Laws of Simplicity

John Maeda
John Maeda

Laws of Simplicity

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John Maeda
 

Muji

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I've always been a fan of the Muji brand. And I especially like how simply Muji expresses their point that achieving simplicity is deceptively complex because it is a thoughtful process.
Posted by John Maeda
 

Em Ay See ... Em Pee Three ...

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An old friend from Korea brought by this heavily law1();?>-ed size and too-too cute MP3 player where the "ears" are spherical knobs to adjust volume and song. Although simple, white, and small, this little fella makes up for its insignificance in size with a shot of law7();?> powered by the both loved and disdained, Monsieur Mickey. The design of the device reminded me of my Mickey-themed egg timer (pictured in the background) that I picked up in Tokyo around fifteen years ago. Until today I had thought it was a Graves design, but Google can't find it. If you know the design origin please let me know.
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iShrink

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On my trip to Tokyo this week I picked up the teeny iPod USB adapter pictured on the right. Since I'm always looking for a way to law1();?> my luggage when I travel, this little fella is certainly welcome. However my one worry is that since it's so nano-ized I fear that it will be much be easier to lose than the gangly cable on the left that usually accompanies me.
Posted by John Maeda
 

R for Reduce

I built a simple service that law1();?>-s long texts into an unreadable language. Below is the US Constitution squeezed into this alternative tongue. Note the beginning letters below of "Wtp..." for "We the people ..." Yes, this is completely useless. Wtpot usio tfam pueji dtpftc dptg was. T bolto aopd oae. T cftuso ai1lp hgsb viacot uswsc oasahor 2hor sbcomcesyb tpotssa teie sshtqrfe otmnbots lpsba rwsn hat. T aotfy absy acot usaw snweb aiots iwhs bcadt sbaa tsswmb iwtu attr nwsbdbat twno fpitb tsfatoy aeintt foaop taes bmwtyat fmot cotu sawe stotyi smats bldtn orsn eofett bess hal? Orau sesb mtso nhsbe tctmer appocf nsnj fped omsvt ncfs cfagtvh itrfa stea tsiwo etfs vhor scts aooasht spoi3 sotu ssbc otsf escb tltfsyae ssh. Ov atsb aicot fetsb daeam bitc tsotso tfcs bvat eots yotsc ateo tfyao ttcateo tsys totm bces yaiv hbro odtr otloast etmmta utnm otlwstf svps basw snha ttao tyabn yacotusa wsnweb aiot sfwh sbcvpot ussbp otsbshnv utbed sscto oaaa ppti taot vpow hseto opotu sssht sptt aiws ftptsbo ooawtp otusit tcjsp anps bcwt cot! Tot mpic oisn eftt rfoa dthaea oohtop utusb tpcs nbla stitj apatl4 tpamoh efsa rsbpie sbt? Lt btc. Maa tblmo asrea ttpocscs aalo ieyas msb. O tfmi duts blaadd5 hsbt joteraqoi omaam oesc aqtd bbas nmaf dtdambatct aoami sma. Us paehm phm! D troipp imfd bawtc otte amhs kajoi pafttt ptsesp amit jrsatya notm oeho aqsat doofo tpbeot jhdtsoc swtc otoafmttd ntaop ttiw tths bs6sa rsra cftstb abla poot totust siac etfa bot? Pb pfad taatso trha igta rftsa fas! Od iehtsn bqiao psorsd ttfwhw ebat acou taot uswshb cote wshb edsta nphao utus sbam oehd hcio7bf rrso ithor btsm pocwaa oobb wshpt hor. At ssbib albp ttpo tusi hahssi binhs riwh otth iwis hows etoa lotj aptr iias rtto thsat ptbi sbs? T wtott ohbwi slbr aiabtt othis balb iasc tvobhsbd byan atnotpvf aatbsb eotj oehri absnb rbtpw td(ea ishb ptht ssbal ilma ihhs iutcbt apir iwci snba loro vtwtco tsah ormb n(o. A qoasb pttp otusabt sste sba. B hobdb hsbrbt tots aho! Rattralp itcoa b8cshp tla. Ctd iaet ptda pftcdag wotusba diae sbut tus. Bm otco tusrcwfn