Code, cocktails, and culture collapse š¹
Iāve been playing catch-up this week after a quick trip down to South Florida.
I shipped Jasin code from 30,000 feet, visited the (rebuilt) Mai-Kai, and even managed a little R&R by the pool.
Now Iām back behind the screen, and this editionās stacked with links worth your timeāfrom thought-provoking to straight-up useful.
Most Interesting
The death of partying in the U.S.
Derek Thompson argues that parties arenāt superficialātheyāre an indicator of community health. Their decline reflects deeper fractures: economic precarity, technology-mediated atomization, and a retreat from unplanned social life. If that rings alarm bells about rising loneliness or hollowedāout civic life, read on.
Tools + Resources
A Short Explainer on MCP for Designers
A visual walkthrough of Model Context Protocol (MCP), breaking down how designers can leverage model-aware workflows to guide LLM behavior with clarity, structure, and modular thinking.
A lightweight note-taking app focused on speed and simplicity, allowing users to quickly jot down ideas without distraction or bloat.
A curated collection of bold, character-rich display fonts designed to add personality and visual impact to creative work.
A regularly updated reference for ideal image and video dimensions across major platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and more.
A long-needed searchable directory of type foundries around the world, making it easier to discover and support independent font designers. MARKET SIGNALS
OpenAI to release GPT-5 in August 2025
Axios reports that GPT-5 will launch in August 2025, with OpenAI promising major upgrades in reasoning, memory, and multimodal capabilitiesāsetting the stage for another leap in AI fluency and utility.
Liquid Glass ā iAās Vision for the Next UI Shift
iA explores a paradigm shift in interface design toward "liquid" experiencesātransparent, responsive, content-first UIs that dissolve the borders between information and interaction. DESIGN + CULTURE
The Rise of the Designer-As-Influencer
Elizabeth Goodspeed critiques the shift toward personal branding in design, arguing that performative visibility is crowding out the deeper craft of the work itself.
Andrew Ng on Speed, AI, and Feedback Loops in Startups
In this YC AI Startup School talk, Andrew Ng emphasizes how AI supercharges iteration speed, enabling startups to outlearn and outmaneuver slower incumbents through faster feedback and decision-making cycles.
