Sketchplanations - A weekly explanation in a sketch

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Explaining the world one sketch at a time

The Shirky Principle

Named after the brilliant Clay Shirky his principle broadly states that: Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution. Sometimes this may manifest itself as blindness towards new or different ways of doing things, other times it’s the challenge of and innate resistance to making oneself obsolete. Examples include there being more money in life-long illnesses than cures, traditional newspapers’ resistance to alternative online news forms, planned obsolescence of products, committees requiring the presence of committees, or resistance to self-checkouts at a supermarket. Some exceptions include Vitality health insurance in the UK that rewards a healthy lifestyle, and the lightbulb industry, in its move towards ultra long-lasting and efficient LED lights, boldly eliminating the need to replace most of its products for a lifetime. I’m still waiting for a breakdown service to reward people for taking care of their cars rather than focusing on fixing the breakdowns.…Named after the brilliant Clay Shirky his principle broadly states that: Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution. Sometimes this may manifest itself as blindness towards new or different ways of doing things, other times it’s the challenge of and innate resistance to making oneself obsolete. Examples include there being more money in life-long illnesses than cures, traditional newspapers’ resistance to alternative online news forms, planned obsolescence of products, committees requiring the presence of committees, or resistance to self-checkouts at a supermarket. Some exceptions include Vitality health insurance in the UK that rewards a healthy lifestyle, and the lightbulb industry, in its move towards ultra long-lasting and efficient LED lights, boldly eliminating the need to replace most of its products for a lifetime. I’m still waiting for a breakdown service to reward people for taking care of their cars rather than focusing on fixing the breakdowns.

14 Sep 2019

Does this spark joy?

Japan’s — if not the world’s — tidying guru, Marie Kondo, proposes this simple and rather beautiful criteria for deciding which of your possessions to keep and which to discard: does it spark joy? If you follow this benchmark for which of your posessions to keep you will surround yourselves only with the things that you really treasure and that give you a small thrill of joy.…

8 Sep 2019

Capitonym

A capitonym is a word that changes meaning and sometimes pronunciation when capitalised. You'll be familiar with many examples: turkey/Turkey may/May march/March august/August lent/Lent reading/Reading mobile/Mobile polish/Polish alpine/Alpine china/China For years as a kid, no joke, I couldn’t understand why there was a polish club at the bottom of our road. Yes, it was a Polish club. Capitonyms are also heteronyms when they change pronunciation as for polish and Polish. Also see acronym or initialism…A capitonym is a word that changes meaning and sometimes pronunciation when capitalised. You'll be familiar with many examples: turkey/Turkey may/May march/March august/August lent/Lent reading/Reading mobile/Mobile polish/Polish alpine/Alpine china/China For years as a kid, no joke, I couldn’t understand why there was a polish club at the bottom of our road. Yes, it was a Polish club. Capitonyms are also heteronyms when they change pronunciation as for polish and Polish. Also see acronym or initialism

31 Aug 2019

Strand line

The strand line is the often lovely line of interesting seaweed, driftwood and things to find left behind by the waves at the top of high tide. Hopefully, with not too much plastic. More lines: Browse line Plimsoll line Draw smooth lines Choose the fast line The coastline paradox More beaches: Surfing breaks Beaches—amazing for play Gastropod anatomy Sea jelly—sea star…

24 Aug 2019

Weather and Climate illustration: weather is likened to the notes and loose change kept in your purse and the climate is likened to a graph showing your financial status over a long period of time.

Weather and climate: an analogy

If weather is like the money in your pocket on any one day, climate is like your net financial worth over time. I liked this simple analogy to distinguish between weather and climate in a New York Times article by Kendra Pierre-Louis. While there are many causes of extreme weather, keeping this analogy in mind helps keep some overall context even when you’re in the midst of an unexpected cold snap.…If weather is like the money in your pocket on any one day, climate is like your net financial worth over time. I liked this simple analogy to distinguish between weather and climate in a New York Times article by Kendra Pierre-Louis. While there are many causes of extreme weather, keeping this analogy in mind helps keep some overall context even when you’re in the midst of an unexpected cold snap.

18 Aug 2019

What is The Overview Effect example explained: the classic moonrise photo from the Apollo 11 moon missions with 2 astronauts have a bit of a moment and need to sit down when taking in the majestic view of Earth from the moon and realise this is all we've got.

The Overview Effect A Profound Shift in Perspective

The overview effect is the ultimate example of "seeing the forest for the trees." It’s the realisation that we live on a fragile planet, that we are all connected, and that this is all we’ve got—our one and only home. Coined by author Frank White, this phenomenon is most vividly experienced by astronauts, who return to Earth profoundly changed by seeing our planet from space. Their reflections highlight the emotional and philosophical impact of this shift in perspective: “You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty.” — Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut Or this: “When we look down at the earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile … Anybody else who’s ever gone to space says the same thing because it really is striking and it’s really sobering to see this paper-thin layer and to realize that that little paper-thin layer is all that protects every living thing on Earth from death, basically. From the harshness of space.” — Ron Garan, Shuttle/ISS astronaut This sketch is inspired by the iconic photograph of Earth taken from the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. The image captures the striking beauty and fragility of our planet and perfectly embodies the spirit of the Overview Effect. This sketch appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to The Overview Effect Also see: Wabi sabi Time hierarchy Pace layers Lifetime reads Rivers and buckets…The overview effect is the ultimate example of "seeing the forest for the trees." It’s the realisation that we live on a fragile planet, that we are all connected, and that this is all we’ve got—our one and only home. Coined by author Frank White, this phenomenon is most vividly experienced by astronauts, who return to Earth profoundly changed by seeing our planet from space. Their reflections highlight the emotional and philosophical impact of this shift in perspective: “You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty.” — Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut Or this: “When we look down at the earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile … Anybody else who’s ever gone to space says the same thing because it really is striking and it’s really sobering to see this paper-thin layer and to realize that that little paper-thin layer is all that protects every living thing on Earth from death, basically. From the harshness of space.” — Ron Garan, Shuttle/ISS astronaut This sketch is inspired by the iconic photograph of Earth taken from the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. The image captures the striking beauty and fragility of our planet and perfectly embodies the spirit of the Overview Effect. This sketch appears in my book Big Ideas Little Pictures Related Ideas to The Overview Effect Also see: Wabi sabi Time hierarchy Pace layers Lifetime reads Rivers and buckets

11 Aug 2019

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