aatssa wtit eauron aulotso bttu scmrtvta ofca ftsow ampf tpocts accot usep oapr ptpo saua bsfltt aaiter ttrw adct itts cdappafc othsaoat londwglom aram rcco lawr asabnaomttu sbfa lttt ypama nmrf tgar otla nfpf cftmte tlotusi arip foaad tmaf gspotam beit sotus rttsrta otoataottm attd pbceel iacw osd(et msambc opsa taoc btso tgotus atel aoappb tcotl otsiwts sbft eofmada onbm alwsbn apfc ietf paaopvb tcit gotu soia doot9 moio spaaotsne stpt asnb pbtcp ttyo tehae batod mbio sinetd fepp otwo hcsn bsu! W icoroitps mribo aoepf lsbpc oodtsb luipt tcoe hbdt btto dsbl oaef aspsbgbar ocor ttpoo soto ansv btofo sbote copd iams bdft tbic oambl aarsa aotra eoap msb. P fttt tons bgbtus anpha oopo tut! S wtco tcaoape ooto akwfa kpofs 1sseia taocgl omarc mebocma tbgascatipodp aboa epfl olit oocogato nsswt cotcl aiod oioee wmba nfeiila tnpoa dailb aso? Ioe sbft uottotu saasl sbsttra cotcs swtcoc ladot ktos owitop eiaao cwa. So wafp oeiwua iois idawnao di1epsb viapo tusoa hshh odtt ofy. A twtv pcftstb eafs sai? Smatl tmda noee ttwnosar twtsmb eitcbns oroph aooto putus sbaae esmi trsa vbbf tpowo alsnb aiotssw tatsm alo? A tpvf aotnovfewlts saca tsttso tgotusdt tpot stpots sitp otsaho roatcatvst bctph tgno vsbt pisn bamo twno eaaitbmt owhsmah aenovt thor sicbb ootfp ainphamt ftfh otltsh silm ctpb ictpt vsbt bstr fes? H ovaqf tpsco amomf ttot saamo atss bnta cieca tcot ptph tgnov otesb tvpbi tsrt omwhe vtsscf tbbtvpcmdtt octeatdo wtsgt vwds btsttuspe anbc oaco tusa ttota otcs bett oopns apbe ttowsn hattaotfy abfya rwtu scotrotp fooohd roi! T dtpad otsotssd otvpa tcmblp ftco rdroi botp avpd wos? T aap! A sosa autd broap sbep sastr fhsa cwsnb inddt pfwh shbe ahsnrwtpao eftu soao theot eoho hsttfoo adss (ati wfet oopo tusaw ttbo mapp adtc otu! S 2psbcico taan otusa otmot sswci taso tushmr toiwo tpoie otedu asrt tdo. Troah shptgr apfo atuseicois hpbawt aaco tstmt ptto tspca hsna bawt aacot ssaaop macjotsca aoo! O tusw aanh opfawsbebl btc. Mb lvta osi! O attpitp aitcol oit? H odps hptf uavt mhdt rots bgcw seate otns 3sft ttgttc iotso tuar ttcs mahsjn aehm oeoc bhoe otaicodb twr. Tt toahmat tsta hstph sraa opmh stcttl bfea scatootu s4pv paa! C ootu ssbrfo oifa cotboohcami1 jpot ussb vios cais icat cmfttto aetj botsaic sht. O dgba sast rftsacws nbdd tcio 2jpse taci laeaut ctlotusa tmowsbmutaac aaopm acacoaa mjctw tuss bapc bto. M sbas acoascods cots sclug odsabaso tcta fscosa caao pmaca tiwa ssbptsc shoj iato cbmtsc shajb atla fws. Ea usra tcsm toace icoi sbbj asts bhits wtscs hbcb wncw astt sbas popa tcmblh d3a. T ussco ilwa toia tteg taacnp sbco tuot totw ttsoaooc iocc shpt dtpot bnaots wcobof edtl otpa i1fa csbgie sttparaj poeo satcm bglp tmiwsa raps bpate t2c? Oessb etap aioc itssp ciaswt fooc wsff jabfias sodo teaot sfw? H fbdut brtt shjo tcph tsolio sutl teia sicoa lortb dfss olbsb duoc otptwsso lmbd3 smbabt citubn nssbf oewt joaosna sbfb tjot omso poswtcot lots cawaot ccsh ptdo amanra rrttoopb ttus anitc sbsc atp. Ac otuso oaps 4ussg tesi tuar foga speo taia oaot loote( tlcb cadvv cwttob hsdins patt coot aotl ottot ssscacfp awie csb! Vt aia! Papo tcwrb tlotfot ssobc itft atoo tomo rmbpb tcptna wmbm ptty otehaes iamat fafcitns otfa atns wics bdoiesi tsvd caee ibtao tcsbav atusutca utccatlotu swsbmi ptaatmow sbmu taotu ssbtsl otla tjie ssbbta titc oloa sttcnsarb matm otsslaa eaj. Ob otusa otss sbbb ooat stcb nrts ebra aqta ooptut usvr otco nssbs fteot cbts srts wbi bts! A elotfp twbpw oaei tflo tfptw tbib ttsa ttlot fpatwbib tfta fflots pwjsicbtu cotspt sdos ityoo lotsh aesa otio tusoa ttiwwwhhsonw adfv rbjd bbmo stjcbmj cbds wcrc ppbfbhl ggksj syhjl bpdf mmcfi wm.
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More = Survival

