Welcome to Sane’s Monthly Roundup edition #3. In these newsletters, we share an update of what’s been happening on Sane lately. Lots of big product updates coming in hot in this one… enjoy!
What we’ve been up to lately
In our December update we wrote about setting the canvas free. The first step was images. In addition to nodes, you could directly add image as independent content blocks on the canvas. This worked out nicely, so we’re doubling down! You can now create with web links, Youtube embeds, and text frames — and more is coming 🏆
We’re feeling very giddy about these updates. And frankly speaking, Sane is starting to feel like a wholly new product. Adding blocks directly on the canvas enables people to create a beautiful space in just a few minutes, while structured, longer notes live inside nodes.
Other new features and improvements
Click to create: open the block menu by clicking anywhere on the canvas.
Resize: drag the bottom right corner to resize images, video embeds & text blocks.
Shift + drag to select: Select multiple items on the canvas to move them around or connect and disconnect them.
Paste from clipboard: Copy and paste weblinks and text from the clipboard directly on the canvas.
Meet Madeleine
As a part of these roundups, we like to introduce you to some of our early users. This month we’re lucky to have Madeleine Teh share some of her ideas around the internet, Sane, and creativity online. 🙂
Who are you and what do you care about?
I’m a Manila-based designer and writer who thinks about the relationship between technology and vulnerability. I grew up on Tumblr and Instagram, where sharing tidbits of our lives turned into elaborate performances of the self.
I also love reading, doing yoga, and drinking matcha.
What do you spend most of your time on?
Reading, thinking, writing about everything. I spend a lot of time in my head!
What tools do you use for discovering, creating, and sharing ideas online?
Discovering: Sane, Substack, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, Twitter
Creating: Sane, Pages, my trusty notebook
Sharing: Sane, Substack, Instagram
Describe your dream internet:
My dream Internet resembles the Internet we had back in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Back then, the algorithms were very much in their genesis. Social interaction by way of Vines, Tumblr reblogs, and Pinterest pins felt more spontaneous than they do today. I also miss reading long-form writing on the Internet, like fanfiction and novels serialized on Tumblr and AO3.
How would you describe Sane and your first experiences with it?
Using Sane’s beautiful and simple interface gives me the same feeling of scrolling through my favorite websites growing up. I created an account because I wanted to try as many notetaking apps as humanly possible. However, I stayed because Sane’s node format mirrors the way my mind works.
Other apps (not going to name names) are so linear to the point of being rigid and cold. Ideas don’t develop in a straight line and Sane’s interface leans into this fact.
What do you like to use Sane for?
I use Sane to consolidate slivers of ideas and references for personal projects. I don’t have to start at square one. I don’t have to dig through endless files and links. My favorite part is going back to my old spaces and seeing how my thought process evolved through nodes and connections.
How do you see Sane evolving going forward, and what would you like to see more of?
The folks at Sane cultivated a community of smart and purposeful individuals. I’m excited to see our group grow in numbers over the coming year. Co-curating a Sane space with people from all over the world would be such a grand adventure.
Link your favorite spaces!
dream internet space
Wisdom
Let’s prepare for 2024
FOCO group ❤️
As Madeleine mentioned, we have a small WhatsApp group going on with friends where we chat about a bunch of topics related to the future of creativity online (foco) and host occasional events/calls/coffee meetups. If you’re interested in joining, email your phone number to amanda@sane.fyi.
Thanks everyone and lots of love. And as always, if you’ve got feedback on Sane — we want to hear it. Send a note to ida@sane.fyi!
— Ida, Tiina, & Dane
Thank you so much for the feature 💗💗💗