The Light and Easy Recs Edition
On apps, wine glasses, and a damned good overshirt
Noah here. On some summer days, it’s nice to keep things light. Today’s edition is just a few things we have been enjoying lately.
Inspiral
While we’re on the topic of apps, I somehow came across the super-simple Inspiral app recently and it’s been a fun little distraction. If you remember playing with a spirograph (the little gears you stuck a pen in and made geometric drawings), the app is just a version of that. Instead of playing some dumb game or doomscrolling, it’s a nice five-minute distraction when needed. (NRB)
US Priority Mail Prepaid Boxes
For $9.45 each (minimum five boxes) you can get yourself a forever priority mail box delivered to you. They’re super handy to have around when you need to send something small to a friend that they left at your house or a tote to a loyal WITI reader who ponied up for the founding membership. (NRB)
Apple News+
There are some parts of Apple News that still deeply bother me (mainly the fact you can’t share links to actual news websites, only deep links into the app itself). However, I recently realized that between the different subscriptions I had to various Apple and iCloud products, I could upgrade my Apple One subscription to the one that includes News+. So I did.
What I discovered, and have been really enjoying, is the audio tab. It’s full of articles from various high-quality publications read by real people. It’s got speed options (I prefer 1.5x) and makes for a nice break from podcasts and a great way to consume some of my favorite pubs in a new way. (NRB)
Frederic Malle scents
The French perfumer is known for his collaborations with amazing artisans. I like a lot of his different scents, but have been wearing Cologne Bigarade lately. From the description: “An overdose of refined essence of bitter orange (or "bigarade", as they say in Provence), embellished with cardamom and pink pepper on a woody base of hay and cedar, heralds a new generation of "eaux". Gotta love fragrance descriptions. (CJN
Anglo Italian
Friend and WITI contributor Robert Spangle hipped us to the excellent London-based brand Anglo Italian. Their field shirt is pitch perfect. Worth a gander. (CJN)
Josephine No 2. Wine Glass
Friend of WITI and menswear/style icon Michael Williams hipped us to these beautifully designed wine glasses from Josephinen. Worth it if you need a father’s day gift! (CJN)
—
WITI x McKinsey:
An ongoing partnership where we highlight interesting McKinsey research, writing, and data.
The value of the digital age. A new episode of the McKinsey Global Institute’s Forward Thinking podcast discusses how to measure the value of the digital age. Professor Avinash Collins, who talks through his work on creating a data dashboard that could help. Listen and learn.
—
Thanks for reading,
Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN)
—
Why is this interesting? is a daily email from Noah Brier & Colin Nagy (and friends!) about interesting things. If you’ve enjoyed this edition, please consider forwarding it to a friend. If you’re reading it for the first time, consider subscribing (it’s free!).