The article argues that enforcing uniform shapes and styles across icon sets limits each icon’s potential to be distinctive and memorable. It contrasts macOS’s original, varied icons—which excel individually—with modern, systematized icons that sacrifice uniqueness for easy consistency.

Maintaining consistency in a system comprised of separate databases can be challenging, particularly in the absence of transactions. The article discusses the importance of defining a system of record versus a system of reference and emphasizes the Write Last, Read First principle to ensure safety properties like consistency and traceability in financial transactions.