Teaching a dog to speak

I don’t have a dog, but if I did I would be trying to get it to talk. At They Can Talk there’s a bunch of researchers training dogs to use cheap electronic devices to “say” words. Some dog-owners claim to be able to train their dogs to chain together a string of spoken words into something like a sentence. There’s a whole community of folks trying it, and recordable buttons sold on Amazon, and a good book on it, How Stella Learned to Talk. — KK

Pet-friendly duvet cover

My dog is trained not to jump on the bed or couch unless his special blanket is laid out first. However, we recently discovered that our microfiber duvet cover ($30) repels dog hair, so our house rules have changed. We no longer lay out the blanket and we just invite him up, which he, of course, quickly adjusted to. I’m not sure where all his dog hair goes, but it definitely does not stick to our bedding. Another reason I’m happy with our duvet cover is that it’s made of seersucker, which means it never looks wrinkly. — CD

Cat donut cushion

Our cats spend a lot of time nestled in their Love’s Cabin Donut Cushions. We have one for each of them, but they often snuggle together in one. It makes me happy to see them sleeping in them. — MF

Find the perfect pet bird

I’ve owned birds in the past, and I’m not in the market for one now, but my daughter showed me this fun quiz that matches you up with the perfect type of pet bird and points you to rescue centers near you so you can adopt one. The quiz result said my kind of bird is the lineolated parakeet, and I agree. — MF

Squirrel-proof bird feed

The only reliable way to deter squirrels from bird feeders is to use hot peppered bird seed. Squirrels (and other rodents) hate the taste of capsaicin, but birds are immune and happily chow it down. Train your neighborhood squirrels by starting out with 100% of hot peppered seed like Wild Delight Sizzle N Heat Bird Food and then gradually dilute this expensive seed with regular stuff. I have not tried this, but you can make your own by mixing a cayenne oil like Flaming Squirrel Sauce with your usual seed. — KK

Potty training app for puppies

I was immediately overwhelmed when we brought our new puppy home two weeks ago. Puddle & Pile was a mind saver. I log when my pup eats, drinks, pees and poops and the app will predict when he’ll need to potty next and alert me. The more I log the more it learns about his habits and becomes more accurate. It’s not perfect, but it’s prevented a lot of accidents and I can’t find a better app for the job. Suggestions welcome! — CD

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This Instagram account – DesignPatentDaily – simply posts one ink drawing from a US patent every day. The drawings are stunningly beautiful: functional and elegant. Crisp line diagrams, no fluff. Print out and frame. Much prettier than most modern art. — KK

A Map of Origin Myths

Origin Myth Map is an interactive world map of the stories cultures have told about where the universe, Earth, and humanity came from. There are almost too many ways to navigate it — you can move through time, filter by themes, or follow the lineages and relationships between myths. Every creation archetype, from primordial waters and cosmic eggs to world trees, opens another path, so I think the best way to explore it is simply to follow your curiosity. — CD

Magnifying Desk Lamp

I don't know why I didn't get a real magnifying desk lamp a long time ago. Amazon has many different models available. This is the one I got. It has a large magnifying glass with an LED illumination ring. It comes with a heavyweight metal stand and a clamp. My wife uses it to make collages, and I use it to draw and practice my cursive penmanship. You can adjust the brightness and color temperature with the control attached to the power cord. It uses USB power and comes with an AC adapter. — MF

Speed clamp

Here is a cool tool that will appeal to maybe 1% of this audience. The Jorgensen Ratcheting Bar Clamp is a new style of bar clamp that ratchets tight and then quickly releases with one hand. You squeeze it to tighten and squeeze another part to release. It’s the fastest clamp I’ve seen. Great for tasks that require a lot of clamping and unclamping. Comes in 4, 8, and 12-inch bars. About $15 each. — KK

When buying high-quality, name-brand tools pays

On r/BuyItForLife, a Redditor said he’d snapped the blade on a pair of Fiskars loppers from around 2010. He filed a claim on Fiskars’ website, telling them he didn’t have his receipt from Lowe’s after 16 years. Fiskars sent him a shipping address for the broken loppers, and 10 days later a brand new pair showed up — an upgraded design, judging from his photos. Commenters shared experiences with other brand names that also honored replacements without a receipt. One person got Calphalon to replace scratched 15-year-old nonstick pans. Moen sent someone free replacement faucet cartridges. Philips replaced an out-of-warranty Hue-Lite strip. And someone got a replacement pair of sunglasses from Maui Jim. — MF

Meeting yourself without fixing

Peter McEwen wrote a generous contemplative guide to meeting and metabolizing difficult emotions. The essay is structured into pith, concise, and elaborate versions of the same practice, so it’s worth returning to over time. But if you only have time for one takeaway, it’s this: when a difficult emotion shows up, you don’t have to resolve it. You drop out of the story and into the actual sensation in your body, and you stay with it in small doses, even if it’s only a few seconds. Practiced over time, this small, kind act builds your capacity to let conflicting feelings sit side by side without needing to fix them. For me, I know an emotion has metabolized when there’s no charge left, and I feel open and spacious inside, not tense or clinging. — CD

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Paper2Audio converts text documents into audio files. Feed it a PDF, EPUB, plain text, Word document, or URL, and in a few minutes it generates an audio file playable on your computer or a smartphone app. The free version satisfies my needs: up to 56 hours of audio per week, a variety of AI voices, adjustable listening speed, and a reader view so you can read along while listening. The plus plan, $9.50 a month, gives you 168 hours a week and lets you export audio files. I haven’t needed to do that yet. — MF

Endless slop

Wow, a whole new genre is emerging: real-time AI video generation. Exhibit A is Infinite Slop, which calls itself “an endless AI-generated TV channel that chat decides what airs next.” Thousands of commenters vote up prompts in response to what is playing, and new video is generated instantly, soliciting more prompts, ad infinitum, in a cycle. The result is a 24-hour stream of absurd, surreal, bizarre, silly, astounding, meme-maxing video slop from the hive mind – that is also weirdly mesmerizing, and even satisfying. Hard to look away. Some bits are genius. The new ability to generate video as fast as you can watch it will be used in other ways, such as in games, but this infinite slop is the first crude step as performance art. It is one week old and already has millions of fans and ads. — KK

Identify Feather Tool

For the past couple months, I’ve been photographing feathers I find on my favorite hiking trail and feeding each one to AI for identification. No matter the markings, colors, or patterns, it kept telling me they belonged to a turkey. Turns out there are a lot of different-looking turkey feathers. But then I found one I was certain was from a Cooper’s hawk, and AI called it a turkey again. I got a more accurate ID from The Feather Atlas, a database run by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Its Identify Feather Tool lets you narrow things down by pattern, color, and size until you land on a match, and it confirmed what I was hoping for. The interface is clunky, but I like that it isn’t AI. — CD

Better box cutter

The Slice 10400 Box Cutter is a utility knife with a curved design that lets you cut open boxes more stably, as the curved part rests on the box while you cut. You can adjust the blade to 3 different positions. The 1st position extends the blade slightly, which is good for cutting the tape on a box without worrying about cutting through the cardboard and into the contents. When you extend the blade further, it’s good for breaking down larger cardboard boxes. The blades are ceramic rather than metal, and Slice claims they last 20 times as long as a metal blade. I’m not sure, since I haven’t had it long enough to test that, but the ergonomics alone make it worth it. — MF

