Smokeless fire pit/Pirate radio map/Human laws

Recomendo - issue #463

Smokeless fire pit

We wanted a portable fire pit for our patio, and my wife insisted that it be as smokeless as possible, so we settled on an East Oak Smokeless Fire Pit. I was pretty dubious about the smokeless part, but much to our delight, the East Oak burns all kinds of wood (from split firewood to 2x4 scraps) with almost no smoke once it gets going. We got the 21-inch version which is large enough. It is made of stainless steel so it has withstood standing outside for all seasons well. The retail price is listed as $270, however recently it has been selling for $160 or less. (Reminder you can use Camelcamelcamel to alert you to a target price on Amazon.) — KK

Human behavior rules

The Grand Encyclopedia of Eponymous Laws is a collection of 200 playful observations about human nature. Many of them are new to me. A few samples:

• Time Cube Law: “As the length of a webpage grows linearly, the likelihood of the author being a lunatic increases exponentially.”

• Wadsworth Constant: “The first 30% of any video can be skipped because it contains no worthwhile or interesting information.”

• Akin’s 10th Law: “When in doubt, estimate. In an emergency, guess. But be sure to go back and clean up the mess when the real numbers come along.”

— MF

Pirate Radio Map

This sound map of Brooklyn’s pirate radio stations is an audio archival project that lets you tune into the underground and countercultural broadcasts of past eras. When I was a child, my dad was a long-haul truck driver, so I would listen to Coast to Coast AM to feel close to him. I’ve always been fascinated by all things radio-CB radios, ham radios, pirate radios. The little girl in me still loves the lo-fi quality and fringeness of it all. — CD

Sprinkler key hide

If you still use keys for your front door lock, this small $4 hard plastic holder is the most perfect one I’ve found to hide a spare key. It is disguised exactly as the black top of a sprinkler in your garden or lawn. — KK

Park poetry service

Oliva Dodd goes to public parks with a folding table and a manual typewriter. She invites strangers to open up and tell her something personal about their lives. After a moment’s reflection, Dodd types a poem on a card, which she reads out loud to the person. As you can see on her Instagram, the recipients are sometimes moved to tears by the poignancy of the poems. — MF

5 Habits of Super Calm People

This article explores the perspectives necessary to cultivate calmness, but I think the key takeaway is that super calm people are not free from chaos. Instead, they have developed the ability to respond to chaos with acceptance, self-responsibility, flexible thinking, presence, and a natural alignment with the cycles of life. — 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 Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Books That Belong On Paper and Book Freak.