Quote Investigator/The Booktrail/Thingiverse
Verifying who said it
On the internet, according to Abraham Lincoln, no one knows you are a dog. But the internet is worthless for checking the veracity of a popular quote. For that job I always head to the totally reliable Quote Investigator. This Sherlock Holmes goes to inordinate lengths, almost a magazine article worth of research, to discover, verify (or dismiss) the source of a quote. His investigations are educational, fun, trustworthy, and completely satisfying. If you have a recurring quote whose source you cannot track down, you can submit it to him. — KK
Pick a novel set in a location of your choosing
Enter a location in The Booktrail and it will find books set there. You can refine the search by selecting a setting from a pull-down menu (e.g., a bookshop, factory/office, prison). I searched Chicago in a factory office setting and got Girl in Disguise, about a female Pinkerton agent in the 1850s. — MF
Library of things
Thingiverse is a free library of files for printing in 3D. Search or browse for a thing you want and there’s a good chance someone has already designed a model and posted a free version for downloading. Thingiverse has been around a while but I just got my first 3D printer so now I am singing its praises. Some models are easier to print than others, but the files are standard 3D format so you can easily edit, modify, or improve it any way you want. It’s like having a public library of e-things instead of e-books. Its existence is one of the reasons I got a 3D printer. — KK
Tricks used to make you pay more
Here are 29 Psychological Tricks and Tactics Used to Make People Buy More found on Reddit. A little embarrassing how many of these "buy more/buy now" tricks I've fallen for. To combat this, I have a "buy it later" list that I add links to and thankfully forget about, and I recently made a rule to no longer shop from my phone. — CD
Best creativity pep talk
I find it hard to sit through Ted Talks and avoid anything that gets too preachy about the creative process, but in this 9-minute video, "Give yourself permission to be creative", Ethan Hawke likens creativity to a poet playing the fool and that is exactly my language. "Don't read the book you should read. Read the book you want to read. Get close to what you love. Play the fool." — CD
Almond Flour
I’ve been baking a lot with almond flour lately. It is low in carbs, high in healthy fats, and has almost no sugar. The brand I buy is Anthony’s. Start with a 2-lb bag and see if you like it. If you’re like me, you’ll soon be buying the 4-lb bags. (Try my recipe for almond flour bread) — MF
— Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, Claudia Dawson
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