Design Stories: 99% Invisible

💎 In retreating from 2024’s chaotic news, I appreciated the niche apps and podcasts below. Consider today’s post a holiday care package 💝 with little bites.

🔮 Looking ahead: As 2025 approaches, I’m exploring a bunch of surprising new AI services I’ll write about soon — from Sora’s video generation 🤯 and a whimsical new Google tool to 🧠 brain-measuring headphones 🎧 and an AI-powered, voice-recording pendant. 🤔 I’m also experimenting with tactics for coping with overflowing task lists… post coming soon!

👉 Meanwhile, you’re invited to join me in 2025! I’m looking for new contributors, partners and sponsors for 2025. Collaborate with me on Wonder Tools. Or reply to this email to say hello and share any questions or feedback. I read every message I get and respond to as many as I can.

🧑‍💻Tiny apps

I love single-purpose tools that solve specific problems brilliantly. Whether it's cleaning up my Mac, downloading videos, reminding me to take a break, or capturing text from images, these specialized Mac apps have become essential to my workflow.

You can try them for free or buy them individually for a few bucks. I discovered that 250 of these little apps are included with a SetApp subscription, which I started paying $10/month for a couple of years ago.

It’s like a mini Netflix for software, which is appealing to me as someone who loves experimenting with tools. Most of the apps I don’t need, just like I don’t watch most of what’s on Netflix. The useful ones, though, make the subscription worthwhile, especially because it includes Craft, one of my favorite apps, plus others I use regularly:

* Clop Instantly resize any image just by dragging it to a digital box — useful for social media or newsletter posts.

* TimeOut Automate onscreen reminders to look away from the screen & stretch.

* PullTube Easily download videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Dailymotion, Soundcloud, Instagram and others.

* TextSniper Capture text onscreen to your clipboard. Useful for online books, presentations, videos or anything you see onscreen you want to add to notes.

* Teleprompter App Record videos with a teleprompter.

* CleanMyMac Remove unused apps, free up space, speed up my laptop.

🥇 Still on my list from 2023:

* Sunsama Plan a workday step by step, then reflect on it at the end.

* Likewise Get free, personalized recommendations for books, shows, movies and podcasts.

* Vetted Vet products before buying w/ summaries of trustworthy reviews.

* Lungy Relax for 1-minute with this free app’s breathing breaks.

* HiNote Send visual text messages with this cute, simple, free app.

🎙️Must-Listen Podcasts

🎯 For Professional Growth & Learning

* Think Fast Talk Smart Stanford Business School lecturer Matt Abrahams hosts terrific conversations about how to communicate better. Each episode includes immediately actionable tactics for everything from crafting persuasive emails to giving memorable presentations.

* HBR IdeaCast Practical business guidance I consistently learn from. The show just celebrated episode #1000, featuring 10 highlights from past shows.

* Before Breakfast Laura Vanderkam overflows with practical insight. I love these bite-size episodes. I’m glad her Vanderhacks has landed on Substack.

* Newsroom Robots by my collaborator and colleague Nikita Roy is great for getting up to speed on all things AI and journalism with interviews of smart leaders around the world.

* People I Mostly Admire features Freakonomics co-author Steve Levitt interviewing smart guests about big ideas. I like the way he uses sharp, challenging questions to push past predictable answers.

🌟 For Curiosity & Personal Interest

* Against the Rules Michael Lewis’s storytelling is a great fit for the surprising saga of sports betting, the subject of the new season of his excellent podcast.

* 99% Invisible Every year this delightful show about the design of our built world has a special “mini-stories” show. I miss many of the other episodes, but never this. Listen to the newest one.

* Hidden Brain I learn something every time I listen. I admire the story crafting and the interviews so much that if I had a vote for the Podcast Hall of Fame, I would nominate Shankar Vedantam (along with Gayle Allen, Dr. Laurie Santos, and Terry O’Reilly).

* Feel Better Live More I like the 15-minute bitesize episodes featuring highlights from Dr. Rangan Chatterjee’s lengthy interviews with the world’s most interesting mental and physical health experts.

* Trader Joe’s My guilty audio pleasure. There’s nothing professionally valuable in this one. 😳🫣 I just like hearing about TJ’s new products and the food scouts who help launch the newest snacks.

p.s. See a collection of 60 of my all-time podcast favorites.