when people said "well done" or "thank you" for what you did, that you didn’t deserve it? It’s called imposter syndrome. It’s a pernicious and pervasive feeling of doubting your accomplishments and fear of being exposed as a fraud — at any moment, everyone will wake up and realise you aren’t so great after all. My thoughts: Hang in there, keep trying your best, stay humble, and don’t take things too seriously. And accept compliments. ## Plogging URL: https://sketchplanations.com/plogging Published: 2019-02-16T16:39:08+0000 Categories: exercise, running, sport, health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fc8893b3-b47b-46c5-820d-7083180610c2_182849323921.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Plogging illustration: a happy jogger runs along with a bin bag in hand. Whenever they see litter, they stop to pick it up and pop it in the bag. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/plogging), CC BY-NC 4.0 Plogging—from the Swedish plocka upp (pick up)—is the simple combo of picking up litter while out jogging. Litter in our environment is all our responsibility, and I’m still surprised by how much impact a small effort can make on tidying up a place. Plogging gives the multiple gratification of making your local area nicer and helping out Nature while getting a decent workout and some fresh air to boot. Maybe combine it with these other jogging sketchplanations: Fartlek London running kit Clingfilm your keys Run further, or, heck, swimrun for the adventurous or There is no away ## The trust equation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-trust-equation Published: 2019-02-09T21:16:59+0000 Categories: trust, mathematics, psychology, sociology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ahKccrK9tuLqEGY7_SP601-TheTrustequation-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C3652%2C3458&w=1200&h=3458 Image description: What makes people trust you? How to be trustworthy? The Trust Equation: Credibility, Reliability, Intimacy over Self-orientation from Charles Green at Trusted Advisors Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-trust-equation), CC BY-NC 4.0 This simple equation from Charles Green considers what makes someone trustworthy. It breaks down trustworthiness as the sum of a person’s credibility, reliability and how intimate or safe they help you feel divided by the self-orientation of the person. You can think of self-orientation as whether they focus their attention more on themselves or if they are genuinely interested in you and your success. Self-interest reduces trustworthiness, while having common goals strengthens it. It’s much easier to trust someone when they are qualified, consistently show up, create a safe atmosphere and when you believe their interests align with yours. Related Ideas to The Trust Equation Also see: The trust battery The Johari Window The Rashomon Effect Gaslighting The Overton Window Goodhart's Law Campbell's Law Make your idea sticky The most beautiful equation This sketch appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Charles Green has written about the trust equation in several books, including The Trusted Advisor: 20th Anniversary Edition, Free Press, 2021. More at Trusted Advisor. ## Tax freedom day URL: https://sketchplanations.com/tax-freedom-day Published: 2019-02-03T09:53:22+0000 Categories: charts Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8b0e51c9-1b20-49f5-8469-8a19f2e6b558_182521881166.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Tax Freedom Day illustration: a year-long scale from January to December shows how long into the year it takes for different countries to cover the bill for public services through income tax. After that point, the money you earn is for you to spend however you like. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/tax-freedom-day), CC BY-NC 4.0 If you took all the taxes a country pays each year on one hand, and all the money that people earn on the other, tax freedom day represents the day after which the country’s taxes would be paid by its citizens and the remaining earnings free to spend as they wish. It’s a national average as each individual’s tax freedom day would be different, though in principle you can calculate your own. Given taxes vary between countries, each country has a different tax freedom day — though it’s not easy to compare as calculations tend to differ. In the US it’s calculated by the Tax Foundation. ## A world of 4 income levels URL: https://sketchplanations.com/a-world-of-4-income-levels Published: 2019-01-26T19:41:57+0000 Categories: geography, sociology, earth, statistics, data, charts, economics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z79Bpp7c43Q3gRZL_SP598-Aworldof4incomelevels-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Beyond developing and developed world views: a world of 4 income levels from Sketchplanations, Factfulness and Gapminder Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/a-world-of-4-income-levels), CC BY-NC 4.0 I grew up with the idea that there are developed countries and developing countries, the “rich” world and the “poor” world. I didn’t actively consider this teaching. It’s just always been there. And it’s wrong. In his excellent book Factfulness, Hans Rosling shows that wealthier countries tend to have smaller families and a low child mortality rate. In contrast, poorer countries are more likely to have larger families and a high child mortality rate. Plotting the spread of countries in the 1960s gives a reasonable approximation of a cluster of “developed” countries with small families where most children survive and a cluster of “developing” countries with larger families where more children die. But that was in the ’60s. The world has changed a lot since then, and that model of dividing the world into two buckets no longer fits the data. Most people in the world are somewhere in the middle. And more helpful than dismantling a worldview is providing a new model to replace it: a model with four income levels instead of two. The numbers reflect most people’s reality, with most of us somewhere in the middle. Related Ideas to A World of Four Income Levels Also see: The Destiny Instinct The Continental Axis Hypothesis For more, check out the Factfulness book, or Gapminder. And you could do much worse than watch Hans’ entertaining TED talk: the best stats you’ve ever seen. ## The 3 tallest mountains URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-3-tallest-mountains Published: 2019-01-20T12:55:20+0000 Categories: geography, mountains, volcanoes, earth, planet Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/424ced71-093e-4ae8-b2bd-4070c65c9e1a_182162096951.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The 3 Tallest Mountains illustration: on the left, Mount Everest is measured from sea level. In the centre, Mauna Kea is measured from its base (well below sea level) to its summit. On the right, Chimborazo is located near the equator where the earth bulges making its summit the furthest from the centre of the earth (and hence closest to the sun). Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-3-tallest-mountains), CC BY-NC 4.0 Everyone knows Everest is the highest mountain at a colossal 8,848m above sea level. But, depending on how you’re measuring, there are two other candidates for tallest mountain. Mauna Kea is a volcano on the big island of Hawaii. In fact the whole island is made from volcano, so as a peak it rises from the base of the Pacific ocean to over 4,200m above sea level. Including the part of the mountain that rises from the sea bed it is over 10,000m tall. Mt Chimborazo can also lay a claim to the tallest mountain. The Earth is not a perfect sphere — it bulges around the Equator meaning that points on the Equator are several kilometres further from the centre of the Earth than points further North or South. A bulging around the centre is a common shape for a spinning sphere due to the force exerted by the spinning. Sitting almost exactly on the Equator means that Chimborazo’s already enormous 6,263m from sea level makes its summit the furthest point on the Earth’s surface from the centre of the Earth. I’m not totally sure if that means that at some point Chimborazo’s summit makes it the closest point to the sun, but it definitely sounds plausible! ## The Hungry Gap URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-hungry-gap Published: 2019-01-12T14:54:37+0000 Categories: food and drink, nature, geography, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8d648acb-34b5-4cbd-aab9-6731ec82d368_181952094301.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the hungry gap explained showing a timeline with a full box of Winter vegetables leading out of April, a nearly empty box in May, and an overflowing one in the Summer Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-hungry-gap), CC BY-NC 4.0 In the UK and certain temperate latitudes there’s a period where the weather gets warmer and the season late for the winter crops, while the temperatures can still be too low for the Summer crops to get going. This period is known as the Hungry Gap — from late April, through May and a little of early June — as it’s hard to pick enough crops locally at that time of year to live off. Ellen Warrell at Riverford Organic Farmers explains the Hungry Gap, including ways to manage it. For example, did you know that “Trucking tomatoes over from Spain uses just a tenth of the carbon compared with growing them in the UK using heat.” ## Anamorphosis URL: https://sketchplanations.com/anamorphosis Published: 2019-01-05T21:43:07+0000 Categories: art, drawing, perspective Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d9122df5-859f-4123-a835-f57cd11d4a84_181751584211.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Anamorphosis illustration: the words "Tilt Me" are written in large bold letters on an angle, making it easy to read when viewed from an intended position. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/anamorphosis), CC BY-NC 4.0 Anamorphosis is a type of projection that looks distorted when viewed from a standard vantage point or means but can reveal itself spectacularly from the right point or using the right tool. This is the technique responsible for making 3D-looking ads on rugby fields that players can run over as if they weren’t there, or how they create those amazing street art holes, or how S L O W painted on a road may look just right when driving towards it but weird and long when seen from the side; or how Hans Holbein the younger tucked a skull into his painting The Ambassadors in the National Gallery. However, others may require viewing with a mirror or a circular viewer to reveal themselves as intended. Anamorphic art is referred to as intimate art, as even in an art gallery, the true picture may only reveal itself to one person viewing it in just the right way. P.S. You’ll have to tilt your screen or move to quite an angle to see Tilt Me look like normal letters in the sketch. Also see: one-point perspective, two-point perspective, 3-point perspective, draw what you see, not what you think, atmospheric perspective. ## The Destiny Instinct URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-destiny-instinct Published: 2018-12-29T22:17:55+0000 Categories: culture, religion, country, psychology, kindness, parenting Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f2f2c867-5e93-4ab0-8c32-e441b293b0cd_181531848981.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is The Destiny Instinct example explained: the meaning of the destiny instinct shown by an individual, bent over on hands and knees, inspecting a line of ants through their magnifying glass. At some point later in time, they return to find an enormous anthill that towers overhead. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-destiny-instinct), CC BY-NC 4.0 The destiny instinct is the mistaken belief that people, countries, cultures, or religions can't change. But even slow change can lead to large changes over time. Change tends to happen slowly in large, complex things like people, countries, religions, or cultures. And because the change is small, we might think they’re not changing at all. Our instinct may be that they can’t, in fact, change because of their innate characteristics. But the destiny instinct misleads us. Small change adds up to big changes over enough time. And while things may not seem to change in a week or a month, or a year, when you look back over decades, huge changes can happen. Changes in poverty, life expectancy, economies, women’s rights, or attitudes to homosexuality — things that may have seemed at one time that they were hardly changing at all —  have all transformed when we look back over sufficient time. Change that may not have seemed like it was adding up to much is still change. Read more from the Roslings: Culture, nations, and religions are not rocks — they’re always changing. And, at a time of the year perfect for reflection, here are four ways to control our destiny instinct from Gapminder: Keep track of gradual improvements. A small change every year can translate to a huge change over decades. Update your knowledge. Some knowledge goes out of date quickly. Technology, countries, societies, cultures, and religions are constantly changing. Talk to Grandpa/Grandma. If you want to be reminded of how values have changed, think about your grandparents’ values and how they differ from yours. Collect examples of cultural change. Challenge the idea that today’s culture must also have been yesterday’s and will also be tomorrow’s. There is a chapter on The Destiny Instinct in Hans Rosling's excellent book Factfulness. Related Ideas to the Destiny Instinct Also see: Stewart Brand’s Pace layers A world of four income levels Enough molehills make a mountain ## Compose a cheeseboard URL: https://sketchplanations.com/compose-a-cheeseboard Published: 2018-12-22T21:28:40+0000 Categories: food and drink, colour Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a44e3ee7-9afb-4e8e-ac02-1c64e8da4874_181330508021.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Compose a cheeseboard illustration: a delicious-looking platter is presented with a wide selection of cheeses; soft, hard, round, blue-veined and riddled with holes. In amongst the cheeses we find a colourful range of items to complement flavours; olives, nuts, pickles, cured meats and dried fruit. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/compose-a-cheeseboard), CC BY-NC 4.0 A cheeseboard is a highlight of the holidays for me. Here are some simple guidelines on how to create a winning one that looks and tastes the part. I think the key really is the range of textures in the cheese. If you’ve got a hard, semi-hard, and soft cheese you’re onto a good start. If you can add in a crumbly and creamy and make sure you have a range of strengths from mild to mature, stinky or blue you’re onto a winner. Then make it amazing by adding complements from the sweet and salty buckets and don’t forget the crackers and breads. If you want show off, try to cover a range of cheese shapes, colours and milks such as goats and sheep as well. Mmm… Also see: Don’t cut the nose off brie Compliment, Complement Freeze stilton And because you may find yourself curious about it: origins of Boxing Day ## The classic twit-twoo is actually a duet URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-classic-twit-twoo-is-actually-a-duet Published: 2018-12-15T20:00:44+0000 Categories: animals, nature, trees, sound Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5b182d44-97e3-41c6-a4af-312173ced098_181147120754.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Twit-twoo illustration: showing how the classic owl sound is actually a duet with a female and male tawny owl doing a "kewick" and "whoo" Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-classic-twit-twoo-is-actually-a-duet), CC BY-NC 4.0 Funny how it can take nearly 40 years to learn that something as commonplace as the stereotypical owl sound is made, not by one owl, but as a duet between the male and female tawny owls. Also see: How owls’ necks turn so far around, or Why do birds migrate so far? ## The power of streaks URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-power-of-streaks Published: 2018-12-08T21:28:51+0000 Categories: habits, motivation, productivity, psychology, starting Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d38ba3c9-126a-4006-a4d1-42a71d04dcd4_180933192571.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The power of streaks illustration: a task schedule is shown as a daily grid where all but the final 2 squares have been completed. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-power-of-streaks), CC BY-NC 4.0 The power of streaks — achieving something on a schedule without missing a slot —  have a remarkable pull over us when it comes to helping us get things done. As Seth Godin points out, streaks turn an activity into a game. And while we may have started out with the intention simply of completing the activity, our continued motivation can transfer to simply be the motivation of keeping the streak going. If you’re into streaks or want to give them a try to achieve something yourself, you might like the Streaks app (which is how I knew I’d done 2 years without missing), Austin Kleon’s 30-day challenge, or the simple power of one-a-day. Streaks can also have a dark side: if you break the chain you can think it’s not worth getting started again. For that reason, I like James Clear’s advice to never miss twice. ## Jevons' Paradox URL: https://sketchplanations.com/jevons-paradox Published: 2018-12-02T11:23:29+0000 Categories: economics, paradox, sustainability, transport, engineering, energy, ai, eponym, productivity, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/afIp9cBOoF08xbSS_SP590-Jevons%E2%80%99Paradox-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Jevons' paradox in economics: fuel use tends to increase, not decrease, despite efficiency gains, with definition and example. Observation from William Stanley Jevons Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/jevons-paradox), CC BY-NC 4.0 What is the Jevons Paradox? Jevons' Paradox is the counterintuitive idea that improvements in fuel efficiency tend to increase, rather than decrease, overall fuel use. In 1865, William Stanley Jevons, a British economist, observed that despite significant improvements in coal efficiency in steam engines, total coal consumption actually rose. Rather than saving fuel, efficiency made coal-powered energy more economical, driving increased industrial use. This observation became known as the Jevons Paradox. Modern Examples of Jevons' Paradox Though first identified towards the end of the Industrial Revolution, Jevons' Paradox is still highly relevant today, particularly in discussions around energy efficiency, sustainability, and technology. Fuel-efficient cars – When vehicles become more fuel-efficient, the cost per mile driven decreases. As a result, people tend to drive more, offsetting the efficiency gains. AI and computing power – Advances in AI and computing efficiency reduce the cost of processing power, leading to increased overall usage of AI models and cloud computing. Battery technology – More efficient batteries lead to the proliferation of battery-powered devices rather than reducing energy consumption. Water-saving devices – Low-flow showerheads and toilets may save water per use, but in some cases, they lead to longer showers or more frequent flushing. Lighting — Though LED lights are vastly more efficient than their predecessors, we are continually finding new ways to use our low-wattage lights that we had never dreamed of before. Household appliances – In her book More Work for Mother, Ruth Cowan addresses the ironies of household appliances, such as washing machines and vacuum cleaners, and how improvements in efficiency often led to more work through more frequent washing, not less. This tendency is sometimes referred to as the rebound effect, where changes in behaviour partially or fully cancel out expected energy or resource savings. Jevons' Paradox and AI With the rise of AI and automation, Jevons' Paradox is playing out again in new ways: Computational efficiency – Though AI models are becoming more efficient—DeepSeek a case in point—the demand for AI-generated content, large language models, and deep learning applications is growing rapidly. Automated processes – Instead of reducing overall workloads, automation often leads to more tasks being completed rather than fewer tasks needing to be done. Cloud computing – More efficient data centres have not reduced overall energy use because the demand for cloud services and machine learning applications continues to skyrocket. Can Jevon's Paradox Be Overcome? Understanding Jevons' Paradox can help in designing better policies and strategies to ensure efficiency gains lead to real reductions in resource consumption. Some approaches include: Carbon pricing and regulation – Ensuring that energy efficiency is paired with policies that discourage excessive consumption. (see Goodhart's Law) Shifting behaviors – Encouraging individuals and businesses to actively reduce energy use, rather than simply taking advantage of efficiency improvements. Technology with constraints – Implementing smart grid systems, time-based energy pricing, and consumption limits to prevent unchecked increases in demand. The Jevons Paradox reminds us that efficiency alone is not a guaranteed solution for reducing resource consumption. Instead, it often requires complementary policies, incentives, and behavior changes to make efficiency gains truly effective. Read more about Jevons in the NYT. I updated this sketch from the original for the podcast episode. Related Ideas to the Jevons Paradox Also see: The Fifth Fuel: energy efficiency The Automation Paradox – The better the machines get, the more we struggle when they fail Wishcycling — Hoping something can be recycled Save some landfill with reusable diapers/nappies Moore's Law Koomey's Law: "The energy efficiency of computers doubles roughly every 18 months." On apostrophes I was shocked to have pointed out to me that I had previously incorrectly referred to the paradox as Jevon's Paradox. As it is from William Stanley Jevons, it should either be: Jevons' Paradox (or Jevons's Paradox) suggesting it is the paradox described by Jevons, or The Jevons Paradox, suggesting it is the paradox attributed to Jevon I couldn't actually find a clear example of which is more correct. I used a mix here as I find it more natural to describe it as Jevons' Paradox, but talking about the Jevons Paradox is kind of simpler. ## Marchetti’s constant URL: https://sketchplanations.com/marchettis-constant Published: 2018-11-25T07:46:30+0000 Categories: planning, history, scale, walking, transport, time, eponym, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d9cae19f-2377-422c-be8e-4a580789bb04_180474637321.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Marchetti's constant example explained: chart showing how Berlin increased in size with new means of travelling faster through walking, electric trams, and subways, to cars Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/marchettis-constant), CC BY-NC 4.0 Marchetti's constant is the idea that people throughout history have budgeted, on average, about an hour a day for travelling. Originally observed by Yacov Zahavi, it came from the observation that even as our means of transport sped up, instead of travelling less each day, we would just travel further. This leads to the conclusion that the size of our cities increases partly according to how efficiently we can travel in and out—they generally increase to a size that maintains about an hour of round-trip travel time. Cesare Marchetti observed that Greek villages and ancient walking cities, as marked by ancient city walls, tend to share a radius of about 2.5km. Walking at a typical 5km/hr makes a one-hour round-trip journey. He also pointed out that: “Even people in prison for a life sentence, having nothing to do and nowhere to go, walk around for one hour a day, in the open.” Unfortunately, if you live in London, the average round-trip seems to be an exception of 1h30. This is also known as the constant travel time budget hypothesis. Related Ideas to Marchetti's Constant Also see: Isochrones. It might be interesting to look at these according to the transport method Congested equilibrium Jevon's Paradox Naismith's Rule for estimating travel time in the mountains Our senses are built to take in information at human pace Image adapted from: Marchetti, C., 1994: Anthropological Invariants in Travel Behavior, Technological Forecasting and Social Change , 47 :75–88, Internal Publication, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (pdf) ## The availability heuristic (and bias) URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-availability-heuristic-and-bias Published: 2018-11-17T16:00:25+0000 Categories: psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/11c296bb-1530-41f3-87d9-db76a4972b45_180208941114.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Availability Heuristic illustration: Plane crashes, cold snaps, and winning lottery tickets are shown as examples of uncommon but widely reported events that might affect the significance we associate with them. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-availability-heuristic-and-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 The availability heuristic is a deceptively simple, almost too simple to notice, heuristic where we consider the likelihood of events by the ease with which relevant instances come to mind. In simple terms, things that we can easily recall or where we can think of examples, we generally consider as more important or more common than other things. A heuristic is a mental shortcut to solve a common problem. If we were asked to consider the divorce rate in the community, we might evaluate that by considering how many of our acquaintances are divorced. If none of your friends are divorced, you’re naturally less likely to think the divorce rate locally will be high. In many situations, it makes good sense to give credence to what you remember easily. However, in situations involving probabilities, in particular, the heuristic will lead us predictably astray such that more often I think of it as an availability bias — a predictable pattern of thought and behaviour leading to incorrect conclusions. So, the vividness of shark attacks causes us to overrate how likely they are to actually occur. Or we’re more likely to worry about lions than hippos, even though hippos kill more people each year than lions. Or the risk of being struck by lightning vs stuck by a car crossing a road. Or, the prevalence of violent crime on the news compared to the likelihood of you being a victim. Or the fact that it’s cold outside and yet the planet is gradually warming. Here’s a 1973 Kahneman and Tversky paper: Availability: A Heuristic for Judging Frequency and Probability ## The Pomodoro Technique: Stay Focused and Get More Done URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-pomodoro-technique Published: 2018-11-10T19:34:17+0000 Categories: productivity, time, eponym, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/62e61034-b66a-4ede-a5db-a5cbc39d55e7_SP+587+-+The+Pomodoro+technique.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is the Pomodoro Technique in 3 steps: plan your tasks, complete one 25-minute pomodoro with a 5-minute break, and repeat for four pomodoros before taking a longer break. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-pomodoro-technique), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Pomodoro Technique® is a simple and effective time management method that helps you stay focused and get your tasks done. It's named after a kitchen timer shaped like a pomodoro (Italian for tomato) and is great for studying, working, and managing ADHD. Here's how it works: How to Use the Pomodoro Technique 1. Plan Your Tasks Decide what you want to accomplish and estimate how many pomodoros (usually 25-minute focus sessions) you'll need for each task. 2. Do One Pomodoro Set a timer for 25 minutes. Focus entirely on your task until the timer rings, then take a 5-minute break. Avoid multitasking or distractions during this time. That's one pomodoro.` 3. Repeat for Four Pomodoros After completing four pomodoros, take a longer break of about 30 minutes to recharge. Why Use the Pomodoro Technique? The Pomodoro Method is popular because it's simple and effective. It's particularly helpful for: Improved Focus: Short, timed sessions make it easier to stay on task. Better Time Management: By breaking your day into pomodoros, you can plan and track progress easily. Studying: Great for staying productive during long study sessions. ADHD: Some say it helps manage focus and provide structured breaks. Tips for Success Some tips: Protect your pomodoro from distractions— make sure you spend the full 25 minutes on your task. If people want things, tell them you'll get back to them after your pomodoro. Properly break in your breaks — no sneaky working. Step away, move around, or grab a snack. It’s flexible, not rigid — If you need longer or shorter times, that's OK. It's about what helps you focus. You only need a timer, but some simple Pomodoro technique apps can help, too. I like this nice one with a bear and natural sounds while you work: Bear Focus Timer. Francesco has also created Pomodoro timers, which you can run on the web or your computer. The Pomodoro Technique ® was created and named by Francesco Cirillo. He explains that it came to him very simply. He was struggling to stay on task as a student and challenged himself to stay productive for 2 minutes using a timer he had in the kitchen. It worked. He then tried extending the length of the focus session. An hour was too much, 10 minutes too little, and the sweet spot was right around 25 minutes. The kitchen timer was a pomodoro. More Productivity Ideas Looking for other ways to stay productive? Here are my other favourite sketches on productivity: Productivity tools and techniques Forcing Function Public Commitment Pledge Commitment Devices Implementation Intentions Checkbox To Do lists Eat the Frog The Eisenhower Matrix: Important/Urgent Thinking About Productivity Manager Time, Maker Time The First Draft is Always Perfect The Power of Streaks Goldilocks Tasks Flow Looking to get started on a new project or a daring step? Here are my sketches on Getting Started. About this site Welcome to Sketchplanations! If this is your first time here, I've packed this site with simple sketches that explain ideas in clear and engaging ways. From productivity tips to insights on science, writing, human behaviour, and wellbeing, it's becoming, I hope, a treasure trove of visual explanations. If you like the Pomodoro Technique, I think you might also like the other sketches of my toolkit for life in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures, which even has a lovely review from Bill Gates. ## The Mercator projection URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-mercator-projection Published: 2018-11-03T21:51:45+0000 Categories: geography, maps, politics, navigation, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aXI4YAIvOtkhB0kf_SP586-Mercatorprojection-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Mercator projection world map explaining how projecting a curved Earth onto a flat map distorts size, with Greenland appearing much larger than Africa Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-mercator-projection), CC BY-NC 4.0 All maps involve decisions. Whenever you compress real life onto something smaller and less detailed you have to choose what to keep in and what to leave out. And in the case of printing a map of the Earth, you have to figure out how to get something that is curved onto something that is flat, and this involves trade-offs and decisions as well. 3 dimensional space just doesn’t flatten to 2 dimensional paper without choices. In 1569 Gerardus Mercator created a map that brilliantly solved a pressing problem — that of being able to follow a straight line while sailing and it correspond to a straight line on the map. His map also did a good job of preserving the shape of countries. But to do this you have to stretch the areas at the top and bottom of the Earth. Because most of the land on Earth is in the Northern hemisphere, and because that land is generally further north than the land in the southern hemisphere is south, it has the effect of enlarging Northern countries such as Europe, the US and Canada, Scandinavia and Russia as compared to countries closer to the equator and in the Southern hemisphere. Most world maps you see are still similar to Mercator’s projection. In fact Google Maps desktop used it until 2018. It could well be that this distorts our worldview by emphasizing Northern countries in size and therefore importance. When I see a more size accurate Gall-Peters projection I have to say it’s hard to argue. The West Wing did this brilliantly. I updated this sketch for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## The Diderot Effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-diderot-effect Published: 2018-10-28T07:04:39+0000 Categories: effect, money, eponym, habits, economics, behavioral economics, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zzsp1a8jQArT093X_SP585-Dideroteffect-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Diderot Effect example explained: showing two people discussing their new sofa and deciding they have to change the room, or even move Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-diderot-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Diderot effect describes how new purchases can lead to a negative spiral of replacing possessions that no longer live up to the new standard. In a capitalist or consumerist society, it highlights the dangers of material possessions on ourselves and our finances. "Regrets on Parting with My Old Dressing Gown." The effect is named after 18th-century French philosopher Denis Diderot, who wrote the entertaining and unusually-titled essay "Regrets on Parting with My Old Dressing Gown." In the essay, Diderot relates how his possessions no longer seemed up to scratch after being given a flashy new scarlet dressing gown. Seeing this, he replaced his old straw chair with a leather one, a plank bookshelf with an inlaid armoire, a clay statue with a bronze statue, and so on. In the process, he emptied his carefully earned savings. His tale is an example of the Diderot Effect in action. What's more, Diderot complains that whereas he was the master of his old dressing gown, he became a servant to the new one, needing to guard it from his clumsiness, spills, or burns. Our possessions can begin to control us rather than us control them. New and Old Identities More generally, the effect also highlights that we surround ourselves with objects that fit our sense of identity. When we receive something that reflects a new, aspirational identity, rather than rejecting the new thing, we may find ourselves replacing our old objects and selves to fit the new. Sometimes, we may be excited about embracing a new identity. Clearing out items reflecting our old selves may be a blessing and reflect aspects of our lives we wish to leave behind. Yet it perhaps pays to consider whether it's driven by the products or ourselves—whether we're still the masters or whether they are. As I learned from Dev Patnaik, products are created by culture and create culture. Examples of the Diderot Effect Here are some examples of the Diderot Effect in action that I could relate to: Denis Diderot gradually replacing his possessions with fancier more expensive ones and becoming poor as a result. Replacing my hastily bought student furniture with smarter furniture for our own home. Adding a new smart painting to a wall causing you to take down your old music posters. A new pair of shoes causing me to reconsider the whole outfit. Notes Cultural anthropologist Grant McCracken introduced the Diderot Effect, which I learned about from James Clear's Atomic Habits. As I learned from Seth Godin's Akimbo podcast episode — The Deletionists, Diderot also played a key role in the development of the encyclopedia. The Diderot Effect appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures. Here's a translation of Denis Diderot's essay "Regrets for my Old Dressing Gown, or A warning to those who have more taste than fortune" Related Ideas The paradox of choice The Streisand effect Front stage, back stage The Paradise Paradox Sharpen the saw Enough molehillls make a mountain Implementation intentions ## Implementation intentions URL: https://sketchplanations.com/implementation-intentions Published: 2018-10-19T13:24:25+0000 Categories: productivity, habits, books Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/36a42cd3-cc3a-442c-97ba-cc471084aed9_179211036376.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Implementation Intentions illustration: A blank ballot paper is shown as the result of vague plan to vote at some point. A completed ballot paper demonstrates how a specific logistical plan on when, where and how they'll get to the polling station got the job done. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/implementation-intentions), CC BY-NC 4.0 These are a super useful trick to increase the chances of action, be it your own others. Essentially, a vague intention of “I plan to do that,” is much less likely to be followed-through on than if you get specific. It takes out the ambiguity of when and where you’ll do something because that’s already decided. For example, asking voters simple questions like how they’ll get to the polling station has been shown to increase turnout on the day. You can use this to your own advantage too — get specific with yourself to help you get things done, be it how and when you’ll workout, or when you’ll study or whatever. Here’s a simple template for implementation intentions you could try: I will [do X] at [time] in [location]. I learned this, and many more tips, from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, all about how to create good habits and break ones. ## The doorstep mile URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-doorstep-mile Published: 2018-10-14T10:52:17+0000 Categories: motivation, lifehack, productivity, endurance, running, starting, habits Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1a3c4832-beb8-4575-8608-7e499f176200_179040063731.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is the Doorstep Mile example about getting started: A lone soul beginning a seemingly long journey away from their isolated house in an empty landscape accompanies the Seth Godin quote "Start small, start now". Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-doorstep-mile), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Doorstep Mile is a brilliant Norwegian concept that shows how the most challenging part of a journey can be just getting out of the door. So, sometimes, as Seth Godin would say, the most important thing is just to start — start small, start now, step by step, day by day, and you can give yourself the chance to make something amazing. Got something you’ve been meaning to start? Maybe today’s the day? When I created this sketch, it was my 104th in consecutive weeks — 2 years of weekly sketches without missing (the power of streaks) — and sketchplanation number 583 in total. And I can tell you that it didn’t start glamorously, and they weren’t high quality or even interesting, but I did start. Sketch by sketch. Week by week. Alistair Humphreys (see Microadventure) wrote a book about The Doorstep Mile, which you can also listen to or read for free. More sketches about starting and getting started. Frodo once said about Bilbo: He used often to say there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: its springs were at every doorstep, and every path was its tributary. "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. — From The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkein ## The fun scale: understanding the types of fun URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-fun-scale Published: 2018-10-07T08:56:22+0000 Categories: hiking, backpacking, sport, nature, endurance, scale, framework, happiness, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/281df432-3a48-4e78-ac58-1ff835091f99_SP+582+-+The+fun+scale+-+revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Fun scale explained showing Type 1 fun as skiing, Type 2 fun as mountaineering and Type 3 fun as surviving a bear encounter (the best story) Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-fun-scale), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Fun Scale categorizes different types of fun experiences into distinct levels. It consists of three main types of fun: Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3. The concept behind the Fun Scale is that not all fun is created equal, and some types may be more rewarding or memorable than others. My brother, who learned it from a mountain guide, introduced me to the Fun Scale. Before then, I used to think that fun was just fun. But the Fun Scale opened my eyes to the fact that there are levels and types of fun, each with its own characteristics. So, what are the three types of fun in the Fun Scale? The three types of fun on the fun scale Type 1 fun: fun to do, fun to remember Type 1 fun is the most straightforward type of fun. It’s the kind of activity that is fun while you’re doing it, and it stays fun when you think back on it. Picture something like eating ice cream on a hot day, riding a roller coaster, or skiing with lifts to whisk you right back to the top. Type 1 fun is carefree, pleasurable in the moment, and provides uncomplicated enjoyment. Examples of Type 1 Fun: Going to an amusement park Having a beach day with friends Skiing on groomed trails Eating your favourite dessert I'm sure you can think of a million more. Type 2 fun: hurts a bit to do, but fun in retrospect On the other hand, Type 2 fun is a bit trickier. It's the kind of activity where you may not have a blast while you're doing it—it's probably hard work or even painful. However, once it's over, you look back on it with a sense of achievement, and it becomes fun in retrospect. This is the sort of enjoyment you get from something like running a marathon or climbing a mountain. At the time, you might question why you're doing it. Brendan Leonard in Ultra-something relates the joke, "You know what I like most about climbing a mountain? It feels so good when I stop." You'll often think of Type 2 fun as ultimately more fulfilling and often somewhat addictive than Type I fun. Examples of Type 2 Fun: Completing a marathon Hiking up a challenging peak Cycling a mountain stage of the Tour de France Backpacking Cold water swimming (or maybe an ice mile) Swimrun Type 3 fun: not fun to do, not fun in retrospect, but makes a great story Type 3 fun is usually type 1 or 2 fun that went wrong. Though it was supposed to be fun, things actually got a little hairy. Perhaps a trip started out like good Type 2 fun, but then you got lost, or it got dark, and it got cold, or things got much more serious than intended. Maybe you had to be rescued. This kind of fun is not fun while it's happening. It's probably not even fun when thinking back on it. But Type 3 fun sure makes a great story when you make it back, and, well, life is made up of great stories, so perhaps it wasn't so bad after all. Examples of Type 3 Fun: Meeting a bear in the wilderness Capsizing on a rafting trip Getting thoroughly lost Not practicing your kitchen table survival skills Getting rescued There are rumours of Type 4 fun and Type 5 fun, but having heard some good stories of Type 3 fun and created a few myself, I can't say I recommend them =) The Fun Scale, adventure and fulfilment: why we crave Type 2 and Type 3 fun In our podcast discussing the Fun Scale, Tom, identified Rob and I as Type 2 Fun junkies. There's something intriguingly addictive about setting yourself difficult challenges, pushing through hardship, and emerging out the other side. Rob and I have signed up for a challenging endurance event pretty much every year for the last decade or so. Every single time the event on the day is really hard. And yet, once the immediate memories subside we find ourselves signing up for something similar next year. Even if it's not you, I'm sure you probably know someone who seems to keep pushing themselves to do things that they don't seem to enjoy. It reminds me of Calvin imitating his dad in Calvin and Hobbes: "Calvin, go do something you hate! Being miserable builds character!" Type 2 fun and type 3 fun, to some extent, help build character, life experiences and the stories that shape us and are fun to tell others. The sense of accomplishment and unforgettable stories that emerge from these experiences outweigh the discomfort in the long run. Summarising the Fun Scale In summary: Type 1 fun is fun when you do it and fun to remember. Type 2 fun is not so fun when you do it, but it is fun in retrospect and is the most fulfilling. And Type 3 fun is not fun in the moment or when you remember it—but it makes the best stories! I have seen people write about Type A fun, Type B fun and Type C fun, or Type I fun, Type II fun and Type III fun, but I learned it as 1, 2 and 3. The Fun Scale is probably my favourite idea that didn't make it into my new book. If you like this one, you'll love the book Big Ideas Little Pictures. Related Ideas to The Fun Scale Also see: The 10 essentials Kitchen table survival skills Optimism bias Kaffikok - the distance you can go before needing a coffee The role of a finishing line ## Accuracy and precision URL: https://sketchplanations.com/accuracy-and-precision Published: 2018-09-29T21:00:36+0000 Categories: engineering, statistics, mathematics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/acG4jJGXnQHGY4KO_SP581-Accuracyandprecision-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C3417%2C2930&w=1200&h=2930 Image description: What's the difference between Accuracy and Precision illustrated with examples from shooting at targets Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/accuracy-and-precision), CC BY-NC 4.0 In my everyday life I’d have been hard pushed to put my finger on the difference between accuracy and precision but, in engineering at least, you learn that there is a clear difference between the two. Precision describes how variable an outcome is, or how close repeated measurements or actions are to each other. In contrast, something may be very precise but not be accurate to your intent or to the true value of a thing. That’s accuracy — how close you are to the true or intended value. If you’re hitting near your intended target then you’re accurate. Hmm…one of those things where a sketchplanation works a whole lot better than words. Related Ideas to Accuracy and Precision Also see: For the more spiritually inclined: Everything is aiming Or for the more statistically inclined: Measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode), and Common distributions (normal, skewed, pareto) Reliability and validity That accuracy is true to intention and precision true to itself, I learned from Simon Winchester in Exactly: How precision engineers created the Modern World. ## Dunbar’s number: 150 URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dunbars-number-150 Published: 2018-09-22T21:00:40+0000 Categories: psychology, mathematics, sociology, relationships, eponym, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bcccdd2e-95e6-4023-9c93-9b72b9a0c26b_178356259078.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Dunbar's number example explained: a person can't remember the name of the one person outside their circles of closer friends, super family, clan and tribe behind them Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dunbars-number-150), CC BY-NC 4.0 The evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar identified that an average person’s social network appears to follow simple scaling laws. Our networks grow from our closest friends—whom we would seek personal advice or help from in times of severe emotional and financial distress—through our superfamily (or close friends), to our acquaintances (or clan), whom we might invite to a party, and to our most casual friends (or tribe). At each level, the number of people typically increases by about a factor of 3. So you might have 5 close friends, 15 in your superfamily, about 50 in your clan and about 150 in your tribe. The 150, with some variance, seems to be around the limit for the number of people we can keep track of, reasonably call part of our social network, and maintain as a cohesive group. This may be partly due to the limits of our memories and the effort it takes to maintain relationships. There are many instances of the ~150 in action, for example, in challenges of transitioning companies as you exceed 150 employees while maintaining cohesiveness, the size of Neolithic farming communities and the basic unit size of Roman armies. The number is actually 148, but 150 is catchier and seems fine between friends. ## Fix wobbly tables by rotating URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fix-wobbly-tables-by-rotating Published: 2018-09-15T21:00:26+0000 Categories: lifehack, mathematics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/agcb9KYofJOwHRhP_SP579-Fixwobblytables-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C3684%2C3139&w=1200&h=3139 Image description: How to fix a wobbly table by rotating it Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fix-wobbly-tables-by-rotating), CC BY-NC 4.0 Since I learned this trick, I almost look forward to getting a wobbly table at a cafe if only for the chance to retest this simple, yet still remarkable, fix. A number of smart people have spent probably more time than justified demonstrating that, for a four-legged table with even length legs on uneven ground, as long as the ground is not excessively bumpy you’ll be able to fix your wobble by rotating the table up to ¼ turn. Now, it’s definitely true, that if you have a square table, not a round one, or, say, two square tables next to each other, it’s not always possible to start rearranging the café, but…when you can it’s really neat to see it work. Give it a try. Related Ideas to How to Fix a Wobbly Table Also see: Catch drilling dust with a Post-it How to peel a Post-it without it falling down The finger-dip test to avoid overwatering houseplants Fix out of synch toilet paper This sketch appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures, along with a host of other handy tips and concepts. ## The Square-Cube law URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-square-cube-law Published: 2018-09-09T11:00:54+0000 Categories: scale, physics, biology, parenting, animals, law Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/591fafbd-99fa-4ca4-ab4d-b96e19e7c685_177900065356.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Square cube law illustration with volume increasing faster than length and an elephant, an ant carrying a giant leaf and a child on the monkey bars as examples Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-square-cube-law), CC BY-NC 4.0 For years, I’ve wondered at how as a kid I found the monkey bars in a playground (often a jungle gym in the US) so much easier to swing on than I do as an adult. And I see our kids swinging around easily on them, while now it’s hard for me just to hang off them. The reason why is partly to do with the square-cube law. The square-cube law is the deceptively simple observation that as you scale up dimensions — say, as you get taller — then area of the object increases proportional to the square of the length, while volume increases proportional to the cube of length. This fundamental relationship has enormous significance in the sizes and shapes of animals and the limits of how big trees can get and how big we can build our bridges and buildings. Because the strength of our bones, muscles or wooden beams is proportional to their cross-sectional area, this means that while the strength of a larger object, assuming the same proportions as the smaller one, increases according to the square of a length, the weight (from the volume it takes up) increases according to the cube of a length. So, relative strength decreases as size increases. Some corollaries are therefore that children’s small size relative to the area of their muscles and bones makes them relatively stronger than adults and so they can more easily support their weight as they swing on the monkey bars. In the same way, press ups are harder for bigger people than they are for smaller. And while an ant has tiny spindly legs, those legs could easily support 50 other ants of its size, whereas for an elephant to support its own weight it needs chunky legs — not spindly ones — and there’s no chance it could get close to carrying 50 other elephants on its back. It’s also part of the reason short trees can be spindly, but big sequoias have relatively chunkier trunks, and we need increasingly strong materials to build bigger and bigger skyscrapers compared to the shed in your garden. Galileo discussed this back in 1638, and it still requires some getting your head around today. For this and other fascinating insights of scaling check out Scale, by Geoffrey West. Also see: Buoyancy ## Pour, don’t dip when sharing snacks URL: https://sketchplanations.com/pour-dont-dip-when-sharing-snacks Published: 2018-09-01T20:35:07+0000 Categories: sharing, food and drink, backpacking, lifehack, health, camping Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e67fec7d-3186-452b-b444-bc1d56cd6daa_177632137426.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Pour, don't dip when sharing snacks illustration: on the left the snack sharer seems sad that their friend has plunged their hand into their open snack packet. On the right, they're a lot happier to share by pouring snacks from the packet into their friend's open hand. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/pour-dont-dip-when-sharing-snacks), CC BY-NC 4.0 Pour, don't dip when sharing snacks was something I learned for backpacking but it really always makes sense once you think about it. Pouring onto a hand keeps dirty hands out of the rest of the snacks in much the same way as a drinking fountain manages to be hygienic by shooting out the water. Some alternative sides to sharing: Compliments are gifts Give gifts others can give And two more about germs: Sneezes and coughs Dracula sneeze ## A little bit of slope makes up for a lot of y-intercept. URL: https://sketchplanations.com/a-little-bit-of-slope-makes-up-for-a-lot-of-y-intercept Published: 2018-08-25T21:00:28+0000 Categories: framework, charts, learning Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b623dc8e-4e1a-4318-afe4-4b5e224732d9_177387106997.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: A little bit of slope makes up for a lot of Y-intercept illustration: on a line graph, a red line starts well below the blue line, but over time, it overtakes and surpasses the blue line because it has slightly more gradient to it. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/a-little-bit-of-slope-makes-up-for-a-lot-of-y-intercept), CC BY-NC 4.0 — John Ousterhout I like this simple idea that evidently illustrates that anything that is able to improve, learn, and grow at a faster rate than something else stands a decent chance of making up lost ground pretty quickly. Consider this when you’re hiring, or when you’re worried that some other person or company has got a headstart on knowledge. Position yourself always as the fastest and most persistent ‘improver’ and you’ll stand a chance whatever you’re doing. Read the full story of Stanford Professor John Ousterhout’s thought for the weekend: a little bit of slope. ## The Implicit Association Test URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-implicit-association-test Published: 2018-08-18T19:00:23+0000 Categories: testing, bias, psychology, research Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fcfe56bb-ae44-4a3d-a41e-4bfef25b5e93_177136877498.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Implicit Association Test illustration: using gender roles as an example, we are asked to sort Career words into a Men's column and Home/Family words into a Women's column. We are then asked to do the opposite. One's bias is calculated as the difference in time it takes to complete both tasks. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-implicit-association-test), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is an amazingly simple way to uncover if and how strong your implicit biases may be. For example, you could test if you have a bias on gender roles (as in the sketch), race, religion or in fact any attitudes you may have. You could forget about reading this and simply go take the Implicit Association Test online now and you’ll get the idea and perhaps surprise yourself. In the example I gave in the sketch, you could see how strong your biases are for traditional gender roles by measuring the difference in time it takes to sort first career words towards men and home and family words towards women, and then sorting the other way around. It’s fascinating, and a little uncomfortable, to see your implicit attitudes so clearly come to light. Don’t forget to try taking a test. ## Forest bathing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/forest-bathing Published: 2018-08-11T20:34:39+0000 Categories: nature, health, wellbeing, forest, anxiety, happiness, trees Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b5978316-099a-4fa5-8c0d-c822eb234100_176888280671.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Forest bathing illustration — shinrin-yoku Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/forest-bathing), CC BY-NC 4.0 I love this term. From the Japanese shinrin-yoku, it means to soak in the atmosphere of a forest. And I think it’s not too far of an overstatement to say that a walk in Nature is about the closest to a miracle cure we have. There appear to be myriad benefits from simply spending time in Nature. As my sister put it, if it was a drug we’d be prescribing it. Though we didn’t call it forest bathing at the time it’s definitely some of my happiest memories, like here, here, here, here, and here. ## What drives us: autonomy, mastery, purpose URL: https://sketchplanations.com/autonomy-mastery-purpose Published: 2018-08-03T21:35:18+0000 Categories: motivation, psychology, business, management, skills, purpose, flow, leadership, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/847ef2a0-ebe2-43fb-8a1f-95907a68a42e_176600863626.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Autonomy Mastery Purpose summary of Dan Pink's book Drive Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/autonomy-mastery-purpose), CC BY-NC 4.0 In Dan Pink’s book Drive, he looks at scientific studies showing that the all too common approach to motivating people involving rewards and punishments, or the carrot and stick approach, ultimately doesn’t help motivate people for the tasks and work we have to do today. Instead, we do our best work when driven by intrinsic motivation — motivation from inside us rather than imposed externally like rewards or punishments. And the 3 facets he highlights that help intrinsic motivation are: Autonomy: being in control and able to guide both what we do and how we do it Mastery: our desire to continually be improving and learning and bettering ourselves Purpose: working towards something we think is worthwhile. Having a North Star to aim for and a reason it’s worth doing what we’re doing. I find it a useful framework to think through whenever I’m not feeling motivated or when I want to help make sure the people I’m working with are motivated. Also see: flow at work, Goldilocks tasks, the zone of proximal development, on parenting ## Understanding Second Cousins Once Removed: A Simple Family Tree Guide URL: https://sketchplanations.com/second-cousins-once-removed Published: 2018-07-28T20:53:06+0000 Categories: parenting, framework, trees, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aVKe73NYClf9orS7_SP572-Secondcousinstwiceremoved-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Family tree explained chart showing the meaning of second cousins, once removed and twice removed, and how cousin relationships work across generations Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/second-cousins-once-removed), CC BY-NC 4.0 Even when you’ve figured out the basics of family relations, families, in just a few generations, can get surprisingly complex. I won’t pretend this sketch doesn’t require a little study. What Are First, Second, and Third Cousins? What is a first, second or third cousin? And what does once or twice removed have to do with anything? One way to think about it is that the first, second or third cousins have to do with the number of generations you are away from a shared ancestor. So, who you would probably normally call your cousins — your parents brothers or sisters, children — have one generation, your parents generation, before reaching grandparents that are shared by both. If you have children, and your first cousins have children, they will be second cousins to each other as it’s now two generations to a shared ancestor — their great-grandparents in this case. In short: First cousins share grandparents Second cousins share great-grandparents Third cousins share great-great-grandparents What Does “Once Removed” Mean? While first, second, or third cousins of each other are of the same generation, when you are once removed, it means you are cousins one generation apart. "Removed" refers to a generational difference. So, your first cousin’s child is your first cousin once removed, and your parent’s cousin is also your first cousin once removed, just in the opposite direction. Once removed = one generation apart Twice removed = two generations apart If you look at the sketch, you’ll actually see that you are second cousins once removed with your parent’s cousin’s grandchildren. Simple ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Even More Complex Than it Looks Showing these relationships in the sketch gets pretty complicated. And even then, it's much simplified. I haven't included having more than one sibling, any of the in-law families, divorces, remarriages, half-brothers, stepmothers, and the like. Crikey. Honestly, visualising a full family tree is difficult. Videos about Family Trees Two fun videos about family trees people shared with me: The excellent CGP Grey explaining Family Trees The Complicated Chinese Family Tree Related Ideas to Second Cousins Once Removed Grow Not in Each Other's Shadow Emotional Hot Potato Nominative Determinism 5 Gift Guide for Christmas Childhood is Not a Race Front of House, Back of House ## Acronyms and initialisms URL: https://sketchplanations.com/acronyms-and-initialisms Published: 2018-07-21T21:07:28+0000 Categories: words, grammar, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/06a3d1b1-577a-4f63-84cd-b74f1786d61d_SP+571+-+Acronym+Initialism+-+revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Acronym vs initialism illustration: comparing the acronym laser—pronounced as a word— and the initialism FBI—pronounced by saying the letters Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/acronyms-and-initialisms), CC BY-NC 4.0 We all know that you make an acronym by taking the initial letters of a set of words and putting them together. So Random Access Memory becomes RAM, or the United States becomes the US. But I only found out recently that these two examples are actually different. An acronym is when the initials of a set of words are said as a word, like laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), radar (radio detection and ranging), sonar (sound navigation and ranging), NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) or NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). An initialism, by contrast, is when a set of initials are pronounced as letters when you say them, like FBI, CIA, US, BBC or CD. More word-related sketchplanations This sketch was revised for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures. Here's the original. ## What is Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/2fa Published: 2018-07-15T12:42:47+0000 Categories: security, tech, design, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z4jz_pbqstJ99hqI_SP570-2factorauthentication-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is 2 factor authentication (2FA) and its meaning: using something you know, something you are, and something you have Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/2fa), CC BY-NC 4.0 Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security by requiring two different types of proof to verify your identity. Unlike using a single password, which could be guessed or stolen, 2FA combines multiple forms of authentication to ensure better protection against unauthorised access. How Does 2FA Work? Two-factor authentication typically involves providing two types of evidence from these three categories: • Something you know: e.g., a password or PIN. • Something you have: e.g., a physical card, a key, or a phone. • Something you are: e.g., your fingerprint, voice, or facial recognition. For example: • Logging into an account might require your password (something you know) and a verification code sent to your phone (something you have). • Using a credit card at an ATM requires the card itself (something you have) and your PIN (something you know). This combination significantly reduces the risk of unauthorised access, even if one factor is compromised. Everyday Examples of 2FA • Photo ID verification: You present a photo ID (something you have) and must match the photo (something you are). • ATM withdrawals: Using your debit card (something you have) alongside your PIN (something you know). • Smartphone logins: Entering a password (something you know) and confirming your identity with a fingerprint (something you are). Why Use Two-factor Authentication? Cybercriminals are sneaky and constantly finding new ways to breach security. Two-factor authentication (2FA) provides a vital extra layer of defence by requiring two independent forms of verification. Even if one factor, like a password, is stolen, the second factor helps keep your account secure. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) takes this even further by incorporating two or more factors, adding additional safeguards. Whether you’re protecting personal accounts or sensitive business data, 2FA and MFA are simple yet highly effective tools to reduce the risks of phishing attacks, password leaks, and unauthorised access. This sketch features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to Two-Factor Authentication Also see: Types of phishing: phishing, spear-phishing, whaling The bus factor Choose passwords that make you happy 8 character password combinations ## The Rashomon effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-rashomon-effect Published: 2018-07-07T20:46:31+0000 Categories: effect, film, perspective, storytelling, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/09d7d3fe-f7c6-40df-908f-b062dd745eef_175651482511.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The Rashomon Effect illustration: a smashed bottle and its contents lie strewn on the ground. Each individual present recounts how this happened and their stories are not the same. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-rashomon-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Rashomon effect is the name given to situations where people give mutually contradictory versions of the same event. Named after the 1950’s Japanese film Rashomon—widely seen as a masterpiece—which hinges on four conflicting descriptions of the same incident. Also commonly seen on the football field by coaches after the game. ## How owls’ necks turn so far round URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-owls-necks-turn-so-far-round Published: 2018-06-30T21:53:44+0000 Categories: animals Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a3b63876-739c-414f-b8de-2d6f879c802b_175416370891.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How owls' necks turn so far round illustration: showing the amazing neck vertebrae they have Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-owls-necks-turn-so-far-round), CC BY-NC 4.0 Owls are famous for being able to turn their heads seemingly full circle. It turns out some owls can turn their necks an amazing 270 degrees whereas our necks turn a measly 180 or so — see if you can turn your chin along your shoulder on both sides. However, it’s likely the cause for this amazing feat is that, unlike our eyes, theirs are set facing forward and don’t rotate. So rotating their head becomes a key skill. Biomechanically they are able to turn so far by having twice the neck vertebrae as we do. If each vertebrae turns a little then having more helps them twist much further than us. And yet the real trick is turning your neck while maintaining blood supply to your head through the arteries that also run up your neck. Rotate too far and the arteries can twist, stretch or be impeded. Owls have evolved a number of nifty strategies to help them turn their necks while maintaining blood flow. These include having the large carotid arteries towards the centre where they twist less than ours do, which run up the sides of our vertebrae. They also have loads of space around the arteries that run up inside the vertebrae and an area that may pool with blood at the base of the skull to provide a kind of reservoir if flow gets restricted. And more. All kind of amazing. ## Conway’s Law URL: https://sketchplanations.com/conways-law Published: 2018-06-23T16:00:25+0000 Categories: software development, law, design, social engineering, management, business, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6fb270e5-9fc4-4506-b78f-8e4db9aec175_175174474143.