Nest/V for Wiki/Order of Books
Safety:
I just purchased our fourth Nest smoke and carbon monoxide alarm for our home. As our old Home Depot smoke alarms go kaput one by one, I have replaced them with the more expensive, but superior, Nest. They seem to last longer, are smarter, less annoying, and are networked via wifi. In theory (no actual disasters yet), each Nest will broadcast a concern it detects to all the others, so a fire in my downstairs home office would be announced in a message by the Nest in our living room. It also sends alerts to my phone if I am away. — KK
Time/money saver:
Living in SF and lack of parking makes me avoid grocery shopping. I buy in bulk and use grocery delivery services when I can, but there are minimum purchases for free delivery and sometimes the prices are marked up. Greatist has researched-backed tips for more efficient in-store shopping. Planning the week’s dinners and committing to a list has helped me minimize unnecessary trips. Listening to music and avoiding all other aisles are helpful. — CD
Reading tool:
Amazon does a poor job of presenting book series in order. I wanted the chronological order of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe novels. The website Order of Books had it, along with many other book series. — MF
Listenable:
I’m totally hooked on S-Town, an amazing 6-hour audio documentary from the folks that brought you the hit podcast Serial. Although it starts out like Serial, S-Town takes off as a deep dive into another America most listeners like me have never experienced. Plenty of plot twists amid a parade of local character and colors: Southern Gothic, redneck, Trump country blues. But at its heart it’s a story of one person’s attempt to make sense of his life. — KK
Wikipedia tool:
V for Wikipedia recreates the childhood joy of getting lost in my old Encyclopedia set. One subject would inspire me to look up another and I’d end up flipping back and forth between pages and indexes for hours. Now I can use my iPhone and seamlessly jump to the next subject with a quick tap. Honestly, this app is so easy and enjoyable to use — totally worth the $4.99. — CD
Drinkable:
I like my black tea to have a robust flavor, so I use a lot of it in each cup I make. This organic Darjeeling tea from Vahdam fits the bill. It smells wonderful and is very tasty. A 14.4 ounce bag costs $28. They say one bag makes 200+ cups, but I probably only get 100 cups out of it. Still a good deal! — MF
— Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, Claudia Dawson