Nalden

What started with TU Delft students consistently winning the World Solar Challenge turned into a fast-growing startup making the most efficient solar-powered car. Instead of a roadster, Lightyear went for a sleek design sedan that is giving me mad Citroën SM vibes. It's more or less a solar panel on wheels charging whenever the car absorbs daylight, extending your range by 70 kilometres per day! After visiting the factory, I think this is one of the most exciting companies in the Netherlands.

Hahaha, I stumbled upon this big mechanical protest sign. Seems we're going to need this a lot, so Kelli Anderson made a template. Lovvit! When Kelli is not protesting, she's designing. It's inspiring how she's utilising the potential of paper in her projects.

You're probably tired of all web3 bullshit but bear with me. I'm fascinated by the concept of a Metalabel, which Yancey coined in this mega-clarifying article. Yes, the name sucks, and this type of organisation (a coop) isn't new; yet the timing is right! We now have the technology to support groups of people who share the same interests and collaboratively make, support, and release projects. MSCHF is the obvious one, but check Ampled for musicians, Obscura for photographers or Unnamed Fund for art. All are examples of squad wealth! If you think this is hard, think again. Anyone can create a DAO using Syndicate or SPV via Odin. From now on, it comes down to cooperation. You know, the thing that separates the homo sapien from the Neaderthaler, hahaha.

There's no better design than nature itself. I mean, look at this! It's mesmerizing, even though you might not know what you're looking at. This footage of fragile ribbon jellies like this comb jelly is captured by marine biologist and photographer Alexander Semenov. There's more to discover via Rebecca Helm, who's sharing the mysteries of the sea.

There are a lot of AI-generated visuals poppin' up on the socials these days. Dall•E 2 from OpenAI is making waves. Even more mind-boggling stuff is coming from folks using Midjourney. Laszlito co-created a Batman rendered in a victorian era style, and Jacob Grubbe went for a full series called Sandstorm Samurai. No wonder Nando Costa wrote about the age of co-creation with AI. Undoubtedly, AI will change how we go about the creative process. For better or worse, writing prompts will be one of the primary ways art is created in the future. I'm sure there's a quote for that...

Shiiiiiat, Microsoft retired the Internet Explorer after 27 years of service. The end of an era. I remember back in 2009 when Google successfully tried to take over the market with Chrome, asking people what a browser is. I wonder which answers we would get these days. Do people even care? Mozilla still cares. Maybe the browser evolution is cyclical since new kids on the block, like Mighty and The Browser Company, are now challenging the status quo. Anyway... shout out to IE! We've shared many good times in between those blue screens before I went on Safari.

Ever read about Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers from Kendrick Lamar through the lens of a parent? Exactly. This is why The New Fatherhood is one of my favourite newsletters! It offers context around fatherhood and, in this case, Kedrick's personal journey. Brilliant! This sure resonated with me. If it's not for you, go and watch Bluey with the kids. The bible for modern parenting hahaha. Enjoy Father's Day!

The kids and I love playing Hidden Folks, a game where you search for hidden folks in hand-drawn, interactive, miniature landscapes. It's beautifully made and seriously fun. The sound effects alone will make you laugh out loud. I'm obviously late to the party since game designer Adriaan de Jongh and illustrator Sylvain Tegroeg released this in 2017. Then again... who cares? Just poke around Hidden Folks on whatever device you have.

Another podcast that made me reflect profoundly is this conversation between Shane Parrish and Jim Collins. They discuss what it means to be a mentor and a father, why we should trust by default, and why we confuse living a long life with a great life. It helps to hear about stuff you're dealing with from other people who already figured shit out.

You might have noticed the blue links around here. It's a nod to the web back in the days and the promise or potential of what lay on the other side of that blue text. Ever wondered why hyperlinks turned out blue? You're not alone. Elise Blanchard went down the rabbit hole, searching for who made it blue. The result is an entertaining history lesson about the www and a resounding theory of the blue hyperlink.

Just discovered the folks at Kinfolk made Kindling in which they explore ideas and fresh perspectives on raising a child. It's a rejuvenating take compared to the typical parenting books, mags and platforms. It's Nice That goes more in-depth about the design process of Kindling. However, for parenting advice, I recommend the wonderful Dr. Siggie.

Somehow I still discover stuff I haven't seen, even though I've been a fan of Rop van Mierlo for over a decade. Dances with Wolves is a collaboration with Young Marco which won a Vimeo Staff Pick Best of the Year Award back in 2018. Still stunning today! For recent work, I recommend visiting Wild Animals. At the moment you can browse the archive for one-offs, dog ears, and try-outs. Zolang de voorraad strekt!

How did our apps get so boring? Andy Allen thinks it's time we put play, aesthetics, and quality-of-life over efficiencies. Hence he made apps like Weather and Calculator cool again. Recently he dropped Habits, cuz if you want to make a meaningful change in your life, it's best to start with something small such as your habits. Kudos Andy. Shit is dope!

Wow! This Super Soul episode resonated deeply. Oprah talks to Arthur Brooks, who explains that we can set ourselves up for joy and deepening purpose when we're older by refocusing our priorities and habits. My main takeaway from this conversation would be: use things, love people and worship the divine. The only growth that matters is personal.

If you like typography, you will love the work from Schultzschultz. This independent design studio hailing from Frankfurt is continually pushing boundaries to create extraordinary visual results. I'm especially digging experiments such as letter maker and their browser based tools like touch type.

Arjen Zwart is a photographer who spent more than 15 years following a Roma family in Istanbul. He's now sharing his experiences in a gorgeous self-published book. It's such a rare gem! Apart from the raw black & white photography, this is a unique story about prejudice, love and a sense of community.

With Framer, you can now design and publish websites faster than ever. It's like Webflow on steroids. If you're a startup about to launch a new product, you should mos'def get in touch. They'll help design, deploy and promote your marketing website in no time. Then again, it's also fun to play with Framer yourself, as Daniël did for his own personal site.

In 2020, Aneil Karia directed this short film with Riz Ahmed, in which they imagine a dystopian but not impossible future. If you haven't watched it yet, brace yourself! Two years later, they won an Oscar for Best Live Action Short. Pretty cool promo for an album, right?! There's more about this remarkable story on WePresent who paid for all this.

Remember when the Panic folks teamed up with Teenage Engineering to create this nifty little Playdate? The lovely little handheld console brings back mad vibes of nostalgia. Now, this dude made a Game Boy emulator. So good! He open-sourced the whole shebang on Github. Just follow the instructions and start playing Super Mario Bros.

A lot is happening at the intersection of music and technology. Recently, Water & Music released a report on 2021 music NFT sales, covering over $86 million in revenue and insights into the different forms of utility emerging in the format. Based on this tweet, things seem to be looking more positive for artists. Explore Nina, Catalog, and Sound or browse Mirror for exciting collaborations. It's the tip of the iceberg where music is going, whether the industry likes it or not. One still needs 100 true fans, though.

Yo, check out Probable Futures. As you browse this site, you will become familiar with the small-sounding numbers that carry significant consequences for our world. The goal is to develop a mindset for understanding the risks we face and how we respond to them. I recommend start reading the fundamentals!