DivergeNext Steps for DivergeI’m wrapping up on the end of year two running Diverge Weekly, a personal writing and newsletter…December 14, 2021 4 min
EssaysAn Old Kind of NewFor the past few years, I’ve been independent — as a consultant, as a contractor, as an indie…November 29, 2021 5 min
EssaysRenewing SpacesEvery few months, my wife and I change around our apartments configuration. The way this manifests…November 16, 2021 4 min
EssaysSkill SpallingThe skills we develop aren’t permanent. They’re things that develop within a particular context…November 07, 2021 4 min
EssaysLearning with Pressure, Time, and Surface AreaSince moving to Copenhagen, one of the things I’ve been experimenting with has been how to learn…October 20, 2021 7 min
EssaysBeing a Good AmateurWe’re amateurs continuously throughout our lives. For some skills — vital but sporadic skills — we…October 12, 2021 7 min
EssaysAvoiding KitsI am often “getting started.” Part of the theory of Diverge, to be honest, is being in that frequent…September 28, 2021 5 min
EssaysHomeric Design StrategyI was one course away from a minor in Classics when I graduated from the University of Toronto. It…September 13, 2021 5 min
EssaysKitbashing ExperienceWe’re in a golden age (cue: ominous sound that comes with a loaded word) of prototyping. For most…August 31, 2021 6 min
EssaysFunctional ImmersionI’ve fairly recently changed my mind about virtual reality. Much of my sensibility as an interaction…August 22, 2021 7 min
ReadingVisceral ControlOne of the pleasures and horrors of modernity is the control of something larger and more powerful…August 17, 2021 6 min
EssaysPeripheralsI’ve had a long term obsession with peripherals. Peripherals are objects (usually interaction…August 08, 2021 5 min
TechnicalAutomating Research RecruitingThis is a continuation of the previous post — thinking through research automation — which deals…August 03, 2021 6 min
TechnicalThinking through Research Automation(This is part 1 of several posts describing research automation. The following posts will describe…July 26, 2021 6 min
EssaysZombie NonprofitsThis is a republish of an article written with Dahna Goldstein for the Chronicle of Philanthropy. A…July 11, 2021 7 min
EssaysMigration and CircumstanceAs a forewarning, this is one of those “I’m working through something” posts and trying to wrangle…July 06, 2021 6 min
EssaysDesigners in the MilitaryWhat does it mean to design for the propagation of security? In a way, this is one of the grand…June 28, 2021 6 min
TechnicalBootstrapping Infrastructure in the Public Interest“You are not connected to a network.” When flashed across a screen on any range of devices, these…June 22, 2021 5 min
EssaysProfessional Warning PeopleThere are professional Cassandras out there and their curse isn't coming from Apollo this time — but…June 15, 2021 5 min
TechnicalBreathing In and Out, or Two Approaches to Design ResearchLike our bodies need oxygen, our businesses need a constant supply of knowledge and understanding to…June 09, 2021 5 min
EssaysCraft, Catalyst, and ExpertiseIt’s really hard to understand the value of expertise in a discipline from the outside. Or put…May 24, 2021 5 min
EssaysCovid Anxiety: A Foresight Game(Originally written March 23, 2020) Why is it that we can see something coming and still not prepare…May 16, 2021 7 min
EssaysLegibility in DesignDesign is a weird drug, and at least in the software world, we’re collectively high. Since I got…May 09, 2021 4 min
DivergeHidden in the ShallowsThe zombie genre is a compelling lens on the world despite its bleak premise. The dead rise and…May 02, 2021 3 min
EssaysReconstructive Design ProcessI love Rick Owens’ runway shows. They’re a consistent (and he is remarkably consistent) source of…April 25, 2021 3 min
EssaysMemory ToolkitsSometime earlier this year, I think I had reached a personal threshold for managing information…April 19, 2021 5 min
TechnicalWearing TechnologyWe adorn ourselves in technology. Whether it's the shrunken screens of today's smartwatches or the…April 11, 2021 5 min
TechnicalPower and Fantasy — Hamcus SS21With a reflective approach to narrative storytelling, Hamcus builds familiar yet foreign worlds…April 04, 2021 5 min
DivergeWar against StagnationThe practice of design has fragmented and spread in so many different directions that it can be hard…March 28, 2021 4 min
TechnicalThe Anatomy of a Research Recruitment EmailA new research project has come along and you need to recruit some research participants. Castiron…March 22, 2021 7 min
EssaysThe Problem with ValidityHow much of what I just discovered is my own beliefs reflecting back on me — lightly but…March 15, 2021 4 min
EssaysThe Decay of Digital ThingsWe have spent a decade building the consumer Internet of Things with an ethos of “fail fast…March 09, 2021 7 min
TechnicalReflexive ReflectiveBuilding a research practice is intimidating. You’re basically embarking on a path of creating a…February 28, 2021 5 min
TechnicalDesigning Participant ExperiencesDesigning a research program is a pretty difficult task. It requires a level of introspection and…February 21, 2021 5 min
TechnicalSome Design Research PrinciplesSince I run an app that has its roots in the world of Design Research, I spend a fair bit of time…February 14, 2021 7 min
TechnicalAll Quiet on the Productivity FrontConstant progress without being certain you’re getting anywhere. Reflecting on the adrenal dropkick…February 07, 2021 7 min
TechnicalSponge CyclesWe all operate on cycles. Circadian, seasonal, fiscal, and academic — oscillating across frequencies…February 01, 2021 7 min
EssaysSpeculative SurplusWhenever we see modern militaries, we’re witnessing industrialized production and movement of things…January 25, 2021 9 min