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Conway's law showing how the organisation of a company, as small, distributed teams or large colocated teams can reflect the architecture of the software as modular or monolithic Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/conways-law), CC BY-NC 4.0 Conway's law is, paraphrased, that the structure of software will mirror the structure of the organisation that built it. Conway was mostly observing software development, but I would think it has some application to any large project: cruise ship design, car design, space shuttle design, and maybe even governments and law. Law is kind of a strong word for an observation, but in any case, here are some other "laws": Fitt’s law Metcalfe’s law Goodhart’s Law Muphry’s law Moore’s law Koomey’s law The law of diminishing brownies The law of lockers and, my favourite, Hofstadter’s Law ## The kitchen working triangle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-kitchen-working-triangle Published: 2018-06-16T18:57:51+0000 Categories: design, food and drink, architecture, social engineering, kitchen, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/397721b2-47a4-4598-83f6-a1497d803600_174951459161.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Kitchen Working Triangle illustration: a plan view of a kitchen is shown with the distances between commonly related appliances and storage highlighted. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-kitchen-working-triangle), CC BY-NC 4.0 The kitchen working triangle is the triangle between the most key parts of a kitchen — the sink, the hob and the fridge. The idea is that, when planning the layout of a kitchen, you should consider that you’ll be moving between these three regularly. Ideally, if you can get them just a step or a turn away from each other then your kitchen will be efficient and feel a pleasure to use. Another handy thought is to allow trips to and from the fridge while someone may be preparing food without getting in their way — so having the fridge not deep at the back of the kitchen can be handy. Plus, there’s a useful secondary triangle to consider between the sink, the dishwasher and your storage. Think rinse, dishwash and put away without having to trek back and forth across the kitchen all the time. A more recent concept is to think of zones instead, such as the preparing zone, the cooking zone, the washing zone or the backing zone and make sure each of these has everything you need in them for the activity. And make sure when the dishwasher is open there’s room to walk around it without it getting totally in the way. Also see: How to load a dishwasher well ## The spotlight effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-spotlight-effect Published: 2018-06-09T13:57:25+0000 Categories: psychology, effect Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/55eae519-e2de-4c88-94f6-61a6df3d683b_174722980811.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Spotlight Effect illustration: two individuals greet one another, each illuminated by an intense spotlight as if on stage - and each secretly worry about how the other perceives their appearance. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-spotlight-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 I like the spotlight effect because it basically shows that most of us can just relax a bit and not stress about what other people think — because they’re probably not thinking about us, they’re probably thinking about themselves. I probably only remember it because of the effect effect ## The Effect Effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-effect-effect Published: 2018-06-02T19:06:43+0000 Categories: effect, research, marketing, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/52a297e3-152b-4a42-a8d0-687db7a6b00b_174506169061.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is The Effect Effect explained: two colleagues are left in no doubt as to the veracity of research presented to them because it has been labelled as an "effect". Indeed, one heads straight off to tell their friends about it. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-effect-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The effect effect is the undoubted extra stickiness and shareability of an idea by calling it an effect. There’s something about summing up a piece of research or an observation with the name effect that makes it a whole lot easier to communicate and remember. Compare, for example: The more solar panels installed in a neighbourhood the greater chance of a growth of solar panels in that neighbourhood The neighbourhood effect And, for those of you wondering why it’s not the affect affect, here's a sketch explaining when to use affect vs effect Perhaps because of the effect effect, I've covered a lot of effects already in sketches (though there are many more to do). See all "effect" sketches ## The Environment as the Third Teacher in Early Childhood and Beyond URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-third-teacher Published: 2018-05-25T20:46:34+0000 Categories: learning, teaching, architecture, design, parenting, education Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z4jpEZbqstJ99hlO_SP563-Thethirdteacher-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The meaning of the third teacher as the environment from Reggio Emilia together with teachers/parents and peers Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-third-teacher), CC BY-NC 4.0 I love Reggio Emilia’s concept of the environment as the third teacher. This idea works just as well in early childhood education as it does in a primary school classroom—or even an office. A thoughtfully designed environment can support learning, foster good habits, and boost overall wellbeing. In Reggio Emilia’s approach: • The first teacher is the parent or classroom teacher. • The second teacher is the student’s peers. • The third teacher is the learning environment itself. A well-designed classroom can act as the third teacher, shaping behaviour, sparking curiosity, and encouraging exploration. I once had a mentor who said he could tell how a project was going just by observing the state of the project room—proof that our environments influence more than we realise. What Makes a Classroom a “Third Teacher”? To create a classroom that truly acts as a third teacher, consider these key elements: Intentional Layout: Arrange furniture and materials to encourage collaboration, independent learning, and creativity. Open, uncluttered spaces can inspire curiosity and reduce overwhelm. Visibility and Accessibility: Keep tools, books, and resources at children's eye level. This will help them feel a sense of ownership over their learning. Natural Elements: Incorporate light, plants, and natural materials. Studies show these elements can improve focus, reduce stress, and create a warm atmosphere. Documentation: Display students’ work on walls to celebrate progress and reinforce learning. This practice, central to Reggio Emilia, makes learning visible and creates pride. Zones for Exploration: Create different areas for reading, experimenting, building, or relaxing. Giving children clear zones encourages diverse learning experiences. Tips for Teachers to Maximise the “Third Teacher” Observe and Adapt: Watch how students interact with the environment. Are they using spaces as intended? What sparks their interest? Adjust based on their behaviour. Involve Students: Let children help design the space by suggesting ideas or creating artwork. This builds a sense of belonging and ownership. Simplify and Rotate Materials: Too much clutter can overwhelm students. Keep materials fresh by rotating resources and ensuring every item has a purpose. Focus on Flow: Think about how students move through the room. Avoid bottlenecks or cramped spaces, and make sure there’s room for both quiet reflection and active collaboration. Technology as an Extension: In today’s digital world, some aspects of the “environment” live online. Design digital learning spaces with the same care as physical ones—easy navigation, engaging visuals, and clarity of purpose. Beyond the Classroom Too often today, our “environments” are hidden in software. Whether you’re designing a physical classroom, an early childhood learning space, or a workspace, consider how your environment could become a third teacher and how you could make the most of it. This sketch features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to the Third Teacher Also see: The Feynman Learning Technique Information radiator The Learning Pit Goldilocks Tasks Bloom's Taxonomy Zone of Proximal Development Get more participation: ask "What else?" Ask the question at talks I originally made an animated third teacher version ## Homonyms, homographs, homophones, heteronyms… URL: https://sketchplanations.com/homonyms-homographs-homophones-heteronyms Published: 2018-05-19T21:50:44+0000 Categories: words, framework, language, writing, grammar Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c8f7c08a-1630-43b0-af4a-4776eeec8fb8_174060811266.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Matrix of spelling and sound showing the place of homonyms, homographs, homophones, heteronyms, synonyms and antonyms Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/homonyms-homographs-homophones-heteronyms), CC BY-NC 4.0 This one rewards a little close attention—looking at each of the words and figuring out their different meanings or sounds. I’ve always loved heteronyms and how we can have a single word spelt the same and yet pronounced quite differently — like read — and how that clearly makes English a crazy language to learn. And, as you probably do too, I pretty much woke up at night thinking how you could sort words into groups of the same or different spelling and the same or different sounds and begin to make sense of these curious groups of words like homographs, homophones and heteronyms. Words with different spellings and different sounds generally just mean different words. There are nice buckets of other words too, like, contranyms — words that can be their own opposite. And also aptronyms (good for nominative determinism). I did think a third axis of the same or different meaning may give the complete picture but would probably just serve to confuse things. Some Greek: homo—same, hetero—different, graph—written, phone—sound Mad props to the incredible poem The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité. The poem gives an amazing number of examples of some of the craziness of the English language. Here's an excerpt from the start: Dearest creature in creation Studying English pronunciation,    I will teach you in my verse    Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse. I will keep you, Susy, busy, Make your head with heat grow dizzy;    Tear in eye, your dress you'll tear;    Queer, fair seer, hear my prayer. Pray, console your loving poet, Make my coat look new, dear, sew it!    Just compare heart, hear and heard,    Dies and diet, lord and word. Sword and sward, retain and Britain (Mind the latter how it's written).    Made has not the sound of bade,    Say-said, pay-paid, laid but plaid. Now I surely will not plague you With such words as vague and ague,    But be careful how you speak,    Say: gush, bush, steak, streak, break, bleak... ## How a lip stops drips. URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-a-lip-stops-drips Published: 2018-05-12T16:06:35+0000 Categories: physics, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/94c4865c-62ce-4387-a3c4-7e127e2f7c96_173830986926.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How a lip stops drips illustration: a glass of water is tipped up to pour out its contents. Close-ups of the mouth of the glass show how without a lip, water trickles down the side of the glass and that with a lip the side of the glass stays dry. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-a-lip-stops-drips), CC BY-NC 4.0 I’d never really thought this through before, but just a tiny lip makes a massive difference. Should be a standard feature on pretty much every saucepan. ## The misattribution of arousal URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-misattribution-of-arousal Published: 2018-05-05T16:22:25+0000 Categories: psychology, love Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fa384416-6e18-4ee2-acc4-37763b5bd0f0_173609830686.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Misattribution of Arousal illustration: a couple in the early stages of romance reflect on how excited they were to ride on a roller coaster together. Was the excitement due to each others' company or the roller coaster itself? Or maybe a bit of both? Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-misattribution-of-arousal), CC BY-NC 4.0 It turns out when our body gets excited about something, we can’t reliably tell what caused the excitement. In David McRaney’s brilliant article, he explains how we routinely misattribute physiological arousal and how the most common target of misattribution is other people. It’s part of why doing challenging or exciting activities with your partner can help strengthen your relationship, and why roller coasters and scary movies can make great first dates — when we reflect on the time, we often assume that it was the person we were with that helped get our heart racing rather than the excitement of the activity. This is an aspect of attribution theory more generally, attributing our physical arousal in a stressful situation to a nearby person. It's been suggested as a potential reason for Debussy's love for Madame Vasnier, who performed together and for whom Debussy wrote many songs. Don’t use this effect for evil. Related Ideas to the Misattribution of Arousal Also see: Joy: the most vulnerable emotion Grow not in each other's shadow How to instantly feel better Everyone's a geek about something Vorfreude Contentment Notice when you're happy ## Recession vs depression URL: https://sketchplanations.com/recession-vs-depression Published: 2018-04-28T08:15:58+0000 Categories: quote, economics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0f6d878b-fa13-4fd4-86c4-cffc63f55dd1_173379052296.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Recession vs Depression illustration: Recession is depicted by a man in a flat cap sitting on the edge of the pavement next to a man with a briefcase on his way to work. Depression is depicted by both men now sat on the pavement in despair. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/recession-vs-depression), CC BY-NC 4.0 There don’t seem to perfect definitions for either recessions or depressions. A recession is commonly defined as two successive declining quarters of GDP, but it’s not gospel. And a depression is a kind of prolonged recession for 3–4 years. So I liked Harry Truman’s clarifying explanation — US president from 1945–1953: A recession is when your neighbour loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. —Harry Truman  ## The ‘Virtuous Cycles’ of Amazon and Uber URL: https://sketchplanations.com/virtuous-cycle Published: 2018-04-21T21:53:18+0000 Categories: business, framework, entrepreneurship, cycling Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6a93439c-6b99-42ae-847e-0622d2a6212c_173170554411.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The "virtuous cycle" of Amazon and Uber illustration: closed loop flow diagrams demonstrate the effect of growth on factors like demand, price and service for Amazon and Uber. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/virtuous-cycle), CC BY-NC 4.0 Networks effects can lead to massive, rapid growth especially if you manage to get a virtuous cycle turning. Amazon leveraged this model by Jeff Bezos in 2001 for mega growth. Amazon calls it a virtuous cycle (and some call it a virtuous circle). And, more recently, the Uber variation, by David Sacks explains much of Uber’s wild ride. The virtuous cycle is a form of flywheel where once it gets going it keeps on spinning. When you build a platform that leverages network effects in the right way it can enable growth way beyond what has historically been possible. Also, see Metcalfe’s Law, the business flywheel, exercise and sleep ## OODA Loop URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ooda-loop Published: 2018-04-14T20:16:33+0000 Categories: framework, learning, strategy, business, war, design, leadership, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZuLE_BoQrfVKmAxq_SP557-OODAloop-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the OODA Loop example explained: military strategist John Boyd's framework for action in conflict is shown as a closed loop cycle of Orient, Decide, Act, Observe and back to the beginning. The cycle also applies to business when you reconsider the points on the cycle as Frame, Strategize, Test, Gather. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ooda-loop), CC BY-NC 4.0 The OODA loop is military strategist John Boyd’s framework for combat operations that also turns out to apply quite well to businesses and learning in general. It emphasizes a rapid cycle of Observing, Orienting, Deciding and Acting. Though it’s not so different from the classic test-learn cycle or a good design process, Boyd’s framework has a lot of nuances. I found applying it to my own life valuable because: The faster you can do this loop—in your work or in a conflict of any kind—the more solutions you can try and the quicker you will learn. If you’re competing against others, completing your OODA loop fast and acting to change the environment for them means you can disrupt their loop and force them back to the observation step before they can act. It slows them down, creates confusion and gives you an advantage. To apply the OODA loop to a business context, it can help to reconsider the points on the cycle as Frame, Strategize, Test, and Gather. I learned about it from Reid Hoffman’s excellent Masters of Scale podcast. The OODA loop features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures My original OODA loop sketch was an animation ## What is a blue moon? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/blue-moon Published: 2018-04-07T21:00:59+0000 Categories: science, moon, astronomy, seasons Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e96223e4-9072-41e0-89e2-914dad5567d9_172700064866.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is a blue Moon illustration: on a year-long timeline, the occurrence of full moons is plotted for each month. A blue moon is when a full moon occurs twice in the same month - once at the beginning and again at the end of the month. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/blue-moon), CC BY-NC 4.0 What is a blue moon? A blue moon is a full moon that hits twice in a calendar month. Given the cycle from full moon to full moon is about 29.5 days and months are generally 30 or 31 days a full moon appearing twice in a month doesn’t happen very often. And February never has a blue moon. I like this definition, but it is apparently a modification of the original definition which is a little more complicated. The original blue moon definition is explained like this. Given the 29.5 day cycle, most seasons of 3 months have 3 full moons. But every now and then, a season would come by, like Sep, Oct, Nov in the sketch, where there would be 4 full moons. The 3rd of these was known as a blue moon, or a seasonal blue moon. See why I like the modern definition? Here’s a good article that explains the subtleties and history of blue moons. Check out more moon or astronomy explanations ## Rival and non-rival goods URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rival-and-non-rival-goods Published: 2018-03-31T19:17:50+0000 Categories: economics, coffee, road, transport, software development Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a3bd24fd-da14-483f-86f8-a8c7e63aecec_172454984341.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Rival and non-rival goods illustration: a scale with rival goods at one end (left) and non-rival goods at the other (right) displays items at each extreme and along the scale in between. eg. (left to right) cup of coffee; roads; software. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rival-and-non-rival-goods), CC BY-NC 4.0 This is surely at least part of the reason that “software is eating the world.” But I’m sure coffee will stick around for a bit too. ## Crossmodal perception URL: https://sketchplanations.com/crossmodal-perception Published: 2018-03-24T16:00:28+0000 Categories: food and drink, coffee, senses, psychology, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/264ef953-17db-4d31-8132-c7af6ecdb7f3_172207063076.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is crossmodal perception example showing that coffee tastes better when the machine is quiet and why plane food is less tasty Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/crossmodal-perception), CC BY-NC 4.0 Crossmodal perception is when senses interact in sometimes surprising ways. Some fun examples: Coffee tastes better when you don’t have a loud coffee machine near you, and it also tastes more intense and less sweet if the mug is white. In the atmosphere of a pressurised cabin when flying, with decreased humidity and air pressure and significant background noise, things taste less sweet or salty. If you can’t hear the crunch of, say, a Pringles potato chip, then it tastes less fresh. People are prepared to pay more, and may think the food is better, for meals eaten with heavier cutlery. You might enjoy Nicola Twilley’s super New Yorker article, The Illusion of Taste, which has more of the science and plenty more examples. ## The Lucretius problem URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-lucretius-problem Published: 2018-03-17T21:00:25+0000 Categories: psychology, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ae711f86-b054-4a23-bfc9-17361f8a458e_171975845992.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Lucretius Problem illustration: examples of the biggest occurrences in history, like a market crash, a volcano eruption, a long drought and a traffic delay tend to be perceived as the biggest there could ever be. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-lucretius-problem), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Lucretius problem is our tendency to believe that the worst possible thing that can happen is the worst possible thing we know has happened. The name was given by Nicolas Taleb in his book Antifragile. So, should we plan to stress test an investment portfolio, for example, we might test it against how it fared in the worst market crash. Or stress test a building for the biggest known earthquake or a nuclear reactor for the biggest known tsunami. And yet, when each of these events happened, they were bigger than what had come before, and the same could happen again. Lucretius was a Roman philosopher who wrote that: "The fool believes that the tallest mountain in the world will be equal to the tallest one he has observed." Also known as The Lucretius underestimation. See other sketchplanations on cognitive biases. ## Seasons URL: https://sketchplanations.com/seasons Published: 2018-03-10T21:00:28+0000 Categories: weather, astronomy, earth, planet, geography, seasons, temperature, time Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/56a01266-a93d-4a4e-b587-a67e3202024b_SP+552+-+Seasons+2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What causes seasons showing how it is caused by the earths tilt and light hitting differently in the north and south hemispheres Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/seasons), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Earth’s tilt causes the changing seasons. As the Earth revolves around the sun, the tilt of its axis—23.5 degrees—causes the two hemispheres, North and South, to be either tilted towards the sun or away from it at different times of the year. In Winter, because light from the sun hits at a greater angle and closer to the poles, the solar energy gets spread over a larger area. This makes it weaker and cooler and gives rise to colder weather (aka winter). In summer, the sun's light hits more directly and is closer to the equator, so it’s concentrated on a smaller area, leading to hotter days. Because of the tile of the earth, seasons are reversed in the two hemispheres, so if it’s winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s summer in the Southern and vice-versa. The further from the equator you go, the bigger the effect of the seasons. As an example, temperatures in Ecuador stay relatively constant throughout the year, while the poles experience extremes of 24-hour daylight or 24-hour night and great freezes and thaws. A version of this sketch, along with a number of other planetary and seasonal ideas, features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Also see: Autumn leaves Equinox Solstice ## Lake-effect snow URL: https://sketchplanations.com/lake-effect-snow Published: 2018-03-03T13:00:19+0000 Categories: weather, water, geography, effect Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z9NTBBsAHJWomhQf_SP551-Lakeeffectsnow-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1756%2C1491&w=1200&h=1491 Image description: What is Lake effect snow explained including the snow belt Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/lake-effect-snow), CC BY-NC 4.0 Lake Effect Snow is a phenomenon where crazy amounts of snow can fall in massive storms on a lake’s downwind—leeward—side. Where the effect is pronounced, to the east of some of the Great Lakes in the U.S. (think Buffalo), it’s responsible for the regions known as the snow belt. It works like this: Cold air blows over a lake. As the cold air passes over the warmer lake, it picks up water vapor from the water, which warms the air. This causes the air to rise and, in turn, cool, such that when it reaches the downwind side of the lake, it has become cold and moist. This simple change can lead to some incredible snowstorms dumping 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour. Satellite pictures show it in action pretty clearly. If there is a rise in land elevation along the path of the cold air, the air can cool faster and increase the effect — and also cause a rain shadow. And if there’s a lot of convection and the air rises quickly, you can even get what’s called thundersnow—a thunderstorm in a snowstorm. Stay warm out there. More Weather Sketches Find the weather interesting? Me too. Also see: Dirty thunderstorms Thunderclouds Yesterday’s weather (applying weather forecasting to productivity forecasting) Rain shadow Lenticular clouds Know your cirrostratus from your altocumulus British weather Banner clouds For everyday weather-related phenomena explained, see Dennis Mersereau’s The Skies Above: Storm Clouds, Blood Moons, and Other Everyday Phenomena, Mountaineers Books (2022). Dennis is also the source of the lovely phrase Nature’s greatest snow machine. ## Gaslighting URL: https://sketchplanations.com/gaslighting Published: 2018-02-24T21:24:02+0000 Categories: psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/58a63eae-4307-4851-ba35-faf51275e9ce_171248141436.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Gaslighting illustration: an individual making a speech at their lectern tells lie after lie after lie. As the lies keep coming an audience member starts to question their own, previously firm, understanding. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/gaslighting), CC BY-NC 4.0 Manipulating someone psychologically such that they start to doubt their own sanity. Lying or deceiving persistently can plant seeds of self-doubt in the minds of someone else. At first, it is likely to be easy to resist, but if it continues people can start to question their own reality or start to think they may be going crazy. The term comes from the play Gas light by Patrick Hamilton where a husband tries to convince his wife, played by Ingrid Bergman in a 1944 film adaptation, that she imagined the dimming of gas lights in their house, which was, in fact, due to him searching for jewels in the flat above. The term has been used in sociological, psychiatric and political contexts among others. HT: Shawn Riedel ## The Oxford comma URL: https://sketchplanations.com/oxford-comma Published: 2018-02-17T21:08:37+0000 Categories: grammar, words, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0a05aa65-dc6c-4232-83c7-369a9e585c8f_170990724031.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The Oxford Comma illustration: in the acknowledgements at the beginning of a book, the oxford comma, used after the penultimate item in a list, clears up any confusion as to whether God is a parent of the author. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/oxford-comma), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Oxford comma is the comma after the penultimate item in a list. It’s normally a matter of style — you can happily choose to leave it out — though in some cases it can clarify what would otherwise be an ambiguous meaning, as in this well-cited book dedication “To my parents, Ayn Rand and God.” Or, more pertinently, in a recent legal case where ambiguity hinging on the lack of an Oxford comma is costing a dairy firm a $5m overtime payment to its drivers. HT: Jon Hoare ## How to grow your own fresh air URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-grow-your-own-fresh-air Published: 2018-02-10T13:04:50+0000 Categories: climate, productivity, sustainability, air quality, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1b36cdf1-3040-4638-941d-80058f52215b_170719231731.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How to grow your own fresh air illustration: examples of common houseplants that help create an environment with relatively cleaner air; the Areca Palm, Mother-in-law's Tongue and the Money Plant. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-grow-your-own-fresh-air), CC BY-NC 4.0 UPDATE: Since releasing this sketch, which is a fair summary of Kamal Meattle's TED talk, it's been made clear that, though plants do improve air quality, the improvement doesn't compare with a simple change like opening the window. NASA conducted the original "Plants Improve Air Quality" study in an environment wholly unlike having a few plants in your living room. Listen to James Wong explain the situation in the Sketchplanations botany podcast. Original text: In his 4-minute TED talk, Kamal Meattle explains how to grow your own fresh air inside with just three common house plants. The areca palm works hard during the day, the mother-in-law’s tongue during the night, and the money plant cleans out volatile chemicals. He transformed the air inside a New Delhi office park by filling it with these three plants with seemingly some wonderful health and productivity benefits. Though plants are undoubtedly lovely to add to your office and home, see the update above for the caution around their potential to freshen your air. ## Tame unruly crisp packets URL: https://sketchplanations.com/tame-unruly-crisp-packets Published: 2018-02-03T21:00:43+0000 Categories: lifehack, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/12e545d8-0a80-4a35-87f3-f56125551d1d_170469393504.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Tame unruly crisp packets illustration: a 7-step process lays out exactly how to fold a large, unruly, empty crisp packet into a neat, manageable triangle. Origami with purpose. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/tame-unruly-crisp-packets), CC BY-NC 4.0 So, you finish a packet of crisps, or chips, and scrumple the packet up, but in just keeps uncrumpling and tries to blow away. No longer. This handy little bit of origami creates a neat and tidy little triangle that keeps your crisp packet behaving. Give it a try next time. HT: Dave Barker taught me this about 20 years ago. I still find it useful. ## The Streisand Effect explained URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-streisand-effect Published: 2018-01-28T14:43:20+0000 Categories: effect, eponym, data Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/16f07758-4fe6-4371-afde-c78f77762a01_170228270351.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Streisand Effect explained and its meaning: the attention of two passers by is drawn by a glut of warning and security signs mounted on a high security perimeter wall. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-streisand-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Streisand effect describes what happens when you try to censor or suppress information—and in doing so, you draw far more attention to it than it ever had before. The name comes from an incident involving Barbra Streisand in 2003. She attempted to have an aerial photograph of her house removed from a publicly available collection of California coastline images. The images were intended to document coastal erosion, not celebrity homes. Before the legal action, the photo had reportedly been viewed only a handful of times. After the attempt to remove it, interest exploded and views of the photo apparently went from 6 to 420,000. The attempt to suppress the information became the story. The term Streisand Effect was later coined by Mike Masnick, founder of Techdirt, to describe this recurring pattern. What does the Streisand Effect mean? The Streisand Effect is about attention. Attempts to hide or erase something can signal that something is worth looking at. Efforts to suppress information can: Trigger curiosity Signal importance or guilt (even when none exists) Encourage people to share something specifically because it is being discouraged (see The Boaty McBoatface Effect) Ironically, doing nothing is often the least effective way to spread something. Streisand Effect examples Barbra Streisand’s house The original case. A low-interest image became globally famous because of an attempt to remove it. Monty Python’s Life of Brian Life of Brian follows a man born in a stable who is mistaken dof Jesus. Before its release in 1979, Life of Brian faced protests and bans for alleged blasphemy. Councils debated it, churches condemned it, and some cinemas refused to show it. The controversy dramatically increased public awareness. Many people went to see the film precisely because it was controversial. Eric Idle—one of the Pythons—in Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, said: "Half of the UK banned it and the other half flocked to see it. Sweden advertised it as the movie so funny that Norwegians weren’t allowed to see it." Government Documents and Redactions Governments removing or redacting material is a prime case for the Streisand Effect. Quietly erasing material, if it's noticed, is often a recipe for drawing intrigue as to why it was erased. Sometimes the best way to stop something spreading is to let it quietly fade. Trying to censor or hide information can be the best way to draw attention to it. Related Ideas to The Streisand Effect Also see: The Law of Unintended Consequences The Cobra Effect Campbell's Law Goodhart's Law The Boaty McBoatface Effect ## Zip backpacks to the side URL: https://sketchplanations.com/zip-backpacks-to-the-side Published: 2018-01-20T09:00:25+0000 Categories: lifehack, walking Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b42d2e6f-e462-41c3-90a9-b592008f04d2_169916851063.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Zip backpacks to the side illustration: with double-ended zips, one person's backpack has peeled itself open (both zips closed up to the top), while another's remains safely zipped up (one zip brought right round to join the other).. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/zip-backpacks-to-the-side), CC BY-NC 4.0 So maybe this was always obvious to you, but someone showed me this when I was in my 30s and it was hard for me to believe that it took 30 years for me to learn it. So, now you know. A simple tip to stop your bag coming undone — particularly if you’re walking or running and you’ve stuffed it too full like I do. ## 9-Enders (nine-enders) URL: https://sketchplanations.com/9-enders Published: 2018-01-13T09:32:22+0000 Categories: psychology, time, wellbeing, risk, sport, happiness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/152612a6-e634-4ac9-bcc5-2ceca5c21698_169650516411.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: 9-enders (nine-enders) explanation: people approaching their 30s, 40s and 50s, examining their lives for meaning and setting off skydiving, running marathons and climbing Everest Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/9-enders), CC BY-NC 4.0 Nine-enders are people in the last year of a decade, say, 29, 39, 49, 59. Adam Alter and Hal Hershfield, who introduced the term, propose that as we approach the end of a decade we are more likely to do a kind of "meaning audit" of our lives. And in the years just before the end of a decade, if we may have fallen short or feel there’s something else we want to accomplish, we’re much more likely to do it then than in any other year of a decade. In practice, as Dan Pink shared in his book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, these are, therefore, the times when we’re more likely to do something extreme like running a marathon for the first time and, sadly, also committing suicide. Take care out there. Read more in Dan Pink’s Atlantic article: You’re Most Likely to Do Something Extreme Right Before You Turn 30, Dan Pink, The Atlantic Or: When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Dan Pink People search for meaning when they approach a new decade in chronological age, PNAS, vol. 111 no. 48, Alter and Hershfield, 2014. This sketch, updated and polished, features with a number of others in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures. ## Metcalfe’s Law URL: https://sketchplanations.com/metcalfes-law Published: 2018-01-07T12:55:04+0000 Categories: charts, law, tech, technology, entrepreneurship, quote, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bf86594c-4432-40cd-a364-038a9f131b2f_169423351706.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Metcalfe's Law diagram the value of a network and its users Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/metcalfes-law), CC BY-NC 4.0 Metcalfe's Law is: "The value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of users of the system." — Robert Metcalfe This law explains a little of the remarkable power of a growing network. Each time you add a user or node to the network, the number of connections increases in proportion to the square of the number of users. So, in this simple example where every new node gets a connection to each of the existing nodes, you can see that, say, adding a single node to an 11-node network creates 11 new connections. It’s a simplified example because in most networks, the value is not directly proportional to the number of connections as some connections or users may be more valuable than others, and usually, adding a new user wouldn’t create a connection to all existing users — say if it was in a different country, or people spoke a different language or just cared about different things. But nevertheless, you can see how a network quickly becomes valuable as users join. So, Facebook has (in Jan 2018) about 2 billion users… Metcalfe was talking about telecommunications networks, and the basic proposition has been modified since it was formulated, including by Metcalfe himself. Just because something is called a law doesn’t mean it is one. Ideas Related to Metcalfe's Law Moore's Law Koomey's Law Conway's Law Fitt’s Law Dunbar's number ## The Windscreen Phenomenon URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-windscreen-phenomenon Published: 2017-12-30T21:25:09+0000 Categories: biology, nature, animals, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ab6d600b-70fd-4054-b183-99e35059c57c_SP+541+-+The+windscreen+phenomenon.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the windscreen phenomenon explanation: showing a 1970 truck with bugs splattered on the windscreen and a 2017 with very few, reflecting, most likely a general decline in flying insects Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-windscreen-phenomenon), CC BY-NC 4.0 The name for the troubling observation that where windscreens used to be covered in squashed bugs after a long drive, these days you’ll tend to see your windscreen remains squashed-bug free. It’s believed this reflects a real and significant decline in insect numbers. Though tracking insect numbers is, however, rather tricky as you could imagine. So don’t ignore bugs, or treat them as pests, value them and, if you have a garden, try to provide some habitat to help them out. Here’s a good article about the windscreen phenomenon. ## Origins of Boxing Day URL: https://sketchplanations.com/boxing-day Published: 2017-12-26T01:00:38+0000 Categories: gift giving, travel Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a10217ba-0b7b-4d90-b3fa-acefe23f0e4d_SP+541+-+Origins+of+Boxing+day.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The origins of Boxing day illustration: On Christmas Day, the gentry exchange gifts amongst themselves, as do the servants. On Boxing Day, the gentry offer gifts to the servants (in a box). Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/boxing-day), CC BY-NC 4.0 I’d idly wondered all my life, but never bothered to look it up. Turns out there doesn’t seem to be one clear accepted origin of Boxing Day, but the general premise goes that on or before Christmas Day people would give gifts to people of the same social level or class. On what used to be the first weekday after Christmas, but is now the day after Christmas Day, upper social classes would, in some form, give gifts to those in lower classes — often a Christmas box. This might have been because they had worked for them during the year in one way or another, like giving a Christmas tip to the milkman, or simply as a gift, or because the lower classes were too busy serving the upper classes on Christmas Day and so couldn’t do the Christmas thing properly themselves. As is often the case, the Snopes article about Boxing Day, has a useful synthesis. ## Kaffikok URL: https://sketchplanations.com/kaffikok Published: 2017-12-23T09:00:32+0000 Categories: words, hiking, coffee, food and drink, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z8rr7xsAHJWomOnf_SP540-Kaffikok-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Kaffikok meaning - what is a kaffikok - the distance you can go before needing a cup of coffee Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/kaffikok), CC BY-NC 4.0 Kaffikok is a delightful unit of distance—the distance you can go before needing a cup of coffee. The word comes from the Sámi people of northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland, combining the words for ‘coffee’ and ‘boil.’ A perfect measure for those who navigate the world one cup at a time. First spotted via @marterum and @RobGMacfarlane Related Ideas to Kaffikok Tsundoku Naismith's Rule for estimating distance in the mountains Rückenfigur Nappuccino ## What is Rubberducking? An Explanation of the Rubber Duck Debugging Technique URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rubberducking Published: 2017-12-17T13:42:30+0000 Categories: tech, software development, engineering, problem solving, thinking tool, product management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z1m9PJbqstJ98Vry_SP539-Rubberducking-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Rubberducking? Example explanation: a developer talks through their problem with the “therapist” rubber duck on their desk, only to discover the insight they need. Often useful for debugging. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rubberducking), CC BY-NC 4.0 Rubberducking is a problem-solving technique where you explain your code or task to a rubber duck—or any inanimate object—and discover the solution yourself through the act of explaining. It's brilliant because it works and is effectively free. Rubberducking, or rubber ducking, is most commonly associated with debugging in software development but can be applied to any problem-solving process. The name comes from the book The Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas. In it, the authors suggest using a rubber duck as a conversation partner to clarify one’s thoughts. I've also heard it called Debugging By Confession. Rubberducking is an accessible and effective way to troubleshoot problems without requiring someone else’s time. -- Do you spend time discussing your problems with AI like ChatGPT or Gemini? I wrote a short a post about how Chatting with AI is the ultimate rubberducking. -- How Rubberducking Works Have you ever been called over to someone’s desk to help them solve a problem, and as they explain the problem to you or demonstrate it, they figure out the answer themselves? It happens all the time to me, particularly when someone's showing me how something doesn't work, and it magically works just by having me watch over their shoulder. The rubber duck technique is as simple as that, except that instead of calling someone over, you can simply replace the person with a rubber duck, teddy bear or heck, even your stapler. The psychology behind rubberducking relies on how explaining a problem forces you to process your thoughts more clearly, often revealing gaps or errors in your understanding. Here’s how you can try it yourself: 1. Set up your “duck”: Place a rubber duck, teddy bear, or any object on your desk. 2. Explain your problem: Describe your code, logic, or issue to the duck, step by step, as if you’re teaching it. 3. Watch for insights: In explaining it aloud, you’ll often uncover what’s wrong or identify a new approach to solving it. For example, a developer struggling with a bug might explain every line of code to the duck. Verbalising their logic can highlight an overlooked detail that resolves the problem. Why Rubberducking is Effective Rubberducking works because it forces you to articulate your thoughts clearly, moving them from abstract notions in your head to concrete statements. This shift can: • Help you identify assumptions you didn’t realise you were making. • Reveal errors or gaps in your logic. • Mimic the process of pair programming without needing another person. Rubberducking a problem also reduces dependency on others for problem-solving, making it a cost-effective—basically free!—and time-efficient tool for debugging. Common Scenarios for Rubberducking Here are some situations where it’s particularly useful: • Debugging code: Talk through an error or bug in your program. • Explaining logic: Test the clarity of your solution by explaining it step by step. • Learning new concepts: Summarise a concept to the duck to check your understanding (see the Feynman Learning Technique) • Decision-making: Walk through the pros and cons of a decision. Rubberducking in Software Development In software development, rubber duck debugging has become a recognised term for this process. It’s so common that some developers keep an actual rubber duck on their desks to symbolise this practice. Teams might 'joke' about needing “a duck” for the simplest bugs. Debugging is an integral part of coding, and the rubber duck technique makes it less daunting. By verbalising your thought process, you streamline problem-solving without needing external help. Frequently Asked Questions about Rubberducking Q: Does it have to be a rubber duck? Nope. While a rubber duck is the classic choice, you can use anything nearby—your coffee cup, a stapler, or even a photo on your desk. Q: What if talking out loud isn’t possible? Writing out your explanation or saying it in your head can work just as well. The key is clarifying and articulating your thought process. Q: How is this different from pair programming? Pair programming involves working alongside another person on the same task. Some people swear by pair programming, and to be honest, I've always found it effective whenever I try it. However, rubberducking is a solo activity where the act of explanation itself is the solution. Next time you're stuck on something, grab a rubber duck and give it a try. Related Ideas to Rubberducking Also see: The Feynman Learning Technique The XY Problem Bugs and releases The cost of fixing bugs Yesterday's weather Yak shaving Rubberducking is similar to the empty chair technique for psychotherapy, which involves speaking to an empty chair as if addressing a person. It's also easily confused with "rubbernecking," which is slowing down to look at an accident as you drive past—a common cause of traffic jams. ## Know your flying fabrics URL: https://sketchplanations.com/know-your-flying-fabrics Published: 2017-12-09T18:50:03+0000 Categories: transport, whats the difference between, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z79R-p7c43Q3gRlv_SP538-Flyingfabrics-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Know your flying fabrics: what is parachuting, wing suiting, paragliding, hang gliding, kitesurfing, parasailing/parakiting — the difference between them Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/know-your-flying-fabrics), CC BY-NC 4.0 What's the difference between parachutes, paragliders, hang gliders, kitesurfs, parasails or parakites and wingsuits? They're all fun ways to get around and all very easy to mix up with each other. Each form can be distinguished by a combination of how you launch, whether it has a rigid or flexible structure, and whether you travel over water, land or through the air. A paragliding flight I once experienced was the closest I've ever felt to the joy of flying, even more so than when I jumped out of a plane. You might also look out for para motors—a paraglider with a big fan on it—and winging, a cross between windsurfing and kitesurfing, where you hold directly onto a wing-shaped sail and let it woosh you over the water. ## Catch drilling dust with a Post it URL: https://sketchplanations.com/catch-drilling-dust-with-a-post-it Published: 2017-12-02T18:18:13+0000 Categories: lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/32b3177d-28d8-48bb-b2ba-2f77dbf5c13e_168120197011.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Catch drilling dust with a post-it illustration: with one fold along its length, a post-it note is stuck to the wall creating a little shelf to catch all the dust from a drill boring a hole in the wall just above. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/catch-drilling-dust-with-a-post-it), CC BY-NC 4.0 For a super simple way to avoid making a mess when drilling into walls. Louise, sent me this to try as another method: So my Dad has half a tennis ball with a hole through it. Drill bit goes through hole. Tennis ball hemisphere presses against wall on flat side. All dust goes into ball. When he pulls it out he holds upwards then tips into bin. Smart. ## Inverted pyramid writing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/inverted-pyramid-writing Published: 2017-11-25T19:41:43+0000 Categories: writing, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c5355c5f-d33b-4c13-b9ad-975ca212b527_167878660556.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Inverted pyramid writing illustration: giving a rowing sports example from the most important at the start to the details later Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/inverted-pyramid-writing), CC BY-NC 4.0 A handy journalist technique whereby you write in such a way that even a cursory glance at an article gives the key facts, and the further you read down you increase your knowledge with the next most important facts. As opposed to say, a chronological account of an event where the important stuff may be at the end. The BBC at least are great examples of this, for instance in a Premier League match write-up. Given how people read on the web generally, it’s pretty good to keep in mind for anything you write on the web too. Also see: the best writing is rewriting, front load names to cue attention ## Buyer’s remorse URL: https://sketchplanations.com/buyers-remorse Published: 2017-11-18T21:34:35+0000 Categories: psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5a547589-0f99-4f88-bdd8-46eaaaf95d72_167637724491.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Buyer's remorse illustration: a customer hands over cash to a car dealer seemingly very excited about their new purchase. At the wheel of their new car as they drive away, they begin to question their decision. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/buyers-remorse), CC BY-NC 4.0 That annoying feeling after you’ve bought something where you’re just not sure if you did the right thing. Darn it. ## Goodhart’s Law: when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. URL: https://sketchplanations.com/goodharts-law Published: 2017-11-11T09:00:20+0000 Categories: law, measurement, behavioral economics, business, metrics, eponym, data, podcast, politics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/68405664-64fc-4f4d-841b-fa27305c38bf_SP+535+-+Goodhart%27s+law+-+revised+-+large.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Goodhart's law illustration showing a manager frustrated by 1000's of tiny nails when measuring on number of nails made, and pulling their hair out when presented with giant nails when measuring on weight Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/goodharts-law), CC BY-NC 4.0 Goodhart's law states that when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. In other words, if you pick a measure to assess performance, people find a way to game it. To illustrate, I like the (probably apocryphal) story of a nail factory that sets "Number of nails produced" as its measure of productivity. The workers figure out they can easily make tons of tiny nails to hit the target. Yet, when the frustrated managers switch the assessment to "weight of nails made", the workers again outfox them by making a few giant heavy nails. And there's the story of measuring fitness by steps from a pedometer only to find the pedometer attached to the dog. Some strategies for helping this are to try and find better, harder-to-game measures, assess with multiple measures, or allow a little discretion. More detail in this nice little article. I also liked an idea I read in Measure What Matters of pairing a quantity measure with a quality measure, for example, assessing both the number of nails and customer satisfaction of the nails. How strongly Goodhart's Law applies varies. John Cutler shared the Cutler Variation of Goodhart's Law: "In environments with high psychological safety, trust, and an appreciation for complex sociotechnical systems, when a measure becomes a target, it can remain a good measure because missing the target is treated as a valuable signal for continuous improvement rather than failure." Related Ideas to Goodhart's Law Also see: The Law of Unintended Consequences The Cobra Effect Campbell's Law The Boaty McBoatface Effect The Streisand Effect ## Kayak vs Canoe: What's the difference? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/kayak-vs-canoe Published: 2017-11-04T20:54:04+0000 Categories: whats the difference between, sport, water, nature, words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z-agNndAxsiBwC30_SP533-Kayakcanoe-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Kayak vs Canoe: what's the difference Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/kayak-vs-canoe), CC BY-NC 4.0 OK, this is not rocket science, but growing up, I tended to use kayak and canoe interchangeably out of ignorance. There are so many neat hybrid ways to get on the water now that nothing is as cut-and-dried as it once was. However, if you check the attributes in the sketch, you can be pretty confident you’ll get it right. Someone once told me that they remember the difference by the word kayak having k's at either end rather like the blades at both the ends of the paddle. Smart! This sketch features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## Double-landlocked countries URL: https://sketchplanations.com/double-landlocked-countries Published: 2017-10-28T10:46:32+0000 Categories: geography, country, oceans Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/agswtaYofJOwHVn-_SP532-Double-landlockedcountries-revisedcorrected.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What are double-landlocked countries? Map showing a landlocked country and the meaning of double-landlocked countries with Liechtenstein surrounded only by landlocked countries. The other double-landlocked country is Uzbekistan. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/double-landlocked-countries), CC BY-NC 4.0 Growing up on the island of Great Britain, I took for granted that after a few hours of travel in most directions, I'd be looking out to sea. But that's not the case for many people. If you were born in a landlocked country, there's no coastline, and you'd need to cross at least one other country to reach the ocean. And there's a much rarer situation: being double-landlocked. Only two countries in the world have this unique distinction: Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein. What Does Double-Landlocked Mean? To be double-landlocked, a country must be surrounded entirely by landlocked neighbours. In other words, not only does the country itself lack access to the sea, but every country bordering it is also landlocked. If you live in a double-landlocked country, you must cross at least two national borders before reaching a coastline connected to the oceans. The World's Only Double-Landlocked Countries There are just two double-landlocked countries in the world: Uzbekistan Located in Central Asia, Uzbekistan is surrounded entirely by other landlocked nations: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. To reach the ocean, you'd need to cross at least one of these countries and then go through another country to its coastline. For instance, you could cross through Kazakhstan (landlocked) and on through Russia to reach the Arctic Ocean. Or perhaps through Afghanistan and then Pakistan to reach the Indian Ocean. Although Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea, the Caspian Sea isn't connected to the open oceans. Liechtenstein The tiny principality of Liechtenstein, sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, is the other double-landlocked country. Because Switzerland and Austria are landlocked, reaching the ocean involves crossing at least one of these countries and then travelling through a third—perhaps heading south through Switzerland to the Italian coastline for a nice trip. Being double-landlocked adds complexity to trade and transport and a particular reliance on neighbours. We discuss the details and definitions of being double-landlocked in our podcast episode: why only 2 countries are double-landlocked. A great read on all things geopolitics and the importance of geography is Tim Marshall's, Prisoners of Geography. Are There Double-Landlocked States in the United States? See: Landlocked States Landlocked and double-landlocked also applies to states in the US. 27 US States are considered landlocked to some degree. 16 states are singly landlocked—crossing one state boundary would give them access to the ocean. 10 states are double-landlocked because reaching the coastline requires crossing at least two other states. These are: Utah Wyoming Colorado South Dakota Kansas Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Illinois Indiana And Nebraska is the only triple-landlocked state. To reach the ocean, Nebraskans must first cross a double-landlocked state, then a landlocked state. More Geography Facts and Sketches Landlocked States Point Nemo The Coastline Paradox The Mercator Projection The Continental Axis Hypothesis Types of volcano: Red and Gray volcanoes Capitonym The Making of the Med Why do Birds Migrate So Far Settlement patterns Double-landlocked countries, along with other fascinating facts about the world, features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures. ## The singularity effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-singularity-effect Published: 2017-10-21T09:00:14+0000 Categories: psychology, effect Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ac9d32eb-6e54-4e40-b38f-f8b3abadd6b2_166632635886.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is The Singularity Effect explained: a line graph shows how the value of and compassion for saving a life quickly diminishes as the number of lives at risk increases. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-singularity-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The singularity effect is the name for how we care disproportionately about an individual as compared to a group. Think Saving Private Ryan, where an enormous effort is launched to save a single soldier in the Second World War. It turns out that even as you add a second person, there’s some justification for something known as compassion fade. The addition of more people doesn’t increase our willingness to help proportionally — our compassion fades as more people are involved. See the work of Paul Slovic. Also see: Psychic numbing ## Isochrones URL: https://sketchplanations.com/isochrones Published: 2017-10-14T17:03:09+0000 Categories: time, maps, geography, charts Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5688b39e-b9b5-4c97-8200-a08122335f00_166397333421.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Isochrones illustration: An aerial view of London shows enclosed concentric, but irregular shapes, radiating out from the centre of the city, denoting areas of equal travel time; from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/isochrones), CC BY-NC 4.0 From the prefix iso meaning equal and khronos meaning time it literally means equal times. And whereas maps are usually put together with lines of equal distance you can either construct maps, or overlay maps as here, with lines of equal time. The overlay view gives you time contours rather than, say, altitude contours. Handy for checking things like commuting distance. I like how you find little islands where there is fast transport in and out like trains or planes. You can explore time maps of London at mapumental. ## The golden circle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-golden-circle Published: 2017-10-07T09:00:29+0000 Categories: design, leadership, framework, quote, entrepreneurship, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ad18f372-1917-4f23-af69-9f6c73c0429d_SP+530+-+The+golden+circle.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is The golden circle from Simon Sinek example explained: illustrated with the start with why circles, and Martin Luther King and the "I have a dream," not the "I have a plan," speech Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-golden-circle), CC BY-NC 4.0 Simon Sinek’s simple idea to start with why. To get a better feel, watch his 18min TED talk: How great leaders inspire action. I found his concrete example of “It was the ‘I have a dream’ speech, not the ‘I have a plan’ speech,” helps keep in mind the power of starting with why and painting a vision in order to inspire and lead. Now, if you have a vision, a strategy and a plan, well, then you’re in business. People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. — Simon Sinek Simon’s has parallels with another I like: Products aren’t just things that you buy, they’re things that you buy into. — Dev Patnaik ## Emotional hot potato URL: https://sketchplanations.com/emotional-hot-potato Published: 2017-09-30T20:57:56+0000 Categories: emotions, psychology, parenting, conflict, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z4j7JpbqstJ99ht9_SP529-Emotionalhotpotato-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Emotional hot potato cartoon: spreading a bad mood through a family to the dog who pees on the floor Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/emotional-hot-potato), CC BY-NC 4.0 The boss yells at the employee, the employee yells at their spouse, the spouse yells at the child, the child yells at their younger sibling, the sibling yells at the dog, and the dog pees on the rug. This scene is an excellent example of Emotional Hot Potato, where the "hot potato" emotion makes its painful way through each family member. Bad moods can be contagious, as can anger and anxiety. Our innate empathy can naturally transfer a bad mood from a coworker to ourselves. Emotional hot potato can also be a form of projection where we attempt to rid ourselves of an unpleasant emotion by transferring it or attributing it to others. By handling the hot potato of a teenage child's anger, for example, the parent may find themselves seething while the child feels better having passed on the potato. Another related idea is displacement. Strong emotions may build up in some interactions and it may not be appropriate, or wise, to vent those emotions, say with our boss or someone bigger than us in the playground. Instead, we might suppress the emotion until we can channel it onto easier targets, perhaps younger siblings or the dog. Ouch! More Robert Sapolsky mentions a similar idea in his book Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst and that it's not restricted only to people. He shares: "Stress-induced (aka frustration-induced) displacement aggression is ubiquitous in various species. Among baboons, for example, nearly half of aggression is this type — a high-ranking male loses a fight and chases a subadult male, who promptly bites a female, who then lunges at an infant." I learned the term from Lawrence Cohen in Playful Parenting: An Exciting New Approach to Raising Children That Will Help You Nurture Close Connections, Solve Behavior Problems, and Encourage Confidence,  Ballantine Books, 2012. This sketch features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to Emotional Hot Potato Also see: How to Instantly Feel Better Fact tennis Languishing The 4 horsemen of relationship apocalypse Childhood is not a race Don't compare your front of house with others' back of house ## Atmospheric perspective URL: https://sketchplanations.com/atmospheric-perspective Published: 2017-09-23T10:00:23+0000 Categories: mountains, drawing, physics, colour, perspective, air quality Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/R3965TTuKSWeJ7se_SP528-Atmosphericperspective-revised.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is atmospheric perspective explained in a mountain scene and why do distant objects fade and lose contrast and saturation Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/atmospheric-perspective), CC BY-NC 4.0 Standing in front of a grand view, you may have noticed that the colours of the objects, hills or mountains in the distance seem less vivid than those nearby. Details become less sharp, too. This is atmospheric perspective, also called aerial perspective, at work. The effect comes from what the atmosphere does to colour and light in the distance. The more air between you and a mountain, the more its colours and details fade. If there’s mist, fog, dust or pollution, the effect can be more pronounced. On a blue sky day, distant objects take on a bluer tone, ultimately gently blending into the colour of the sky. Have a look at the colour of distant hills compared to the sky next time you get the right view. Leonardo da Vinci (one of my heroes) noticed this and used it in his paintings to add depth and realism. He understood that distant mountains weren’t themselves blue—the atmosphere between him and the mountains made them appear that way. With subtle changes in colour and tone, and details fading into the distance, he created the realistic haze of his far-off landscapes. This scene painted from our ascent of Mt Rainier in the Pacific Northwest. And here’s a sunset version. This sketch also appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Also see: Beyond mountains, there are mountains Rückenfigur Parallax Time hierarchy Redshift ## Psychic numbing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/psychic-numbing Published: 2017-09-16T20:44:38+0000 Categories: psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ae6b673c-1fa8-494f-ba23-49a2ed8239f0_165411287891.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Psychic Numbing Illustration: A radio plays out the news headlines. The story about a young girl is met with empathy. Another story about thousands of people dying is met with apathy. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/psychic-numbing), CC BY-NC 4.0 Psychic numbing is the phenomenon where we find it increasingly hard to empathise with the plight of larger numbers of people. A story about a family who needs help is much easier for us to relate to than, say, a story about 1000s of people displaced or dying. As the number increases, the situation gets more abstract, and we just can’t connect with it. See the work of Paul Slovic or this super article by Brian Resnick: A psychologist explains the limits of human compassion Other contexts where we see psychic numbing are the general withdrawal of people and societies from potentially major catastrophes that seem unlikely to happen. Individually, it may also be reduced engagement with a past traumatic experience. I read in Murphy's Law Book Two, by Arthur Bloch, Fuller's Law of Journalism, which goes, "The further away the disaster or accident occurs, the greater the number of dead and injured required for it to become a story." Also see: The singularity effect ## Party bottle sizes URL: https://sketchplanations.com/party-bottle-sizes Published: 2017-09-10T18:40:45+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/64a91228-32ca-4ead-8096-90df963b099a_165194649146.