Sketchplanations
@sketchplanations.bsky.social
Explaining the world one sketch at a time, i.e. very slowly, but steadily. By Jono Hey
All the things: sketchplanations.com
All the things: sketchplanations.com
It's World Kindness Day.
One of the simplest and wisest views on kindness from Brené Brown.
Can you be clearer with someone today? It's kinder.
One of the simplest and wisest views on kindness from Brené Brown.
Can you be clearer with someone today? It's kinder.
November 13, 2025 at 6:56 AM
It's World Kindness Day.
One of the simplest and wisest views on kindness from Brené Brown.
Can you be clearer with someone today? It's kinder.
One of the simplest and wisest views on kindness from Brené Brown.
Can you be clearer with someone today? It's kinder.
Roses are red, roses are blue,
depending on their velocity relative to you.
(from __Dawn__Amber__ on Reddit)
depending on their velocity relative to you.
(from __Dawn__Amber__ on Reddit)
November 12, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Roses are red, roses are blue,
depending on their velocity relative to you.
(from __Dawn__Amber__ on Reddit)
depending on their velocity relative to you.
(from __Dawn__Amber__ on Reddit)
The remarkable illusion of a mirage
November 9, 2025 at 2:00 PM
The remarkable illusion of a mirage
November is usually a good month to start thinking about snerdling
November 5, 2025 at 8:01 AM
November is usually a good month to start thinking about snerdling
A collective noun is a word used to describe a group of individuals or things — most commonly groups of animals. The best capture character and imagination in a single word.
As there appears to be no established authority, may the best collective noun win. A torment of personal trainers?
As there appears to be no established authority, may the best collective noun win. A torment of personal trainers?
November 2, 2025 at 2:00 PM
A collective noun is a word used to describe a group of individuals or things — most commonly groups of animals. The best capture character and imagination in a single word.
As there appears to be no established authority, may the best collective noun win. A torment of personal trainers?
As there appears to be no established authority, may the best collective noun win. A torment of personal trainers?
Do you know what Halloween means and where it comes from?
Excerpt from Big Ideas Little Pictures - bigideas.pictures
Excerpt from Big Ideas Little Pictures - bigideas.pictures
October 31, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Do you know what Halloween means and where it comes from?
Excerpt from Big Ideas Little Pictures - bigideas.pictures
Excerpt from Big Ideas Little Pictures - bigideas.pictures
Heating people, heating spaces
With well-insulated houses and central heating as standard, I always grew up with heating the space as how you stay warm in the winter. A colleague once shared with me that where he'd lived, they thought of it as heating people, not spaces when looking to stay warm.
With well-insulated houses and central heating as standard, I always grew up with heating the space as how you stay warm in the winter. A colleague once shared with me that where he'd lived, they thought of it as heating people, not spaces when looking to stay warm.
October 29, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Heating people, heating spaces
With well-insulated houses and central heating as standard, I always grew up with heating the space as how you stay warm in the winter. A colleague once shared with me that where he'd lived, they thought of it as heating people, not spaces when looking to stay warm.
With well-insulated houses and central heating as standard, I always grew up with heating the space as how you stay warm in the winter. A colleague once shared with me that where he'd lived, they thought of it as heating people, not spaces when looking to stay warm.
A tool for making sense of complex problems
Rich pictures are a systems thinking tool to visualise what you know or think about a problem space — without needing a strict method, structure, or artistic skill.
Rich pictures are a systems thinking tool to visualise what you know or think about a problem space — without needing a strict method, structure, or artistic skill.
October 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
A tool for making sense of complex problems
Rich pictures are a systems thinking tool to visualise what you know or think about a problem space — without needing a strict method, structure, or artistic skill.
Rich pictures are a systems thinking tool to visualise what you know or think about a problem space — without needing a strict method, structure, or artistic skill.
I absolutely loved listening back to yesterday’s podcast episode with author and etymologist Mark Forsyth - @Inkyfool
True to form, Mark is both fascinating and at times hilarious.
Have a listen: podcast.sketchplanations.com/ordering-adj...
Or search Sketchplanations wherever you listen
True to form, Mark is both fascinating and at times hilarious.
Have a listen: podcast.sketchplanations.com/ordering-adj...
Or search Sketchplanations wherever you listen
October 22, 2025 at 10:55 AM
I absolutely loved listening back to yesterday’s podcast episode with author and etymologist Mark Forsyth - @Inkyfool
True to form, Mark is both fascinating and at times hilarious.
Have a listen: podcast.sketchplanations.com/ordering-adj...
Or search Sketchplanations wherever you listen
True to form, Mark is both fascinating and at times hilarious.
Have a listen: podcast.sketchplanations.com/ordering-adj...
Or search Sketchplanations wherever you listen
The heart is a really, really amazing thing.
I was always curious to know what the 120/80 numbers I'd get in a blood pressure reading actually meant. Voila.
--
This is not medical advice, and I am not a doctor.
I was always curious to know what the 120/80 numbers I'd get in a blood pressure reading actually meant. Voila.
--
This is not medical advice, and I am not a doctor.
