Arun is a product designer, engineer, photographer, and writer. Most recently, he was co-founder and product designer at Carrot Fertility. He writes at arun.is.

TOOLS:
0:00 – Intro
0:49 – BMI 40b x4 tape measure
6:26 – BMI Inklinat level
10:00 – Merco packing tape dispenser
15:00 – Pinecil soldering iron

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A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.

New Train Route in North America

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a headline like that and it actually delivered: usually it means there are plans that might happen a decade from now. But on Friday, the new Brightline train from Orlando Airport to Miami will finally be running for real. It stops at West Palm Beach and Boca Raton too, or you could switch to local service for a stop and get to the Ft. Lauderdale or Miami airports. The next phase, which is still “someday,” will connect Orlando and Tampa. Watch future issues about new lines coming soon in Mexico too, ones the president already rode on for photo ops.

“Laptop Luggers” Profile

A Deloitte report based on a survey conducted in March and April predicted a huge summer for international air travel (they were right) but had some interesting insights on “laptop luggers” who planned to work while they were away. Those bringing a laptop were wealthier (39% making $100K+), more confident about their finances, and planned to take an average of 3.8 trips over the summer. They’re not stereotypical loners: “One in four will travel with 3–5 people, while over half of disconnectors are traveling with one other adult.” (via Kevin Kelly)

Home Swaps for Working Travelers

Have you ever rented an Airbnb place that promised fast Wi-Fi, only to find you couldn’t get any work done because it was down or super slow? And that you had to work from a bed or sofa? Noad Exchange (an occasional Nomadico advertiser) is trying to change all that with a home exchange program just for working travelers. Every listing must have internet speeds of 20mbps or more and have a place to get work done. Once you join and list your own place, you only pay one credit per night plus the cleaning fee, making it far cheaper than renting through Airbnb or Booking as well. Use ALCENTRO as the promo code to get 3 additional credits when you sign up and if you feel like taking a flyer on an early-stage investment, they’ve got a funding round going too, with low minimums.

Digital Nomad Visa Realities

The hype about digital nomad visas seems to be dying down in the mainstream press as it becomes clear that some of these big announcements aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Some of the plans that are real have hidden tax implications or onerous paperwork requirements that don’t suit the self-employed. We’ve linked to a few round-up reports in the past, but this seems to be the best one for digital nomad visas you can apply for now and they’re laying out all the cons, not just the pros. Don’t forget that in these other countries that allow long-stay tourist visas, you may not need residency anyway if not moving there permanently.

Gareth’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales is published by Cool Tools Lab. To receive the newsletter a week early, sign up here.

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Maker’s Muse

Coolest propane tank ever!

How PID Controllers Work

In your travels in the world of electronics, however casual, you have most likely encountered the term “PID controller.” In this Digi-Key video, Shawn offers a crystal clear introduction to what PID (proportional, integral, derivative) is and the science of Control Theory behind it.

In the video, we use an example of a cruise control system in a car. We want to design a mechanism that can maintain a constant speed by controlling the position of the accelerator (gas pedal). PID controllers are a perfect fit for such a system. In fact, most modern cars use PID controllers for cruise control.

A simple, naive approach to designing such a controller is to adjust the process’s input signal based on the set point alone with no feedback. This is known as an “open-loop control system.” This may work in some cases, but most of the time, the output is dependent on other factors (such as road conditions and hill climbs for our cruise control system). As a result, we need to incorporate feedback into our controller.

A “closed-loop control system” measures the actual output of the process and compares it to the set point. The error is the difference between these two values, and it’s used as the input to the controller. The controller looks at that error and makes adjustments as needed to the process’s input.

Scissor Sharpening Basics

Confession time: I absolutely suck at tool maintenance. I avoid it like the plague. Every year, I tell myself that I want to get better, and every year, little changes. At least this year I told myself I would be better about cleaning the gardening/yard tools and have done OK with that. Part of this maintenance aversion means that I never sharpen anything. But, after watching this video, I decided to at least sharpen our scissors collection. In the video, James uses a cheap flat file and a diamond sharpening/whetstone to get the job done. Like James in the video, I have several pairs of lovely vintage scissors that need this kind of TLC. After the scissor sharpening, it should be on to the knives. Our kitchen knives are laughably dull. Do you share a similar aversion to sharpening and other forms of maintenance?

Looking at Hobby Brushes under a Microscope

In this Goobertown Hobbies video, Brent delves into some hobby science with his new digital microscope. Using it, he peers into a bunch of synthetic and natural bristle paint brushes, from the very cheap to the expensive, from the new to the very well used. The results are fascinating. Under the microscope, you can really see why natural bristle brushes are superior to synthetics, how the tension in their fibers helps in keeping the integrated, pointy shape of the brush. One of my favorite parts of the video was seeing his dirty old brushes under the scope before and after a thorough cleaning.

TOYS! Magnetic Project Mat

Via a Cool Tools “Tools of Possibility” newsletter, I was reminded of this wonderfully useful iFixIt magnetic parts mat for assembly/disassembly of electronics. Not only is it magnetized to keep all of your parts in place, it’s also a whiteboard so you can label everything and even take notes. You can also get one for half the price on Amazon.

Revisiting “The Kenny Rogers Rule”

In having done this newsletter for the past 5 years or so, I am frequently asked what are my top-most tips? What are the ones that stick, that “changed my life” (or at least my workflow). I was reminded a few nights ago of one tip that would be at the top of such a list: The Kenny Rogers Rule (as in “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, Know when to fold ’em, Know when to walk away, Know when to run”). This is a name I came up with years ago for knowing when to take a break from a project that has turned to little but frustration. The other night, I was trying to put together a bed frame that was not cooperating. It was all the things we know all too well about modern flat-pack furniture: warpage, improperly-drilled holes, cheap hardware, confusing instructions. By the time I was down to the last two nuts and bolts, I was struggling, sweating profusely, and rung tight with curses and frustration. I decided to put the tools down and come back tomorrow. In the morning, rested and with a new dedication to getting this damn thing done, it took about ten minutes to finish (with nary a bead of sweat or profane utterance). A perennial lesson from Kenny to us all.