I enjoyed this article in my copy of TIME magazine this week entitled "The Science of Appetite" by Jeffrey Kluger.
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The pullout quote helps to explain why we humans always crave more. We're biologically programmed to prepare for the "just in case" scenario as part of our instinct to survive. So even when we buy a new device, we think to ourselves, "I don't really need that, but maybe I just might." Only those that are truly self-assured can begin to consciously choose the constraints of simplicity over the delicious rapture of complexity. Thinking of Maslow's pyramid of needs, it may be that if you're at the bottom of the pyramid in true survival mode, you desire complexity; on the other hand if you are sated in most ways, you desire simplicity. Seems to make sense. Moving up in the world, you desire more; when you've already made it to the top you are obesely full and want to get by with less through law1();?>-ing. More = Survival; Less = Survivable.
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Simplicity Squared

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As I logged into Gmail today and saw the latest Gproduct release, my mind bumped a bit against the marketing phrase of, "Simplicity Squared." If simplicity is something truly reductive, were you to mathematically raise it to the second power and square it I wondered if you'd end up where you really want to go. Consider how when you square a number like 5 you get 25 (bigger), or if you square 3 you get 9 (bigger). But once you hit the number 1 = "true simplicity" and you square 1 you get 1 (the same). Go below 1 like 0.75 and square 0.75 to get 0.5625 (smaller), or square 0.2 and you get 0.04 (smaller). Ah, so the square of simplicity is truly more simple. The universe is well and I can now go back to preparing for my London exhibition.
Posted by John Maeda
 

Simplified US Postage Finder

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I should probably be working on my exhibition for London, but procrastination duties call and I solved a simple problem I've had for quite a while. I always am unsure of the postage rates for sending a letter inside the US, as well as outside the US. The stamps I have in my desk seem to always be a few versions back so I always need to tack on the little 2-cent and 3-cent upgrades in a sort of random fashion. When I try to get down to business and figure out the real rates, I go online to the USPS Postage Calculator and stress out with all the options. So I simplified the process a bit with a little hack. My sincere apologies that this is only useful for folks that live in the States.
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Sugar Axe