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Party Bottle Sizes illustration: a series of increasingly large green glass bottles are shown in a row with their formal names and comparative size in relation to a standard wine bottle. From a Demi (half a standard bottle) to a Nebuchadnezzar (20 standard bottles). Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/party-bottle-sizes), CC BY-NC 4.0 These large bottles are seriously impressive to see. They also have neat names from biblical kings for reasons I don’t know. There are a few more gradations, and some sizes and names are only for sparkling wines like champagne and some not. And there are some that even get significantly larger than the 20 bottles in a nebuchadnezzar, though I’ve never seen one. ## Mean world syndrome URL: https://sketchplanations.com/mean-world-syndrome Published: 2017-09-02T22:13:48+0000 Categories: psychology, research, social media Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f3c2a6d7-88a9-4e29-8105-0e01ac30f475_164909380386.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1751%2C1484&w=1200&h=1484 Image description: Mean world syndrome illustration: showing how those who watch more believe the world is a meaner place Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/mean-world-syndrome), CC BY-NC 4.0 Mean world syndrome is the name given to the observation that people who watch more TV seem to believe the world is a more dangerous place than people who watch less. It's likely due to the prevalence of violence on TV and coverage of extreme events that are actually quite rare in most people’s lives. The term comes from cultivation theory — broadly the study of the long-term effects of television — which has a more general idea that people who watch a lot of TV tend to see reality more like the reality they see on TV. Term coined by George Gerbner. Also see: Addiction Languishing Psychic numbing ## The 10 Essentials URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-10-essentials Published: 2017-08-26T21:28:22+0000 Categories: hiking, camping, backpacking, nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b5d94fc6-6298-474e-9669-fb5e30a6d656_164647725976.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The 10 Essentials illustration: a list of essential bits of kit for camping and being out in wilderness is laid out; compass & map, hat and sun cream, a warm jacket, head-torch, first-aid kit, lit match, tape & knife, food and snacks, full water bottles, a tent or tarpaulin. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-10-essentials), CC BY-NC 4.0 What should you make sure you have with you when you head out to the wilderness? A lot of stuff may prove handy, but perhaps the best checklist to start from for stuff that may get you out of a fix is the 10 Essentials by the Seattle-based Mountaineers group. This is a version of their systems list which focuses on what the objects need to do rather than specifically which objects you should bring. So, for example, insulation may be warm clothes but could be a wind breaker or waterproofs for snow or rain rather than cold. Check out Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills PS I modified it very slightly for space and simplicity. Don’t blame me if you are stuck in the wilderness without the right kit. ## How to remember if you did something URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-remember-if-you-did-something Published: 2017-08-19T19:57:38+0000 Categories: advice, tip, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0e2197ae-360a-4e97-8576-fba23aa0c4bc_164377441471.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: How to remember if you did something illustration: a person does a star jump as they leave the house and lock the front door. Later on, remembering that they did a star jump helps remember that they locked the door. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-remember-if-you-did-something), CC BY-NC 4.0 A simple way to remember if you locked your car, turned the gas off, watered the plants or whatever, is to do something unusual around the time that you do it. When you find yourself thinking back to whether you did it or not, you will know for sure when you remember the strange thing that you did that is connected to it. The only limit is your imagination. Ironically, I can’t remember where I learned this — I must not have followed this tip. ## Johari Window — A Model for Self-Awareness, Feedback, and Personal Growth URL: https://sketchplanations.com/johari-window Published: 2017-08-12T09:00:21+0000 Categories: framework, research, psychology, feedback, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z9mBgjiBA97GimZX_SP521-Johariwindow-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Johari Window model illustrating self-awareness through feedback and disclosure in four quadrants: Open Self, Blind Spot, Hidden Self, and Unknown Self. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/johari-window), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Johari Window is a model for understanding self-awareness and improving relationships through feedback and sharing. It divides what we know about ourselves—and what others know about us—into four quadrants: 1. Open Self – Things you and others know about you. 2. Blind Spot – Things others see about you, but you don't. 3. Hidden Self – Things you know but choose not to share. 4. Unknown Self – Things about you that neither you nor others know. Most people won't be aware of much that you know about yourself —through sharing or disclosure, you help others understand more about you.  Conversely, some aspects of yourself are invisible to you, and only others can see them clearly—you need to receive feedback to learn about these. Over time, this process can lead to deeper self-awareness and personal growth. Other aspects of yourself, especially when you are young, may remain buried in your unconscious mind and are thus unknown to you and others. The size of each quadrant varies in different relationships. If you join a new team at work, your hidden self may be large since colleagues don't yet know much about you—there will be a lot you need to share with your colleagues to help them understand you better. In contrast, your oldest friends may know how you'll act before you do yourself. The Johari Window is widely used in team development, personal reflection, and communication training. It helps build trust, improve feedback culture, and uncover hidden strengths or challenges. Related Ideas to the Johari Window Also see: Unknown unknowns The Learning Pit Give good feedback Feedback Fear Feedback Analysis A spectrum of feedback quality Origins of the Johari Window The model was created in 1955 by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, who developed it as part of a study on group dynamics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The name "Johari" comes from a combination of their first names—"Hi, Jo, Harry!". Today, the model is a well-known tool in psychology, leadership training, and self-improvement. Nicola Rowledge shared the examples in the quadrants with me. ## Santo libre, cuba libre URL: https://sketchplanations.com/santo-libre-cuba-libre Published: 2017-08-07T00:43:04+0000 Categories: food and drink, travel Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/da5cbb1f-8869-4fd7-a5e4-016acf49627e_163886600611.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Santo Libre & Cuba Libre illustration: a dark drink on the left is a Cuba Libre (rum & coke). A clear drink on the right is a Santo Libre (rum & lemonade) Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/santo-libre-cuba-libre), CC BY-NC 4.0 I first had a santo libre in Belize and, given how popular cuba libres are, I was surprised I’d never heard of it. Basically, it’s rum + Sprite or lemonade + a little lime juice. I am hereby spreading the word of this excellent drink. ## The Gartner Hype cycle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-gartner-hype-cycle Published: 2017-07-30T05:42:53+0000 Categories: charts, framework, technology, tech, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fdc3350f-3207-433a-bd09-d1c9b12655ec_163588116851.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Gartner Hype Cycle illustration: a line graph shows the typical curvy evolution of expectations from new technologies over time. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-gartner-hype-cycle), CC BY-NC 4.0 How the expectations of new technologies often evolves. More at Gartner’s Hype cycle page. ## Wrap up your keys for running URL: https://sketchplanations.com/wrap-up-your-keys-for-running Published: 2017-07-22T21:45:59+0000 Categories: running, exercise, tip, sport, health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2440905a-cc58-4884-950c-b7a5736614ee_163302094546.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Wrap up your keys for running: a set of keys on a keyring are wrapped up in a small piece of clingfilm. The when the key owner goes out running, they have a smile on their face as there's no jingling coming from their pocket. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/wrap-up-your-keys-for-running), CC BY-NC 4.0 You often need to take a house key with you when you go running, yet if you pop the keys in your pockets, they often jingle as you run. I've often thought it would be nice if they were quiet. How do you stop your keys from jingling when you run? A handy tip is to wrap your keys in cling film or Saran Wrap. This instantly stops the clinking, allowing you to run jingle-free. I learned this from James McManus. Also see: Fartlek, Run further by running far away, London running kit ## Nominative determinism URL: https://sketchplanations.com/nominative-determinism Published: 2017-07-15T09:00:14+0000 Categories: psychology, words, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2720b7ab-e919-48f8-b030-2a3314c01d4d_163010760374.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Nominative determinism examples — or an aptronym — with 3 books and their nominatively deterministic authors Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/nominative-determinism), CC BY-NC 4.0 Nominative determinism is the idea that people might inadvertently be drawn to careers related to their names. It suggests that if you are called Baker, you might unknowingly gravitate towards a career in baked goods. Sort of the opposite of someone with the surname of Baker because the family was once bakers. Also known as an aptronym. A few more: Les McBurney — Volunteer firefighter Dr. Lauren Hyman — Gynecologist Dr. Chip Silvertooth — Dentist Paul Schwinghammer — Contractor Apparently coined in the New Scientist by reader C. R. Cavonius after people kept submitting examples, including those in the sketch. More examples here. Nominative determinism is distinct from an eponym. ## The peak-end rule URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-peak-end-rule Published: 2017-07-08T09:00:39+0000 Categories: psychology, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/535ccd66-4262-452e-bf3e-a440e2fa7c3d_162739671069.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Peak-end rule example: chart showing two experience lines, one with more downs that ends on a high that's remembered as better than the one that's more steady throughout Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-peak-end-rule), CC BY-NC 4.0 It turns out that, when considering how enjoyable, or indeed how painful something was, we don’t mentally do an average enjoyment check to decide if it was good or bad. Instead, our minds are swayed by the peak and end levels. So, an experience that may have been dull for most of it, if it had a cracking bit in the middle and ended on a high, will generally be remembered as more enjoyable than something that was decent all the way through but never reached those highs. Here’s a classic study of the pain side of the phenomenon from Dan Kahneman: "Kahneman and his associates showed, in 1993, that participants exposed to 30 seconds of 14-degree ice water (very cold!) rated the experience as more painful than participants exposed to 90 seconds of exposure to 60 seconds of 14-degree ice water plus 30 additional seconds of 15-degree ice water. In other words, participants found the 90 seconds of ice water exposure less painful than those exposed to 60 seconds of nearly equally cold water because the 90 seconds ended with exposure to a “warmer” stimulus. We will rate an experience as less painful then if it ends on a slightly less painful way. The “peak-end” in this case was a one-degree difference in water temperature." From Susan Krauss-Whitbourne PhD, Happiness: it’s all about the ending, Psychology Today. ## The beard cycle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-beard-cycle Published: 2017-07-01T16:00:48+0000 Categories: cycling, framework, biology, science Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a5f05f4a-fc4f-4e36-b09d-071abfe386b5_162475945336.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The beard cycle illustration: a virtuous circle is shown where beards being rare in society (on the left) makes them more desirable which leads to beards becoming more common in society (on the right), making them less desirable, which leads to fewer beards again. And so on... Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-beard-cycle), CC BY-NC 4.0 These days beards are in. There will come a day when beards are out. And a day when beards are back in again. That’s how it seems to go. Turns out there is a name for this kind of thing: negative frequency-dependent selection. Essentially, the less common it is, the more useful a trait it is. As opposed to positive frequency-dependent selection which, as you can imagine, is the reverse. According to this study, for example, when there are fewer men with beards in a population, they are judged as more attractive than when there are more of them. Hence they become gradually more popular until the effect starts to wear off and the clean-shaven look starts to appeal again. And round the cycle we go. ## Strahler stream order: Streams, rivers, the Amazon and how to organise them. URL: https://sketchplanations.com/strahler-stream-order Published: 2017-06-24T19:27:52+0000 Categories: geography, water, framework, animation, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d25073a8-eb85-41b4-a876-77e2aed1236f_162209392476.gif?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Strahler Stream Order animation: what looks like the silhouette of a tree with branches but no leaves, is actually a plan view of a large river network. Starting at the outermost, narrowest parts, each time two tributaries of the same order merge together the order of river size increases until it flows out into the sea. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/strahler-stream-order), CC BY-NC 4.0 Strahler stream order is a smart way of categorizing the size of rivers by tracking where tributaries join. Each time two tributaries of the same order join together, the river rises in order. So, the start of a stream from a spring is the outermost branch—it's first order. When two first-order tributaries join together, the river is classified as second-order, and so on. The largest river by Strahler stream order classification is the Amazon, which is an incredible 12th-order river. This means that at least two 11th-order rivers had to merge together before the river emptied into the sea. Huge. ## 60-30-10 Colour rule URL: https://sketchplanations.com/60-30-10-colour-rule Published: 2017-06-17T22:21:58+0000 Categories: colour, design, drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/sp49xr3ERo9ziLSH_SP514-60-30-10colourrule-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The 60-30-10 color rule for a simple and effective color scheme using accent (10%) supporting (30%) and base (60%) — like a suit with a tie. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/60-30-10-colour-rule), CC BY-NC 4.0 This formula is a lovely start for most simple branding and can help in other areas of your life, whether you’re a design professional or just seeking a few color combos for your home. Think of the example of a suit where about 60% of the color you see is the suit jacket and trousers, 30% is the shirt and 10% is the accent or highlight—the tie. Memorable and classic. Related Ideas to the 60-30-10-Color Rule Also see: The basic colour wheel Additive and Subtractive Colour Blending Buildings Atmospheric perspective Other drawing sketchplanations This sketch appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## The real shape of a crossing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-real-shape-of-a-crossing Published: 2017-06-10T20:31:18+0000 Categories: walking, road, planning, transport, cycling, travel, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/16adb94d-567c-43f2-9cca-1d49bb792c49_161669075246.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The real shape of a crossing illustration: as cars and a cyclist stop at a red light for pedestrians to cross the road, we see that people on foot start crossing before they reach the designated crossing area that is typically perpendicular to the road. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-real-shape-of-a-crossing), CC BY-NC 4.0 I think it would be interesting if we could see the real shape of your favourite crossing marked on the road. It’d probably help more people cross and traffic get stopped less. And, hopefully, no casualties. Also see: Run further by running far away Draw a basic bike Why we sometimes walk in circles Our senses are built to take in information at human pace Pollution is highly localized ## The customer value chain URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-customer-value-chain Published: 2017-06-03T20:56:47+0000 Categories: business, framework, design, products Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4c5e559d-40c6-45e0-9c5b-3bcfbb57795f_161400892651.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The customer value chain illustration: a concave up, decreasing line graph shows the different elements of competitive advantage at play as a new product or market evolves over time. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-customer-value-chain), CC BY-NC 4.0 I’ve found this model useful in my thinking so many times. Also known as the Buying Hierarchy, it’s a model that illustrates a common evolution — though not perfect nor universal — in products and markets where an original innovation provides a performance or functionality benefit over what others can provide. As a result they can charge more as no one else does it. When others come to deliver that too, then the focus for the customer can move to which delivers the most reliable quality. When the reliability is the same from different providers then we’ll choose the one that is more convenient. Only once all else is equal does the lowest price option become the winning one. At this stage you’re selling a commodity where people could choose to get the same thing, just as easily, for the same quality in several places. There’s a business to be made at each stage, but it’s sensible to know where you’re competing. The original model is from Windermere Associates and widely shared by Clayton Christensen in The Innovator’s Dilemma. ## The browse line URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-browse-line Published: 2017-05-26T13:22:02+0000 Categories: animals, nature, trees, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/cf1555ea-620c-4901-907e-3bbc54eea528_161092784281.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Browse line illustration with a deer reaching up to eat the leaves off a tree and creating a tidy line at the height they can reach Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-browse-line), CC BY-NC 4.0 The browse line is a distinctive line below which you don’t tend to see leaves or branches in places with ground animals, like deer, that enjoy eating leaves or branches. Browse lines are basically caused by animals eating as high as they can reach. When everything below has been eaten, what's left behind can be a strikingly flat line of leaves at the base of the foliage. Except for where there are giraffes or elephants where trees don’t stand much of a chance, even spiky ones. This drawing is based on the beautiful Richmond Park in South West London which has a large number of old oaks and large herds of deer that leave a uniform underline to the canopy across the park. ## The basic colour wheel URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-basic-colour-wheel Published: 2017-05-20T07:42:31+0000 Categories: colour, drawing, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/39efd149-7dbf-4c28-bb10-6f420fb8b6e0_160866277111.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The basic colour wheel illustration: a doughnut-shaped colour wheel shows the 3 primary colours, with secondary colours sandwiched in-between. Complementary colours are then shown as those that sit opposite each other. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-basic-colour-wheel), CC BY-NC 4.0 With primary colours - red, blue and yellow - secondary colours, made by mixing the primaries - orange, purple and green - and complementary colours - from the opposites on the colour wheel - red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple. It’s fair to say there’s a lot more to colour than this basic wheel. I will try to get back to it. ## Draw smooth lines URL: https://sketchplanations.com/draw-smooth-lines Published: 2017-05-13T17:21:58+0000 Categories: drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/75b924c8-8051-4935-aa43-dd1d3533649e_160625385381.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Draw smooth lines illustration: on a large piece of paper a hand holding a pen draws lines. Short straight lines are drawn through rotation of the wrist. Longer straight lines are drawn through rotation at the elbow. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/draw-smooth-lines), CC BY-NC 4.0 …by using the natural geometry of your joints. It took me a while to figure out that it’s easy to draw lines in some directions and hard in others. And most of the time it’s simply down to respecting the pivots of the elbow and the wrist. And also why we tend to angle our notebooks so much to the desk, and why, if you want to draw a smooth line at another angle, you’re really best-off just turning the paper. As a corollary, I figured out that by looking at angle of most of Leonardo Da Vinci’s cross-hatching you can see that he was drawing left-handed. ## Antipodes URL: https://sketchplanations.com/antipodes Published: 2017-05-06T22:42:44+0000 Categories: earth, geography, oceans Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/258869f4-24c4-4192-969b-df866b674d9e_160383697001.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Antipodes illustration: the earth is shown as a sphere with an axis drawn straight through the centre. The example of an antipode shown is where the axis passes through Spain in the northern hemisphere and through New Zealand in the southern hemisphere. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/antipodes), CC BY-NC 4.0 If you were to dig straight down from where you’re standing and pass straight through the centre of the Earth and keep on digging — you’d now be tunnelling up I guess — where you come out would be your antipode. Though most of them would first have you springing a leak at the bottom of the ocean. Hear about the subtleties of antipodes in the podcast episode Also see: The 3 tallest mountains Topography – bathymetry Point Nemo — the furthest point from land Our atmosphere is as thick as the skin on an apple Latitude – Longitude ## Moon pool URL: https://sketchplanations.com/moon-pool Published: 2017-04-29T22:55:48+0000 Categories: research, oceans, water, science, tech, swimming, biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z0XjbZbqstJ97yLF_SP508-Moonpool-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is an underwater moon pool explained example: showing how a moon pool works with a neat underwater base with divers entering the water underwater, like it was a pool Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/moon-pool), CC BY-NC 4.0 Moon pools are protected entrances to water that can even give the remarkable ability to enter from under the water. First created to support drilling operations on offshore platforms, moon pools can include entrances on the decks or undersides of ships or an entry and exit for divers from permanent underwater research bases. How does an underwater moon pool work? For underwater entrances, also known as wet porches, the trick is to pressurize the air around the pool to the same pressure as the surrounding water. The raised pressure keeps the water from gushing in and enables a swimming pool-like entrance even though you’re already below the surface. I've never used one, but I'd absolutely love to. One of my earliest memories of a moon pool and corresponding bafflement and wonder was in James Cameron's 1989 film The Abyss. A moon pool features in the recent trailer for the remastered version of The Abyss ## Bugs and releases URL: https://sketchplanations.com/bugs-and-releases Published: 2017-04-22T21:26:27+0000 Categories: software development, charts, management, product management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9583cd63-b17b-413d-85d8-297d3e3327d3_159875218691.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1765%2C1496&w=1200&h=1496 Image description: Bugs and releases illustration: an upward curve line graph shows the increase in risk for bugs or problems with software as the size of release increases. Instead of one large release, a series of smaller software updates each with smaller, more manageable risk is suggested. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/bugs-and-releases), CC BY-NC 4.0 Smaller software releases generally means fewer bugs, and bugs that are easier to fix. The number of bugs created typically increases with the complexity of interactions of code, which in turn increases with the size of release. This means that a number of smaller releases can hopefully get you to a large change in a safer way with less bugs, and less problematic bugs, created along the way than a single release with the whole lot. There’s probably a somewhat more general relationship with amount of unexpected problems created and the size of any change. Credit to Ewan Silver. ## Sea jelly, sea star URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sea-jelly-sea-star Published: 2017-04-14T12:00:50+0000 Categories: animals, words, oceans, biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c318b75a-fea7-4a8b-8a05-d52387dfa837_159562455949.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Sea horse, sea jelly rather than jellyfish or jelly fish, sea star rather than starfish or star fish Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sea-jelly-sea-star), CC BY-NC 4.0 Not the easiest switch to make but given that jellyfish and starfish are not at all fish there is a move to call them sea jelly and sea star. As long as we all work to help protect them clearly it doesn’t matter a whole lot, but I think the move to sea jellies and sea stars makes good sense alongside others like the sea horse, sea cucumber, sea lion, sea lily, sea gooseberry…well, actually the sea horse is a type of fish, but you get the idea. ## Orthographic projection URL: https://sketchplanations.com/orthographic-projection Published: 2017-04-08T18:53:39+0000 Categories: drawing, architecture, perspective, engineering Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/eda7b58e-70a4-44be-a605-4daf33b167b3_159345600861.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is orthographic projection example and explanation showing the different views of a building in orthographic view Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/orthographic-projection), CC BY-NC 4.0 Orthographic projection is a handy technique for communicating much of what you need about something. In an orthographic drawing, you draw a face-on, side-on, and top-down view of an object, allowing you to see the same shape from different perspectives in a single drawing. The neat thing I found about an orthographic drawing is how, when laid out as in the sketch, the dimensions of one view can be extended into the adjacent views, helping to keep the drawing accurate. I definitely felt some satisfaction and enjoyment working on an orthographic projection drawing on a large drawing board with a built-in ruler. While orthographic projections can be helpful for accurately representing an object, they struggle a bit with hollows and some other features that can make them start to look a bit fiddly. Perhaps combine an orthographic view with an isometric projection. ## A release strategy for happier customers, sooner URL: https://sketchplanations.com/release-strategy Published: 2017-04-01T19:55:50+0000 Categories: software development, theory, product management, strategy, ux, starting Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f5ef20d6-f2fd-442f-ad72-42c104f20b23_159084136101.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Henrik Kniberg's release strategy for happier customers, sooner showing a car built piece-by-piece and a car built skateboard, to scooter, to bike, motorcycle then car. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/release-strategy), CC BY-NC 4.0 I love this diagram by Henrik Kniberg for determining what to release to your customers and when. The idea is that a standard approach of having your grand plan of what you think people want at the start and then working on each bit at a time until finally, after months of work, you have something that works is not so smart. Each piece, in the car example, doesn’t help the customer at all until it’s all put together. Instead, you can focus on providing the next piece of functionality that helps someone get their job done a little better than before. In the beginning, they’ll probably have to put up with a lot if they want to use it, but with each successive release, they find they can get their job done a little better than before and get value out of what you’re building. A side-effect is the feedback you get along the way will likely help you learn and build something that is better than what you had in mind at the beginning, and all along the way, the customer had some value instead of waiting for months. Providing usable functionality at every step is not always easy, and it requires rework as you move from one step to the other. But it’s generally a price worth paying to give your customers value sooner and start learning as soon as you can. This diagram is explained in the brilliant product management book User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton. ## The Goldilocks Zone URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-goldilocks-zone Published: 2017-03-25T22:30:21+0000 Categories: astronomy, earth, temperature, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zw_RbYF3NbkBXiX-_SP504-TheGoldilocksZone-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Goldilocks Zone: the range that supports life and distance from a star which supports liquid water Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-goldilocks-zone), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Goldilocks Zone is the range around a star that’s not too hot or too cold to support liquid water. Liquid water is vital to sustaining life like we have on Earth, so fortunately for us, Earth sits in the Goldilocks Zone. Consider the alternatives: If we lived too close to the sun, we’d roast. The average temperatures on Mercury and Venus are hot enough to boil water (and then some). And on Mars, the next planet farther out than Earth, the average temperature sits at -85 degrees F (-65 degrees C)— cold enough to freeze water solid. If you want to look for planets that might support life as we know it in distant star systems, looking for worlds occupying Goldilocks Zones is a promising start. This sketch, along with plenty of others in the "Starry-Eyed Surprises" section, features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Also see: Goldilocks Tasks Seasons Know your space objects: comets, asteroids, meteors, meteorites The potato radius ## Goldilocks tasks URL: https://sketchplanations.com/goldilocks-tasks Published: 2017-03-16T20:35:09+0000 Categories: flow, psychology, framework, learning, productivity, education, anxiety, eponym, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/16c57819-c98b-497d-9a07-e54b33029691_158487161561.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Goldilocks Tasks: a spectrum where the challenge is not too easy, not too hard, but just right for flow and mastery Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/goldilocks-tasks), CC BY-NC 4.0 The sweet spot for flow and mastery where the task is not too easy, not too hard — it’s just right.  Also, just the right spot for learning similar to Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development. In that model when you’re out of your comfort zone, and not in your anxiety zone you’re in the learning zone. And yet another way of looking at it, still without as catchy a name as Goldilocks tasks, is getting the right match of challenge to your skills to avoid anxiety and boredom to be in flow. I learned the name from Dan Pink’s excellent book Drive. ## Muphry’s Law URL: https://sketchplanations.com/muphrys-law Published: 2017-03-11T21:51:44+0000 Categories: grammar, words, law, writing, eponym, kindness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c52a4af1-0085-4441-803f-a088621a07bc_158285348596.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is Muphry's Law example explained: a reviewer of a manuscript makes a spelling mistake in their review Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/muphrys-law), CC BY-NC 4.0 Muphry's law states that when criticizing spelling or grammar, you’ll make a mistake yourself. Or should that be criticising? Muphry's Law is a variation of Murphy’s law which is: "If anything can go wrong, it will." Muphry's Law teaches me to be humble and more tolerant of errors. Also see: Hanlons' Razor ## Ghost fishing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ghost-fishing Published: 2017-03-01T19:22:13+0000 Categories: fishing, oceans, animals, biology, nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z79LQZ7c43Q3gRiH_SP501-Ghostfishing-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is ghost fishing showing a discarded fishing net catching fish and other predators Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ghost-fishing), CC BY-NC 4.0 Ghost fishing is a sad reality of the fishing industry, where abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear continues to fish. It can be particularly troublesome as smaller trapped animals entice larger predators, who themselves get tangled. A net, after all, can continue to work whether we're around to pull it in or not. Recovering lost fishing gear is a challenging and often dangerous job. See, for example, ghostdiving.org Related Ideas to Ghost Fishing Also see: Bycatch—other stuff you caught while trying to catch something else The tragedy of the commons The Law of Unintended Consequences Strand line Peripherally-related ideas: Ghost grid Ghost cooking—the art of cooking leaving a sparkling, untouched kitchen Only dead fish go with the flow Types of phishing You get what you measure Ghoti - crazy English Nurse shark drawn using How to draw a grey nurse shark ## Stages of grief URL: https://sketchplanations.com/stages-of-grief Published: 2017-02-24T13:55:05+0000 Categories: framework, psychology, emotions, charts Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/51d0bec5-76b3-448f-88b3-b20aaa766a09_157652752506.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Kübler-Ross Stages of Grief Model in a chart with stages: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/stages-of-grief), CC BY-NC 4.0 This is an adapted version of the Kubler-Ross model for the stages of grief from her work with terminally ill patients. I should caveat that this is overly simplified in several respects and people don’t necessarily go through all these stages, nor necessarily in this order. Though, when you look at it, it’s hard not to have the feeling that it could provide some value in understanding that complex and difficult situation. I find it interesting as a more generally applicable model of how people deal with change. I think it’s possible to relate to some of these stages at some points in life which have experienced major change. ## How to speak plainly, by Pooh Bear URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-speak-plainly-by-pooh-bear Published: 2017-02-17T15:16:18+0000 Categories: books, words, writing, storytelling, parenting Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zvaxn7VsGrYSwE8b_SP497-Howtospeakplainly-revisedevensmaller.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How to speak plainly illustrated by Owl-speak and Pooh-speak from Winnie-the-Pooh Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-speak-plainly-by-pooh-bear), CC BY-NC 4.0 Winnie the Pooh teaches us how to speak plainly and avoid Owl Speak. There’s a surprising amount of wisdom in A. A. Milne’s classic stories of Winnie-the-Pooh. If you haven’t read them for a long time, you could do much worse than try them again. Owl Speak As one small example, I find there’s a lot of Owl Speak around as we get older, where we could all probably benefit from a dose of Pooh’s simplicity. Owl Speak includes never using a short, simple word when a long and complicated one would do. For example, in one revealing exchange, Owl explains: “Well, the customary procedure in such cases is as follows.” “What does Crustimoney Proseedcake mean?” said Pooh. …”It means, the Thing to Do.” says Owl. We learn more and more Owl Speak the more time we spend in school, only to have to work to remove it when we are older. All the Winnie-the-Pooh books are lovely to read: Winnie-the-Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner, When we Were Very Young, and Now we are Six. Both quotes are from The House at Pooh Corner. Or, if you prefer to have the wisdom called out, you could try The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff. This sketch was updated for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## The prisoner’s dilemma URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-prisoners-dilemma Published: 2017-02-09T19:48:24+0000 Categories: games, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1af967de-2e64-4ca4-a3ac-afde01ae53d9_157030947481.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is The Prisoner's Dilemma shown in an example - When following self-interest can be a worse outcome for all Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-prisoners-dilemma), CC BY-NC 4.0 The classic game theory dilemma where two prisoners are individually offered a deal if they’ll betray the other prisoner. But if they both betray each other then it’s bad news for both of them. What they choose depends on what they think the other will choose. ## Sneezes and coughs URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sneezes-and-coughs Published: 2017-02-01T19:29:01+0000 Categories: health, sneeze Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f183bcec-4531-4c65-a8d2-717a22464eab_156682827856.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Sneezes can travel up to 8 metres and coughs up to 6m. Cover your coughs and sneezes. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sneezes-and-coughs), CC BY-NC 4.0 ‘Tis the season for these powerful things. Turns out sneezes can travel up to 8 m, coughs up to 6m and they can linger in the air for up to 10 minutes. All the more important to make sure you’re doing your Dracula sneeze into your sleeve. ## Idempotence URL: https://sketchplanations.com/idempotence Published: 2017-01-27T17:29:52+0000 Categories: words, mathematics, software development Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/71255621-84bb-464d-ac49-2d09e90d39ab_156451100996.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Idempotence, or idempotent, illustrated with an idempotent action of look_at_cake that always has the same effect, compared with a non-idempotent action of eat_slice_of_cake Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/idempotence), CC BY-NC 4.0 Idempotence is essentially an operation that, no matter how many times you do it, you’ll still get the same result, at least without doing other operations in between. A classic example would be view_your_bank_balance being idempotent, and withdraw_1000 not being idempotent. It’s a property that’s often handy as you can retry the operation without worrying about unintended effects. Idempotence is a concept from mathematics and computer science but can be applied more generally. For example, simple on and off buttons are idempotent, a property that can be very useful in emergencies. ## Stand diagonally on transport URL: https://sketchplanations.com/stand-diagonally-on-transport Published: 2017-01-20T20:14:59+0000 Categories: transport, tip, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9c84ffda-f474-4d16-8092-0b08d06f2183_156137564706.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Stand diagonally on transport to brace yourself for forward-backwards and sideways jolts and avoid falling over Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/stand-diagonally-on-transport), CC BY-NC 4.0 It took me many years to figure out that if you stand diagonally you brace yourself better for both front-back jolts and side-to-side jostles. ## The nocebo effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-nocebo-effect Published: 2017-01-12T22:21:52+0000 Categories: psychology, health, effect Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/156f659d-0bdc-4f06-9a8c-78515b963e70_155781893521.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Nocebo Effect with example: expectation of negative consequences of a treatment increases the chances people will feel them Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-nocebo-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The nocebo effect is how the expectation of pain or negative effects of a treatment increases the chances people will feel them — even if they're aren't any. So, tell someone that a treatment will hurt or have side-effects and they're now more likely to feel that pain or find something wrong. Taken together with the placebo effect I guess we might do well, for normal affairs, to let people know that what they will get will probably help them and not raise unnecessary expectations that something might hurt. ## The placebo effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-placebo-effect Published: 2017-01-05T19:17:27+0000 Categories: psychology, health, effect Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7bceee66-1da8-4c63-ad1c-580283f1f16c_155448043121.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Placebo Effect example where receiving treatment helps people feel better even if the treatment does nothing. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-placebo-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The placebo effect is the remarkable yet commonplace phenomenon that when people expect a treatment to be effective, it can be, even if the treatment itself doesn't actually have any therapeutic value. But where do we get these placebos? (video clip from the Simpsons) Related Ideas to the Placebo Effect Also see: The nocebo effect The dilution effect ## Earth is a big magnet URL: https://sketchplanations.com/earth-is-a-big-magnet Published: 2016-12-29T19:32:40+0000 Categories: science, earth, physics, geology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ec6b9a6d-475a-47bf-b671-a15a1090ee2b_155130276556.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Earth is a big magnet Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/earth-is-a-big-magnet), CC BY-NC 4.0 Which is kind of amazing. The magnetic field is produced by some remarkable result of the convection of molten hot iron alloys in the core of the Earth. Kind of hard to really get your head round if you’re sitting calmly at your desk or walking on a nice stable surface. Periodically, the poles switch round it seems but at the moment the magnetic South pole is actually near the point we’d normally call the geographical North pole. They’re pretty close, but the geographic axis doesn’t exactly coincide along the geographic axis of rotation of Earth. And the lines of force go from magnetic North to magnetic South so your compass needle is actually pointing towards magnetic South. Remember iron filings and bar magnets from physics class? ## MOSCOW Prioritisation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/moscow-prioritisation Published: 2016-12-20T09:00:35+0000 Categories: framework, design, management, engineering, software development Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e9bf17a8-4b8a-4730-8f3e-117cf6abaadc_154715779162.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is MOSCOW Prioritisation with example: Must, Should, Could, Would Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/moscow-prioritisation), CC BY-NC 4.0 A way of helping decide what to do next based on Must do, Should do, Could do and Would do. Strangely, so many of the things you’d really like to do when put in this organisation end up in the Would bucket. ## The piston URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-piston Published: 2016-12-09T06:12:42+0000 Categories: engineering, transport, animation Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3077da4c-5e7b-4881-b145-a19267e49732_SP+489+-+The+piston+animated.gif?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C951%2C812&w=1200&h=812 Image description: The piston animation: a short animation of a piston with connecting rod and crankshaft showing how it converts linear motion—back and forth—into rotational motion Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-piston), CC BY-NC 4.0 The piston is an amazingly simple, ridiculously useful and successful mechanism that, together with a connecting rod and crankshaft, converts linear motion to rotational motion. This simple system is basically what allows us to take a force produced by, say, steam or an explosion and make a wheel turn. Stick a few of these together and time the rotation of each correctly, carefully controlling the explosions and the exhaust, and you have an internal combustion engine that powers and moves our cars. There are a lot of amazing things to me about it, but I am still impressed with how effectively it takes something moving back and forth and makes something spin around and vice versa. ## Typical gastropod anatomy URL: https://sketchplanations.com/typical-gastropod-anatomy Published: 2016-11-29T20:05:55+0000 Categories: animals, biology, anatomy Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/25381d28-859e-4cb8-9c14-aeccc9e711fc_153832127956.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Typical gastropod anatomy: identifying the main parts of the shell of a common whelk Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/typical-gastropod-anatomy), CC BY-NC 4.0 For a closer look next time you’re at the beach. Pay close attention to whether you find one with a dextral or sinistral aperture. Gastropods are the largest class of molluscs which includes limpets, snails and sea slugs. For those who weren’t sure. Info from the 1971 book, Discovering Sea Shells by Barry Charles ## The half-life of caffeine URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-half-life-of-caffeine Published: 2016-11-22T09:00:15+0000 Categories: coffee, food and drink, charts, data Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ec7c46c4-3de7-4a91-87a6-7b1647a9ccd6_153511487793.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1765%2C1496&w=1200&h=1496 Image description: The half-life of caffeine illustration: showing the effect of caffeine rising then decreasing over time Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-half-life-of-caffeine), CC BY-NC 4.0 The half-life of caffeine is about 4 hours. The data vary, but for a medium-sized adult, you can probably expect half of the caffeine from that 3 pm cup of coffee to still be doing half of its thing about 7 pm, 4 hours later. Apparently, smokers deal with caffeine quicker, and caffeine sticks around in children much longer. You can expect about 10 minutes before it first kicks in, which, I suppose, is why if you’re feeling tired while driving, it’s a decent plan to take a break and drink a coffee, then have a 15-minute nap. Once it starts to kick in, you might hit peak caffeine any time from 45 minutes to 2 hours later. Caveat: The chart visualisation is extrapolated from reported data, so the shape is only approximate. Some references say longer, and some say from 3-9 hours or so. My source, which seemed pretty comprehensive, was: Bertil B. Fredholm, Karl Bättig, Janet Holmén, Astrid Nehlig and Edwin E. Zvartau, Actions of Caffeine in the Brain with Special Reference to Factors That Contribute to Its Widespread Use, Pharmacological Reviews March 1999, 51 (1) 83-133; Also see: tiredness can kill, take a break. ## Mapping emotions URL: https://sketchplanations.com/mapping-emotions Published: 2016-11-16T20:53:05+0000 Categories: emotions, psychology, framework, theory, maps Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/414de145-a23b-4b64-95e1-2fe897fd7071_153273656556.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions: a colourful wheel showing how emotions mix Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/mapping-emotions), CC BY-NC 4.0 This is Robert Plutchik’s wheel of emotions. I like it because it tries to make sense out of the range of emotions we have by relating his 8 primary emotions to related ones where two primary emotions meet. For example, remorse is like feeling both disgust and sadness; awe is surprise and fear. On opposite sides of the wheel are opposite emotions eg, Joy >< Sadness Other versions of his framework go 3D and map the intensity of emotions as well, for example, rage > anger > annoyance, or ecstasy > joy > serenity. Neat. ## The Golden Ratio: Nature's Perfect Proportions URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-golden-ratio Published: 2016-11-07T20:20:38+0000 Categories: art, drawing, design, mathematics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zx9_Yq8jQArTz4sD_SP484-Goldenratio-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the golden ratio explained and the golden spiral and the golden ratio in faces, art, nature, architecture and how to calculate it Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-golden-ratio), CC BY-NC 4.0 The golden ratio is a mathematical proportion in nature, art, architecture, and design. It's a shortcut to proportions we seem to find innately pleasing. What Is the Golden Ratio? The golden ratio has an elegant mathematical definition: the ratio of the long over the short dimension is the same as both added together over the long dimension. It works out at around 1.618. This relationship creates a golden rectangle. If you remove a square from a golden rectangle, the remaining space is another golden rectangle. This process can continue indefinitely, forming the golden spiral. The Golden Ratio in Nature In nature, the golden spiral abounds. Find it in: The spiral of a nautilus shell The arrangement of sunflower seeds The spirals of hurricanes and galaxies The shape of some seashells and the growth patterns of cacti Some parts of our bodies also approximate the golden ratio. You can try these measures out yourself. For example, measure the ratios of: Your height to the height of your belly button — mine is 1.68 Your finger length (not thumb) to the distance to the second knuckle — mine is 1.68 So, if you know your height, you can make an educated guess at the height of your belly button without even measuring. The Golden Ratio in Art and Architecture Designers, artists and architects have used the golden ratio intuitively and intentionally for 1000s of years. So you can find the golden ratio in: The Pyramids of Giza and the Parthenon Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa the shapes of violins photography compositions corporate logos No wonder it's sometimes called the golden ratio of beauty. Using the Golden Ratio The golden ratio is a tool for balance and harmony. Using it in your craft—whether creating graphics, taking photos, or designing a website or building—can bring balance and harmony to your work. You can use the golden ratio to guide the layout of elements. Use the golden rectangle: Divide your design area into a golden rectangle. This gives you a framework for positioning your text, images, and other elements in a visually pleasing way. Spiral composition: Divide your golden rectangle into a golden spiral. Position key elements of your composition where the spiral leads for a flowing, natural composition. The spiral works well for web design, posters, or advertising, leading the viewer's eye through your content. Proportions and spacing: When designing logos, posters, or even UI layouts, using the golden ratio for the size relationships between text, images, and borders can create a sense of proportionality that feels balanced. You can also make use of the golden ratio in photography. Just as with the rule of thirds, you can use the ratio to frame your subjects, with focal points falling along key intersections. This can create harmony and depth in the shot. More Check out some golden ratio examples. Even Trump. This sketch features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures along with 136 other fun and fascinating concepts. Related Ideas to the Golden Ratio Also see: The rule of thirds The Golden Circle Rückenfigur Isometric projection Orthographic projection Parallax One-Point Perspective, Two-Point Perspective, Three-Point Perspective Atmospheric Perspective ## Freeze lemons and limes URL: https://sketchplanations.com/freeze-lemons-and-limes Published: 2016-11-01T20:57:27+0000 Categories: food and drink, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3850bb37-d19f-4aa2-b883-50060e6ace17_152613266331.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Cut then freeze lemons and limes for handy ice cubes that add flavour and don't dilute your drink. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/freeze-lemons-and-limes), CC BY-NC 4.0 There always seems to be more than we need in a bag. This is a nice end for them. ## Set your table in time-honoured positions URL: https://sketchplanations.com/set-your-table-in-time-honoured-positions Published: 2016-10-24T08:05:51+0000 Categories: food and drink, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0749a62f-e18b-4c00-9daf-0c84658924e5_152240637931.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How to set a table and where to put all the knives, forks, spoons and glasses Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/set-your-table-in-time-honoured-positions), CC BY-NC 4.0 The classic “use cutlery from the outside-in” still holds, but I realised there’s a little more to it than that. And I learned what a charger is. Amalgamation of tips from the cookbook I use most, the Joy of Cooking. ## Fix out-of-sync toilet paper URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fix-out-of-sync-toilet-paper Published: 2016-10-16T18:28:12+0000 Categories: lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/cd2c3cf9-34f1-4ae0-bbf5-a2ad37400cd8_151893291011.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: How to fix toilet paper that is out-of-sync Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fix-out-of-sync-toilet-paper), CC BY-NC 4.0 Usually the layers are just out of synch and taking the top layer over the top will put all back in order. Randomly, I remember seeing this explained on a kids TV show possibly decades ago. ## Know your Greek alphabet URL: https://sketchplanations.com/know-your-greek-alphabet Published: 2016-10-10T11:23:24+0000 Categories: language, words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8aaa963f-ed0b-458a-a0b6-7b8f9233e1c1_151607069421.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: A visual guide to the Greek alphabet against the Roman alphabet used in English Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/know-your-greek-alphabet), CC BY-NC 4.0 Unless you were a maths, physics or Greek major, chances are your knowledge, like mine, may not have gone much farther than epsilon. I like how the letter names and shapes map or don’t to the Roman or Latin alphabet. ## The S-curve URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-s-curve Published: 2016-09-30T19:45:55+0000 Categories: framework, innovation, strategy, technology, tech, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b13b3d99-f6f6-4c3e-84fd-7948482692e0_151156770816.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is a technology S Curve with an example explained in a sketch Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-s-curve), CC BY-NC 4.0 A remarkably common pattern for the evolution of many things. You see it all the time in the evolution of technical things, but also many systems in general. When you start to reach the top of the limits of what one system can do you’ll start to see a focus on efficiency, cost reduction and small improvements and optimisation. This is great because it forces a new creative solution to arise in order to make any real progress. An image search gives a few examples. Also see: The long nose of innovation designing for adoption understanding the chasm ## Do horses' legs leave the ground at a gallop? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/do-horses-legs-leave-the-ground-at-a-gallop Published: 2016-09-23T11:20:30+0000 Categories: data, infographics, design, animals, photography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/209d4d10-d902-4323-b1a3-2749fd3041ce_150813801616.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: A cheetah vs a horse showing the legs leaving the ground in the tucked position from famous photos by Eadweard Muybridge Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/do-horses-legs-leave-the-ground-at-a-gallop), CC BY-NC 4.0 There’s a famous photo series by Eadweard Muybridge that shows, unequivocally, that while galloping, all four of a horse’s legs leave the ground. I’d always heard that’s what they were trying to find out at the time, but from what I’ve read, it was more a question of at what points a horse’s legs leave the ground. The photos show the somewhat surprising state of leaving the ground while the horse’s legs are tucked, not when they are outstretched. It’s a lovely example of what Edward Tufte calls small multiples. ## 2.5D URL: https://sketchplanations.com/two-and-a-half-dimensions Published: 2016-09-12T21:23:08+0000 Categories: engineering, design, drawing, architecture Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5ce6c6a5-ab6d-460b-b9c5-0f94bad04b10_150325915961.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is a 2.5D object showing a 2D, 2.5D and true 3D object Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/two-and-a-half-dimensions), CC BY-NC 4.0 A 2.5D shape is three-dimensional, but the use of the third dimension, usually height, is limited to simple top-down operations. I learned about 2.5D, or two and a half dimensions, from my engineering days. It turns out it’s really quite common to make 2.5D things because, for example, it’s easy to drill or mill down into something, and it's a pain to turn something on its side and drill from the other side. Or, as with vacuum forming, it’s easy to suck plastic onto a mold but a pain to get it off if you’ve got any overhangs as you can’t lift it straight up again. Hence, the plastic sandpit in our garden is a 2.5D object rather than true 3D. As we become more sophisticated at making things, more objects will be true 3D rather than 2.5D. But the simple two-and-a-half-dimensional option is still generally cheaper and easier and will not disappear soon. Civilization, in general, looks rather 2.5D from the air as we tend to build upwards, but we don’t find overhangs that easy or practical, thanks also to gravity, e.g., the Pyramids. I recorded a video of the drawing of this sketch. Watch making a sketchplanation—2.5D Also see: Orthographic projection Isometric projection One-point perspective Two-point perspective Three-point perspective ## The Union Jack URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-union-jack Published: 2016-09-01T12:54:32+0000 Categories: geography, history, uk Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZrCYwkaF0TcGIrcZ_SP476-TheUnionJack-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Union Jack flag and how it is constructed explained showing the three flags that make it up of Scotland, Ireland and England Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-union-jack), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Origins of the Union Jack The Union Jack, one of the most recognizable flags in the world, is a combination of three historic flags. It represents the union of nations within the United Kingdom at the time the Union Jack flag design was created and is made up of: The Saltire of St Andrew for Scotland: a white diagonal cross on a blue background. The term “saltire” refers to this specific diagonal cross shape in heraldry. The Cross of St Patrick for Ireland: a red diagonal cross on a white background. Though Ireland is no longer part of the United Kingdom, it is still represented in the design. The Cross of St George for England: a red cross on a white background. You may notice that Wales, which is part of the United Kingdom, is not represented on the Union Jack flag. This absence is because Wales was considered a principality under the Kingdom of England, not a separate kingdom, when the flag was created. The Evolution of the Union Flag The Union Jack we know today didn’t always look this way. The first version, known as the Union Flag of 1606, only combined the crosses of St George and St Andrew, representing England and Scotland. It wasn't until 1801, with the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland, that the Cross of St Patrick was added, resulting in the modern Union Flag, often referred to as the Union Jack. Why is it Called the “Union Jack”? The term “Union Jack” comes from naval usage. A “jack” is a flag flown from the bow of a ship. Originally referred to as the Union Flag, it became more commonly known as the Union Jack when flown at sea. Over time, this name has become standard, even on land. According to the Flag Institute, the terms are often used interchangeably. However, some argue we should only call it a “Union Jack” when flown on a ship. The Union Jack on other Flags By representing the United Kingdom, the Union Jack appears on other flags. For example, the Union Jack flag is part of Australia's flag, which also includes the Southern Cross, and New Zealand's flag. It's also part of the flags of several Commonwealth countries and British Overseas Territories. It is often used symbolically to represent the UK in popular culture and events worldwide. Sometimes, people refer to it as the Great Britain flag, though this is not technically accurate, as Great Britain refers only to the island, not the full union. Vexillology: The Study of Flags If you're interested in flags, you might already know someone studying flags is called a vexillologist. Vexillology is the study of the history, symbolism, and usage of flags. Like the history of the Union Jack here, flags are both a symbol and a product of the history and culture of a country or institution. The history and construction of the Olympic Flag is a good example. Also see: Curious about the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom? The Olympic Flag and rings ## Great Britain and the United Kingdom: What’s the difference? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/great-britain-the-united-kingdom-whats-the-difference Published: 2016-08-20T20:20:39+0000 Categories: geography, history, uk, maps, coastline, government Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b8255a3a-0b5b-465b-a80c-c00feaca71a8_SP+475+-+Great+Britain+United+Kingdom+British+Isles+-+larger.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What's the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom - explained in a sketch with maps Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/great-britain-the-united-kingdom-whats-the-difference), CC BY-NC 4.0 This is generally the source of much confusion, even amongst those who live over here. If you look carefully at the description of the United Kingdom (on a passport say), you’ll see it’s the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". So the UK is both of those. Great Britain is the largest island in the British Isles and includes the three countries: England, Scotland and Wales. The British Isles is a contentious, historical term and not recognised in Ireland. I am updating this sketch to remove reference to it. The term "British Isles" was used geographically, not politically, to refer to the group of islands as a whole, including the island of Ireland. Alternative terms include Britain and Ireland, and the UK uses the broader term British Islands when referencing beyond Great Britain and excluding reference to Ireland. Historically, and geographically, the British Isles included several significant islands that are part of Scotland, such as the Hebrides (Inner and Outer), and the Northern Isles of both Orkney and Shetland. It also encloses the Isle of Man, which sits in the Irish Sea between England and Northern Ireland and is actually a self-governing British Crown Dependency with its own parliament and government. For a little more subtlety, there's the term the British Islands (as opposed to Isles), which includes the UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, which sit closer to France. For much further confusion, think for a moment why there’s a UK passport, Great Britain in the Olympic games, and in football, we compete as England, Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland separately. 🤔 Also see: the Union Jack: The making of a flag The Coastline paradox ## The Potato Radius: When Asteroids Turn Spherical URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-potato-radius Published: 2016-08-14T18:35:48+0000 Categories: science, physics, astronomy, mathematics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zz8LZa8jQArT1HB2_SP474-Thepotatoradius-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the potato radius example explained: showing a bumpy potato-like asteroid at the centre of an expanding circle and how it becomes rounder and more planet like as it gets larger Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-potato-radius), CC BY-NC 4.0 Asteroids are often considered irregular, lumpy, potato-shaped rocks, while planets seem smooth and spherical. The “potato radius” is the fascinating threshold where this transformation begins—a concept that illustrates how gravity shapes celestial bodies. What is the Potato Radius? When a space rock’s radius (the distance from its centre to its edge) grows to around 200–300 kilometres, its own gravity becomes powerful enough to reshape it. At this size, gravity pulls the rock’s mass inward toward its centre, overcoming its irregular structure and creating a more spherical shape. Think of it like compressing a crumpled ball of paper into something rounder and smoother. Rocks smaller than this threshold retain their irregular, asteroid-like shapes, while larger bodies transition into planet-like spheres due to self-gravity. This natural process highlights the profound role gravity plays in shaping the universe. Potatoes as Asteroids in The Empire Strikes Back Our image of asteroids is so closely linked to potatoes that they have even served as asteroid doubles in movies. In a brilliant example of creative special effects, The Empire Strikes Back used potatoes as some of the asteroids in the famous scene where the Millennium Falcon flies through an asteroid field. Related Ideas The potato radius and other remarkable natural phenomena feature in Professor Brian Cox in the BBC series Forces of Nature. Also see: Not sure about Asteroids, meteors and meteorites? Solar System Sizes The Goldilocks Zone What causes the seasons? What is a blue moon? Phases of the moon The potato radius features, along with many other fun, spacey-sketches in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## Information radiator URL: https://sketchplanations.com/information-radiator Published: 2016-08-04T12:14:44+0000 Categories: software development, design, social engineering, productivity, product management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/dc6eacf3-f4d0-4274-bc21-d8c843345801_148444971766.