Something about Gruber’s latest post resonated with me. He felt compelled to write a detailed treatise about a single letter at the end of an iPhone model’s name. He then suggested to Apple how they could improve things going forward by changing out a CSS class. As the founder of Markdown, this makes sense; he’s built a living on small details that are important for sharing text on the web. 

This is both incredibly meticulous and delightful at the same time. I love when someone shows up and cares, when the little details matter, when they pour their thoughts out to try and understand how the world works and could be better. 

A while back, a friend asked me for a recommendation on a monitor. I want a very specific monitor, and I have a bunch of reasons, special to me, why I’d choose one model over another. I’ve spent time learning about the details of this monitor and why it’d fit into my life. For reference, I’m talking about the Apple Studio Display with a 5k resolution. It’s been suggested to me that I should go with a 4k display or an ultra-wide display. Because of my eyesight, which, thanks to a 2020 surgery, is better than 20/20, pixels matter. I can see quite well, and the details on the screen are important. Having a 4k display means I’ll see the pixels more so than if I have a 5k display. I’ve held off for years buying a cheaper monitor because I want one that matches the details that matter to me. Sometimes being too perfectionist has its costs. 

In my work, I have to switch between two mindsets. When I sit down to design an app screen, I start with the high level, understanding how this screen will matter and fit into the wider picture for the app, and ultimately the business and its users. Toward the end of the project, I start to hone in on the details. I spend time thinking about pixels, spacing, fonts, and colors. 

But I stop myself at a certain point. Coming from a graphic design background, I could spend forever on these levels of details. And in the past, I did, so much so in fact that I rarely shipped on time or at all. Too much time at that level means I often don’t have enough time to spend at the higher levels, where the impact matters the most for the types of apps I’ve needed to build recently. 

This isn’t to say that the small details don’t matter, but there’s a time and place for those. I appreciate, for instance, how some of my favorite indie app developers pour over these small details. I think there’s a place for them, and the artisanal nature of designing apps will hopefully always continue, but in the type of work I do, we’re more focused on understanding markets and users at a high level.  

That aside, I love to read the thoughts of people who show up to understand how things tick, why they matter, and why you should care. Yesterday, I wrote about why I use a specific watch band. 

Over the years, I’ve kept lists of things I’m interested in. Whether it’s some new gadget I want to buy, or an accessory for a computer, or even a larger purchase, it’s fun to try and understand how it will fit into my life and whether one version is better than another. On one hand, this could simply be a result of the consumerist world I live in. But I don’t think that’s entirely it. I think for some of us, we enjoy the time spent in understanding, in seeing, in appreciating. 

I’m currently on the hunt for a new backpack. I’ve had a long journey with backpacks. 

Recently, I’ve switched to two backpacks from Patagonia, one a 20L and the other a 26L. The 20L is great for everyday carry, can hold two laptops and their accessories when needed, and meets all my needs for working out of a coffee shop. However, I have a trip coming up, and the 26L, intended for such purposes, is no longer working for me; mainly because of a too-large side pocket where my water bottle falls out and a too-low zipper opening on the front where my wallet and other small items fall out. On the one hand, it can be time-consuming and maddening to spend so much time on such things. On the other hand, it can open up a world of dreams and possibilities to care about the size of a compartment on a backpack.