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On FB my old manager Kevin asked

Why do we ikea? I mean really. Why?

This was my response:
I think there are 3 reasons to dislike IKEA:

1. the cultural triumph of mediocrity, of not great materials furniture not built for the long haul
2. the disastrously wearing and psychologically manipulative experience of the IKEA store, its rat maze and sometimes huuuuuuge lines
3. the torment of assembling this shitty flatpack, and how failing to notice one little tiny dot representing a screw hole and the only asymmetry of the piece means you have to undo like 20 minutes of work

But for those, I say:

1. IKEA is also a victory for quality of thoughtful design and simplicity, not to mention affordability.
2. The IKEA store is kind of an aspirational wonderland, tantalizing inspirations for a more elegant and less cluttered life
3. People feel a bit more connected to furniture they assembled - your work went into it, vs just you or some hired blokes wrestling in a piece that then just sits there

I dunno. I dig it! I remember a story from growing up - Salvation Army Officer families generally live in pre-furnished houses or apartments, so there's often little choice about furnishings. One time, though, our quarters were newly established, and my parents got the chance to tasteful scandinavian design stuff. But word was the people who moved in after had a tendency to be super rough with the new stuff, but mostly so they could replace it with the same old colonial crap.

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(speaking of kinetic typography videos, the one I saw for Cee Lo Green's F*** You still stands out)

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Today someone said "what are linked lists for" and I said "technical interviews, mainly" and nobody reacted in any way and I still think about that.