Hi again, Matt here.

I read 25 books in 2019. Looking back, I missed out on a lot of good fiction in favor of business-flavored non-fiction. What was your favorite fiction of the last year? Anything exciting coming out next year?

I wrote up a short review of all the books I've read this year, and you can read the whole list over on my website. I'll share a few of my favorites at the end of this email.

But first, a song. Well, not just a single song, but a whole live show by the inimitably funky Vulfpeck. One of their performances at Madison Square Garden is on Youtube. It's such an infectiously joyful performance, and would make great holiday watching. Check it out here.

Hi there, Matt here.

I could write about design systems forever. From who they're for to when they hide in plain sight, there's no shortage of topics. But there's so much interesting territory at right angles to design systems — today's essay, for example, is more about products in general. Even if you're not working on a design system, I hope you find it interesting.

Before we dive in, let's put on some music. Today, our song is BOA by Sam Grendel and Sam Wilkes. It's a funky tune, meticulously constructed and full of texture.

Now, on to the essay. As always, you can read it on my website if you prefer.

Hello again, Matt here.

Often the most interesting ideas are the ones that are easiest to summarize. Case in point: two weeks ago I wrote a 6-word tweet about the next evolution of design systems.

Hello again, Matt here.

Beneath the buzzwords “machine learning” and “AI” are really fascinating ideas. But it’s easy to get wrapped up in the hype and forget that sometimes AI is just 1,000,000 if-statements in a trench coat.

In today’s essay, I look through the mystique of machine learning and explore how designers can benefit from the rising tide of ML.

Hi again. It’s me, Matt.

One of the best pieces of public speaking advice I’ve received is deceptively simple: listen. At first blush, listening seems to be the opposite of speaking, right? But that’s the point. Listening — really, really listening — helps you understand how others hear you. The better you are at listening, the better you can be at speaking.

Hello again! It's me, Matt.

Today, just about every field relies on data to make strategic and tactical decisions. Unless you're extremely data-savvy, you're probably constantly pushed to trust someone else's spreadsheets and dashboards. But what about your own intuition?

I think there are times that intuition-based decision making can be faster, cheaper, and more accurate. That's what today's essay is all about.

But first, here's a song for you. Irish shoegaze quintet Just Mustard has been on heavy rotation for me recently; I hope you like them too! Here's Deaf, by Just Mustard.

Hello again! It's me, Matt.

Nearly 21 years ago to the day, Sergey Brin, Larry Page, and Scott Hassan launched Google.com as a simple search page.

Today, things don't look much different. Google.com is still a simple search page. But behind that page is an unfathomably product, one that powers billions of searches every day.

50 years ago today, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins splashed down in the North Pacific, concluding an 8 day trip to the moon and back. While only Aldrin and Armstrong's footprints were left on the lunar surface, thousands of others were critical to the mission's success. I recently heard a story that perfectly captured the amazing efficiency of NASA's administration in making split-second decisions; I think we can learn a lot from their example.

As usual, here's a song for you: Ponta de Lança Africano, by Jorge Ben, from the seminal África Brasil.

Now, on to the essay!

tap tap is this thing on? Welcome to the first email edition of matthewstrom.com. Thanks for joining me in this weird experiment in publishing and distribution.

This essay was inspired by Richard Feynman's concept of "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out." I'd highly recommend reading Feynman's writing on science (not the autobiographical stuff) if you're interested in asking better questions .

Before, after, and/or while reading this, please put on Stereolab's "Freestyle Dumpling." It's a newly-reissued outtake from their 1996 album Emperor Tomato Ketchup.

And now, on with the essay.