Shop Talk

It’s always interesting to see which posts are going to get the most response. It turns out (OK, no surprise, really) that everyone loves pasta and has something to say about it. I got the biggest response ever to the item I posted in the last issue about cooking spaghetti right in the sauce instead of in water.

Just a few examples:

Steven Roberts: Yes on the pasta in sauce… been doing this for years, both with fresh pasta from my extruder and dried stuff. Originally motivated by being on the sailboat and wanting to minimize fuel, steam generation, and water waste… but I came to like the effect of cooking something in flavor so it’s not just a neutral substrate. Coupled with making pasta that contains herbs, it’s another variable to play with that has a side benefit of resource management… but so much with creamier sauces unless you do the wine part first then add heavy cream near the end. I never turned it into a formula, but when I do that I just make the sauce more watery than usual, then adapt on the fly if I underestimated. (For some things, that differentiation between substrate and sauce has greater expressive value, and the equation is more about fuel and water resources. It’s more of an addition to the toolkit than a standard protocol.)

Daniel Kim: It turns out that you can soak pasta in cold water to make it pliable. This can be stored in a bag in the refrigerator, and then put in to the sauce when you heat it up. (When I’ve tried cooking pasta in sauce, and have leftovers, the pasta gets too soft for me)

Amit Agrawal: Also, this trick thickens the pasta sauce from the starch in the pasta.

George Mokray: I save pasta water for other uses later.

P. Korm: Cooking the pasta in the sauce is a trick that Ralphy shows Jackie Jr. in season 3 of The Sopranos. Though, of course, it’s not tomato sauce, it’s “the gravy’.”

Matt Middleton: If you have a standalone pressure cooker (e.g. Instant Pot), you can do the same thing; you need about 16 oz of sauce, 16 oz of liquid (water, broth, wine, etc.), and 16 oz of pasta. Meatballs are optional, but recommended IMO; if using, add them first. Break long noodles and spread out so they don’t clump too much, then dump sauce and liquid over everything. Set it for high pressure, and cooking time is about half whatever the box says; the linguine I usually use says 9 minutes, so I round down to 4. Quick release the pressure, and if yours has a Keep Warm setting, turn it off. When safe, open and use tongs to stir up the noodles. They might seem a little underdone, but that’ll fix itself up quickly enough. My kiddos prefer the frozen box meatballs, so I use those, but you can class it up with your own fresh ones, saute onions & garlic before adding sauce, or any other technique you like to build up some extra flavor.

And someone even upped the ante by sending this link to frying your spaghetti!

Get Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind

Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry by Jennifer Shannon, explains that anxiety is generated by the “monkey mind,” which perceives threats and sounds alarms to try to keep us safe. This can lead to an ongoing “anxiety cycle” where we feed the monkey mind by using avoidance and resistance strategies in response to anxiety, which confirms the perception of threat and maintains the anxiety.

The book identifies three common “monkey mindsets” that underlie anxiety:

1. Intolerance of uncertainty: Believing we must be 100% certain of outcomes.
2. Perfectionism: Believing we cannot make mistakes.
3. Over-responsibility: Believing we are responsible for others’ feelings.

To break the anxiety cycle, Shannon recommends replacing avoidance/resistance strategies with strategies that create new experiences to support an expanded mindset. She also encourages welcoming anxiety sensations and emotions rather than resisting them.

Here are four tips from the book:

Thank the monkey

When you get caught up in anxious, worrying thoughts, don’t try to suppress or argue with them. Instead, just observe the thoughts and say “Thank you, monkey” to acknowledge them. This creates distance between you and the anxious thoughts.

Ask the monkey for more

When you feel anxious sensations or emotions, purposefully ask for more of them. Say things like, “Good, let me feel more numbness!” This shows your brain that you can handle the feelings.

Ignore the monkey

Practice making decisions according to your values rather than the monkey mind’s focus on safety. For example, choosing an adventurous restaurant over your usual safe choice.

Befriend the monkey

Treat the monkey mind like an overprotective friend trying to keep you safe, rather than an enemy. Have compassion for its limited perspective.

Once a week we’ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because the possibilities they inspire are new. Sign up here to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.

Understanding big buildings

David Macaulay’s Visualizations

Few have mastered the big picture better than artist David Macaulay. When a kid wants to know about pyramids or castles introduce him/her to Macaulay’s books. Macaulay dissects the parts in kid-obsessive detail while keeping his eye on the whole. And he shows how it all grows in time. His uncanny ability to x-ray complex places makes him the master guide to the built world. Of all his books, Underground is his most revelatory. Even adults will find themselves studying each page of “the city underneath the city” in aha enlightenment. Oh, so THAT’S how it works! Macaulay revisited three of his early books — Castle, Cathedral, and Mosque — creating new even more amazing visualizations, and combined the books into one new book called Built to Last. It’s a short course on civilization for kids. — KK

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Fantastic architecture

Generative AI art is particularly suited for architecture. My favorite AI Instagram follow right now is Midjourney Architecture. It features the best examples from diverse creative AI co-artists who generate ultra imaginative buildings and unexpected interiors. It doesn’t matter if these won’t ever be built. (There is a set of multiple images behind each image on the home page.) — KK