EssaysFull Hamcus: Finding the Spark in Sci-fi WorkwearThis essay was originally published on the TCHWR blog . Hamcus is not a techwear brand in the…January 17, 2021 6 min
EssaysPlatform InsurrectionThe past few years have been a conversation about power like I’ve never seen before. When Black…January 12, 2021 7 min
PersonalReflecting on 2020Well, that was a year. My family and I were more fortunate than most, but not as fortunate as some…December 31, 2020 10 min
TechnicalCoordinating global cities research: Knowsi case studyOriginally published as a guest blog on Sage Ocean . “We haven’t met yet. Do you trust me?” This is…September 29, 2020 3 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #13: The Endemic IssueAs the exogenous force of coronavirus has pummeled the globe, America has had its own endemic…June 03, 2020 5 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #12: The Constrained IssueBeing a creator of things — software, products, services, policy, etc — means navigating a world of…May 26, 2020 3 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #11: The Waiting IssueIt’s been 70 days since my family and I hit “go” on our particular lockdown, only preceding the…May 19, 2020 3 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #10: The Flattened IssueFirst, I want to share a point of gratitude. My small business, Knowsi , was awarded the Sage…May 12, 2020 4 min
TechnicalConcept Grant 2020 winner: KnowsiThis interview was originally published on May 11, 2020, by Sage Ocean . SAGE has announced the…May 11, 2020 5 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #9: The Dependencies IssueFirst, thank you and welcome to all the new subscribers, and to Hillary Predko for sharing Diverge…May 05, 2020 5 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #8: The Just Tired IssueEveryone I talk to lately is tired. For those of us in countries with a nominal “flattened” curve…April 28, 2020 4 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #7: The Gradual Opening IssueMy son had his first day back at daycare today (I’m writing this on Monday). When he left, he wasn’t…April 21, 2020 3 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #6: The Captured IssueI’ve been reading and thinking about foresight — especially as it relates to the current pandemic…April 14, 2020 3 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #5: The First Reflection IssueWe’re going to try something a little bit different this week and reflect a bit about this project…April 07, 2020 5 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #4: The Cycles IssueDesign is a cyclical action. While individual artifacts are ejected from the process (like this…March 31, 2020 7 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #3: The Uncertainty IssueLast week, I wrote about the balance of intervention and foresight in a design-based response to…March 24, 2020 5 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #2: The Global Pandemic IssueThis past week we’ve seen the “exponential” part of exponential growth hit the world like a tidal…March 17, 2020 3 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #1: The Afghan Peace Talk IssueFor most of my adult life, my country (one of them anyway, being a dual citizen between the US and…March 10, 2020 2 min
PersonalOn Remote Work and the CoronavirusWith the coronavirus probably hitching a ride in one of your co-workers, it’s possible that your…March 06, 2020 6 min
DivergeDiverge Weekly Issue #0: The PrototypeWelcome to the “preview” issue of Diverge Weekly, a weekly look at systemic design around the world…March 03, 2020 2 min
EssaysFailing States Fail Terrorists TooThis was my term paper for the first module in my Security Studies MA, written December 201…February 20, 2020 16 min
TechnicalImport your Audible Library to GoodreadsI wrote a rudimentary python script to bulk import your Audible library to Goodreads. I’ll caveat…February 06, 2020 2 min
EssaysA More Intentional WardrobeI have an affinity for jackets and bags. The two central functions to protect and to carry somehow…January 19, 2020 8 min
PersonalReflecting on 20192019 has been a weird combination of my most exhausting, fulfilling, chaotic, and structured year to…December 30, 2019 11 min
TechnicalThe Design Researcher’s Everyday CarryDesign research is about sensing and synthesizing the needs of your stakeholders: a fundamentally…June 12, 2019 5 min
TechnicalPlanning your Design Research TripOne of my more traumatic design research moments is something I barely remember. I had flown from…May 13, 2019 4 min
TechnicalBetter Notes for Design ResearchAt the heart of great design research is note taking. Our job is to go into new environments, learn…May 06, 2019 3 min
TechnicalHow to Design the Future of Food in 4 HoursWe can’t predict the future, but that shouldn’t stop us from designing for it! Designers today have…October 12, 2018 4 min
TechnicalHMW How Might We?If you’ve ever worked with a designer facilitating a workshop, or a supplicant of design thinking…May 15, 2018 4 min
TechnicalBuilding Co-operative Design BriefsIn design teams, the “Brief” is often a shared understanding of the challenge the team is facing. It…April 13, 2018 4 min
PersonalBenadryl and ParachordWith some luck and a generous vacation policy at my work, I was finally able to do a Wilderness…February 03, 2018 3 min
TechnicalBureaucratic MysteriesThese tools were taught as a workshop to the first Code for Canada fellowship team in November…February 01, 2018 11 min
TechnicalA Spotter’s Guide to Social Product VenturesHow do you know that a software business with a social mission is actually a Social Product Venture…July 10, 2017 5 min