Small-space design tricks

I’m getting my garage replaced with a 410-square-foot studio guest house in my backyard, and I want it to feel as spacious as possible for visitors, so this article with five clever design tricks for making small homes look bigger got instantly bookmarked. The tips are basically this: get furniture off the floor, float pieces away from the walls, hang curtains higher and wider than the window, commit to one color throughout, and size furniture to the room to avoid the “dollhouse effect,” where too many small pieces make a room feel more cluttered instead of bigger. We’re installing a Murphy bed to help free up floor space, and I’m most intrigued by the tip to float furniture by pulling sofas, chairs, and tables away from the walls, leaving 18 to 24 inches of walking room behind them. Apparently that gap creates the illusion of depth by introducing more light, shadow, and overlapping sight lines, so I think I’ll try that out. — CD

Story lessons

One of the best tutorials on story writing I know is this hour-long YouTube lecture by the author of Toy Story 3. He explains Pixar’s story process – which anyone can borrow – and then goes through all the ways he failed and the lessons he learned from finally getting it right. The coolest parts of this lecture, Toy Story 3, Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned, are that he shows very early versions of the film that clearly don’t work, despite months of work. The general lesson of creating things iteratively applies to all art forms. As a bonus, you get a master class on how the story of Toy Story works, and why it’s so powerful. — KK

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Artist Olivia Tai wants to know how people really use AI, so she sets up stations in public areas where anyone can write a confession on a slip of paper and drop it in a box. Her website, What We Tell AI, has scans of 400+ handwritten notes about people’s secret relationships with AI. Here are a few:

• I trust AI to tell me the truth more than most of the people around me.

• I’m Christian — I realized that I was using AI to help me with issues / give me guidance when I should’ve been talking to God instead.

• Sometimes I ask ChatGPT to reply to messages by uploading a whole conversation. I am a terrible texter and this helps me A LOT!

• I cloned my ex’s voice to have a final conversation with him. It helped me finally move on. 10/10 recommend.

• Claude is my boyfriend and I wish he was real.

— MF

Paint sticks

I’ve been drawing in my sketchbook with Crayola’s Slick Stix paint sticks, which is like drawing with lipstick. The colors glide onto the paper with full coverage and minimal effort. Kids really love the Stix cause it makes covering areas super easy. I love them because just one application of color is completely opaque. Like wax crayons, they are instantly dry. You can add colors on top of colors, too. For some reason the Crayolas are no longer available, but there are hundreds of imitators. They are called paint sticks, or tempera sticks, or twist crayons, because the colors are held in a case that you twist to protrude. A typical set is Kwik Stix ($11), which are not as slick as the Crayola’s but good enough. They really are fun to use. — KK

The perfect amount of time to catch up with friends

Apparently, the ideal amount of time to catch up with a friend is 84 minutes. Just enough time for family updates, gossip, work, relationships, and travel plans. My favorite way to spend time with friends is hiking, and those visits usually stretch into two or three hours. But maybe a more satisfying get-together could be a leisurely meal followed by a short walk. A little more time together, without making a whole day of it. — CD

Almost as good as a fountain pen

I’ve recently started using a fountain pen for most of my writing. It’s easy to transfer my writing to a computer — I just take a photo and tell AI to turn it into text. I found out the hard way that fountain pens leak on planes, so when I travel, I use a gel pen instead. I bought the one everyone seems to love, the Pilot G-2. Writing with it feels as effortless as writing with a fountain pen. I’d probably use it at home, too, if I could refill it from an ink bottle. G-2s do come in a wide variety of ink colors. — MF

Magnesium sleep butter

A friend in London recommended Feather & Down Magnesium Sleep Butter, and it has become a permanent part of my bedtime routine. I massage it into my arms, legs, and feet, put on a pair of cozy socks, and go to bed. I don’t know whether it’s the magnesium, the lavender and chamomile scent, or simply the ritual, but it makes me feel deeply cozy and relaxed. I almost don’t want to recommend it because it’s low in stock on Amazon, but I just bought a backup jar and will probably need to figure out how to import it from the UK. — CD

Favorite quotes

• Here is another round of my favorite bits of wisdom:

• The first step of any meaningful pursuit is to severely underestimate its difficulty. — Sara Hooker

• Life punishes the vague wish and rewards the specific ask. — Tim Ferriss

• If I had only one hour to solve a problem, I would spend up to two-thirds of that hour in attempting to define what the problem is. — William H. Markle

• If you absolutely can’t tolerate critics, then don’t do anything new or interesting. — Jeff Bezos

• One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important. — Bertrand Russell

• Try and fail, but don’t fail to try. — Vinod Khosla

• So little of what could happen does happen. — Salvador Dali

• Save like a pessimist, invest like an optimist. — Morgan Housel

• Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. — Warren Buffett

• The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. – Joseph Campbell

• What I learned on my own I still remember. — Nassim Nicholas Taleb

I find it helpful to be reminded of what we already know in a handy phrase. — KK

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I watch a LOT of YouTube videos about making stuff. Mostly people in their workshops making furniture, or props, or costumes, or miniatures, or their own tools, or weird art. One of the best teachers in this maker-verse is Laura Kampf. Based in LA, she calls herself the Janitor of LA because she likes to pick up junk and turn it into useful stuff. I like her style, both her style in videos and her style of creations. She is a born teacher, and more than most makers, manages to extract teachable pithy advice from what she does. As just one example: she says the best art pieces come from pairing worn, old junky things with new glossy parts for contrast, so the artifacts are hybrids — slick new knobs on a rust box — which is true but it would have taken me a long time to notice that. — KK

Reset your nervous system

This is a reference card of nine somatic exercises for resetting your nervous system. Three of them made me realize I’ve been instinctually self-soothing for years: the physiological sigh helps me expel anxious energy, situational humming has been happening without my awareness since childhood, and the butterfly hug helps slow me down and relax. I didn’t realize humming was self-regulation until I was an adult, after enough annoyed people pointed it out and I looked into it. If you read through the rest, you might recognize a few things your body already knows how to do. — CD

Travel advisories world map

The U.S. Department of State website has an at-a-glance travel advisories world map that shows the safety of different countries. You can click on any country to see the full travel advisory. I was surprised to see that many European countries, such as Germany, are at Level 2 (Exercise increased caution), while Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan are at Level 1 (Exercise normal precautions). — MF

Copy and paste, intact

Copynpaste is a one-tool webpage for moving text between apps without losing its formatting. Paste in something bolded, italicized, or otherwise styled, choose where it’s going, and it converts the formatting into the language that app understands, all privately in your browser. The tool feels related to another one I’ve recommended before and still use at least once a week: ConvertCase, which does exactly what it says. — CD

Irregular newsletter

Neal Stephenson publishes impossibly long science-fictiony novels. He also is a keen observer and writes an irregular Substack with much shorter essays featuring his eclectic interests. He doesn’t post often on Graphomane, but it is always interesting when he does. — KK