Canning funnel

Using wide-mouth mason jars is a great way to store leftover soups, stews, and curries that I prepare in a pressure cooker. However, transferring the liquid into the jars often creates a mess on the counter. That’s where a canning funnel comes in handy. I wish I had purchased one 20 years ago. The one I currently use is the Bilal stainless-steel model. — MF

Non-Sleep Deep Rest tracks 

Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR), also known as yoga nidra, induces a state of deep relaxation while maintaining consciousness. If you’re unable to take a 15-minute nap when you’re tired, I find that one of these free 9-minute NSDR tracks has a similar effect. The guided breathing techniques help to slow down my heart rate, and the body scans redirect my focus from external visual information to a sensation of pure rest. — CD

Successfulness tips

If you define success in the conventional ways – wealth, fame, accomplishments — then Sam Altman has a great list of tips on How to Be Successful that are very helpful in nudging you in that direction. Altman is the co-founder of OpenAI and ChatGPT, but he published this essay five years ago before he was “successful.” — KK

Clean 15 fruits and vegetables

When it comes to buying produce, I opt for organic whenever possible. However, there are certain non-organic fruits and vegetables that contain negligible traces of pesticides. These are known as the “Clean Fifteen” and are typically cheaper than their organic counterparts. The list includes avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, onions, papaya, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, honeydew melon, kiwi, cabbage, mushrooms, mangoes, watermelon, and carrots. On the other hand, the “Dirty Dozen” refers to produce that, when non-organic, tends to have high levels of pesticides. This list includes strawberries, peaches, spinach, cherries, kale, pears, nectarines, tomatoes, apples, celery, grapes, and potatoes. Choosing organic versions of these can help avoid pesticide exposure. — MF

Curated links to the very best documentaries

Rocumentaries.com is a growing collection of over 200 documentaries handpicked by the website’s creator for their quality and interesting subject matter. You can filter the selection by Genres and Channels, and each listing includes links that direct you to their streaming platforms. I always enjoy documentaries but don’t have the time to search for new ones, so I appreciate that these films have been vetted and vouched for, and I’ve added several to my watchlist. — CD 

Joseph Wright is a fullstack software engineer and data sensemaker in Pittsburgh. You can find Joseph on Twitter @joegle. His website is joegle.com.

TOOLS:
0:00 – Intro
0:44 – Benchmade Mini Bugout 533 Folding Knife
5:42 – County Comm Glow-in-the-dark parts tray
10:31 – Snow Peak double walled mugs (for seasoning with coffee)
16:24 – Analog chess clock (my fav is Seiko BZ361L)

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Natalie Buda Smith is Director of Digital Strategy at the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. Her career spans three decades in design, technology, and culture. The Library of Congress serves millions daily in their pursuit of researching our rich cultural archives, understanding U.S. legislation, and serving our nation’s creative communities through Copyright.

TOOLS:
0:00 – Intro
1:09 – Newspaper Navigator
6:55 – Citizen DJ
11:44 – Library of Congress photo library
16:39 – Lib guides

To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form.

A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.

No-metal Belt for Airports

Co-founder Kevin Kelly and I both swear by no-metal belts for airport days and we also like the fact that these military-style webbed ones don’t have holes either, so they fit precisely no matter what’s going on with your waistline. I’ve been using the same one for five years and it looks like new. There’s a stream of very similar ones on Amazon with Chinese names, but this brand has the highest ratings and you get two (of different colors) for under $20, with Prime shipping.

Tough Solar-powered Watch

Speaking of travel gear that holds up well, I’ve passed the 12-year mark on the watch I wear the most when traveling: My Casio solar-powered one with an altimeter. I’ve never replaced the battery because it recharges from sunlight. Even when it sits in a drawer for months though, it doesn’t wear down because the display turns off to save power. Prices range from $35 to $350 and that vast range stems from how deep they can go in the water and what features they have, so if you don’t care about underwater strength, the altimeter, or other features, then you can go with the low end at this page. Some have analog dials too.

The Return To Office Tug-of-war

Corporate efforts to get people to commute to cubicles again are not going well. Widespread employee satisfaction drops in surveys seem to be correlating closely with back-to-office demands. When dating app Grindr demanded that its workers return to the office, almost half of them said, “No thanks” and quit. At Amazon, efforts to drive workers back to the office have become a PR nightmare for the company and led to very public departures and protests. Meanwhile, remote companies are finding higher worker satisfaction, less turnover, and more diversity in their workforce. Remote work is a godsend for those who are trying to balance work demands with taking care of the kids, so why are “pro-family” leaders so hung up on butts in office seats? I believe the most obvious explanation is the most plausible: roughly half of commercial office space is sitting empty and a lot of powerful people own those buildings—or collect taxes from them.

Earth-friendly Toiletries in Europe

We tend to be North America-centric in this newsletter since that’s where we and the biggest chunk of our readers are from, but here’s one for the Europeans. Reader Mira replied to my earlier post about planet-friendly toiletry packaging with a recommendation for a Dutch company called Lekker. They make organic, sustainably packaged items like deodorant, lip balm, sunscreen, and soap. They ship all over Europe and in the Netherlands shipping is free with a minimum 35-euro spend.

Get Anxiety Rx

In his book Anxiety Rx: A New Prescription for Anxiety Relief from the Doctor Who Created It, Russell Kennedy shares his personal journey to heal from chronic anxiety and offers a new perspective on understanding and treating this common condition. Drawing on his medical training coupled with Eastern practices like meditation, Kennedy provides a holistic framework to help readers find relief from anxiety’s grip.

Here are four tips from the book:

Separate the mental and physical components of anxiety

Viewing anxious thoughts and bodily alarm as interconnected makes anxiety very difficult to unravel. By distinguishing worried thinking from alarmed bodily sensations, you can target each component with specific interventions. For the mental aspect of anxiety, practices like meditation, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy can help you observe anxious thoughts from a distance without engaging or believing them. This diffuses their power over you. For the physical bodily sensations, relaxation techniques like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, and mindfulness of body sensations can activate the parasympathetic nervous system and calm feelings of alarm.

