Minimal Universe

Minimal Universe collect posts from our favorite minimal-related blogs listed on the right.
  • Seth's Blog: Texting while working

    Seth’s Blog: Texting while working:

    You’re competing against people in a state of flow, people who are truly committed, people who care deeply about the outcome. You can’t merely wing it and expect to keep up with them. Setting aside all the safety valves and pleasant distractions is the first way to send yourself the message that you’re playing for keeps.

    A public service announcement from Seth.

  • Neko

    Pritzker-winning Japanese architectural and design company SANAA joined Italian brand Alessi once again, this time to produce the Neko wrist watch series.

    The Neko (which means “cat” in Japanese) watch is made of Polyurethane and has no fastener, instead sporting tiny ears and feet, representing its namesake in a lazy stretch around your wrist. Very cute!

    Neko wrist watch by SANAA for Alessi: black
    Neko wrist watch by SANAA for Alessi: pink
    Neko wrist watch by SANAA for Alessi: yellow
    Neko watch by SANAA for Alessi: green
    Neko wrist watch by SANAA for Alessi: brown

  • Pure Black

    Something for the boys, Pure Black kitchen knife series produced by Stelton, designed by Holmbäck Nordentoft. The single piece of stainless, matte black steel will make anyone look like a master chef.

    This is going into my new kitchen, with Pure White knife magnet.

    LS
    minimalissimo-stelton-pure-black-4
    minimalissimo-stelton-pure-black-3
    minimalissimo-stelton-pure-black-2

  • "The words of the greatest sages lose none of their searing wisdom when stored in a humble text file...."

    “The words of the greatest sages lose none of their searing wisdom when stored in a humble text file. Great writing, even when presented in 10 point Courier, is still great writing.”

    -

    A Chilly Mansion | James Shelley

    While we are on the subject of James…



  • simpledesks: My main workspace; devoted to focus. Submitted...



    simpledesks:

    My main workspace; devoted to focus.

    Submitted by James Shelley.

    Nice to see where my friend James is cultivating all that wisdom he has stored in his head and heart.



  • The Colour Clock

    The Colour Clock by London based designer Jack Hughes is a downloadable screen saver that represents the time in rotating color with hexadecimal color values. As the 6 digit clock ticks, the background color changes to the corresponding hexadecimal color.

    It is simply beautiful!

    Follow the Colour Clock link to see it in action. You can also see that hexadecimal value by clicking the button below the time.

    Capture d’écran 2011-01-28 à 09.30.39
    Capture d’écran 2011-01-28 à 09.33.54
    Capture d’écran 2011-01-28 à 09.29.09
    Capture d’écran 2011-01-28 à 18.00.04
    Capture d’écran 2011-01-28 à 10.01.36
    Capture d’écran 2011-01-28 à 18.00.19
    Capture d’écran 2011-01-28 à 10.01.49
    Capture d’écran 2011-01-28 à 12.59.07
    Capture d’écran 2011-01-28 à 22.59.04

  • "I’m not anti technology. I’m all for using the right tools at the right time. What I am opposed to..."

    “I’m not anti technology. I’m all for using the right tools at the right time. What I am opposed to is anything that gets in the way of accomplishing what you need to in a meeting, of slowing it down, or impeding your personal connection with your client.”

    -

    Randy Murray – In Meetings, Pen & Paper, Not Glass and Fingers

    What we believe in. Which is not to say that Mr. Brooks opinion, to which Randy’s quote and linked post above is a rebuttal, is something we do not believe in. Because he makes some excellent points and arguments too.

    It’s just that I think this quote gets to the heart of the common point of both, which is to not let your tools, no matter what they are, disengage you from being present in the task or disconnected from the conversation.



  • 20110127-Getting Some Work Done (by Jay OHare) See, here goes my...



    20110127-Getting Some Work Done (by Jay OHare)

    See, here goes my rustic mixed with Mac thing again. Sucker for it.



  • gaincmd: Archive Utility is used by all of us to un-zip files....



    gaincmd:

    Archive Utility is used by all of us to un-zip files. The one thing I hate about it is that after you un-zip a file you need to delete the zipped file. I set the second option to delete that zipped file — which is awesome.

    The rest I have just found to be my preferred setup.

