Am unwell, so am catching up on old bookmarks. This from a week or so ago, on designing constrained spaces, is quite good.
https://sarahendren.substack.com/p/the-city-and-the-limiting-virtues
I mean, the old thing that constraint brings freedom is just that… extremely old… uh now I’m wondering what the history of that is: it’s certainly religious – certain rules enable societies to function, areas of complete liberty cause them to break down (sins, for example).
But the main reason I read with some intent is that the London Library allows laptops in the main reading room now (a post covid degradation) and by fuck some people are noisy on their laptops. Also, typing reflects the cadence of their thought and is extremely distracting, as distracting as talk, where, say, the sound of traffic or aircraft, or even a shout in the street, is not.
I mean they have kept a no laptop room, but it’s cold and dark. You’re a library! Do your thing!