The Clubhouse, Vol 40

HAPPY NEW YEAR

 We hope you’re all keeping warm and well. After getting snowed in at The Clubhouse, we've been surviving by eating pages from our thesaurus. It’s been an inexpedient and onerous period, but we have every reason to feel buoyant and even ebullient.
 
And we do have reading material: this month we’re talking about constructive criticism delivery, classic mobile phones, virtual holidays and some rather nice new oat milk packaging.
 
Welcome back.
 

THE END OF THE SANDWICH
A better way to give constructive criticism

We all know and love the sandwich method of giving feedback: start with good news, say the thing you really want to say, then more good news. Easy.  
 
The problem is, everyone knows exactly what you’re playing at, so they ignore the upbeat ‘bready’ bits and focus entirely on the devastating fillings. But er, onwards and upwards, good stuff.   
 
If you prefer a straighter, less fluffy delivery - that still softens the blow - try the Velvet Hammer. 

WHY CAN'T WE JUST DEAL WITH IT?
When the most necessary tasks feel the most impossible

An essay about dealing with overwhelmingly complicated tasks, and how deadlifting, Hamlet and lexicography can help. 
 

A MUSEUM OF MOBILE PHONES
From before they all looked the same

For the first twenty years of mobile phones, before the glass black rectangle became ubiquitous, phones came in a dazzling array of ugly shapes and sizes. The Mobile Phone Museum exists to keep the memory of these clunky-buttoned groundbreakers alive. 

While we're in the retro technology section, enjoy this 1990 ad for Microsoft Excel.

TAKE A VIRTUAL HOLIDAY
With The Wonders of Street View

If you're in need of a holiday, but can't really jet off so soon into the year, this might help: a selection of the strangest and most mind-blowing places captured on Google Street View. Put your face up close to the screen and pretend you flew there. 

MORE THAN HALF OF LINKEDIN POSTS ARE NOW AI-GENERATED
Does it matter?

New analysis shows that 54% of longer English-language posts on LinkedIn right now are likely to be AI-generated. Is that an exciting stat or a scary one? And does anyone read this stuff? 

OATS IN NEW COATS
Writing packaging copy for MOMA

 Last year we got together with our old friends at MOMA to create the words for their big new rebrand. Their new oat milk packaging, is starting to pop up all over the place - and looking lovely!