The Sublime Newsletter

The Sublime Newsletter explores ideas around technology, creativity, decision-making, and personal growth, often focusing on the internet's impact on society and the individual. It discusses the importance of intellectual humility, community building, sharing content, strategy, innovation, and balancing online presence with offline living. Sublime also covers project development, user experience, and the dynamics of modern work and leisure.

Technology and Society Creativity and Innovation Decision Making Personal Growth Internet Culture Community Building Product Development User Experience Work-Life Balance Modern Business Strategies

The hottest Substack posts of The Sublime Newsletter

And their main takeaways

A letter from the guy asking all the questions

118 implied HN points • 02 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Art Authenticity Hope Creativity Interviews
  1. Talking to inspiring people can help you feel hopeful and connected, especially when you're going through tough times. It's like having a support system that lifts your spirits.
  2. It's important to ask big questions in life, like how to stay positive or authentic. Engaging in these discussions can lead to personal growth and new insights.
  3. Being open to conversations can change your outlook on life. You may find that sharing experiences can lessen feelings of loneliness and cynicism.

Introducing: Whoa, Vol. 1

257 implied HN points • 31 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Conversations Humanity Creativity Authenticity Community
  1. In a world full of quick and superficial content, people crave deep conversations that feel real and meaningful.
  2. The project 'Whoa, Vol. 1' features a collection of interesting talks with various creatives and thinkers, focusing on human experiences and challenges.
  3. It highlights the importance of honesty and vulnerability in discussions, aiming to inspire and connect readers in a genuine way.

The story of Sublime's logo

534 implied HN points • 26 Oct 24
🪑 Design Graphic design Branding User Experience Creative Process
  1. Logos represent more than their appearance. They carry deeper meanings that connect with feelings and ideas, like innovation or nostalgia.
  2. Choosing a designer that breaks the mold can lead to unique and creative outcomes. Sometimes the riskier choice is to step outside the norm.
  3. The journey of creating something, like a logo, is just as important as the final product. It's about collaboration, sharing ideas, and making something beautiful together.

What does slow AI look like?

1941 implied HN points • 12 Oct 24
🕹 Technology AI Productivity Software Human-Computer Innovation
  1. People often feel stressed because productivity tools are designed to make us work faster, but that doesn't match how we naturally want to create things.
  2. Instead of rushing to produce more content quickly, we should focus on making fewer things but doing them better and with more care.
  3. It's okay to take time in the creative process; in fact, taking time can help us create something truly wonderful.

Problems Sublime solves—at least for me

554 implied HN points • 19 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Internet Software Productivity Innovation Knowledge Management
  1. Sublime helps you remember important information by letting you save articles, notes, and quotes in one place. This way, you can easily find what you need when you need it.
  2. It collects inspiration from various platforms and organizes it all in one location. This makes it simpler to access ideas without searching through multiple apps.
  3. Sublime is designed to be user-friendly and doesn't require a steep learning curve. It focuses on making knowledge management easy and enjoyable for everyone.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Both are true

1565 implied HN points • 03 Feb 24
  1. The idea of 'both are true' can bring happiness by accepting conflicting beliefs.
  2. It's important to hold contradictory ideas to fully understand reality and make informed decisions.
  3. Community building and sharing genuine, thought-provoking content are key goals in creating a newsletter.

Principles for sharing on the Internet

2516 implied HN points • 21 Oct 23
  1. Do the work to form opinions based on understanding
  2. Allow yourself to change your mind, don't be tied to a fixed identity
  3. Practice intellectual humility and choose words carefully

hi Sublime it's me Alex

951 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
  1. Sari and Alex will be writing the newsletter together to share interesting ideas and people that inspire them.
  2. Alex aims to bring laughter, calm chaos, and honesty to the newsletter.
  3. He shared personal thoughts on belonging, becoming a new dad, and feeling accepted for his creativity.

Making Sublime

2040 implied HN points • 12 Aug 23
  1. The journey of developing Sublime has been a rollercoaster of emotions and revisions.
  2. Sublime aims to be a tool for curating, collecting, and connecting interesting content from the internet.
  3. The creator struggles with articulating the uniqueness of Sublime while seeking a balance between personal passion and mass appeal.

my favorite questions

970 implied HN points • 02 Dec 23
  1. The value of focus has increased with the rise of distractions.
  2. Design of software should prioritize making users feel calm, connected, and inspired.
  3. The impact of algorithms on information consumption and the need for different business models.

Things I'm thinking about

1684 implied HN points • 10 Jun 23
  1. Real power comes from slowing down and focusing.
  2. Good execution requires good ideas.
  3. Self-doubt can hinder success more than competition or lack of funding.

We made a print publication!

733 implied HN points • 08 Dec 23
  1. A new print publication has been released by Sublime, focusing on reimagining the web.
  2. The publication features various voices and viewpoints on creating a different kind of internet.
  3. Despite the digital age, the decision to produce a print publication was driven by the value of a physical artifact.

2023 end of year letter

614 implied HN points • 05 Jan 24
  1. Sublime's magic lies in how its community engages with the software.
  2. Sublime is for 'very online' people seeking a simpler, communal way to build a second brain.
  3. To succeed, Sublime focuses on building a great product, nurturing a unique universe, and earning trust.

Introducing Sublime

1030 implied HN points • 26 Aug 23
  1. Sublime is a simpler way to build your second brain and a communal tool to capture and connect ideas.
  2. Sublime offers a more gratifying and less pressured experience for curating content.
  3. Sublime is designed to help you transform information into knowledge and meaning, making you feel intellectually alive.