Keychain reading glasses

It’s a hassle to carry reading glasses everywhere I go. I bought some ThinOptics Keychain Reading Glasses that bend in half and slide into a case the size of a car key. They pinch comfortably on my nose, so they don’t need arms. They are nearly flat and incredibly lightweight. — MF

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Beeswax is a daily spelling bee that only takes two minutes. You hear each word spoken aloud, spell it, and one wrong letter ends your run. The words start easy and get progressively harder. Everyone gets the same five words each day, and you can share your result. I don’t play games on my phone, but I’ve been playing this one on my desktop, and it’s extra fun because I’m competing daily with a friend who is a much better speller than me. If you’re competitive too, join my 10-day challenge. — CD

Chompy ice on demand

We have our neighbors over for dinner a lot, and whenever they ask what to bring, I give the same answer: ice. Our fridge has no ice maker, so we’re always short. That problem has been solved with the Pearl L1 Max nugget ice maker. About the size of a large toaster, it cranks out tiny cubes of what my sister calls “chompy ice.” They are fun to chew (even though I know it’s probably not good for my teeth). It’s fast, too: pour in water, press the button, and nuggets start dropping into the basket within minutes. No more begging guests to bring their own ice. — MF

Price history alert

Amazon has introduced a very useful feature. Right next to the price on an item is a blue “Price history” button. Clicking on that gives you a chart of the item’s price over time. Most inexpensive items don’t change, but more expensive items (like a power tool) can show drastic variations in price. If an item has had a lower price in the past you might want to wait to see if it drops again. So Amazon gives you the option to set up a price alert to get notified when it drops to your target price. If you are sure you want it at that price and are willing to wait, you can also set it to automatically purchase it at that price so you don’t miss it. I used to use CamelCamelCamel to do all this with Amazon, but this native function is much slicker and easier. In my experience, if you are willing to wait, an item will usually return to its lowest price sooner or later, and that can be a good bargain. — KK

Concepts by women philosophers

The Encyclopedia of Concise Concepts by Women Philosophers is a free, peer-reviewed archive of philosophical concepts originated or advanced by women, from antiquity to the 21st century. You can browse the archive’s 100–300-word entries by concept, keyword, or philosopher. Reading the entries on Love, I fell down a rabbit hole into Karoline von Günderrode, a German Romantic who saw love not as romance or private emotion but as an elemental force. In her metaphysics, we’re made of imperishable elements that join and separate into ever-changing forms, all reaching for a perfect identity between form and essence—which, to me, is sublimely romantic. — CD

Phone entertainment

Ok, this is a 2-minute TikTok video, but it is worth two minutes. It’s a rollercoaster for phones. You watch your phone depart from you. The phone watches the ride. You watch the recording of what the phone saw. We watch what you watched. It is entertainment for machines. Could be the future. Or just art. There’s a big lesson here, but not sure what. — KK

Cheap gadget unboxing videos

You’ve no doubt seen ads for cheap toys and gadgets from China that look almost magical — the videos show things like a serrated knife that effortlessly shreds vegetables, or a tiny drone that flies way up in the air and shoots cinematic video. I’ll admit I’ve been tricked into buying these kinds of things only to discover they are junk. There’s an Instagram influencer named KYD who has amassed an audience of 13 million followers by unboxing items from these ads and testing whether they work as promised. Most are worthless, but about one in ten actually perform as promised. The videos are short and addictive. I watched for an hour straight. — MF

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A home budget that makes sense to me (YNAB)

For years I’ve tried to keep a home budget, but it never seems to work. I end up spending more than I budgeted in some categories, less in others, and I don’t keep good track of what I’ve spent. When our Cool Tools podcast guest Lillian Karabaic recommended something called You Need a Budget (YNAB), I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did. YNAB’s websites and mobile apps are excellent, as are the podcasts, videos, blog posts, and mailing lists they produce. It took me a while to wrap my head around the YNAB method, but now that I get it, I’m a true believer. For the first time in my adult life, I feel in control of my finances. — MF

High-leverage philanthropy

I’ve been making micro-loans to entrepreneurs in the developing world via Kiva for 10 years. I loan small amounts (less than $100) to, say, women in Africa hoping to buy a sewing machine to start their own sewing business, or herders in Bolivia needing some equipment to make cheese, and soon enough they will repay the loan so that I can re-loan the money again to someone else. I’ve gone through 4 cycles of loans for my first money, and there is less than 0.1% delinquency — a rate any bank would die for. 100% of my money goes to helping the individuals I select; Kiva’s operating costs are funded separately. The money keeps going around. It’s one of the best bargains in the world. — KK

Salary Transparent Street

Salary Transparent Street shares videos of people on the street being asked, “What do you do?” and “How much do you make?” It’s humbling and (mind-boggling!) to imagine how I would survive in the Bay Area on certain salaries across the U.S. The channel’s goal is to promote pay transparency across the United States, close the gender pay gap, and increase diversity and equal opportunities. You can follow it on Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok. — CD

Online notary service

Notarizing documents traditionally requires visiting a notary, but I’ve been utilizing online notary services for the past few years to avoid this hassle. All that’s needed is a laptop with a webcam. There are numerous online notaries available; my recent choice was Notarize.com, which charges $25 to notarize a single document. — MF

Equipping students

Few things in life are as satisfying as getting handwritten thank-you notes from school kids for helping them learn. DonorsChoose is a non-profit that features thousands of public school teachers seeking basic school supplies, or extra gear for special projects (rocket kits for science!). The teachers post their pitch. You choose a project. When it gets fully funded, they post verification pictures of the kids using the resource which your funds provided, and later they’ll send you a fistful of amazingly detailed (and endearing) letters from the students themselves. You’ll want to do this. — KK

Zelle payments

I use PayPal to send money to strangers (like on eBay or Etsy); I use Venmo to pay friends; but if I need to send a lot of money (more than several thousand $$$), I use Zelle. Unlike Venmo, which holds a reserve in your account that you replenish, Zelle is basically a bank-to-bank wire transfer – for free. But the interface is person-to-person. Still can’t do it internationally, but it is very handy for larger peer-to-peer payments in the U.S. Easy to set up. — KK

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Reading Maps plots the routes characters travel in novels and films — you can trace the Pequod’s ocean path as it chases Moby Dick, or Victor Frankenstein’s pursuit of his monster from Geneva to the Arctic. Hundreds of journeys are mapped so far, sortable by setting (Sea, Overland, River, Rail, Survival, and more), and each one breaks the story into stops you can follow one at a time: where a ship or train left from, and what happened there. Since the stops follow the plot, the site will happily spoil the ending if you haven’t finished the book. — MF

Track days since things

I use the Countdown Days Since & Until app to track how long it’s been since health and beauty appointments so I know when it’s time to reschedule — I’m really bad at remembering to get my hair cut. I also use it to count down to vacations and anniversaries, occasionally opening the app to see how many weeks or days or even hours are left, and it’s nice to get a little surge of anticipation as the time between things shortens. After using the free version for years I finally paid $4.99 to unlock extras like adding photo backgrounds to certain events. Unfortunately, this particular app seems to be iOS‑only, but any simple “important dates” tracker would be useful. — CD

