The One Thing Constraint
Good science fiction changes one thing and builds a world around it. Can the same work in product design?
Not So Common Thoughts
"The question then is, 'Of all the things you can now do, which do you choose to do?'"
— Brian Eno
Featured Post
Embracing Interface Asymmetry
Visual UIs and chat interfaces have opposite strengths. The asymmetry isn't a problem to fix; it's a pattern to embrace.
From Sketch to Site in Hours
Building Field Bureau + Werkstatt, a minimal site born from a journal sketch and iterated into existence.
In Appearance Only
Unintentional imposters optimizing for output over outcome. AI just does it even better.
Turning the Ship
Why organizational change takes time, why resistance is normal, and why momentum eventually works in your favor.
Direction Before Speed
Why organizational momentum is a vector, and why moving fast in the wrong direction is worse than moving slowly in the right one.
Praise Effort, Not Talent
How cultural differences in praising children shape mindset and what it means for how we raise our own kids.
Apple's Quiet AI Advantage
Why the M-series neural engine may prove that Apple's so-called lag in AI is actually a head start in on-device intelligence.
Let's Talk About Your Next Role
Why I ask teammates to think about their CV and what they want it to look like five years from now.
Ephemeral Software
In the age of AI, it's not the UI that becomes ephemeral—it's the software itself. Code manifests when needed and dissolves when purpose is served.
Hiring Designers Who Know Which Lever to Pull
The three non-negotiables I expect from senior designers: relentless feedback, selling the work, and knowing when each skill should lead.
Menu Volume – Feedback First, Features Second
How shipping MIDI Volume Control proved that no project is too small to pivot when immediate user feedback points to the real product.
MIDI Volume Control: When the Solution Doesn't Exist, Build It
How a simple need—controlling my Mac's volume with a MIDI controller—led to building my first desktop app, now available on the App Store.
How I Built a Serverless Chess Analytics Platform with Game Data in the URL
Building a free chess game analysis tool that stores everything in the URL—no servers, no databases, just instant analytics you can share with a link.
AI Unblocked My Learning
How AI has restored my ability to learn by doing, bringing back the joy of experimentation that growing responsibilities had made increasingly rare.
Meet my books
How I built a personal book collection website to solve the frustrating problem of tracking what I've already read.
Your AI slop is served
A reflection on the 'AI slop' debate, content overload, and why engaging with long-form writing matters more than ever.
Fundamental Chess Strategy & Evaluation
A compact cheat sheet for intermediate players (1200+), especially after a break from play.
Art, Design, and the Question of Purpose
On the fundamental difference between art and design: one serves itself, the other must serve others.
RockOrPop.com: Turn Any YouTube Playlist into a Virtual Cassette
Turn any playlist into a customizable mixtape—no log-ins, no algorithms, just intentional listening.
Are We Intelligent?
While others were affirming that AIs could not truly think or even understand, I found myself wondering if I was any different.
Revisiting the world of Weewar
How building a hex map generator brought back memories of creating one of the web's first strategy games.
AI Expectations and Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
How our cultural narratives about AI might be shaping its development more than we realize
MapsAll.com: Mindmapping with AI
The journey of creating a mind mapping tool that evolved from experimental prototypes to a full-featured product.
Implementing LLMs.txt: Making Your Blog AI-Friendly
How and why I implemented the LLMs.txt standard to make this blog more accessible to AI tools.
Don't just do more, think more
A personal reflection on how AI-driven productivity gains should be reinvested in thinking, not just doing.
AI and the Rise of Judgement Over Technical Skill
As AI removes technical barriers, judgement becomes the key differentiator.
Interior Design Fundamentals
Exploring the core principles of interior design through Noah Daniel's insightful video series, covering ground rules, material palettes, and lighting.
Permission to Enjoy
A reflection on seniority, freedom, responsibility, and the power of a mentor's simple advice.
Building a Music Player: YouTube as a Backend
How I built a music player for kohlhofer.com that pulls from a YouTube playlist, fetches video backgrounds, and focuses on an integrated audio/visual listening experience.
Visualizing Chaos: The Lorenz Attractor
A fun exploration of chaos theory through code, creating an aesthetic visualization of the Lorenz attractor using P5.js.
Vibe Coding kohlhofer.com: Creation at the Speed of Thought
How I built kohlhofer.com trying out a new approach to design and software development.
Coding as a Tool: Generating Patterns for the Siding of a new House
How I used code to create a natural-looking random pattern for board and batten siding, ensuring both aesthetic appeal and structural requirements.