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1814%2C1546&w=1200&h=1546 Image description: What is an information radiator in agile and software development sharing information passively in an office Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/information-radiator), CC BY-NC 4.0 An information radiator shares information passively in a space. Information radiators have a neat effect: having a good one in an office can go a long way toward getting people on the same page without explicitly calling meetings or sending out updates to do so. It's also useful to have a good space in front of it for talking, discussing and generally collaborating. Maybe try getting a rug large enough for a few people to comfortably stand in front of the radiator to encourage impromptu discussions. Information Radiator is a common term in agile development, originally, I believe, from Alistair Cockburn of Thoughtworks. To quote from his article: “A good information radiator: - Is large and easily visible to the casual, interested observer - Is understood at a glance - Changes periodically, so that it is worth visiting - Is easily kept up to date” Related Ideas to Information Radiator The Third Teacher: the environment Proxemics: the study of social distance Build a mindmap ## Direct and representative democracy URL: https://sketchplanations.com/direct-and-representative-democracy Published: 2016-07-29T14:33:47+0000 Categories: politics, country, government Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/60d75e0e-03f6-4cbb-af1f-a448a016f3b0_148150419096.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Direct vs representative democracy illustration: direct democracy shown with a direct connection to the people, and representative connected through an elected representative Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/direct-and-representative-democracy), CC BY-NC 4.0 In direct democracy the people vote directly to create the laws, rules and regulations and such. In representative democracy, the people instead vote to elect a representative, who will then either act directly, or vote with other elected representatives to create the laws, rules and regulations and such. Most democracies are a form of representative democracy as I understand it, with the occasional instance of direct democracy thrown in, as in say, a referendum. ## Make a cork pourer. URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-a-cork-pourer Published: 2016-07-21T11:08:35+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/522cfc61-9e79-44f4-bdfd-21cff7d3fcfe_147744091701.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-a-cork-pourer), CC BY-NC 4.0 With just a few deft cuts of a cork, you too can make a nifty pourer perfect for a straight pour while mixing your drink with air. A speciality to use with sidra from the Asturian region of Spain. HT: Adrian Majo Fernandez ## Align windows level at the top. URL: https://sketchplanations.com/align-windows-level-at-the-top Published: 2016-07-14T19:34:23+0000 Categories: architecture Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/80495349-1e4b-4a54-8e58-8b56dbea93ce_147407265201.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1784%2C1512&w=1200&h=1512 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/align-windows-level-at-the-top), CC BY-NC 4.0 Not always, but it’s a decent rule of thumb. Check it out on the houses you walk past. ## Let your data speak for itself. URL: https://sketchplanations.com/let-your-data-speak-for-itself Published: 2016-07-07T22:45:54+0000 Categories: design, ux Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0d402f52-8e0c-4320-b5bb-9ab7a17f6ad7_147064124731.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/let-your-data-speak-for-itself), CC BY-NC 4.0 Often, the form of the data is obvious enough for what it is that you might consider simplifying by removing the label. ## The Virtuous Cycle of Exercise and Sleep URL: https://sketchplanations.com/exercise-and-sleep Published: 2016-06-30T21:23:32+0000 Categories: sleep, exercise, sport, health, framework, cycling Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0d8af641-db51-4d9a-b92e-a00018ba3e17_146720668266.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the virtuous cycle of exercise and sleep? Illustration showing a loop where exercising better leads to sleeping better, and sleeping better leads to exercising better. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/exercise-and-sleep), CC BY-NC 4.0 Better sleep — Better exercise. One of the best virtuous circles. Regular exercise can help you sleep better, and better sleep can help you exercise better — a simple but powerful cycle that boosts both your energy and your recovery. Exercise improves sleep quality, while good sleep enhances performance, focus, and motivation to move again. One of my more surprising recent reads has been Novak Djokovic’s Serve to Win about diet, discipline, going gluten-free and physical and mental excellence. Djokovic certainly knows about excellence, and it was neat to learn his philosophy on eating—the book contains recipes!—and taking care of yourself, including some profound respect for sleep. This sketchplanation captures that virtuous cycle between exercise and sleep, training and recovery. Since reading his book, I’ve even added a nightly alarm to remind me to respect sleep. Night! Related Ideas to the Virtuous Cycle of Exercise and Sleep Also see: How to Instantly Feel Better Forest Bathing 5 Ways to Wellbeing The Virtuous Cycles of Amazon and Uber Don't make important decisions on an empty stomach Remember your dreams Snerdle This sketch appeared in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## Swimrun URL: https://sketchplanations.com/swimrun Published: 2016-06-26T20:53:07+0000 Categories: sport, endurance, travel, swimming, running Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8c1ad1b3-8518-4e62-b27f-c40a78d4cc24_146517892186.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/swimrun), CC BY-NC 4.0 Swimrun is basically navigating from start to finish through water and over land carrying only the gear you need. What you start with you have to finish with. You will run in your wetsuit and swim in your running shoes. The world championship courses are run by Ötillö. Ötillö means island-to-island in Swedish after the original course created from a drunken bet. A beautiful aspect of it is that it's a team sport, both run and swum in pairs. Many choose to tether together which dramatically on the swims and keeps you both close. In 2016 I teamed up with Rob Bell and took part in Ötillö’s UK swimrun in the Isles of Scilly. The Scilly event was a swimrun paradise. Check out the course, and the amazing event photos. The place is gorgeous, go visit sometime. And get into swimrun it’s awesome! ## Compliments are gifts URL: https://sketchplanations.com/compliments-are-gifts Published: 2016-06-17T20:02:25+0000 Categories: kindness, wellbeing, gift giving, sharing, advice, metaphor, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z1hHC5bqstJ98Qu7_SP466-Complimentsaregifts-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Compliments are gifts - not sharing one is like keeping a gift in your pocket: with one person complimenting another and it feeling like receiving a gift Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/compliments-are-gifts), CC BY-NC 4.0 Compliments Are Gifts is a lovely metaphor for making the world brighter. Though I've lost where, I once read: “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it” - William Arthur Ward This reframe has made me take the time to share compliments more often with friends, colleagues, shopkeepers, the person who always has a cheery smile in the morning, the person who organised the event, my kids, my wife, and pretty much everyone. And life seems a better place. Do it! Thank you for following and checking out this sketch. It’s a privilege. Related Ideas to Compliments Are Gifts Also see: Accept compliments If you have something nice to say, make sure you say it Notice when you're happy ## Rewrite to avoid click here URL: https://sketchplanations.com/click-here Published: 2016-06-02T23:01:34+0000 Categories: writing, design, ui, ux, click here Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/063e3007-ea63-4d46-9038-7cf8b055e2ba_145326922161.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/click-here), CC BY-NC 4.0 I find myself linking to this article about why your links should never say click here for links on the web that I thought I should just get it down for easy reference. The solution, generally, is to rewrite your sentence. For more about writing for the web, click here. Only joking, check out more tips about writing for the web. Also see: Omit unnecessary words, use styling instead of colons, cognitive overhead and the best writing is rewriting.  ## Phoenix trees URL: https://sketchplanations.com/phoenix-trees Published: 2016-05-25T22:01:19+0000 Categories: nature, trees, biology, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d5a57377-30b1-4ec7-914b-912d71777db9_144925251348.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: what is a Phoenix tree explained with a toppled tree shown pencil-sketch style with its roots still connected at one end, side branches along the trunk becoming trees in their own right, and one putting down roots Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/phoenix-trees), CC BY-NC 4.0 Phoenix trees are trees that live on after toppling and that can create new trees from branches of the original with their own roots and everything. They are named after the mythical phoenix, a bird that rises from the ashes to regenerate after death, much like Fawkes from Harry Potter. In phoenix trees I've seen, a large toppled tree hasn't completely separated from its roots—where some roots are broken as the tree fell, one side of the roots has managed to remain connected. This provides a lifeline for the now horizontal tree. Remarkably, those branches along the trunk that are now growing upwards can become like trees in their own right and, at times, even put down their own roots. These side trees remain supported by the original great, toppled tree.  Phoenix trees are not to be confused with nurse logs which are dead fallen trees that provide a great environment for new trees and plants to grow in. ## The fresh start effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-fresh-start-effect Published: 2016-05-19T21:17:41+0000 Categories: behavioral economics, psychology, effect, motivation, goals, productivity, lifehack, habits, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/416447e0-3957-4d9d-897a-ec9995923c3c_144619804411.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Fresh Start Effect example explained: a brave person thinks challenge accepted on Monday 1st January thanks to the Fresh start effect from Katy Milkman Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-fresh-start-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Fresh Start Effect explains why we’re more likely to tackle meaningful goals or form new habits at the start of a day, week, month, or year. These fresh beginnings—like a birthday, moving to a new house, or even a Monday morning—are powerful mental triggers that motivate us to take action and start anew. It’s fascinating how the simple act of marking a “start” can make us more open to change and new challenges. Whether it’s the first day of the year or the start of a new chapter in life, these moments provide a sense of renewal and opportunity. We explored this idea on the podcast: Listen to The Fresh Start Effect on the Sketchplanations podcast You can also hear about it from Katy Milkman herself, Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, on the Freakonomics podcast: When Willpower Isn’t Enough. Related Ideas to The Fresh Start Effect Also see: Temptation bundling Commitment devices Public commitment pledge The power of streaks Eat the frog ## Stalactites, Stalagmites URL: https://sketchplanations.com/stalactites-stalagmites Published: 2016-05-12T12:53:28+0000 Categories: geology, science, words, whats the difference between, geography, memory, mnemonic Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/78967cde-3965-436a-8326-5a1514a68f17_144246629161.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: How to remember if it's a Stalactite or Stalagmite (or stalagtite or stalacmite): Stalactites Cling tight to the Ceiling of a cave. Stalagmites Grow on the Ground Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/stalactites-stalagmites), CC BY-NC 4.0 How do you remember the difference between stalactites and stalagmites in a cave? And how do you spell them? A simple mnemonic that’s helped me is this: Stalactites cling tight to the ceiling. Stalagmites grow on the ground For Stalactite, the "-tite" and "tight" remind you of the ceiling connection, and the letter “C” in stalactite fits perfectly with “ceiling.” For Stalagmite, once you’ve got stalactite, stalagmites naturally become the ones that grow up from the ground, with their cheeky “G” matching “ground.” Easy, right? With this trick, you’ll never mix them up again, whether you’re exploring caves or acing a quiz. Sorted. Other popular mnemonics include: Tights fall down, and mites crawl up Stalactites stick tight to the ceiling and stalagmites might get there someday. The M in stalagmites has upward points and the T in stalactites is like a downward point. But as they don't help me remember the C and G letters in the names, I prefer the first one. ## The IKEA effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-ikea-effect Published: 2016-05-05T19:34:28+0000 Categories: psychology, bias, effect, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z3wKC5bqstJ99Fqz_SP460-TheIKEAeffect-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the IKEA effect example explained - sketch shows a person that put an IKEA table together by themselves, and although it's not a perfect build they still love it, because they put it together Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-ikea-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The IKEA effect is the increase in value we feel towards self-made products—products that required our effort to create them. Or, less formally, we love it more if we made it. The effect is named after the odd sense of satisfaction many of us feel after spending more time and sweat than expected putting together IKEA's famous flat-pack creations. Yet not only does more effort equal more love. If we've put effort into something ourselves, we're also more likely to, often mistakenly, think that others will value it more, just as we do. Together with others, Dan Ariely, a professor of behavioral economics, conducted several experiments leading to these conclusions. Ariely also points out that kids are the ultimate expression of the IKEA effect: they're very hard, don't come with instructions and take a lot of effort. Watch Dan Ariely do a great job explaining some experiments that lead to this conclusion, or read the full paper, The “IKEA effect”: When Labor Leads to Love (pdf), Norton, Mochon, Ariely HBS working paper, 2011. Related Ideas to the IKEA Effect The Betty Crocker Effect, or ‘the egg theory.’ ## Volunteer your own booking fee URL: https://sketchplanations.com/volunteer-your-own-booking-fee Published: 2016-04-27T22:01:13+0000 Categories: advice, money, kindness, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/70a0bf7a-45fa-4410-9cb4-1efcb1ccf8ac_143500193461.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/volunteer-your-own-booking-fee), CC BY-NC 4.0 Whenever I think of the convenience of someone doing something for me I usually conclude it’s easily worth a tip. So I have taken to adding one. Then hopefully they’ll be happy to do it again in the future too. ## The frequency illusion: we notice what’s top of mind URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-frequency-illusion Published: 2016-04-21T19:40:26+0000 Categories: psychology, bias, illusion Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c611d428-9e4f-476b-9146-f7477e3119aa_143177835521.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The frequency illusion explained in a sketch with an expecting couple suddenly seeing babies everywhere Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-frequency-illusion), CC BY-NC 4.0 The frequency illusion is the phenomenon where, when we become aware of something, we are more likely to notice it, and it appears to be more frequent. The reason may simply be that previously, we weren’t tuned in to notice what was always there. The frequency likely hasn’t changed at all, but our awareness of it has. Examples of the Frequency Illusion When you are expecting, you may notice others who are expecting a child or have small kids. If you buy an electric car, you may suddenly be very aware of the number of charging stations. When you get glasses, you may suddenly notice all the opticians. When you have children, you may notice more schools. The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon The frequency illusion is also known as the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon. The Baader-Meinhof gang, also known as the Red Army Faction, was an urban guerrilla group in Germany during the 1960s and 1970s. The name Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon was suggested in 1994 after a commentator on a bulletin board saw two references to the group in quick succession. No, it's not related to scientists or psychologists, just a surprising and memorable example of the phenomenon in action. Related Ideas to the Frequency Illusion The frequency illusion can lead to an availability bias where we overestimate the prevalence of what we notice more easily. The Availability Heuristic Unknown unknowns Survivorship bias The moon illusion Cognitive bias, heuristic, logical fallacy The Beard Cycle The Lucretius Problem The Firehouse Effect Black swan events ## Dirty thunderstorm URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dirty-thunderstorm Published: 2016-04-14T21:16:28+0000 Categories: weather, volcanoes, physics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b23eb9b5-b8ce-4673-a27a-8e0a9d0fa4cf_142810329201.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Dirty thunderstorm definition, explanation and example Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dirty-thunderstorm), CC BY-NC 4.0 A dirty thunderstorm is caused by ash and rock interacting inside a cloud instead of ice particles. As you can imagine, you can get this with volcanoes, which can be pretty spectacular. See more about how lightning forms inside a thunder cloud. ## The ice mile URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-ice-mile Published: 2016-04-06T22:01:03+0000 Categories: sport, endurance Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9671bf14-a4b1-4d5c-9c54-ea11d419b2f4_142370580372.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The ice mile Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-ice-mile), CC BY-NC 4.0 Swim a mile in water 5C or less. The ice mile is hardcore. Respect for crazy, amazing people like Lewis Pugh. Or if you’re in London, check out The Swimmer. ## Cognitive bias, heuristic, logical fallacy: hidden features of the mind URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cognitive-bias-heuristic-logical-fallacy Published: 2016-03-31T20:49:16+0000 Categories: psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0c215a53-7463-4e25-88a9-704e4635eca2_142030351636.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cognitive-bias-heuristic-logical-fallacy), CC BY-NC 4.0 These terms come around a bit, and I wanted to get them clear in my head so I understood the difference. Cognitive bias Cognitive biases are predictable patterns of thought and behaviour leading to incorrect conclusions. Things like anchoring, where we are predictably led astray by the presence of a previous number we have seen. Heuristic A heuristic is a mental shortcut to solve common problems. Things like social proof, how if others seem to like something that’s a shortcut for "we’ll probably like it." Logical fallacy A logical fallacy is a flaw in our reasoning, leading to a faulty argument. Things like the sunk cost fallacy, where we will sometimes make ourselves unhappy in the future because of something we’ve already done that we can’t change. The logical step would be to choose the path that would make you happiest in the future regardless of any sunk costs up to now. Turns out that’s hard. HT: You are not so smart ## The Monty Hall problem URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-monty-hall-problem Published: 2016-03-23T21:15:28+0000 Categories: mathematics, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b5a8d808-ccd2-47cf-8efd-1c38759aea16_141568304901.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-monty-hall-problem), CC BY-NC 4.0 Loosely based on the game show Let’s Make a Deal, hosted by Monty Hall, what’s known as the Monty Hall problem is a simply constructed puzzle. Imagine in a game show contestants saw 3 doors, and behind one of which is a prize, and behind the other two doors, goats. The contestant chooses a door, but instead of opening it, Monty opens one of the remaining doors that reveals a goat. He gives you a choice: Do you want to change your door or stick with the one you picked? The problem is: which is the better choice? If you’re interested it’s pretty easy to find out the real answer. Confirming to yourself why is another thing. ## An americano and a long black: the difference URL: https://sketchplanations.com/americano-long-black Published: 2016-03-17T20:18:01+0000 Categories: coffee, food and drink, whats the difference between Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f1c7fb1a-d674-4444-bd85-39566c7a3e10_141219272261.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What's the difference between an americano and a long black picture Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/americano-long-black), CC BY-NC 4.0 What's the difference between an americano and a long black coffee? I'd often wondered. Both seemed to be espresso and water. Not everyone will give you the same answer in a coffee shop if you ask them. But my understanding is the difference between an americano and a long black comes down to the order of adding your water to your espresso — an americano — or adding your espresso to your water — a long black one. If you’re making your own americanos or long black at home, you may notice that a long black seems to make a more satisfyingly luxurious-looking coffee as it does a better job of preserving the crema on top. Other coffee-related sketchplanations: Make Vietnamese coffee How to make Irish coffee Half-caff coffee Espresso, filter, americano and the redeye. Perhaps I should speak to someone about this. More what's the difference sketches ## Know your dashes: the hyphen, en dash and em dash URL: https://sketchplanations.com/know-your-dashes Published: 2016-03-09T22:00:52+0000 Categories: grammar, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aa_pZVxvIZEnjhGC_SP452-KnowYourDashes-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is an Em dash, En Dash, Hyphen - and when and how to use them table with examples Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/know-your-dashes), CC BY-NC 4.0 What is an em dash? And when should you use one? And how is that different from a hyphen? And what's an en dash? It's all here for you to know your dashes. OK, so you can get a little over the top about these, but I do notice when a hyphen is used to add a thought in text rather than the em dash, which is better made for it—and it's much nicer than using brackets or parentheses (). And—to go the full mile—why not use an en dash when you’re separating your page numbers 1–5, or months May–Sep, next time? Didn’t spot the difference?  - hypen · short – en dash · medium — em dash · long I had a lot of fun talking about this in the podcast episode on Know Your Dashes: hyphen, en dash, em dash How to Type En Dash and Em Dash on both Mac and Windows Typing them on a Mac En dash: Option + - Em dash: Shift + Option + - Typing them on a Windows PC En dash: Alt + type 0150 on the number pad Em dash: Alt + type 0151 on the number pad Many writing programs will also turn two hyphens followed by a space into an em dash for you. All sorts of grammar and writing advice in the excellent The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. More Writing and Grammar Ideas Explained Also see: Me or I Affect or Effect Less or fewer Tandem By monkeys Oxford commas Updated from the original ## Bloody marys URL: https://sketchplanations.com/bloody-marys Published: 2016-03-02T22:01:03+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b8294d6c-d402-4b64-bb1f-5722d2333ffd_140355045517.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/bloody-marys), CC BY-NC 4.0 The bloody mary (vodka), ruddy mary (gin), virgin mary (alcohol-free) and the bull shot (beef broth instead of tomato). Has the added advantage of almost seeming like it’s something healthy to get. I always seem to end up ordering them on flights. Happy days. ## Contranym URL: https://sketchplanations.com/contranym Published: 2016-02-25T19:54:57+0000 Categories: words, grammar, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1dad074e-7b52-4b7f-bc5d-5b243af226b2_139987157986.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Contranym explained Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/contranym), CC BY-NC 4.0 A contranym is a word that can be its own opposite. Contranyms — like a heteronym, portemanteau, palindrome and semordnilap — are neat things to look out for. Like how you can dust something to pick up dust from a surface and dust that surface to remove dust from it. So versatile. Or perhaps confusing. A reader also pointed out to me that my sketch Try new things includes "anxious to try new things." And that, curiously, this can mean both eager to try new things and not keen on trying new things—how I meant it. I learned this from Kathryn Schulz’ excellent article, What part of “No, totally” don’t you understand, about how “no, totally” came to mean “yes.” ## Pace layers original sketch URL: https://sketchplanations.com/pace-layers-original-sketch Published: 2016-02-17T20:50:55+0000 Categories: framework, innovation, culture, nature, government, tech, technology, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ea7d5405-627b-459d-a962-6e44e6876e70_139504385781.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1774%2C1504&w=1200&h=1504 Image description: Pace Layers drawing showing the layers of Nature, Culture, Governance, Infrastructure, Commerce and Fashion/Art changing at different speeds Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/pace-layers-original-sketch), CC BY-NC 4.0 I updated this sketch with a newer version and more extensive description see: Pace Layers Original: Pace Layers is the brilliant observation of Stewart Brand that different aspects of the world change at different speeds. So, Fashion and art change and cycle faster than Commerce, which changes faster than Infrastructure, and in turn, Governance, Culture and finally, Nature. The outer layers tend to innovate faster and so pull along the slower-changing layers. At the same time, the slower layers also stabilise the faster layers, reducing the chances of chaos. At the boundaries, you get constructive turbulence, say, between self-driving cars and Governance or between legislation trying to keep up with the growth of electric scooters. Or how the growth in video streaming (Commerce) needs Internet Infrastructure to come along with it. As a framework for thinking about big, complex things, I find it quite handy. Also see: Time hierarchy The Overton Window ## Give gifts others can give URL: https://sketchplanations.com/give-gifts-others-can-give Published: 2016-02-11T22:11:29+0000 Categories: kindness, gift giving, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1e9fb28e-2a11-4f36-86cb-06462c6202da_139136749591.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/give-gifts-others-can-give), CC BY-NC 4.0 As giving makes people happy, what better way to make someone happy than to give something they can give to others. Not all the time maybe, but I reckon it’ll be a hit. ## Proprioception URL: https://sketchplanations.com/proprioception Published: 2016-02-03T17:00:57+0000 Categories: biology, senses Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ca18e997-9bf1-4061-b671-97ac6c45bd62_138615545939.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Proprioception illustration: someone demonstrating to a police officer they aren't drunk as they can touch their nose with their eyes closed while standing on one leg Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/proprioception), CC BY-NC 4.0 Our ability to sense position and movement of joints and limbs. It’s how you can tell where your right foot is now even without looking. Alcohol screws with it and touching your nose with your eyes closed if often used as part of sobriety tests. Maybe try it yourself next time you’re drunk? ## I bet this’ll get a lot of likes URL: https://sketchplanations.com/i-bet-thisll-get-a-lot-of-likes Published: 2016-01-28T20:18:44+0000 Categories: social media, nature, weather, hiking, photography, anxiety, wellbeing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b8b5d569-4065-461b-9f73-572642a43511_138235720416.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: I bet this'll get a lot of likes Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/i-bet-thisll-get-a-lot-of-likes), CC BY-NC 4.0 Homage to bring Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes classic up to date. ## Don’t cut the nose off brie URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dont-cut-the-nose-off-brie Published: 2016-01-20T22:01:01+0000 Categories: food and drink, sharing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/852694a6-2e2a-42f4-93ea-e14dee9d354e_137711781591.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dont-cut-the-nose-off-brie), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sacré bleu! Don't cut the nose off brie. Or camembert cheese, for that matter. Share the ripe middle by cutting strips. ## Asymmetry of returns URL: https://sketchplanations.com/asymmetry-of-returns Published: 2016-01-13T21:01:30+0000 Categories: money, mathematics, charts Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7caf0589-42f1-485d-a84b-2e21392dd577_137242090267.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/asymmetry-of-returns), CC BY-NC 4.0 It’s a funny thing, when you think about it, that if you owned a stock in the market and the value went up 50%, and then went down 50%, that it wouldn’t end up at what it started. Another way to look at it, is if you owned something worth 100 and it lost 50%, it’d be worth 50. To get back to being worth 100 you’d then need a 100% gain.  Huh. ## Venomous, poisonous - what’s the difference? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/venomous-poisonous Published: 2016-01-07T19:00:46+0000 Categories: nature, animals, whats the difference between, health, biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZuqdjLVsGrYSvgec_SP443-Venomouspoisonous-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Venomous vs Poisonous the difference explained: Venomous animals inject venom through bites, stings and the like. Poisonous animals poison you if you absorb, consume, or inhale. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/venomous-poisonous), CC BY-NC 4.0 What is the difference between venomous and poisonous? Venomous animals inject venom through bites, stings and the like, though they often avoid it—think snakes, spiders, stingrays, wasps, etc. Poisoning is when a poison is passively transferred to us through absorbing, consuming or inhaling it—think amphibians, plants, fungi, etc. It might be through touching the skin of a poisonous frog, eating a poisonous animal or breathing in poisonous spores. Just a few animals manage to be both venomous and poisonous, such as some snakes that inject venom and also have toxic skin from eating poisonous toads. And a third category you'll know to steer clear of is toxungenous animals that spray, fling or spit toxins toward potential threats. These include the skunk or the aptly named bombardier beetle that sprays acid from its rear. Fortunately, our instincts are well-trained from centuries of evolution and experience to avoid anything venomous or poisonous, but one day, it may pay to know the difference. This sketch features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Here's the original ## Bortle Scale URL: https://sketchplanations.com/bortle-scale Published: 2015-12-30T21:03:22+0000 Categories: scale, measurement, astronomy, science, physics, framework, air quality, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0d8a611e-41e0-4828-affa-b1afe4a3bfa4_136281518801.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/bortle-scale), CC BY-NC 4.0 The clarity of the night sky. A low number means clear, black and amazing stars. Higher numbers mean gradually more urban environments with increasing light pollution. At 9 you’ll barely spot a star being pretty much in Piccadilly Circus or Times Square. More detail needed? John Bortle, Light Pollution And Astronomy: The Bortle Dark-Sky Scale, Sky and Telescope, July 18 2006. HT: Paul Lewis ## Approaches to asset valuation: Castles in the air and firm foundations URL: https://sketchplanations.com/approaches-to-asset-valuation-castles-in-the-air-and-firm-foundations Published: 2015-12-23T22:01:16+0000 Categories: money, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9fb665e3-a1d3-49b1-b045-64abc77f0350_135805912193.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Approaches to asset valuation: the castles in the air approach and the firm foundations approach Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/approaches-to-asset-valuation-castles-in-the-air-and-firm-foundations), CC BY-NC 4.0 How do we decide what something is worth? How might a new pair of sneakers be worth $1,000 while the pair next to them, perhaps better made, longer lasting and just as comfortable, be less than $100? With the castles in the air approach, a thing is worth what others will pay for it. If you can sell it to someone for twice the price then it’s worth that. You’ll often see this in bubbles (dot com, tulip, bitcoin…). It was described by John Maynard Keynes using the analogy of a beauty contest where you have to select the prettiest faces out of 100, and the prize goes to the selection closest to the group as a whole. Whether or not they’re actually pretty doesn’t matter if you can guess which faces others think are pretty. If you can predict what the crowd will do, then you can get there first and make a profit. The firm foundations approach, on the other hand, is about finding solid reasons for assessing value based on analysis of the fundamentals of an asset, a firm anchor, its intrinsic value. If you can value something through this approach then a good bet is simply if the current asking price is less than the intrinsic value. The market will eventually correct for it and you’ll make money. See A Random Walk Down Wall Street, by Burton Malkiel for more. Also see Veblen goods ## Choose passwords that make you happy URL: https://sketchplanations.com/choose-passwords-that-make-you-happy Published: 2015-12-17T17:36:05+0000 Categories: tech, technology, security, happiness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6607448a-ae62-4c92-9a74-dc7e08a9d440_135392545731.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Person typing their password and reliving a fond memory at the same time Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/choose-passwords-that-make-you-happy), CC BY-NC 4.0 Update: for times when you really need to remember a password I still like this technique, for all other times — which is to say, ideally every time — I suggest using a password manager. Use a password manager to generate unique passwords for every service so long and complex that you couldn't possibly be bothered to type it and that will force you to always use the manager instead. However, for the few passwords that you can't avoid typing they might as well remind you of something good. I have found this makes me happier. Also see: Two Factor Authentication Types of Phishing ## Animals that regenerate URL: https://sketchplanations.com/animals-that-regenerate Published: 2015-12-09T22:01:17+0000 Categories: animals, nature, biology, science Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z-ahkndAxsiBwC8U_SP439-Animalsthatregenerate-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Animals that regenerate - flatworm head, axolotl legs, lizard tail, sea star, moose, deer... Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/animals-that-regenerate), CC BY-NC 4.0 While our bodies will generally make light work of repairing a cut in our skin or even healing a bone, some animals are able to go much further. Deer and moose antlers are grown and shed each year at significant cost—a moose may have antlers that spread six feet and weigh upward of 40 pounds. An axolotl can regenerate entire limbs, and a lizard a whole tail. A flatworm can survive being cut in two, with the back half even regrowing a head and brain. And in one of the most striking examples, sea stars are able, in many cases, to regrow a lost limb, and in some species, a lost limb contains everything it needs to regenerate a new body. Incredible. This sketch appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## Homo sapiens. Our place in the order of things URL: https://sketchplanations.com/homo-sapiens-our-place-in-the-order-of-things Published: 2015-12-02T22:01:04+0000 Categories: framework, nature, biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/50f8e27e-26ae-44be-9e12-034a69b859c3_134424473492.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/homo-sapiens-our-place-in-the-order-of-things), CC BY-NC 4.0 animalia not a plant chordata backbone of sorts mammalia warm blood, fur, milk, birth primates humans, monkeys, apes hominidae great apes homo man sapiens wise ## Bycatch URL: https://sketchplanations.com/bycatch Published: 2015-11-25T22:01:13+0000 Categories: animals, nature, fishing, biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fa648161-4ca6-4741-a716-727d074c72be_133956463619.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Bycatch: a sea turtle caught in a net as bycatch Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/bycatch), CC BY-NC 4.0 Bycatch is other stuff you caught when trying to catch something else. Bycatch makes me sad. Any fish or sea creatures can be caught unintentionally during fishing, and it also affects larger animals such as sharks, turtles and of course dolphins. When learning from a whale shark expert on the island of Utila in Honduras he told us one of the simplest ways to help is to give up eating prawns. As London’s Maritime Museum puts it: “For every kilo of tropical prawns you buy, 15 kilos of unwanted sea-life may be thrown back dead as ‘by-catch’. Trawling for prawns can also trap turtles, unless a special device keeps them out of the nets. Farming prawns is often no better, since mangrove swamps may be destroyed to make room for prawn ponds.” Prawns are particularly bad as they are often caught with bottom trawling. I once read a description of it as wanting to catch a cow, and choosing to drag a net by helicopter over the entire farm, and so also catch the tree in the garden, the dog, the pigs and the farmer’s wife in the process. So we gave up prawns. Sadly. Check out the WWF bycatch page for more including a bottom trawler in action. ## Ape index URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ape-index Published: 2015-11-18T12:06:47+0000 Categories: animals, measurement Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ee7feb25-7067-46c2-a6a4-5de4767d310d_133462890881.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ape-index), CC BY-NC 4.0 The length of your arms relative to your height. Typically: ape index = arm span / height Da Vinci’s classic Vitruvian man has an arm span equal to his height and therefore an ape index of 1. An ape index greater than 1 (arm span longer than height) seems to be helpful for rock climbers, swimmers (Michael Phelps = 1.06), boxers, professional basketball and goalkeeping. It’s also known as the gorilla index though I couldn’t actually find a measure for gorillas remarkably. A quick calculation shows for an average male gorilla at 1.75m tall and arm span of 2.45m that the gorilla index for a real gorilla would be = 2.45 / 1.75 = 1.4. I’d definitely fancy the gorilla in rock-climbing and boxing… It’s sometimes calculated as arm span minus height, that would give gorillas a ridiculous: +70 I have not been able to figure out if your ape index changes from a child to adult though it seems like it might. Quite fun to measure your own… HT: Si Wannop ## The Big Ideal ™ URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-big-ideal Published: 2015-11-12T10:57:02+0000 Categories: framework, marketing, business, venn diagram Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4e0ab356-da35-497f-a3cb-3fbfcc214c6d_133063104001.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-big-ideal), CC BY-NC 4.0 A model from Ogilvy and Mather that’s a really interesting way to get to the heart of what could make your brand thrive. The intersection between what people care about (a cultural tension) and what you could be famous as a business (your brand’s best self) is a recipe for doing something good that matters. Try starting from a question: “The world would be a better place if…” and see where you get to. I learned it from Carl Mesner Lyons. Check out The Big IdeaL on Ogilvy and Mather for more. ## Benefits to you from getting started URL: https://sketchplanations.com/benefits-to-you-from-getting-started Published: 2015-11-04T22:00:58+0000 Categories: behavioral economics, psychology, charts, money, starting, productivity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Zk9ZgSol0Zci9Zc4_SP434-Benefitstoyoufromgettingstarted-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Benefits to you from getting started chart — put it off and stress about it = no benefit, start now with something = some benefit Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/benefits-to-you-from-getting-started), CC BY-NC 4.0 Alternatives researched, well qualified, books bought and read, desk clean, no disruptions, sitting comfortably, inbox cleared, coffee in hand, ready to get started? It’s easy to be paralyzed by choices, unsure of our expertise, gnawed by doubt and uncertain if we’re ready to give something a go. For many of us, the threshold is high to get started on the projects in our heads, the actions to improve our finances or the exercise we plan to do. It’s so easy to think we’re not ready. Here’s the actor Hugh Laurie with one of my favourite pieces of advice: “It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that, actually, no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.” — Hugh Laurie Getting started allows us to start learning. Sure, our first steps might be the wrong ones, but in starting, we soon find the right ones. This sketch is in the style of the financial advisor Carl Richards who publishes at behaviorgap.com. His simple, minimalist drawings do a great job of hitting home a point, and he also shares the wise advice: “The only mistake you can make when it comes to financial planning is doing nothing.” When I worked as head of user experience and design at Nutmeg I saw, time and again, that the largest mistake people made with their finances was putting it off and, ultimately, doing nothing. Worried about making a hash of something? Don’t worry. The first draft is always perfect. Here are more of my sketches with my thoughts on getting started. This sketch was revised (see original) for the book Big Ideas Little Pictures. ## How do barnacles move anyway? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-do-barnacles-move Published: 2015-10-28T20:20:55+0000 Categories: nature, animals, biology, beach, sea Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/65828d5f-e629-4616-ac5e-bd150171f747_132104714016.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How do barnacles move Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-do-barnacles-move), CC BY-NC 4.0 How do barnacles move? Well, the barnacles we see don’t move. But when they’re little, they do swim, and once they’ve found their spot they basically cement themselves in place. They’re what’s known as sessile animals — ones that don’t move once settled, along with mussels and coral. Now that would be a different way of life. ## Microlife: The unit of life URL: https://sketchplanations.com/microlife-the-unit-of-life Published: 2015-10-21T22:01:14+0000 Categories: measurement, risk, coffee, food and drink, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f1f48618-26f8-43e3-a248-672b12e9d156_131644777480.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Microlife: 30 mins of TV soap, 2 cigarettes, 7 units of alcohol Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/microlife-the-unit-of-life), CC BY-NC 4.0 A microlife is thirty minutes of your life expectancy. You can use it up by chilling for 30 minutes, or you could start to speed through them by smoking a few cigarettes or having a few drinks. A simple way to bring difficult-to-grasp long-term, slow-burn risks into a unit that can motivate you and a handy way to compare risks. Even better, you gain a microlife with 2-3 cups of coffee. Win! Related Ideas to Microlife Micromort, the unit of death Core components of risk Human Risk A Framework for Hope Detecting Prostate Cancer BASE Jumping Optimism Bias The Bus Factor The Dilution Effect Learn More Microlives and more fascinating aspects of uncertainty in The Art of Uncertainty by David Spiegelhalter (book) BBC article: Microlives: A lesson in risk taking, by Cambridge University Professor of risk David Spiegelhalter. Or his 15-minute TED talk: Motorbikes, Terrorism, Heart Attacks, Sausages: Professor David Spiegelhalter at TEDxOxbridge, or the full paper (pdf). ## Micromort: The unit of death URL: https://sketchplanations.com/micromort-the-unit-of-death Published: 2015-10-14T22:01:22+0000 Categories: transport, measurement, cycling, risk, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/693a3e25-b405-4801-8f04-11d38c9d9fcb_131180149365.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Micromort: 1 day of living, 20 miles by bike, 250 miles by car Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/micromort-the-unit-of-death), CC BY-NC 4.0 A micromort is a one in one million chance of sudden death during the activity. You get a day of regular living for one micromort (though clearly that probably depends on what your average day is). Turns out you get a lot further per micromort by car, and that motorways are by far the safest form of road. You’ll experience 7 micromorts from running a marathon and 39,427 from climbing Everest. Introduced by Stanford Professor, Ronald Howard. Also see: Microlife, the unit of life ## The different faces of downhill URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-different-faces-of-downhill Published: 2015-10-07T22:01:18+0000 Categories: words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c97ceb26-c452-4f68-9155-84a54d1396bf_130708334184.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-different-faces-of-downhill), CC BY-NC 4.0 It’s curious how going downhill seems to have two opposite meanings. ## Don’t make important decisions on an empty stomach URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dont-make-important-decisions-on-an-empty-stomach Published: 2015-09-30T21:00:50+0000 Categories: bias, psychology, law, sleep Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ec8cae7c-97b1-4a0c-bfdd-9b770c09a3b1_130222892246.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: An energised person at 9 am closely contemplates a file while at noon they're down to 'whatever' Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dont-make-important-decisions-on-an-empty-stomach), CC BY-NC 4.0 Update: More recent research has brought into question the captivating notion of ego depletion with difficulties reproducing some key experiments and suggesting other factors may be at work. In his book You are now less dumb, David McCraney explains an concept called ego depletion with the basic idea that our brains require fuel, particularly the decision-making and glucose hungry pre-frontal cortex. Every time you have to make decisions or deal with difficult situations it tires you such that we have a sort of finite amount of will power. If you spent the morning battling to get the kids dressed and out the door, then jostling your way through a crowded commute, by the time you get to work you’re more likely to say ‘whatever’ to any decisions that come your way. Making decisions is hard work. McCraney brings up a remarkable, and slightly disturbing, study by Shai Danziger which followed eight Israeli judges as they decided on over 1,000 parole applications. The findings show that prisoners were most likely to be granted parole first thing in the morning, after a snack break, and right after lunch. If you were unlucky enough to be up for parole just before lunch, bad luck. As McCraney puts it: If you want the most control over your own mind so that you can alter your responses to the world instead of giving in and doing what comes naturally, stay fresh. Take breaks. Get some sleep. And until we understand what ego depletion really is, don’t make important decisions on an empty stomach. Here’s a nice summary of Shai Danziger’s parole study in the Economist including a remarkable chart. ## Camel identification: 1 hump dromedary, 2 humps bactrian URL: https://sketchplanations.com/camel-identification Published: 2015-09-23T22:01:13+0000 Categories: animals, nature, geography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5adb6cfb-d0e0-47b2-b155-306d37620cc0_129736531219.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/camel-identification), CC BY-NC 4.0 And, let’s face it, most of us are more likely to encounter camels in the Middle East and Africa than trekking around the Gobi Desert. The wild bactrian camel is sadly on the critically endangered list. And, there is this simpler way to remember the difference that a reader passed on to me: dromedary is one hump like a D on its side, and bactrian is two humps like a B on its side. Simples. ## The Rosetta Stone URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-rosetta-stone Published: 2015-09-16T22:01:23+0000 Categories: history, language, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ec6046c3-6ec9-46ae-9625-53f2c12376bc_129239825802.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is the Rosetta Stone explained Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-rosetta-stone), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Rosetta Stone is the sort of artefact that makes history fascinating. It is amazing to behold, has a fascinating story and a controversial past, and is the key to the mystery of hieroglyphics. The Rosetta Stone has inscribed on it a decree by priests honouring Ptolemy V, who was 13 at the time. The inscription is in hieroglyphic and demotic - both scripts of the Egyptian language - and Greek. Comparing the known Greek with the hieroglyphs with some remarkable talent became the key to deciphering the written language of hieroglyphs. The Rosetta Stone can be seen for free at the British Museum. I highly recommend it. You could also read Professor Munakata’s British Museum Adventure, a manga comic book featuring the Rosetta Stone. ## Phases of the moon URL: https://sketchplanations.com/phases-of-the-moon Published: 2015-09-09T19:01:15+0000 Categories: moon, astronomy, science, space Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/adYCPp1ZCF7ES8je_SP426-Phasesofthemoon-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Phases of the Moon showing the lunar cycle around Earth: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter (half), waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, and waning crescent Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/phases-of-the-moon), CC BY-NC 4.0 Everyone knows a crescent and a full moon, but it’s also good to know that a gibbous moon is when a crescent of shadow eats into the bright circle and that the hardest moon to see is a new one. When the lit area of the moon gets lighter day by day, the moon’s in its waxing phase (growing), and when the moon darkens day by day, it’s in the waning phase (shrinking). A handy rhyme to know whether the moon will get lighter or darker is “If it’s light on the right, it’s gonna get bright.” Remarkably, we only ever see one side of the moon. To see the far side, you’d need to get in a rocket. For interest: a gibbous moon is from the latin gibbus, which means "hump". Related Ideas to Phases of the Moon Like the moon? Apparently, so do I. Also see: The moon illusion Super moon One side of the moon Blue moon This sketch appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## Front load names to cue attention URL: https://sketchplanations.com/front-load-names-to-cue-attention Published: 2015-09-02T20:02:02+0000 Categories: observation, advice, questions Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c0e992da-0b00-47b1-ae2b-357e0b455cde_128206108370.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Ed happily passes the salt when cued to listen to the question with his name upfront: "Ed, would you pass the salt?" Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/front-load-names-to-cue-attention), CC BY-NC 4.0 A helpful observation from not following this many times in my life. ## Koomey’s Law URL: https://sketchplanations.com/koomeys-law Published: 2015-08-26T22:27:50+0000 Categories: software development, law, charts, physics, energy, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ef657f37-3486-4fa8-94b1-45b9d397e693_127665798451.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Koomey's Law Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/koomeys-law), CC BY-NC 4.0 Koomey's law roughly translates to: The energy efficiency of computers doubles roughly every 18 months. In a new twist beyond Moore’s Law, which shows signs of reaching it’s limits, there’s Koomey’s Law. In his own words, the idea is: “…at a fixed computing load, the amount of battery you need will fall by a factor of two every year and a half.” Why does this matter? It means we can fit more computing power into smaller and smaller devices. This is much of the reason the phone in your pocket is probably more powerful than the EDVAC there in the chart. ## Moore’s Law URL: https://sketchplanations.com/moores-law Published: 2015-08-19T20:02:05+0000 Categories: software development, law, tech, technology, science, physics, charts, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4659baa9-580b-4377-8bd3-f91b074a69c4_127098166143.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/moores-law), CC BY-NC 4.0 This chart is from the original he published - just the five data points. Pretty simple huh? The “observation, originally made in 1965, that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit would continue to double every year. Although this increase has slowed to a doubling in eighteen to twenty four months, Moore’s law has held true for nearly fifty years and is the foundation for the astounding Information Technology revolution we see around us.” For those interested in Moore’s law, remarkably, I think the best information is my Dad’s book, The Computing Universe, which is also the source of the quote. ## Crazy English: ghoti URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ghoti Published: 2015-08-13T06:32:37+0000 Categories: words, language Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f4dbc9b4-2bac-4aa7-9d71-74439a04e6ef_126571242006.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: How to say ghoti as fish from George Bernard Shaw Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ghoti), CC BY-NC 4.0 Ghoti is a constructed word intended to illustrate some of the craziness in English punctuation, in that, taking the sounds of its parts from different places, it could be said as fish. Said as: fish Written as: ghoti Derived from: enouGH, wOmen, naTIon In my book -ough, in particular, is the craziest as in enough, thorough, bough, through, although - all pronounced totally differently. I’d heard it credited to George Bernard Shaw, but apparently, his biography credits it to an ‘anonymous spelling reformer’. Spelling Potato A modern extension demonstrates the same idea as the ghoti joke by constructing the word potato. It could, in principle, be spelled ghoughphtheightteeau. It's often written as: If ‘GH’ can stand for ‘P’ in Hiccough… If ‘OUGH’ stands for ‘O’ in Dough… If ‘PHTH’ stands for ‘T’ as in Phthisis… If ‘EIGH’ stands for ‘A’ in Neighbour… If ‘TTE’ stands for ‘T’ as in Gazette… If ‘EAU’ stands for ‘O’ as in Plateau… Then another way to spell POTATO might be: ghoughphtheightteeau English Plurals and the Plural Poem Enjoy more curiosities of English plurals in this poem: We’ll begin with box, and the plural is boxes, But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes; The one fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, Yet the plural of moose should never be meese; You may find a lone mouse or a whole nest of mice, But the plural of house is houses, not hice; If the plural of man is always called men, Why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen? The cow in the plural may be cows or kine, But a bow, if repeated, is never called bine; And the plural of vow is vows, never vine. If I speak of a foot, and you show me your feet, And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet? If one is a tooth, and a whole set are teeth, Why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth? If the singular’s this and the plural is these, Should be plural of kiss ever be keese? Then one may be that, and three would be those, Yet hat in the plural would never be hose; And the plural of cat is cats, not cose. We speak of a brother, and also of brethren, But though we say mother, we never say methren; Then the masculine pronouns are he, his, and him, But imagine the feminine she, shis, and shim. So the English, I think, you all will agree, Is the greatest language you ever did see. — The English Plural poem published in Miscellaneous Notes and Queries, August 1897 Also see the brilliant poem The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité Related Ideas to Ghoti Also see: Anadiplosis Ordering English adjectives Ablaut Reduplication Homonyms, homographs, homophones and heteronyms Pleonasm ## Fitts’ Law URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fitts-law Published: 2015-08-05T20:02:21+0000 Categories: ux, law, software development, mathematics, observation, design, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4e76c8ad-c9c0-4908-8f71-98eabdc7c17d_125950885996.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fitts-law), CC BY-NC 4.0 The time to a target depends on the ratio of distance to the target over it’s size. So clicking on a small target close by might take a similar time to clicking on a large target further away. It’s a simple model and there are a few little games out there to bring it home in practice. I’m reminded however, of an observation from a mentor of mine, Darrell Mann, that just because people call it a law doesn’t mean you have to treat it like one. The example of Apple’s standard program icons at the base of the screen that expand when you mouse near them, are a simple technique that help to overcome the limitations of Fitt’s law. There are plenty more. Don’t be sucked in to laziness by a name. ## How to tell a centipede from a millipede URL: https://sketchplanations.com/centipede-millipede Published: 2015-07-29T22:04:08+0000 Categories: biology, nature, science, animals, whats the difference between, anatomy Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e98320d3-b948-41f9-a8b5-ba169f068328_125376035406.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/centipede-millipede), CC BY-NC 4.0 A centipede has 1 pair of legs on each body ring, and a millipede has two on most body segments. Hence millipedes will generally have plenty more legs to go round. As far as I know this is fairly foolproof. Though generally speaking there are more obvious ways to tell, such as millipedes looking more like long armoured nice round worms and usually moving slowly, and centipedes zipping around while generally seeming more long-legged and insecty, with longer antennae at the front and longer angled back legs, sometimes with hooks for defence. If you were offered to pick one of them up, you’d probably pick the millipede. Also, in case you were tempted to think they are insects, they’re not because insects have six legs. They are arthropods (loosely meaning jointed feet) along with insects, spiders, scorpions and crustaceans, but in their own subphylum of, aptly named, myriapoda (loosely meaning many legs). Check out core insect anatomy for a sketchplanation insect refresher. ## Everything is aiming URL: https://sketchplanations.com/everything-is-aiming Published: 2015-07-22T19:38:38+0000 Categories: inspiration, quote, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/05cc1345-d09a-4a59-a50f-1dfb0543dae1_124770496456.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Everything is aiming, Zanshin Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/everything-is-aiming), CC BY-NC 4.0 In his post on Zanshin, a state of relaxed alertness, James Clear writes: Great archery masters often teach that “everything is aiming.” Where you place your feet, how you hold the bow, the way you breathe during the release of the arrow—it all determines the end result. I like the idea of zanshin, but I like more the insight that everything is aiming. How every piece of your attitude, preparation, body and state go towards influencing how you perform. No detail too small. Tennis coaches, for example, reinforce being in the ready position before a ball even comes your way. Experience teaches you it does matter. The concept reminds me of one of my favourite quotes which I think pretty much sums up a great approach to life as a whole and also how I view luck: I will study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come. —Abraham Lincoln ## Cream tea: Cornwall vs Devon URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cream-tea-cornwall-vs-devon Published: 2015-07-15T21:57:07+0000 Categories: food and drink, geography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9718d101-792d-4c1a-bfa5-7e3fa5042c8c_124186641121.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1758%2C1490&w=1200&h=1490 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cream-tea-cornwall-vs-devon), CC BY-NC 4.0 There’s stiff competition for the original and the most authentic British cream teas between Devon and Cornwall and the Southwest of England. And you may have, like me, wondered if when having scones with clotted cream and jam in what order should you put them. However, you can tell each apart by the preference on your scone to go for jam on top of the clotted cream, or under the cream. Cream on top = Cornwall. Jam on top = Devon. If you haven’t had one on location, I recommend you give it a try. ## The Fifth Fuel: energy efficiency URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-fifth-fuel-energy-efficiency Published: 2015-07-09T09:34:39+0000 Categories: energy, sustainability Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c2b64bb4-9653-4b86-bbb4-49d450128f63_123628390491.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The fifth fuel — energy efficiency — the cheapest of them all Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-fifth-fuel-energy-efficiency), CC BY-NC 4.0 The fifth fuel is energy efficiency—the cheapest of all. Also see: Jevons paradox Heating people, heating spaces ## Back sleepers, side sleepers URL: https://sketchplanations.com/back-sleepers-side-sleepers Published: 2015-07-01T20:01:59+0000 Categories: observation, sleep, products Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b91f2935-1ee2-4c5c-a20e-c48f93cbe61c_122966713118.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: A back sleeper lying on 1 pillow, and a side sleeper enjoying 2 pillows Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/back-sleepers-side-sleepers), CC BY-NC 4.0 This may have been obvious from day one, but despite the basic geometry of our necks it took me many years to figure out that back sleepers generally need just the one pillow and side sleepers are better off with two. Still think the pillow industry could do with a shake up though to solve basic problems like not falling into the gap between pillows, pillows made for two or pillows that more flexibly adjust as you turn over. ## Quotiquette: The etiquette of quoting URL: https://sketchplanations.com/quotiquette Published: 2015-06-24T20:02:16+0000 Categories: words, grammar, writing, quote Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/96f430a3-8e83-460c-a4dc-a9a752b753d8_122359453568.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/quotiquette), CC BY-NC 4.0 The best reference I found on quotations was the quotation section in Larry Trask’s Guide to Punctuation. Alongside clarifications [ ] and suspensions … it contains rules on fun things like quotes in quotes, when to capitalise, dealing with mistakes [sic], adding emphasis [emphasis added], and punctuation inside or outside. On this last point he suggests: "You may follow your own preference in this matter, so long as you are consistent. If you opt for logical punctuation [putting the punctuation outside the quote], you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are on the side of the angels, but you should also expect some grim opposition from the other side [that prefers punctuation on the inside]." — Larry Trask ## Counter-shading URL: https://sketchplanations.com/counter-shading Published: 2015-06-17T20:02:17+0000 Categories: animals, nature, ideas, innovation, strategy, biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/736b3529-2770-4014-adc6-ea10af5281b2_121777755464.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1728%2C1465&w=1200&h=1465 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/counter-shading), CC BY-NC 4.0 Nifty water camouflage practised by dolphins, porpoises, some fish and other neat sea creatures. The simple strategy: look light like the sky for anyone below, and look dark like the sea for anyone above.  ## Asteroids, meteors and meteorites URL: https://sketchplanations.com/asteroids-meteors-and-meteorites Published: 2015-06-10T20:02:04+0000 Categories: astronomy, space, science, geology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/cf9c71bd-6e19-40ea-b548-ba4cc46ee457_121211095839.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/asteroids-meteors-and-meteorites), CC BY-NC 4.0 Asteroid: Big rock flying through space Meteor: A rock burning up as it enters the atmosphere. Also known as a shooting star. Meteorite: Parts of a meteor that made it all the way to the ground. Look out! It was a long time before I really knew the difference between these things. ## Rebalancing your portfolio URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rebalancing-your-portfolio Published: 2015-06-03T19:01:21+0000 Categories: money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/08051a8a-6b73-4eb8-b367-8acd1ce56f34_120628865517.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1925%2C3265&w=1200&h=3265 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rebalancing-your-portfolio), CC BY-NC 4.0 I work at Nutmeg and it’s one of the benefits we offer as standard whose importance is least understood. Perhaps this goes a little way to explaining it. It’s essentially about maintaining your risk exposure at the level you originally chose even as markets move and your different assets perform either well or badly. ## Tectonic plate interaction boundaries: Divergent, Convergent, and Transform URL: https://sketchplanations.com/tectonic-plate-interaction-boundaries Published: 2015-05-27T21:01:10+0000 Categories: geography, geology, volcanoes, mountains Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aWpQQwIvOtkhBpxw_SP411-Tectonicplateboundaries-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Tectonic Plate Interaction Boundary Types: Divergent, Convergent, and Transform with examples Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/tectonic-plate-interaction-boundaries), CC BY-NC 4.0 These are the main types of tectonic plate interaction boundaries: Divergent, for example the Mid-Atlantic ridge, the Great Rift Valley Convergent, for example the Andes, the Himalayas) Transform, for example the San Andreas Fault, the Dead Sea Transform). There are some sub-varieties but these are the main ones. It makes natural sense, so there needn't be remembering to do. When you have two contacting plates, they can either be pushing together, pulling apart or rubbing past each other. The idea that the giant continents move around all the time, enough to pull apart South America and Africa, and thrust up the Himalayas, obvious as it may seem now, was once not at all obvious. And if you stand on the ground in a big landscape, it’s kind of amazing to think of just what an amazing notion it was to propose. I read about it in Bill Bryson’s, A Short History of Nearly Everything should you be interested in the characters that had the courage to seriously propose it. I revised the original sketch for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to Tectonic Plate Interaction Boundaries Also see: Types of Dune The 3 Tallest Mountains Settlement Patterns Shapes of Valleys Topography - Bathymetry Rain Shadow Types of Surf Break Point Nemo — the remotest place in the oceans ## Sales aren’t always the bargain they seem URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sales-arent-always-the-bargain-they-seem Published: 2015-05-20T21:01:16+0000 Categories: money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3d14ab9c-33b0-425c-b82e-86c187f5314e_119468602382.