Wikipedia entry nearby

I find it entertaining to see what is listed in Wikipedia nearby to wherever I am. On any device that knows where it is (like a phone), load this NearbyWiki page, and it will show on a map all the nearby items that have a Wikipedia entry. Most are places, but occasionally it gives you something unexpected. — KK

My fountain pen paper and ink

Some of you have asked what paper and ink I’ve been using with the fountain pen I wrote about last week. Both were recommended by the woman working at my local art supply store: a Leuchtturm 1917 120gsm notebook and Noodler’s Nightshade ink. The heavy paper handles wet ink — no bleed-through, no ghosting, and the nib glides. The ink is a purple-blue that shades nicely on the page. One warning she gave me: Noodler’s bottles come filled almost to the brim, so open it over the sink. I took her advice and I’m glad I did — it was full to the top. — MF

Coders using AI

All my friends who years ago stopped writing code themselves are now using Anthropic’s Claude to write code for them. This 20 minute tutorial put out by Anthropic is basically the course they use to train their own coders on how to use Claude (to make future versions of Claude). It’s the best tricks they know on how to tell an AI to code for you (aimed at those who already know how to code). — KK

Better than my Instagram feed

We’ve recommended the Seek app before, but lately I’ve been spending more time on the Observations page of the iNaturalist website, which shows a live stream of sightings from the full iNaturalist community rather than just my own Seek scans. You can filter the stream by species, location, and date, and it feels like a photo feed curated by the living world instead of an algorithm. It’s more interesting to scroll than my Instagram, but this view doesn’t exist in any of the apps, so for now I just keep the page bookmarked. — CD

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Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel and podcast, and other newsletters, including Recomendo Deals, Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Books That Belong On Paper, Cool Tools Weekly Newsletter, and Book Freak.

Tips for philanthropy

For some people “Giving Money Away Can Be Harder Than Making It” so Roy Bahat, someone whose lifelong habit has been to give money away, has written up some tips in this essay. He follows part one with a second set of more practical suggestions aimed at the thousands of young people about to become millionaires in the AI IPO boom: How to Actually Give Away Your AI Money. Our family has had a habit of philanthropy even when we had very little. I agree with Bahat that giving away well is challenging, and also incredibly rewarding. — KK

One-minute worry release

Pixel Thoughts started as a 60-second meditation site where you type whatever you’re stressed about into a star and watch it drift off into space, and now the same idea is available as a phone app on iOS and Android. My favorite new feature is the custom meditation option, where you pick the length and music, and it reads your specific worry and builds a short reframe around that exact thought instead of a generic one. It’s free, and you can just download it and try it out, no account needed. — CD

Packable travel bag

I keep an Infinity packable travel bag in my suitcase for trips where I know I’ll be bringing more home than I left with. It weighs just 260g and folds down to almost nothing, so I pack it empty and only unfold it when I need the extra space. It slips over a suitcase handle for rolling through the airport, has interior pockets for small stuff, and stands up on its own so it’s easy to load. — MF

Jurassic Park control room nostalgia

Jurassic Park Computers in Excruciating Detail is pure movie-nerd joy and behind-the-scenes magic for JP fans. The author goes through every single computer in the film, and I learned that today’s equivalent of about $4,000,000 in hardware and software was loaned for the production, and that everything was functional because, even then, audiences were too sophisticated about computers to fake it. This movie came out when I was 10 years old. I played the video game, I watched the movies on loop, and at one point I even had a Jurassic Park–themed birthday party (at age 27), so this kind of obsessive breakdown literally induces glee. R.I.P. Sam Neill. — CD

Master explainer

If you have listened to podcasts in the past decade, or watch tutorials on YouTube, it would be hard to miss Hank Green, who is a prolific explainer. He is omnipresent in the explainosphere. I enjoy dipping into his latest YouTube solo channel, where, in his signature rapid-fire style he explains whatever interests him. His lessons are very clear, sensible, and often with a little bit of a skewed view. He’s probably one of the best explainers of complex things. — KK

Non-luxury fountain pen

I bought this inexpensive fountain pen from Asvine after reading Neal Stephenson’s essay on writing by hand, which makes the case that longhand recruits more of your brain — and that a fountain pen is far less tiring than a pencil or ballpoint because the nib skates on the ink instead of requiring pressure. He recommends buying cheap pens until you know what you like. This one writes beautifully, has a metal body, a knurled barrel, and satisfying weight. It comes with a converter for bottled ink. — MF

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Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel and podcast, and other newsletters, including Recomendo Deals, Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Books That Belong On Paper, Cool Tools Weekly Newsletter, and Book Freak.

Like the podcast 99% Invisible, the newsletter/blog Inconspicuous Consumption pays obsessive attention to minor details that most people don’t even see. For instance: long essays on whether the final button holes on shirts should be vertical or horizontal, or Where Should the Apostrophe Go on a Vertically Lettered Sign?. More on ashtray designs, the colors of butter, security envelope patterns. The less significant the details are, the more attention they get. Entire worlds can be glimpsed at the end of an office stapler. The tagline for the site is Big Enthusiasm for Small Details. Few who descend down these rabbit holes return the same. — KK

Navigating by aliveness

I love the core question this piece “Navigating by aliveness” offers when wondering if you’re on the right track: “Does this feel like it’s taking me in the direction of greater aliveness?” Aliveness here means fully inhabiting an experience and shifting your attention away from what you’re feeling and toward the depth and clarity with which you’re feeling it, whether it’s painful, dull, or joyful. The author goes on to explore why this matters in an AI‑shaped future, and suggests we relate to technology a bit like the Amish do: only adopting tools if they clearly serve our deepest values, rather than assuming they’re automatically good. For me, this definition alone feels like a daily way to check my own presence, and how fully I’m actually here in my life, moment to moment. — CD

Mini electric shaver

I bought this tiny Mbzoey Electric Foil Shaver to take on trips, but it’s become my everyday razor. It’s rechargeable via USB-C and lasts at least a few weeks of daily shaving on a single charge, with an LED display that shows how much charge is left. No more shaving cream — I just run it over my face dry. I can do an early-evening touch-up before going out in under a minute. — MF

Mashup renaissance

I love this mashup of electronic music plus French medieval instrumentation, sometimes called Bardcore. A good example of bardcore is the French group Courseval doing Daft Punk’s cover song Veridis Quo. As one commenter said “Proof that we could have had Daft Peasant any time in the last 500 years.” — KK

See the rhythm of your writing

Text as Music is a simple browser tool where you paste your writing and it colors every sentence by length, so you can literally see the rhythm on the page. Micro sentences turn one color, short another, and medium and long each have their own. It’s inspired by Gary Provost’s line, “Don’t just write words. Write music.” — CD

Seth’s Riffs

My friend Seth Godin — author of Purple Cow, Linchpin, Tribes, The Dip, and This Is Marketing — writes a daily email full of excellent short ideas about life and business. But it turns out he has even shorter ideas that don’t make it into the daily email, and he’s collected them on a page called Seth’s Riffs. Each one is a sentence or two. You can vote for your favorites, which sorts the best to the top. A few of mine:

• The question shouldn’t be, “does it scale?” Instead, it might be, “is it worth it?”