Bring awareness to anxious thoughts without getting caught up in them

Notice worried thoughts arising without following or arguing with them. This helps diffuse their power. Starve anxious thoughts of the credibility, belief, and attention they need to persist. Use mindfulness to observe thoughts non-judgmentally without believing or engaging with them. This prevents you from getting sucked into the storyline of the anxious thinking. Practice attention redirection by intentionally focusing on something else when you notice anxious thoughts arising. Shift your concentration to physical sensations, breathing, or external sights/sounds. Reframe worrying as wasted energy and make an empowered choice to focus your mental energy on the present moment. Repeatedly bring your concentration back to the body and out of the head which houses anxious thoughts.

Use mindfulness and breathing to calm the body

Slow, deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering feelings of alarm. Keeping attention on the physical sensations of inhaling and exhaling helps ground you in the present moment.

Don’t try to forcibly resist anxiety

Trying to suppress anxiety often backfires and strengthens its grip. Instead, adopt an allowing, non-judgmental attitude toward your anxious experiences. Remind yourself that anxiety is temporary and cannot truly harm you. Avoid value judgements about whether it is good or bad – simply let it be. This helps discharge the fight-or-flight pressure behind anxiety. Resisting it often paradoxically reinforces it, while allowing space for it to unfold results in it gradually dissipating on its own.

Once a week we’ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because the possibilities they inspire are new. Sign up here to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.

Comfy spray can gun

Can-Gun 1

Using your index finger to press and steer a can of spray paint gets old very quickly. If your paint job lasts more than a few minutes, you really should use a snap-on pistol grip. It saves your knuckle, keeps paint off your trigger finger, and gives you an easy way to guide the spray. For years I’ve used an earlier model of this grip (called simply Can-Gun), but that one was only operated with a single finger trigger. This new version uses your whole palm. It’s comfortable, quick-on and off, and the only way to spray. I had a 5-can job on a chain-link fence and the Can-Gun made it kind of fun. Even for small spray paint jobs, I slip one of these on. — KK

Extra tough spray paint

Rustoleum Epoxy Appliance Paint

I learned about this spray paint a while ago from an old gent that restores appliances. The paint is a super-hard washable epoxy coating for appliances that have scuffed or discolored surfaces. The spray paint goes on very smoothly; I’ve used 4 cans worth, and have not had any drips or runs. I used it first on an old refrigerator, the front of a gas stove and the vent above.

Heat doesn’t seem to bother it, or at least it hasn’t bubbled. The paint dries in about 2 hours to a touchable surface, but it is best to let it sit for a few hours, and it really looks good. Price at Home Depot was $6.00 a can, same as any other Rustoleum product. It comes in several colors and can also be purchased, apparently, in gallon cans. For the price it is hard to beat, and for this application I haven’t seen any comparable product that works as well. It is a very easy and practical way to refurbish old appliances. My wife even likes it.

Note: For those looking for higher heat applications, Rustoleum makes a high-heat enamel spray for restoring grills and other hot appliances that can withstand a wider temperature range. — Stephen Young

Hand-size air-compressed hammer

Palm Nailer

A palm nailer is a magic hammer. Like a nail gun, you hook it up to an air compressor, but unlike a nail gun, it can be held in the palm of one hand. Its appearance doesn’t make its usage obvious, but this air tool pounds in nail after nail without hurting my hand at all. Just place a nail exactly where you want it. Press the opening on the nailer over the nail, and BAP! BAP! BAP! BAP! BAP! — compressed air drives a little hammer head inside the sleeve to gently pound in the nail. It takes about 10+ taps to get a nail all the way in, but in under a second.

I never knew about palm nailers until my brother-in-law clued me in — and he learned from a friend who is a carpenter. They’re perfect for working with precise positioning, like if you are putting together something with the previously-reviewed Simpson Strong-Tie connectors. I specifically bought mine to do the siding on a backyard shed with a fort for my kids. I just wish I’d known about it when I was doing the framing. I used a lot of Strong-tie connectors that required a whole lot of manual wrist-busting hammering of nails, because — unlike the palm nailer — a framing nailer just isn’t accurate enough for the Strong-tie holes.

The palm nailer is a total joy to use. I love my air compressor and air tools (and have three nail guns already), but another plus is the palm nailer works with any single nail, not just framing nail-gun feed nails. Also, the size of the palm nailer lets you get into places either a framing nailer or a manual hammer simply can’t fit very well. I’ve only used a Bostitch-branded palm nailer that I picked up at Lowe’s. It was like $80, so not what I’d call cheap, but it’s made by a solid manufacturer and it’s readily available online and if you’re walking into a big box hardware store. — Eric Lundquist

Paint Roller Cleaner

Wagner Roller Washer

This is the best way I have found to clean paint rollers.

After squeezing and/or scraping as much paint out of the fur of the roller as possible, it only takes the Roller Washer about a minute or two to blast water deep into the roller and rinse away the remaining paint.

I usually then give my rollers a “shampoo” with some liquid soap, and moving the roller up and down inside the Roller Washer until the soap bubbles disappear. This is followed by spinning the roller on the frame with an air compressor blow gun to remove the water and fluff the fibers. — Andy McConnell

Centripetal brush cleaner

Paint Brush Spinner

A paint brush spinner is used to clean paint brushes or roller covers. With water-based paints or varnish you simply insert the brush handle into the tongs or grippers, or slide the roller cover over the outside of the tongs. Then while running the brush or roller cover under water from the utility sink (or garden hose and garbage can) you get it spinning.