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sales-arent-always-the-bargain-they-seem), CC BY-NC 4.0 This could happen to you. HT: Avraham Byers ## Prospect theory URL: https://sketchplanations.com/prospect-theory Published: 2015-05-14T22:01:59+0000 Categories: psychology, behavioral economics, bias, theory, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a91c962d-ad54-4295-b3fb-355c79299068_118976026701.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/prospect-theory), CC BY-NC 4.0 Dan Kahneman and Amos Tversky’s behavioural economics theory modeling how we make decisions. It illustrates, among other things, some of the non-rational decisions we make as we are guided by emotion and heuristics in decisions. The sketch points out a few of the key points: Loss aversion - the different shape of the curves as we make gains or losses (either side of the centre) represents how a loss of £100 annoys us much more than a gain of £100 gives us pleasure. Diminishing sensitivity - the levelling off of the curves represents that we’ll enjoy winning £100, if we only have £100, much more than we’d enjoy winning £100 if we had £900. Adaptation level - We don’t evaluate from some absolute level - we evaluate whether something is good or bad from a neutral reference point that we adapt to. So, by the end of a movie the movie theatre doesn’t feel dark, yet walking out feels blinding. Your reaction to the £100 example above was probably affected by whether you think £100 is a lot of money or a little, which is all to do with your adaptation level. ## Use the Southern Cross to find South (Southern Hemisphere) URL: https://sketchplanations.com/use-the-southern-cross-to-find-south Published: 2015-05-07T07:30:26+0000 Categories: astronomy, geography, hiking, navigation, space Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aHqFJUMqNJQqIHC3_SP407-FindSouthwiththeSouthernCross-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How to find south using the Southern Cross and The Pointers in the Southern hemisphere using the stars and the night sky Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/use-the-southern-cross-to-find-south), CC BY-NC 4.0 Navigating by the stars is both lovely and handy. Unlike the Northern Hemisphere, where you can find Polaris, the North Star, to know which way is north, there's no obvious star that indicates south in the Southern Hemisphere. Instead, you have to use two handy indicators: the Southern Cross—easily spotted, fortunately—and two stars known as The Pointers. Find where these intersect, as in the sketch, and you’ve found due south. Or, if you prefer, you can follow the direction the Southern Cross is pointing for a distance equal to 4.5 times the length of the constellation to arrive at the spot. Incidentally, I wondered about reliable methods of finding south in the Northern Hemisphere and north in the Southern Hemisphere. The simple answer is to find north or south and turn around. Related Ideas to Use the Southern Cross to Find South Find North with the North Star (Northern Hemisphere) Redshift Orbit Looking Back in Time I updated this sketch for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## How to Find the North Star to Find North (Northern Hemisphere) URL: https://sketchplanations.com/find-the-north-star Published: 2015-04-30T12:02:19+0000 Categories: astronomy, space, nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aHqE_0MqNJQqIHC1_SP406-FindtheNorthStar-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How to find the North Star in the northern hemisphere and find north using the stars and the night sky Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/find-the-north-star), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Pole Star or North Star (Polaris) is a navigator’s best friend as it is always due North. To find it, follow the two stars on the end of the cup in the Big Dipper (or the Plough in the UK)—part of the constellation Ursa Major or Great Bear—to the most prominent star. The North Star happens to be the last star in the tail of the Little Dipper—the constellation Ursa Minor or the Little Bear. Handy for a navigation sanity check at night. The North Star is the star that stays fixed in those neat star trail photos in which all the other stars rotate in a circle as the Earth turns. In the Southern hemisphere, you can use the Southern Cross and the Pointers to find South, but it's not quite as simple as in the North. Related Ideas to Use the Southern Cross to Find South Find South with the Southern Cross (Southern Hemisphere) Redshift Orbit Looking Back in Time I updated this sketch for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## Pole star URL: https://sketchplanations.com/pole-star Published: 2015-04-23T19:41:05+0000 Categories: astronomy Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d8fd09b5-5e30-4c55-a21c-408a7e7e0270_117190164996.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/pole-star), CC BY-NC 4.0 Aligned with Earth’s axis of rotation. Appears largely fixed above the poles. The Northern Hemisphere has a Pole Star that will point you North, and the Southern hemisphere’s Pole Star will point you towards South. Handy. Also responsible for some great photography worth checking out. ## POSH: Port Out Starboard Home (apocryphal) URL: https://sketchplanations.com/posh-port-out-starboard-home Published: 2015-04-16T13:26:35+0000 Categories: travel, words, history Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5ea4272e-0637-4217-aff8-6be2f41369da_116553868961.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/posh-port-out-starboard-home), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sadly it turns out that there is not reliable evidence for this derivation of the word POSH, but it’s so nice I’d finished the sketchplanation before I knew it. The story went that if you were travelling by boat from Western Europe to India and the Far East by boat back in the day the rich people naturally took the best cabins. And the best cabins on the way Out, were on the Port side so you got a great view of the coast all the way around Africa. And on the way back on the Starboard site to enjoy the view once more. Et voila POSH as a synonym for rich. After much digging I had to conclude that the story was apocryphal, but it’s nice nonetheless. I apologise for maintaining this rumour. ## Scoville scale: chile heat via capsaicin content URL: https://sketchplanations.com/scoville-scale Published: 2015-04-09T18:20:47+0000 Categories: food and drink, scale, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5907794e-50d9-4e77-b826-4659525db07a_115956438571.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1739%2C1474&w=1200&h=1474 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/scoville-scale), CC BY-NC 4.0 The scale of spicy. ## Heteronym: spell it the same, say it differently URL: https://sketchplanations.com/heteronym Published: 2015-04-02T13:00:58+0000 Categories: words, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e7c3d0e5-a9a1-4256-8540-41ef01df8ec4_115293623198.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Heteronym illustration with the examples: present, windy, read, and close Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/heteronym), CC BY-NC 4.0 For a long time, I’ve kept my ear (and eye) out for heteronyms: words that are written the same but said differently. Homonyms are easy to spot - things like chip (food, processor), or bark (dog, tree) - but heteronyms are sneaky and you don’t notice them as easily. Fiddly things like windy, present, read, or close. It always strikes me they must make English a pain to learn - “what do you mean read can be said as red or reed??! How’m I supposed to know that??” A few other common ones (try to spot both pronunciations, it’s a little like the old out-cube/in-cube Necker illusion): bow, does, dove, import, lead, project, refuse, sow, tear, minute… Also known as a homograph (homo - same, graph - writing) Also see: aptronym, contranym Hat tip to Richard Stevens for his nifty vintage-style heteronym list ## Sleepy foods URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sleepy-foods Published: 2015-03-26T12:01:19+0000 Categories: chemistry, biology, food and drink, sleep, science Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3e47c939-768f-4cb9-bbbf-eb71aaa769b2_114666053486.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sleepy-foods), CC BY-NC 4.0 Turns out a bunch of substances have the power to make you sleepy - tryptophan, vitamin B6, calcium, glycine, lactucarium and carbohydrates are some of the major ones. Some even interact with each other for maximum sleepiness. A few common foods with these compounds in good measure include: turkey, walnuts - tryptophan tuna, pistachios - vitamin B6 dairy - calcium chamomile - glycine lettuce - lactucarium So an evening turkey or tuna, walnut, cheese and lettuce sandwich with a glass of milk and a side of pistachios or walnuts and you’ll be set for a good night. ## Vultures have bald heads to… URL: https://sketchplanations.com/vultures-have-bald-heads-to-regulate-temperature Published: 2015-03-19T12:01:14+0000 Categories: animals, temperature, nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ad03a996-3e49-4c77-ac94-c8434779f2b5_114042053156.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/vultures-have-bald-heads-to-regulate-temperature), CC BY-NC 4.0 …regulate temperature and (maybe) to keep feathers clean while eating. Keeping the feathers clean was my inspiration for this sketchplanation - there’s something about the cold practicality of not messing up your feathers while you’re tucking into some carrion. However, it looks like it is more likely to be for the more prosaic reason of regulating temperature and keeping cool. As Dominic McCafferty, at the University of Glasgow points out: ‘…other groups of scavengers, particularly giant petrels, have feathered heads. Large mammalian scavengers also don’t have bald heads, so why vultures?’ Should you be interested, read more at the University of Glasgow’s Why do vultures have bald heads? ## UK vs US date writing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/uk-vs-us-date-writing Published: 2015-03-12T12:00:49+0000 Categories: words, time Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3c1809b5-dbb0-4188-8420-b898bbe25545_113424191761.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/uk-vs-us-date-writing), CC BY-NC 4.0 It was only relatively recently that I realised that the transposition of day and month that each does, also translates to the written out form. So in the US it’s common to say April 1st, whereas in the UK most would say 1st of April. The most convenient way for most dates on a computer is yyyy-mm-dd however, so they always sort easily. You may have realised this when adding dates to filenames. Though a lot of software uses UNIX time which is, as you would expect, is “defined as the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Thursday, 1 January 1970, not counting leap seconds." So midday on the 12th March this year (or March 12th) at midday is of course 1426161600. ## The importance/urgency matrix URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-importance-urgency-matrix Published: 2015-03-05T09:54:23+0000 Categories: planning, framework, strategy, productivity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/71c61816-d643-40a4-a5a4-49614a7ee781_112776018666.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-importance-urgency-matrix), CC BY-NC 4.0 James Clear (Jamesclear.com) has a host of ways to help make sure you focus on the importants like starting every day with the most important activities, and ruthless focus. I spent a year organising my to-do list in these boxes and it was striking just how long the important not urgents keep getting moved on to the next list. Part of the secret there is to break them down to startable tasks rather than big projects. FWIW I don’t actually recommend the really concrete action of organising the to-do list in the quadrants. More being cognizant of what type each task is. But it may help for a while. This is also known as the Eisenhower Matrix. ## Prices written smaller seem more affordable URL: https://sketchplanations.com/prices-written-smaller-seem-more-affordable Published: 2015-02-26T12:01:24+0000 Categories: bias, psychology, money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/393fcece-03e3-4c80-a92f-fdb5b5539903_112130463979.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Prices written smaller seem more affordable example Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/prices-written-smaller-seem-more-affordable), CC BY-NC 4.0 Unfortunately, there are studies to show that this is generally true, and prices written smaller are seen as more affordable than those written larger. What with decoy prices, anchoring, the age-old susceptibility to 99s and a host of other biases, we’re at the mercy of many factors when it comes to trying to make vaguely rational pricing decisions. For plenty more see William Poundstone’s, Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and how to Take Advantage of It), Scribe, 2010. ## The decoy price URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-decoy-price Published: 2015-02-19T12:01:23+0000 Categories: marketing, bias, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ef65c217-d7f3-41f0-b443-b6dc1e5c20f3_111464586171.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The decoy price Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-decoy-price), CC BY-NC 4.0 The technique of adding a significantly more expensive option in order to instantly make the other options look reasonable by comparison. These kinds of manipulations have been shown to be scarily effective. For example: Pricing decoys are another way retailers get you to part with more money than you planned on. In his book Predictably Irrational, behavioural economist and professor Dan Ariely demonstrates how a large magazine successfully employed a strategy called the “decoy effect” to increase revenue from subscription sales. Prospective subscribers were given three choices: 1.       Web-only subscription for $59 2.       Print-only subscription for $125 3.       Web + print subscription for $125 At first glance, the middle price point appears to be superfluous. Why would anyone buy a print-only subscription for $125 if they could get a web and print for the same price? Ariely tested the price points with MIT students and found that 16% of students chose option 1 and 84% chose option 3; not surprisingly, none chose option 2. Then Ariely did something really interesting; on the assumption that having a decoy price (option 2) was influencing people’s choices, he removed the decoy and retested the price points. This time, the subscription choices were as follows: 1.       Web-only subscription for $59 2.       Web + print subscription for $125 With the decoy removed, the option that had previously been the most popular – the more expensive print + online access subscription – suddenly became the least popular choice. Only 32% of those surveyed chose the more expensive option, with 68% selecting the online-only subscription. Clearly the middle price point wasn’t superfluous; it was smart marketing that made option 3 look more attractive to subscribers. Avraham Byers, Here’s why you should always pay full retail price, Financial Post, April 22nd 2014 ## What’s the difference between mandarins, clementines, satsumas and tangerines? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/whats-the-difference-between-mandarins-clementines-satsumas-and-tangerines Published: 2015-02-12T12:01:41+0000 Categories: food and drink, charts, framework, christmas Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e9b66bdb-8415-453a-a575-cd6d0f838ac3_110806506127.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/whats-the-difference-between-mandarins-clementines-satsumas-and-tangerines), CC BY-NC 4.0 I’ll understand if this hasn’t been a burning question for you. But I’ve always struggled to identify correctly when one is put in front of me. Turns out, after sleuthing, they do have separating characteristics along, colour, the tightness of skin and the amount of seeds. I had to go 3D, but I think this should allow you to identify the next small orangey thing that you eat. For the record: Mandarin Has seeds, loose skin and is orange Clementine Seedless, tight skin and orangey-red in colour Satsuma Seedless, loose skin and orange Tangerine Has seeds, loose skin and is orangey-red PS I promise no more mandarin-related sketchplanations in a hurry ## Origins of mandarins URL: https://sketchplanations.com/origins-of-mandarins Published: 2015-02-06T18:58:28+0000 Categories: food and drink, geography, words, christmas, japan Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fc619405-5229-4284-91a5-fbd51b7bfb34_110271894736.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Origins of mandarins world map: including Tangerine from Tangiers, Morocco, Mandarin from China, Clementine from Oman and Satsuma from Japan Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/origins-of-mandarins), CC BY-NC 4.0 From various sources I have learned that mandarins are the original, from China, and were rather fancy and therefore only suitable for high society, which included mandarins (bureaucrats). Satsumas are a type of mandarin cultivated in the Japanese district of Satsuma. Clementines are named after Father Clément Rodier who may have cultivated the variety himself. And tangerines are so named as being from Tangiers in Morocco, one of the places where mandarins were first imported into Europe. Simple. ## Thoughtless acts URL: https://sketchplanations.com/thoughtless-acts Published: 2015-01-30T09:01:10+0000 Categories: design, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2fbfb073-7d79-4921-b877-83b09746798f_109568870175.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is a Thoughtless Act example of a teabag wrapped around a handle of a mug Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/thoughtless-acts), CC BY-NC 4.0 Thoughtless Acts are ways that we adapt to the world without thinking. Coined by human factors researcher Jane Fulton Suri of IDEO, she gives a ton of examples in her nifty book of the same name. Thoughtless acts, like workarounds, are typically great inspirations for design. Jane gives examples of how people: react respond co-opt exploit adapt conform signal ## Compose with the rule of thirds URL: https://sketchplanations.com/compose-with-the-rule-of-thirds Published: 2015-01-23T16:02:01+0000 Categories: drawing, photography, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9aa4624a-5b5d-43a6-8291-78ba52988218_108924582235.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1765%2C1496&w=1200&h=1496 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/compose-with-the-rule-of-thirds), CC BY-NC 4.0 Basics to consider for your photo and drawing composition. It has a long history. ## Dracula sneeze URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dracula-sneeze Published: 2015-01-17T21:01:03+0000 Categories: advice, health, sneeze, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aa0e7f2b-4415-420d-bc2f-dafe710fae96_108381471438.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Dracula sneeze image: Dracula hooks round his cape to sneeze into his elbow and protect others from the germs of his sneeze Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dracula-sneeze), CC BY-NC 4.0 A Dracula sneeze is sneezing into your sleeve at your elbow rather than sneezing into your hands. The dramatic full Dracula pose is a fun reminder of a more hygienic way to sneeze should you be caught without a tissue. Keeping your hands clean by catching sneezes or coughs in this way helps reduce the chance of spreading cold and flu germs. However, the CDC’s preferred method for coughing and sneezing is to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, throw it in the trash and wash your hands. This sketch, updated and polished, features with a number of others in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures. ## Approach buffets from both sides URL: https://sketchplanations.com/approach-buffets-from-both-sides Published: 2015-01-10T21:01:05+0000 Categories: observation, social engineering Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/247d41fb-432f-4bf8-9283-c46b03eb4fd8_107725512205.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Approach buffets from both sides Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/approach-buffets-from-both-sides), CC BY-NC 4.0 Ever been at a conference or event and had to wait an inordinate amount of time in a queue to get food at a buffet? When a buffet has both sides, I like to take the initiative and approach the buffet from the other side. With people using a buffet from both sides it can almost half the wait for your lunch. As an organiser, I think you have a responsibility to speed up this awkward wait and, when you can, make both sides accessible for serving—for example, making plates available at both ends—and encourage people to use them. It’s amazing to me how often everyone pays for forgetting there are two accessible sides to a buffet. ## Stages of competence framework URL: https://sketchplanations.com/stages-of-competence-framework Published: 2015-01-03T19:30:53+0000 Categories: framework, psychology, learning Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ajVUJo1P9HI4UvuN_SP389-Consciouscompetencelearningmodel-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Conscious competence learning model matrix framework, plotting competence (incompetent to competent) against consciousness (unconscious to conscious), showing the four learning stages: conscious incompetence, conscious competence, unconscious incompetence, and unconscious competence. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/stages-of-competence-framework), CC BY-NC 4.0 The conscious competence learning model is handy to have in mind when you are learning or teaching a skill. We are rarely competent at any new skill at first. If we continue working at it, it's common to eventually have revealed to us just how much we don't know. For example, having learned to swim when I was young, I always considered myself capable. Only much later, when taking a stroke technique class, I realized how much I still had to learn. I've come to regard realizations such as these—a shift to conscious incompetence—as a happy achievement. With effort, time, and a good teacher, we may achieve conscious competence—performing the skill with conscious effort. Only later, after sufficient practice for a skill to become automatic, may we achieve unconscious competence—effortlessly performing the skill without consciously thinking about it. For great teachers, I learned that a final step takes you back to conscious competence. In this stage, you are not just excellent at the skill but also aware of what you do that makes you excellent. This knowledge enables teaching a skill to others and is what, for example, helps make a great tennis player also a great coach. I updated the original of this sketch for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to the Conscious Competence Learning Model Also see: Wooden's 8 Laws of Learning The Upward Spiral Try new things I will study and get ready The Express-Test Cycle The third teacher Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose Goldilocks Tasks The Learning Pit ## Match your energy with the audience URL: https://sketchplanations.com/match-your-energy-with-the-audience Published: 2014-12-27T20:43:27+0000 Categories: social engineering Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5821e4f3-8d1d-4af5-96eb-75a90c199334_106349247896.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/match-your-energy-with-the-audience), CC BY-NC 4.0 A lesson from clown school. Starting out with wild energy on a gloomy audience is not likely to start well. You have to get people there gradually. Also applicable to, well, almost every situation where you want to bring people along. Which is probably rather a lot. I learned it from Jump’s Mark Dawson ## Spoonerisms URL: https://sketchplanations.com/spoonerisms Published: 2014-12-20T21:01:20+0000 Categories: words, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/20ff5835-63f1-4160-9960-b82c06108d40_105719386456.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/spoonerisms), CC BY-NC 4.0 Named after a Reverend remarkably enough. ## The Lake Wobegon Effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-lake-wobegon-effect Published: 2014-12-13T09:00:49+0000 Categories: psychology, bias, effect, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c31632d5-d8f6-4198-ae99-1c17be7faea6_105077817994.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-lake-wobegon-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 Where “all the children are above average.” From the intro by Garrison Keillor to the News from Lake Wobegon on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion. Also known as illusory superiority. From the popular studies where, for example, 80% of people think they are above average drivers, when asked to estimate the % of chores done in the household it adds up to more than 100%, and we overestimate our input to project work and it’s impact on its success. For the best treatment I’ve read, and references, see Thinking Fast and Slow by Dan Kahneman. ## What’s the difference between a dolphin and a porpoise URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dolphin-porpoise Published: 2014-12-06T09:00:30+0000 Categories: whats the difference between, animals, biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3be4bced-a9ed-4b72-b126-1447a35abef4_104480293317.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The difference between a dolphin and a porpoise illustrated Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dolphin-porpoise), CC BY-NC 4.0 What's the difference between a dolphin and a porpoise? It's not always straightforward. It’s not fullproof (there are a few exceptions) but pretty much these’ll do it for you. ## Cognitive overhead URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cognitive-overhead Published: 2014-11-29T07:10:34+0000 Categories: psychology, usability, design, click here Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d4bc0d1d-0b3a-438d-bca8-c28752b6c038_103874767436.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cognitive-overhead), CC BY-NC 4.0 The number of connections that your brain has to make to figure something out. It seems like David Demaree may be the reference for this. ## Bull market, bear market URL: https://sketchplanations.com/bull-market-bear-market Published: 2014-11-22T09:00:45+0000 Categories: money, animals Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a7cba7ae-56e0-43e7-adc2-ff2355873cf4_103270521023.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1774%2C1504&w=1200&h=1504 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/bull-market-bear-market), CC BY-NC 4.0 I could never remember which was which and here is the way to remember it: when bulls attack they swipe up, and when bears attack they swipe down — just like their respective markets. ## A mistake URL: https://sketchplanations.com/mistakes Published: 2014-11-15T09:00:44+0000 Categories: quote Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/33dddd93-0200-46e3-b7e7-a264d615c3fe_102680867220.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/mistakes), CC BY-NC 4.0 A mistake is not something to be determined after the fact, but in the light of information until that point Nassim Taleb ## What’s the difference between a crocodile and an alligator URL: https://sketchplanations.com/crocodile-alligator Published: 2014-11-08T21:01:20+0000 Categories: whats the difference between, animals, nature, biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5c4569d1-6681-47ac-91cf-c6dc697eb78b_102124859821.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1765%2C1496&w=1200&h=1496 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/crocodile-alligator), CC BY-NC 4.0 But perhaps the most obvious difference as someone pointed out to me, is that one will see you later, and the other will see you in a while. Pay attention to the jaw, teeth, habitat and location and you’ll be 99%. Crocodiles—saltwater and freshwater crocodiles—are also in Australia. ## Know your poles URL: https://sketchplanations.com/know-your-poles Published: 2014-11-01T13:00:50+0000 Categories: geography, nature, animals Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d941adde-d30c-4cfe-b694-0ed2902764df_101489855670.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Know your poles: Arctic polar bears, frozen sea, and Antarctic, penguins, frozen land Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/know-your-poles), CC BY-NC 4.0 Ever mix up where you'd find polar bears and penguins? Arctic: Frozen sea ice, polar bears. Antarctic: Frozen land, penguins. Perhaps this will help too: Arktos (ἄρκτος) means bear in Greek. It's part of the name of the Great Bear and Little Bear constellations, which are found in the north. The prefix "ant-", just like "anti-", on Antarctic means opposite the north. ## What’s the difference between a tortoise and a turtle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/tortoise-turtle Published: 2014-10-25T21:01:05+0000 Categories: animals, whats the difference between, nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ef64afc9-f415-4e17-a5ea-619f9ee058c0_100937411868.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How to know the difference between a tortoise and turtle Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/tortoise-turtle), CC BY-NC 4.0 If you remember nothing else, remember that tortoises are on land, and turtles are found swimming. So, unless they do a lot of swimming, perhaps it should really be Teenage Mutant Ninja Tortoises? ## Fartlek URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fartlek Published: 2014-10-18T19:29:26+0000 Categories: sport, running, exercise Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5a299165-3435-4063-915c-33f6bb181881_100342863016.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is Fartlek Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fartlek), CC BY-NC 4.0 Somewhat improbable name for a simple training technique alternating fast and slower sections. Great if you’re short on time. ## Treat your ideas with respect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/treat-your-ideas-with-respect Published: 2014-10-04T21:47:00+0000 Categories: ideas, drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2963dcc1-5600-4ec4-9d62-0150e77c7b9d_99169141401.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1758%2C1490&w=1200&h=1490 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/treat-your-ideas-with-respect), CC BY-NC 4.0 Scribbling on a post-it doesn’t give your ideas they respect they deserve. Change the way you and others consider them by using a simple format that makes people think twice before dismissing and does more to get your idea across. HT: Jump Associates ## In tandem URL: https://sketchplanations.com/in-tandem Published: 2014-09-24T21:40:02+0000 Categories: sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f91e40da-02d1-4ea9-acae-ba76a3f8a1b0_98335806636.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/in-tandem), CC BY-NC 4.0 Means one in front of another, as opposed to side-by-side. It comes from a tandem harness with two horses pulling with one in front of the other. So technically no matter how many people you put on a bike, if they are in a straight line, they are still in tandem. As opposed to a bike where you sit side-by-side, also known as a sociable. I had to check this one out as on Friday I’m doing a somewhat crazy cycle on a home-made 6-man bike (all sitting in tandem) from London to Amsterdam for a great cause - KEEN London who provide one-to-one sports for children with special needs. Any donation you can make will make a huge difference to a small organisation. With just one day left, please donate here if you can ## Figure and ground URL: https://sketchplanations.com/figure-and-ground Published: 2014-09-04T09:00:32+0000 Categories: psychology, illusion Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ee16b0bf-2309-4fa7-88c8-1c19c22d0634_96607832653.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Figure and ground illustration: faces or a candlestick/vase Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/figure-and-ground), CC BY-NC 4.0 How we choose to separate objects from the background. Also see FedEx. Travel is good for resetting our figures and grounds. The classic vase/faces illustration is an example of an ambiguous figure—or sometimes a reversible or bistable figure. ## Mental accounting URL: https://sketchplanations.com/mental-accounting Published: 2014-08-31T09:00:25+0000 Categories: money, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aa4c565f-6448-4f8d-83dd-b9c5dded6283_96248362751.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/mental-accounting), CC BY-NC 4.0 Dividing up money in your head. Nutmeg, where I work, is, among other things, designed to help out with this. PS It’s been a long absence. A new child, moving house and all sorts of fun has happened. I’ll try to keep at it at a more leisurely pace. Thanks again for following. ## Desire path URL: https://sketchplanations.com/desire-path Published: 2014-05-01T22:02:34+0000 Categories: design, architecture, planning, ux, software development, tech Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/65706ef4-c4bf-4326-b647-9c8756e97f69_84459196217.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1758%2C1490&w=1200&h=1490 Image description: Desire path: the difference between design and use illustrated by a person crossing a corner of grass Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/desire-path), CC BY-NC 4.0 Desire paths: created by desire and use. Sometimes I find myself walking on the traces of one as a statement that ‘there ought to be a path here’ - voting with my feet. There’s the classic, perhaps apocryphal, story of the architect who didn’t build any paths on a campus until people had worn them in, showing where the paths should be. The phenomena has found use in technology with the phrase 'pave the cowpaths’. More detail from Dan Lockton: One emergent behaviour-related concept arising from architecture and planning which has also found application in human-computer interaction is the idea of desire lines, desire paths or cowpaths. The usual current use of the term (often attributed, although apparently in error, to Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space (1964)) is to describe paths worn by pedestrians across spaces such as parks, between buildings or to avoid obstacles—“the foot-worn paths that sometimes appear in a landscape over time” (Mathes, 2004) and which become self-reinforcing as subsequent generations of pedestrians follow what becomes an obvious path. Throgmorton & Eckstein (2000) also discuss Chicago transportation engineers’ use of ‘desire lines’ to describe maps of straight-line origin-to-destination journeys across the city, in the process revealing assumptions about the public’s ‘desire’ to undertake these journeys. In either sense, desire lines (along with use-marks (Burns, 2007)) could perhaps, using economic terminology, be seen as a form of revealed user preference (Beshears et al, 2008) or at least revealed choice, with a substantial normative quality. Architecture, urbanism, design and behaviour: a brief review, Dan Lockton, Sep 2011 Or see this very concrete example from UC Berkeley at peterme.com. ## Identify a Douglas fir URL: https://sketchplanations.com/identify-a-douglas-fir Published: 2014-04-29T22:02:32+0000 Categories: nature, trees, eponym, biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3728477c-5a66-45ac-960a-c37886d70993_84260696426.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Identify a douglas fir: showing a douglas fir cone with it's 3 pointed mini-leaves named Dougie, Douglas and Doug Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/identify-a-douglas-fir), CC BY-NC 4.0 How to identify a douglas fir? I find identifying the sometimes subtle differences of tall evergreens rather difficult, but fortunately, that's not the case for the douglas fir. Identifying a douglas fir, a tall, straight and very impressive evergreen conifer is easy with this simple reminder if you find any cones. Normally, the cones are easy to find around the base of a tree. For such a large tree, like the redwood or sequoia, the cones are quite small. Douglas fir cones have many small 3-pointed tongues (or bracts) that emerge from the tight cones. Typically, they are of unequal lengths with the longest in the centre. After it came to mind to name each one Dougie, Douglas, and Doug, in turn, after the length of each point, I haven’t forgotten since and identifying a douglas fir is easy. Mature douglas firs typically have grey, tough and deeply-fissured bark to go with it. The douglas fir, one of my favourite trees, might even have grown above the tallest redwoods living today making the douglas fir one of the tallest known trees. The Douglas fir is named after Scottish botanist David Douglas and is not a true fir tree and so it's sometimes written Douglas-fir. Also see: Ponderosa pine fire protections, nurse log, phoenix trees ## If you live ‘til you’re 90 you will have slept for 32 years URL: https://sketchplanations.com/if-you-live-til-youre-90-you-will-have-slept-for-32-years Published: 2014-04-27T22:02:36+0000 Categories: charts, sleep Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ccd2fc7b-9214-4081-b4dc-32680a7c783f_84062684213.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/if-you-live-til-youre-90-you-will-have-slept-for-32-years), CC BY-NC 4.0 We sleep for around one third of our lives. If you live until you're 90 years old you will have slept for a remarkable 32 years. ## Easily draw expressions URL: https://sketchplanations.com/easily-draw-expressions Published: 2014-04-25T22:02:19+0000 Categories: drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/db05dd1f-2b6f-4ec2-9a00-27b60025ca98_83851753122.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/easily-draw-expressions), CC BY-NC 4.0 Not my invention. Most recently spotted via the excellent Eva-lotta Lamm. ## Watch out for barnacles URL: https://sketchplanations.com/watch-out-for-barnacles Published: 2014-04-23T22:03:00+0000 Categories: productivity, animals, business, biology, product management, products Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f6193e0a-1684-4ba1-af9e-4f1442614804_83655583120.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Watch out for barnacles illustration: One barnacle on the left seems like nothing, but if you have enough of them coating the back of a ship and its propeller then the cost of prevention, drag and removal will cost you Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/watch-out-for-barnacles), CC BY-NC 4.0 More value will likely be found through analogy than the shipping situation. Watch out for barnacles on your project. One by itself is nothing, but enough of them can cost you. ## Sharing your work URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sharing-your-work Published: 2014-04-21T22:02:45+0000 Categories: sharing, motivation, starting, motivation Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1c394290-5f9c-45ed-8cbd-6ffea3bfbd67_83450471103.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The benefits of sharing your work in public showing the risk you take and that it increase quality and provides unexpected benefits Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sharing-your-work), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sharing your work: …is taking a risk. …but it increases quality because your name is attached to it. …and it almost always provides unexpected benefits, because you never know what others will do. I have experienced all of this first hand through this Sketchplanations project. I credit sharing and creating in public, with Sketchplanations eventually becoming the book Big Ideas Little Pictures. Also see: Feedback fear Share by default ## The Plimsoll line URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-plimsoll-line Published: 2014-04-08T23:30:55+0000 Categories: water, oceans, physics, science, engineering, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/523acc20-6c53-418a-bdd1-b71ccd5560ec_82138039497.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: An explanation of the plimsoll line, the international load line, for how high a ship sits in the water Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-plimsoll-line), CC BY-NC 4.0 The International Load Line, formerly called the Plimsoll Line, is an internationally adopted system for ensuring ships aren’t overloaded. Safe loading levels vary depending on the salinity—how salty it is—and the temperature of the water. Also see: Set an anchor Iceberg orientation Anchors and tugboats ## How to make Irish coffee URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-make-irish-coffee Published: 2014-04-07T23:31:01+0000 Categories: food and drink, coffee Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/66c34b0d-377e-463a-9d5e-ea6f5f7419d8_82037377930.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1952%2C3311&w=1200&h=3311 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-make-irish-coffee), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## Thunder clouds URL: https://sketchplanations.com/thunder-clouds Published: 2014-04-06T23:30:57+0000 Categories: weather, physics, science, nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1fadb0d4-1dcb-45a7-8b3b-07facd85bd9e_81935185381.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/thunder-clouds), CC BY-NC 4.0 Thunder clouds are so impressive. Lightning forms due to air currents in the cloud as warm moist air rises up quickly. All the collisions between particles cause different charges to develop between the top and the bottom of the cloud. When that gets large enough, kapow! Also see: thunderclap or rumble, dirty thunderstorms. ## Measures of central tendency: mean, median, mode URL: https://sketchplanations.com/measures-of-central-tendency-mean-median-mode Published: 2014-04-05T23:31:03+0000 Categories: mathematics, statistics, charts Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6ba54e4b-f936-4cf6-bc4e-a889a439c454_81825142840.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/measures-of-central-tendency-mean-median-mode), CC BY-NC 4.0 Very easy to forget the difference between the mean, the median and the mode. Mean: the average value. Median: the middle value of a list in ranked order. Mode: The most frequent value. ## Darwin’s 5 principles of Natural Selection URL: https://sketchplanations.com/darwins-5-principles-of-natural-selection Published: 2014-04-04T23:31:11+0000 Categories: science, biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/15ca88db-7171-4089-9e82-b4a74cbc7ca5_81722763064.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Darwin's 5 principles of natural selection: Reproduction, Excess, Variation, Selection, Divergence, illustrated in a tree of variation of children Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/darwins-5-principles-of-natural-selection), CC BY-NC 4.0 Reproduction. Excess. Variation. Selection. Divergence. ## The 3 Main Types of Surf Breaks Explained URL: https://sketchplanations.com/surfing-breaks Published: 2014-04-03T23:33:19+0000 Categories: sport, nature, waves, beach, geography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z4j_kpbqstJ99hwj_SP360-Surfingbreaks-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The different types of surfing breaks: beach break, reef break, and point break Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/surfing-breaks), CC BY-NC 4.0 Surfing is all about catching the perfect wave, and the type of surf break plays a big role in shaping those waves. Surf breaks are influenced by the seabed, coastline, and water depth. While no two waves are the same, surf breaks can generally be grouped into three main types: beach breaks, reef breaks, and point breaks. The 3 Types of Surfing Break 1. Beach Breaks Beach breaks occur where waves form over sandy bottoms near the shore. These are often the go-to for beginner surfers because the sand offers a softer, more forgiving landing compared to reefs or rocks. Another advantage is that you usually don’t have to paddle far to catch waves at a beach break. However, the wave conditions can vary frequently as shifting sands reshape the underwater landscape. 2. Reef Breaks Reef breaks are formed where waves break over a coral reef or rocky seabed. These can be located close to shore or further out at sea, depending on the reef’s position. Reef breaks are known for producing highly consistent and well-shaped waves, making them a favourite among experienced surfers. But be warned—wipeouts can be dangerous due to the shallow and sharp nature of the reef. 3. Point Breaks Point breaks form when waves wrap around a headland or rocky outcrop and peel along the coast. These breaks can create some of the longest, most rideable waves, often extending into a sheltered bay. The downside? Navigating rocks can be tricky, and the waves might require a bit more paddling effort. For surfers chasing long, clean rides, though, point breaks are hard to beat. I updated this sketch from the original hand-drawn version for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to Surfing Breaks Also see: The Fun Scale The Three-Day Effect Beaches: amazing for play Strand line Anatomy of a wave Tectonic Plate Interaction Boundaries ## Learn kind words first in new countries URL: https://sketchplanations.com/learn-kind-words-first Published: 2014-04-02T23:31:08+0000 Categories: kindness, travel, language, words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/066dc63f-720d-434a-95fc-bfdb0a947f27_81531693526.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Learn kind words first in new countries: a backpacker says nice things to a local seller with a cart, no doubt gets smiles in return Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/learn-kind-words-first), CC BY-NC 4.0 Learning and using kind words first when traveling will take you further than others. Before I enter a country with a new language, I write a list of these words and find out how to say them. It has served me well. Also, see be nice to tourists. ## Try a mindmap travel journal URL: https://sketchplanations.com/try-a-mindmap-travel-journal Published: 2014-04-01T23:31:00+0000 Categories: drawing, writing, travel, sketching, thinking tool Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c9b5790a-e30b-4dd6-8f03-bdb024f6221b_81433703063.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Try a mindmap travel journal Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/try-a-mindmap-travel-journal), CC BY-NC 4.0 One of the best things we did when on a significant traveling trip was to make our journal as a mindmap. There are all sorts of reasons why we found it better and more enjoyable to do at the time and better and more enjoyable once returned. Get a better idea than this sketchplanation by flicking through our mindmap travel journal (it gets better as we got better at it). ## Cafe consumption rates URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cafe-consumption-rates Published: 2014-03-31T23:31:25+0000 Categories: observation, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bbbc3dd9-5632-4fec-82d8-2ec9c059ddb5_81335481099.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cafe-consumption-rates), CC BY-NC 4.0 Vary significantly depending on context and can tend to zero if you really have a lot of stuff to get through. ## De-seed pomegranates in a bowl of water URL: https://sketchplanations.com/de-seed-pomegranates-in-a-bowl-of-water Published: 2014-03-30T23:31:12+0000 Categories: food and drink, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8410750a-5b63-4726-b0c4-343a91037683_81234325239.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/de-seed-pomegranates-in-a-bowl-of-water), CC BY-NC 4.0 The fluff floats to the top and the seeds will sink to the bottom. And no squirting. HT Alex Maiereanu ## Cuts of beef URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cuts-of-beef Published: 2014-03-29T23:30:57+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6e6eedd0-0117-42f1-baec-2e86ad380cb5_81127752772.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cuts-of-beef), CC BY-NC 4.0 A visual map. Educational. ## The Firehouse Effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-firehouse-effect Published: 2014-03-28T23:31:05+0000 Categories: psychology, effect Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/825b78cc-682d-4557-807a-b6464f887057_81024117141.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-firehouse-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 When cliques, of people, with a lot of time to chat, start to believe in things that would seem crazy to the wider population. So named after an observation of firemen who would spend a lot of time talking between fires. My intro to this was from Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. ## Euphemisms for losing money URL: https://sketchplanations.com/euphemisms-for-losing-money Published: 2014-03-27T23:30:59+0000 Categories: money, words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6e1957e8-023c-46cb-a044-a014f32efb87_80928004043.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/euphemisms-for-losing-money), CC BY-NC 4.0 Turns out there are a lot of ways not to say the market is down and your investments have lost value. Try also: quieter or choppy. ## Progressive enhancement URL: https://sketchplanations.com/progressive-enhancement Published: 2014-03-26T23:30:50+0000 Categories: design, ui, ux Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/422578b9-2c02-41f8-9278-8215305fc9e7_80829524020.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/progressive-enhancement), CC BY-NC 4.0 A shift in the way we develop for digital devices. The mantra used to be ‘graceful degradation’ - design for what you expect people to use, then let your application gracefully degrade for older browsers, and smaller screens. Generally speaking the richest application, and the first to design for, was on the desktop. A more recent approach is mobile first. Start with core content, design for the smallest screens and least capable browsers, then progressively enhance the experience onto larger more capable devices, browsers and screens. My intro from Mobile First by Luke Wroblewski. ## Use of the car horn URL: https://sketchplanations.com/use-of-the-car-horn Published: 2014-03-25T23:31:00+0000 Categories: infographics, charts, observation, design, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a7b57ed7-7639-42e1-9ec0-902713981002_80728663529.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Use of the car horn chart showing the uses in decreasing order of "Idiot!", "It's green!", "I'm outside!", and, lastly, the intended "Watch out!" Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/use-of-the-car-horn), CC BY-NC 4.0 I often find myself reflecting on what ought to be an improvement to the caveman-esque communication method, which is the car horn. My theory generally goes that the vast majority of use of a car horn, in the UK at least, is not for its intended of use of signalling to others to watch out. Instead it probably has most use in telling people they're idiots, perhaps for pulling out in front of you. Next, letting the person in front know that the light has turned green, followed by letting your friends know you're waiting outside or just leaving. And, lastly, to let people know to watch out. But it’s harder than it seems, I'd guess, to make something that supports helpful behaviour provides safety and avoids lawsuits. Surely can’t be that hard though… ## Less and Fewer URL: https://sketchplanations.com/less-and-fewer Published: 2014-03-24T23:30:39+0000 Categories: words, grammar Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ff5c036b-fca3-4ad3-b337-d656afecbe4e_80627780137.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Less and fewer illustration showing when to use each. Less is measured by mass eg less sugar and fewer is countable eg fewer sugar cubes. Nouns for less don't go plural eg less furniture vs fewer eg fewer chairs Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/less-and-fewer), CC BY-NC 4.0 Two properties distinguish when to use less and fewer in English. Use less if it's measured by mass, for example, less sugar, and fewer if the nouns are countable, for example, fewer sugar cubes. Use less if the nouns don't go plural, for example, less furniture, and fewer if the nouns pluralise ok, for example, fewer chairs. Hopefully, this will help clear up any confusion. Also see: Affect Effect; stationary stationery; Compliment complement, the pedants are revolting (reddit) ## Always accept a mint when offered URL: https://sketchplanations.com/always-accept-a-mint-when-offered Published: 2014-03-24T22:24:56+0000 Categories: advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f79b79aa-e2d3-4d01-a194-d979f21c89a4_80621579194.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/always-accept-a-mint-when-offered), CC BY-NC 4.0 They could be trying politely to tell you something. ## Mobile is snorkelling. Desktop is diving URL: https://sketchplanations.com/mobile-is-snorkelling-desktop-is-diving Published: 2014-03-23T23:31:08+0000 Categories: metaphor, ux, ui, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f15af6df-a884-441f-a2fe-909cf4278e28_80525301819.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/mobile-is-snorkelling-desktop-is-diving), CC BY-NC 4.0 Metaphors for interface design from Rachel Hinman via Mobile First. ## Sink a strawpedo URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sink-a-strawpedo Published: 2014-03-22T23:31:01+0000 Categories: food and drink, physics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b8fcb380-e09e-487a-8005-cd65d031fafe_80412424478.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Sink a strawpedo Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sink-a-strawpedo), CC BY-NC 4.0 Technique for draining a bottle quickly. Binge responsibly. Also see: Give air a pathway Statue of Liberty sambuca Make a cork pourer ## Best travel choices in London URL: https://sketchplanations.com/best-travel-choices-in-london Published: 2014-03-21T23:30:37+0000 Categories: framework, transport, travel, london, data Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/369c3287-f8ab-459b-a42a-38448f131722_80309191354.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/best-travel-choices-in-london), CC BY-NC 4.0 Debated with Harvey balls. It depends. ## Cooking at altitude URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cooking-at-altitude Published: 2014-03-20T23:31:02+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/132ffa45-9b94-4fdf-b61f-b2e653d46911_80213623152.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cooking-at-altitude), CC BY-NC 4.0 Boiling point of water vs altitude in ft. ## The one-hoss shay URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-one-hoss-shay Published: 2014-03-19T23:31:27+0000 Categories: design, poem Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/07889e1c-2617-4848-81ae-2e7850b41ed8_80117003391.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-one-hoss-shay), CC BY-NC 4.0 Refers to a poem about a cart that worked perfectly for years and then collapses without warning. Useful parallels in engineering and design. For example, torch lights would generally benefit from being more like the one-hoss shay. A bike light gets progressively worse as the batteries get weak, and cycling gets increasingly dangerous until you decide you can’t take it any more. Much better to have a light that stayed full power, then warned you before it died. HT: Lee Cowles Here’s the full poem: The Deacon’s Masterpiece   Have you heard of the wonderful one-hoss shay, That was built in such a logical way It ran a hundred years to a day, And then, of a sudden, it — ah, but stay, I’ll tell you what happened without delay, Scaring the parson into fits, Frightening people out of their wits, — Have you ever heard of that, I say? Seventeen hundred and fifty-five. Georgius Secundus was then alive, — Snuffy old drone from the German hive. That was the year when Lisbon-town Saw the earth open and gulp her down, And Braddock’s army was done so brown, Left without a scalp to its crown. It was on the terrible Earthquake-day That the Deacon finished the one-hoss shay.   Now in building of chaises, I tell you what, There is always somewhere a weakest spot, — In hub, tire, felloe, in spring or thill, In panel, or crossbar, or floor, or sill, In screw, bolt, thoroughbrace, — lurking still, Find it somewhere you must and will, — Above or below, or within or without, — And that’s the reason, beyond a doubt, A chaise breaks down, but doesn’t wear out.   But the Deacon swore (as Deacons do, With an “I dew vum,” or an “I tell yeou”) He would build one shay to beat the taown ‘N’ the keounty 'n’ all the kentry raoun’; It should be so built that it couldn’ break daown: “Fur,” said the Deacon, “’t’s mighty plain Thut the weakes’ place mus’ stan’ the strain; 'N’ the way t’ fix it, uz I maintain,         Is only jest T’ make that place uz strong uz the rest.”   So the Deacon inquired of the village folk Where he could find the strongest oak, That couldn’t be split nor bent nor broke, — That was for spokes and floor and sills; He sent for lancewood to make the thills; The crossbars were ash, from the straightest trees, The panels of white-wood, that cuts like cheese, But lasts like iron for things like these; The hubs of logs from the “Settler’s ellum,” — Last of its timber, — they couldn’t sell 'em, Never an axe had seen their chips, And the wedges flew from between their lips, Their blunt ends frizzled like celery-tips; Step and prop-iron, bolt and screw, Spring, tire, axle, and linchpin too, Steel of the finest, bright and blue; Thoroughbrace bison-skin, thick and wide; Boot, top, dasher, from tough old hide Found in the pit when the tanner died. That was the way he “put her through.” “There!” said the Deacon, “naow she’ll dew!”   Do! I tell you, I rather guess She was a wonder, and nothing less! Colts grew horses, beards turned gray, Deacon and deaconess dropped away, Children and grandchildren — where were they? But there stood the stout old one-hoss shay As fresh as on Lisbon-earthquake-day!   EIGHTEEN HUNDRED; — it came and found The Deacon’s masterpiece strong and sound. Eighteen hundred increased by ten; — “Hahnsum kerridge” they called it then. Eighteen hundred and twenty came; — Running as usual; much the same. Thirty and forty at last arrive, And then come fifty, and FIFTY-FIVE.   Little of all we value here Wakes on the morn of its hundreth year Without both feeling and looking queer. In fact, there’s nothing that keeps its youth, So far as I know, but a tree and truth. (This is a moral that runs at large; Take it. — You’re welcome. — No extra charge.)   FIRST OF NOVEMBER, — the Earthquake-day, — There are traces of age in the one-hoss shay, A general flavor of mild decay, But nothing local, as one may say. There couldn’t be, — for the Deacon’s art Had made it so like in every part That there wasn’t a chance for one to start. For the wheels were just as strong as the thills, And the floor was just as strong as the sills, And the panels just as strong as the floor, And the whipple-tree neither less nor more, And the back crossbar as strong as the fore, And spring and axle and hub encore. And yet, as a whole, it is past a doubt In another hour it will be worn out!   First of November, 'Fifty-five! This morning the parson takes a drive. Now, small boys, get out of the way! Here comes the wonderful one-hoss shay, Drawn by a rat-tailed, ewe-necked bay. “Huddup!” said the parson. — Off went they. The parson was working his Sunday’s text, — Had got to fifthly, and stopped perplexed At what the — Moses — was coming next. All at once the horse stood still, Close by the meet'n’-house on the hill. First a shiver, and then a thrill, Then something decidedly like a spill, — And the parson was sitting upon a rock, At half past nine by the meet'n-house clock, — Just the hour of the Earthquake shock! What do you think the parson found, When he got up and stared around? The poor old chaise in a heap or mound, As if it had been to the mill and ground! You see, of course, if you’re not a dunce, How it went to pieces all at once, — All at once, and nothing first, — Just as bubbles do when they burst.   End of the wonderful one-hoss shay. Logic is logic. That’s all I say.   — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. 1858 ## Use serrated knives for foods with a hard outside and soft inside URL: https://sketchplanations.com/use-serrated-knives-for-foods-with-a-hard-outside-and-soft-inside Published: 2014-03-18T23:30:53+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a9d2b23f-49d9-41e3-bcb5-8a120de24001_80018867366.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/use-serrated-knives-for-foods-with-a-hard-outside-and-soft-inside), CC BY-NC 4.0 Seems so simple now, but I swear I was in my 20s before I figured this out. ## Smart little people URL: https://sketchplanations.com/smart-little-people Published: 2014-03-17T23:30:54+0000 Categories: problem solving, ideas, triz, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/272cac1d-1cdf-47cd-b4d0-34dcfcb2dcbb_79920729926.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Smart Little People problem-solving method from TRIZ: someone wonders how little people would solve a technical problem of fixing a leak Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/smart-little-people), CC BY-NC 4.0 I love the Smart Little People problem-solving tool from TRIZ that invites you to compose your problem of smart little people and ask, “What would they do?” Smart Little People is one of a suite of psychological inertia tools for unblocking your thinking and giving you new ways to look at solving a problem. In the sketch, I was trying to illustrate how they might find a solution to a cut with what is effectively a clot. ## Only quote quotes URL: https://sketchplanations.com/only-quote-quotes Published: 2014-03-16T23:30:43+0000 Categories: writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/93bde726-65ad-4699-acc9-886424277ef6_79818535353.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/only-quote-quotes), CC BY-NC 4.0 And, ideally, only exclaim exclamations. Woah! ## Core components of risk URL: https://sketchplanations.com/core-components-of-risk Published: 2014-03-15T23:30:00+0000 Categories: money, risk, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/71091bf9-c25d-4c10-88b9-e382fefbd681_79706407375.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/core-components-of-risk), CC BY-NC 4.0 Your preference for risk - a psychological measure that changes slowly throughout our lifetime except for sudden shifts with big life events (eg losing a family member, having a baby). Your capacity for loss - a situational factor that depends on your circumstances and, say, the context of the money you are taking a risk with. For example, if money is an unexpected bonus or gift, then you probably have a greater capacity for its loss, than if you earned it. Both aspects are important. For example, some people are naturally daredevils on the ski-slopes, but even they may slow down a little when they have a family depending on them. ## Travel and new foods URL: https://sketchplanations.com/travel-and-new-foods Published: 2014-03-14T23:31:09+0000 Categories: observation, charts, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9d920bbb-05d0-4603-8d09-6d6241d188c6_79603172723.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/travel-and-new-foods), CC BY-NC 4.0 A pattern I have observed. ## Think cradle to cradle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cradle-to-cradle Published: 2014-03-13T23:31:01+0000 Categories: design, sustainability Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ef3859f4-daea-417b-8fd2-4d1735c18f34_79507636455.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Cradle to Cradle or circular economy sketch. Production has to be a loop. Known often as the circular economy. Sketch of a loop/production loop Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cradle-to-cradle), CC BY-NC 4.0 Production and use need not be a straight line. It has to be a loop. Often known as the circular economy. Related Ideas to Cradle to Cradle There is no "away" From Michael Braungart and William McDonough’s groundbreaking book Cradle to Cradle (you should buy it just to feel the book itself). ## Think through the whole object URL: https://sketchplanations.com/think-through-the-whole-object Published: 2014-03-12T23:30:44+0000 Categories: drawing, sketching Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5f50eeeb-1584-4313-8fe9-1745b4e20bd2_79410604029.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Drawings of a mug and bowl showing the difference of allowing for the thickness of the edge Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/think-through-the-whole-object), CC BY-NC 4.0 The little things like these make all the difference. Comic artists can only draw realistic bulging muscles because they know what muscles are actually where. Thinking through an object carefully, not superficially, makes a huge difference in being able to represent it well. ## How to load a dishwasher well URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-load-a-dishwasher-well Published: 2014-03-11T23:31:07+0000 Categories: kitchen, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/96143768-3dbb-41ac-acf6-a034fcaefd54_79311814328.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-load-a-dishwasher-well), CC BY-NC 4.0 Not everyone has the same ideas about dishwashers, particularly ones you might share at work. ## Hedgehog a mango URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hedgehog-a-mango Published: 2014-03-10T23:30:49+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bcb2064e-2be2-4d40-898c-d9e8a66520ca_79214083329.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hedgehog-a-mango), CC BY-NC 4.0 The most fun and satisfying way to prepare a mango. If you haven’t already, try it. ## Get more participation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/get-more-participation Published: 2014-03-09T23:31:31+0000 Categories: learning, teaching, facilitation, questions Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/92497b6c-05a6-4ed8-9773-572a3a550fa3_79113336372.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: A teacher gets more participation and minds whirring by asking "What else?" instead of "Anything else?" Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/get-more-participation), CC BY-NC 4.0 Instead of ‘Anything else?’ ask 'What else?’. The slight shift in frame makes all the difference. ## Yesterday’s weather URL: https://sketchplanations.com/yesterdays-weather Published: 2014-03-08T23:30:00+0000 Categories: software development, advice, weather, product management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/79a840d4-3cf3-4d82-b408-1b783d39d108_79001008517.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/yesterdays-weather), CC BY-NC 4.0 I learned about this nice principle from agile software development. Basically, that when thinking about how much you’ll get done next week, what you got done this week is a good proxy. Sure this week was different because you had that external presentation and an offsite, a bug to fix on live and Amy was sick. But the reality is things will interrupt you next week too. Just like the weather, what happened before is a good first guess at what will happen next. ## Classical columns: doric, ionic, and corinthian URL: https://sketchplanations.com/classical-columns Published: 2014-03-07T23:31:00+0000 Categories: architecture, history Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b8c5823e-eb2c-4814-9c84-0abb2819e8c8_78895791742.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/classical-columns), CC BY-NC 4.0 Always good to share with friends and family your knowledge of doric columns, ionic columns or corinthian style classical columns when you spot them in the wild. ## Mapping URL: https://sketchplanations.com/mapping Published: 2014-03-06T23:30:00+0000 Categories: design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/07b55cb0-19bf-464d-9236-6bbe54527218_78796834168.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Mapping illustration: Don Norman's famous example of the controls for a stovetop Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/mapping), CC BY-NC 4.0 The standard reference for this is The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman where he discusses stovetops and their controls in some detail(!). In this case it should be clear, unlike for our stove, which burner each control controls. Same goes for light switches. Same goes, as much as possible, for controls in a nuclear power plant. ## Survivorship bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/survivorship-bias Published: 2014-03-05T23:31:50+0000 Categories: tech, bias, psychology, money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c24b9624-d973-4bf4-9c29-b248005ab56e_78697608699.