• Waiting for perfect is never as smart as making progress.

• Defending mediocrity is exhausting.

• Using an existing idea to solve a new problem isn’t theft. Ideas shared are the most powerful kind.

— MF

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Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel and podcast, and other newsletters, including Recomendo Deals, Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Books That Belong On Paper, Cool Tools Weekly Newsletter, and Book Freak.

Pixar has been in a slump, but their newest release is fun and has some of the old magic back. Hoppers (Disney+ or BluRay) carries a convoluted plot involving animals and animal robots, downloading avatars, and key species in wildlife ecology. And for the memes, lots of beavers. It’s a fully realized world, lighthearted and whimsical, with some interesting ideas, and not too predictable. — KK

Cognitive shuffling sleep trick

This article introduced me to cognitive shuffling, a very simple word‑based visual exercise that helps the author fall asleep faster. You pick a random, emotionally neutral word like “duck,” picture it, then move to another unrelated word, and keep gently shuffling through these images until you drift off. I’ve been trying this for about a week now, and one of two things keeps happening: I either slip into a liminal hypnagogic state where the imagery shifts and takes over until I fall asleep, or my mind gets quickly bored by not getting to make associations with the non‑linear images and just shuts down into sleep. It might not be my favorite entry into sleep, but it did work and could be helpful to those struggling with insomnia. — CD

Airplane seatback phone holder

Sometimes I watch a show on my phone while flying. I’ve propped it against a wadded-up napkin on the tray table, watching it slide off every time the seat in front reclines. This small metal clamp from Ugreen grips the tray table (or a seatback lip, luggage handle, or kitchen cabinet — the jaw opens 8–25mm), and your phone snaps onto the magnetic head, holding it through turbulence. It folds flat, rotates for portrait or landscape, and works with any MagSafe case. It also works on a treadmill, nightstand, or car headrest. — MF

Kid phone

You can buy your kid a dumbphone, or purchase an app (with paid subscription!) to make a spare smartphone dumber, but Jeremy White at Wired figured out that you can also use the buried options in an iPhone to craft a perfect device for a kid. These options are somewhat hidden under the Accessibility menu, and seem to be designed for those with cognitive disabilities, but also work to constrain the access your child has. Full instructions in this Wired article, This Buried Apple Feature Turns an iPhone Into the Perfect Kids’ Dumb Phone. — KK

Six additional recommendations

This week’s What’s in my NOW? is my own issue. As editor, I usually feature other people’s lists—and we’re always accepting submissions, so if you’d like to share yours, check out this Call for Submissions. But this time I shared six things shaping my life right now: three physical, two digital, and one invisible. They’re more intimate than what I’d normally recommend here—closer to my inner life and energy healing practice—like a full-body red light therapy mat that puts me into a euphoric state in about 10 minutes, AudioPen for transcribing my dreams, and the invisible one: Ubuntu, “I am because we are,” a reminder that my growth isn’t a solo path but happens in the uncomfortable, relational space between me and others. Read the full issue here. — CD

A reading club for forgotten books

I run a newsletter called Book Freak, and I’ve started a paid feature I’m calling the Deep Cuts reading club. Each month I dig up a great book that time forgot — usually something out of print and not on Project Gutenberg — and produce a clean ebook edition of it in EPUB and PDF, with a cover and a short foreword explaining why it’s worth your time. Subscribers get a growing library plus a discussion thread for the monthly pick. The first one is H.G. Wells’s strange 1928 satire, Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island. — MF

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Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel and podcast, and other newsletters, including Recomendo Deals, Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Books That Belong On Paper, Cool Tools Weekly Newsletter, and Book Freak.

One of my favorite newsletters, Down the Rabbit Hole, is a weekly, curated collection of psychoactive internet rabbit holes exploring meaning, beauty, and aliveness. The creator recently shared a virtual “window” you can click open that sends you to one of the most-clicked links from the past five years. It feels like StumbleUpon with soul— tiny portal into wonder. — CD

Worse on Purpose

I’ve been burned by buying a “buy-it-for-life” brand only to discover the company and the logo were sold years ago. Worse on Purpose rates 215 brands — tools, bags, apparel, eyewear, and footwear — as either Approved, Watchlist, Former Great, or Avoid. A sample: Ray-Ban is designated “Avoid” (“Priced as luxury, produced to commodity standards”). Another example: Peak Design is designated “Approved”, (because it is still founder-owned). — MF

Ultimate historical maps

Imagine having access to all the ancient maps of the world, and being able to explore them with AI, including searching on the words etched in the maps, or concepts about the maps – for instance “give me all the maps showing the routes of Roman aqueducts.” All this and more are available online for free, at the David Rumsey Map Collection. For 25 years Rumsey has been scanning over 140,000 maps of all kinds from his insane collection from around the world. He then innovates ways to share them. When you find a map you particularly like, you can tap a button and have it printed out on a large scale and mailed to you for a reasonable fee. This is an international treasure. — KK

Decent kid’s shows

What was the most streamed show in 2025? Bluey, a kids animated show from Australia. Bluey has about 150 very short episodes using an animated dog family to model emotional intelligence and give toddlers strategies for big feelings. Like Sesame Street, adults can tolerate watching it. I think early Sesame Street is better, teaching more and broader, but Bluey is a good second choice. (Technically streamed on Disney+, but available on YouTube as well.) Because episodes are shorter (about 10 minutes), small kids love rewatching them. — KK

Cushy airplane seat

I just got back from an overseas trip, and this inflatable travel seat cushion made a 10+ hour flight—and those board-hard seats—so much more bearable. I was hesitant to become someone who carries a personal butt pillow through the airport, but I’m glad I got over it and brought it along. It deflates and rolls up smaller than a neck pillow. — CD

MeatStick V Duo wireless meat thermometer

I’ve ruined my share of meat by cutting in to check doneness. The MeatStick V Duo uses two wireless probes that you can put into two different cuts, and the app predicts when each will hit its target temperature. A small LCD base shows the temps so I don’t have to grab my phone with greasy hands. The probes can handle open flame up to 1200°F and are dishwasher safe. — MF

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Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel and podcast, and other newsletters, including Recomendo Deals, Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Books That Belong On Paper, Cool Tools Weekly Newsletter, and Book Freak.

