Less.

Wabi-sabi (侘寂) represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi

When it has come to new and shiny gadgets I’ve always tried to protect them from wear and tear to the point of frustration. I often considered myself as OCD when it comes to new gadgets, but I realised as time passed I stop caring, but why?
I believe the answer to that is quite simple, when something is pristine and new you seek to keep it so and when something is very worn down and used you accept it. So it’s all about acceptance of weathering objects in life, nothing stays pristine and everything fades. I found myself being able to accept wear and tear in objects when they are from the start exactly that, much like a pair of sand washed Diesel jeans.

So recently as I jumped back on the iOS ship I found myself trying to vigorously protect my new gadget from any wear and tear. I want this to change, so I realised as iPhone 4S itself does not age in style as compared to say an old iPhone 2G or iPod due to its aluminium/metal back, as Steve Jobs himself said about the iPod that it will age like a pair of jeans. Apple having changed that design since radically we have to look to the accessories side now when it comes to the latest iPhones.

Browsing the sites for a perfect case that would be both simple, slim and would age well was a hard task but I finally found what I was looking for.
SGP Leather Grip Case (Vintage Edition)

Based on a blog post I found it should age like full grain leather does but at the same time leaving the device in a good condition. http://labeldeficiency.tumblr.com/post/2682338794

I can’t wait to get this case just to see it get wear and tear as I use it. Hopefully it will also make me care less about the wear and tear of my iPhone 4S.

I also archived some good wabi-sabi style items in my Fancy account & will continue to add more in the future: http://www.thefancy.com/mluotio/list/7852007

Since the summer 2010 I have hardly watched television. I noticed suddenly having so much activities with my friends I completely stopped watching broadcast TV. So far i have spent at least 6 months without watching broadcast television.

Before, while being engaged and in a relationship I used to waste most of the free hours watching broadcast TV.

I have found that the lack of television pushes me to seek new experiences. At first I thought it was the fact i was free to do anything i want but later it has dawned me that it is the lack of broadcasted experiences from TV that made me seek entertainment elsewhere, in real life or doing something useful with my time like writing this article.

Television is like the invention of indoor plumbing. It didn’t change people’s habits. It just kept them inside the house.
Alfred Hitchcock

Largely i found that my method of killing boredom works differently now that i don’t even own a TV set.

Before

1. Realization of boredom
2. Seek instant relief
3. Eat/Drink
4. TV
5. Internet
6. Contact friends
7. Do work or hobbies
8. Household chores
9. Sleeping or reading

Now

1. Realization of boredom
2. Seek instant relief
3. Eat/Drink
4. Music
5. Internet
6. Contact friends
7. Do work or hobbies
8. Household chores
9. Sleeping or reading

NOTE: Internet in BOLD. Today it must be accepted that if you are under 40, most of your social engagement will happen through social networks like Facebook, Twitter, IM’s & etc… The longer you postpone internet, in this postpone a review of all your friends status updates the longer it will take you to activate yourself. This is because once you see your friends doing activities, you might get inspired to imitate, compete or join them.

Also the fact that TV offers you views of other experiences, at least for me who greatly enjoyed watching non-fiction TV series. So if you remove that from the equation, you are left still bored and less filled with experiences. This makes me seek experiences and while internet offers them also they are usually not as engaging and fulfilling as watching TV series. At least my internet habits, which mostly circle around reading Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter & News updates. This being a imagine and text driven experience. I think still the biggest part is the realization of what you were missing and how much time you have in your hands after giving up TV, is what makes me do more with my free-time. Also when it comes to internet media, such as YouTube. I find myself being more selective if i want to spend XX minutes to watch a clip. Most of the stuff i watch is usually 5 minutes or shorter.

I have also noticed that i listen to music as one of the first reactions of being bored. This also I think has a significant impact on me, when i hear a great track or a song that reminds me of good times with friends or just brings back that good mood. I’m more likely to engage with real social activities.

All good music resembles something. Good music stirs by its mysterious resemblance to the objects and feelings which motivated it.
Jean Cocteau

Also, lack of television has made me more active with my hobbies. Hobbies such as photography and blogging, both activities are far less passive than television. Both lead to more social engagements in real life.

My realization of what I’m missing by watching TV came after a few months without TV. I really suggest this for everyone, try at least having 1-2 months without broadcast television and see what happens. You might actually start enjoying more music, new real experiences, make more friends and get more work/hobbies done.

The rise of social media networks and HTML5 seems to have brought back simple and easy to read news websites. For the last 5 years or so, it seems to me that news sites have been cluttering and cluttering.

It seems there is light at the end of tunnel. Here is a short list of minimally designed news sites:

http://www.breakingnews.com/ > Minimalism to the maximum, news displayed purely as tweet length summaries. 

http://html5.labs.ap.org/ > HTML5 layout experiment, clearly designed for tablet devices but works perfectly on a touchpad laptop as well. The horizontal layout is also great for any widescreen devices, such as most laptops now sport.

http://www.feedly.com/ > Layout wise, perhaps not the most minimalistic but I decided to include this because it simply formats your RSS feeds from Google Reader into magazine style layout. Using J and K keys makes the whole experience even more simplified.

Would be great to know of some other minimalistic news sites out there. Please post a link in comments if you know any!