Show People Kindness

Going along with what Nathan Kontny said yesterday, once in a while we as writers, designers, developers, and creatives alike should pause and simply say thanks. There’s so much wrong with the web, so much to resent and point out, that often times we easily get caught up in such negative things.

(via xkcd)

Then we write daily short articles that narrate these negative things. We point out the terrible decisions made by large tech companies and silly opinions by people. They get the hell retweeted out of them, hit the front page of Hacker News, then we relax–with a smile (how ironic)–as we watch our blog analytics reach new heights.

But sometimes we just need to take a break and show some kindness.

Kindness (ˈkīn(d)nis) noun The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.

Yes, there is negativity all over the web, but there’s also positive things. There are too many folks out there trying their best to help others for us to focus on just the negative. That’s why, starting today, I’ll be writing one piece/week that will points out things I find interesting and I’ll simply say thanks. This includes products & services that make my life easier, admirable people doing amazing things, and anything that floats my boat. You don’t have to read them, you don’t even have to hover over that circle thingy to the right. I’ll just be letting you in on the things I like.

The thanks these people deserve are often overlooked for the top hate post against Facebook or Microsoft for the day. But they still deserve their thanks. They deserve an act of kindness.

Today, I’ll point out three products/services/people.

1) Greg Newman

This guy has a gift. His wrist and fingers move in motions that produce amazing artwork that just blow my mind.

Even today, he whipped up a mug shot of me!

If you’re in need of a quality sketch of any sort, he’s your guy.

2) Cheddar

I hate to-do lists. I hate services that claim to make my life more orgainzed, but in the end force me into thinking my life is more hectic than it actually is.

But Cheddar is different. It’s simple and fast. And yes there’s a charge after 2 lists, but you already know my stance on that.

3) Ugmonk

Jeff Sheldon is doing amazing work over at Ugmonk. They continually put out amazing tees, hoodies, prints, and premium accessories that decorate both my body and desk. They have a firm mission and they stick to it.

As the market continues to become saturated with overly complex, cluttered designs, Ugmonk’s mission is to provide high-quality products with simple, fresh graphics.

To all three of you, thanks.