Prescription dive mask

I wish I had realized years ago that you can get scuba masks with inexpensive prescription lenses. My wife needs heavy duty glasses, with severe -10 corrections, and was otherwise blind underwater. But she got a great simple diving mask with -10 lenses for $60. This Promate Slender Mask is available with Rx lenses from GetWetStore. Now she can snorkel with the rest of us. — KK

Four legs

Hiking poles give me two extra legs. They are most useful going downhill, over uneven or wet terrain. I bring them wherever I hike, especially when I travel, because I use a collapsible set that folds up to less than 14 inches (36 cm). That not only fits in carry-on luggage, it will also hide away in a day pack, so I can take them out only when needed. These no-name $26 Covacure Trekking Poles are a bargain and pretty typical of the class: lightweight aluminum, unfold in a second, and are very rigid. You can get featherweight carbon fiber if you want to pay more. — KK

Ultralight trail running shoes + foam insoles

After a couple of years of walking five miles a day on my treadmill desk, my knees and feet were starting to feel worse for wear. I read Craig Mod’s recommendation for TSLA lightweight trail running shoes with a wide toebox and high-quality insoles and bought them. A month later, I’m pleasantly surprised that my knee and feet pain is gone. I just bought a second pair in another color because I don’t want to wear any other shoe. — MF

Hand crank LED lantern

Last week, Southern California experienced a heavy rainstorm that caused a power outage in our area for 18 hours. We would have been in the dark without the Goal Zero Lighthouse 600 Camping Lantern. It features a bright and adjustable LED light, as well as a built-in lithium battery that can charge smartphones and other USB devices. In case of a power failure, the lantern can also be powered manually by turning a crank for one minute, which provides 10 minutes of illumination. — MF

Packable caps

My current go-to hiking hat is the Parapack P-CAP—an adjustable, foldable cap that’s so breathable and lightweight it barely feels like I’m wearing anything. It also looks better than most of my sun hats and is far less bulky. I keep it in my purse now because it packs down so small. You can even fold it into a compact pouch. — CD

Water bottle sling

For walks and shorter hikes, I’ve been skipping my daypack in favor of ChicoBag’s water bottle sling. It’s comfortable, easy to wear, and has a surprisingly roomy pocket for my phone and keys. Like most ChicoBags, it folds down to almost nothing, so I just keep it with me at all times. — CD

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Underrated new ideas

Before I edited Wired magazine, I edited the Whole Earth Review (formerly CoEvolution Quarterly). It was a magazine for conceptual news. We published new ideas. Since its demise, blogs and Substack in general have taken up that role. But starting a few years ago, a new magazine has appeared that is the closest replacement to Whole Earth. Called Works in Progress, published by the payments company Stripe, its mission is to disseminate “new and underrated ideas to improve the world.” Broadly the articles cover technology, science, building stuff, policy, and cultural innovations, but always with a slant on making progress, moving forward, a sense of optimism about what is possible. They publish new ideas. A couple of examples from recent issues: vaccinating wild animals, creating a rat-free city, using micro-bubbles to deliver drugs. Works in Progress is the only magazine I get delivered on paper; I enjoy reading its designed pages, and getting the extra bits you don’t get online. All the main articles are online for free, and also available as a Substack subscription. Their treasure trove of back issues has more new ideas per minute than anywhere else I know. — KK

100 greatest bird names of all time

Bless the bird lovers who take the time to make lists like this. Robert Francis ranked the 100 greatest bird names of all time, and my affinity for the bird kingdom keeps deepening the more I meet. They’re all so cute, and I wish I could hold them rather than scroll through them. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but based on names and cuteness combined, #96 Handsome Fruiteater beats out the rest. — CD

Stainless steel cat water fountain

My next-door neighbor has one of water fountains for pets says his cats love it. Cats seem to be naturally drawn to the sound and look of running water, and they’ll often drink from a fountain when they’d ignore a regular bowl. This one is made of stainless steel, so there are no seams or plastic crevices for bacteria to hide in, and it’s dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning. It holds 74oz, enough to keep multiple cats watered for days, and a window on the side lets you check the level without lifting the lid. The 5V pump runs quietly, and it comes with three activated-carbon filters. — MF

Webpage folk art

This is fun, and worth a few minutes glance: Creativity in the form of archived web pages from the dawn of the internet. When the web was first sprung upon the world in the 1990s, anybody could make a website themselves, but no pages had yet been made so there was no agreement on what a website should look like, then suddenly a million people created millions of websites without designers, but stuffed with colors, fonts, icons, animations, pictures, infinite scrolls, no limits. The exuberance is boundless. Someone selected the best from this wild big bang and merged it into one page. It’s our era’s folk art. — KK

Museum quality display stands

I am a crystal collector, although for legitimacy purposes I’d rather call them mineral specimens, and they deserve to be on display, not in a drawer or crowded on a shelf. Art Display Essentials is a great source for museum quality stands, with pricing comparable to other online storefronts. Highly recommend if you’re an amateur collector who wants to level up their setup. — CD

Electronics for kids

Electronics for Kids, a new book by Øyvind Nydal Dahl's, starts with the basics — making a battery from a lemon, turning a bolt into an electromagnet — then moves into soldering real circuits, and finally into digital electronics, introducing logic gates and memory circuits before culminating in an LED reaction game that tests how fast you can catch a blinking light. The illustrations are clear throughout. Despite the title, I'd recommend it for adults as well as kids. — MF

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Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel and podcast, and other newsletters, including Recomendo Deals, Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Books That Belong On Paper, Cool Tools Weekly Newsletter, and Book Freak.

My sister has one of these Nightstick rechargeable floodlights and uses it for crawlspaces and poking around the yard after dark. It throws a strong beam — 600 lumens on high, 225 on low — and the single push-button switch is easy to find by feel. What makes it extra useful are the three built-in magnets and the detachable hook, which rotates 360 degrees so you can clamp it onto a pipe, car hood, or garage door and work hands-free. It recharges from either AC or DC power. — MF

Dad gift

I have recently been enjoying a tool I did not know I needed in my workshop. It’s a no-name high powered blower. When working in a shop, there is a constant need to clean away bits, sawdust, shavings, and other detritus that accumulate on a surface or tool. One blast from this and it is all sent to the floor. This replaces air hoses, or even other dedicated blowers because it fits onto any of the cordless batteries I already own, and because it is charged it is always handy. It also works for cleaning up patios and driveways. This delight in blowing stuff clean might be a dad thing. So I nominate this as a very dad-ish Father’s Day gift. Get one that fits his particular color batteries. — KK

Searchable Attenborough

Searchable Attenborough is a nature documentary archive that has indexed nearly 5,000 episodes across 90 of David Attenborough’s series. You can search by animal, habitat, location, natural phenomenon, or theme, and it accurately points you to the streaming service where you can watch. It feels like having direct access to learning about Earth and all its kingdoms. — CD

Counterculture design archive

Far Out Company is a curated archive of 1960s–70s counterculture visual art — concert posters, TV shows, underground newspapers, commune newsletters, comix, hippie business advertisements, and album art. I love the DIY design aesthetic of this era: hand-lettered type, day-glo colors, psychedelic illustrations. Artists and designers like Wes Wilson, Rick Griffin, and Milton Glaser were doing world-class work for free newspapers. It’s a good resource for design inspiration or a trippy rabbit hole to fall into. — MF

Art inspiration

Kids are so naturally creative they should be our art teachers. And their creativity is boundless as long as you don’t hamper them by calling the assignment making “art.” It’s more fun than that. Those two premises enliven artist Austin Kleon’s newest book, Don’t Call It Art. Kleon’s mission is encouraging creativity in kids and adults by means of stories, reminders, examples, and bits of his own art. His little tome is charming and inspirational. — KK

Free Pomodoro app

I’ve been looking for a replacement Pomodoro app for over a year, ever since my old browser extension stopped being supported. After trying a few that all wanted subscriptions or felt too distracting, I finally found a truly free one called Breaks. It runs quietly in the Mac menu bar, is easy to use, and lets me customize my focus and break times. — CD

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Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel and podcast, and other newsletters, including Recomendo Deals, Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Books That Belong On Paper, Cool Tools Weekly Newsletter, and Book Freak.