October 19, 2025 at 1:01 PM
The heart is a really, really amazing thing.
I was always curious to know what the 120/80 numbers I'd get in a blood pressure reading actually meant. Voila.
--
This is not medical advice, and I am not a doctor.
I was always curious to know what the 120/80 numbers I'd get in a blood pressure reading actually meant. Voila.
--
This is not medical advice, and I am not a doctor.
How to remember if you did something
A simple way to remember if you locked your car, turned the gas off, watered the plants or whatever, is to do something unusual around the time that you do it.
A simple way to remember if you locked your car, turned the gas off, watered the plants or whatever, is to do something unusual around the time that you do it.
October 15, 2025 at 10:55 AM
How to remember if you did something
A simple way to remember if you locked your car, turned the gas off, watered the plants or whatever, is to do something unusual around the time that you do it.
A simple way to remember if you locked your car, turned the gas off, watered the plants or whatever, is to do something unusual around the time that you do it.
Advice from Jane Goodall's mum.
Maybe your kids will hear what you tell them after all.
Jane shared these lessons from her mother in the course I took from her on MasterClass
Maybe your kids will hear what you tell them after all.
Jane shared these lessons from her mother in the course I took from her on MasterClass
October 12, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Advice from Jane Goodall's mum.
Maybe your kids will hear what you tell them after all.
Jane shared these lessons from her mother in the course I took from her on MasterClass
Maybe your kids will hear what you tell them after all.
Jane shared these lessons from her mother in the course I took from her on MasterClass
It is not impermanence that makes us suffer.
What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not.
— Thich Nhat Hanh
What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not.
— Thich Nhat Hanh
October 10, 2025 at 6:45 AM
It is not impermanence that makes us suffer.
What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not.
— Thich Nhat Hanh
What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not.
— Thich Nhat Hanh
In the most recent podcast episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with @grantdraws.bsky.social
We started with Apricity and quickly got into all sorts of fun words and how and why to draw them.
Have a listen.
podcast.sketchplanations.com/words-of-won...
We started with Apricity and quickly got into all sorts of fun words and how and why to draw them.
Have a listen.
podcast.sketchplanations.com/words-of-won...
October 7, 2025 at 6:00 AM
In the most recent podcast episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with @grantdraws.bsky.social
We started with Apricity and quickly got into all sorts of fun words and how and why to draw them.
Have a listen.
podcast.sketchplanations.com/words-of-won...
We started with Apricity and quickly got into all sorts of fun words and how and why to draw them.
Have a listen.
podcast.sketchplanations.com/words-of-won...
1. Cats always land on their feet
2. Falling toast always lands butter side down
So what will happen if you strap buttered toast to the back of a falling cat?
Presumably, the cat righting reflex will fight against the pull of the buttered toast.
Please don't drop cats.
2. Falling toast always lands butter side down
So what will happen if you strap buttered toast to the back of a falling cat?
Presumably, the cat righting reflex will fight against the pull of the buttered toast.
Please don't drop cats.
October 5, 2025 at 1:02 PM
1. Cats always land on their feet
2. Falling toast always lands butter side down
So what will happen if you strap buttered toast to the back of a falling cat?
Presumably, the cat righting reflex will fight against the pull of the buttered toast.
Please don't drop cats.
2. Falling toast always lands butter side down
So what will happen if you strap buttered toast to the back of a falling cat?
Presumably, the cat righting reflex will fight against the pull of the buttered toast.
Please don't drop cats.
Fast-moving layers bring novelty and experimentation, while slower layers provide stability and memory. Together, the layers support, reinforce, and challenge each other—creating robust, adaptable societies.
"Fast gets all our attention, slow has all the power." — Stewart Brand
"Fast gets all our attention, slow has all the power." — Stewart Brand
September 28, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Fast-moving layers bring novelty and experimentation, while slower layers provide stability and memory. Together, the layers support, reinforce, and challenge each other—creating robust, adaptable societies.
"Fast gets all our attention, slow has all the power." — Stewart Brand
"Fast gets all our attention, slow has all the power." — Stewart Brand
Been thinking about this one a lot this year.
Gaslighting is manipulating someone psychologically such that they start to doubt their own sanity.
Lying or deceiving persistently plants seeds of self-doubt in others' minds. If it continues people can start to question their own reality.
Gaslighting is manipulating someone psychologically such that they start to doubt their own sanity.
Lying or deceiving persistently plants seeds of self-doubt in others' minds. If it continues people can start to question their own reality.
September 24, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Been thinking about this one a lot this year.
Gaslighting is manipulating someone psychologically such that they start to doubt their own sanity.
Lying or deceiving persistently plants seeds of self-doubt in others' minds. If it continues people can start to question their own reality.
Gaslighting is manipulating someone psychologically such that they start to doubt their own sanity.
Lying or deceiving persistently plants seeds of self-doubt in others' minds. If it continues people can start to question their own reality.
Here's a simple illusion for you.
Our minds love taking mental shortcuts.
The psychology of what we actually do when we read is much more complex and fascinating than I first realised—as I find so often the case with things.
PS
Did you catch the repeated 'are', too?
