Alexandra MackinAlchymyxBuilding resilient teamsA recent Wall Street Journal article that centered on how making yourself “indispensable” by being the only person who can do a task or who…3 min read·7 hours ago----
Alexandra MackinAlchymyxFocus on the activity (not the object)A recent issue of American Indian magazine had an article about a change in how Mi’kmaw artifacts will be kept and curated. In addition to…3 min read·Jan 22, 2023----
Alexandra MackinAlchymyxEthnographic thinking without ethnographyOver the last few months, many ethnographers have been challenged by the question of how to conduct observational research in a time when…3 min read·Nov 5, 2020--1--1
Alexandra MackinAlchymyxCreating inclusive experiences, virtuallyWorking for Ad Hoc has made me much more aware of accessibility issues, or in the broader framing I prefer, inclusivity. Because the…3 min read·Jun 29, 2020----
Alexandra MackinAlchymyxShopping like it’s 1870: Cost, control, and contaminationA friend of mine recently posted that he was “Really, really tired of the phrase ‘the new normal.’” I am too — and in part because as an…4 min read·May 25, 2020----
Alexandra MackinAlchymyxThe inevitability of imperfectionWhat does it mean to create something that seems authentic? I’ve been pondering that since listening to an episode of The Allusionist…3 min read·Nov 25, 2019----
Alexandra MackinAlchymyxWhy craftsmanship matters in a high tech wA few weeks ago, I toured the Faust Harrison piano factory, where they rebuild heirloom Steinways. Beyond the fact that I love getting a…3 min read·Nov 17, 2019----
Alexandra MackinAlchymyxHow to avoid inflexible designIt turns out that some people do spend a lot of time pondering the contents of their pockets. A couple of months ago I heard a podcast by…3 min read·Mar 13, 2019----
Alexandra MackinAlchymyxHow to find a path into a new domainWhen I was about 3 or 4, I took classes at a Yamaha music school. According to my mother, after the school closed, I spent months asking…4 min read·Feb 22, 2019----
Alexandra MackinAlchymyxWhy changing our perspective leads to better productsMy son recently started high school, and as it happens, the school has a new principal who was hired in from another district. In order to…4 min read·Oct 21, 2018----