✍️ New post: Design and Engineering, As One

A #longread about a man with a stopwatch, a school in Weimar, and why the gap between design and engineering isn’t an accident.

https://matthiasott.com/articles/design-and-engineering-as-one

📝 When moving fast, talking is the first thing to break

https://daverupert.com/2026/04/more-talk-less-grok/

the more we're all encouraged to optimize our time and deliver more output, the more i want to never hit a single metric again in my life.

i want to commit on a project and never launch it. i want to code slower, spend more time choosing colors, re-invent wheels that will never get used - not better, just different - taking as long as possible.

i want to spend my time imagining different ways to say a thing, just to enjoy saying it differently.

zero output, always only process forever

LLMs have no concept of "true" or "good." But they are trained to signal high-quality work. Meanwhile, bosses are pressuring workers: go faster, produce more, let the AI cook.

Study after study documents what this does to the human brain: cognitive surrender. We're "in the loop" but the bot calls the shots.

Read more in this week's issue of the Product Picnic newsletter:

#LLM #AI #UXDesign #tech #softwaredevelopment #software

https://productpicnic.beehiiv.com/p/ai-mandates-are-a-demand-for-cognitive-surrender

📝 Decided to spend a little time journaling about how I've been trying my hand at vibe coding an RSS app.

https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2026/vibe-dreams-didnt-come-true/

As teams use AI tools to generate high-fidelity prototypes, the focus shifts to output instead of purpose.

Prototyping should be about testing ideas and learning what actually works before building.

annaecook.com/writing/2026...
https://annaecook.com/writing/2026/ai-prototyping-harder-worser-faster-wronger

RE: https://infosec.exchange/@mttaggart/116318837944592273

I think this is an excellent and well-written post by @mttaggart on his experience building a tool with the use of Claude Code. Read the entire post and the current comments. I am a technical writer/communicator in the software development world, and I feel his pain and agony. I use only my own brain to do my writing, but I have years of practice to build on. I worry about the newbies like he does. Anyway, go read. And think. That’s what that blob in your cranium is for.

Big news!
I'm launching a tiny Mac app 🥺🔍🤏

 It's called TinyStart, and it's a lightweight Launcher and Emoji picker for macOS!

Unlike Spotlight, TinyStart is super fast at showing results and launching apps. It never becomes overcrowded with search results you don't need, and it lets you open URLs, perform web searches with custom search engines, and quickly open folders in Finder.

Oh and yes, I think the Emoji picker is pretty good too. It's everything the default macOS Emoji picker isn't: it's fast, it lets you insert Emojis in any text field, it isn't picky about keywords, and it learns your favorite Emojis over time.

Get TinyStart at https://tinystart.app: it's €5, you pay for it once and future updates are free!

also I made a lil' video to show you what it looks like:

I finally did it: I now have a speaking page on my site. 🎤🎉

If you’re looking for someone to talk about design, the web, CSS, accessibility, or the independent web at your event, that’s where you’ll find what I do, what I’ve spoken about, and how to get in touch:

https://matthiasott.com/speaking