Mechanical-pencil.com reminds me of the Way Things Work book I loved as a kid, but with 3D animations that make it even more illuminating. Mechanical engineer and artist Bryan Macomber tears down familiar objects — a Pilot G2 retractable pen, a Zippo lighter, a Pez dispenser, a BIC mechanical pencil — and walks you through how each one works, part by part. Watching the push-push mechanism inside a clicky pen click into place is genuinely satisfying. I hope Bryan keeps adding to this series. — MF

Stories about Color

Storied Colors is nerdy and delightful. More than 250 colors are indexed and searchable so you can read the stories behind their origin, chemistry and use. This is especially meaningful to me because not only do I pride myself on knowing the various names for different shades of color, but when I was a young weird kid, instead of playing with dolls, I would play with my box of crayons as characters, assigning personalities based on their color. Color has always been a portal to the imaginal for me, rather than just a simple tint. There’s a mention on their website of an upcoming newsletter version that you can sign up for. — CD

Personal recommendations

The hosts of a great podcast we have featured on Recomendo before, Acquired, conclude each of their 3-hour episodes about legendary companies with several personal recommendations each. These could be any apps, books, destinations, shows, apparel, or devices they have personally enjoyed in the last month. They have good taste, lots of variety and a wide range, over their 10-year run. This sounds familiar! They call these reviews, “carve outs” (not connected to the show’s topic) but they are really Acquired’s version of Recomendo. I’ve found some good stuff this way. — KK

Two smart rings, compared

I’ve been wearing the RingConn Gen 3 and the Oura Ring 4 side by side for over a week, and their core tracking is nearly identical — sleep profiles, heart rate, and other vital signs all line up closely between the two. So on accuracy, it’s basically a wash. But I prefer the RingConn for two reasons: it doesn’t charge a $6/month subscription to see your own data, and it lets you export that data — neither of which Oura allows. The RingConn also has vibration alerts for a low battery, too much sitting, and other health nudges (you can silence them while sleeping). The one thing Oura does better: a small dimple that lets you orient the sensors toward your palm. The RingConn lacks that, so it sometimes rotates, and I’m not sure it’s reading accurately. — MF

Meme art

Obsessive effort spent on ridiculous memes, over-the-top projects about stupid things, absurd seriousness about nonsense. Also meticulous craftsmanship at scale: these are the hallmarks of art projects by Sunday Nobody, a young “meme artist” who posts on YouTube and Instagram. For a recent example of his gonzo projects, watch his Taco Bell Funeral. To finance his performances he sells limited editions of his very collectable art. His real art is the whole nerdy process. — KK

Writer Deck resource list

Johnny Webber put together a great list of resources for anyone contemplating purchasing or building their own Writer Deck, a single-purpose, distraction-free writing device. I still use my AlphaSmart Neo2, which I recommended in 2019 when you could still find them super cheap on Amazon, and the tactile keyboard feels so satisfying to type on while the battery life lasts for months and months. Someday I might invest in a newly made writer deck, but for now this works. — CD

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I copied this essay’s idea of an at‑home writing retreat by creating a loose schedule of deep‑work, time‑blocked writing between breaks for reading, meditating, walking my dog, lunch, and body care. What would have been a regular, aimless Saturday of half‑finished chores and movies turned into a day that felt both relaxing and genuinely productive at the same time. It surprised me how intentionally breaking my normal rhythm, even inside my own house, could leave me feeling like I’d been somewhere new mentally and physically. — CD

Tiny retro keychain camera

The Kodak Charmera is a thumb-sized digital camera that clips onto your keychain and shoots gloriously lo-fi 1.6-megapixel photos and video. My daughter has been taking amazing shots with it — the grainy, slightly washed-out images have a nostalgic, early-2000s digicam vibe that mocks the clinical perfection of phone cameras. One catch: without a microSD card, it only stores two photos, so buy a cheap card to make it truly useful. Young people are embracing these tiny cameras, maybe out of childhood nostalgia. Check out the r/toycameras subreddit for inspiring photos from the Charmera and other little cameras. — MF

Surprising podcasts

Two of my favorite new podcasts are produced by co-authors of one of the most notable books of last year, Abundance. The book argues for dynamic governance and a liberalism that builds stuff. Each author now has their own podcast. The Ezra Klein Show is in your standard interview format, but with an unexpected range of subjects, all cast through Klein’s sharp mind and extensive background. The conversations are reliably good. Derek Thompson’s Plain English show is a scripted narrative that researches interesting questions. His episodes are more like an audible magazine with more than one interviewee. I rate my podcasts on how often they surprise me, and Plain English is usually surprising. — KK

Disposable baby bibs

A common parenting challenge when traveling or visiting with small children: a bib is too bulky to carry around, but meals without it are a mess. First world solution: disposable bibs. Light, cheap, does the job, toss when done. $7 for 20. — KK

Private visual universe

Cosmos is a visual search engine like Pinterest, except it’s ad‑free (right now), which makes it a quieter, calmer place to gather and collect thematic images. There are no likes or comments, so it feels less like social media and more like a private gallery for drafting up mood boards and visual worlds. — CD

A rollicking Viking saga

My father kept recommending Frans G. Bengtsson’s novel The Long Ships to me, but I kept putting it off. As soon as I started reading it, I was enthralled. This 1941 Swedish classic follows Red Orm, a Danish boy abducted by Vikings, through galley slavery, Moorish Spain, battles in England, and treasure hunts along Russian rivers. It’s funny, exciting, and endlessly inventive. If you liked Game of Thrones, Edgar Rice Burroughs, or Jack Vance, you’ll probably love it too. Novelist Michael Chabon, who wrote the introduction, says he’s only ever met three other people who knew the book — and all of them, like him, “loved it immoderately.” — MF

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Most sources of AI-generated content do not warrant a second visit. The only AI-generated content I have been returning to are two YouTube channels that use AI to reconstruct history. The first one, Majestic Studios, recreates daily life in now legendary ancient cities as seen through time. I learned a lot, for instance, by following the development of Paris from 259 BC till the present. This same creator (a British bloke, Jonathan Laramime) created a synthetic character named Chloe, styled as an influencer in LA, who pretends to be a time-travelling tourist. Chloe is very believable. She wanders the streets in ancient times taking selfies and being wowed by the cultural norms. Chloe’s valley girl reactions to the ancient world is accessible and entertaining, but also historically accurate, which has made the channel Chloe VS History a viral hit. Recreating history is the perfect job for AI, and I expect these channels to be the first of many, as other history buffs create their own improved versions. — KK

Beautifully designed two-player card game

I bought the Desperate Oasis card game solely because the retro design is gorgeous — vintage orange-and-cream illustrations of camels, scorpions, jackals, and chameleons that look like they were pulled from a 1920s matchbook art. The fact that it’s actually fun to play is a bonus. Two players battle for control of five desert oases by playing animal cards on either side, using palm trees to boost values, and triggering special powers (the Deathstalker Scorpion destroys the weakest card; three Jackals create a bonus space). A round takes about 15 minutes, and a full game is three rounds. — MF

Theatrical releases you can stream

Every weekend I set out to figure out what’s in theaters that I can also watch from home. But between all the streaming services and web directories, I end up spending more time searching than watching. JustWatch.com used to solve this for me, but lately it feels complicated and sometimes inaccurate. It’s a made-up problem that doesn’t really matter but is genuinely annoying. My current fix is this IMDB list of theatrical releases you can stream or rent, and it seems to actually stay updated. — CD

Cheap living in China

Chinamaxxing is fashionable right now. One guy moved his family from America to China and gives an account of how much it costs to live in the middle class in China. His video report, “I Left the US for Shenzhen, China – Here’s How Much it Costs” ignores all the political aspects of living in China and merely focuses on the economic. Right now very few westerners will want to make the political tradeoffs to move to China, but this report will reveal a bit about how middle class Chinese are actually living, and gives a more realistic portrait of China today. — KK

Oddly satisfying tree stump removal videos

Uproot Excavator is a YouTube channel devoted entirely to one thing: tree stumps being yanked out of the ground by heavy equipment. The arm of an excavator, fitted with a pincer-like attachment, clamps onto a stump, rips it out along with a massive clump of roots that must weigh several hundred pounds, shakes the dirt loose, and sets the whole thing aside next to a fresh crater in the earth. That’s it. Hundreds of short videos, all basically the same removal over and over. I find it weirdly hypnotic and deeply satisfying to watch. — MF

Ten-minute skills for the rest of your life

This Reddit thread asks what a person can learn in 10 minutes that will be useful for life, and the top-voted answer is using your hand span, thumb to pinky, as a built-in measuring tool. Mine is 7 inches, which I will now never forget. The other favorites in the thread are worth sharing for your relationships and your nervous system: "Never explain yourself to people committed to misunderstanding you." Before responding in an argument, scan your body and take a slow nasal breath to notice fight or flight before you speak. Then speak calmly. "'No, I can't' is a full sentence. You don't owe anyone a 10-minute TED Talk about why." — CD

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Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel and podcast, and other newsletters, including Recomendo Deals, Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Books That Belong On Paper, Cool Tools Weekly Newsletter, and Book Freak.

Learn to draw from Lynda Barry

This hand-drawn book is the best course on art and drawing I’ve seen. The cartoonist Lynda Barry has been teaching non-artists to draw, and she has somehow magically captured her class into this book called Making Comics. This guidance is particularly aimed at people who think they can’t draw. It will teach you how to draw, more importantly how to see, and even more importantly how to create with originality, by taking yourself out of the way to see what shows up. It refreshed my very concept of art. I’ve already given two copies of it away. — KK

Mini sketch book

One of my daughters draws for hours a day, and she carries an Arteza 3.5x5.5” Mini Sketch Book Pocket Notebook everywhere she goes. She’s tried out different brands, including Moleskines, but prefers the Arteza sketchbook for its texture and versatility. It works well with pencil, ballpoint pen, ink pen, and markers. — MF

Explore the world of contemporary collage

Collé is a weekly email that explores the world of contemporary collage. Each issue highlights a new artist, showcasing their work and creative process. I’ve always viewed collage as the most accessible art medium, yet I am consistently astounded, inspired, and humbled by the creations featured in this newsletter. Check out their archive of past issues. — CD

Online figure drawing

I live close to the Art Director's Guild headquarters in Los Angeles, which has weekly evening figure drawing classes. My daughter and I go there occasionally, but I recently discovered a site called Line of Action that has a useful figure drawing practice system. It shows you a series of figure models posing for specified periods of time, just like a real figure drawing session. The hands-and-feet tool is especially useful (and challenging) for me.
— MF

Blackout poetry without torn books

Blackout Poetry Maker is a web app by Emma Winston that lets you make blackout poems without destroying a single page. You can pick from three sample texts or paste in your own. I used excerpts from my diary and made one I called "All the unknowns are outlined." — CD

Maker tips newsletter

I continue to be impressed by Gar's Tips & Tools, a newsletter that we co-publish with Gareth Branwyn. Every week Gareth scours the internets and the youtubes to find practical tips for makers of all stripes. His sources range from weekend crafters to hard-core professional workshoppers, from sewing cosplay to blacksmithing to woodworking. I generally find at least one or two tips I did not know about. All in a one quick read with ready links. — KK

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I am a huge fan of Dan Pink’s short pithy advice videos, some of which I have recommended before. His latest one is on an unconventional topic: how to spend money wisely. In a lot of ways, this particular advice is more important to grasp than the usual advice on how to make money, yet few talk about how to spend well. Science-based, no fluff, this distilled wisdom is well worth your 8 minutes. — KK

Interactive AI tutorial for curious minds

Software engineer Rob Ennals wanted his 11-year-old son to understand how modern AI works, but couldn’t find a tutorial that was rigorous without being either hand-wavey or impenetrable. The result is Learn AI Layer by Layer, a free online book with interactive playgrounds in every chapter. It assumes middle-school math. If you want a clear, hands-on explanation of what happens inside an LLM, this is the best one I’ve come across. — MF

Find a bra that fits

This one is for the people with breasts. I’ve been stuck in Victoria’s Secret sizing since adolescence because I could never figure out how to translate my measurements to any other brand. Over the years I tried in-person fittings and indie bra makers, but I’d ultimately go back to the devil I knew. This illustrated NPR guide by a professional bra fitter is what finally got me unstuck. It walks you through how to measure yourself at home and explains the different styles of bras. Once I had my true size, I tried Negative Underwear (worth the influencer hype, in my opinion) and now it’s the only brand I wear. I hope I can finally retire from the search for the perfect bra. — CD

Virtual Fish Doorbell

This livestream of a Dutch canal lock has a virtual doorbell viewers can ring to snap a picture and let the operator know fish are waiting to be let through. It doesn’t really open on demand, but the idea is very charming. If you scroll down you can see all the fish that have been recently spotted. I found it in the Deepculture newsletter, just back from my first trip to Amsterdam where I rented a boat and navigated the canals. It felt synchronistic, like a souvenir from my trip. — CD

Public printer drivers

A friend gifted me a fancy five-color ink-jet printer they were not using. It would be great except for a common malady: the manufacturer no longer supported a driver for it for my computer. This calamity is so common there is a community solution: Gutenprint (formerly Gimp-print). Public minded angels post open-source drivers for all kinds of computer-printer combinations, available for free downloads. Their Mac support is spotty, but older versions can still work. My needed driver was there. One caveat; it only supplies the printing functions, but lacks the maintenance and cleaning cycles. Still, I now have a printer that prints. — KK

Magnetic push pins for stubborn rolled posters

My daughter had a few rolled-up posters that kept springing off the wall — regular poster tack wasn't strong enough to hold the curl flat, and we didn't want to poke pinholes through the posters themselves. These Outus magnetic push pins solved it. You push a pin into the wall, lay the poster over it, then snap the included magnet onto the pin from the front to clamp the poster in place. The magnets are strong, and the only damage is a tiny hole in the wall — not in the poster. — MF

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