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Survivorship Bias illustration: two onlookers enjoy the long-lasting, successful design of the fun, iconic Volkswagen Beetle car. One says to the other "They don't make them like they used to" - ignoring the fact that the product they see is undoubtedly the result of many failed prototype designs. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/survivorship-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 We usually only see the winners. The losers tend to disappear from the record. Which is why all the fund managers in the papers seem to be giving great returns, or starting the next Whatsapp or Instagram seems like such a sure fire way to get rich. We don’t see all the funds, apps and entrepreneurs who never made it. ## Draw what you see, not what you think URL: https://sketchplanations.com/draw-what-you-see-not-what-you-think Published: 2014-03-04T23:31:00+0000 Categories: drawing, sketching, perspective Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4514f0d4-5873-4685-a7e2-5648c7e29a11_78596080110.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/draw-what-you-see-not-what-you-think), CC BY-NC 4.0 It’s very easy to draw what we think something looks like, rather than what we’re actually seeing. One of the things art classes teach you is to measure what you’re seeing to not let your eyes be fooled by your common sense. An art teacher in a class at Berkeley once, memorably, sat on the classroom floor to illustrate foreshortening like I’ve shown here. It has stuck with me. ## London running kit URL: https://sketchplanations.com/london-running-kit Published: 2014-03-03T23:31:14+0000 Categories: sport, exercise, running, health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5e335d22-2ecc-4dde-982e-a8be4ea3ba18_78492318323.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/london-running-kit), CC BY-NC 4.0 This lot will have you set: house key, Boris bike key, Oyster card, Credit card, a fiver, and a phone for maps and photos. Now you can go anywhere. ## Open bananas like a monkey URL: https://sketchplanations.com/open-bananas-like-a-monkey Published: 2014-03-02T23:31:25+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d12466c0-ffa6-45f0-853b-ced478f74411_78379466113.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1758%2C1490&w=1200&h=1490 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/open-bananas-like-a-monkey), CC BY-NC 4.0 How the pros do it. ## Three-point perspective URL: https://sketchplanations.com/three-point-perspective Published: 2014-03-01T23:31:00+0000 Categories: drawing, sketching, perspective Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c753d174-1d55-4a34-9edf-8b13a7194484_78263678758.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Three-point perspective illustration: showing three vanishing points and the angling of tall downtown buildings Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/three-point-perspective), CC BY-NC 4.0 In two-point perspective, we draw our vertical lines, vertical. In three-point perspective, our vertical lines are at an angle, converging on our third vanishing point above or below. The simplest way to experience third-point perspective is to stand at the corner of a tall building like a church tower and look up. Not only will the sides of the church converge to vanishing points to either side, but the parallel vertical lines of the tower will appear to converge at some point high in the sky—our third vanishing point. Three-point perspective makes for a more realistic scene but only becomes apparent when there's enough vertical relief, either up to the sky or below, in what we're viewing. As a result, we most commonly see it in views of downtown skyscrapers, perhaps with a caped or swinging superhero. Also see: One-point perspective Two-point perspective ## Two-point perspective URL: https://sketchplanations.com/two-point-perspective Published: 2014-02-28T23:31:10+0000 Categories: drawing, sketching, perspective Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1a96571b-31dd-4c15-b13a-e6bc4c9f2a19_78156152172.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Two-point perspective Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/two-point-perspective), CC BY-NC 4.0 Two-point perspective has lines that converge to two points on a horizon. Also see: One-point perspective Three-point perspective ## One-point perspective URL: https://sketchplanations.com/one-point-perspective Published: 2014-02-27T23:31:17+0000 Categories: drawing, sketching, perspective Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/969ea18f-5736-48ca-a3fb-6f15f7c46a84_78056259988.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: One-point perspective illustration: from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/one-point-perspective), CC BY-NC 4.0 Perspective can be tricky to get your head around. In drawing and art, using perspective creates the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface. The simplest form to understand is one-point perspective. You will have experienced one-point perspective when standing in a corridor or looking down the center of a street. If you continue the parallel lines of the walls and ground toward the center, they would appear to converge at a central point in front of you at eye level, known as the vanishing point. When real-life features are parallel like this, you can use a central vanishing point as a guide to help capture the scene accurately. The simplicity of one-point perspective makes it impactful. Leonardo Da Vinci, a personal hero of mine, famously employed one-point perspective in his painting of the Last Supper in the Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery in Milan. The vanishing point, carefully placed behind Jesus' head, draws the viewer's attention to the main subject of the scene. Turns out Kubrick is pretty handy at one-point perspective. ## The Stroop test URL: https://sketchplanations.com/stroop-test Published: 2014-02-26T23:31:14+0000 Categories: psychology, testing, colour, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/580d2e53-62e4-454a-94f0-0283f3bd8e12_77955695292.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/stroop-test), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Stroop test is one of my favourite psychological tests. Definitely worth taking 2 mins right now to give it a go. Time yourself to say the colour of the word (not what the word says) for the first set. Then repeat for the second. Observe interference at work. ## Circular breathing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/circular-breathing Published: 2014-02-25T23:31:28+0000 Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fcd2d572-50ed-4dd4-b357-765f78396936_77854317490.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/circular-breathing), CC BY-NC 4.0 Hard. ## Debt’s vicious cycle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/debts-vicious-cycle Published: 2014-02-24T23:31:22+0000 Categories: money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9bd5e8ea-5f37-4afe-9dc8-bec610411d52_77752098636.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Debt's vicious cycle illustration: A flow diagram of a vicious cycle starting with needing cash, to taking a loan and then hitting a cycle of paying interest, lower cashflow, needing cash, increasing loan and so on. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/debts-vicious-cycle), CC BY-NC 4.0 Debt's vicious cyle—a flow chart that illustrates how those in need, who needed to borrow, can be hamstrung by the interest they need to pay back, giving them less money to work with, needing more cash, increasing the loan, paying more interest and on. The reverse scenario is the positive cycle of "the rich get richer" or "money begets money." Hat tip: Avraham Byers. ## Rule 1 of indoor games: Play until something gets broken URL: https://sketchplanations.com/play-until-something-gets-broken Published: 2014-02-23T23:31:25+0000 Categories: games, observation, sport, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ba6d113d-7d86-4bf5-916e-1a9c7f814892_77647201112.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Rule number 1 of indoor games: Play until something gets broken Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/play-until-something-gets-broken), CC BY-NC 4.0 I'm not advocating it. It just seems to always be the case. We discussed this fun rule in the podcast. Have a listen. ## Watch for the lie factor URL: https://sketchplanations.com/watch-for-the-lie-factor Published: 2014-02-22T23:31:27+0000 Categories: data, design, charts, infographics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c37674e1-b799-4383-a251-4db3ad350a9b_77530634099.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1923%2C3261&w=1200&h=3261 Image description: The lie factor in data charts and graphics Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/watch-for-the-lie-factor), CC BY-NC 4.0 Data graphics can lie in many ways, but the most common, I expect, is the error of using area or volume objects to represent one-dimensional data. More data visualisation principles from Edward Tufte. Also, see Maximise data ink ## Six thinking hats URL: https://sketchplanations.com/six-thinking-hats Published: 2014-02-21T23:31:29+0000 Categories: thinking, framework, thinking tool, design, problem solving, creativity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d562992b-d29a-4fe3-8986-385bfd89da66_77427840367.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1954%2C3314&w=1200&h=3314 Image description: Edward De Bono's Six thinking hats framework with the 6 thinking hats: White, Red, Black, Yellow, Green and Blue Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/six-thinking-hats), CC BY-NC 4.0 The classic 6 Thinking Hats framework from Edward De Bono. Though I’m yet to be in a meeting where everyone’s familiar enough with it that it wouldn’t sound a bit strange to propose it. Ah well. Also see: Build Your Own Panel of Advisors Lateral thinking series - part 1 Things get more complex before they get simple ## The Betty Crocker Effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-betty-crocker-effect Published: 2014-02-20T23:31:14+0000 Categories: psychology, design, products, food and drink, effect, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d37ba45a-065e-4f7f-b7dc-8aefdf5a8ca6_77326146743.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is the Betty Crocker effect explained with an illustration about adding an egg Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-betty-crocker-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Betty Crocker effect refers to how, in the world of instant cake mixes, when something is too easy, it reduces the value. The legend goes that instant cake mixture that just needed water didn't sell nearly as well as when you needed to add an egg. Adding the egg yourself gives investment in the process of making the cake, so we appreciate it more, and the extra effort demonstrates the act of love that is baking a cake. Rather similar is the IKEA effect. As is so often the case, Dan Ariely explains it well. 20mins well spent watching Dan Ariely's TED talk What makes us feel good about our work?. You can jump straight to it around 12mins 50s. ## Sneaky casinos URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sneaky-casinos Published: 2014-02-19T23:31:27+0000 Categories: psychology, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/93a1335c-bd25-4094-ad19-5e066b1a0a99_77223850203.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sneaky-casinos), CC BY-NC 4.0 Of course they’re just businesses like any others.  ## Improve your front crawl URL: https://sketchplanations.com/improve-your-front-crawl Published: 2014-02-18T23:31:24+0000 Categories: swimming, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8b6c68d6-7d54-45a9-b794-c040783ed4d8_77119500515.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Improve your front crawl Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/improve-your-front-crawl), CC BY-NC 4.0 Unfortunately, a site I really respect, Swim Smooth, recommends avoiding glide, though I do think that a good 80% of the swimmers I see could do with extending the reach of and calming down their front crawl stroke at least some. Bottom line: not too much glide and avoid dead spots. Swimming is awesome. It seems so simple, but there’s always so much to learn.  (disclosure: I’m surely an overglider) Also see: Rotate your elbow, not your hand Swimrun ## Understanding the Chasm URL: https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-the-chasm Published: 2014-02-17T23:31:41+0000 Categories: business, strategy, innovation, tech, technology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4d430906-63f6-4484-a864-b90108cf76d2_77012640423.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-the-chasm), CC BY-NC 4.0 Cheat sheet for Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore ## Cut out some fluff URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cut-out-some-fluff Published: 2014-02-16T23:31:10+0000 Categories: design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/42c40f85-dc42-4f22-b7eb-1829b8f6d6f2_76900209407.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1930%2C3273&w=1200&h=3273 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cut-out-some-fluff), CC BY-NC 4.0 And spend more time and attention on ‘the point’. ## Sneaky cognitive biases: hindsight bias, loss aversion, recency bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sneaky-cognitive-biases-hindsight-bias-loss-aversion-recency-bias Published: 2014-02-15T23:31:41+0000 Categories: bias, psychology, money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/82257b0f-ac71-43fe-aa19-aa871fc45d57_76785606400.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sneaky-cognitive-biases-hindsight-bias-loss-aversion-recency-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 Hindsight bias, Loss aversion and Recency bias. Parents in particular frustratingly seem to suffer from hindsight bias where everything becomes blindingly obvious as soon as a child has dropped the glass/fallen over/bumped into someone. Though ‘careful’ is not so useful after the fact. ## Design for a Glance, a Look and a Read URL: https://sketchplanations.com/design-for-a-glance-a-look-and-a-read Published: 2014-02-14T23:31:23+0000 Categories: design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/38e7197e-b7e9-4e32-a65e-812b8f6e64b3_76679696367.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/design-for-a-glance-a-look-and-a-read), CC BY-NC 4.0 You can design almost any information with this in mind (even an email for example). Probably not ideal for a novel, but if you’re competing for attention, as most things are, it’s not bad to keep in mind. ## Chindogu: unuseless inventions URL: https://sketchplanations.com/chindogu-unuseless-inventions Published: 2014-02-14T12:30:00+0000 Categories: invention, ideas, design, products, japan Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/024aac5f-d193-4fce-a887-e058c58bd85f_SP+307+-+Chindogu+unuseless+inventions.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1937%2C3285&w=1200&h=3285 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/chindogu-unuseless-inventions), CC BY-NC 4.0 Unuseless inventions. Invented by the Japanese. Worth a quick chindogu search. ## Anchoring URL: https://sketchplanations.com/anchoring Published: 2014-02-12T23:31:01+0000 Categories: bias, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a06a5fd1-cd59-4fdc-b9ef-e40708548d3f_76474796508.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1945%2C3299&w=1200&h=3299 Image description: The Anchoring bias Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/anchoring), CC BY-NC 4.0 Hard to avoid and easy to manipulate. ## How long to nap URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-long-to-nap Published: 2014-02-11T23:31:23+0000 Categories: sleep, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/91e286e6-5a1a-4079-86a3-72045076eb6f_76373911475.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-long-to-nap), CC BY-NC 4.0 Via The Wall Street Journal: The Perfect Nap and @jessmnhey. ## Common distributions: normal, skewed, pareto URL: https://sketchplanations.com/common-distributions-normal-skewed-pareto Published: 2014-02-10T23:31:34+0000 Categories: charts, mathematics, framework, statistics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/db8da712-c425-4979-a10c-b5cecdc3904f_76271826191.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/common-distributions-normal-skewed-pareto), CC BY-NC 4.0 Normal (the weight of apples, measurement errors, IQ…), skewed (Number of children in a household, age at retirement…) and Pareto (80/20 rules, long-tails, size of meteorites). ## Metaphors for ideas URL: https://sketchplanations.com/metaphors-for-ideas Published: 2014-02-09T23:31:10+0000 Categories: metaphor, words, language, thinking, ideas, philosophy, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b14ddf33-03b7-49de-abcc-2097b5b83cb1_76167838624.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1942%2C3294&w=1200&h=3294 Image description: Metaphors for Ideas: Ideas Are Locations, Ideas Are Objects, Ideas Are Food Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/metaphors-for-ideas), CC BY-NC 4.0 Ideas are: Locations Objects Food There are others too. But these are big ones. Curious? Read Metaphors We Live By was a frame-changing easy read for me. PS Accidentally, mixed my metaphors in the final sketch. The Mind Is A Machine metaphor is so pervasive it’s hard to ‘sketch’ across thinking without it. ## Understanding gifs, bitmaps and jpegs URL: https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-gifs-bitmaps-and-jpegs Published: 2014-02-08T23:31:08+0000 Categories: tech Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/cb957225-ce65-478d-be1a-4511b22f5ba4_76053245354.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-gifs-bitmaps-and-jpegs), CC BY-NC 4.0 Knowing a little of the fundamentals really helps you appreciate why people always create such giant PowerPoint files all the time by mistake (hint: the standard screen capture pastes as a bitmap) and why images go grainy on the Internet or load really slow. ## Wealth inequality in America URL: https://sketchplanations.com/wealth-inequality-in-america Published: 2014-02-07T23:31:18+0000 Categories: charts, data Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f73dc733-06f4-4591-a13d-83c0d9b76fbb_75945554820.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/wealth-inequality-in-america), CC BY-NC 4.0 From the video Wealth Inequality in America ## Maximise data-ink URL: https://sketchplanations.com/maximise-data-ink Published: 2014-02-06T23:31:06+0000 Categories: infographics, data, charts, drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7c5f3d8b-4b61-4d6a-a8a0-c649bd2e659d_75845566978.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1952%2C3310&w=1200&h=3310 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/maximise-data-ink), CC BY-NC 4.0 Principles from Edward Tufte. Remove chart junk. Erase redundant and non-data-ink. Above all else show the data. Of course the present infographic trend laughs in the face of these principles in the interests of trying to encourage people to actually look at the data in the first place. But, assuming you actually want people to seriously infer some meaning from the data, these are not bad principles to follow when constructing your data graphics. Some basic Excel templates could do with a clean up for example. ## Start three mindmaps at conferences and workshops URL: https://sketchplanations.com/start-three-mindmaps-at-conferences-and-workshops Published: 2014-02-05T23:31:24+0000 Categories: thinking tool, questions Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b8109b13-7e8f-4375-8dc7-570fda4bcf11_75743952694.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Examples of 3 mindmaps at an event, one for questions to ask, one for people to remember or say hello to, and one for ideas that come to mind Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/start-three-mindmaps-at-conferences-and-workshops), CC BY-NC 4.0 When you're next at a conference try starting 3 mindmaps: one for Questions, one for People and one for Ideas. I have found this technique helps me with both getting the most out of the event at the event, and getting the most out of the event after the event. Starting a to-do list on the side doesn’t hurt either. ## Understanding reliability and validity URL: https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-reliability-and-validity Published: 2014-02-05T12:08:02+0000 Categories: framework, research, measurement, data, metrics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1c0ea6b6-49f7-49ee-9a2e-118e87cecab9_75686457328.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-reliability-and-validity), CC BY-NC 4.0 Tricky topics - validity trickier than reliability. At it’s core I believe reliability is about getting the same results given the same conditions and validity is about measuring what you intend to measure. Harder than it sounds. ## Remember your dreams URL: https://sketchplanations.com/remember-your-dreams Published: 2014-02-03T23:31:19+0000 Categories: sleep Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4cd28457-52b3-46bd-8206-e79099ad7742_75533910462.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: A sleeper practices will, still and fill to remember more of their dreams Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/remember-your-dreams), CC BY-NC 4.0 Have a hard time remembering your dreams after waking up from sleep? Here's a little technique to try and remember a little more from your dreams: Will, Still and Fill. HT G Penney ## Curly hair is oval URL: https://sketchplanations.com/curly-hair-is-oval Published: 2014-02-02T23:31:16+0000 Categories: biology, science Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/46bdf666-188c-42b4-bfd7-697c1e3162d2_75425464048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Curly hair is oval illustration showing the cross-section of a hair follicle from oval to round and labelling it with curly, wavy, and straight Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/curly-hair-is-oval), CC BY-NC 4.0 And straighter hair is rounder. You can demonstrate this with a strand of you hair by gripping it between the nails of two fingers and squeezing all the way down. As you make it oval, you’ll also see it curl. Apologies to those who caught this earlier. I accidentally posted several in a row and removed them to post one at a time. Really sorry if it disappeared from your blog, and thanks for sharing. ## Rain shadow URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rain-shadow Published: 2014-02-01T23:31:19+0000 Categories: weather, geography, nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/94cc54f7-ec59-47e5-8a9a-1d24cbc8c334_75308766617.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rain-shadow), CC BY-NC 4.0 California is a nice example both stitching up the Central Valley and Nevada. And in Washington State if you need a bit more sunshine, just try driving East. ## Delete tracks you don’t like URL: https://sketchplanations.com/delete-tracks-you-dont-like Published: 2014-01-31T23:31:09+0000 Categories: music, tech Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1d0243b3-0096-40b2-9cdb-11cdc34098dd_75200039222.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/delete-tracks-you-dont-like), CC BY-NC 4.0 One of the biggest benefits of digital music. Now you don’t have to listen to that rubbish one on the album. Don’t be shy. ## Narrative bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/narrative-bias Published: 2014-01-30T23:31:37+0000 Categories: bias, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/58d093e2-fdae-4c46-86f5-7837d1eaa430_75097642590.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/narrative-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 Stories feel better than randomness — even when randomness may be the truth. Another reason that reading the papers is not always worth your time. This TEDx talk has a nice summary of a host of our common cognitive biases. ## Never say “I told you so.” URL: https://sketchplanations.com/never-say-i-told-you-so Published: 2014-01-29T23:31:24+0000 Categories: advice, kindness, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9a4e1e15-5ce1-4762-adbc-d3f35582f43e_74993946908.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/never-say-i-told-you-so), CC BY-NC 4.0 It achieves nothing but bitterness. I am yet to witness an occasion where saying "I told you so" or an equivalent led to a net positive effect. ## Why camp 50 yards from water URL: https://sketchplanations.com/why-camp-50-yards-from-water Published: 2014-01-28T23:30:56+0000 Categories: camping, nature, hiking, backpacking, sleep, sleep Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/eb63b261-eae5-436c-8638-51338d86b1fd_74886231502.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: A chilly camper circled by mosquitoes disturbing an animal come to drink Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/why-camp-50-yards-from-water), CC BY-NC 4.0 It’s the general sage backcountry camping advice - don’t camp right on the edge of water, but so often people are tempted to camp right on the edge. But there are excellent reasons not to: there are more bugs, it gets much colder and damper overnight, and you’re likely to disturb animals coming for a drink which is not good for your sleep, your camp, or good for them. Instead, camp 50 yards, or more, away, and go watch the sunset by the edge of the lake - preferably with a dip. ## Lenticular clouds URL: https://sketchplanations.com/lenticular-clouds Published: 2014-01-27T23:31:20+0000 Categories: weather, nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e6ce9858-cc44-430a-886b-91fbe3f873d6_74776797110.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/lenticular-clouds), CC BY-NC 4.0 Make spectacular photos like these, these, or this, but generally mean high winds high up. Look out. ## Framing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/framing Published: 2014-01-26T23:31:07+0000 Categories: bias, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ac819134-f43e-4bbe-a3a5-6b55841cb7c1_74666781370.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/framing), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## The content is the interface URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-content-is-the-interface Published: 2014-01-26T14:30:00+0000 Categories: ux, ui, quote, design, click here Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a1735802-196d-4d70-9c0c-44474374b868_74610796896.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-content-is-the-interface), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sam Moreau, User Experience Director at Microsoft. Just one small example. Had a few questions about this so thought I’d add another simple example. Imagine you want to change your phone number on a service. Rather than display the phone number and have an option in a menu to edit and then a separate edit screen, the phone number itself can be the route to editing. You simply display the current number - clean, no junk. Mousing over it or clicking on it allows you to edit it directly. You remove the need for additional menus, text, instructions, and chrome. The content itself becomes the interface. ## Tie a sheet bend URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sheet-bend Published: 2014-01-25T23:31:00+0000 Categories: knots Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8b313379-d15d-4e2e-b77f-26858ef7057d_74547777937.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Tie A Sheet Bend illustration: the interaction between one red and one white length of rope is shown in the correct manner for tying a sheet bend knot. The knot is often used for joining two lengths of rope together. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sheet-bend), CC BY-NC 4.0 Of course an animated gif would illustrate this better. I have been told that sheet bends are famous particular for linking two ropes of different sizes together. Also see, reef knot and clove hitch ## Hyperbolic discounting URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hyperbolic-discounting Published: 2014-01-24T23:31:05+0000 Categories: bias, psychology, thinking Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/59d1bd9a-06ff-4015-bffc-0f5add2fa90f_74434995532.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hyperbolic-discounting), CC BY-NC 4.0 We’re not very consistent at estimating the future value of something and have a bias, perhaps motivated by survival, towards overvaluing nearer outcomes at the expense of later ones. ## Present bias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/present-bias Published: 2014-01-23T23:31:14+0000 Categories: bias, psychology, thinking Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d2370b61-366f-44b9-a3bc-d22c6a476ba8_74329232956.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/present-bias), CC BY-NC 4.0 We have a tendency to think that we’ll be able to act differently in the future. So while this lucky chap plans to start his diet tomorrow having been presented with this giant cake, he underestimates his likelihood of not sticking to it on future days. ## Shapes of Valleys URL: https://sketchplanations.com/shapes-of-valleys Published: 2014-01-22T23:31:00+0000 Categories: geography, nature, mountains Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/25f55157-5043-403d-ae1e-f25deaf287a6_74223656886.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/shapes-of-valleys), CC BY-NC 4.0 V-shaped, formed by a river and U-shaped after carving by a glacier. Plus variations thereof. I believe you get canyons when the land is going up and the river is cutting down. A nice frame shift I saw in a nature program was to not think of the river as moving, but instead think of the river as stationary and the land (the continental plates) as moving around it. You’ll get a canyon when the land is pushing up and the river is cutting down. Much like pushing a block of cheese up through a cheese wire. OK the cheese is my analogy which is why it’s not as good. Update Had a helpful comment from Austin correcting and explaining, “canyons are formed any time the weathering action of some force (i.e. a flowing river) greatly outpaces the surrounding environment’s eroding forces. For example, the grand canyon is so deep because it never rains in the desert, and wind doesn’t erode as quickly as water.” ## The folk economics of ins and outs URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-folk-economics-of-ins-and-outs Published: 2014-01-21T23:30:57+0000 Categories: words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bb6f5c2e-5956-4482-9491-a707357147e6_74114824305.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-folk-economics-of-ins-and-outs), CC BY-NC 4.0 The more you give, the more you receive. You only get out what you put in. Garbage in, garbage out. What goes up must come down Why fit in when you were born to stand out. (Dr Seuss) ## 9 Windows URL: https://sketchplanations.com/9-windows Published: 2014-01-20T23:31:18+0000 Categories: design, thinking, thinking tool, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7f902718-3a55-471f-8187-3d581a906b5c_74005554110.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1728%2C1465&w=1200&h=1465 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/9-windows), CC BY-NC 4.0 Practise thinking in space and time. An alternative to Powers of 10 that encourages you to look at a situation in space and time. Helpful for getting a new perspective. The easiest way I know is to literally draw the boxes. Start with what you’re dealing with in the centre then start filling the rest out. Another tool from the TRIZ toolkit. ## Powers of 10 URL: https://sketchplanations.com/powers-of-10 Published: 2014-01-19T23:31:11+0000 Categories: framework, design, film Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e601acec-4dca-4a6c-b6b3-feff37bbda44_73889679050.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/powers-of-10), CC BY-NC 4.0 A nice little framework for expanding the scope of your thinking and looking at a problem from a different angle: what if you approached from a different power of 10? Really it refers to the Charles Eames film Powers of 10 which seems to be remarkably popular. Watch the short film (a good way to spend a few minutes) or explore the Powers of 10 site. ## The sun rises Early in the East URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-sun-rises-early-in-the-east Published: 2014-01-18T23:31:02+0000 Categories: mnemonic, geography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ffbd34b8-1e13-4f66-98aa-9216e3031091_73772579769.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-sun-rises-early-in-the-east), CC BY-NC 4.0 My own little mnemonic to remember which direction the sun rises and which it sets. Surprisingly helpful for figuring out what direction you are facing — by where the sun is and the rough time of day. Also, for figuring out what time it’s likely to be in a different country — is it earlier in the morning for them or later in the day? I’ve also always wondered if the East/West coast of America is fundamentally affected by the sun — the East coast gets the sea sunrises, great for early birds catching worms, and the West coast gets the sea sunsets, great for romantic evenings and all night parties. Who knows. ## Zone of Possible Agreement URL: https://sketchplanations.com/zopa-zone-of-possible-agreement Published: 2014-01-17T23:31:15+0000 Categories: money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/52d4348d-76b4-4714-8c1b-46a2771acb6a_73663524850.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1751%2C1484&w=1200&h=1484 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/zopa-zone-of-possible-agreement), CC BY-NC 4.0 Or ZOPA. ## The law of diminishing brownies URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-law-of-diminishing-brownies Published: 2014-01-16T23:31:19+0000 Categories: observation, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f4ced80e-0ea1-47f4-83ce-da991141210e_73561399785.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-law-of-diminishing-brownies), CC BY-NC 4.0 You will have observed this most times there is shared food you can cut. I observed it with trays of brownies that we used to make. Slices start big and get progressively smaller. No one wants to eat the last slice. A previous boss had a simple solution to this with a maxim he had: You think of one, you get two. A bit excessive, and I don’t advocate it, but it really did work. ## Bad internet is worse than no internet URL: https://sketchplanations.com/bad-internet-is-worse-than-no-internet Published: 2014-01-15T23:31:21+0000 Categories: observation, tech Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8b14f632-9041-473c-942f-50e8e0d092d2_73459550005.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1758%2C1490&w=1200&h=1490 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/bad-internet-is-worse-than-no-internet), CC BY-NC 4.0 You will recognise this when you have spent 40 minutes off and on trying to do something online when you could have been spending your time happily and productively doing something else. ## Remember days in a month: the Knuckles Trick URL: https://sketchplanations.com/remember-days-in-a-month Published: 2014-01-14T23:31:11+0000 Categories: mnemonic, tip Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/095fb438-3f37-4f0a-9423-c8017c854d5f_73355994648.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Fist trick for remembering how many days there are in a month Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/remember-days-in-a-month), CC BY-NC 4.0 How to remember how many days there are in a month. Everyone knows February is 28, but is it 30 days or 31 this month? This old count your way along the knuckles trick does it for me. It was pointed out to me that you can also do this with just one fist—leaving you the other hand to tap along the knuckles as you count through the months—by starting back again from the beginning. I still use the rhyme “30 days has November, April, June and September.” All the rest have 31 except February. But, like the old "In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue" it leaves me with some uncertainty. Just as 'seventy two' or 'sixty two' rhymes just as well as 'ninety two' so December rhymes just as well as September. So the knuckle trick is a good one if you're away from a calendar with a doubt in your mind. Related Ideas to Remember Days in the Month Also see: Birthday creep Blue moon The power of streaks ## The Generalised Peter Principle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-generalised-peter-principle Published: 2014-01-13T23:30:59+0000 Categories: observation, business, products, psychology, eponym, kindness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f5d12d4c-335f-4645-9dc5-4a4808292d72_73252468715.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is The Generalised Peter Principle explained: the example of an overloaded car shows that anything that works will be used in progressively more challenging situations until it fails Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-generalised-peter-principle), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Generalised Peter Principle states that "Anything that works will be used in progressively more challenging situations until it fails. The Generalised Peter Principle is a specific case of the Peter Principle, which is the same idea but applied to people 😱. I observed the Generalised Peter Principle when packing a minivan in Cambodia. Be kind to your things. ## Draw a basic bike URL: https://sketchplanations.com/draw-a-basic-bike Published: 2014-01-11T23:31:27+0000 Categories: drawing, sketching Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e51377c2-d773-450e-9171-61bd1a0fd88f_73030181227.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/draw-a-basic-bike), CC BY-NC 4.0 Handy sequence taught me by Neal Moore. ## Addiction: an alternative definition URL: https://sketchplanations.com/addiction-an-alternative-definition Published: 2014-01-10T23:31:05+0000 Categories: parenting, quote, coffee Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fad715cf-10b8-46fd-8a86-f4405d103842_72918649154.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Addiction definition: An increasing or compulsive tendency to avoid pain or boredom and replace inner development with outer stimulation. — Felicitas Vogt Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/addiction-an-alternative-definition), CC BY-NC 4.0 Made me think about it in a different way when I read this. An increasing or compulsive tendency to avoid pain or boredom and replace inner development with outer stimulation. — Felicitas Vogt Quoted in: Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne, p.151 ## Hit a perfect high 5 URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hit-a-perfect-high-5 Published: 2014-01-09T23:31:10+0000 Categories: tip Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/88ed6da1-4714-4089-b119-66b48ff0d6dc_72815625733.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hit-a-perfect-high-5), CC BY-NC 4.0 Watch the elbow. ## Life is 3D. Give edges thickness URL: https://sketchplanations.com/life-is-3d-give-edges-thickness Published: 2014-01-08T23:31:55+0000 Categories: drawing, sketching Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b82852bb-e4a8-408e-be15-7fa0d7d197bf_72712209095.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/life-is-3d-give-edges-thickness), CC BY-NC 4.0 That little bit of extra space you give real edges makes a big difference. ## The cost of doing nothing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-cost-of-doing-nothing Published: 2014-01-07T23:31:04+0000 Categories: economics, money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/78b22433-65cc-4589-ac12-fe0dbebfb676_72605373431.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-cost-of-doing-nothing), CC BY-NC 4.0 Inflation cuts spending power. ## The moon illusion URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-moon-illusion Published: 2014-01-06T23:31:13+0000 Categories: astronomy, moon, illusion, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z-ac43dAxsiBwCvS_SP268-Themoonillusion-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The moon illusion - psychology and causes still debated Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-moon-illusion), CC BY-NC 4.0 You may have noticed that sometimes, when the moon rises over the horizon, it seems unusually large. On several occasions, I've stopped to wonder at it shining behind the skyline—it's always a treat. However, if you stay awake long enough, you might see that later in the night, once the moon has risen higher in the sky, it has reverted to its expected size. This apparent change in size is known as the moon illusion. Great minds from Aristotle to Isaac Newton have wondered at its cause, and I was surprised to learn that its cause is still debated. The most accepted explanations suggest the illusion arises from comparing the moon as it passes the horizon with known objects, such as buildings and trees, that provide a sense of scale. Higher in the sky, we can only compare the moon to the vastness of space and the sheer size of the sky itself. To experience the full grandeur of the moon illusion, try a telephoto lens with the moon rising next to a cityscape. Related Ideas to the Moon Illusion Also see: The ring-segment illusion The impossible staircase The frequency illusion Phases of the moon Super moon The Chinese Zodiac I updated this sketch for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures (here's the original) ## Common button states URL: https://sketchplanations.com/common-button-states Published: 2014-01-05T23:31:10+0000 Categories: design, ux, ui Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f8d20c29-ffbc-4499-9045-975b4e8b941d_72379802840.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/common-button-states), CC BY-NC 4.0 I still find somewhat remarkable the complexity in a simple button on the web. These are just 6 common states that may each have their own appearance and behaviour. ## Fold away keyboard feet URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fold-away-keyboard-feet Published: 2014-01-04T23:31:18+0000 Categories: tech Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a3c3ff16-7f31-4862-983f-91ec205ba33b_72258673151.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fold-away-keyboard-feet), CC BY-NC 4.0 They are apparently there to help you see the keys to make it easier to type. If you can type already, fold them away — it’s better for your wrists to have no bend. ## Things get more complex before they get simple URL: https://sketchplanations.com/things-get-more-complex-before-they-get-simple Published: 2014-01-03T23:31:31+0000 Categories: technology, tech, observation Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aWpR6gIvOtkhBpy4_SP265-Thingsgetmorecomplexbeforetheygetsimple-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Things get more complex before they get simple in a chart of complexity over time — observation from Edward De Bono Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/things-get-more-complex-before-they-get-simple), CC BY-NC 4.0 You can see this trend in most technology products. Increasing subtleties and functions are added improving what a product can do. At some point, the complexity is sufficient to force us to focus efforts on simplification (or the benefit great enough that a simpler technology will take over) - while maintaining functionality. Some examples: Classic menus migrating to context-sensitive menus The original NES controller, to the xbox controller to Wii and Kinect controllers Yahoo’s list-the-web, to Google’s search the web Multiple glasses to photochromic glasses And so on. I believe this observation is from Edward De Bono, but I learned it from Darrell Mann. I keep finding it helpful. ## Anti-aliasing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/anti-aliasing Published: 2014-01-02T23:31:25+0000 Categories: design, tech, typography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/faab3ab8-eb1f-4733-a20c-d781c6775c35_72021641673.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/anti-aliasing), CC BY-NC 4.0 A nifty technique for making fonts appear smoother when viewed on a screen rendering pixels. ## Beaches: amazing for play URL: https://sketchplanations.com/beaches-amazing-for-play Published: 2014-01-01T23:31:11+0000 Categories: play, parenting, games, learning, nature, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8d79b483-a500-48c7-b4b3-ba769c30e57b_71902388580.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Why beaches are amazing for play showing a parent and child at the beach and listing out many aspects of what make beaches amazing Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/beaches-amazing-for-play), CC BY-NC 4.0 Beaches are amazing for play. Every time we go to a beach, I think, if you were to try and design the perfect toy, it would have many of the remarkable attributes of a beach - particularly the self-tidying feature. At some point, I should stop thinking that and just enjoy the beach. If you like beaches too, you might enjoy the podcast episode fun at the beach where we talked about just what makes beaches amazing. ## Roll limes before squeezing and you’ll get more juice URL: https://sketchplanations.com/roll-limes-before-squeezing-and-youll-get-more-juice Published: 2013-12-31T23:31:21+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/247d19ec-474b-479f-98a6-b8c7b7e532be_71797932505.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/roll-limes-before-squeezing-and-youll-get-more-juice), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## Spend time on activities with long-term value first URL: https://sketchplanations.com/spend-time-on-activities-with-long-term-value-first Published: 2013-12-30T23:31:00+0000 Categories: advice, productivity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5223306d-7724-49ee-bea8-c6003cb9baa5_71690344209.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/spend-time-on-activities-with-long-term-value-first), CC BY-NC 4.0 Some activities, no matter how much time you spend on them, just keep coming back. These include cleaning, ironing, washing up and watching the news. There’ll always be more tomorrow. If I can, I try to spend time, first, on activities that have a lasting impact, even in a small way. Better to be tired tidying the kitchen than too tired to start that project you care about. If possible, forget about news entirely. I have consistently found that when we’ve been out of touch traveling for some weeks, the world has carried on plenty well enough without me. Unfortunately, you still have to do the others sometimes, just try not to let them push out the other things. As you can imagine, this leads to a delicate household balance. ## Core insect anatomy URL: https://sketchplanations.com/core-insect-anatomy Published: 2013-12-29T23:31:08+0000 Categories: animals, nature, biology, anatomy Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/58f84d57-e79b-4f91-962c-2b37ffd258b5_71574225584.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/core-insect-anatomy), CC BY-NC 4.0 Head, thorax - with 6 legs or wings, abdomen and an exoskeleton and you have an insect. One of over a million species. As impressive as snowflakes. ## Ghost cooking URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ghost-cooking Published: 2013-12-28T23:31:09+0000 Categories: food and drink, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/59aea767-d91f-4869-9f3d-a91bf6dd834f_71463881949.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Ghost cooking illustration: the art of cooking leaving a sparkling, untouched kitchen Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ghost-cooking), CC BY-NC 4.0 The art of cooking leaving a sparkling, untouched, kitchen. ## Film credits: the best source of baby name inspiration URL: https://sketchplanations.com/film-credits-the-best-source-of-baby-name-inspiration Published: 2013-12-27T23:31:21+0000 Categories: parenting, love Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3d9919e4-c9c3-416f-8139-2f405760d568_71358643923.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/film-credits-the-best-source-of-baby-name-inspiration), CC BY-NC 4.0 Especially when there’s lots of special effects. ## If its not good enough for bugs, it’s not good enough for you URL: https://sketchplanations.com/if-its-not-good-enough-for-bugs-its-not-good-enough-for-you Published: 2013-12-26T23:31:02+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a2d93cae-849b-4cbd-bfa3-c2abbca5e7f3_71251628771.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/if-its-not-good-enough-for-bugs-its-not-good-enough-for-you), CC BY-NC 4.0 When food seems indestructible you should be suspicious. ## Common wood joints URL: https://sketchplanations.com/common-wood-joints Published: 2013-12-25T23:31:04+0000 Categories: lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d632085a-49a7-4e4c-b317-4caa233be532_71151069219.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/common-wood-joints), CC BY-NC 4.0 Miter, Mortise & tenon, and Dovetail. Lovely. ## The offside rule URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-offside-rule Published: 2013-12-24T23:31:16+0000 Categories: sport, games Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bd711fc4-f515-49dc-a4a7-7824e20fcc94_71057720850.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The offside rule in football explanation Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-offside-rule), CC BY-NC 4.0 Clearer now? In other news, I think the offside rule should be changed in football so that the goalkeeper doesn’t count when evaluating offside. Always seems stupid to me when the standard definition involves ‘the last defender’ but the technical definition is the 'second-to-last defender’ because the goalkeeper is usually one of those. Let’s just not count the goalkeeper and make the thing simpler. ## 3 ways to listen better URL: https://sketchplanations.com/3-ways-to-listen-better Published: 2013-12-23T23:31:06+0000 Categories: listening, music, sound Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/21cebf7d-8e76-451f-b7b2-e84b2c007dda_70951150914.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/3-ways-to-listen-better), CC BY-NC 4.0 7 minutes well spent watching Julian Treasure at TED. ## Gelato, sorbet and ice-cream URL: https://sketchplanations.com/gelato-sorbet-and-ice-cream Published: 2013-12-22T23:31:00+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/55691b69-8ce3-44d6-b0a6-1c491913f1ec_70839823895.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/gelato-sorbet-and-ice-cream), CC BY-NC 4.0 I had always wondered at the difference. ## Use a compass with a map URL: https://sketchplanations.com/use-a-compass-with-a-map Published: 2013-12-21T23:31:07+0000 Categories: hiking, maps Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/335f7e31-5af1-4509-808f-15f112bdc63f_70733632404.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1936%2C3283&w=1200&h=3283 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/use-a-compass-with-a-map), CC BY-NC 4.0 Set North to your map Align North on your compass Walk straight ## Useful mixtures and their proportions URL: https://sketchplanations.com/useful-mixtures-and-their-proportions Published: 2013-12-20T23:30:55+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c892e38b-f72d-4671-a7a3-22dda7445c10_70633622099.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1937%2C3285&w=1200&h=3285 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/useful-mixtures-and-their-proportions), CC BY-NC 4.0 Vinaigrette, rehydration mixture and Pimms. ## Know your clouds: How to identify common cloud types URL: https://sketchplanations.com/know-your-clouds Published: 2013-12-19T23:31:56+0000 Categories: weather, science, physics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aTKiLnNYClf9n2SP_SP250-Knowyourclouds-square-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Types of clouds chart showing cloud names, shapes and heights, including cirrus, altostratus, cumulus and stratus, for learning how to identify clouds with pictures. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/know-your-clouds), CC BY-NC 4.0 Wondering how to identify clouds? Clouds come in an infinite variety, yet a few simple features—shape and height—will help you identify many of the most common types. Here's how to identify some common types of clouds. Stratus Clouds: Layers Stratus clouds—from the Latin meaning spread or laid out—are horizontal, featureless clouds that can cover the sky. They form when air rises slowly and may produce multiple layers. Cumulus Clouds: Heaps In contrast to stratus clouds, cumulus clouds form when air rises more quickly. They are the puffy, fluffy, classic clouds that would come to mind were we asked to think of a cloud. Cirrus clouds are the wispy curls like hair way up high. Adjusting for altitude Mid-level clouds use the prefix “alto” and high-level clouds use “cirro.” So, for example, a mid-level cumulus cloud becomes altocumulus, and a high-level stratus cloud becomes cirrostratus. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology produced a lovely video and visual for cloud types. They go into the ten main types. I updated this from the original for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Sketches to Know Your Clouds Banner clouds Lenticular clouds Thunder clouds Dirty thunderstorm Lake effect snow ## Putting it all together: Exposure URL: https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-exposure Published: 2013-12-18T23:31:23+0000 Categories: photography, cameras, tech, technology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/261d740e-6eee-4c7d-a3d9-ebe7efafe114_70438344185.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Understanding exposure in photography Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-exposure), CC BY-NC 4.0 The combination of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO setting control the effect you get in your photograph. Ultimately, it depends on the shot you want, and in any situation, someone may want to use a different combination than you, but knowing the basics helps. Now, go read the manual and experiment with some of those extra buttons on your DSLR. ## Understanding ISO URL: https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-iso Published: 2013-12-17T23:31:23+0000 Categories: photography, cameras, technology, tech Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/efe669ce-021e-4584-9e7b-2d665ededc45_70339360833.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-iso), CC BY-NC 4.0 The sensitivity of the sensor to light. The clever folks — Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith — who invented the CCD sensor, the basis of what enables modern digital cameras to capture light and record a photograph were awarded the Nobel prize for their troubles. And the silver halide film Kodak were famous for is equally remarkable. ## Understanding shutter speed URL: https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-shutter-speed Published: 2013-12-16T23:31:09+0000 Categories: photography, cameras, tech, technology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6be9818b-3081-4068-82c7-c855f1c5c325_70239259715.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-shutter-speed), CC BY-NC 4.0 The length of time the shutter is open, and therefore the light can reach the sensor. ## Understanding aperture URL: https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-aperture Published: 2013-12-15T23:31:17+0000 Categories: photography, cameras, tech, technology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5cf9aad3-2d8d-4188-bf48-f75094fc368a_70137483487.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/understanding-aperture), CC BY-NC 4.0 A little mini-series and a little challenge for me to try and condense the interplay of the key aspects of control for photography into a few short sketches (I thought about doing this much earlier, but kept kicking it down the line). Please let me know in the following ones if it helped. Though the only way really, is to get out there, play with the settings, take some pictures and learn. One of the biggest benefits of digital photography has been the narrowing of the feedback loop between taking a photo and seeing the result. Imagine taking some long exposure night sky shots on the perfect evening after many days hiking only to find, a week or so later, that your aperture, shutter speed, ISO combo was all out of whack. But what did you do wrong? And would you remember how to correct it next time you were up there. Now you can take, test, edit, test, learn. Any time the feedback cycle narrows between doing and learning expect big changes. ## The expanding circle of attention URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-expanding-circle-of-attention Published: 2013-12-14T23:31:00+0000 Categories: observation, parenting, psychology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/98c31e1c-17e9-4d8c-a9c4-e30596ff2974_70026642746.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1937%2C3285&w=1200&h=3285 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-expanding-circle-of-attention), CC BY-NC 4.0 This is my own observation — no rigorous research to reference. But, looking at our 2 year old as he’s transitioned from a baby, I’ve been led to think about our times on, say, public transport. A baby will largely only focus on what’s right in front of their faces or directly impinging on their senses. As they grow, the vicinity becomes their circle. So if you’re on the tube, anything within sight in the carriage is fair game for them to fiddle with or want to investigate. But adults are capable of just sitting there - thinking, about things far away, in the future or in the past. It strikes me that small children just can’t do that — life is what’s around them or nothing. Hence endless fidgeting and investigation. Brilliant. ## Often missed phobias URL: https://sketchplanations.com/often-missed-phobias Published: 2013-12-13T23:31:07+0000 Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8752d380-6824-4b86-825e-3791112b2fd5_69925611600.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/often-missed-phobias), CC BY-NC 4.0 Atelophobia: Fear of imperfection. Decidophobia: Fear of making decisions. Soteriophobia: Fear of dependence on others. Probably afflict more people than know about these. ## The improv attitude URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-improv-attitude Published: 2013-12-12T23:31:09+0000 Categories: improvisation, advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/62647084-58a0-43c2-ae16-02fe5be0a3c1_69832716940.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The improv attitude Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-improv-attitude), CC BY-NC 4.0 Fail cheerfully. Be obvious. It’s not about you. Dan Klein is my improv guru having had the fortune to learn from him a couple of times. Thanks Dan. And, as usual, improv tips tend to extend as good practice beyond improv. ## The magic of soap URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-magic-of-soap Published: 2013-12-11T23:31:17+0000 Categories: chemistry, physics, science Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fea97835-0bef-44c6-8b3b-517be3d14412_69737477711.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-magic-of-soap), CC BY-NC 4.0 How soap gets things clean is pretty amazing. What’s really nice is how the chemical properties generate such a simple mechanical solution. ## Cheap disposable objects URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cheap-disposable-objects Published: 2013-12-10T23:31:23+0000 Categories: triz, invention, ideas, problem solving Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/76c5fd2d-4196-4b2f-84f8-4193b862846a_69638884043.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cheap-disposable-objects), CC BY-NC 4.0 One of the 40 inventive principles. Application not limited to mechanical engineering. ## Make a wine glass sing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-a-wine-glass-sing Published: 2013-12-09T23:30:59+0000 Categories: physics, science, sound Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/dcd43d76-2706-49ca-b354-e78b8db3e8aa_69535419237.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-a-wine-glass-sing), CC BY-NC 4.0 I shall always remember when I was finally taught that the trick is to dip your finger in the wine first. ## Rules of cute URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rules-of-cute Published: 2013-12-08T23:31:21+0000 Categories: drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e5ea04dc-d600-4ab4-b4f6-40a26366b270_69431465534.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rules-of-cute), CC BY-NC 4.0 References and a better looking and interactive explanation on cuteify. Inspired by a brilliant little exhibit at the even brillianter Exploratorium in San Francisco.  ## Laws of expansion URL: https://sketchplanations.com/laws-of-expansion Published: 2013-12-07T23:31:04+0000 Categories: observation, psychology, law Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4b4cf422-3184-45e6-bd37-2c1569d8d6d9_69320068728.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Sketches of the laws of expansion: a gantt chart shows Parkinson's Law — Work expands to fill the available time; two houses show Stuff expands to fill the available space; and a budget suitcase shows Cost expands to fill the available budget Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/laws-of-expansion), CC BY-NC 4.0 Not the standard physics laws of expansion. Work expands to fill the available time — also known as Parkinson's Law Stuff expands to fill the available space — also known as Jono's Law Cost expands to fill the available budget — also known as life After grandiosely naming "Stuff expands to fill the available space" as Jono's Law, I came across "Ryan's Application of Parkinson's Law: Possessions increase to fill the space available for their storage," in Arthur Bloch's Murphy's Law Book Two, p 84, which, at least, is perhaps not as pithy. Also see: Muphry's Law The Peter Principle The Generalised Peter Principle ## Fast and slow thinking URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fast-and-slow-thinking Published: 2013-12-06T23:31:19+0000 Categories: psychology, thinking Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8aa0bb95-5dd0-4012-92d7-bae327c32680_69217018188.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fast-and-slow-thinking), CC BY-NC 4.0 Also known as system 1 and system 2. Book: Thinking fast and slow ## Lateral thinking: 4. Lateral thinking changes perspective just to be provocative URL: https://sketchplanations.com/lateral-thinking-changes-perspective Published: 2013-12-04T23:31:00+0000 Categories: thinking tool, design, creativity, ideas Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2d1668ad-08c3-471f-a407-dc2ac09d1596_69024666091.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Lateral thinking changes perspective just to be provocative Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/lateral-thinking-changes-perspective), CC BY-NC 4.0 Edward De Bono talks a lot about provocation as a means, for example, of deliberating provoking something impossible just to provide a new perspective. For example, when trying to design a car that’s better for passengers you might provoke with something like, what would a car look like that didn’t go anywhere. Of course, you probably need the car to go somewhere, but it might lead to an idea that the doors needn’t be at the side, that the roof might change height, or that you could plumb it in. It may lead nowhere. Then again, it may lead to something new and interesting in the next step. In case you missed the previous posts, Fundamentals of Lateral Thinking: It’s about breadth Labels are signposts You don’t have to be right at every step ## Lateral thinking: 3. You don’t have to be right at every step URL: https://sketchplanations.com/lateral-thinking-you-dont-have-to-be-right-at-every-step Published: 2013-12-03T23:31:26+0000 Categories: thinking tool, design, ideas, creativity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e539a27b-9e54-471e-9155-e1d400d639df_68926428026.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Lateral thinking: You don't have to be right at every step Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/lateral-thinking-you-dont-have-to-be-right-at-every-step), CC BY-NC 4.0 I love the principle behind this — that you can get to something that works without having things that are possible and would work along the way. A stickier way of saying a similar thing is: "There is nothing more dangerous than to leap a chasm in two jumps" — David Lloyd George ## Lateral thinking: 2. Labels are not collectors but signposts. They are not fixed URL: https://sketchplanations.com/lateral-thinking-labels-are-not-collectors-but-signposts Published: 2013-12-02T23:31:12+0000 Categories: thinking tool, design, creativity, ideas Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/acb81bab-1dd5-4183-89d6-6eb9b829f811_68827984179.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/lateral-thinking-labels-are-not-collectors-but-signposts), CC BY-NC 4.0 During lateral thinking labels don’t have to clearly be one thing or another, they can be flexible. The phablet is a reasonable recent example of how existing terms and definitions can constrain on your thinking. ## Lateral thinking: 1. Lateral thinking is about increasing the breadth of options URL: https://sketchplanations.com/lateral-thinking-is-about-increasing-the-breadth-of-options Published: 2013-12-01T23:31:07+0000 Categories: thinking tool, design, ideas, creativity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ec9c4f29-9378-411c-9687-890a0708f686_68726745714.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/lateral-thinking-is-about-increasing-the-breadth-of-options), CC BY-NC 4.0 There’s a lot of mention of lateral thinking without a whole lot of knowledge about the what and the why of it. Very often it seems that it’s just brainstorming. Here’s a short set of some of the fundamentals of lateral thinking. In this one the point really is that lateral thinking doesn’t solve things by itself, but you need both lateral and vertical thinking at different times. And they are very hard to do together because they are quite different mindsets. As I understand it, Lateral thinking is from Edward de Bono. ## Set an anchor URL: https://sketchplanations.com/set-an-anchor Published: 2013-11-30T23:31:12+0000 Categories: sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d345d081-e92c-42fb-8ede-25ff1fcd80d4_68614473316.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Set an anchor Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/set-an-anchor), CC BY-NC 4.0 Pulling along the bottom forces the flukes on the anchor to dig in. I think anchors are quite clever really. ## Express - Test - Cycle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/express-test-cycle Published: 2013-11-29T23:31:03+0000 Categories: design, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/08f308cb-c132-4f02-bf80-30954b946fd2_68509947377.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/express-test-cycle), CC BY-NC 4.0 A rapid design approach based on doing the minimum you can to create a testable prototype fast. Testing. Learning. Iterating. Rather than, say, taking longer and trying to design it all right first time. ## Use crushed garlic and ginger in most of your cooking URL: https://sketchplanations.com/use-crushed-garlic-and-ginger-in-most-of-your-cooking Published: 2013-11-28T23:30:57+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f91c412d-1685-455d-b31a-4dbb0f51f52e_68413542670.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1751%2C1485&w=1200&h=1485 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/use-crushed-garlic-and-ginger-in-most-of-your-cooking), CC BY-NC 4.0 And save a little more time for life. We switched 8 years or so ago and haven’t looked back. ## T-shaped people need breadth and depth URL: https://sketchplanations.com/t-shaped-people-need-breadth-and-depth Published: 2013-11-27T23:31:15+0000 Categories: skills, business Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/32924a6d-4224-4ef3-8512-bab2b28caad6_68313821782.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: T-shaped people Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/t-shaped-people-need-breadth-and-depth), CC BY-NC 4.0 Breadth of experience, knowledge and sectors and world-class skills in one discipline. As you can imagine, this would set you up pretty well. IDEO famously seek out t-shaped people ## There are 2.2 trillion combinations of an 8 character password URL: https://sketchplanations.com/combinations-of-an-8-character-password Published: 2013-11-26T23:31:04+0000 Categories: tech, security, technology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/db953142-4acf-47e6-a095-780f26536d7d_68212170394.