Free sports TV / Hot and cold face wand / Best pencil
Recomendo - issue #503
Free sports TV
I wanted to watch the Superbowl live and the Olympics but I don’t have cable and I don’t subscribe to Peacock. A friend tipped me off to the solution which is a $15 digital antenna. There are tons of no-name generic models. I used the URIIU Digital HDTV Antenna which is cucumber-sized stick with a long cable that plugs into my big LG screen. I now get all the over-the-air commercial-saturated channels for free, including NBC, which is streaming the sports. — KK
Hot and Cold Face Wand
I bought the Therabody TheraFace Depuffing Wand as a Christmas gift to myself. At first I thought of it as a fancy, possibly overpriced ice roller — battery-powered so that it stays consistently cold—but then I realized the real benefit for me is the heat function with its three temperature levels. I give my face a heat massage when my head hurts or I’m feeling anxious, and it helps relax my facial muscles and myself. I keep it at my work desk to soothe my tired eyes from too much screen time. — CD
My favorite mechanical pencil
I've tried dozens of mechanical pencils over the years, and my new favorite is the Staedtler Triplus Micro 0.5mm. The triangular barrel feels natural in your hand and doesn't roll off the table. The twist-up eraser is full-size, and the retractable tip means they won't stab everything when loose in a bag. Best of all, the lead stays tight in the barrel while writing or drawing. At about $3 each, they're an easy upgrade from whatever pencil you're using now. — MF
26 Useful Concepts for 2026
This list of 26 Useful Concepts for 2026 is offered as lenses or perspective shifts for staying afloat in this new age of “slop.” Each one has a short definition—some expose the invisible forces trying to hijack your attention or distort your perception of reality, while others help you stay aligned with your own truth and meaning. I especially loved Cammarata’s Razor: If you want more agency, ask yourself what you’d do if you had ten times more agency — then do it, and The Shower Test: “We’re socially conditioned to chase what we think everyone else wants. But your true heart’s desire can often be found in the thoughts you gravitate to while undistracted, such as in the shower. As Walt Whitman said, ‘If you want to know where your heart is, look to where your mind goes when it wanders.’” I wish I could remember where I first came across this to give credit, but it’s absolutely worth passing around. — CD
Prompt therapy
People can be helped meaningfully by reading books that know nothing about them. If you tell a reputable AI chatbot a lot about yourself, it can help you far more than a book or lecture can. In a 20-minute video Dan Pink crafted a dozen prompts that will enable an AI to give you helpful feedback of a type you may not get from your family and friends. It is a partner in honesty. This kind of prompt therapy is just a first step towards a whole new avenue of self-help that will only expand quickly from now on. I’ve done some of Dan’s prompts and they really will stir up something important in you and for you. — KK
Searchable Cool Tools and Recomendo
We built a companion page for Recomendo that tracks live Amazon prices on every product we’ve ever recommended since 2020 — over 2,500 items from both Recomendo and Cool Tools. Prices update nightly. Sort by biggest discount to find the best deals, filter by price range, or search for a specific product. Each listing links back to the original review. It’s like a permanent, always-updating clearance rack for our recommendations. Bookmark it and check back next time you are ready to buy. — MF
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Looking for an immersive new podcast that explores yesterday with an eye on today? Take a listen to the first season of Dust and Dispatches. This season, we tell the story of real people who started new lives in the American West after the Civil War. Start listening here.
Need some help with your project or business but not full time help? Visit Sidecar! Our goal is to support businesses and creatives at the size or scale they need. Bookkeeping, social media, admin, copy editing, operations...any task you’ve been putting off...we can help!
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Find your next favorite podcast. EarBuds Podcast Collective delivers human-curated episode picks, industry insights, and opportunities straight to your inbox. Join thousands of readers who trust EarBuds to discover what’s worth hearing. Subscribe free. Always free.
Want to see behind the scenes of a $10M online course business? Olly Richards has written a 118-page case study about how he did it. Download the 118-page case study for free.
Love Recomendo? Try Curious About Everything. For 15+ years, Jodi Ettenberg has combed the web for the best writing. Each month, she shares a free, hand-picked compendium of neuroscience, human stories, biology, & more. Human curation for the deeply curious.
An At-Home Foot Device some seniors are choosing when tired, uncomfortable feet start affecting evenings at home. Many seniors prefer this at-home foot option instead of appointments or pills, using it while sitting and relaxing at the end of the day. Learn more.
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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.
If you could share a screenshot of an example I would appreciate it
Several/many of your items have descriptions that describe something else. It's like the items and their descriptions were randomly shuffled before being combined.