Learn, Make, Learn

Ernest & Joachim go deep on Raymond Loewy’s MAYA Principle: what it is & why it matters, with real world examples of MAYA in action, and what can happen when product teams fail to take the principle to heart.FOLLOW-UPS – 01:00Toolbox: How “Jobs To Be Done” Can Help You Make, BetterFortis MarinemasterA BRIEF INTRO TO RAYMOND LOEWY – 06:04MoMA on Raymond Loewy60 Minutes: Raymond Loewy, Father of Industrial DesignLOEWY’S MAYA PRINCIPLE – 09:07The MAYA Principle in DesignThe iPhone only exists because Steve Jobs ‘hated this guy at Microsoft’Phil Knight: Shoe DogHow One Designer Saved Tesla From Bankruptcy TWICEIS MAYA INHERENTLY CONSERVATIVE? – 19:36Apple and the MAYA PrincipleRemembering Apple’s Newton, 30 years onMUST BE ROOTED IN EMPATHY & COMPASSION – 24:44Raymond Loewy and the Skylab WindowAPPLICATIONS BEYOND PRODUCT – 28:20The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (via Wayback Machine)BMW Is a Surprise Winner in Electric Vehicles (paywall)Goodbye to the BMW i3—an Icon of the 21st Century (paywall)The Newton Messagepad was Well Ahead of its TimeGeneral Magic documentaryIntellectual Distance, Novelty, and Resource Allocation in ScienceRECOMMENDATIONS – 42:48Patrick McGee: Apple in ChinaHidden Forces podcast: Patrick McGeeEBL rechargeable AA batteries (link to Wirecutter review)CLOSING – 49:34****Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.CREDITSTheme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.comDrum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

E & J return from a spring hiatus to discuss a range of topics, from WWDC 2025 to the Era of the Business Idiot, and more.WATCHES & WONDERS – 04:09Don DeLillo: CosmopolisIWC Presents A Plethora Of New Ingenieur WatchesHow The Pursuit Of Status Shapes Our AestheticsThe Nomos Club Sport Neomatik WorldtimerNOMOS Lounge, New York CityTAG Heuer Formula 1 - They got it wrong!SLATE AUTO – 22:52Slate Auto Reveal EventCustomer service satisfaction of EV owners lower than ICE vehiclesKia, Build This EV Overland Camper Van!Top Gear: The Indestructible Toyota Hilux (full episode)WWDC 2025 – 33:49From Skeuomorphic to Liquid GlassHow the Graphical User Interface was InventedWWDC 1997: Steve Jobs Q&A (tense exchange at 50:25)Bill Gates: “Internet Tidal Wave”Apple study challenges whether AI models truly “reason”DISCORD & COMPLEXITY – 54:29How Discord Indexes Trillions of MessagesInk & SwitchQuietRECS – 01:03:28The Era Of The Business IdiotBetter Offline podcast‘Andor’ Season 2UConnPopCastRebecca Solnit: Men Explain Things to MeWhat Makes Art ‘Left Wing’?The RehearsalCLOSING – 01:22:00****Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.CREDITSTheme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.comDrum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

We return from hibernation to talk AI nonsense, critique the review industrial complex, promote a return to RSS, and share a raft of recommendations!JOACHIM ON AI NONSENSE – 01:52Previous Discussion of Humane AI (starts at 18:34)Humane Set to Brick $700 ‘AI Pins’I outsourced my memory to an AI pin and all I got was fanfictionBen Thompson: DeepSeek FAQPrevious Discussion on LLMs & Constraints (starts at 02:33)“Low-Resource” Text ClassificationERNEST ON THE REVIEW INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX – 09:41Motor Trend: 2021 MINI Cooper SEAmerica’s Commute to Work Is Getting Longer (paywall)CNET: 2022 Mini Cooper SEJames Hoffmann’s reviewsSigma BF Review: Beautiful FoolishnessBy contrast ... I took 1,000 photos with the Sigma BFGxAce YouTube channelChris Harris on the Mercedes-AMG A45 SHow Ferrari SpinsIMPLICATIONS FOR PRODUCT CREATORS? – 26:07Americans Are Obsessed With the Wrong TrucksTELO MT1Remembering Nike’s Sandy BodeckerJOACHIM ON RSS & MORE – 31:37InoreaderCatherine Shannon: Your phone is why you don’t feel sexyTracy Durnell: In praise of the hundred page ideaIn Praise of ShadowsKenya Hara: WhiteTimothy Snyder: On TyrannyHarry G. Frankfurt: On BullshitPerfect DaysPerfect Day (Komorebi Version)SHOULD WE START A DISCORD? – 41:22CLOSING – 42:02****Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.CREDITSTheme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.comDrum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

