Eight friends meet for dinner on the evening of a cosmic event. When they find themselves suddenly without power or reception, they realize that something profoundly strange has happened and scramble to put the puzzle together. What makes Coherence more interesting than its simple premise might imply, is that these eight actors have never met, don’t have a script, and don’t know what’s going to happen next.

One of the things I learned from the pandemic was to build balance into my day. To start the day off slowly with morning rituals, take meaningful breaks during the day and wind down with low-stress activities before bed. Today, skincare is part of this balance, but it was not always like this. For many years pre-pandemic, skincare was functional since my margin for self-care was non-existent; sleep in until the very last second, slap on some vitamin C and sunscreen and run out the door as fast as possible. Beauty of Joseon, a minimalist Korean skincare brand, changed this for me practically overnight.

I am, without a doubt, a summer person. I love warm weather, cold cocktails, sunglasses, the scent of sunscreen and the mood in the air as people emerge from hibernation and head outdoors. I kick open the door to my balcony, pour myself a glass of homemade iced tea and watch the party boats go by on the Spree. Summer has its own soundtrack, perhaps not unlike Christmas playlists; it sounds very specific, with upbeat tempos, uplifting lyrics and a sprinkling of swing, synth and Caribbean vibes. Poolsuite.net is a web radio that only plays summer tracks, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There’s something about Poolsuite which really gets me into weekend mode and reminds me that although Summers in Germany can be short, the spirit of Summer lives on.

The iPad in my kitchen is a window to another universe. Every month this window opens onto another chapter of a story which follows a brave adventurer as they venture deeper into a new world they arrived at through a mysterious rift. The world is beautiful, fascinating and dangerous, filled with mysterious species who live on waterfalls or wonderous caverns full of crystals and toxic sea creatures. I can’t help but feel sorry for this adventurer because I know this story is circular; they enter this new world in January and leave it in December, only to find themselves back again for another year. This is Living Worlds, once a digital calendar and now an app with Art by LucasFilm visionary Mark Ferrari.

There are a handful of books and movies which are difficult for me to recommend. Not because they’re not worth one’s time, but because they are so unique in their storytelling and leave such a profound impression that I stumble for words when trying to describe them. The Congress (2013) is at the top of that list.

Sometimes we can find lessons on design where you’d least expect them, hidden in children’s books, graphic novels and memoirs, among others. These five books have something to tell us about how we apply design, even if the message might be a bit under the hood.

All Israelis are drafted into the military at the age of 18, and it was no different for me as I joined the Spokesman’s Unit of the Israeli Defense Forces in late 2000, just as the Second Intifada had erupted onto the streets of Ramallah, Tel Aviv and elsewhere. The internet had become available in most homes a few years beforehand, and as such, the age of information in Israel had not yet begun. As a child I was unaware of the complexity of the conflict, and being confronted with its reality and breadth during the first months of my military service hit me like a ton of bricks.

So I blogged about it, and laid bare how vulnerable and afraid I was.