    - Ben Brooks (TBR)

    This is exactly the reason why I should give away my ideas more often. This is exactly the sort of things I was hoping to glean by asking others for a detailed peek of a preference that you never knew was there but is a game changer. Boom-chaka-laka!

    By the way, here are some key facts:

    • Archive Utility is located in /System/Library/Core Services. Be careful playing around in there kids.
    • Even I had to go to people smarter than me to find that out.
    • You should follow CMDComma.net. You can learn a lot from others.

    So happy with where this went that I’m now compiling a list of other ideas to put out there in the hopes that others will build them and let the magic happen.



  • I am not a brewer

    I’ve been learning a bit about beers lately (and enjoying the learning process) and on the top beer ratings sites a beer from the Westvleteren Brewery tops the rankings.

    It’s a Belgium beer brewed by monks who absolutely fascinate me. They brew the best beer in the world and yet seem to care nothing about business. As their beer has gained fame they refuse to raise production to meet demand. They refuse to market their beers and have no label on their bottles. They do no advertising and don’t allow interviews or tours of their brewery — you can visit a visitors’ center across the street but they don’t want to be bothered. You can only buy two cases at a time and you have to drive to their brewery to get it — and only after reserving via phone.

    They are crazy dudes but I love them. They are not interested in making money or fame or accomplishments. They just want to be monks.

    Father Abbott said on the occasion of the consecration of their new brewery “But we do not live ‘for’ our brewery. This must be strange for business people and difficult to understand that we do not exploit our commercial assets as much as we can.”

    He went on to say “We are no brewers. We are monks. We brew beer to be able to afford being monks.”

    I’m with him.

    I am not a blogger. I am no author. I am a simple man who enjoys a simple life with his family. I write to be able to afford living that simple life.

  • The state of the web...

    The state of the web…:

    Check the site for more…

  • The Daily Edition #9: Patrick Rhone - 5by5

    The Daily Edition #9: Patrick Rhone - 5by5:

    Although it may seem kind of “all podcasts, all the time” around here lately, please forgive me for calling your attention to the fact that I’ll be live on this one tomorrow at 10am EST with Dan Benjamin. A person who has no idea of the positive effect he had on the very core of everything I believe in.

    Now excuse me while I go squee like a giddy little girl.

  • Everyone knows I have more ideas and websites than I do time....



    Everyone knows I have more ideas and websites than I do time. Therefore, here’s a gift to the makers of the world. Here is a free website idea that I’ve had for a while and I’m giving it away. For free. I welcome anyone to take it and run. And by all means, let me know when it is up. OK, ready? Here you go…

    I would love a site that asks folks for screenshots of preferences, for various programs, and asks them to explain why they have things set up that way. I’ll go first.

    Application: TextEdit

    Why?: For me, Plain text is the most basic building block one can use to start something special. I like to get the words down in a format that is easily transportable and upgradeable.

    Window size is important. Needs to be long enough to seem like a page but only wide enough to allow one to have two windows side by side. As well as plenty of space around them.

    While Menlo is a perfectly fine monospace font, I’m always on the search for one I like more. That said, Helvetica has never left me with longing.

    Author? Well who else could that be? I’ll decide the copyright later. Rights are not something my people have not had for very long. I still don’t feel I have a strong grasp of what they really mean.

    Thank the closest deity for spellcheck. You and I both know I should check grammar as well but English is a nuanced language and I often disagree with the rules. Speaking of rules, rulers are good when formatting a page, especially if you care how they print. And copy and paste should be smart. As should text replacement.

    Update: Wow. That was fast. So was this. Note to self, one or two people actually read this site.



  • Tictoc: The simple task timer

    Tictoc: The simple task timer:

    Tictoc is a simple and elegant little app for keeping track of your time. Clean UI, unobtrusive, and sane export options. Looks to have all of the features one needs and none of what you don’t.

  • Enough — Beware of Information Silos

    Enough — Beware of Information Silos:

    The latest episode of the podcast is now live. In this episode, we caution against information silos and making sure you have a way to get your data out that is as seamless as putting it in.

    Yes, Evernote, Tumblr, and Word, I’m talking about you.

    Oh, if you are liking what you are hearing, please go to the iTunes Store and rate it. There is this kid named Merlin who I would love to remove from that #1 spot. I mean, can you really take a guy who talks into his wallet seriously?

    (I kid. Merlin knows I love him. Still want his spot though.)

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