Book Report from SXSW

How to design the future

To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:

My Next Big Read

As soon as Scott Doorley finished his presentation, I scooted out of Room 10AB at the Austin Convention Center to buy his book.

This was three days ago at South By Southwest. Scott is director of the Stanford d.school. With his colleague Carissa Carter he has written a book titled Assembling Tomorrow: A Guide to Designing a Thriving Future, released in June of 2024.

By the time I arrived at the book-store room, they were out of Assembling Tomorrow. I seldom read books in print, but I wanted to buy a copy for Scott to sign. I sensed that Scott’s book was going to be my most lasting takeaway from South By this year.

When I returned to Room 10AB, he was still chatting with audience members. I had a chance to record a brief conversation with him that I will include in an upcoming episode of The Kindle Chronicles podcast.

In past years of covering South By, I have always uploaded a TKC episode before leaving Austin. This year there were too many ideas buzzing between my ears for me to know what I wanted to say. I realized I was not on deadline and could take as long as I need to prepare my post-conference show.

On the flights back to Fort Myers, I identified nine topic areas and began using Tiago Forte’s Second Brain method for the project. The steps spell CODE: C is for Capture, O is for Organize, D is for Distill, and E is for Express.

There may be some poetry in the next podcast, including this one which I wrote after Scott’s presentation:

DESIGN DUDE
	For Scott Doorley

When nothing makes sense
go find someone at Stanford
who works in design
let him show how
history’s patterns look
from way up there

nobody loves chaos.
if you see the shape of things
while everyone else is
lighting their hair with tweets
you’ll go far, young man

make sure you don’t
drown in your own press
on the way to Ballroom D
at South By Southwest
let us know you’re scared, too
even as you go Wow!
at the swirls of consciousness
winking at you
Keep going they say.
let ‘em see you stumble

Truth is, we who fear
or lust for the Future
can’t wait for a guy
who dares to design it.