Sketchplanations
Big Ideas Little Pictures

Sketchplanations in a book! I think you'll love Big Ideas Little Pictures

Sketchplanations podcast photo of Rob Bell, Tom Pellereau and Jono Hey

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Explaining the world one sketch at a time

Sketchplanations makes complex ideas simple with clear, insightful sketches. Explore topics from science, creativity, psychology, and beyond explained in pictures.

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Learn something new in a sketch each Sunday

Recent sketches

The Zanclean Megaflood: 3 illustrations showing Africa pushing into Europe, a giant rushing of the Atlantic filling the basin of the Mediterranean, and the map of how the Mediterranean sea appears today

The making of the Med

The Mediterranean Sea was formed kind of how you think it might have happened from just looking at a world map — the mighty Atlantic Ocean breaking free to fill up the giant basin from the African continent and pushing into Europe. Except that it was probably even more spectacular than you might think. It's known as the Zanclean Megaflood, and Mike Sowden has a brief intro to it (and a longer one, too). I imagine it somewhat like the footage of when the sea reclaimed a tin mine in Malaysia in a few short minutes. Or when the waves finally overcame the walls of my sandcastle, just at a staggering scale.
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3 visuals explaining: Ask open-ended questions, Listen way more than you talk, and Stay focused to the very end

Perform good social research

Ask open-ended questions. Listen way more than you talk. Stay focused to the very end. Thanks to Jump Associates and Peter Lyman.
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3 Miscellaneous cooking tips

Never rush an onion (from Gordon Ramsay), avoid moving chicken if you can, and don’t stir fry too much - best keep stir fries to 1-2 person portions max.
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Be real on the internets

Hi, I’m Jono, and I think, where possible, it’s important to be you on the Internet just as it is in real life. Perspective from Jaron Lanier. Masks and hoods insight from Philip Zimbardo’s Psychology of Evil, TED talk.
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A participant asks a question at a conference talk leading to chat with new people later

Ask a question early at conferences

There’s no point in being in a room full of interesting people and not being able to find each other. Asking a question early on can give you a good conference day by letting others know who you are, what you look like and what you're interested in. It's like sharing your bio, and sometimes agenda, with the room. This helps you stand out later for others to seek you out.
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