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

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Hit the product sweet spot

Various versions of this basic framework exist. IDEO use the terms desirable, viable and feasible. Jump Associates blend the three together for hybrid thinkers - part humanist, part technologist and part capitalist. Though I think my first knowledge of this framework comes from Liz Sanders at Sonicrim with the terms: useful, usable and desirable. All this said, I do find people often gloss over the blood, sweat, tears, failure and iteration that doesn’t fit on the diagram.…Various versions of this basic framework exist. IDEO use the terms desirable, viable and feasible. Jump Associates blend the three together for hybrid thinkers - part humanist, part technologist and part capitalist. Though I think my first knowledge of this framework comes from Liz Sanders at Sonicrim with the terms: useful, usable and desirable. All this said, I do find people often gloss over the blood, sweat, tears, failure and iteration that doesn’t fit on the diagram.

21 Jan 2013

Play your own Scattergories

Requires little equipment and is generally more fun and involving than the real thing.…

20 Jan 2013

Draw a chain

I figured this out while trying to draw one. The epiphany was noticing that the s-line in the centre is uninterrupted but part of two chain links. Neat.…

19 Jan 2013

Shut one eye to keep your night vision

Shut one eye to keep your night vision. Apparently, this is a well-known thing in the military, but no one told me until we learned about it in the film Beneath Hill 60. It's also a potential reason why pirates are known to wear eye patches—from popping up and down between decks—though it's rather hard to be sure. But I think the primary use case is going for a pee in the night.…

18 Jan 2013

Bright light will free your sneeze

If you feel the need to sneeze, some people find that looking at a bright light can help release the urge. Apparently, it’s called the photic sneeze. I asked BBC Science Focus magazine in the UK what was happening here. They shared that it's called the photic sneeze but also that Science doesn’t really know why. We need to find out. It happens without fail for our eldest son. Anytime we pause to take a family selfie facing towards the sun, there's a guaranteed sneeze. It used to be a common occurrence that leaving the bedroom in the morning and entering the light would also trigger a sneeze. My niece is also a reliable photic sneezer.…If you feel the need to sneeze, some people find that looking at a bright light can help release the urge. Apparently, it’s called the photic sneeze. I asked BBC Science Focus magazine in the UK what was happening here. They shared that it's called the photic sneeze but also that Science doesn’t really know why. We need to find out. It happens without fail for our eldest son. Anytime we pause to take a family selfie facing towards the sun, there's a guaranteed sneeze. It used to be a common occurrence that leaving the bedroom in the morning and entering the light would also trigger a sneeze. My niece is also a reliable photic sneezer.

17 Jan 2013

Dry your hands with only one towel

Learned from Joe Smith’s short entertaining TED talk: How to use a paper towel.…

16 Jan 2013

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