Not So Common Thoughts is a personal blog exploring the intersection of design, technology, and human creativity. Through thoughtful analysis and personal experiences, it examines how modern tools and AI are reshaping our approach to design, coding, and creative work, while maintaining a focus on the human elements of judgment, intuition, and meaningful decision-making. The blog combines design insights with reflections on work, creativity, and the evolving relationship between humans and technology.https://notsocommonthoughts.com/en-ushttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-05-18-two-engines/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-05-18-two-engines/A world-class team that builds and a world-class team that sells. Most leaders never honestly ask which they have, and having one without the other is more frustrating than having neither.Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-05-16-taking-stock/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-05-16-taking-stock/A renewal notice marked a year of writing here and on LinkedIn. A moment to look back, not a verdict.Sat, 16 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-04-20-vinyl-floors-and-ai/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-04-20-vinyl-floors-and-ai/Modern houses use materials that pretend to be something they're not. The result looks right but feels wrong. AI output has the same problem.Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-04-18-drawing-trees/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-04-18-drawing-trees/My daughter started drawing trees at a coffee shop. On the walk home, we both saw them differently.Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-04-18-find-the-quiet-ones/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-04-18-find-the-quiet-ones/Skip the best-practice posts. Find people doing remarkable work and figure out how they do it.Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-04-06-markdown-library/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-04-06-markdown-library/Markdown files have quietly become the connective tissue of AI-assisted work. I built Markdown Library ML-42, a native macOS app to browse, read, and edit them where they live.Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-03-27-gtd-in-the-age-of-judgment/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-03-27-gtd-in-the-age-of-judgment/GTD is a judgment practice disguised as a productivity system. In the age of AI, that makes it more relevant than ever.Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-03-17-journaling-without-writing/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-03-17-journaling-without-writing/I've kept a bullet journal for years. Then voice capture and AI synthesis introduced a different kind of journaling. For now, I'm keeping both.Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-03-13-collaborate-or-delegate/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-03-13-collaborate-or-delegate/AI's rapid feedback loop is either energizing or exhausting. The difference is whether you're collaborating on one problem or being pulled apart by many.Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-03-11-capture-at-human-speed/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-03-11-capture-at-human-speed/AI makes everything possible and nothing restful. Staying intentional means acting on your terms — not reacting to every opportunity the moment it appears.Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-03-11-dont-watch-the-words/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-03-11-dont-watch-the-words/Real-time transcription makes you edit while you think. Turning it off is freeing.Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-02-21-coding-as-sculpting/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-02-21-coding-as-sculpting/Working with AI has shifted my design process from building up to carving away, revealing the essential shape hidden within.Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-02-21-context-repository/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-02-21-context-repository/A practical approach to making AI actually useful: translate your company knowledge into a structured, version-controlled repository that AI can reason from.Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-02-04-chaos-studies/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2026-02-04-chaos-studies/Turning a fascination with strange attractors into an immersive audiovisual experience, from Playdate to iOS and macOS.Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-12-30-converging-on-reality/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-12-30-converging-on-reality/Machine learning models across languages, molecules, and proteins are converging toward similar representations—a hint at underlying structure.Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-12-27-the-map-of-gaps/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-12-27-the-map-of-gaps/Why knowing what you're bad at matters more than knowing what you're good at—for learning, for work, and for building teams that actually complement each other.Sat, 27 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-11-11-the-one-thing-constraint/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-11-11-the-one-thing-constraint/Good science fiction changes one thing and builds a world around it. Can the same work in product design?Tue, 11 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-11-10-fieldbw-sketch-to-site/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-11-10-fieldbw-sketch-to-site/Building Field Bureau + Werkstatt, a minimal site born from a journal sketch and iterated into existence.Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-11-05-in-appearance-only/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-11-05-in-appearance-only/Unintentional imposters optimizing for output over outcome. AI just does it even better.Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-11-04-the-ui-inversion/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-11-04-the-ui-inversion/Visual UIs and chat interfaces have opposite strengths. The asymmetry isn't a problem to fix; it's a pattern to embrace.Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/turning-the-ship/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/turning-the-ship/Why organizational change takes time, why resistance is normal, and why momentum eventually works in your favor.Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/direction-before-speed/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/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.Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/praise-effort-not-talent/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/praise-effort-not-talent/How cultural differences in praising children shape mindset and what it means for how we raise our own kids.Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/apple-on-device-ai-advantage/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/apple-on-device-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.Wed, 22 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/write-the-next-job/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/write-the-next-job/Why I ask teammates to think about their CV and what they want it to look like five years from now.Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-10-15-ephemeral-software/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/2025-10-15-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.Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/hiring-designers-judgment/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/hiring-designers-judgment/The three non-negotiables I expect from senior designers: relentless feedback, selling the work, and knowing when each skill should lead.Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/volbar-user-feedback/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/volbar-user-feedback/How shipping MIDI Volume Control proved that no project is too small to pivot when immediate user feedback points to the real product.Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/midivol-app-store/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/midivol-app-store/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.Sun, 05 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/chess-analytics-in-the-url/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/chess-analytics-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.Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/ai-unblocked-learning/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/ai-unblocked-learning/How AI has restored my ability to learn by doing, bringing back the joy of experimentation that growing responsibilities had made increasingly rare.Mon, 08 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/solving-the-book-memory-problem/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/solving-the-book-memory-problem/How I built a personal book collection website to solve the frustrating problem of tracking what I've already read.Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/ai-content-curation-and-the-value-of-long-form-thinking/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/ai-content-curation-and-the-value-of-long-form-thinking/A reflection on the 'AI slop' debate, content overload, and why engaging with long-form writing matters more than ever.Sun, 03 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/chess-fundamentals/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/chess-fundamentals/A compact cheat sheet for intermediate players (1200+), especially after a break from play.Sun, 27 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/art-design-purpose/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/art-design-purpose/On the fundamental difference between art and design: one serves itself, the other must serve others.Sat, 12 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/rock-or-pop/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/rock-or-pop/Turn any playlist into a customizable mixtape—no log-ins, no algorithms, just intentional listening.Wed, 02 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/are-we-intelligent/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/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.Sun, 29 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/revisiting-the-world-of-weewar/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/revisiting-the-world-of-weewar/How building a hex map generator brought back memories of creating one of the web's first strategy games.Fri, 13 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/finding-balance-in-leadership/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/finding-balance-in-leadership/The art of setting guardrails that empower rather than constrain.Sat, 07 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/the-unreality-of-work/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/the-unreality-of-work/On the growing disconnect between our daily routines and a world in crisis.Mon, 02 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/ai-expectations-and-self-fulfilling-prophecies/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/ai-expectations-and-self-fulfilling-prophecies/How our cultural narratives about AI might be shaping its development more than we realizeMon, 26 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/mapsall-project/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/mapsall-project/The journey of creating a mind mapping tool that evolved from experimental prototypes to a full-featured product.Sun, 25 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/about-this-site/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/about-this-site/I asked AI to tell me what Not So Common Thoughts is all about.Fri, 23 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/implementing-llms-txt/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/implementing-llms-txt/How and why I implemented the LLMs.txt standard to make this blog more accessible to AI tools.Fri, 23 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/think-more-not-just-more/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/think-more-not-just-more/A personal reflection on how AI-driven productivity gains should be reinvested in thinking, not just doing.Wed, 21 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/ai-and-judgement/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/ai-and-judgement/As AI removes technical barriers, judgement becomes the key differentiator.Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/interior-design-fundamentals/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/interior-design-fundamentals/Exploring the core principles of interior design through Noah Daniel's insightful video series, covering ground rules, material palettes, and lighting.Wed, 23 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/permission-to-enjoy/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/permission-to-enjoy/A reflection on seniority, freedom, responsibility, and the power of a mentor's simple advice.Sat, 15 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/music-page-youtube/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/music-page-youtube/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.Wed, 12 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/let-go-and-trust/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/let-go-and-trust/A reminder that excellence comes from trust, not control.Sun, 02 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/lorenz-attractor/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/lorenz-attractor/A fun exploration of chaos theory through code, creating an aesthetic visualization of the Lorenz attractor using P5.js.Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/vibe-coding-kohlhofer/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/vibe-coding-kohlhofer/How I built kohlhofer.com trying out a new approach to design and software development.Mon, 10 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/siding-pattern/https://notsocommonthoughts.com/blog/siding-pattern/How I used code to create a natural-looking random pattern for board and batten siding, ensuring both aesthetic appeal and structural requirements.Sun, 19 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT