Blendable color markers

For sketching and painting I favor alcohol-based markers, which let you blend colors like a watercolor brush, but with the convenience of a felt marker. The preferred premier markers are the extremely expensive Copics. An equivalent inexpensive alternative for blendable markers with dual tips (fat or point) are Bianyo. I can paint quickly easily in a notebook using a travel set like these 72 Bianyo markers. — KK

How to use layers in Photoshop

When it comes to Photoshop, I feel like a permanent newbie. I’ve been using it for 20 years, and I’ve just scratched the surface. Recently I watched this video on how to use Photoshop layer masks, which is a very useful way to blend images in different layers. There are lots of other good tutorial videos on the same YouTube channel. — MF

Bulk delete contacts

Somehow I merged google contacts from both my work and my personal email with my iPhone contacts and I couldn’t figure out an easy way to bulk delete. This article outlines how to delete multiple contacts at one time using Groups. The app is a little clunky, but it was free, and an added bonus was I was able to also merge duplicates pretty easily. — CD 

Triple cleverness

If the genius artist Escher could make a musical 3D video it would like this one by mathematical explainer Vi Hart. You can move around in all 360 degrees of a 4-minute piece with 3 overlapping piano performances by a recurring Vi Hart. Watch the making-of video to appreciate the mathematical beauty of its recursive complexity. — KK

Best ice cream scoop

This OXO Ice Cream Scoop ($15) makes serving dessert painless. The pointed scoop makes it easier to break into frozen ice cream and the eject trigger just drops it right in your bowl. I like to run it under warm water right before I scoop to soften the ice cream. — CD 

Big bag of nettles

When I ordered this $15 bag of dried nettles leaves from Amazon, I didn’t expect to get such a giant-sized bag. Even at the rapid rate my family drinks nettles tea, this bag will last at least a year. We’ve used nettles for years as a very effective treatment for seasonal pollen allergies. Even if it’s just a placebo effect, the herbal tea is delicious. (I haven’t experienced side effects, but Web MD lists them here.) — MF

— Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, Claudia Dawson