The brush spinner has a spiral shaft that when pushed into the body rapidly spins the brush or roller cover. The whole process is similar to a child’s spinning toy, with the end result being that dirty water and paint is flung off. A similar process can be used with oil-based products.

The only downside is that the spinner spiral shaft eventually gets rusty and needs lubrication. In the past I’ve used DL Waterless Hand Cleaner to remove any rust that builds up. — Peter Klemann

Better paint & roller holder

Bercom Ladder Pail

I’ve always done my own painting. I’ve owned a number of boats and have restored an 80-year-old house. Through all that I used dozens of metal and plastic roller pans, the standard variety that are widely available for next to nothing. While they are ubiquitous and cheap, they don’t keep the roller out of the paint; they don’t have a place to keep a brush out of the way and out of the paint; and they’re easily knocked off your ladder’s paint shelf. This one by Bercom rules them all and is well worth the money.

It’s listed as a ladder pail, but it’s really best as a replacement for a standard paint tray. I can fill this bucket with paint, hook my roller on one side, a good brush on the other and proceed to neatly and easily paint both from the ground and from up on an extension- or step ladder.

I’ve used it for more than a year and have done a number of rooms with high ceilings in two different houses. The ability to suspend both the brush and the roller above the paint and use either without interference, easily, on a ladder make this bucket a joy to use. All the fittings are first rate. The shape is perfect. Even the little details shine, such as the molded-in channels to make pouring the paint from the bucket back into the can smoother.

And the magnet that holds the brush is removable for cleaning, which means I can easily get the bucket back to like-new condition. All in all, I highly recommended it. I won’t paint on a ladder without it. — Dennis Faust

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Find a daily Totem Word 

This digital word game called Totem Word is a quick and fun way to find a single word that resonates with you in the present moment. You start off with 10 words, narrow them down to 5, and ultimately choose one that defines you. I’ve been focusing on  words related to my passions, personality traits, and aspirations. The final word I select serves as a guiding principle throughout my day. So far, my daily words have included artful, restful, inquisitive, and avant-garde. — CD 

Framable postage stamps

A recent set of forever stamps released by the US Postal Service is so beautiful they could be framed. These stamps depict “Life Magnified” in stunning micro-photographs. In fact this sheet is so lovely that you can buy the sheet without the usual perforations (which means they can’t easily be mailed), but perfect for framing. If you need a stamp, they look great on envelopes as well and are valid “forever.” — KK

Picture hanging tool

We recently moved and needed to mount a couple of dozen pieces of wall art. I bought a picture hanging kit called the Go Hang It! that simplified and sped up the process. The plastic gadget makes it easy to position a picture precisely where you want it and mark the wall for mounting hardware. — MF

Best outdoor blanket

For 30 years we’ve permanently packed a blanket in our car, which we use for picnics, sitting on the beach, as a seat at rest stops, etc. For the past few years we keep the Scuddles Outdoor Blanket ($28, and 15,000 reviews on Amazon), which is the best. One side is slippery and waterproofed which means it stays dry but also dirt and sand don’t stick to it. The other side is fuzzy but very durable and tidy. While it spreads out large, it easily folds up into a handy self-closing easy-to-store package with a handle. Very nice. — KK

Tips from the world’s best note takers

Noted is a weekly newsletter on the art of note-taking that focuses on the personal notebooks of creative and historical figures. I’m always amazed at the in-depth research and insights by English professor and literary historian Jillian Hess. Her passion and curiosity for note-taking are evident and very inspiring. Peeking inside personal notebooks offers an intimate glimpse into someone’s inner space and this newsletter has influenced the way I organize my own thoughts. Highly fascinating and highly recommended. — CD 

Rules for reading

Author and bookstore owner Ryan Holiday is a voracious reader. He’s compiled a list of 38 rules to make book-reading more rewarding. Excerpts:

• In every book you read, try to find your next one in its footnotes or bibliography. This is how you build a knowledge base in a subject — it’s how you trace a subject back to its core.
• Don’t just read books, re-read books. There’s a great line the Stoics loved — that we never step in the same river twice. The books don’t change, but you do.
• Ruin the ending. I almost always go straight to Wikipedia and figure out the plot — especially if I am reading something tough like Shakespeare or Aeschylus. Who cares about spoilers? Your aim as a reader is to understand WHY something happened, the what is secondary.

— MF

— Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, Claudia Dawson

Ethan Stone has been a business lawyer for over twenty-five years, practicing in large and small firms and in-house. He has been a solo practitioner since 2011. He has represented clients in raising angel and venture capital, selling and acquiring businesses, technology licensing, executive hirings and departures and a wide variety of strategic partnerships, joint ventures, revenue sharing, service outsourcing and technology development agreements. He and his four parrots live in Berkeley, California.

TOOLS:
0:00 – Intro
1:02 – Voter registration(and other information) cards
4:11 – Reusable can tops
7:54 – Stainless steel cocktail shaker (aka Farraday cage)
12:59 – The compare feature in Microsoft Word
27:51 – Swing Left East Bay

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A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.

Delayed Bag Compensation on Delta

This wouldn’t have helped me when I waited 45 minutes in Mexico recently, but if your checked bag on Delta takes more than 20 minutes to arrive when on a domestic USA flight, you get an easy 2,500 SkyMiles as compensation. Just complete this form no later than three days after your flight’s arrival.

Your Free Nights at Hilton Brand Hotels

I stayed at Hilton hotels in Sofia and Munich this summer and barely put a dent in my loyalty points balance. That’s because earlier this year I got the Hilton Surpass Amex card, which currently puts 130,000 points in your account after you get approved and meet the $2K spend within 3 months. It carries a $99 annual fee, but that’s nothing considering the perks: Gold status (we got upgraded both times) and 10 Priority Pass airport lounge visits. It also showers you with 6X points for dining, groceries, and gas, which I haven’t seen with any other card.