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While in Milan I had the fortune of staying at an exquisite hotel that presented myself with a great deal of choices in how I might enjoy a coffee or tea in the privacy of my own room. Of the various implements available, I chose among the teaspoons this pared-down object that sits in the foreground. If I were more cultured, I would know its name. I'm sure someone out there can help me out with this, but its name matters little right now for me to continue. When mixing a big sugar cube into a hot coffee, the teaspoon isn't the best device to coerce the cube into melting. Do you scoop the cube in the curve of the spoon, then drop it back into the coffee? And just continue to do so? Seems a bit tacky to me. Thus I enjoyed the "un-spoon" made available to me here, as it had real heft. The process of piercing the sugar cube was quite simple. Furthermore when swirling the coffee, the side blades did a great job at quickly rendering the sugar into the liquid. I wondered to myself, "Is this a teaspoon?" No. It seems specifically designed to attack the sugar cube. I felt it was something like a law1();?>-ed teaspoon, if such an object could exist. Then again, I may have made a mistake and this little "sugar axe" as I call it was perhaps supposed to be used to turn on my TV instead, and really didn't belong in the coffee server. I am known to have made such mistakes in the past. In this case, maybe it was not an error. Oh, what is this thing called?
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SMPL

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An article by the Boston Globe's Linda Matchan appeared yesterday on the topic of simplicity. The typographic covering the top half of the paper was extremely bold and unexpected for the usual clutter of a newspaper. In the article, I'm quoted as referring to "GSM" versus "CDM" (the latter is "CDMA" of course) but when I saw this misprint I wondered about the science of acronyms. It turns out that acronyms are quite the hobby on the Internet. Today I wrote some program codes to figure out the distribution of 3-letter like GSM versus 4-letter acronyms like CDMA and so forth. I admit I'm a bit rusty as I haven't programmed in maybe a year since my Paris exhibition in November. The results of my study are as follows:
No. Letters Relative Level of Occurence
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
What can we conclude from these findings? Well, 3-letter acronyms are much more popular than any other kind of acronym. But 4-letter acronyms aren't that shabby as well. A good acronym, or otherwise abbreviation, can make a little seem like a lot lot more. For instance, I attribute the success of the Motorola PEBL to its combination of elegant styling but also a particularly excellent abbreviation in name. A "pebble" -- so simple an object. law1(); ?>, concentrate, purify, simplify. CUL8R.
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Simplicity Symposium: Part 5

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Hong Kong-based architect Gary Chang showed this grainy picture of a "cageman" house. The structure is a low-cost unit that measures 1-meter by 2-meters where each unit is stacked vertically in a warehouse-like enclosure. There is no privacy as part of the living style of the cagemen, and naturally their belongings are pared down to only the barest of essentials a la law1();?>. Gary says that the inhabitants prefer living in the cages over regular living units because the spaces have the value of constant social interaction--surprisingly the cost difference to rent a cage versus a small flat is not significant. Gary scored a bit hit with the design of his suitcase house built near the Great Wall. This building is a single story structure where when you walk in, all you see is a simple floor stretched across the entire building with no walls. The trick is that the floors fold and flip to reveal a kitchen, bath, bedroom and other components in the spirit of hide as developed in the first Law. Describing his own tiny flat, Gary showed how he creates space on-demand by reconfiguring the elements based upon the time of day. For instance, he has a huge bed, that folds up to make space for his dining area with a kitchen that swings out, and then when finished eating he pops open his work space and then by the evening his projection TV screen unfurls with all other elements stowed away to create a personal theater. At the end of the day, everything vanishes and his bed folds out to continue the active cycling of his immediate living realm. It all looked quite simple to the audience, but by virtue of Gary's subtle mastery of the art of context.
Posted by John Maeda
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