Automator on the fader

Phantom Obligation

Why do RSS readers make you feel guilty? Terry Godier traces it back to a single design decision: in 2002, Brent Simmons made NetNewsWire look like an email client — three panes, unread counts, chronological lists. It worked. It taught people how to use RSS by borrowing familiar patterns. But it also inherited email’s emotional baggage: the anxiety of inbox zero, the guilt of falling “behind” on content that was never urgent in the first place. Twenty-two years later, Simmons himself wonders why everyone’s still copying him. When you dress a new thing in old clothes, people don’t just learn the shape — they inherit the feelings.

https://www.terrygodier.com/phantom-obligation

Graphic Design History Resources

A curated collection of design archives and resources from Alistair Hall at We Made This. Born from watching students get stuck in the Pinterest/Google Images vortex — all contemporary work, no historical context. The list leans historical but acknowledges the canon is being reformed. Good starting point for looking beyond the same 20 posters everyone shares. Includes a shout to Elizabeth Goodspeed’s Casual Archivist spreadsheet, which is its own treasure trove.

https://wemadethis.co.uk/blog/2021/09/graphic-design-history-resources/

Today’s vibes

Liquid drum and bass from Zero T and Steo — all rolling breaks and warm basslines. The kind of track that makes Saturday afternoon cleaning feel like you’re solving a crime in a neon-lit future city.