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: There are 2.2 trillion combinations of an 8 character password Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/combinations-of-an-8-character-password), CC BY-NC 4.0 Which, remarkably, still does not mean they are secure. Use a password manager. And use longer passwords if you have to use them. Also see: 2 Factor Authentication Types of Phishing Human Risk Choose Passwords that Make You Happy ## Our atmosphere is as thick for the Earth as the skin on an apple URL: https://sketchplanations.com/our-atmosphere-is-as-thick-for-the-earth-as-the-skin-on-an-apple Published: 2013-11-25T23:31:07+0000 Categories: science, physics, climate, sustainability, earth, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b2fa3670-87fd-41a4-b4e0-53446a97fc17_68112736869.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Our atmosphere is as thick for the Earth as the skin on an apple Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/our-atmosphere-is-as-thick-for-the-earth-as-the-skin-on-an-apple), CC BY-NC 4.0 Helpful reminder of how fragile the atmosphere is despite it looking pretty big when you’re standing outside. ## Match challenge with skills for flow at work URL: https://sketchplanations.com/match-challenge-with-skills-for-flow-at-work Published: 2013-11-24T23:31:05+0000 Categories: flow, observation, productivity, books, management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3fd9eca2-6fdf-486c-b7b8-b26a970b8d3f_68011185901.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Match challenge with skills illustration: a chart of skills and challenge shows flow in the center and anxiety and boredom at the edges Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/match-challenge-with-skills-for-flow-at-work), CC BY-NC 4.0 How to get into flow at work? Match challenge with skills. When your work is too hard for your skill you experience anxiety. When your skill is too high for the work you experience boredom. When your skill is matched with the challenge of the work then you can experience flow. This simple framework comes from the deep insights of the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and his book Good Business. See, Goldilocks Tasks ## When facilitating, if you’re talking too much, or working too hard, you’re probably doing something wrong URL: https://sketchplanations.com/when-facilitating-if-youre-talking-too-much-or-working-too-hard-youre-probably-doing-something-wrong Published: 2013-11-23T23:31:07+0000 Categories: facilitation Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8430443b-1483-4af2-ac90-9af8b5d5b182_67900295001.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/when-facilitating-if-youre-talking-too-much-or-working-too-hard-youre-probably-doing-something-wrong), CC BY-NC 4.0 An observation I have made whenever I find myself feeling like facilitating is too hard work. ## Dark and light are the keys to one-way mirrors URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dark-and-light-are-the-keys-to-one-way-mirrors Published: 2013-11-22T23:31:20+0000 Categories: products, science, physics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/33f798d7-e43b-41a6-8c88-5036bf5b60e3_67798160034.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dark-and-light-are-the-keys-to-one-way-mirrors), CC BY-NC 4.0 One way mirrors definitely do something, but a lot of what they accomplish is also due to maintaining dark on one side and light on another. ## 6 simple sketch people URL: https://sketchplanations.com/6-simple-sketch-people Published: 2013-11-21T23:31:32+0000 Categories: drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a5ad4521-7b75-4538-9a57-8b5f8fc56119_67705033297.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: 6 simple ways to draw people Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/6-simple-sketch-people), CC BY-NC 4.0 Always handy to be able to draw some quick sensible looking people. Worth practicing. ## Stationary and Stationery URL: https://sketchplanations.com/stationary-and-stationery Published: 2013-11-20T23:31:12+0000 Categories: words, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1871b55e-531a-471c-a5a5-d042d0c2349d_67608901765.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/stationary-and-stationery), CC BY-NC 4.0 Though the words are linked through two simple connections. Books used to be big and heavy, so rather than travelling market stalls the first shops for books were in fact stationary - stationarius. And writing implements, paper and the like began to be sold at these stationary stores. Various sites will explain the history. ## The position of a rainbow is predictable URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-position-of-a-rainbow-is-predictable Published: 2013-11-19T23:31:26+0000 Categories: science, physics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6e1057f2-366a-41d1-b53a-e825e3f08812_67512824851.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-position-of-a-rainbow-is-predictable), CC BY-NC 4.0 The sun behind you, the rain in front of you, and the angle is due to the refraction of light in the raindrops. ## Make your idea sticky URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-your-idea-sticky Published: 2013-11-18T23:31:17+0000 Categories: books, ideas, communication, marketing, mnemonic Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0622d074-7da7-4792-9775-2cf18f865a39_67415569141.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1751%2C1485&w=1200&h=1485 Image description: What is the SUCCESS framework for making ideas sticky from the book Made to Stick, highlighting six principles: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and Stories Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-your-idea-sticky), CC BY-NC 4.0 SUCCESS is a mnemonic for making your idea sticky, from the entertaining and informative book Made to Stick, by the Heath brothers. It outlines six principles that help ideas resonate, stay memorable, and inspire action: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and Stories. • Simple: Strip your idea down to its core, making it easy to understand and remember. • Unexpected: Capture attention by surprising your audience or breaking their expectations. • Concrete: Use vivid, tangible details to make your idea real and relatable. • Credible: Build trust by including authority, data, or real-world examples. • Emotional: Tap into emotions to make your message resonate on a deeper level. • Stories: Use storytelling to create connection and drive engagement. By applying these steps, you can communicate ideas that stick in the minds of your audience long after they’re shared. Related ideas The Marketing Rule of 7 Examples of the principles of Made to Stick in action: Eat the Frog Frog boil The bullwhip effect The cobra effect Goodhart's Law Survivorship Bias ## Ask for what you need URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ask-for-what-you-need Published: 2013-11-17T23:31:08+0000 Categories: advice, questions, management, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e99472b3-96c5-453b-a75c-2dbebee14729_67314207667.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: An office worker glumly thinks about their lack of window while a frustrated manager looks on which is transformed when the employee asks for a window Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ask-for-what-you-need), CC BY-NC 4.0 Ask for what you need or it’s on you if you don’t get it. The frame change for me was that you’re not owed anything. It’s on you to help yourself and help others out in the process. I learned this at Jump. ## Our bodies can absorb 1 cup of water in 15 mins URL: https://sketchplanations.com/our-bodies-can-absorb-1-cup-of-water-in-15-mins Published: 2013-11-16T23:31:12+0000 Categories: water Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a0cf61a4-12d4-40ff-a469-ab4a3e0d087c_67203617717.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/our-bodies-can-absorb-1-cup-of-water-in-15-mins), CC BY-NC 4.0 The rest just foes to the overflow. I learned this from our guide Eric on Mount Rainier. Very helpful if you’re hiking and looking to stay hydrated and conserve water. But actually I find it a sensible approach for every day. ## Take the stairs URL: https://sketchplanations.com/take-the-stairs Published: 2013-11-15T23:31:25+0000 Categories: advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7b7bf0fc-b9bc-4014-b739-d43c3dcc8658_67102564055.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/take-the-stairs), CC BY-NC 4.0 …and add years to your life, and life to your years. ## Make art like Duchamp URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-art-like-duchamp Published: 2013-11-14T23:31:47+0000 Categories: art Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ab42d86d-715d-4acd-9bef-0d1a73a8cf00_67010653881.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-art-like-duchamp), CC BY-NC 4.0 Most famously known for Fountain. ## Make art like Warhol URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-art-like-warhol Published: 2013-11-13T23:31:16+0000 Categories: art Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5aac0b0c-1571-4ee2-86f2-d53935e7559a_66918563703.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-art-like-warhol), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## Make art like John Cage URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-art-like-john-cage Published: 2013-11-12T23:31:25+0000 Categories: art, music Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5691d271-7683-4053-904f-d36e5e9eb927_66824819675.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Make art like John Cage Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-art-like-john-cage), CC BY-NC 4.0 John Cage is an American composer famous for his piece 4' 33'', which is 4 mins and 33 seconds of silence. 4' 33" divided into three movements of 30 seconds, 2 minutes 23 seconds, and the final 1 minute and 40 seconds. All silent. It's really quite hard to listen and watch a full orchestra performance of 4' 33" without finding it rather fascinating. Like when the musicians turn the pages at the right moments. ## Make art like Mondrian URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-art-like-mondrian Published: 2013-11-11T23:30:58+0000 Categories: art Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3189eee6-4d73-4f13-885c-d843439a549c_66728686639.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-art-like-mondrian), CC BY-NC 4.0 Piet Mondrian. ## Glacial erratic URL: https://sketchplanations.com/glacial-erratic Published: 2013-11-10T23:31:23+0000 Categories: geology, science Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/98f02b19-492f-4d25-9d08-b33ab21c48de_66625412141.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/glacial-erratic), CC BY-NC 4.0 A large boulder, transported and deposited by a glacier. This is my favourite location for glacial erratics. Bonus points if you can tell where it is. ## Clap the first talk at events URL: https://sketchplanations.com/clap-the-first-talk-at-events Published: 2013-11-09T23:31:16+0000 Categories: social engineering Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/92c975b3-0689-4ae5-98e6-c8f439530211_66516931073.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/clap-the-first-talk-at-events), CC BY-NC 4.0 Don’t have that awkward silence when a speaker is introduced. Be brave and set the tone by clapping early. And when I say ‘people like clapping’ I mostly mean the people being clapped, but I think the clappers like it too. ## Rules of thumb for cooking steak URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rules-of-thumb-for-cooking-steak Published: 2013-11-08T23:31:00+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/36713bd0-386d-4aed-90ac-1f6765d0d38d_66416382585.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rules-of-thumb-for-cooking-steak), CC BY-NC 4.0 From Jamie Oliver via @lydiahowland ## Pollution is highly localized: take the back streets URL: https://sketchplanations.com/take-the-back-streets Published: 2013-11-07T23:31:00+0000 Categories: climate, science, travel, transport, road, planning, walking, cycling, air quality Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aFu-pHfc4bHWitGt_SP209-Pollutionishighlylocalized-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Pollution is highly localized—take the back streets. Showing a family in city traffic and family cycling in the back streets Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/take-the-back-streets), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sure, the big city is worse than the country for air quality. But air pollution is more complicated than city = bad, country = good. Air pollution, it turns out, is highly localized, so the back streets in a big city are significantly less polluted than busy streets in the same city. If there is a traffic jam, exposure to air pollutants varies depending on whether you’re walking on one side of the road or the other. Location matters enough that small children closer to the height of car exhausts will inhale more toxins than adults who stand taller. So, if you’re not about to move to the country, you could still help yourself and your family by taking the back streets. I first read about this in a BBC Science Focus article, but see, for example, Varaden, D., Leidland, E., Lim, S., & Barratt, B. (2021). "I am an air quality scientist"- Using citizen science to characterise school children's exposure to air pollution. Environmental research, 201, 111536. "We identified that, on average, children were exposed to higher levels of air pollution when travelling to and from school, particularly during the morning journey where air pollution levels were on average 52% higher than exposures at school. Children who walked to and from school through busy main roads were exposed to 33% higher levels of air pollution than those who travelled through back streets." I updated this from the original for my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## Unlike most plants, grass grows from the base URL: https://sketchplanations.com/unlike-most-plants-grass-grows-from-the-base Published: 2013-11-06T23:31:00+0000 Categories: nature Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ee36958a-0d4c-454c-a372-1a7760827d5e_66231789350.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/unlike-most-plants-grass-grows-from-the-base), CC BY-NC 4.0 ..so it can be eaten (or cut), and keep growing back. A critical feature for surviving herds of grazing animals and lawnmowers. No wonder it’s so successful. ## Don’t fix the blame, fix the problem URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dont-fix-the-blame-fix-the-problem Published: 2013-11-05T23:31:00+0000 Categories: advice, kindness, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e46eed5e-86ca-4a44-80e6-fd6453ad41a7_66138566413.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dont-fix-the-blame-fix-the-problem), CC BY-NC 4.0 A little nugget of wisdom from a book I read long ago called Technotrends by Daniel Burrus. ## Trim beans in one cut through the packet URL: https://sketchplanations.com/trim-beans-in-one-cut-through-the-packet Published: 2013-11-04T23:31:00+0000 Categories: lifehack, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/326aeed6-97bc-46bd-a687-7dd38e2f977a_66043458353.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/trim-beans-in-one-cut-through-the-packet), CC BY-NC 4.0 Hat tip to @bentimms ## Enrich your design process URL: https://sketchplanations.com/enrich-your-design-process Published: 2013-11-03T23:30:00+0000 Categories: design, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2af83f87-3512-4592-bbf4-09dde44c8062_65947288687.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/enrich-your-design-process), CC BY-NC 4.0 My favourite, and I think most helpful, version of the design process. I was introduced to it in the Needfinding course at Stanford taught by Dev Patnaik and Michael Barry. Based on an original framework from Chuck Owen at IIT. The, somewhat simplistic, user’s manual is to start with real observations of who you’re designing for, take time to analyse what you see and pull out some insights, put forward some principles to guide your design and, returning back to the concrete, develop some solutions. Then iterate. In reality it is never quite as simple as you may imagine. ## Open a coconut URL: https://sketchplanations.com/open-a-coconut Published: 2013-11-02T23:30:00+0000 Categories: food and drink, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9554bf09-c02d-4d67-9c0d-87a5a7704b57_65838889321.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/open-a-coconut), CC BY-NC 4.0 Learned this remarkably reliable technique from our guide Rodolfo in the Corcovado in Costa Rica - appropriately, on a Pacific beach lined with palm trees, the sounds of howler monkeys and scarlet macaws flying by. It works just as well in our London apartment. Update: if you’re not on a beach and have some minimal tools you can rescue more of the water by drilling or poking through one of the three holes in the top and draining it first. Tip from Jose. ## The big data equation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-big-data-equation Published: 2013-11-01T23:31:03+0000 Categories: mathematics, software development, ai Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/29407c2e-0723-44b7-a96a-6ed48c0295e4_65739417290.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Big Data equation: big data + machine learning + cloud = informed, intelligent decisions Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-big-data-equation), CC BY-NC 4.0 Big data + Machine learning + Cloud = Informed, intelligent decisions. As a very minor example of this I have been enjoying the Dark Sky app. ## Our senses are built to take in information at human pace URL: https://sketchplanations.com/our-senses-are-built-to-take-in-information-at-human-pace Published: 2013-10-31T23:30:47+0000 Categories: observation, walking, cycling, senses, travel, transport, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/68920852-01da-48e4-b02a-8859ddeb29cf_65653885560.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1751%2C1485&w=1200&h=1485 Image description: Our senses are built to take in information at human pace illustration showing more input as you go from cars and trains to bikes and walking Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/our-senses-are-built-to-take-in-information-at-human-pace), CC BY-NC 4.0 I believe I first heard this on a Radiolab episode, but I can’t remember for sure. Since then, I’ve reflected on it many times and cannot help but think it has some truth. For me, this explains why we’re not very good at processing the scenery as we drive or take a train and why cycling and walking are the best ways to get around. In The Art of Travel, Alain de Botton makes some great observations about why trains are great for thinking. I think this has a lot to do with having time to think. We have a helpful intermission of the semi-connected landscape and houses passing by that we can only process for so long before we return to our thoughts. I love trains. ## Give air a pathway to avoid glugging URL: https://sketchplanations.com/give-air-a-pathway-to-avoid-glugging Published: 2013-10-30T23:31:03+0000 Categories: observation, science, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5dec7d03-ee29-4edb-8231-402706b883ce_65569231731.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/give-air-a-pathway-to-avoid-glugging), CC BY-NC 4.0 Part of the reason why bottles should really have their necks to one side instead of in the centre. ## Patnaik’s Hierarchy of Needs URL: https://sketchplanations.com/patnaiks-hierarchy-of-needs Published: 2013-10-29T23:30:50+0000 Categories: design, framework, research, products, innovation Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8adb7eea-1fbf-476a-b143-4dd96f3ad352_65478851811.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/patnaiks-hierarchy-of-needs), CC BY-NC 4.0 Maslow’s is interesting, but not terribly helpful if you want to use it for something. This one however, I still find a very useful framework when designing (read about it in the DMI paper System Logics). Your sweet spots for the exciting innovations are the context and activity level needs.  ## Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs URL: https://sketchplanations.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs Published: 2013-10-28T23:30:53+0000 Categories: framework, design, research, psychology, eponym Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/927bea6d-aca8-49d2-9a47-2cd2283e2742_65385681774.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs), CC BY-NC 4.0 The basic idea goes that you have to satisfy those at the bottom before the top: if you’re freezing cold and hungry, you’re not giving much thought to the joy mastering new skills. Not terribly robust. But interesting and somewhat clarifying. See updated sketchplanation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. ## Rules of thumb for remaining daylight URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rules-of-thumb-for-remaining-daylight Published: 2013-10-27T23:31:02+0000 Categories: hiking, camping, weather, backpacking Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d17983c2-eb91-43ea-a2a2-7a8094d54476_65288250729.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rules-of-thumb-for-remaining-daylight), CC BY-NC 4.0 In temperate latitudes and around the Summer. 12 minutes per finger. 1 hour for your fist. (hat tip to Joel Wilson) ## Repair injured joints with RICE URL: https://sketchplanations.com/repair-injured-joints Published: 2013-10-26T23:31:43+0000 Categories: sport, mnemonic, health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/826f95cb-8aa4-4592-b7f6-858bf7b64908_65179795385.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: What is the RICE acronym for repairing injured joints: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/repair-injured-joints), CC BY-NC 4.0 A mnemonic that has helped me many times: RICE—Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation—is a simple and effective way to treat joint injuries. Whether it’s a sprain or strain, this first aid method reduces pain and swelling to promote recovery. Keep this handy memory aid in mind for when you need it most. ## Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants URL: https://sketchplanations.com/eat-food-not-too-much-mostly-plants Published: 2013-10-25T23:31:10+0000 Categories: food and drink, advice, books Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f6324722-5cba-49ff-86d0-7b1d963169ed_65085218790.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/eat-food-not-too-much-mostly-plants), CC BY-NC 4.0 Advice to eat well, from Michael Pollan. From In Defense of Food. ## Why ice doesn’t sink URL: https://sketchplanations.com/why-ice-doesnt-sink Published: 2013-10-24T23:31:09+0000 Categories: water, physics, chemistry, science, ice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/cd6d2476-522c-43b6-8d0b-5547b94b8b5a_64995924129.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/why-ice-doesnt-sink), CC BY-NC 4.0 Whichever way you look at it, water is a remarkable substance. ## The making of the Med URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-making-of-the-med Published: 2013-10-23T23:31:21+0000 Categories: geography, history, geology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6e48eac2-cfe6-475c-9d66-a3e18d45bb40_64906658595.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The Zanclean Megaflood: 3 illustrations showing Africa pushing into Europe, a giant rushing of the Atlantic filling the basin of the Mediterranean, and the map of how the Mediterranean sea appears today Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-making-of-the-med), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Mediterranean Sea was formed kind of how you think it might have happened from just looking at a world map — the mighty Atlantic Ocean breaking free to fill up the giant basin from the African continent and pushing into Europe. Except that it was probably even more spectacular than you might think. It's known as the Zanclean Megaflood, and Mike Sowden has a brief intro to it (and a longer one, too). I imagine it somewhat like the footage of when the sea reclaimed a tin mine in Malaysia in a few short minutes. Or when the waves finally overcame the walls of my sandcastle, just at a staggering scale. Don't miss the podcast episode on the Zanclean Megaflood with Mike Sowden and lots of other fascinating geological stories. ## Perform good social research URL: https://sketchplanations.com/perform-good-social-research Published: 2013-10-22T23:30:56+0000 Categories: research, design, questions, listening Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3e7ab677-cdc5-4b2c-b043-8e2ecd90cbe0_64815525145.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1925%2C3264&w=1200&h=3264 Image description: 3 visuals explaining: Ask open-ended questions, Listen way more than you talk, and Stay focused to the very end Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/perform-good-social-research), CC BY-NC 4.0 Ask open-ended questions. Listen way more than you talk. Stay focused to the very end. Thanks to Jump Associates and Peter Lyman. ## 3 Miscellaneous cooking tips URL: https://sketchplanations.com/3-miscellaneous-cooking-tips Published: 2013-10-21T23:31:11+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8f27e9a4-fb84-4981-8788-f79eac428df2_64722983465.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/3-miscellaneous-cooking-tips), CC BY-NC 4.0 Never rush an onion (from Gordon Ramsay), avoid moving chicken if you can, and don’t stir fry too much - best keep stir fries to 1-2 person portions max. ## Be real on the internets URL: https://sketchplanations.com/be-real-on-the-internets Published: 2013-10-20T23:31:19+0000 Categories: observation, tech Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c16aac24-a98a-4c99-9c7c-4efba8d4671b_64627685627.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/be-real-on-the-internets), CC BY-NC 4.0 Hi, I’m Jono, and I think, where possible, it’s important to be you on the Internet just as it is in real life. Perspective from Jaron Lanier. Masks and hoods insight from Philip Zimbardo’s Psychology of Evil, TED talk. ## Why do birds migrate sooooo far? URL: https://sketchplanations.com/why-do-birds-migrate-sooooo-far Published: 2013-10-19T23:31:12+0000 Categories: animals, nature, geography, climate, history, maps Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/02834595-a560-420d-9678-1556ffcbef68_64522485599.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/why-do-birds-migrate-sooooo-far), CC BY-NC 4.0 tl;dr - ice ages. ## Ask a question early at conferences URL: https://sketchplanations.com/ask-a-question-early-at-conferences Published: 2013-10-18T23:31:13+0000 Categories: lifehack, questions, advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ac088f84-fdf4-4215-a7fc-2f3b3fe5866f_64428189088.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: A participant asks a question at a conference talk leading to chat with new people later Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/ask-a-question-early-at-conferences), CC BY-NC 4.0 There’s no point in being in a room full of interesting people and not being able to find each other. Asking a question early on can give you a good conference day by letting others know who you are, what you look like and what you're interested in. It's like sharing your bio, and sometimes agenda, with the room. This helps you stand out later for others to seek you out. ## Share by Default URL: https://sketchplanations.com/share-by-default Published: 2013-10-17T23:31:13+0000 Categories: social media, sharing, observation, reframe, advice, starting Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a679310f-fffe-4c81-bff0-7607ebb75761_64337685235.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Share by default—JP Rangaswami's reframe on sharing Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/share-by-default), CC BY-NC 4.0 I’ve always been somewhat guarded about sharing, preferring to stick with close friends and family. This frame shift, provided for me by JP Rangaswami, was part of the reason for putting Sketchplanations up here. And it’s spot on. How could I possibly know who may find which sketchplanation interesting? ## Win at Monopoly URL: https://sketchplanations.com/win-at-monopoly Published: 2013-10-16T23:31:27+0000 Categories: games, mathematics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e13e2091-b692-47e6-a497-a029f1eb7804_64247908506.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1928%2C3270&w=1200&h=3270 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/win-at-monopoly), CC BY-NC 4.0 Tactics drawn from How to Use Math to Dominate at Monopoly. ## 3 techniques to deter riff-raff URL: https://sketchplanations.com/3-techniques-to-deter-riff-raff Published: 2013-10-15T23:31:00+0000 Categories: observation, security Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6667f1de-86d5-4485-9127-939dfc87453c_64156441509.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/3-techniques-to-deter-riff-raff), CC BY-NC 4.0 Light well Play classical music Paint it pink I have read case-studies of each being effective. ## Topple-fit a sheet URL: https://sketchplanations.com/topple-fit-a-sheet Published: 2013-10-14T23:30:59+0000 Categories: lifehack, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4b1bed1c-88f4-4475-8bed-b5f105d0c056_64063743192.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/topple-fit-a-sheet), CC BY-NC 4.0 My wife finds it amusing, but I genuinely find it the most effective way to fit a sheet. Plus, it’s more fun. (similar fun to be had by fitting a duvet into the corners by climbing inside the cover) ## Hard things to do with your other hand URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hard-things-to-do-with-your-other-hand Published: 2013-10-13T23:30:55+0000 Categories: biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/09b59e3a-e6d2-4725-b061-cb300d36a7d3_63968582548.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hard-things-to-do-with-your-other-hand), CC BY-NC 4.0 After getting pretty serious RSI many years back I was forced to start doing more things with my ‘other’ hand. It takes time and practice, but hey, you can already do these things with one hand - why not learn a little more during everyday life? ## Sketchplanation statistics URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sketchplanation-statistics Published: 2013-10-12T23:31:26+0000 Categories: infographics Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a64b0c26-49f2-4508-8ed6-b8a88c31c7af_63866604618.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sketchplanation-statistics), CC BY-NC 4.0 It was my goal to explain one thing a day for a year. With this one I cross half-way. Sincerely, thanks everyone for following. Ideas, suggestions, and motivation always very much appreciated. ## Some optical illusions URL: https://sketchplanations.com/optical-illusions-hermann-grid-necker-cube-blivet Published: 2013-10-11T23:31:21+0000 Categories: illusion, drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6171fed8-c218-4900-b676-ef506249f5d7_63772037946.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/optical-illusions-hermann-grid-necker-cube-blivet), CC BY-NC 4.0 The Hermann Grid, the Necker cube, and the Blivet ## Clear the fog with a redeye URL: https://sketchplanations.com/redeye Published: 2013-10-10T23:31:02+0000 Categories: coffee, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c1d3c068-402d-4e17-a5f9-5a4c4677241c_63683791803.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/redeye), CC BY-NC 4.0 Espresso: steam forced through coffee grounds Filter coffee: water dripped through coffee grounds and a filter Americano: espresso topped up with water Redeye coffee: espresso topped up with filter coffee ⚡️ HT: Scott Carter ## When visual recording URL: https://sketchplanations.com/when-visual-recording-dos-and-donts Published: 2013-10-09T23:31:08+0000 Categories: visual recording, drawing, facilitation Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2041011f-53f9-4625-be77-8b21f1fc0341_63596764625.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Tips for visual recording: structure and organise information, write big and don't change people's words Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/when-visual-recording-dos-and-donts), CC BY-NC 4.0 Do: Structure and organise information as it’s said Do: Write big - aim for letters at least 2in high Don’t: Change people’s words Most of what I know about visual recording from Jump Associates and The Grove. ## Lessons from Lewis URL: https://sketchplanations.com/lessons-from-lewis Published: 2013-10-08T23:31:00+0000 Categories: parenting, kindness, emotions, creativity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d3470f45-8554-4d9f-944f-ad7ad6de2bfe_63507148929.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/lessons-from-lewis), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sharing our fears brings us closer Objects have no fixed purpose Smile at strangers ## Portemanteau food URL: https://sketchplanations.com/portemanteau-food Published: 2013-10-07T23:31:13+0000 Categories: words, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ca2128c1-5dcc-45f1-9a73-3a5f330d4d06_63415732790.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1927%2C3268&w=1200&h=3268 Image description: Portemanteau food examples: tofurkey, turducken, cambozola Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/portemanteau-food), CC BY-NC 4.0 Some food portemanteau. Following on from the original portmanteau sketch, I love the words: Tofurkey, turducken, and cambozola. ## Save some landfill with reusable nappies/diapers URL: https://sketchplanations.com/save-some-landfill-with-reusable-nappies-diapers Published: 2013-10-06T23:32:24+0000 Categories: infographics, parenting, sustainability Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d2a1a5a7-8b55-44b0-8198-6c40f00cf7ed_63321844422.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/save-some-landfill-with-reusable-nappies-diapers), CC BY-NC 4.0 If a baby wore 2 reusable nappies per day, that’s nearly 1500 nappies saved from landfill by the time a child is 2 years old. If every baby born in the UK did this, that’s 2.5 Big Ben’s worth saved from landfill. ## Consider starting at the next letter (when scanning address books) URL: https://sketchplanations.com/consider-starting-at-the-next-letter-when-scanning-address-books Published: 2013-10-05T23:31:36+0000 Categories: tech, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f9c9f101-48ef-4048-8c7b-2e381157ec8a_63217750220.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/consider-starting-at-the-next-letter-when-scanning-address-books), CC BY-NC 4.0 It still takes me a moment to process, but Ryan, for example, is much closer to S, than it is the beginning of R. Consider starting at the next letter for some searches. ## The most beautiful equation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-most-beautiful-equation Published: 2013-10-04T23:32:07+0000 Categories: mathematics, beauty Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/20a067ce-77c5-432e-99cc-5a9bce486323_63122542507.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-most-beautiful-equation), CC BY-NC 4.0 OK, there are probably many candidates, but it is remarkable to me how such esoteric and difficult to define numbers - derived independently - have such a simple elegant relationship. ## The four pillars of too much URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-four-pillars-of-too-much Published: 2013-10-03T23:31:48+0000 Categories: framework, books, psychology, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/765fd073-37e0-4468-95cd-3adc0d5243ed_63034715554.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The 4 pillars of too much: too much stuff, too many choices, too much info and too fast Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-four-pillars-of-too-much), CC BY-NC 4.0 The four pillars of too much are: Too much stuff Too many choices Too much information Tooooo fast Time to cut down. From Kim John Payne's Simplicity Parenting. Also see: Laws of expansion ## Zone of proximal development URL: https://sketchplanations.com/zone-of-proximal-development Published: 2013-10-02T23:31:51+0000 Categories: research, education, learning, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/93d30238-1789-411b-8b15-4e5f205e92af_62942306085.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/zone-of-proximal-development), CC BY-NC 4.0 What a child can do in cooperation today, he can do alone tomorrow. — Lev Vygotsky Based on visualizing Lev Vygotsky’s theory. ## Store whiteboard pens with the nib down URL: https://sketchplanations.com/store-whiteboard-pens-with-the-nib-down Published: 2013-10-01T23:31:39+0000 Categories: observation, products, ideas Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1c7b2a68-69d6-48d1-bc37-05bbd153aed6_62850561089.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1765%2C1497&w=1200&h=1497 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/store-whiteboard-pens-with-the-nib-down), CC BY-NC 4.0 Half the time when you pick up a whiteboard pen that doesn’t work, it’s because it’s been stored nib-upwards. It usually just needs a little re-charging. ## The law of lockers URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-law-of-lockers Published: 2013-09-30T23:31:53+0000 Categories: observation, charts, framework, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3bdd2c0d-f169-41c7-bc18-88eee966cd68_62758789193.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The law of lockers explained in a chart with the likelihood of your locker being on top of someone else's and how full the changing room is Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-law-of-lockers), CC BY-NC 4.0 The law of lockers: If there are only two people in the changing room, your lockers will be next to each other. Also see: Muphry's Law Hanlon's Razor ## Plug computing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/plug-computing Published: 2013-09-29T23:32:13+0000 Categories: design, products, tech, triz Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2caa127a-9386-4eed-b9bd-e7da62745791_62667149195.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/plug-computing), CC BY-NC 4.0 I love the idea that the computer just disappears backwards into the plug. Neal Moore first mentioned this to me. In the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving there’s an idea that all functions will eventually be subsumed by the system above it. Assuming that we will always need some sort of power it makes sense that the computer will disappear into there at some point. The iMac was essentially a jump where the computer disappeared into the screen. For this reason I’ve often thought that floors, walls and ceilings should be given more thought than they are. When everything else has changed, I reckon they will still be around. I wouldn’t mind if our dinner table disappeared into the floor once we were done with it for example. ## The number of ideas produced in an ideation session is proportional to the size of the stack of paper in front of you URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-number-of-ideas-produced-in-an-ideation-session Published: 2013-09-28T23:31:37+0000 Categories: ideas, design, observation, quote Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/be08165b-9ff6-4c99-875a-695a306e0244_62554931901.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How many ideas will you get in idea generation quote: "The number of ideas produced in an ideation session is proportional to the size of the stack of paper in front of you." Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-number-of-ideas-produced-in-an-ideation-session), CC BY-NC 4.0 The number of ideas produced in an ideation session is proportional to the size of the stack of paper in front of you. —Conrad Wai I definitely think there’s some truth to this observation about idea generation. It’s all about expectation and belief. Like how if you simply ask people to be creative, they come up with more creative ideas. Simple. Conrad credits Lucas McCann for the quote (who no doubt said it much more concisely and pithily). Also see: 6 thinking hats How to peel a Post It so it doesn't fall down ## Designing for adoption URL: https://sketchplanations.com/designing-for-adoption-the-adoption-curve Published: 2013-09-27T23:31:43+0000 Categories: design, framework, charts, strategy, research Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b779ffd6-ece4-479c-a421-c1aaaf56f190_62458124993.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/designing-for-adoption-the-adoption-curve), CC BY-NC 4.0 This helpful framework is an enhancement of regular adoption theory with the different approaches to design for each stage. Canada, Mortensen, Patnaik, 2007 (pdf). Some great examples of each stage in the paper. ## Release Boris Bikes with ease by pulling up on the saddle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/release-boris-bikes-with-ease Published: 2013-09-26T23:31:38+0000 Categories: travel, london, cycling Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9d009ba3-d485-45c2-97dc-183b1a4be72b_62370748458.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/release-boris-bikes-with-ease), CC BY-NC 4.0 Spent many battles with the London bikes before learning this simple trick. ## Supermoon URL: https://sketchplanations.com/super-moon Published: 2013-09-25T23:31:45+0000 Categories: science, astronomy, moon, physics, space Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/44badb8b-e6f3-43ed-968f-19ea48552954_62282609880.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Supermoon illustration: showing the moon large at its perigee, when it is closet to Earth, and smaller at it's apogee, when it's furthest from Earth Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/super-moon), CC BY-NC 4.0 A supermoon is when the Moon appears at its largest. Because most orbits are actually ellipses—an oval shape—rather than circular, the moon changes how close it is to Earth each day. A supermoon occurs when the Moon is at least 90% of perigee, the point at which it is closest to Earth. The point it is furthest from Earth is known as the apogee—for our moon, that's around 50,000km further away than when it's at the perigee. According to NASA, a supermoon can appear around 17% larger and 20% brighter than the faintest moon of the year. Super moons are a treat for photographers with big zooms and aspirational-looking cityscapes or yachts on the horizon (or ET on a flying bike). Hat tip to Science Llama. ## Air-write before inking URL: https://sketchplanations.com/air-write-before-inking Published: 2013-09-24T23:31:46+0000 Categories: design, typography, drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7b75c4f8-767e-4918-925e-5cdc7dd51c82_62193197816.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/air-write-before-inking), CC BY-NC 4.0 Checking that things fit by rehearsing in the air is often a few seconds well spent. ## Beware of local optimisation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/beware-of-local-optimisation Published: 2013-09-23T23:31:58+0000 Categories: design, advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9e228b5b-f6ff-40d0-b63d-807e3c61db82_62102762896.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/beware-of-local-optimisation), CC BY-NC 4.0 Incremental improvements won’t always get you to the optimal solution depending on where you start. ## Urge to underline? Use bold or italic instead URL: https://sketchplanations.com/urge-to-underline-use-bold-or-italic-instead Published: 2013-09-22T23:31:27+0000 Categories: design, typography, products, ideas Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3433808b-f18a-465f-9556-bb03cfdfe0c7_62009705983.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/urge-to-underline-use-bold-or-italic-instead), CC BY-NC 4.0 Underlining was a by-product of typewriters. It generally doesn’t improve things. Now, I’m still waiting for someone to make a pen with a button on it to write in bold. And to write a straight line without a separate ruler. Anyone want to team up? ## If we plumbed in printers URL: https://sketchplanations.com/if-we-plumbed-in-printers Published: 2013-09-21T23:31:22+0000 Categories: products, ideas, observation, tech Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/26f17a27-dfe4-49e6-a40b-42085e02294c_61896922864.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/if-we-plumbed-in-printers), CC BY-NC 4.0 The realisation originally came to me when I saw, pinned outside a Professor’s door, an entire sheet of plain letter paper with a single line quote at the top. The standards are driving the system. About time we got more flexible. ## Non-stacking Tupperware should be destroyed URL: https://sketchplanations.com/non-stacking-tupperware-should-be-destroyed Published: 2013-09-20T23:31:14+0000 Categories: lifehack, products, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c8fbfef8-42d8-4a91-8de5-6fb19a3f2ef0_61798341021.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/non-stacking-tupperware-should-be-destroyed), CC BY-NC 4.0 Do not hesitate to ditch that which doesn’t stack and replace with ones that do. Life is too short. ## The wedding bar goes up the more weddings you attend URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-wedding-bar-goes-up-the-more-weddings-you-attend Published: 2013-09-19T23:31:43+0000 Categories: observation, charts, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/72d21a2d-8825-4673-a619-a099c37996b6_61710222957.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-wedding-bar-goes-up-the-more-weddings-you-attend), CC BY-NC 4.0 I think there may be a counter trend at some point too, but generally I think this has some validity. ## The magnificent seven URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-magnificent-seven-ball-juggling Published: 2013-09-18T23:31:28+0000 Categories: sport, games Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/dba24401-8aa3-46cc-b3cc-1cc043fb5c08_61626073141.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The magnificent seven ball juggling challenge Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-magnificent-seven-ball-juggling), CC BY-NC 4.0 A worthy ball juggling challenge next time you’re messing around with a football. ## Wrap cheese in paper towel to reduce mould URL: https://sketchplanations.com/wrap-cheese-in-paper-towel-to-reduce-mould Published: 2013-09-17T23:31:13+0000 Categories: food and drink, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8b5b370c-2bb1-40fc-9a51-dfc97cdd24ff_61538926769.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/wrap-cheese-in-paper-towel-to-reduce-mould), CC BY-NC 4.0 Handy to keep nibbling for longer. ## London dog size is roughly proportional to the distance from central London URL: https://sketchplanations.com/london-dog-size Published: 2013-09-16T23:31:30+0000 Categories: observation, charts Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b77b9c50-8166-4614-8ac6-689a18d0615c_61448359241.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/london-dog-size), CC BY-NC 4.0 Observation courtesy of my wife. ## Be nice to tourists URL: https://sketchplanations.com/be-nice-to-tourists Published: 2013-09-15T23:31:33+0000 Categories: kindness, travel, advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d9b2dbd5-994e-4ae9-aaa1-94a7a6b8c327_61355581968.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/be-nice-to-tourists), CC BY-NC 4.0 Having been on the other side of this countless times, those small moments of generosity and openness from locals can literally transform your perceptions of the world. We are all ambassadors. ## 5 user tests finds 85% problems URL: https://sketchplanations.com/5-user-tests-finds-85-percent-problems Published: 2013-09-14T23:31:33+0000 Categories: design, usability, testing, ux Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e10f4d9a-377f-4a82-bc38-965a8b259c2f_61249752387.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/5-user-tests-finds-85-percent-problems), CC BY-NC 4.0 Classic rule of thumb from Jakob Nielsen. Probably the most useful corollary is if you can afford 15 tests, tests 5 users 3 times each and iterate the design in between. ## When combining cereals, layer milk-resistant cereals at the bottom URL: https://sketchplanations.com/when-combining-cereals-layer-milk-resistant-cereals-at-the-bottom Published: 2013-09-13T23:31:24+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9da534f5-5944-41ff-96ec-f098fc7152b2_61151667383.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/when-combining-cereals-layer-milk-resistant-cereals-at-the-bottom), CC BY-NC 4.0 Eating cereals is a subtle interaction of milkiness, crunchiness and time spent soaking. Hat tip. ## One mug to rule them all URL: https://sketchplanations.com/one-mug-to-rule-them-all Published: 2013-09-12T23:31:29+0000 Categories: products, ideas Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/074948f8-fba2-4ee8-ba23-01e460b4870c_61062848672.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/one-mug-to-rule-them-all), CC BY-NC 4.0 I think I would buy one of these if it existed as cool as it does in my mind. ## Second rule of improv: Be spontaneous URL: https://sketchplanations.com/be-spontaneous Published: 2013-09-11T23:32:05+0000 Categories: improvisation, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2faaad1c-0135-4846-925d-978e1f62cfa1_60973882933.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The second rule of improv: be spontaneous Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/be-spontaneous), CC BY-NC 4.0 I was never one who liked making mistakes. So when I first did some improvisation my natural inclination was to stockpile good ideas and use them when it was my turn. I just had to be one step ahead of the game. But, fortunately, we did some exercises that went faster and faster until it wasn’t possible to stockpile and I had to, well, improvise. And right then I got it. The tremendous liberation, fear and confidence that comes with believing that you will do the right thing in the moment without knowing what it is beforehand. A confidence worth having. ## Accept offers URL: https://sketchplanations.com/accept-offers Published: 2013-09-10T23:31:24+0000 Categories: improvisation, play, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5f35392c-fa9f-42e5-963f-c0d1f08a7acf_60883386143.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The first rule of improv: Accept offers Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/accept-offers), CC BY-NC 4.0 The first rule of improvisation: Accept offers. The general principle of accepting offers is amazing for design, teamwork, getting on with other people and generally being a nice person. Children are amazing at this. Watch them playing with others and they can’t help but do it. Somewhere along the way we forget how to do it so easily. ## Peel a Post-it so it doesn’t fall down URL: https://sketchplanations.com/peel-a-post-it Published: 2013-09-09T23:31:47+0000 Categories: lifehack, productivity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0c8d422c-d6a3-45e2-856a-8992363fea0f_60793113737.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: How to peel a post-it so it doesn't fall down. Don't peel from the corner. Do pull flat and straight, so it doesn't fall down. For the classic Post-It or sticky note. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/peel-a-post-it), CC BY-NC 4.0 How to peel a Post-it™ so it doesn’t fall down: pull flat and straight. This is helpful if a) you use Post-Its™ a lot, and b) you need them to stay up and don’t want them raining to the ground. Typically, people pull Post-Its™ by starting from a corner and pulling it off diagonally. This leaves one corner itching to peel away from the wall. Once it starts peeling, it will dry out, and the rest will follow. Believe it or not, on a rainy day, I even recorded a video about how to pull a post-it so it doesn’t fall down. And we did do some tests. I learned this technique while at Jump Associates, where we used a lot of Post-Its™, and who, I believe, learned it from some people at 3M, manufacturers of the Post-it™. This sketch, lovingly polished, is one of many featured in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## The Long Nose of Innovation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-long-nose-of-innovation Published: 2013-09-08T23:31:25+0000 Categories: technology, framework, theory, charts, innovation, invention, ai Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ZuquM7VsGrYSvg_h_SP149-Thelongnoseofinnovation-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The long nose of innovation explained showing the long period of refinement and augmentation before a wow moment of technology. The long nose of innovation theory is from Bill Buxton Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-long-nose-of-innovation), CC BY-NC 4.0 Bill Buxton’s Long Nose of Innovation model suggests that for any “wow” moment of new technology—using the mouse on a personal computer, touchscreens, haptics or self-driving cars—there has typically been a long period of low-amplitude invention, refinement and augmentation, often for 20 years or more. Technologies such as the computer mouse needed polishing, adjustment, optimisation and often the development of an entire ecosystem to hit the big time. In an episode of the Google DeepMind Podcast, Waymo engineer Vincent Vanhoucke notes that the first transcontinental US journey by an autonomous vehicle took place in 1995. That was about 30 years before his interview and before Waymo was operating in several US cities. The Long Nose of Innovation helps us understand the process and impact of innovation. One intriguing consequence of the theory is that the technologies that will have a substantial impact in the coming five years are likely 15 years old already. The next time you’re wowed by technology, consider the decades of incremental improvements, and at times big leaps, that have been made before it reached you. Bill Buxton shares an article he wrote in BusinessWeek about the Long Nose of Innovation on his website (pdf). The theory is a near mirror image of Chris Anderson’s theory of The Long Tail, where sales of a small number of a very large selection, particularly in the digital realm with minimal storage costs, can turn the “top hits” and “blockbuster” models of business on its head. More about the long tail in Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More (Hyperion, 2006). This sketch, lovingly polished from the original, features in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures ## Shop healthy URL: https://sketchplanations.com/shop-healthy Published: 2013-09-07T23:31:43+0000 Categories: food and drink, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6d949759-6060-4670-929a-1c6f1d027678_60588238860.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/shop-healthy), CC BY-NC 4.0 Among many other sensible suggestions, Michael Pollan recommends avoiding the centre supermarket aisles. It’ll generally keep you on the fresh stuff. Sketchplanation hat tip to Ben Merrick. ## Take photos of maps, to travel light and have backup before a hike URL: https://sketchplanations.com/take-photos-of-maps Published: 2013-09-06T23:31:33+0000 Categories: hiking, photography, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/43a3a3e1-9f54-481f-8df8-878f028fee0d_60489467068.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/take-photos-of-maps), CC BY-NC 4.0 Handy. Also works for walking instructions from books so you don’t have to carry the book. ## Set up for pool URL: https://sketchplanations.com/set-up-for-pool Published: 2013-09-05T23:31:31+0000 Categories: games, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6c014eb3-79c4-416b-b640-7c0dbbdf79a9_60400256710.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Set up for pool Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/set-up-for-pool), CC BY-NC 4.0 These are the two things I always look out for when setting up for pool, the line and the C. The rest falls into place. ## The knowledge funnel URL: https://sketchplanations.com/knowledge-funnel Published: 2013-09-04T23:31:37+0000 Categories: business, framework, books, knowledge Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/32457931-56d8-4349-9049-1730a9ef5324_60308893361.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C480%2C406&w=1200&h=406 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/knowledge-funnel), CC BY-NC 4.0 From Roger Martin's The Design of Business. With a little reflection the funnel is pretty trivial. But I do think it’s a useful way to think about things. At what stage is your business? Still tackling a mystery like Xerox Parc, or getting it down to heuristics like Zynga, or refining out an algorithm like McDonalds. ## Want to compose? Just sit down without any music URL: https://sketchplanations.com/compose Published: 2013-09-03T23:31:05+0000 Categories: music, creativity, innovation, motivation, starting, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7ce7683f-5072-4725-81c9-e2972dc452ef_60218052501.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Sitting at the piano without any music is a great way to get started composing Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/compose), CC BY-NC 4.0 Having played the piano most of my life I only started composing when I started spontaneously dropping by the music practice rooms at UC Berkeley in the middle of the day. Without any music I was practically forced to start making things up. Every now and then it’s new and nice. You can listen to a few short piano pieces on youtube. I strongly believe in this as advice, but it does presuppose years of copying and playing others’ music as well as the basics of music theory. Replicate, then innovate More sketches about starting and getting started ## Stand, don’t sit, in bars, if you’re there with a big group URL: https://sketchplanations.com/stand-dont-sit-in-bars-if-youre-there-with-a-big-group Published: 2013-09-02T23:31:40+0000 Categories: observation, social engineering Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/70234c6c-0110-43ee-9747-76ad58b7c93a_60124888226.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/stand-dont-sit-in-bars-if-youre-there-with-a-big-group), CC BY-NC 4.0 Next time you arrive at a bar in a big group, resist the urge to go find a seat straight away. ## The Third Place URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-third-place Published: 2013-09-01T23:31:21+0000 Categories: framework, reframe Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c9fcd11b-48e3-40c4-82b9-05f7ba0caf96_60021366738.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-third-place), CC BY-NC 4.0 I know about Third Places thanks to Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam, and Mr Schultz was serious about it when starting Starbucks. Believe the original concept is from Ray Oldenburg. ## Palindromes and Semordnilap URL: https://sketchplanations.com/palindromes-and-semordnilap Published: 2013-08-31T23:32:07+0000 Categories: words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7e8f1e86-5ea4-4dca-b4cd-363fb615c725_59911204548.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Palindromes and Semordnilap examples Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/palindromes-and-semordnilap), CC BY-NC 4.0 Palindromes are words or phrases that end as they start. A semordnilap, 'palindromes' written backwards, means an entire word that reads as a different word when read backwards. Palindrome examples Racecar Abba Was it Eliot's toilet I saw? I learned about palindromes from my parents when I was very young as my date of birth is a palindrome. Word is that T. S. Eliot added the S. in his author name because he wanted to avoid people making the connection with Toilet (T. Eliot backwards). Semordnilap examples Stressed <--> Dessert Lager <--> Regal Denim <--> Mined Palindromes <--> Semordnilap (okay, that's a little circular) ## Omit unnecessary words URL: https://sketchplanations.com/omit-unnecessary-words Published: 2013-08-29T23:31:27+0000 Categories: design, ux, words, usability, writing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/76f8428f-6dd1-4581-843a-37bdfe9cb76f_59721223670.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/omit-unnecessary-words), CC BY-NC 4.0 Two and a half words of wisdom from Steve Krug. Still worth reading Don’t Make Me Think. ## Use styling instead of colons URL: https://sketchplanations.com/use-styling-instead-of-colons Published: 2013-08-28T23:31:36+0000 Categories: design, typography, grammar, words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bd83b7f2-2bb8-4f2b-a3ff-604b7d1b7011_59627586762.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/use-styling-instead-of-colons), CC BY-NC 4.0 Except in a sentence. Generally, I think this is helpful. Simpler, cleaner, and still clear. If it’s not clear, or if you’re writing a book or an article, keep the colon. ## More is different URL: https://sketchplanations.com/more-is-different Published: 2013-08-27T23:31:50+0000 Categories: quote, science, business Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/29fc1a9c-82d0-4a80-898a-5d05bf59af10_59534278977.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/more-is-different), CC BY-NC 4.0 I love this quote from PW Anderson. More often seems like it should be more of the same, but more is different. It would be good if more people considered this. ## ISAs are like buckets URL: https://sketchplanations.com/isas-are-like-buckets Published: 2013-08-26T23:31:46+0000 Categories: money, metaphor Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a739c803-6f20-4272-84fc-5fef4017a6b5_59436802891.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/isas-are-like-buckets), CC BY-NC 4.0 One more crack at making ISAs clearer. ## The middle floors are the best URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-middle-floors-are-the-best Published: 2013-08-25T23:32:07+0000 Categories: observation Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/109dedf1-43c9-4344-b522-72fc0c3972e9_59344546590.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The middle floors are the best illustration: showing a tall apartment building and how the middle floors keep you distant but still connected to the world below Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-middle-floors-are-the-best), CC BY-NC 4.0 My experience is that the middle floors in an apartment building are the best (except for the roof deck). On the high floors, you are disconnected from the world—people below are teeny, tiny ants as if watching on a screen. On the low levels, the world is un-shut-outable—shouts, fumes, traffic noise, and people can look you in the eye. On the middle floors, you are distant from street level but still connected—you can still make out faces and hear voices, but if you choose, you can easily block them out and not let them intrude on your environment. ## Fold shirts for better travel URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fold-shirts-for-better-travel Published: 2013-08-24T23:31:36+0000 Categories: lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/cd3d05a2-ce45-45ff-b49a-f7851bd5f6d6_59239855714.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fold-shirts-for-better-travel), CC BY-NC 4.0 Smarter, compact and less creased. I learned from Rob Bell. ## Spend better URL: https://sketchplanations.com/spend-better Published: 2013-08-23T23:31:27+0000 Categories: research, advice, money, happiness, psychology, wellbeing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/fea2e3d2-87b5-422b-b94e-7d589677ea9b_59144723356.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: If money doesn't make you happy then you probably aren't spending it right. Tips to spend better from Dunn, Gilbert, Wilson, 2011 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/spend-better), CC BY-NC 4.0 Three principles for spending your money to make you happier from the excellent titled paper "If money doesn’t make you happy then you probably aren’t spending it right." Buy experiences instead of things. Help others instead of yourself. Buy many small pleasures instead of a few big ones. If I feel like I have money and I'm not feeling so happy, the tips from this paper come to mind, and I find myself reflecting on what I could be doing differently with my money. More generally, I believe there is a correlation between money and happiness, but only up to a certain level, at which point most of our needs are met, and more money doesn't tend to make people that much happier. Elizabeth W. Dunn, Daniel T. Gilbert, Timothy D. Wilson, If money doesn't make you happy, then you probably aren't spending it right, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Volume 21, Issue 2, 2011, Pages 115-125, ISSN 1057-7408, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2011.02.002 ## Urinal etiquette URL: https://sketchplanations.com/urinal-etiquette Published: 2013-08-22T23:31:28+0000 Categories: observation Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6fa126f0-046b-41ef-b02e-a32fd267be91_59051528932.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/urinal-etiquette), CC BY-NC 4.0 I remember seeing this in some chain email nearly 15 years ago. Still relevant to this day. ## Be a type geek URL: https://sketchplanations.com/be-a-type-geek Published: 2013-08-21T23:31:23+0000 Categories: design, drawing, typography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1bcf7797-572c-4e8c-be01-8f0fc70d6b33_58957010153.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/be-a-type-geek), CC BY-NC 4.0 Regail/bore people with the subtleties of leading, tracking and kerning. ## Drink porn fizz URL: https://sketchplanations.com/drink-porn-fizz Published: 2013-08-20T23:31:30+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9ce7792f-db74-4d2e-a9f4-5813ea80ee6f_58828188395.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/drink-porn-fizz), CC BY-NC 4.0 Disclaimer: I have not actually drunk this, nor do I recommend anyone to try it, but when I heard about it I thought it sounded pretty fun. Apologies if this hit any spam filters. ## Trust your picture URL: https://sketchplanations.com/trust-your-picture Published: 2013-08-19T23:31:38+0000 Categories: drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/837ee4fa-995c-46bf-a2d3-c714d0789987_58737374662.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/trust-your-picture), CC BY-NC 4.0 Most people I meet think I can draw. But they also don’t know how many times in my life I’ve screwed up a drawing and it didn’t come out like I wanted it to. I really believe that almost anyone can draw. With attention, practice, a thoughtful eye and a tolerance for mistakes we can all get there. No excuses. ## How to be a spoil sport URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-be-a-spoil-sport Published: 2013-08-18T23:31:47+0000 Categories: games, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5fbe5af0-ece3-477f-a70b-c0306fd840ce_58645970453.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: How to be a spoil sport Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-be-a-spoil-sport), CC BY-NC 4.0 The real spoil sports are those who remind you that you’re in a game at all. ## Alternate ibuprofen and paracetamol URL: https://sketchplanations.com/alternate-ibuprofen-and-paracetamol Published: 2013-08-17T23:31:23+0000 Categories: health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/be684c01-1a17-48a0-8206-33161cf97fe9_58547323995.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/alternate-ibuprofen-and-paracetamol), CC BY-NC 4.0 Seriously, I am not qualified to give medical advice. This is not a recommendation. Seek advice from your doctor. We have been told this from ours several times. ## Make a portemanteau URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-a-portemanteau Published: 2013-08-16T23:31:36+0000 Categories: words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b72313cf-b16c-4341-9f0b-58fe46cd037c_58459114831.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: How to make a portemanteau - by smashing words together inluding Oxbridge, brunch, and sketchplanations Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-a-portemanteau), CC BY-NC 4.0 Portemanteau: the delightful word for taking two words, and smushing them together to create a new one. Also see, food portmanteau ## PhD metaphors: a journey, product and quilt URL: https://sketchplanations.com/phd-metaphors-a-journey-product-and-quilt Published: 2013-08-15T23:31:46+0000 Categories: research, metaphor, words Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bad9e3c2-73c7-491a-86f8-dc34d2be4d54_58370500382.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/phd-metaphors-a-journey-product-and-quilt), CC BY-NC 4.0 Quilt metaphor from Scott Carter. ## Marshal frozen peas and such URL: https://sketchplanations.com/marshal-frozen-peas-and-such Published: 2013-08-14T23:31:42+0000 Categories: food and drink, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/558d2974-7fe9-42d0-acdf-2fcc1319a545_58281487505.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/marshal-frozen-peas-and-such), CC BY-NC 4.0 Don’t let the frozen peas escape until you want them to. ## Give good feedback URL: https://sketchplanations.com/give-good-feedback Published: 2013-08-13T23:31:35+0000 Categories: feedback Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7a3b6c90-6318-4811-a435-67c8a06b3ccb_58190859564.