Ernest’s experience with a boundary-breaking headphone sparks a discussion on caveat emptor, or buyer beware, and just how much risk we, as product creators, should expect buyers to bear.FOLLOW-UPS – 01:15MKBHD, Panels & PricingWTF Happened in 2024?!I Love You, Man: The Male Friendship RecessionWhy Are Boys and Men in Trouble?CAVEAT EMPTOR? – 06:36Caveat emptorAn ode to open-back headphones—and why I’d never go (closed-)backWhat’s the difference between dynamic and planar magnetic drivers?Audio46 HeadphonesSennheiser HD800S: Revisiting a LegendFocal Clear MGHifiman Arya Stealth & OrganicHifiman Arya Unveiled Review—The Next Best?The most expensive headphone in the world is terrifying!Are Hifiman Unveiled Headphones Safe?With Just 8 Words, Steve Jobs Explained the Best Decision He Ever MadeMan Tests Tesla Cybertruck Trunk Sensor With His FingerThe Hidden Autopilot Data That Reveals Why Teslas CrashIIHS tested Tesla Autopilot safeguards: Here’s what they foundArrival or departure? The rise and fall of Britain’s EV unicornInterview with Hifiman CEO Dr. Fang Bian‘The Beta Test’ Director Jim Cummings Wants to Liberate Indie FilmmakingRECOMMENDATIONS – 51:07Derek Guy: Die Workwear!J’s year-end rec: Outlier Strongworks PantsE’s year-end rec: OrSlow French Work Pants & Yamatomichi 5-Pocket PantsCLOSING – 01:07:44****Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.CREDITSTheme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.comDrum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

A conversation triggered by MKBHD’s Panels app gets really interesting when we dig into pricing & lessons for people in the business of making products.FOLLOW-UPS – 02:23Are Pop Lyrics Getting More Repetitive?How gamification took over the worldCan't Play, Won't PlayAn Interview with Meta CTO Andrew BosworthMeta Connect Keynote 2024Meta’s big teaseMKBHD, PANELS & PRICING – 07:30Marques BrownleeMKBHD’s first reviewMarques Brownlee says ‘I hear you’ after fans criticize his new wallpaper appYouTubers are not your friendsWhy Criticism Still MattersLESSON FOR PRODUCT CREATORS – 20:02How Nike finally hacked skateboardingON PRICING – 23:42Friedrich HayekOskar R. LangeLange modelKanopyTaylor Swift–Ticketmaster controversyThe Changing Face Of The Secondary Market: Rolex CPO and moreRECOMMENDATIONS – 43:18MUBIThe Substance on MUBIThe Fall on MUBIGoeff McFetridge: Drawing a Life on MUBIThatcher had “phenomenal” impact on Britain’s cultural landscapeBedrock SandalsCreepers SocksHow Did Hokas Become So Popular? (paywall)CLOSING – 56:29****Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.CREDITSTheme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.comDrum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

We dive into our titular question with Nate Grubbs, who, unlike us, is a professional designer with strong views borne of decades of experience across UX, visual & product design.MEET NATE – 01:18THE AGE OF AVERAGE – 04:19Alex Murrell: The age of averageThe tyranny of the algorithm: why every coffee shop looks the sameHow Khruangbin’s Sound Became the New Mood Music (paywall)SOUL, FLASH & OLD MAN VIBES – 06:36A Farewell to Adobe Flash—and the Messy, Glorious WebDonnie Darko websiteFélix Lapointe: Remembering Kai Power ToolsArtist at Play: An e-mail exchange with Kai KrauseA PERVASIVE FEAR OF FAILURE – 17:49Please, Please Don’t A/B Test ThatStudy finds 268% higher failure rates for Agile software projectsSIGNS OF HOPE & BREAKING THROUGH – 23:27Massimo Giunco: Nike, An Epic Saga of Value DestructionThe Father of Grunge Typography Calls Out Lazy DesignPaula Scher: Great design is serious (not solemn)KintsugiCONSTRAINTS AS A CATALYST – 34:08Why Constraints Are Good for InnovationDaft SocialStart-Ups Surge in the Great ResetGnuhrPhysical music sales on course for first increase in 20 yearsRECOMMENDATIONS – 45:45Nate: YotoErnest: A Different Man; related: The rise and rise of A24, a champion of storytelling on screen (paywall)Joachim: I Saw the TV Glow; What You Are Looking for is in the LibraryCLOSING – 56:57NateGrubbs.com****Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.CREDITSTheme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.comDrum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

We go off-the-cuff again, sharing product learnings from Miele vacuums, Snow Peak’s modular IGT system & Ableton’s singular vision for music creation.OFF-THE-CUFF – 00:59JOACHIM RECOMMENDS: MIELE C3 VACUUM – 01:38Miele Complete C3 Calima PowerLineBehind Dyson’s cycloneDyson Stick Vacuums Lose CR RecommendationWe’ve Recommended Miele Canister Vacuums for Almost a DecadeMy Middle-Aged Miele C2 Canister Vacuum Has a Long Life Ahead of ItErnest’s now discontinued Miele Cat & Dog VacuumJames Dyson: From Brexit to SingaporeYes, Portland’s Stark’s Vacuums is still in business!ERNEST RECOMMENDS: SNOW PEAK IGT SYSTEM – 13:36Ali George Hinkins: History of Snow PeakAn Introduction to IGTComprehensive “IGT 101” primerLive the Slow Art of Japanese CampingExamples of Korean-style CampingTom Bihn bagsEames Storage UnitThe Eames Modular HouseModular Cabins Inspired by MinecraftSnow Peak’s New Portland Flagship StoreVitsœ 606 Universal Shelving SystemUSM Haller SystemLegibilityFramework laptopJOACHIM RECOMMENDS: ABLETON LIVE – 35:39What is Ableton Live?The Untold Story of Ableton LiveReason’s skeuomorphic interfaceEating your own dog foodCLOSING – 44:31****Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.CREDITSTheme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.comDrum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

