Espresso Shots 8-31-25

It's that time again for my weekly update, which includes a short collection of noteworthy finds, posts that inspire, as well as a few reflections from the past week or two. I'll aim to land these in your inbox by the weekend, in time to pair with your morning coffee (or your preferred cup of inspiration).

The Latest Drippings ☕️

• Subtraction. As someone who is constantly looking for ways to reduce stress, the quote 'stress is doing something you don't care about, with time that you do' hits home for me. I've often thought that the best way to get less stress is to subtract, and this article is a beautiful ode to that philosophy. 'A sculptor cuts away the excess stone until a figure is revealed. A gardener spends more time pruning and weeding than planting. All art involves processes of editing, removal, clearing away clutter and noise in order to reveal the clarity that lies under all of the distraction.'
• What's the Cost of Saying Yes?. In a similar vein to Don't Do It, I enjoyed this post, and they reframe the question. Instead of thinking about how to say no, ask yourself 'What’s the cost of saying yes?'
• Sync Overload, and How to Avoid It. I'm noticing a theme this week (one guess!): 'Synchronous time in a distributed organization is precious—even sacred. And while we spend it generously when onboarding new employees, we maintain a better work/life balance—and healthier, more productive mental attitudes—by keeping inessential meetings to a minimum.' More to subtract!
• The Power We Use and the Power We Give. This post was an intriguing look at 'the importance of considering power dynamics when deciding where to publish or engage online.' On that, I still find that I have the most interaction across the Fediverse. While I repost to BlueSky, I haven't found any real meaningful connections there, and Threads is basically dead for me. I nuked Facebook and Twitter/X 2 years ago and am not looking back.
• Nine Rules for Managing Humans Managing Nuclear Reactors. I found this article to be a fascinating look at a the management philosophy around nuclear reactors, which lenses in on 'the importance of motivated and committed technocrats who develop intangible skills and possess an internal drive' and that these skills cannot be taught, but rather developed, through 'long personal experience and hard work.'
• Welcome to the Rebel Hideout: ILM's Employee-made Star Wars Gathering Place. I've seen a fair share of wildly creative hidden bars at offices and theme parks, but this new one over at ILM is pretty sweet.
• Tot 2.0: A Thoughtful Extension of an Already Elegant Note-Taking App. A shoutout to a simple but handy app for taking quick notes that I use across the phone, watch, and Mac. I've had this one installed since its release, and the new 2.0 release adds some solid new features.
• The Glorious Future of the Book. 'Can you imagine data storage that never needs an upgrade. Even better, there’s no subscription fee. And the system never crashes—there hasn’t been a single minute of down time in recorded history... I’m referring to books. They’re the greatest hard storage concept in human history, and nothing else comes close.' I've written about the importance of having an anti-library, and having shelves of unread books can 'enrich our lives as they remind us of all we don’t know teach us about ourselves. (via Statistician Nassim Nicholas Taleb)', but this piece is a friendly reminder that the book is the ultimate killer app.
• No One Cares About Your Feelings. 'Expecting strangers to live by your standards guarantees frustration.' I think it's important to realize that people are generally acting in accordance with their own judgments and incentives, and not necessarily out of any particular malice towards you.
• Ritualize anything. My mornings often start the same way with the coffee ritual: the grind, the slow pour of espresso, and the purposeful addition of water with a gooseneck kettle. If I miss my morning coffee routine, the entire day is off, so I completely agree with the idea that 'rituals do not add anything sacred to life. Life is already sacred. We know this whenever we face death. Rituals remind us, let us acknowledge it.'
• Katee Sackhoff Revealing She Lost ALL Her Confidence Filming Mandalorian. One of the questions people always ask me is about how to handle imposter syndrome. The reality is that we all have it, even famous actors, and it's essential to take a step back and gain some perspective.
• Enshittification, The Audiobook. Instant buy for me; Cory Doctorow coined the term Enshittification, which refers to how platforms die. 'Here is how platforms die: first, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves.' His new book (and now audiobook) is coming soon (DRM-free).
• Mindful Productivity: A Sustainable Way to Work and Think. I'm always on the lookout for productivity hacks, especially those that enhance creativity and mental well-being. 'Paying attention to the present moment—to the world around you, to your thoughts and feelings—requires to observe what's going on inside and outside ourselves, but it doesn't necessarily mean stopping everything we’re doing. Mindfulness is about clearly seeing the present moment; not literally pressing the pause button.'
• How to Draw a Space Invader. A fun, retro-style hack that was a surprisingly neat how-to on how these are created.

Amor Fati ✌🏻