If you spent a bit of time on social media last week, you could not have missed the Kavanaugh spectacle. The day of the hearing – streamed live, of course, like a grand finale – more than usual, Twitter turned into a solid wall of all-caps outrage. It became a contest of who could shock their followers most with yet another opinionated insult hurled against the other side. It was the perfect example of social media giving shock and fury wings while drowning out anything more nuanced and restrained. After ten minutes of just observing I felt mentally fatigued and emotionally drained, and avoided social media for the rest of the day.

Here's a friendly reminder: if you feel disheartened by the state of the world, pretty much anything is more effective than sitting in front of your computer and pouring fuel on the dumpster fire that is social media politics. Go volunteer for a cause you believe in, donate money, write a letter to people in charge to express your disapproval, have a (real life) conversation with friends or family who disagree with your opinion, heck, even reading a book on issues you feel strongly about – all of those things are more productive than revving up the rage by helping your side shout louder into the digital void. – Kai

SuperHi →

Learn to make beautiful websites, coded by you.

We made our new short courses – Javascript for Designers, Intro to UX Design and Experimental Javascript – to help you create well-designed digital projects that you have full control over. No templates or dull lessons, and all online. Why learn online?

With a peculiar name, Superhuman promises to make dealing with emails faster and more zen. The email client is still in invite-only beta, so I'm not sure what platforms will be supported.

Kiwake →

The anti-snooze iPhone alarm

If you are a repetitive snoozer and struggle to get out of bed, perhaps Kiwake can help: you can set up little challenges that you need to complete in order to turn off the alarm, such as a simple puzzle or taking a photo of an item that's not in your bedroom.

Brandy →

Brand assets in your Mac menu bar

What a neat idea: if you're constantly needing to access your brand assets (such as logo, colours, fonts, etc.) Brandy allows you to put them in a dedicated little space in your menu bar and keep them in sync with your whole team.

Quip →

Project and file management

There are a lot of tools designed to help us collaborate on projects and content. Quip looks like a well-rounded, simpler, more collaborative alternative to the classic office suite.

In the latest issue of The Discourse (the newsletter I recommended in DD Issue 2) Sean outlines his personal rules for engaging with others online. I think we could all use a reminder of how to have better conversations online, so I turned his rules into a printable version:

→ Rules for Online Sanity (PDF)

Steel HR Sport →

Hybrid smart/sport watch

I always liked the designs by French smartwatch maker Withings (briefly owned by Nokia), but what I like even more than the design is the battery life: this watch is supposed to last 25 days without recharging. The Steel HR Sport comes with additional features specifically targeted to people who work out a lot. I'm still not sold on the value of smartwatches overall, but this one is starting to sound convincing.

Future Ethics →

A practical tech ethics guide

Future Ethics transforms modern ethical theory into practical advice for designers, product managers, and software engineers alike. Cennydd Bowles uses three lenses of modern ethics to focus on some of tech’s biggest challenges: unintended consequences and algorithmic bias, the troubling power of persuasive technology, and the dystopias of surveillance, autonomous war, and a post-work future.

This interview has been making the rounds on Twitter last week. A lot of people focused on how he's walked away from an additional $850m in cash to make his point. Good on him! But here is yet another idolised billionaire that has happily taken the money first and worried about doing good later. Sound familiar?

Have you noticed? “In the last five years, there has not been a single major website or dominant web property that has embraced, rewarded, or significantly grown their outlinking. We’ve reached an era of a less-connected web, a web focused on retaining users rather than sharing content.”

I know what you're thinking: another 'how to live a privileged life' article, but this advice piece by Sean Blanda is a thoughtful yet light-hearted read on how to make the most of taking some time off.

I'm excited about this one: The Markup will be a new publication powered by investigative journalism and data analysis ‘illuminating the societal harms
 of emerging technologies’. And a great name to boot!

I'm a big fan of flexible branding systems where the logo and other CI elements aren't static but keep evolving all the time. The Sprengel Museum Hannover does it well.

Speaking of versatile identity systems, this award-winning branding project for the Sydney Dogs & Cats Home by Australian agency For The People is ingenious and adorable.

The first two retail fonts by new indie type foundry Kilotype are worth a closer look.

Unequal Scenes is an unsettling photo series portraying scenes of urban inequality.

Brush Ninja is a fun, free, easy to use animated gif creator. Draw animations in your browser, on your desktop or phone, and share them freely online. No ads/ signup required!

The Daily Talk Show is a podcast started by two Australian freelance filmmakers – now business partners – who chat about life. Josh & Tommy keep you company every weekday.

Get technology news, without the noise. Delivered to your inbox every morning, Charged saves you time, and helps you understand what matters in today's technology landscape.

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