Wellington Wants You

We’ve reported before about countries, cities, and rural regions trying to lure foreigners with money or skill with incentives. Wellington, New Zealand is trying to do it by just rolling out the welcome mat and making it easier to live there. They’ve launched an “Escape to Wellington” campaign with a flashy website in an attempt to lure skilled tech and medical workers especially—some roles can go straight to residency on a fast pass just based on the type of job.

Bhutan Gets More Reasonable to Visit

When Bhutan opened back up to visitors after the pandemic, they raised the minimum daily fee to $200 per person. There weren’t many wealthy takers, apparently, because the government has now cut it down to $100 per day to bring in needed tourism dollars. A tourism spokesperson said that more than 56,000 tourists had visited Bhutan since January but about 42,000 were Indian nationals, who only have to pay a fee of 1,200 Indian rupees ($14.50) a day. In 2019, the country had more than 315,000 visitors.

Gareth’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales is published by Cool Tools Lab. To receive the newsletter a week early, sign up here.

– Send me a tip or tool recommendation.

–Tell me a shop tale.

-Buy my books (Tips and Tales from the Workshop Vol. 1, Vol. 2).

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How to Tie a Fishing Knot

I love animations of knot tying, so I find this animation of how to tie a fishing hook knot extremely satisfying.

Understanding “Blue Marking Fluid”

I have known about (and even used) machinist blue marking fluid over the years. But until this Adam Savage video, I didn’t actually know what it was composed of (blue lacquer) and what it’s specifically formulated to do (reflect scribe markings better than black or other colors and to be the only thing that’s scratched through — not the work piece itself). This explanation comes by way of Adam explaining why his hands were blue in a recent video. He dumped an entire bottle of marking fluid all over his mill and himself. Twice! Now that’s a bad day in the shop!

I also felt a bit exonerated by Adam referring to it as “blueing.” In Issue #67, I wrote an apology after I got heat for referring to blue marking fluid as blueing. Apparently the machinist I heard the term from was not the only one who used blue marking fluid and blueing interchangeably.

Project Enclosure Basics

If you’re like me, you often don’t put much thought into your project enclosure, or don’t bother with one at all. But if it’s a truly meaningful electronics project that’s meant to be use and interacted with, especially by others, a proper, well-designed project enclosure is an essential part of the build. In this video, Becky Stern looks at the wide range of enclosure candidates, from recycled takeout containers to commercial enclosures. There are lots of suggestions here for enclosure components you might not have thought about, like plastic, cardboard, and foamcore. She also covers unique options like craft store shadow boxes and clear plastic memorabilia cases. Lastly, Becky touches on “bespoke” and custom enclosures made with 3D printing and CNC milling. She also goes into some tools and techniques that are useful when wiring up your enclosure.

Bucket Buddies

This week, I ran into two accessories you can add to those ubiquitous plastic 5 gallon home store buckets we all seem to have too many of. On Instagram, I ran across the Project Source QuikLid ClipOn Dust Pan. This turns your bucket into a dust pan and trash can for cleaning up all of your “shop glitter.”

And in the latest Family Handyman issue (Sept 2023), they recommend the Bucket Builder. These are thick plastic bucket adapters designed to turn 5 gallon plastic buckets into temporary sawhorses or work tables. The adapters can be used between buckets to raise the height of the work surface. The Builder Builders are priced at $28 for 4 or $48 for 8.

Getting Started in Home Powder Coating

In this BlondiHacks video, Quinn does an excellent job of walking us through how to get started in home powder coating. As she points out, it’s not as hard, expensive, or fussy as you might think. If you’ve ever flirted with the idea of getting into powder coating, you will likely want to take the plunge after watching this video.

Using White Bread to Stop a Plumbing Leak?

In this See Jane Drill video, Leah shows an old plumber’s hack where you can temporarily stop a pipe leak with white bread. It’s for situation when you need to sweat on a new pipe and the wet, leaking existing pipe won’t allow you to properly heat it. The bread will stop the flow long enough to add the new pipe.

Maker’s Muse

Is it just me or is there something intensely satisfying about watching this bird-like machine picker ripping apart vehicles and deftly sorting the parts? Here’s a video showing the entire machine and its human operator.

Kitchen Hack: Cooking Pasta IN the Sauce

Seeing an article in the wonderful cooking magazine, Milk Street, my wife and I decided to try this. Instead of boiling water and cooking the pasta separately, you simply toss it into the pot with your sauce. You do need to keep an eye on the liquid level, stirring and adding more water so that the pasta doesn’t stick. Cooking the pasta this way infuses it with the flavor of the sauce, not starchy water. Saves time and water, too! Try it and let me know what you think.

Shop Talk

Reader Marcel Boudreau writes:

I tried the hack of using a rubber band around a paint can as a place to wipe excess paint from your brush, but I found it’s hard to get the band around the can without spilling the paint, especially with a new full can and only two hands.

Instead I use some blue painters tape (always at hand when I’m painting), to add a wiping surface and keeping paint out of the can’s rim. It also works with pretty much any shape/size container you’re using.

I find it hard to believe I haven’t seen this tip elsewhere, so I cannot necessarily claim I’m the first.

Get Professional Troublemaker

Book Freak is a newsletter with mental tools you can use to improve the quality of your life and the lives of others. In this issue: four pieces of advice from Professional Troublemaker by Luvvie Ajayi Jones.

Recognize the difference between niceness and kindness

“People have niceness and kindness mixed up. Niceness might mean saying positive things. But kindness is doing positive things: being thoughtful and considerate, prioritizing people’s humanity over everything else.”