In another short(er) format episode, we examine Apple’s recent “Glowtime” event. Please do let us know what you think of this new format at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or @LearnMakeLearnShow on Threads.OPENING – 00:00Suttle LakeSuttle LodgeHELP US NAME THIS NEW FORMAT! – 03:12APPLE’S ‘GLOWTIME’ EVENT – 05:08Apple EventThe Verge: iPhone 16 event in 16 minutesJohn Gruber describes his feelings after the event on ThreadsJOACHIM’S TAKE – 05:48Smartphone innovation is dead, and that’s fineRevisiting the iPodLight PhoneERNEST’S TAKE – 11:07Made by Google ’24Steve Jobs introduces “Think Different” (intro to the campaign at 3:05)Steve Jobs introduces iPhone in 2007 (b-school 101 chart at 3:55)The Very First ‘Stevenote’The Glorious Return of a Humble Car FeatureBoomer AppleRISKS OF SHIFTING TO SERVICES – 27:31HildaBrainchildWhy the Baby-Sitters Club was Cancelled at NetflixAlexa Is in Millions of Households—and Amazon Is Losing BillionsSteve Jobs: Get Rid Of The Crappy StuffExistential thoughts about Apple’s reliance on Services revenueJeff Bezos Explains Why Amazon Makes No Profit (2014)The Birth of an Icon: Susan KareHalt and Catch Fire (TV Series)Drops of God on Apple TV+Slow Horses on Apple TV+CLOSING – 49:00****Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.CREDITSTheme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.comDrum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

We introduce a new, shorter, more off-the-cuff format focused on recommendations that we hope you’ll enjoy. Also, our apologies for the audio getting a bit crunchy in spots—we’re working hard to improve our audio quality. Please do let us know what you think of this new format at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.ONE MILLION CHECKBOXES – 03:20Are You a Checker or an Unchecker? (paywall)The Secret Inside One Million CheckboxesNolan Royalty on X‘Infinity Blade II: ClashMob’ Uses the Cloud, Crowd-Sourcing for Group-Based GamingON KITCHEN FAUCETS & BRAND VALUES – 12:09Generative AI x Product with Anmol AnubhaiThat Much-Despised Apple Ad (paywall)Design Thinking: Failure or Fall Guy?Toolbox: How “Jobs To Be Done” Can Help You Make, BetterTouch vs Touchless FaucetsAre touchless faucets for the kitchen worth it?Hansgrohe Select TechnologyAxor Citterio Kitchen Faucet with Select TechnologyWhy is my LG Washing Machine using 3.6GB of data/day?STEVE JOBS, CORNING & BEING UNREASONABLE – 29:07The Science and History of the iPhone ScreenFounder ModeNEUTRON JACK – 33:45The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America―and How to Undo His LegacyHow Jack Welch’s Reign at G.E. Gave Us Elon Musk’s Twitter FeedCLOSING – 39:14****Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.CREDITSTheme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.comDrum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

Generative AI: step change or snake oil du jour? We enter this mire with Anmol Anubhai as our guide & insight into the future of GenAI x product creation as our destination. Join us for a refreshingly grounded conversation on a topic that’s typically full of hype.FOLLOW-UPS – 01:42The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Manual Mode Changes Performance EVs ForeverWTF is a Product Manager?Dare Obasanjo on Product Management at Figma Config 2024Dare Obasanjo on ThreadsShreyas Doshi on ThreadsShreyas on why product management is hardGenAI x PRODUCT WITH ANMOL ANUBHAI – 07:45 Anmol on LinkedInMeet Figma AIShane Allen on Figma AIMira Murati: Conversation with Dartmouth EngineeringWhy Apple’s iPad Ad Fell FlatFigma’s AI app creator accused of ripping off Apple weather appAdobe’s new terms of service say it won’t use your work to train AIInstagram is training AI on your dataCHI 2024: Evaluating Human-AI Partnership for LLM-based Code MigrationWhy companies are turning to ‘citizen developers’ANMOL’S ADVICE TO COMPANIES – 32:08AI INTERFACES BEYOND THE BOT – 34:45Google: People + AI GuidebookCULTIVATING MENTAL MODELS – 42:37WHO’S DOING THIS WELL & WHERE’S IT HEADED? – 48:12AI brings soaring emissions for Google and MicrosoftWEEKLY RECS – 56:44Anmol: Andrew Ng’s Machine Learning Collection & Amazon PartyRockJoachim: BOOX PalmaErnest: Earthworks Audio ETHOS microphoneCLOSING & PREVIEW – 01:08:48****Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.CREDITSTheme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.comDrum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com