Issue 009

Welcome to the November newsletter. Bite sized research, an alternate universe New Yorker, analytics worth tracking, and our first annual gift guide.

stay ready

via taurean

1 — bit sized research

oglode, a library of bite-sized behavioral research, is criminally underrated. Their biggest product is Nuggets, or "bite-sized research papers" as they call them. Each concept is broken down into simple terms that make them easy to apply as well as present or defend with sources to back it up. Many of the nuggets even suggest others that pair well together. My only wish would be for their site to load faster and smoother.

2 — a website performance tracker

Calibre tracks your site's performance metrics like layout shift and time to largest contentful paint. Your typical visitor analytics tell you how many "people" (dubious, thanks to AI crawlers) are on your site, but knowing someone visited is way less valuable than knowing whether the experience was good when they got there. It's a bit pricey for small side projects, but if you're working on something with real traffic, the data is worth it.

3 — how much co2 does your website cost?

Piggybacking on Calibre, CO2 Observer takes your performance decisions further by helping you understand the environmental impact of your site. Using your hosting provider and page size, it generates a grade comparing your estimated CO2 emissions against other tested websites. This is real, measurable, actionable data with a tangible impact on real people, not just vanity metrics. In addition to grading your site, you can also get a badge to embed as well as a report to download. (The 3&3 site got an "A" and is cleaner than 68% of other tested sites. Next step is probably getting off Vercel...)

stay curious

via pedro

1 — celebrating Tokyo through art

The Tokyoiter is an ongoing art project that showcases the beauty of Tokyo through illustration. Stylized as a tribute to The New Yorker, the goal is "to present the talent of artists they like to a larger audience" that "want to celebrate the passion for this city and its inhabitants' story." Highly recommend checking out the robust catalogue of covers, as well as their limited edition prints too.

2 — urban loneliness

I came across this photography series by Aristotle Roufanis that captures “urban landscapes that are an intimate look into the lives of city-dwellers and their loneliness.” As someone who lives in a big city, I found this so fascinating. The photos evoke this feeling of immense isolation that is carved out of a cityscape of dense construction. While eerie, it also highlights for me our own little individual lives that we live. How we can share the same space in a large building or city as a collective, yet still “alone” in our own world.

3 — why Korean sunscreen disappeared from the US

Who woulda thought that the American sunscreen industry is one full of outdated laws and regulations that so happens to lead to inferior products? Christophe from Tunnel Vision goes into a deep dive on why folks in the US are getting shut out from superior offerings—which let’s be honest…is a tale that covers a multitude of categories in the US, but that’s whole other story.

stay giving

via taurean & pedro

1 — of our own perfume

Ourside is a Black-owned perfume house by Keta Burke-Williams that makes their fragrances in New York (the Bronx, if I remember right). I picked up their discovery set back before they had some trademark trouble. While I liked all three scents, Of Our Own (then named Dusk) is the kind that might get you stopped on the street to ask where you got it. To my nose, it's a powdery scent that leans a little sweet and fruity.

2 — 'snatch' by cw&t

I really love seeing how CW&T thinks about designing simple, durable goods that lean a little industrial. Their latest product is a clip that lets you add a strap to basically any kind of fabric without causing damage. "Intuitive design" is kind of a BS term in my opinion, but this is really as close as it gets.

3 — twisbi fountain pen

I'm left-handed and my handwriting is not great, so although I've always appreciated nice pens and stationery, it felt like something to admire from a distance. Lately I've been tracking tasks on paper, so to make that ritual stick, I want it to be something I enjoy. Enter the TWSBI fountain pen: an affordable fountain pen that writes smooth, feels premium, and looks amazing. I've had it for months now and I still look forward to picking it up to start writing. I'm cheating and adding a fourth product, the green ink by Diamine that I use with it. Don't tell Pedro.

4 — a candle for pasta lovers

Love pasta? Love candles? Well do I have a gift for you. This pasta shaped candle is something I came across during my own deep dive in finding some pasta themed gifts (for myself, funny enough). Scented with Jasmine, Neroli, and Orange Blossom, this candle will definitely generate some interest in the room.

5 — a 372 page book of game boy cover art

As a millennial who grew up with a Game Boy, this book caught my eye as an homage to the system and its games. The folks over at Bitmap Books "worked closely with some of the world's most renowned Game Boy collectors to pull together a varied selection of titles that spans both Western and Eastern tastes" all in one book that any retro game collector or enthusiast would appreciate.

6 — nyc trash can pen holder

While NYC is definitely not the cleanest city in the world (I live here, so I can say that) it is one full of charm and a unique identity when it comes to the objects that are scattered throughout. One of those are its trash cans. Made by the folks over at Only NY, this pen holder is made from aluminum that’s color coated to the can’s official green color way. Want to take it a step further? They also have a version that is a real trash can.

looking for more? see our whole shopping guide

Did you think we were just going to leave you with 6 suggestions? We put together over 60 gift ideas in an are.na channel—no login required. Everything from tech and home goods to pens and watches.

updates

• Missed the October issue? View last month's archive channel on Are.na.
• Our November meetup introduced a new format, titled "Several people are typing..." and we're doing it again this December! The goal of this format is to be more conversational around a specific topic, keeping the event a bit shorter than other formats. Think of it like joining in on a podcast, except it's not recorded (like all podcasts should be).
• We're still taking feedback through our anonymous survey. As we approach 2026, our aim is to continue to build an organic real community of creatives and thinkers alike. This survey will help us continue to serve this community as best as we can. You can fill it out here!
• Have a curiosity or a topic you want to present to our members? We are still open to pitches! You can present something you find interesting, something you're working on, or just seed a discussion you want to have. Reach out via bluesky or email for questions or support. Otherwise, share your idea with us via the google form!

from the community:

Paul Chin released his new EP, PROFESSIONAL. You can find it everywhere (except Spotify). Andrew and Tracy worked on the Clicks 'n Clacks brand complete with new business cards. Akshara's Perfume Index is now out on meta label.

Let us know what's going on in your world, it might make it into the next newsletter!

2026 is approaching! We've been brainstorming some new and exciting ideas as the new year approaches. One of those is changing our format for our meetups, and trying things as we go. We also have a couple, more tactile, things in motion for next year that we'd love to share with you once our plans are more concrete. Stay tuned for our next issue in December!

✌ Pedro & Taurean
bluesky ✦ lu.ma ✦ youtube