Presentations and the Zen Aesthetic is a great writeup about how presentations can be made to the essence of simplicity. I personally think it applies directly to a lot of other things, most recently including software design.
I’m sure some of my coworkers are sick of hearing me burst out “if you’re not using it, delete it” when I take a gander at code, but I think it is the first step to refining and making something really elegant. When I was adding to UnitKit, Duncan was very patient with my blundering style and directed me to work with much more elegant solutions. More of that is needed, I think. I do the same thing with writing (well, obviously NOT here). Cram a bunch of stuff in as I think of it, and then go at it viciously with the paring knife. It always seems to come out much better.
Rhonabwy 