iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 06/08/2026

Thinking about good neighbors and neighborhoods as enduring infrastructure

Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 06/08/2026

If you ever find yourself stuck, paralyzed by a blank page or intimidated by a blinking cursor, try this. At the top of the page, address the note to someone you love. I write mine to my two kiddos.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 01/04/2026

Inevitable. What a sneaky, dangerous word. It closes off the possibility space and points to a specific (person’s, group’s, ideology’s) version of the future as the only one possible.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 26/02/2026

The best people I've met aren't strategy people or execution people. They're both. So when the cost of building something approaches 0, they go faster, but they're also more generative (and strategic and playful). They aren't just building derivatives of the same thing.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 24/02/2026

Whether you call it play, care, dreamweaving, or just giving a damn, how you do something matters. Great post by @behzod.com on infinite romance.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 23/02/2026

On the imagination crisis and how science fiction can help us think and feel our ways to different ways of being. zoescaman.substack.com/p/the-imagin...

zoescaman.substack.com

The Imagination Curriculum

A reading list for strategists who want to think dangerously

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 05/02/2026

What are you optimizing for? What are you playing for?

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 02/02/2026

Every so often, I wonder what David Graeber would think of this moment. From bullshit jobs to anarchy to play to human ingenuity and more

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 13/01/2026

If you ever doubted that branding matters, just look at how people are reacting to digital gardens vs personal operating systems.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 12/01/2026

After all of the AI-enhanced digital gardens have been set up, will you be wiser? Will you be more kind? Will you have more grace? Will you be more brave? Or is this just another example of dialing in your workshop and never actually making something.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 20/05/2025

My friend, Vicky, keeps two lists of people. One list is of people she would love to hire. The other list is of people she would love as a boss. If you see that there are people who are on both of your lists, go find them and make some good trouble. www.thisisdavekim.com/notes/twolis...

thisisdavekim.com

Two Lists

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 14/05/2025

Are we in search of country-model fit or will we have a plurality of models in the future? Some thoughts on that here: www.thisisdavekim.com/notes/countr...

thisisdavekim.com

In Search of Country-Model Fit

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 07/05/2025

We're about to start the fourth season of our giving circle. If you'd like to donate alongside us for this season, give me a shout! We'd love to amplify our impact - and perhaps inspire you to start or join one yourself!

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 05/05/2025

We're developing technology that has so much potential, and we're spending most of our time reinventing B2B SaaS. What is even going on? Is this because some of the finest* minds of our generation spent a decade optimizing the color of a blue button? * Caveat, caveat, caveat

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 09/04/2025

While reading a friend's essay, I added this comment: Can pixels age? Do pixels have a patina? Can pixels show where the cursor has rubbed against it the most?

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 02/04/2025

I've been thinking a lot about personal stories recently and stumbled on something Yancey Strickler wrote last year. "First we live, then we learn, and last we narrate." The path is rarely clear when you're on it. It's only when we look back at where we've been that we see the common thread.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 14/03/2025

We focus so much of our attention on algorithms, but not enough on the design of social networks. Loved this insight from @randomwalker.bsky.social on what makes TikTok feel so different here: knightcolumbia.org/blog/tiktoks...

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 14/03/2025

I'm in the middle of researching social networks and what it might take for us to go "beyond the feed." It's such a treat to get together with other people and organizations who care deeply about how these social networks can be better and promote healthier and better experiences.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 12/03/2025

We should normalize bringing your friends to work.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 12/03/2025

The internet is an incredible canvas. Creating an ongoing thread with some found gems here.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 12/03/2025

A beautiful exploration of what multisensorial computing could look and feel like by @wattenberger.com. She writes: The future of computing is being designed right now. Can we build something richer—something that moves with us, speaks our language, and molds to our bodies?

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 11/03/2025

It's time for new metaphors.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 06/03/2025

Just a monthly reminder that there is a huge opportunity to reimagine how social networks operate. Still early innings (despite the incredible time warp that happens on the internet) bsky.app/profile/this...

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 04/03/2025

"Weave the world you refuse to allow to be taken away from you." Just the note that I needed to read on this rainy day. Thanks, @benjaminlowe.bsky.social

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 06/02/2025

Growing up in NJ, we’d stop for deer and turkeys. Here in the PNW, we stop for Orcas. Wild wild wild

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 04/02/2025

Still thinking about this bsky.app/profile/this...

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 06/01/2025

Imagine that your town just got a million dollars - but first, you have to agree on how you'll make decisions about it. How would that go? www.thisisdavekim.com/notes/decisi...

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 10/12/2024

Ok, ok, ok. So in between talking about emerging technology, collectives, decision science, and social impact, can we just send a massive appreciation for WSDOT's social media account? Who says that government can't have a voice or personality? www.instagram.com/reel/DDXm9qy...

instagram.com

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 09/12/2024

New week note! This week: - What do we see? What do we not see? (@maxroser.bsky.social) - The power and danger of metaphors (@melaniemitchell.bsky.social ) - Ads, ads everywhere - Brain rot - Simultaneous levels of information (@wattenberger.com )

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 09/12/2024

A few things on my mind these days: Is it reasonable to expect a global advertising network to serve as a digital deliberation platform? Is it reasonable to expect a direct-to-outrage distribution channel to serve as a global town square?

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 04/12/2024

Isn't it pretty strange that we don't have a clear definition or understanding of intelligence or attention? It feels like we are sensing different parts of the elephant, but no one has the full picture.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 25/11/2024

New weekly note! This week: - The Dark Forest Theory & building a better internet (@kissane.bsky.social) - Knowledge Objects & LLM markups (@thejaymo.net) - Feature on OpenAI's first artist in residence - Benedict Evans' annual tech report - Navigating hybrid careers (@johnmaeda.bsky.social)

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 22/08/2024

1/5 Giving circles are a powerful way to make a difference. Over the past 2 years, my giving circle has supported 18 organizations tackling critical issues. From housing insecurity to climate change, we're making an impact together.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 14/08/2024

I’ve seen this episode before. Watch out for Danny.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 12/08/2024

When I was at the @gatesfoundation, I worked on improving people's access to digital financial services. One thing I picked up along the way was noticing how people paid for things. And once you see it, you see it everywhere. We modify and adapt objects and systems all the time.

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Dave @thisisdavekim.com · 07/08/2024

Overheard in today's residency get together at IDEO CoLab (@IDEOVC): - How do you codify care into an organization? - What book are you going to write? - In the class that I'm teaching this fall... - The Bilbo Deal - I am a content creator. You are a content creator.

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