Alson Kaw

Writing

Long-form essays on technology, business, design and human behaviour.
Shorter, rawer notes live on the Journal.

Latest writing

23 Aug 202435 on the Way to 35Thirty-five lessons gathered on the way to 35: ideas borrowed from people smarter than me, shaped by experience and revisited as another birthday approaches.Thoughts
11 min28 Jun 2022DifficultSometimes a woman described as “difficult” is simply occupying a position of authority people are not accustomed to accepting. A short quote worth sitting with.Thoughts
1 min12 Jan 2021This year wasn’t unprecedented2020 felt unprecedented, but many of its crises had been predicted for years. The failure was not a lack of warnings; it was our willingness to ignore them.Thoughts
1 min11 Mar 201510 Reasons Why Designers Prefer the MacWhy are Macs so common among designers? Hardware, typography, software, consistency and culture all contribute to Apple’s unusually strong hold on creative.Thoughts
5 min15 Jul 2014What Does Full-Stack Anything Really Mean?“Full-stack” is increasingly attached to designers and developers, but the useful meaning is breadth: understanding enough of the whole product to connect the.Thoughts
2 min19 Oct 2011Looking Back at Steve JobsA personal reflection on Steve Jobs after his death: the loss of a visionary whose products, ideas and insistence on excellence shaped an entire generation.Thoughts
2 min26 Aug 2011Reflection on Steve Job’s ResignationA reflection on Steve Jobs stepping down from Apple, his Stanford message about mortality and the extraordinary influence of a career built around doing.Thoughts
3 min07 Jul 2010Designed to be AddictiveModern entertainment increasingly copies the emotional pull of earlier hits, cranks up the stimulation and risks becoming the cultural equivalent of junk food.Thoughts
1 min22 Jun 2010Microsoft spent seven times as much as Apple on R&D over the past four years.Microsoft spent seven times more than Apple on R&D, a useful reminder that throwing more money at a problem does not automatically produce innovation.Thoughts
1 min08 May 2010Andrew Klavan on How 21st Century Technology Affects CreativityAndrew Klavan reflects on how digital technology is reshaping creativity, the artist’s process and the traditional publishing business. Worth considering.Thoughts
1 min06 Feb 2010Maintain a Child-like Attention to Things Around UsJoshua Bell playing unnoticed in a Washington Metro station is a reminder to keep a child-like awareness of beauty, even when it appears somewhere ordinary.Thoughts
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