How to deliver a difficult message

I ask myself three questions before I say something that might shake the table. Do you mean it? Is this thing something I actually believe? Can you defend it? Being the challenger, I also have to be okay with being questioned and prodded. My ideas need to be explored deeper. Can I stand in it and justify it? Do I have receipts? Can you say it thoughtfully or with love? Is my intention good here? I might think I am righteous in my indignation or in my questioning, but am I saying it thoughtfully or with love? No matter how righteous it feels, no matter how true it might feel, if I say this thing in a way that’s hateful or that makes people feel demeaned or less than, the message will not land.”

See through the darkness of fear to the other side

“I am not fearless. But I’ve learned to start pushing past fear because oftentimes, the fear itself is scarier than whatever is on the other side. It’s like being afraid to walk through a dark hallway. If you close your eyes and run through it, you’ll be okay. And you’ll look back and say, ‘That wasn’t that bad.’”

Ask for more

“Do not force yourself to want less to appease other people. Do not dumb down your needs so you won’t want to ask for more. You want what you want. Ask for it. A NO will not kill you. Ask for more, because if the fear of disappointment stops you from going for what you want, then you are choosing failure in advance. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we don’t think that we should ask for the thing we want, whether it’s a promotion from our boss, or more acts of service from our partner, or more attention from our friends, then we are opting for the NO, instead of trying for a YES. If we get the NO, we are still in the same place we are, losing nothing. But what if we got the YES, which would lead us closer to where we want to be?”

Once a week we’ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because the possibilities they inspire are new. Sign up here to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.

Magnetic DIY repair station

iFixit Magnetic Project Mat

In the past few months I’ve had to repair my iPhone, my digital camera, and my Macbook Pro. During this time I’ve found the iFixit’s magnetic mat indispensable. Not only does the magnetic surface mean fewer lost screws, but it’s whiteboard surface means I can keep track of what came from where. Intelligently, iFixit includes a very nice fine-tipped dry-erase marker from Staedtler for quickly jotting down repair notes (that also features a bit of wool on the cap for erasing them, too). The pro model mat, which I own, also features a nonslip foam backing much like that of a mousepad which when flipped upside down features cutouts that act like cups.

I like mine so much that it never leaves my desk as it serves as miniature whiteboard, mousepad, and DIY repair station. — Oliver Hulland

Non-soldering connections

Wire Wrapper Tool

This is a beautiful and inexpensive tool; a rare mechanical hand tool with precise tolerances. To attach fine wires, such as wiring up LEDs into circuits, wire wrap makes soldering unnecessary. Strip about 3/8 inch on the end of a wire, thread the exposed wire up one of two incredibly tiny slots in the end of the wirewrap tool, put the other tiny slot of the wirewrap tool around the wire it is to be connected to, like the anode or cathode of an LED, then twirl the wirewrap tool in your fingers, leaving a tiny tight spiral of wire wrapped around the connection. — Howard Rheingold

Digital multimeter w/built-in AMP meter

Fluke Voltage, Continuity & Current Tester

The T5 is as reliable as a good, old-fashioned “wiggy” voltage tester, but adds the functionality of a digital multimeter (DMM) and an AMP meter combined. I’ve found the T5 to be a bit more robust than the average DMM and very reliable for a device in this price range. More importantly, it has a “fork” or “OpenJaw” that can be extended over a current-carrying cable so that it acts like an AMP-clamp, except you don’t have to maneuver or close the jaws, making it quicker and easier to use. The fork is also a lot less intrusive and requires less space than the old open-and-clamp design. Perfect for a cramped motor panel or junction box. For most functioning/troubleshooting, it’s helpful to know first if there is voltage and then if there is current (the garden hose comparison: do I have water pressure? is water flowing?). And, for service work for instance, it’s great to be able to check both voltage and amperage of a motor running with one very lightweight, ergonomic tool.

I have been using a range of Flukes for well over 20 years — everything from a multimeter to a scope meter and other devices. However, this relatively small unit remains my go-to instrument. It is the first one I grab both at home as well as on my job (I oversee the installation of packaging lines nationwide and, at times, do trouble shooting on pieces of automated equipment). There are two version of the T5, the 1000 and 600 models. The main difference between the T5-1000 and the T5-600 is their maximum voltage ratings, 1000 and 600 VAC respectively. To me, the relatively small price difference between the 600 and 1000 was worth it, but for general work around the house, the 600 should be perfect. — Ad Verkuylen

A better tape for electronics

Kapton Tape

I do a lot of work with electronics assembly and disassembly, rewiring, and removing and adding components. Kapton tape (generically known as polyimide tape) is a cool tool in these cases and better than regular black electrical tape for a number of reasons:

It is heat resistant. You can put a soldering iron on Kapton tape and it will not melt. In fact, numerous flexible circuits are made with copper on a Kapton substrate where the components are soldered directly to the copper.

It does not stretch. This may be either a pro or con, but it’s good when you just want to tape down wires.

It is thin. Actually, it comes in various thicknesses. I usually get the 2 mil (0.002″) thick stuff in the 1/2″ wide rolls. When you’re trying to cram as much as possible into a given space, the low profile and smooth, slick surface help tremendously.

The adhesive leaves no discernible residue. You can pull the tape off after a year and not worry about having to clean anything else up.

As mentioned before, the tape comes in different widths and thicknesses, depending on your need. You can also get it with adhesive on one side or both, though there may be limited width/thickness availability for the two-sided tape.

If you take apart any consumer electronics device nowadays, you’ll notice three or four different kinds of adhesives and tapes being used (I’d cover the rest because they’re also great, but I really don’t use them that much and don’t know what they’re called nor how to source them).

Mostly, I use this tape as insulation on either a PC board or wires, especially if I think I’m going to have something on top of it that I’ll be soldering. It’s a bit overkill for just taping down wires, but still, that’s better than Scotch tape or electrical tape.

