Thoughts on design, music, mindfulness, and life.https://jessehaff.com/https://jessehaff.com/teachings-on-emptiness/https://jessehaff.com/teachings-on-emptiness/We are all dependent on everyone else for every aspect of our existence.Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/suzanne-mason-haff-1944-2025/https://jessehaff.com/suzanne-mason-haff-1944-2025/I won the cosmic lottery being born her son. The love and connection we shared was profound and transcends anything I could put into words. I will love and miss her always.Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/lessons-from-a-broken-heart/https://jessehaff.com/lessons-from-a-broken-heart/I'm learning painful truths at the gateways of grief.Wed, 03 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/keeping-quiet/https://jessehaff.com/keeping-quiet/A poem by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.Mon, 27 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/attention-is-the-worlds-most-valuable-resource/https://jessehaff.com/attention-is-the-worlds-most-valuable-resource/This insightful conversation with Ezra Klein and Chris Hayes is worth a listen.Mon, 20 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/in-celebration-of-peter-kirkland-haff/https://jessehaff.com/in-celebration-of-peter-kirkland-haff/A loving tribute to my father that only a former scientific peer, colleague, and friend could write. Thank you, Dr. David Furbish.Fri, 09 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/peter-kirkland-haff-1944-2024/https://jessehaff.com/peter-kirkland-haff-1944-2024/I'm proud and honored to be the son of such a remarkable and brilliant human being. I loved my father deeply, and I will forever miss him.Wed, 07 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/the-meaning-of-life/https://jessehaff.com/the-meaning-of-life/The spirit of evil is negation of the life force by fear. Only boldness can deliver us from fear. And if the risk is not taken, the meaning of life is violated.Mon, 22 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/lessons-from-a-buddhist-monk/https://jessehaff.com/lessons-from-a-buddhist-monk/There are 3 layers to a moment: Your experience, your awareness of the experience, and your story about the experience. Be mindful of the story.Sun, 21 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/sacred-cargo-is-out/https://jessehaff.com/sacred-cargo-is-out/My third post in a row about MMXX... but this is a big milestone.Sat, 12 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/mmxx-album-pre-order-and-new-single/https://jessehaff.com/mmxx-album-pre-order-and-new-single/It never ceases to amaze me what can result when a few friends are inspired and motivated.Sun, 07 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/the-first-single-from-mmxx/https://jessehaff.com/the-first-single-from-mmxx/Listen to the first single from my pandemic musical project.Fri, 24 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/the-future-of-artificial-intelligence/https://jessehaff.com/the-future-of-artificial-intelligence/The positive and negative implications of AI will be profound. What principles should guide its evolution?Sun, 08 May 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/an-interview-with-the-leader-of-the-free-world/https://jessehaff.com/an-interview-with-the-leader-of-the-free-world/Extraordinary 60 minutes interview with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Wed, 13 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/moving-on-from-nationbuilder/https://jessehaff.com/moving-on-from-nationbuilder/After 12 incredible and intense years, I've decided to move on from my role as VP of Design.Wed, 16 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/mmxx/https://jessehaff.com/mmxx/The story behind my involvement in an international musical collaboration fueled by pandemic isolation.Thu, 06 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/music-from-the-pandemic/https://jessehaff.com/music-from-the-pandemic/I'm looking forward to sharing details about an international musical collaboration, most likely in early January.Sat, 18 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/the-last-pay-phones-in-america/https://jessehaff.com/the-last-pay-phones-in-america/Photographer Eric Kunsman has made it his mission photographing these rare creatures in their native habitats.Fri, 24 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/the-bravery-of-emma-ruth-rundle/https://jessehaff.com/the-bravery-of-emma-ruth-rundle/One of the bravest things I've witnessed live was at an Emma Ruth Rundle show.Thu, 09 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/why-people-are-so-awful-online/https://jessehaff.com/why-people-are-so-awful-online/What drives so much of the anger and antagonism online is our helplessness offline.Sun, 01 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/leisure-is-not-lost-time/https://jessehaff.com/leisure-is-not-lost-time/Most of my meaningful creative contributions have required the uncontaminated spaciousness needed for creative thought, but as that time becomes harder to find, so does the desire to 'optimize' it.Mon, 19 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/action-button-is-now-a-part-of-nationbuilder/https://jessehaff.com/action-button-is-now-a-part-of-nationbuilder/Action Button is a powerful tool in its own right, and it is obvious how deeply impactful it will be as a natural extension of NationBuilder.Fri, 25 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/the-next-hurdle/https://jessehaff.com/the-next-hurdle/2.5 million people are receiving doses of a COVID-19 vaccine every day in the United States. New York City will be 100% open on July 1. My mind is struggling to catch up.Fri, 30 Apr 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/the-year-earth-changed/https://jessehaff.com/the-year-earth-changed/A stellar new documentary filmed during the unprecedented past year, when all of humanity withdrew indoors and nature began to recover.Fri, 30 Apr 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/friendship/https://jessehaff.com/friendship/David Whyte issues an important reminder of what is most important in the end.Tue, 09 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/facial-recognition-can-predict-political-orientation/https://jessehaff.com/facial-recognition-can-predict-political-orientation/Will technology know us better than we know ourselves?Sat, 06 Feb 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/the-other-coup/https://jessehaff.com/the-other-coup/The latest must-read article by Shoshana Zuboff, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.Thu, 04 Feb 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/light-among-the-dark/https://jessehaff.com/light-among-the-dark/Celebrating incredible leaders around the world doing remarkable work using NationBuilder.Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/four-corners-included-on-relapse-records-30-year-anniversary/https://jessehaff.com/four-corners-included-on-relapse-records-30-year-anniversary/Relapse Records released a massive 241 track sampler to celebrate their 30 year anniversary, and the Daylight Dies song Four Corners appears at track 136.Wed, 23 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/the-seduction-of-conspiracy-theories/https://jessehaff.com/the-seduction-of-conspiracy-theories/Suffering the distress of an illusion rather than the true distress of my life.Mon, 21 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/my-favorite-albums-of-2020/https://jessehaff.com/my-favorite-albums-of-2020/A to-the-point list of some of my favorite released this year, in no particular order.Thu, 10 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/the-eternal-resonance/https://jessehaff.com/the-eternal-resonance/2020 has been an awful year in many, many ways. One bright spot has been the release of some truly stellar albums—some expected and anticipated, others out of the blue (at least to me).Thu, 12 Nov 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/video-calls-in-the-uncanny-valley/https://jessehaff.com/video-calls-in-the-uncanny-valley/nVidia has figured out a clever way to dramatically reduce video call bandwidth, and it's pretty wild.Fri, 16 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/thinking-of-jim/https://jessehaff.com/thinking-of-jim/Remembering my friend Jim Gilliam on what would be his 43rd birthday.Wed, 14 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/blade-runner-2020-san-francisco-edition/https://jessehaff.com/blade-runner-2020-san-francisco-edition/Futuristic science fiction dystopia meets reality.Thu, 10 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/passion-and-perseverance/https://jessehaff.com/passion-and-perseverance/One of the purest pursuits of creative perseverance I've witnessed.Wed, 09 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/the-truth-and-privacy-arent-free/https://jessehaff.com/the-truth-and-privacy-arent-free/An observation on the inequality of reliable information and data privacy.Tue, 04 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/learn-the-lessons-of-history/https://jessehaff.com/learn-the-lessons-of-history/Timely wisdom pouring forth in this posthumous op-ed from John Lewis.Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/an-exercise-in-freedom/https://jessehaff.com/an-exercise-in-freedom/See your concentration, this opportunity to sit here with your mind quiet, as an exercise in freedom.Sat, 04 Jul 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/10-years-of-journaling/https://jessehaff.com/10-years-of-journaling/On June 26, 2010, I decided to start a daily journal. To my surprise, I haven't stopped since.Fri, 26 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/jerry-seinfelds-writing-routine/https://jessehaff.com/jerry-seinfelds-writing-routine/You don't have to write, but you can't do anything else.Mon, 04 May 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/life-outside-the-city/https://jessehaff.com/life-outside-the-city/Discovering a welcome distraction from the tragic perpetual crises engulfing our world in 2020.Mon, 20 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/attention-and-identity/https://jessehaff.com/attention-and-identity/I loved this interview with poet David Whyte.Thu, 16 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/designing-nationbuilder-with-figma/https://jessehaff.com/designing-nationbuilder-with-figma/Recently we replaced Sketch, Abstract and Marvel with Figma, and the improvement has been dramatic.Thu, 02 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/free-tools-for-coordinating-covid-19-emergency-response/https://jessehaff.com/free-tools-for-coordinating-covid-19-emergency-response/NationBuilder is providing free organizing software and services for emergency response.Wed, 18 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/nomo/https://jessehaff.com/nomo/Forget #FOMO. Our mental health requires #NOMO.Tue, 25 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/floating-through-grief/https://jessehaff.com/floating-through-grief/My partner bravely shares how she's learned to handle the grief of losing her mother two and a half decades ago.Wed, 19 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/reflecting-on-10-years-at-nationbuilder/https://jessehaff.com/reflecting-on-10-years-at-nationbuilder/The NationBuilder 2019 Year in Review is out, and I reflect on a couple memorable moments in my journey as a co-founder.Thu, 23 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/holding-space-for-yourself/https://jessehaff.com/holding-space-for-yourself/The modern world has trained us to binge eat other peoples ideas.Wed, 15 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/dismantling-devotion-featured-in-new-film/https://jessehaff.com/dismantling-devotion-featured-in-new-film/I'm honored to have our song Dismantling Devotion featured in an absolutely stunning new snowboarding film.Fri, 03 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/performing-with-daylight-dies-after-8-years-of-silence/https://jessehaff.com/performing-with-daylight-dies-after-8-years-of-silence/Hopefully less than 8 years will pass by the time you hear from us again.Sat, 21 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/12-days-to-2020/https://jessehaff.com/12-days-to-2020/I was born in the late 70s, and throughout my life the year 2020 has been used in stories and conversation as when we will have arrived in 'the future.'Thu, 19 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/nicole-saboune-for-us/https://jessehaff.com/nicole-saboune-for-us/I first heard the Swedish artist Nicole Sabouné in 2017 upon recommendation from a friend with reliable taste.Wed, 11 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/relics-from-the-bbs-ansi-age/https://jessehaff.com/relics-from-the-bbs-ansi-age/In the early 1990s I spent many nights obsessing over my BBS and creating ANSI art to promote it.Thu, 21 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/the-work-that-awe-requires/https://jessehaff.com/the-work-that-awe-requires/Aesthetic beauty is as much about how and whether you look, as what you see.Sat, 02 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/wild-geese/https://jessehaff.com/wild-geese/You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.Thu, 31 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://jessehaff.com/time-passes/https://jessehaff.com/time-passes/What kind of person are you becoming?Mon, 21 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT