Queue 4 Q1

I'm working on compiling a dense issue for Q1 2024. This issue will cover some company updates, backend resources, 3D models, Open Source case studies, and fresh ♫ playlists (of course).

Medium

Less junk (email), more Stuff

I hope you enjoy getting random, quarterly emails throughout the year…because that’s what you’re signing up for ッ

Here’s a li’l taste of a previous Newsletter™ from Q2 2019:

Old Newsletter™

Massage

I've been thinking a lot about j𝘶n𝘬. Why do we fill up our lives with things we do not love? Why don't we push back? Why do we give in and let j𝘶n𝘬 overtake our lives and media? Another day passes, and another great magazine gets whored out to ads. Again, I understand the business decision to sell advertising (even though I disagree), but at what cost?

Seth Godin had an attractive proposition, "what if it cost money to send an email?" What if you had a limit on how many emails you could send? Everyone starts with a reasonable allotment of 300 emails they could send monthly (roughly ten/day). Each additional email would be something like 5¢ to send—personally, no big deal.

Now, where this gets expensive is directed at the turds who keep sending us millions of j𝘶n𝘬-mail daily. That is a good tax. The people j𝘶n𝘬in' up the Universe should have to pay for it. Stop sending redundant emails and trying to sell j𝘶n𝘬 to people who do not want or need your services.

I want a tidy inbox...and a clean gravel driveway. If I want those crisp lines to stay on my driveway, I must get down and pull the weeds. That is how you maintain an unkept inbox too. But, don’t just delete that spam. You gotta get down there and pull the weed out at the roots. Enter the Unsubscribe button—a gift from God. If you keep getting the same stupid email, block that email address. You can set up mailbox rules in the settings to autodelete based on the conditions you set. I prefer to over-prune vs. leave an opportunity for the weeds to return. The most natural solution is spraying your inbox with that Unsubscribe button. For the gravel, I’m trying out high strength vinegar+salt+soap.

There is no such thing as "no maintenance." That is called neglect. I don't want to neglect my driveway, dishes, laundry, checkbook, relationships, etc. But I need to maintain them if I want to keep them in my life. So the better reframe is to aim at low-maintenance. We get there by designing systems that remove friction and provide solutions.

Why dilute a solution? Email is a fantastic solution to the obstacles of communication. So let's stop diluting with j𝘶n𝘬 mail. The same goes for the magazines. I pay full price for Wax Poetics and settle for only three issues a year with no ads and better content (wink, wink, Dwell...). This prompt will probably mean we have more periodic magazines and fewer emails. But isn't that a better Universe?