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/give-good-feedback), CC BY-NC 4.0 Most of what I learned about feedback I learned at Jump Associates and from Sarah Singer Nourie ## Create a sketchplanation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/create-a-sketchplanation Published: 2013-08-12T23:31:34+0000 Categories: drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/540d15e9-afcb-4aef-8417-b5b1b0c4bbb5_58098904494.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1896%2C3222&w=1200&h=3222 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/create-a-sketchplanation), CC BY-NC 4.0 By now I have learned a thing or two. Massive thanks for following along. ## Anatomy of a wave URL: https://sketchplanations.com/anatomy-of-a-wave Published: 2013-08-11T23:32:04+0000 Categories: physics, science, waves, anatomy, beach Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7278ae3d-e5ff-4d7b-b3f6-5be55583b16c_58006116064.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Anatomy of a wave illustration showing the key features of crest, amplitude, trough, wavelength and when it starts to break on a beach Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/anatomy-of-a-wave), CC BY-NC 4.0 The anatomy of a wave showing the key features of a wave: the crest, amplitude, trough, wavelength and when and how it starts to break on a beach. Common in experience. Less commonly understood. With assistance from surfing-waves.com ## On microwaves URL: https://sketchplanations.com/microwaves Published: 2013-08-10T23:50:54+0000 Categories: technology, science, physics, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/67a62d51-c718-4e8d-b22b-f232ecc9db5e_57918663721.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1942%2C3294&w=1200&h=3294 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/microwaves), CC BY-NC 4.0 Every time I stop and think about a microwave I am reminded of Arthur C Clarke’s 3rd law of prediction: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Right up there with wifi and MRI. All just magic. Also, I think you can use microwaves that little bit better when you understand what’s really going on. ## Remove text formatting URL: https://sketchplanations.com/remove-text-formatting Published: 2013-08-09T23:31:00+0000 Categories: software development, tech, productivity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bbdabedc-1e24-467f-86e1-5bc531447e4f_57831342706.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1912%2C3237&w=1200&h=3237 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/remove-text-formatting), CC BY-NC 4.0 OK, so this seems like the most complex yet, but I find myself doing this small and rapid series of key strokes many times a day and it saves a whole lot of fiddling. Update: Several people have helpfully pointed out to me that you can do this better and more easily simply with Control + shift + v on PC and Command + Alt + Shift + V on Mac. More time saved! ## Draw iconic objects URL: https://sketchplanations.com/draw-iconic-objects Published: 2013-08-08T23:31:48+0000 Categories: drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/24ae7046-b2e5-43e3-bacd-122f55950d08_57742562050.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/draw-iconic-objects), CC BY-NC 4.0 The key is endarkening edges where you can’t see both sides. And maybe a little more on the bottom for solidity. That’s about it. ## Cook rice like a pro URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cook-rice-like-a-pro Published: 2013-08-07T23:31:24+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e6e7c5a0-f9d9-424f-aa1e-cb0d8e37e410_57652388913.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1915%2C3247&w=1200&h=3247 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cook-rice-like-a-pro), CC BY-NC 4.0 Or, buy a rice cooker. You won’t regret it. But still no peeking. ## Two socks helps prevent blisters URL: https://sketchplanations.com/two-socks-helps-prevent-blisters Published: 2013-08-06T23:31:30+0000 Categories: walking, lifehack, sport, exercise, health, hiking Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/323524f3-24ab-46dd-9e1d-e93c2befb3eb_57560352261.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Two socks helps prevent blisters Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/two-socks-helps-prevent-blisters), CC BY-NC 4.0 By moving the rubbing from sock-to-foot, to sock-to-sock. ## Adjust a photo’s levels to maximise your data URL: https://sketchplanations.com/adjust-a-photos-levels-to-maximise-your-data Published: 2013-08-05T23:31:52+0000 Categories: photography, tech Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/150cc565-5e4e-4e2a-9c93-649276251dfd_57467574687.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/adjust-a-photos-levels-to-maximise-your-data), CC BY-NC 4.0 Not enough people understand those tricky level diagrams. Generally, move the white and black points to the edge of the data to get the most range out of the data in your photo. ## Run further by running far away URL: https://sketchplanations.com/run-further-by-running-far-away Published: 2013-08-04T23:31:16+0000 Categories: running, exercise, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a393afbb-0b75-4c41-97b0-94085b7127e5_57374977639.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Run further by running far away Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/run-further-by-running-far-away), CC BY-NC 4.0 If you stay close it’s just too tempting to cut it short. Give yourself no choice while you still feel good. ## Incredibly, we only ever see one side of the moon URL: https://sketchplanations.com/incredibly-we-only-ever-see-one-side-of-the-moon Published: 2013-08-03T23:31:37+0000 Categories: physics, science, astronomy, moon Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0c1a3a3f-c4df-494e-b29c-a1cfd9019f8d_57283781342.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/incredibly-we-only-ever-see-one-side-of-the-moon), CC BY-NC 4.0 It shuffles a little, but you’ll notice you can always see the face. The mathematics of it are quite hard to fathom. ## Iron less URL: https://sketchplanations.com/iron-less Published: 2013-08-02T23:31:50+0000 Categories: lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4afde062-2109-4716-a23d-f9b94318b784_57196302200.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/iron-less), CC BY-NC 4.0 It helps the environment and saves a great deal of hassle. Buy more easy-care, non-iron, quick-drying fabrics. ## What gets measured gets better URL: https://sketchplanations.com/what-gets-measured-gets-better Published: 2013-08-01T23:31:23+0000 Categories: quote, wisdom, metrics, measurement, education, analytics, data Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/02302883-4bd3-4ad0-bede-090796cb719b_57105114072.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/what-gets-measured-gets-better), CC BY-NC 4.0 In both a “great! we’re improving kind of way,” and also a “teaching to the test” kind of way. From Richard Hamming’s, The Art of Doing Science and Engineering. ## Enough molehills make a mountain URL: https://sketchplanations.com/enough-molehills-make-a-mountain Published: 2013-07-31T23:31:38+0000 Categories: quote, productivity, motivation, starting, habits Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3cb8d2ff-e98f-4984-ac58-3c0e84cc1c21_57012366998.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Enough molehillls make a mountain quote from Seth Godin, showing how a book can be made up from a little writing or sketch a day, or a trash heap is made from small pieces of litter. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/enough-molehills-make-a-mountain), CC BY-NC 4.0 "Enough molehills make a mountain," —Seth Godin In both good and bad ways: A few minutes of writing each day or a sketch can end up as a book (like Big Ideas Little Pictures) One piece of litter from each of us ends up as a trash heap, or a small souvenir taken with you can mean nothing is left for anyone. Thanks to Seth Godin for sharing the simple power of one a day. Sketchplanations was founded on this principle. Also see: The power of streaks ## Draw a grey nurse shark URL: https://sketchplanations.com/draw-a-grey-nurse-shark Published: 2013-07-30T23:31:36+0000 Categories: drawing, animals, biology Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bf8ecb4b-c4ab-442c-bb25-b5737d3c966e_56918156887.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1745%2C1484&w=1200&h=1484 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/draw-a-grey-nurse-shark), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## Buy half-price stilton after Christmas URL: https://sketchplanations.com/buy-half-price-stilton-after-christmas Published: 2013-07-29T23:31:38+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/27e11345-d620-491c-ba04-508f9b796dde_56824389134.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/buy-half-price-stilton-after-christmas), CC BY-NC 4.0 It freezes a charm. ## Rotate your elbow, not your hand URL: https://sketchplanations.com/rotate-your-elbow-not-your-hand Published: 2013-07-28T23:31:27+0000 Categories: swimming, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/26712884-7e8e-4b55-a752-aa68a6440cfd_56730740114.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Rotate your elbow not your hand when swimming Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/rotate-your-elbow-not-your-hand), CC BY-NC 4.0 Couple of tips for front-crawl drills: twist your torso on each stroke, raise your elbow high and tight to the body, brush your ear with your hand as it passes. ## On bright days, use a polarizer URL: https://sketchplanations.com/on-bright-days-use-a-polarizer Published: 2013-07-27T23:31:30+0000 Categories: photography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4d228914-f339-423f-b83c-8195bde43f43_56641810633.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/on-bright-days-use-a-polarizer), CC BY-NC 4.0 It deepens skies and allows you to manage reflection. ## Tiredness can kill. Take a break URL: https://sketchplanations.com/tiredness-can-kill-take-a-break Published: 2013-07-25T23:31:39+0000 Categories: coffee, food and drink, sleep, travel, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7ce99c06-6cc0-4543-8b8c-aef425bdd6a1_56465894758.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is a nappuccino example and tiredness can kill: Pull over, neck coffee, get 15 min shuteye for the caffeine to work then cruise on Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/tiredness-can-kill-take-a-break), CC BY-NC 4.0 Tiredness can kill. Take a break. Fatigue causes road accidents. My technique, for when you really have to get somewhere and are starting to feel tired: Pull over, neck coffee, 15 min shut-eye, cruise on. I have read that this is called a nappuccino. There’s some science behind this: the half-life of caffeine. ## Hofstadter’s Law URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hofstadters-law Published: 2013-07-24T23:31:49+0000 Categories: quote, planning, law, management, product management, software development, eponym, kindness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/98fdf9fa-c600-457d-bcf7-be0ed55616b4_56373650298.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: What is Hofstadter's Law quote explanation: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you account for Hofstadter’s Law.” Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hofstadters-law), CC BY-NC 4.0 Hofstadter's Law is “It always takes longer than you expect, even when you account for Hofstadter’s Law.” Hofstadter's Law is one of my favourites, and I share it time and time again. We are bad at estimating. We don't allow for the unexpected. We don't know the unknown unknowns. We are overly optimistic. We suffer from recency bias. Generally, we struggle with big, complex things. In the law's recursion, it's a little like this guidance from Clean Code: “The first rule of functions is that they should be small. The second rule of functions is that they should be smaller than that.”—Clean Code Or omit unnecessary words from Steve Krug Given how easy it is for us to underestimate how long things will take, be kind to each other. Also see: Hanlon's Razor Muphry's Law The Generalised Peter Principle Optimism bias From: From Douglas Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (1979) ## Get to know your tech URL: https://sketchplanations.com/get-to-know-your-tech Published: 2013-07-23T23:31:42+0000 Categories: tech, leadership Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7ab87c07-ac95-4415-8382-eef0b0ac1176_56281244363.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/get-to-know-your-tech), CC BY-NC 4.0 to avoid mishaps ## the Angle of Incidence equals the Angle of Reflection URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-angle-of-incidence-equals-the-angle-of-reflection Published: 2013-07-22T23:31:31+0000 Categories: physics, science, mathematics, refresher Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b255335c-b56f-47d3-8dc2-d069c1dc4015_56187718569.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-angle-of-incidence-equals-the-angle-of-reflection), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## A flat surface has unused potential URL: https://sketchplanations.com/a-flat-surface-has-unused-potential Published: 2013-07-21T23:31:46+0000 Categories: triz, design, creativity, ideas Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/78f16419-3c26-4328-a875-c4e483d1dbd2_56093523635.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/a-flat-surface-has-unused-potential), CC BY-NC 4.0 Not so easy to get your head around as we’re used to thinking that most things are they way they are because someone chose it for a reason. But it turns out that increasingly we see products that have found benefits in otherwise stable products by simply taking a flat surface and either adding shape or texture. (two of TRIZ’s trends of technology evolution) ## Arrange kitchen storage to minimise excess travel URL: https://sketchplanations.com/arrange-kitchen-storage-to-minimise-excess-travel Published: 2013-07-20T23:31:26+0000 Categories: lifehack, productivity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6a2305a1-a5cb-4c33-9423-947da256bc0d_55997668209.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/arrange-kitchen-storage-to-minimise-excess-travel), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## A good teacher is a DJ for learning URL: https://sketchplanations.com/a-good-teacher-is-a-dj-for-learning Published: 2013-07-19T23:31:27+0000 Categories: metaphor, learning Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5bc75c4b-4e9e-4bca-a336-3698bd2b63ca_55911029981.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/a-good-teacher-is-a-dj-for-learning), CC BY-NC 4.0 They: Sift what matters from everything else Create the right mix for the occasion Lead and respond to the audience ## It’s not so much the weather itself, it’s the unpredictability URL: https://sketchplanations.com/its-not-so-much-the-weather-itself-its-the-unpredictability Published: 2013-07-18T23:31:40+0000 Categories: weather, observation, planning Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/75cf2010-2b0a-4fbc-ae00-b60acfce6ac3_55820344732.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/its-not-so-much-the-weather-itself-its-the-unpredictability), CC BY-NC 4.0 California weather = predictable. British weather = unpredictable. ## Be fanatical about refuelling after exercise URL: https://sketchplanations.com/be-fanatical-about-refuelling-after-exercise Published: 2013-07-17T23:31:47+0000 Categories: exercise, food and drink, sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2624868a-fdb2-4e67-92fa-77fbc292d241_55730847893.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Be fanatical about refuelling after exercise Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/be-fanatical-about-refuelling-after-exercise), CC BY-NC 4.0 Adopted from Brain Training for Runners.  ## Cycle with hats not hoods URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cycle-with-hats-not-hoods Published: 2013-07-16T23:31:29+0000 Categories: sport, cycling Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3aefeb1c-0050-4b11-b40e-35ec78391c66_55641703652.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Cycle with hats not hoods Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cycle-with-hats-not-hoods), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## Don’t let your thinking be limited by your tools URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dont-let-your-thinking-be-limited-by-your-tools Published: 2013-07-15T23:31:26+0000 Categories: productivity, thinking, design, creativity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5a1d10d3-edb0-4c9c-8e53-7a96131749c7_55552068797.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dont-let-your-thinking-be-limited-by-your-tools), CC BY-NC 4.0 Something I try to keep in mind whenever I set to thinking and run out of space. As much as possible, find tools that don’t limit your thinking. ## Get satisfaction and a clear record of past to-dos with checkboxes URL: https://sketchplanations.com/get-satisfaction-and-a-clear-record-of-past-to-dos-with-checkboxes Published: 2013-07-14T23:31:24+0000 Categories: productivity Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7bad1aa8-01d7-4ff9-8932-5dcc3a9c7434_55461929837.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/get-satisfaction-and-a-clear-record-of-past-to-dos-with-checkboxes), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## Building a good framework is like cutting cubes out of fog — Larry Keeley URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cutting-cubes-out-of-fog Published: 2013-07-13T23:31:36+0000 Categories: quote, design, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c5ed4a74-320e-422d-82ea-0af9f792b63a_55376219344.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cutting-cubes-out-of-fog), CC BY-NC 4.0 I first heard of this from Dev Patnaik. ## Better to be interested than try to be interesting URL: https://sketchplanations.com/better-to-be-interested-than-try-to-be-interesting Published: 2013-07-12T23:31:26+0000 Categories: wisdom, advice, research, quote Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/16b4fe6a-e73e-4211-bf6e-472bc9cad0d3_55295609664.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: It's better to be interested than try to be interesting — advice from Nigella Lawson Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/better-to-be-interested-than-try-to-be-interesting), CC BY-NC 4.0 Advice indirectly from Nigella Lawson in her husband Charles Saatchi’s book. Also, a pretty direct reading from How to Win Friends and Influence People. ## Don’t push your socks on. Pull them on instead URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dont-push-your-socks-on-pull-them-on-instead Published: 2013-07-11T23:31:42+0000 Categories: parenting Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0ba5d732-a808-43ef-8c7b-05e39c1ba91e_55211060301.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dont-push-your-socks-on-pull-them-on-instead), CC BY-NC 4.0 Seems obvious, but our one-year-old has just been learning it. ## Prefer open-ended questions URL: https://sketchplanations.com/prefer-open-ended-questions Published: 2013-07-10T23:31:38+0000 Categories: research, words, lifehack, questions, relationships, learning Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ba400f80-d469-4399-be67-86f173c48caa_55124376007.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Someone gets a much better response by asking 'How was your day?' instead of 'Good day?' Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/prefer-open-ended-questions), CC BY-NC 4.0 Great practice for research. Good practice for life too. Also see: Don't fill the silence ## Try stair kickturns to preserve momentum URL: https://sketchplanations.com/try-stair-kickturns-to-preserve-momentum Published: 2013-07-09T23:31:45+0000 Categories: lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/74a515f1-560c-49b2-b8b0-d5dac7517461_55038415295.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/try-stair-kickturns-to-preserve-momentum), CC BY-NC 4.0 The same principle as the swimming tumble turn — works nicely on stairs too. ## Everyone’s a geek about something URL: https://sketchplanations.com/everyones-a-geek-about-something Published: 2013-07-08T23:31:30+0000 Categories: observation, advice, wellbeing, happiness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/Z9q0XziBA97GipYy_SP087-Everyone%E2%80%99sageekaboutsomething-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Everyone’s a geek about something sketch featuring people enjoying activities like birdwatching, gaming, football, ballet, reading, and hiking. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/everyones-a-geek-about-something), CC BY-NC 4.0 Of all my sketches, I have a soft spot for this one. We had some lovely family friends who were massively into birding. As a schoolboy, I was more interested in birds than most, but one day, my Dad and I went to stay with them. They talked us through trips they'd been around the world to spot rare and remarkable birds. They had an amazing telescope trained on the birds at the feeder in their garden. They had wonderful binoculars we used on a bird walk, which showed me birds clearer and closer than I'd ever seen. They knew what birds to look out for and had tape recordings of specific bird calls that brought the birds to nearby bushes. It was impossible to be around them and not start to love birds. As I've gotten older, I've realised pretty much everything and everyone is like that. Premier League football is boring if you don't pay close attention to it, but if you follow every detail, it can be engrossing. I didn't think much of textiles, but after spending an afternoon weaving in Laos, I loved it. Pretty much everything has the thing they're deeply interested in. The physicist Richard Feynman said: "Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough." And here's another similar sentiment from the writer Henry Miller: "The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." It reminds me that just because I don't see something as interesting now doesn't mean that it's not or that people who are into it are somehow weird. Everyone's a geek about something. And that's wonderful. I revised this sketch in March 2025 for the podcast episode. Here's the original And here's the updated and expanded version. ## A portfolio can reduce your overall risk URL: https://sketchplanations.com/a-portfolio-can-reduce-your-overall-risk Published: 2013-07-07T23:31:33+0000 Categories: money, metaphor Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9bb9bb81-ddea-4ad6-b13f-727287a50a46_54866709632.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/a-portfolio-can-reduce-your-overall-risk), CC BY-NC 4.0 Extending my building block metaphor into Tetris. ## Investments are like building blocks URL: https://sketchplanations.com/investments-are-like-building-blocks Published: 2013-07-06T23:31:11+0000 Categories: money, metaphor Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/128ccd41-76ae-4df3-ae5e-c940334e6852_54785972345.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/investments-are-like-building-blocks), CC BY-NC 4.0 Individual investments, assembled together, make a portfolio, that is greater than the sum of it’s parts. ## Don’t hold grudges URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dont-hold-grudges Published: 2013-07-05T23:31:32+0000 Categories: kindness, parenting, advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aa4e54f9-eaad-48f4-b75a-2843f81f3f9f_54707865219.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dont-hold-grudges), CC BY-NC 4.0 It's a wonderful thing how at bedtime one day can be a disaster with a child and you can be the person they least like in the world and the next day, without fail, all is forgotten and you can be their favourite once more. Every day is a clean slate and a fresh start to be nice to each other and do something wonderful together. It's such a refreshing attitude when compared to adults who can willingly or unintentionally hold a grudge for decades. ## Live in the present URL: https://sketchplanations.com/live-in-the-present Published: 2013-07-04T23:31:17+0000 Categories: parenting, mindfulness, wellbeing, advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ec028ffb-19a4-4629-8469-98ffc29a731c_54631842632.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/live-in-the-present), CC BY-NC 4.0 Young children have this wonderful and at times incredibly frustrating ability to completely ignore the past, even moments ago, and pay no heed whatsoever to the future. They're a fabulous lesson in living in the present. That they were miserable just now when someone took what they were playing with — doesn't matter any more. That playing in the puddle for longer means you'll miss the bus, and be late for lunch with friends — doesn't matter. All that matters is now. I have a theory that as we grow older our circle of attention expands. ## Read music URL: https://sketchplanations.com/read-music Published: 2013-07-03T23:31:28+0000 Categories: music, mnemonic Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a4a583de-95a4-424b-888f-e7880600b89f_54549736003.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: FACE and Every Good Boy Deserves Football as a way to remember the notes on the staves of music Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/read-music), CC BY-NC 4.0 It really is another language. One well worth learning. ## Twist your spaghetti URL: https://sketchplanations.com/twist-your-spaghetti Published: 2013-07-02T23:36:02+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bd0ce6ff-8bc9-446d-adfb-54a0129efc6c_54467621699.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/twist-your-spaghetti), CC BY-NC 4.0 Get it right and it will fall evenly in the pan and slowly twist it’s way into the water on its own. ## Compliment and Complement URL: https://sketchplanations.com/compliment-and-complement Published: 2013-07-01T23:31:15+0000 Categories: words, food and drink, writing, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/87c9957a-3162-4f64-a1a7-3aebff2cc9ca_54381783929.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The difference between compliment and complement explained with someone complimenting a shirt and a wine complementing a cheese Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/compliment-and-complement), CC BY-NC 4.0 Compliment and complement are as easily mixed up as stationary and stationery. But less so than affect and effect. ## Use both sides of a towel URL: https://sketchplanations.com/use-both-sides-of-a-towel Published: 2013-06-30T23:31:35+0000 Categories: lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/b30253fc-2cb7-4043-8177-975a068a0347_54296342421.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Use both sides of a towel: one to dry yourself and the other side to wrap yourself Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/use-both-sides-of-a-towel), CC BY-NC 4.0 Use both sides of a towel, one side to dry yourself and the other side to wrap yourself in after. ## Learn the Kano model URL: https://sketchplanations.com/kano-model Published: 2013-06-29T23:31:28+0000 Categories: framework, design, product management, eponym, strategy Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/dd9b3cc1-34dc-4939-9bfe-483d2d702f28_54214791081.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/kano-model), CC BY-NC 4.0 I regularly find the Kano model a useful way to think about design. Kano highlights 3 different types of benefits your product can provide: Threshold These support the minimum requirements of the product. Like the brakes on a car, you’re not going to buy one without them, and yet no matter how good you make them they are unlikely to thrill people about the car. But if you do a bad job, people will sure notice. Performance these benefits are appreciated the more you deliver on them. For a car this may be acceleration or fuel efficiency. The better you make them the happier people will be, and the worse they are the least satisfied they’ll be. Delighters these are the fun benefits that get people to love a product, but if you only had delighters you wouldn’t have a product. For instance, if you car is slow, not fuel efficient and the brakes don’t work, it doesn’t matter if it has the best stereo on the planet, for almost everyone it just won’t help. But if your car has serviceable brakes, reasonable acceleration and fuel efficiency, and the best stereo on the planet then it could really delight. ## Adjust your daily caffeine intake URL: https://sketchplanations.com/adjust-your-daily-caffeine-intake Published: 2013-06-29T12:17:00+0000 Categories: food and drink, coffee, charts Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/7ce9578f-1a93-46f5-94b7-68ce9f5486e7_54175650554.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/adjust-your-daily-caffeine-intake), CC BY-NC 4.0 I regularly make half-caf coffee. I think there’s a gap in the market. Why is coffee so binary? ## Control a cue ball URL: https://sketchplanations.com/control-a-cue-ball Published: 2013-06-29T12:16:07+0000 Categories: games Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c50dad17-e2bd-41ed-864b-7293cb11fe4c_54175606234.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/control-a-cue-ball), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## Childhood is not a race URL: https://sketchplanations.com/childhood-is-not-a-race Published: 2013-06-28T10:00:28+0000 Categories: parenting, education, love, reframe Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e7848235-db45-41a3-ab42-6142454be3f5_54045943957.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/childhood-is-not-a-race), CC BY-NC 4.0 4 Insights from Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn. Childhood is not a race. Punishments and rewards are 2 sides of the same coin — and both are unproductive. Love is not a scarce commodity that must be rationed. Move from "doing to" to "working with". ## Solve the 9-dot problem URL: https://sketchplanations.com/solve-the-9-dot-problem Published: 2013-02-20T21:00:00+0000 Categories: creativity, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8627d6af-a2e2-4853-804d-e11077b4de64_53963553882.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/solve-the-9-dot-problem), CC BY-NC 4.0 Seth Godin did a recent post about the 9-dot problem that explains more about it, albeit not in as interesting a way. ## Cut an onion into teeny pieces URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cut-an-onion-into-teeny-pieces Published: 2013-02-19T21:00:00+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/14044fb7-c278-4c24-9406-7ce13da1ceec_53955067424.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cut-an-onion-into-teeny-pieces), CC BY-NC 4.0 Various informants have since told me that cutting horizontally first helps keep it together better as you’re cutting, and that cutting this way first helps keep the tears away longer. I’d probably vote ease of cutting and reverse the order here. ## Cook delicious, yummy, Thai curry URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cook-delicious-yummy-thai-curry Published: 2013-02-18T21:00:00+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/33f350b9-34f4-409f-82ed-94fa428b6005_53954911975.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cook-delicious-yummy-thai-curry), CC BY-NC 4.0 For something so delicious Thai curries are really remarkably fast and easy to cook yourself. Try it. ## Post-process a portrait URL: https://sketchplanations.com/post-process-a-portrait Published: 2013-02-17T21:00:00+0000 Categories: photography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/eaee0dff-cd39-47b5-b2eb-4d432bc744fa_53954788097.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/post-process-a-portrait), CC BY-NC 4.0 Thanks to one of the best photographers I know, Summit 42, for sharing the power of Adobe Lightroom with me. There really is a lot you can do to make people look better in photographs. ## Enjoy your hotel room more URL: https://sketchplanations.com/enjoy-your-hotel-room-more Published: 2013-02-16T21:00:00+0000 Categories: travel, happiness, advice, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/e8efbb8a-0c9a-4d38-a137-829471c28231_53788634783.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Enjoy your hotel room more: bounce on the bed, take a long bath, walk around naked Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/enjoy-your-hotel-room-more), CC BY-NC 4.0 Enjoy your hotel room more by making the most of it: Bounce on the bed Take a long bath Walk around naked ## Your ISA allowance is one-way URL: https://sketchplanations.com/your-isa-allowance-is-one-way Published: 2013-02-15T21:00:00+0000 Categories: money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6bfc4314-670a-4c57-bdb8-878c7912ca74_53697285734.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/your-isa-allowance-is-one-way), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## Reframe your deposit URL: https://sketchplanations.com/reframe-your-deposit Published: 2013-02-15T21:00:00+0000 Categories: reframe Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/64506c3c-36d4-413c-9426-29916ee86028_53697451368.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/reframe-your-deposit), CC BY-NC 4.0 Think of a deposit as a creativity tax and get stuck in. Thanks to Bryan Kennedy. ## ISAs are like wrappers URL: https://sketchplanations.com/isas-are-like-wrappers Published: 2013-02-14T21:00:00+0000 Categories: money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8f37c8fd-593c-4802-9692-e280c0317c3f_53697236928.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1956%2C3205&w=1200&h=3205 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/isas-are-like-wrappers), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## Pound cost averaging URL: https://sketchplanations.com/pound-cost-averaging Published: 2013-02-13T21:00:00+0000 Categories: money Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/82f04b90-9746-4a93-9055-f528a98dcb63_53468480318.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1987%2C3246&w=1200&h=3246 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/pound-cost-averaging), CC BY-NC 4.0 Rather than putting all your money into the market at once, by feeding your money in by installments you can reduce your overall risk, as the impact of big market movements is lessened. ## Make Vietnamese coffee URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-vietnamese-coffee Published: 2013-02-12T21:00:00+0000 Categories: food and drink, coffee Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/85db8aaa-6b53-4e34-9085-a112d54b23bc_53391712115.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-vietnamese-coffee), CC BY-NC 4.0 This stuff is like crack. ## Do a 2x2 URL: https://sketchplanations.com/do-a-2x2 Published: 2013-02-11T21:00:00+0000 Categories: design, framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/abc2044a-3041-4dad-b8e7-e3a58404a484_53390837064.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1965%2C3213&w=1200&h=3213 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/do-a-2x2), CC BY-NC 4.0 Make sure your axes show two ends of a scale (or you’ll run into trouble) Think what each quadrant represents Try and name the corners ## Some sensible interaction design URL: https://sketchplanations.com/some-sensible-interaction-design Published: 2013-02-10T21:00:00+0000 Categories: design, ux Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8575ea74-cf55-4da7-9530-93076f29d709_53390549595.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Some sensible interaction design principles Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/some-sensible-interaction-design), CC BY-NC 4.0 Some sensible interaction design principles: Remove or disable submit buttons on clicking to avoid double submissions On transitions should be fast (to feel zippy). Out transitions can be slow Keep essential information out of tooltips ## Use white space with care to make your point URL: https://sketchplanations.com/use-white-space-with-care-to-make-your-point Published: 2013-02-09T21:00:00+0000 Categories: design, drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/712f5203-98e0-4223-8149-ea0a4797766d_53390367485.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/use-white-space-with-care-to-make-your-point), CC BY-NC 4.0 As with a pause in music. ## Sonar + Echolocation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/sonar-echolocation Published: 2013-02-08T21:00:00+0000 Categories: science, animals Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a98f7ebd-796a-453b-867d-e00c282b74ba_53140142668.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Sonar or echolocation explained Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/sonar-echolocation), CC BY-NC 4.0 Echolocation is a remarkable ability to use reflections of a signal to understand your environment. Dolphins, for example, can scan their environment using echolocation to catch food. And ships use sonar, a form of echolocation, to survey the depth of water around them. I wish I could echolocate. Then I wouldn’t need the one eye trick. ## Don’t let other people get you down URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dont-let-other-people-get-you-down Published: 2013-02-06T21:00:00+0000 Categories: advice, happiness, wellbeing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c042b2d9-c825-4c10-88f4-cf284493c40b_53139984983.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dont-let-other-people-get-you-down), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## Remove troublesome lids URL: https://sketchplanations.com/remove-troublesome-lids Published: 2013-02-05T21:00:00+0000 Categories: lifehack, food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ae24cd0d-25de-4826-93a5-06db619988a7_53139939356.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/remove-troublesome-lids), CC BY-NC 4.0 My dad often says my mum won’t survive when he’s gone as she won’t be able to open any jars for food. Maybe this’ll help. Warming up jar lids has saved me on multiple occasions. Fourth Try: Put folded dish cloth on counter and whack the edge of the lid against it. Boom. (courtesy @MrRobBell) ## Scan your Oyster card while walking to avoid angry Londoners URL: https://sketchplanations.com/scan-your-oyster-card-while-walking-to-avoid-angry-londoners Published: 2013-02-04T21:00:00+0000 Categories: london Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/82cbcc7f-ce6a-4f1f-82b1-6ec90a658b0a_53139417818.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/scan-your-oyster-card-while-walking-to-avoid-angry-londoners), CC BY-NC 4.0 This handy tip from @inventor_tom. People who halt progress at the barriers are not easily tolerated here it seems. ## Run better URL: https://sketchplanations.com/run-better Published: 2013-02-03T19:23:00+0000 Categories: sport, running Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/5873a533-bc30-4ca0-876c-6db39b29803b_53046150556.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Run better Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/run-better), CC BY-NC 4.0 The best stuff I’ve learned from the chapter ‘Pursuing the perfect stride’ in Brain Training for Runners by Matt Fitzgerald and by reading Born to Run. ## Why we sometimes walk in circles URL: https://sketchplanations.com/why-we-sometimes-walk-in-circles Published: 2013-02-02T19:23:00+0000 Categories: walking, road Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a6bae1ad-aeef-40e7-b2a9-1b7649c063a9_53045631184.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/why-we-sometimes-walk-in-circles), CC BY-NC 4.0 Took me a long time to figure out why we regularly took a different route to and from certain places. I find that it also happens cycling due to avoiding difficult cross-traffic turns. ## Connect with a colleague through affinities URL: https://sketchplanations.com/affinities Published: 2013-02-01T19:23:00+0000 Categories: management Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/53ef6108-687e-4f72-b147-b2540e5d30af_53045551911.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/affinities), CC BY-NC 4.0 Learned this lovely process at Jump Associates thanks to Sarah Singer Nourie. Do it, do it! ## The best writing is re-writing URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-best-writing-is-re-writing Published: 2013-01-31T19:23:00+0000 Categories: writing, design, creativity, starting Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/49a7cd72-f3df-4910-8f12-7ac00718b671_53045409959.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-best-writing-is-re-writing), CC BY-NC 4.0 The best writing is re-writing. I learned this from On Writing Well by William Zinsser. It has two pages worth the price of the book alone. They show the same pages that made it into the book with editing marks all over them. At a glance, it made me understand the work and craft that goes into writing and that I can do it. As Paul Graham wrote: "The easy, conversational tone of good writing comes only on the eighth rewrite." It also helps me realise that the way to good is by starting with something that isn't good. Also on editing: The first draft is always perfect Micro-editing redundant words Short words Happy talk must die How to speak plainly By monkeys Short speeches ## Organise veg in the fridge URL: https://sketchplanations.com/organise-veg-in-the-fridge Published: 2013-01-30T19:23:00+0000 Categories: lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6bfac9b4-13cf-4acb-a1a3-2ea954f286c0_53045262072.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/organise-veg-in-the-fridge), CC BY-NC 4.0 This simple division has made our lives a teeny bit easier. ## Affect. Effect URL: https://sketchplanations.com/affect-effect Published: 2013-01-29T19:23:00+0000 Categories: words, writing, grammar, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d8f9ff6c-4a5e-4878-b82e-df2cf45501d6_53045200799.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: When to use Affect vs effect: one person affects another by pushing them into the water. The effect is a big splash. Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/affect-effect), CC BY-NC 4.0 When should use affect or effect in English? Affect is a verb — you affect someone or something. Effect is a noun. In this sketch, the person is affected (verb) by being pushed into the water with the effect (noun) being a large splash. Also see: less vs fewer ## Be stubborn on vision. Be flexible on details URL: https://sketchplanations.com/be-stubborn-on-vision-be-flexible-on-details Published: 2013-01-28T19:23:00+0000 Categories: quote, leadership, entrepreneurship Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/411020f3-40e8-419a-9a9f-c0edd3f7de61_53044867440.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: "Be stubborn on vision, be flexible on details" quote from Jeff Bezos Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/be-stubborn-on-vision-be-flexible-on-details), CC BY-NC 4.0 Quote from Jeff Bezos. ## Smaller plates help you eat less URL: https://sketchplanations.com/smaller-plates-help-you-eat-less Published: 2013-01-28T01:23:00+0000 Categories: food and drink, lifehack, health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/469f019b-fdde-4f6b-91ec-9793922f9a8f_53044789887.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/smaller-plates-help-you-eat-less), CC BY-NC 4.0 We’ve been looking for the right size plates for some time. ## Turn carrots while cutting URL: https://sketchplanations.com/turn-carrots-while-cutting Published: 2013-01-27T19:23:00+0000 Categories: food and drink, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/6827aab3-9398-48c9-902d-91c710a9efdf_53044752464.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Turn carrots while cutting for swifter, smoother cuts Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/turn-carrots-while-cutting), CC BY-NC 4.0 It does help. ## Build a play tent URL: https://sketchplanations.com/build-a-play-tent Published: 2013-01-26T19:23:00+0000 Categories: games, parenting, play Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2925d362-8f30-4453-9892-2aae715c0724_53044722053.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/build-a-play-tent), CC BY-NC 4.0 Blanket + drying rack + torch = fun! ## For the amour of it URL: https://sketchplanations.com/for-the-amour-of-it Published: 2013-01-25T19:23:00+0000 Categories: words, podcast Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/43b71703-db9d-45e1-9c6b-1a7bedb9f07c_53044444417.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Amateur vs professional meaning Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/for-the-amour-of-it), CC BY-NC 4.0 It was lovely to learn about the root of the word amateur: those who do something for the love of it. Via Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky, a book that I found enlightening all the way through. ## Babies learn control from the top down URL: https://sketchplanations.com/babies-learn-control-from-the-top-down Published: 2013-01-24T19:23:00+0000 Categories: parenting, education, learning Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3e312463-86d1-4a18-84ac-d065bf096703_53044305680.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/babies-learn-control-from-the-top-down), CC BY-NC 4.0 I learned this simple insight from The Baby Whisperer. ## Don’t stack letters vertically. Turn your words instead URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dont-stack-letters-vertically-turn-your-words-instead Published: 2013-01-23T19:23:00+0000 Categories: typography, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a49680cd-a2fb-4053-bd25-87a812773188_53044214317.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dont-stack-letters-vertically-turn-your-words-instead), CC BY-NC 4.0 Next time you see them stacked, it ask yourself if it’s easier to read. ## On productivity and temperature URL: https://sketchplanations.com/on-productivity-and-temperature Published: 2013-01-22T19:23:00+0000 Categories: framework, charts Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/47645586-27f8-4485-8cf6-b12880c24891_53044138869.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/on-productivity-and-temperature), CC BY-NC 4.0 I have never run the numbers though. ## Hit the product sweet spot URL: https://sketchplanations.com/hit-the-product-sweet-spot Published: 2013-01-21T19:23:00+0000 Categories: framework, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/a7a26178-2477-443b-afa0-b7c0e96b61c1_53044055016.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/hit-the-product-sweet-spot), CC BY-NC 4.0 Various versions of this basic framework exist. IDEO use the terms desirable, viable and feasible. Jump Associates blend the three together for hybrid thinkers - part humanist, part technologist and part capitalist. Though I think my first knowledge of this framework comes from Liz Sanders at Sonicrim with the terms: useful, usable and desirable. All this said, I do find people often gloss over the blood, sweat, tears, failure and iteration that doesn’t fit on the diagram. ## Play your own Scattergories URL: https://sketchplanations.com/play-your-own-scattergories Published: 2013-01-20T19:23:00+0000 Categories: games, travel, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/cccba2d3-cb41-43fc-b7d0-bcbbd1eee3fa_53043721829.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Play your own Scattegories Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/play-your-own-scattergories), CC BY-NC 4.0 Requires little equipment and is generally more fun and involving than the real thing. ## Draw a chain URL: https://sketchplanations.com/draw-a-chain Published: 2013-01-19T19:23:00+0000 Categories: drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/367d1c06-0271-465e-b6d9-211bd8360237_53043663242.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/draw-a-chain), CC BY-NC 4.0 I figured this out while trying to draw one. The epiphany was noticing that the s-line in the centre is uninterrupted but part of two chain links. Neat. ## Shut one eye to keep your night vision URL: https://sketchplanations.com/shut-one-eye-to-keep-your-night-vision Published: 2013-01-18T19:23:00+0000 Categories: lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1377f767-64ee-4b5e-bd38-5aad87e223e6_53043577581.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Shut one eye to keep your night vision illustration Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/shut-one-eye-to-keep-your-night-vision), CC BY-NC 4.0 Shut one eye to keep your night vision. It helps you see in the dark. Apparently, this is a well-known thing in the military, but no one told me until we learned about it in the film Beneath Hill 60. It's also a potential reason why pirates are known to wear eye patches—from popping up and down between decks—though it's rather hard to be sure. But I think the primary use case is going for a pee in the night. ## Bright light will free your sneeze URL: https://sketchplanations.com/bright-light-will-free-your-sneeze Published: 2013-01-17T19:23:00+0000 Categories: sneeze, health, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/cec1e232-bebe-4caf-accc-3b0369751d9c_53043453974.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The photic sneeze - Bright light will free your sneeze illustration: showing the photic sneeze when a person has a sneeze stuck and releases it by looking at a bright light Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/bright-light-will-free-your-sneeze), CC BY-NC 4.0 If you feel the need to sneeze, some people find that looking at a bright light can help release the urge. Apparently, it’s called the photic sneeze. I asked BBC Science Focus magazine in the UK what was happening here. They shared that it's called the photic sneeze but also that Science doesn’t really know why. We need to find out. It happens without fail for our eldest son. Anytime we pause to take a family selfie facing towards the sun, there's a guaranteed sneeze. It used to be a common occurrence that leaving the bedroom in the morning and entering the light would also trigger a sneeze. My niece is also a reliable photic sneezer. Apparently, whether you're subject to the photic sneeze or not is genetic and is even included in analyses by 23andMe. ## Dry your hands with only one towel URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dry-your-hands-with-only-one-towel Published: 2013-01-16T19:23:00+0000 Categories: health, washing, sustainability Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/51b11880-fcda-47f3-8893-3370112ce0f1_53043169760.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dry-your-hands-with-only-one-towel), CC BY-NC 4.0 Learned from Joe Smith’s short entertaining TED talk: How to use a paper towel. ## Build a mindmap URL: https://sketchplanations.com/build-a-mindmap Published: 2013-01-11T18:57:00+0000 Categories: thinking tool, visual recording Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/362943fa-785a-4b62-b31d-65d1789977d3_53041816200.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/build-a-mindmap), CC BY-NC 4.0 I have found mindmaps useful to me since I first learned them and gave them a shot. Here’s some of what I’ve learned since from practice. Great for getting your thoughts down before a project. ## Twice as much thought and half as much content URL: https://sketchplanations.com/twice-as-much-thought-and-half-as-much-content Published: 2013-01-10T18:57:00+0000 Categories: design, advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c616e360-5c2b-4c0e-bf02-2901cbbaa99d_53041654977.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/twice-as-much-thought-and-half-as-much-content), CC BY-NC 4.0 A pretty good rule for most of what we produce. ## Fold t-shirts vertically for visibility and easy access URL: https://sketchplanations.com/fold-t-shirts-vertically-for-visibility-and-easy-access Published: 2013-01-09T18:57:00+0000 Categories: lifehack, tidying Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/79dab1e9-4e02-4014-bc00-950d4eeebf3e_53041564785.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Fold and store t-shirts vertically for visibility and easy access Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/fold-t-shirts-vertically-for-visibility-and-easy-access), CC BY-NC 4.0 This was an amazing tip IMHO from my wife. Folding t-shirts and storing them vertically, rather than stacking them on top of each other, keeps them visible and gives easy access to the t-shirt you want. Makes your drawers a million times better. Apparently, this is a tip also from Marie Kondo of asking "Does this spark joy?" fame. Try it! ## A spectrum of feedback quality URL: https://sketchplanations.com/a-spectrum-of-feedback-quality Published: 2013-01-08T18:57:00+0000 Categories: framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d34bda79-5cdd-4df3-adbc-7c473e731c62_53041495693.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/a-spectrum-of-feedback-quality), CC BY-NC 4.0 For giving well received constructive feedback to others. Thanks to Work. Life. You. ## Make a Wayne’s World pizza URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-a-waynes-world-pizza Published: 2013-01-07T14:40:00+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/eb8f953e-15a2-41f7-8209-1998ac487421_53025686858.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: The Wayne's World pizza of jalapeño, anchovy and banana Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-a-waynes-world-pizza), CC BY-NC 4.0 The surprising joy of the Wayne's World pizza with jalapeño, anchovy and banana. It's a magic combo! Learned from the lovely people at the Suntouched Inn, Napier, South Africa. ## Mix big and little bumps for simple, effective thought bubbles URL: https://sketchplanations.com/simple-effective-thought-bubbles Published: 2013-01-06T14:40:00+0000 Categories: drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/d82e774f-1622-4242-8f92-233c85dbeff2_53025609107.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/simple-effective-thought-bubbles), CC BY-NC 4.0 Learned by watching Dev Patnaik. ## Close your mouth while brushing to avoid mirror spots URL: https://sketchplanations.com/close-your-mouth-while-brushing Published: 2013-01-05T14:40:00+0000 Categories: relationships, lifehack, health Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/8f9a2254-b009-4952-a3bc-f3f4b221129f_53025555759.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/close-your-mouth-while-brushing), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## The steeper the slope the greater the lean forward URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-steeper-the-slope-the-greater-the-lean-forward Published: 2013-01-04T14:40:00+0000 Categories: sport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/08e451ae-5f12-4d29-9fc3-c5cc6ea13b14_53025028659.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-steeper-the-slope-the-greater-the-lean-forward), CC BY-NC 4.0 Learned the hard way. A rather counterintuitive bit of technique. A little ski courage really does help. ## Pack food shopping effectively URL: https://sketchplanations.com/pack-food-shopping-effectively Published: 2013-01-03T13:01:00+0000 Categories: lifehack, food and drink, tidying Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f4f7f8c2-2b75-4063-8847-86ab5c5c4ab2_SP+028+-+Pack+food+shopping+effectively.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/pack-food-shopping-effectively), CC BY-NC 4.0 It seems everyone figures out their own little science for this. ## Make a Statue of Liberty sambuca URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-a-statue-of-liberty-sambuca Published: 2013-01-02T13:01:00+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/3b26262e-6ec3-40fe-8ea2-7f7d4a0aa823_53024712873.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-a-statue-of-liberty-sambuca), CC BY-NC 4.0 First gave this a go at the International Sports Bar, San Francisco. Be careful. ## Resolve a contradiction through separation URL: https://sketchplanations.com/resolve-a-contradiction-through-separation Published: 2013-01-01T13:01:00+0000 Categories: problem solving, design, triz, engineering Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/bef7b2a1-6b0d-42fc-9c75-3977db0340b4_53024621511.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/resolve-a-contradiction-through-separation), CC BY-NC 4.0 The idea of resolving contradictions I was taught by Darrell Mann. This neat example from Simon Dewulf. ## The tastes of victory and failure URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-tastes-of-victory-and-failure Published: 2012-12-31T13:01:00+0000 Categories: framework Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9fb6e581-525b-457f-982b-121d078a47ee_53024481923.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-tastes-of-victory-and-failure), CC BY-NC 4.0 ## If you have something nice to say, make sure you say it URL: https://sketchplanations.com/if-you-have-something-nice-to-say-make-sure-you-say-it Published: 2012-12-30T13:01:00+0000 Categories: gift giving, quote, kindness Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/1d8346b2-db34-463a-96d2-92fe5c51f568_53024218913.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C480%2C406&w=1200&h=406 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/if-you-have-something-nice-to-say-make-sure-you-say-it), CC BY-NC 4.0 “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it” - William Arthur Ward ## Make Terry’s Chocolate Orange drink URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-terrys-chocolate-orange-drink Published: 2012-12-29T14:40:00+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/567b17b0-d955-46e7-9475-151dcd0701f3_53024152894.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C480%2C406&w=1200&h=406 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-terrys-chocolate-orange-drink), CC BY-NC 4.0 Tia Maria + orange juice. Surprising resemblance. ## The best way to get fit URL: https://sketchplanations.com/the-best-way-to-get-fit Published: 2012-12-28T14:08:00+0000 Categories: sport, running Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2afb0cc4-bc31-44c4-9604-307a9a5ff12a_53024066336.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: The best way to get fit Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/the-best-way-to-get-fit), CC BY-NC 4.0 Still the best way I know. Neatly takes advantage of our present bias. See forcing function ## Pick a present URL: https://sketchplanations.com/pick-a-present Published: 2012-12-27T14:06:00+0000 Categories: framework, gift giving Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/aCNYeydWJ-7kSBtz_SP021-PickaPresent-revised.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Pick a present Venn diagram considering how gift giving is also about the values of the giver Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/pick-a-present), CC BY-NC 4.0 Venn diagrams can be wholly unscientific, like this one. There are lots of things to bear in mind when trying to find the right gift for someone. It has always struck me how gift-giving is so often as much about the giver as the receiver. Here I was trying to get across how a perfect present is one that: You predicted someone would like Fits with your values (I wouldn't buy my teenager cigarettes even if they wanted them) They actually like This was a very early sketch. I updated it when we made a podcast about it. It was really fun. Have a listen when it's out! Here's the original sketch, mistakes and all. ## Get good ideas URL: https://sketchplanations.com/get-good-ideas Published: 2012-12-26T14:40:00+0000 Categories: framework, infographics, charts, design Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/441e8465-915c-4ac9-ab61-4de0a4689738_53021513351.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/get-good-ideas), CC BY-NC 4.0 Getting beyond the getting stuck taught me by Dev Patnaik. The first 50 are the same as everyone else’s via Emily Ford. ## Win at Boggle URL: https://sketchplanations.com/win-at-boggle Published: 2012-12-25T13:01:00+0000 Categories: games, lifehack Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ad1a93df-c649-4eb8-8207-4981cb25175c_53021022739.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: How to win at Boggle Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/win-at-boggle), CC BY-NC 4.0 Strategies honed over the years for winning at Boggle. ## Steer a parakite URL: https://sketchplanations.com/steer-a-parakite Published: 2012-12-24T14:40:00+0000 Categories: sport, exercise Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/2e2b5ddb-02ed-4c80-b899-5278d75c2ff1_53020988525.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Steer a parakite Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/steer-a-parakite), CC BY-NC 4.0 Taught to me by Rhys Pegoraro. ## Take a photo with your iPhone URL: https://sketchplanations.com/take-a-photo-with-your-iphone Published: 2012-12-23T14:40:00+0000 Categories: tech, photography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/798774b4-8029-4548-a6b8-3b63259f1028_53020951021.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/take-a-photo-with-your-iphone), CC BY-NC 4.0 It still amazes me how few people know this most handy of tips. ## Poach an egg in the microwave URL: https://sketchplanations.com/poach-an-egg-in-the-microwave Published: 2012-12-22T14:40:00+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/ca712b50-dd33-474f-9444-325a6f9f9c9d_53020915297.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Image description: Visual recipe for poaching an egg in the microwave Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/poach-an-egg-in-the-microwave), CC BY-NC 4.0 Your handy reference for how to poach an egg in the microwave. In just a minute with a mug, a microwave, and a little water, a perfectly serviceable poached egg can be yours. Taught to me by Neal Moore. ## Santa has special wrapping URL: https://sketchplanations.com/santa-has-special-wrapping Published: 2012-12-21T14:40:00+0000 Categories: christmas, gift giving Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c6fc48ff-5d06-4703-a3f8-8e15540bed3a_53020842174.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/santa-has-special-wrapping), CC BY-NC 4.0 …that doesn’t mix with the other presents. Because Santa’s presents are wrapped in the North Pole. ## Draw a unicorn, Ed Emberley style URL: https://sketchplanations.com/draw-a-unicorn-ed-emberley-style Published: 2012-12-19T14:40:00+0000 Categories: drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/57a0eaf9-69b6-4e66-b722-21327a36a56d_53020799273.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/draw-a-unicorn-ed-emberley-style), CC BY-NC 4.0 Or should that be ‘an unicorn’? ## Decorate a Christmas tree URL: https://sketchplanations.com/decorate-a-christmas-tree Published: 2012-12-18T14:40:00+0000 Categories: christmas Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/4522f927-e0d2-4fb7-9382-9264763d522e_53020761786.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/decorate-a-christmas-tree), CC BY-NC 4.0 There is a natural order to the process. ## Make a good HDR photograph URL: https://sketchplanations.com/make-a-good-hdr-photograph Published: 2012-12-17T21:17:00+0000 Categories: photography Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/0c2ce1d2-56bb-4bb8-b40c-f7da2e0c7ea4_53140601476.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/make-a-good-hdr-photograph), CC BY-NC 4.0 Learn more with Trey Ratcliff’s HDR tutorial. Or checkout some of my HDR photos on Flickr. ## Accept compliments URL: https://sketchplanations.com/accept-compliments Published: 2012-12-17T14:40:00+0000 Categories: kindness, relationships, advice Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/193eee06-7006-429d-9676-4b565bccf31e_53020704128.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Accept compliments sketch Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/accept-compliments), CC BY-NC 4.0 When someone gives you a compliment, accept it. I learned this after I disagreed with a compliment someone gave me, which took a generous compliment for me and made both of us less happy. If someone has a compliment for you, whether you agree with it or not, it's their view, and the least you can do to accept it gracefully. Or as Kevin Kelly says: "Denying or deflecting a compliment is rude. Accept it with thanks." ## How to play reverse pool URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-play-reverse-pool Published: 2012-12-15T13:01:00+0000 Categories: sport, games Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/f1fdbf6a-7f4d-416d-8bf5-0dc019497957_53020673629.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: How to play reverse pool Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-play-reverse-pool), CC BY-NC 4.0 Reverse pool is really a surprisingly tricky and interesting game, thanks to reversing the physics. You still pot your coloured balls and then the black as you do in a standard game of pool. The twist is that instead of using the white to hit your coloured ball into the pocket, you need to pot by cueing your coloured ball and bouncing it off the white before it goes in. The different action of the game means that a different starting arrangement of balls is needed as shown in the sketch. It's really intriguing! Let me know if you give it a try. ## Either draw stick men or real people. Avoid halfway URL: https://sketchplanations.com/either-draw-stick-men-or-real-people-avoid-halfway Published: 2012-12-14T14:40:00+0000 Categories: drawing Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/9cba7682-c6ff-4d78-ac3e-a6e82c7f121d_53020618983.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/either-draw-stick-men-or-real-people-avoid-halfway), CC BY-NC 4.0 I believe the pictures say it all. ## Doing an endo URL: https://sketchplanations.com/doing-an-endo Published: 2012-12-13T14:40:00+0000 Categories: sport, cycling, exercise Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/30f6763b-dcc4-4688-8fa5-2422f49681af_53020584356.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Image description: Doing an endo Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/doing-an-endo), CC BY-NC 4.0 Taught to me by Rhys Pegoraro. I fell over. ## Folding a fitted sheet URL: https://sketchplanations.com/folding-a-fitted-sheet Published: 2012-12-12T14:40:00+0000 Categories: lifehack, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/36f8fb23-8b30-40dc-a412-78e158c9d491_53020548594.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/folding-a-fitted-sheet), CC BY-NC 4.0 Always a challenge. ## Visitors from other climates URL: https://sketchplanations.com/visitors-from-other-climates Published: 2012-12-11T14:40:00+0000 Categories: perspective, beach, weather, travel Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/70cda106-2709-4870-bfea-d4651452e04d_53020495456.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1746%2C1483&w=1200&h=1483 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/visitors-from-other-climates), CC BY-NC 4.0 Sometimes see the good in what you have come to resent. ## Cooking is bucket science URL: https://sketchplanations.com/cooking-is-bucket-science Published: 2012-12-10T14:40:00+0000 Categories: food and drink Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/c9b32324-b8f2-4bda-98c8-a0b126d5eff3_53020430427.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/cooking-is-bucket-science), CC BY-NC 4.0 Taught to me by my Dad. ## Dry your feet first URL: https://sketchplanations.com/dry-your-feet-first-getting-out-of-the-shower Published: 2012-12-09T13:01:00+0000 Categories: lifehack, relationships Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/25fa753a-58f6-49e2-ae84-81794a6e6811_53020361988.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C0%2C1843%2C1563&w=1200&h=1563 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/dry-your-feet-first-getting-out-of-the-shower), CC BY-NC 4.0 And the mat doesn’t get soaked. ## Buying a Christmas tree in London URL: https://sketchplanations.com/buying-a-christmas-tree-in-london Published: 2012-12-08T11:52:00+0000 Categories: christmas Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/94461e3d-33d5-47bb-bd3c-16bfe06be9ad_53018427499.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/buying-a-christmas-tree-in-london), CC BY-NC 4.0 Feels somewhat like this. ## How to get off at Russell Square URL: https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-get-off-at-russell-square Published: 2012-12-07T12:01:00+0000 Categories: london, transport Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/602353ae-3726-49b5-ab34-49a81b8d3eec_53018718378.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/how-to-get-off-at-russell-square), CC BY-NC 4.0 Because there’s only one way out and it’s a long walk and wait for the lift otherwise. ## Pulling rabbits out of hats URL: https://sketchplanations.com/pulling-rabbits-out-of-hats Published: 2012-12-06T13:01:00+0000 Categories: animals Image: https://images.prismic.io/sketchplanations/12e86309-b27a-4c07-9bcb-59c22f1ef127_52004764881.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200 Credit: Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations (https://sketchplanations.com/pulling-rabbits-out-of-hats), CC BY-NC 4.0