Tools for thought: science, design, art, craftsmanship? | Andy Matuschak

Hi! I’m a software engineer, designer, and researcher. I work on technologies that expand what people can think and do. more…

Part of “Letters from the Lab”, a series of informal essays on my research written for patrons . Originally published December 2 0 2 1 ; made publicly available April 2 0 2 2 . You can also listen to this essay ( 1 6 minutes) . It is the destiny of computers to become interactive intellectual amplifiers for all people pervasively networked worldwide. — J.C.R. Licklider If you want to help make good on this destiny—to invent human-computer interfaces which radically expand human cognition and creativity—then what do you actually need to do? How does progress happen? Moreover, how can we make co

saved by

• Trang Đoàn
• Stella Jia
• Raffi Hotter
• Moses Won

related reading

• Andy Matuschakandymatuschak.org
• Creating The People’s Computer | MIT Technology Reviewtechnologyreview.com
• Thought as a Technologycognitivemedium.com
• Tools, Computing, and Research Labs — James Hill-Khuranajameshk.com
• Tool-makers usually lack connection to a serious context of usenotes.andymatuschak.org
• Tools for Thought as Cultural Practices, not Computational Objectsmaggieappleton.com
• AI Design Field Guideaidesignfieldguide.com
• Tools for Thought as Cultural Practices, not Computational Objectsmaggieappleton.com
• Tools for thought | Great creative work is usually the product of a single personnotes.andymatuschak.org
• Ryo Lu on X: "Getting to great design isn’t about narrowing your focus onto one tiny problem or building yet another “purpose‑built” tool. It’s about learning to see through the surface and recognize the truths underneath everything we do – the same patterns, the same flows, the same ideas" / Xx.com
• Frank Chimero · What Screens Wantfrankchimero.com
• Thought as a Technologycognitivemedium.com