Our minds love taking mental shortcuts.
The psychology of what we actually do when we read is much more complex and fascinating than I first realised—as I find so often the case with things.
PS
Did you catch the repeated 'are', too?
September 21, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Here's a simple illusion for you.
Our minds love taking mental shortcuts.
The psychology of what we actually do when we read is much more complex and fascinating than I first realised—as I find so often the case with things.
PS
Did you catch the repeated 'are', too?
Our minds love taking mental shortcuts.
The psychology of what we actually do when we read is much more complex and fascinating than I first realised—as I find so often the case with things.
PS
Did you catch the repeated 'are', too?
Twitter co-founder Biz Stone is fond of saying:
"Timing, perseverance and ten years of trying will eventually make you seem like an overnight success."
"Timing, perseverance and ten years of trying will eventually make you seem like an overnight success."
September 17, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Twitter co-founder Biz Stone is fond of saying:
"Timing, perseverance and ten years of trying will eventually make you seem like an overnight success."
"Timing, perseverance and ten years of trying will eventually make you seem like an overnight success."
What makes science science and engineering engineering?
Aerospace engineer Theodore Von Kármán on Scientists and Engineers:
Scientists discover the world that exists; Engineers create the world that never was.
— Theodore Von Kármán
Aerospace engineer Theodore Von Kármán on Scientists and Engineers:
Scientists discover the world that exists; Engineers create the world that never was.
— Theodore Von Kármán
September 14, 2025 at 1:01 PM
What makes science science and engineering engineering?
Aerospace engineer Theodore Von Kármán on Scientists and Engineers:
Scientists discover the world that exists; Engineers create the world that never was.
— Theodore Von Kármán
Aerospace engineer Theodore Von Kármán on Scientists and Engineers:
Scientists discover the world that exists; Engineers create the world that never was.
— Theodore Von Kármán
How to instantly feel better?
Let's talk about it on the podcast!
sketchplanations.com/podcast or on Spotify and Apple podcasts
Let's talk about it on the podcast!
sketchplanations.com/podcast or on Spotify and Apple podcasts
September 11, 2025 at 5:56 AM
How to instantly feel better?
Let's talk about it on the podcast!
sketchplanations.com/podcast or on Spotify and Apple podcasts
Let's talk about it on the podcast!
sketchplanations.com/podcast or on Spotify and Apple podcasts
9-Enders (nine-enders)
Nine-enders are people in the last year of a decade, say, 29, 39, 49, 59. Adam Alter and Hal Hershfield, who introduced the term, propose that as we approach the end of a decade we are more likely to do a kind of "meaning audit" of our lives.
Nine-enders are people in the last year of a decade, say, 29, 39, 49, 59. Adam Alter and Hal Hershfield, who introduced the term, propose that as we approach the end of a decade we are more likely to do a kind of "meaning audit" of our lives.
September 10, 2025 at 10:55 AM
9-Enders (nine-enders)
Nine-enders are people in the last year of a decade, say, 29, 39, 49, 59. Adam Alter and Hal Hershfield, who introduced the term, propose that as we approach the end of a decade we are more likely to do a kind of "meaning audit" of our lives.
Nine-enders are people in the last year of a decade, say, 29, 39, 49, 59. Adam Alter and Hal Hershfield, who introduced the term, propose that as we approach the end of a decade we are more likely to do a kind of "meaning audit" of our lives.
When a figure skater pulls into one of those incredible spins, they provide one of the clearest examples of the conservation of angular momentum.
More: sketchplanations.com/the-figure-s...
More: sketchplanations.com/the-figure-s...
September 7, 2025 at 1:01 PM
When a figure skater pulls into one of those incredible spins, they provide one of the clearest examples of the conservation of angular momentum.
More: sketchplanations.com/the-figure-s...
More: sketchplanations.com/the-figure-s...
The Learning Pit
James Nottingham's metaphor of The Learning Pit illustrates the struggle before "getting it."
James Nottingham's metaphor of The Learning Pit illustrates the struggle before "getting it."
September 4, 2025 at 5:56 AM
The Learning Pit
James Nottingham's metaphor of The Learning Pit illustrates the struggle before "getting it."
James Nottingham's metaphor of The Learning Pit illustrates the struggle before "getting it."
Chiasmus: arranging words, phrases, or ideas in the structure A-B-B-A
The symmetry of thought of this rhetorical technique makes language more memorable, striking, and often more persuasive.
Chiasmus can involve just ideas or the exact repetition of words, called antimetabole.
The symmetry of thought of this rhetorical technique makes language more memorable, striking, and often more persuasive.
Chiasmus can involve just ideas or the exact repetition of words, called antimetabole.
August 31, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Chiasmus: arranging words, phrases, or ideas in the structure A-B-B-A
The symmetry of thought of this rhetorical technique makes language more memorable, striking, and often more persuasive.
Chiasmus can involve just ideas or the exact repetition of words, called antimetabole.
The symmetry of thought of this rhetorical technique makes language more memorable, striking, and often more persuasive.
Chiasmus can involve just ideas or the exact repetition of words, called antimetabole.