I have no favorite brands of Kapton tape, I just buy a roll from my local electronics supply house when I need more. — Mark Huie

Electricity finder

Fluke VoltAlert

This is a non-conductive (plastic), non-contact voltage sensor that glows red and/or beeps in the vicinity of an energized conductor. In other words, it lights up near a “live” wire. You don’t actually have to make contact to see if the line is hot. It lights up even if there is no load on the line since it senses the electric field, not the magnetic field. It’s much easier to use than a contact indicator light or meter. It works for AC line voltages. Also, it only lights up when near the “hot” line, not the ground or neutral, so you can immediately see if an outlet is wired b. Works great for finding the dead Christmas light bulb on a series string of lights too (not as easy though when you have two or more strands braided together.) I always rub it against my shirt first to see if it is working. Static discharge sets it off. A number of vendors besides Fluke make this type of device, but Fluke is a h name brand. — Bruce Bowen

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Smarter googling

Google has taken its first steps toward integrating its generative AI into your search. Google SGE is now available as a default option in your browser. When you google something the AI sorts the answers into a readable summary, which allows you to respond and ask further questions in a conversational mode. It displays at the very top of the search page in a tinted box. I find it very helpful, reliable, and extremely easy to use – it’s just there. To turn it on, you need a Google account, Chrome on desktop or Google app on phone, and to be in the US. — KK

Turn articles into short audio summaries

Recast is a smartphone app that converts any online article into a brief podcast-style audio summary with high quality AI voices. The free version lets you listen to a large selection of pre-processed articles. For $10 a month, you can select articles you want to summarize. I’m sticking with the free version for now. — MF

How to Manage Productivity Guilt 

This post on Instagram is meant to help you understand the difference between being busy and being productive. It also serves as a reminder that taking a 10-minute break every hour is important, and that you should be your biggest supporter and celebrate your accomplishments each day rather than focus on what didn’t get done. The account @thebraincoach is run by a neuropsychology doctoral student and my mental body is grateful for this kind of social media content. — CD 

Lemon eucalyptus oil mosquito repellent

Los Angeles is under invasion by the Aedes “ankle-biting” mosquito, which was first spotted in Southern California in 2001. The population has been growing ever since. Some of my family members have bad reactions to DEET, so I bought Murphy’s Naturals Lemon Eucalyptus Oil Insect Repellent Spray. It keeps the mosquitoes away, as long as I reapply it every few hours. — MF

Food tips

I loved finding these tips on MyFridgeFood.com, which is a website that gives you recipes based on what you have in stock. I can’t verify the usefulness of all the tips, but the two I’m walking away with today are 1) spiraling my spaghetti so that falls naturally into the pot and 2) crushing garlic in a ziplock bag. — CD 

Compliment generously

I am a reserved guy. I envy people who can toss off compliments to strangers, making their day. To help me get better at this I’ve been watching British comedian Troy Hawke greet random strangers on the street, showering them with creative, witty, genuine compliments. It is a joy to see strangers shine when praised for a small thing. Hawke’s tiktok/instagram performances, in mustache and smoking jacket, are genius and hard to beat, but his antics have inspired me to be more generous in sharing compliments. — KK

Jason Swihart is a freelance digital product strategist with 30 years of experience developing sites and products for the internet. He specializes in providing product development leadership for clients who need guidance and advocacy through the product development life-cycle. Jason works in wood, metal, and plastic, making furniture and other objects for the home as well as collecting and restoring mid-century furniture; he is a champion swing dancer, event organizer, and founder of Pacific Swing Dance Foundation; he is also a vintage menswear enthusiast and lifelong skier. He lives in Altadena, CA with his wife, Shana, two dogs, Hampton and Benny, and entirely too many unfinished projects.

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Website

TOOLS:
0:00 – Intro
0:51 – FastCap Laminate Tape
8:19 – Milwaukee M12 Fuel Drill/Driver Kit
20:12 – Harbor Freight 4′ x 8’ utility trailer
30:10 – Social Dancing
40:14 – Automobile vinyl wrap
42:35 – Verity Workshop

To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form.

A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.

A Plea for More Honest Airbnb Reviews

I found that I rented apartments through Booking more often than Airbnb when traveling around Europe this year and that’s partly because I didn’t have to spend so much time reading between the lines of the reviews to find the negatives. With ratings going both ways on Airbnb, the system (like Uber’s) encourages guests to be nicer than they probably should be sometimes. So far, 216 comments mostly agree with this frustrated rant on Reddit begging people to be more honest when an apartment is not what is advertised or is just plain crappy.

Longer Walks in Airports

It’s not your imagination: you can easily get those 10,000 steps in on flight days just trying to get to your gate. This article confirms that airport walks are getting much longer, especially in new terminals. One reason is related to flying—larger average plane sizes—but the other is not: airports are devoting more space to shopping outlets (and making you walk by them instead of coasting past on a people mover).

Slack Wants You to Buy a New Phone

It’s bad enough that hardware companies push “forced obsolescence” to make us upgrade to their newer versions more often than we need to, but now some software apps remote workers use are getting into the game too. Slack sent e-mail announcements out this week that their app may stop working if your Apple or Android phone is using an OS that was released before 2021. That’s ancient history for their engineers apparently…

Most Popular Backpacks

If you want to see what Amazon’s buyers are slinging across their shoulders, here’s a rundown on the most popular backpacks there. Most of them are daypacks, laptop bags, and slings of some kind, but there is one traveler backpack on there that I’ve spotted on long-term travelers in many countries: the Osprey Farpoint (available in 40, 55, and 70L sizes). It has a lifetime guarantee and all sizes are on sale. There are also some great packable daypacks that squeeze into a little pouch.