Things I'm thinking about

1169 implied HN points • 22 Jul 23
  1. Creating a successful product requires surpassing customer expectations, not just meeting them.
  2. In competitive markets, investing time in innovation may not show immediate progress but leads to long-term success.
  3. Quality, polished products that are better than competitors often require time, effort, and intention.

Taste, conviction, Elon Musk

614 implied HN points • 07 Oct 23
  1. Conviction is rare and important for success, don't give up on your ideas easily.
  2. Taste and opinions matter in decision-making, not just A/B testing.
  3. Build products to serve the users, not just the company's needs.

Alone, Together

376 implied HN points • 11 Dec 23
  1. The internet can make us feel lonely by highlighting what we lack.
  2. Tools and technologies can help people cooperate better, but they can't create something out of nothing.
  3. We might overestimate the importance of the internet, creating online bubbles that can be hard to break out of.

Things I'm thinking about

792 implied HN points • 24 Jun 23
  1. Strategy requires making choices about an unknown future.
  2. Tech solutions don't always solve people problems.
  3. Focusing on simplicity and removing unnecessary elements is hard but necessary.

10 things worth sharing this week

812 implied HN points • 13 May 23
  1. Learn to politely decline invitations and requests for your time.
  2. Realize that knowing something doesn't always lead to action; experience often teaches better.
  3. As we get older, we may question if 'this is it,' but finding clarity in the moment can be fulfilling.

Things I'm thinking about

435 implied HN points • 09 Sep 23
  1. Humans have vibes, computers don't - our brains are sensitive to context and emotions.
  2. Focus on the feel, not just the think - decisions are often driven by emotions, not logic.
  3. Pathological impatience is a modern woe - reclaim joy in slow, meaningful activities.

10 cool things in our universe

534 implied HN points • 06 May 23
  1. Timely advice for builders on articulating the purpose of their startups.
  2. The significant role of advertising in the business strategies of major companies like Alphabet and Meta.
  3. A perspective on social media as more of a platform for performance than communication.

10 cool things in our universe

554 implied HN points • 22 Apr 23
  1. Successful companies often look like previously unsuccessful ones, but with subtle differences.
  2. There is a need for cultural shift to ensure writers are paid for their work.
  3. Reading books about artificial intelligence can be more enjoyable than keeping up with the news and hype.

The Old is Dying

198 implied HN points • 16 Dec 23
  1. The Creator Economy faces challenges with the lack of a middle class, hindering widespread success for creators.
  2. Cultural factors play a significant role in shaping technology adoption and success in the Web3 space.
  3. The structure of current social platforms contributes to the difficulty of establishing a middle class in the Creator Economy.

Things I'm thinking about

396 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23
  1. Followers, not money, are the currency of the Internet.
  2. AI enhances the need for skill and expertise.
  3. Organizing and tagging information serve different purposes in personal knowledge management.

things worth sharing this week

455 implied HN points • 27 May 23
  1. Making art requires being in the right state of mind.
  2. The changing relationship to work has shifted towards trading leisure for more work.
  3. Value creation is not the same as value capture.

Craft, stated vs. revealed preferences, and Octavia Butler's notes

435 implied HN points • 01 Apr 23
  1. Quality is signing your name to your work and shipping what you're proud of.
  2. Avoid relying on future releases to fix today's issues.
  3. Understand the distinction between what people say they prefer versus what they actually choose.

"People first" - making tech work for you

138 implied HN points • 21 Dec 23
  1. Technology can be a powerful tool, but we must use it wisely.
  2. Putting people first is key to navigating technology and algorithms.
  3. Focus on using tools to achieve your goals, not the other way around.

here's a crazy cool thing we built

317 implied HN points • 04 Mar 23
  1. An AI-powered search engine called startupy.world/ask was built to search through curated startup community content
  2. The focus is on returning semantically similar quotes instead of summarizing articles to keep the content human and authentic
  3. The search engine does not require tags or categories to be useful, questioning the future impact of LLMs on content organization

a great little story on motivation, messy human stuff, and a passage we're pondering

297 implied HN points • 25 Feb 23
  1. Decisions shape our world, combining aspects of various fields like psychology and economics.
  2. Common biases are well-studied but hard to avoid, leading to errors in personal and group decisions.
  3. In group decision-making, like in venture DAOs, thoughtful processes are crucial to leverage benefits and avoid pitfalls.

your shortcomings, the myth of the myth of the lone genius, a mind-blowing demo

297 implied HN points • 18 Feb 23
  1. The importance of expanding the definition of design beyond visuals to focus on problem-solving and functionality
  2. Recognizing the combination of individual genius and collaborative efforts in innovation
  3. Exploring the concept of slow marketing as an ethical and purpose-driven approach to business promotion

we'll see, growth without goals, energy privilege

277 implied HN points • 04 Feb 23
  1. Goals can sometimes make us feel like losers; exploration can be more rewarding.
  2. Energy privilege is an important but often overlooked concept.
  3. Focusing on a way of life rather than just setting goals can lead to a more fulfilling life.

Welcome to Sublime

39 implied HN points • 24 Aug 23
  1. The Sublime platform is inviting paid newsletter subscribers to be the first to try it.
  2. The post is exclusively for paid subscribers, with a special invitation to sign in if already subscribed.
  3. There is a video loading to give a preview of what Sublime offers.

emotional hygiene, repair and remain, humanity in the age of generative AI

39 implied HN points • 14 Jan 23
  1. Consider doing a past year review to focus on positive and negative aspects and make changes accordingly
  2. Focus on repairing and staying put rather than constantly seeking new beginnings
  3. Think about the impact of generative AI on creativity and problem-solving, as well as the importance of collaboration and adaptability in a changing world