Latest posts
- The Postcard and the Thing Itself (On Falling in Love with Ideas)Oct 28, 2025Simone Salis
My meditation teacher said something that stopped me cold: “We fall in love with the idea of a person, and then we fight so hard to keep it alive.”
- The Mirror With No ReflectionSep 12, 2025Simone Salis
From lovers to spouses, from employers to parental approval, we search for ourselves in others' eyes—creating perhaps the most elaborate illusion ever sustained: that validation exists outside the self that seeks it.
- Consumerism: The First Universal Religion Humans Actually PracticeMay 01, 2025Simone Salis
From Apple's glass cathedrals to unboxing rituals and tech prophets, we replaced religious behavioral patterns with product worship without acknowledging it—creating perhaps the first truly global faith.
- What If We Made Advertising Illegal?Apr 02, 2025Simone Salis
What if we banned all advertising? Not regulate it—abolish it. This proposal would transform manipulation machines, and maybe save democracy itself. A thought experiment worth considering.
- The Antiportfolio: Counter-advice for Aspiring ArtistsMar 01, 2025Simone Salis
Why ten years ago I quit my passion as a job to follow my passions as just passions.
- Your Teenage Self is Not a Bug, It's a FeatureJan 21, 2025Simone Salis
Between middle-class stability and creative resistance, there's a teenage part of us keeping watch. Maybe it's right.
- Why I Make Smart Devices Dumber: A Privacy Advocate's ReflectionJan 16, 2025Simone Salis
When you replace a vacuum robot's proprietary brain with open-source firmware, you are not just modifying a device—you are making a statement about ownership and control. Sometimes the smartest choice is to make devices dumber.
- The Attention Wars: Why Creative Time Is Now ContrabandJan 07, 2025Simone Salis
In a world of endless pings, every creative act becomes rebellion. This isn't about time management—it's about protecting your spark in a system designed to extinguish it.
- AI ‘Street Photography’ Isn’t Photography: What We Lose by Simulating ExperienceDec 21, 2024Simone Salis
When we pretend AI generation is street photography, we're not just misusing terms—we're surrendering authentic engagement with reality.
- Beyond Borgmann: Single-Task Tools and the Future of Meaningful TechnologyDec 16, 2024Simone Salis
Single-task tools complement modern devices by combining technological capability with intentional constraints. From offline cameras to e-ink readers, these tools preserve human agency while embracing progress. How thoughtful friction and focused design create more meaningful engagement.
- The Productivity Paradox: Why Doing More Leads to LessNov 21, 2024Simone Salis
In a world obsessed with optimization, what if the most productive strategy is to stop maximizing productivity? Discover how strategic inefficiency might be the key to reclaiming your work, your time, and your sanity.
- In Praise of Inconvenience: The Hidden Costs of a Convenient WorldNov 12, 2024Simone Salis
Explore how devotion to convenience reshapes human experience, and why embracing the friction of inconvenience might restore depth and meaning to your life.
- The Tapestry of Influence: The Inspirations That Shape UsNov 05, 2024Simone Salis
Discover how your unique combination of influences—from art and philosophy to pop culture and personal experiences—shapes your creative perspective. Explore how connecting seemingly unrelated passions and memories creates unexpected insights and original expression.
- Being a Bridge PersonOct 15, 2024Simone Salis
How lowering your masks can ripple outward, changing not just individuals, but entire communities.
- The Art of Deliberate Friction-BuildingSep 10, 2024Simone Salis
In a world engineered to be frictionless, adding a bit of resistance can be revolutionary.