The day after my brother died, I started writing everything pertaining to him and his death in a blank book. Much of what I recorded is practical information ranging from insurance agent emails to funeral director phone numbers. The rest is a jumble of things I want to remember, such as names of Frank’s friends and titles of books people have recommended. Within this jumble is a list of people I know who have lost a sibling. I found myself compelled to generate this list –

Yesterday, I received a gift when a friend and former colleague of Frank’s shared something he had written about him. Jon Kolko is an artist and design strategist with a particular interest in humanizing educational technology. In this piece he talks about a concept that Frank taught him – simplicity on the other side of complexity – that has resonated with him and continued to inform his work and teaching. I won’t go into detail about it here, because Jon says it so much bet