I’m enjoying Gareth Branwyn’s new email newsletter, Gareth’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales. Each weekly issue has several handy tidbits about interesting tools, novel ways to use tools, and how to maintain your workshop. The latest issue has a tip from Adam Savage on where to store infrequently used tools: “'If I didn’t have it right now, where would I look for it?’ And that’s where he stashes it. He tries to not get clever, not overthink it, but rather, he goes with the first place that pops to mind.” – MF

A book that recently changed my mind is Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline. In great scholarly detail the authors outline the near certainty of a population implosion all around the world in the next 50 years, starting right now in Japan, Europe, and quickly moving into the rest of the developing world in the coming decade. They calculate China will lose half of its population by the end of this century, and Mexico will need to import migrants. This inverts all kinds of political assumptions. The most newsworthy book I’ve read in awhile. — KK

This chrome extension does only one thing: reverses my Gmail thread views so that the newest message is always on top. Which is the way it should be. No more scrolling or collapsing old messages to get to the most recent. — CD

Plunging a clogged toilet is hard work, but it’s a lot easier when you have a horizontal grip. The Mr. Siga plunger ($15) has a grip that allows me to push down with a lot more force than a simple pole handle. — MF

Forget butane-lighters or matches. This $13 gooseneck electric arc lighter has a lithium-ion battery that can light hundreds of candles and barbecue fires on a single USB charge. — MF

One of the most profound experiences I’ve had while traveling was visiting the Raum der Stille, a non-denominational room of silence in the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. I sat in a clean, nondescript room in a chair facing other chairs with maybe 2 or 3 other people. The room wasn’t sound proof, but we were all silent and in our own reflective states. I didn’t want to leave. I felt connected to these strangers and I felt connected to myself, which is something I never felt in any church. I was so overwhelmed and grateful for that short experience, and was excited to visit more quiet rooms. Unfortunately, these rooms seem to only exist in Germany or Scandinavia and I have not been able to find one in the United States. I encourage anybody visiting there soon to seek it out. You can read more about it here. — CD

I’m enjoying Dave Pell’s legendary free daily newsletter NextDraft. Each day he writes up 10 short summaries of newsworthy items (in the broadest terms). Often unexpected, usually interesting, and always well-written. In a former time, this would have been a blog (and it is) but I am delighted to get it in my mail stream. — KK

I came across some great advice on a Twitter thread which asked “What are some non-obvious ideas that can change your life?” @noahlt answered: “Shrink the quantum of experience: instead of reading a book, read a wikipedia article. Instead of eating a cup of ice cream, eat a spoonful. Decreases turnaround time, which both reduces procrastination and also allows me to decide whether I want to go deeper.” This tip encourages me to follow my curiosity, but reminds me to start with small bites. — CD

In 2015 Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson embarked on a multi-week attempt to free climb a 3,000 foot, nearly featureless rock face in Yosemite National Park, called the Dawn Wall. This documentary (on Netflix), called The Dawn Wall, bounces back and forth between Caldwell’s tragic past and his thrilling ascent. I’ve seen a lot of climbing movies and this is my favorite. — MF

Chinese science fiction has arrived. A recently translated sci-fi trilogy, The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu, won the Hugo award and a popular following in the US. It is worth reading, and re-reading. Another of Cixin Liu’s stories, The Wandering Earth, is a mega-hit movie in China, and is now streaming on Netflix. In Mandarin, with English subtitles, I’d call it a science fiction blockbuster with high-production values, special effects, and Chinese characteristics. It’s not a great movie, but I recommend it as a great window into modern China and its vision; it is more about China than the future. Watch it. We don’t have too many chances to see non-Hollywood science fiction. — KK

I’m frequently on the lookout for new newsletters and I found Letterlist to be a great website to discover interesting new content. You can browse their curated collection of newsletters for free, but if you sign up (also free) you can subscribe to the ones you want with their 1-click button instead of having to type out your email address over and over again. — CD

The way professionals record sound in a documentary, theatrical show, mobile podcast, vlogging channel, and even a wedding video, is to wire up the “talent” with a hidden lightweight recorder in a pocket or belt that is connected to an itsybitsy microphone discreetly clasped on a coat, shirt, dress, under a hat or in hair. The least expensive ($200) industry standard for this job is the Tascam DR-10L. It runs on a AAA battery for 10 hours. The sound is sterling, studio-quality, dependable. (Audio is recorded separately from video and easily synced later.) I’ve been relying on this small device for interviews and podcasts in the field. — KK

Flatland is a novel by Edwin Abbott Abbott, published in 1884. It’s written as a biography by “A. Square,” a two-dimensional creature who is literally a living square, thinner than a sheet of paper. He lives with other two-dimensional creatures on a surface called Flatland. In the book, Mr. Square tells of his adventures in worlds of different dimensions: Pointland (zero dimensions), Lineland (one dimension), and Spaceland (three dimensions) all inhabited with creatures suited for their respective worlds. Abbott does a wonderful job of world building, explaining how the society (a satire of the Victorian society) and infrastructure of Flatland works. Even though the book was written 135 years ago, I found it very easy to read. Amazon is selling the Dover edition of Flatland for less than the price of a cup of coffee. I just bought it for my daughter. — MF

This iPhone/iPad app does just one thing — it gives you a feel for the fourth dimension by moving from 0 dimensions to 4. I’ve had this jewel of an app on my phone for years and still open it from time to time. It’s a great companion to Flatland. — MF

I really love street food, and I’m enjoying Street Food, a series streaming on Netflix. It plays out in the same format as the Chef’s Table series: food and culture are focused into mini-biographies of the cooks themselves. So we see the ordinarily unseen lives of street food vendors in Asia (in Season 1). It’s about the people, not the food; brilliant and delicious. — KK

My favorite sneakers are both Vans and have white soles that get really dirty. I want them to last a long time, so once a month I clean them using this ShoeAnew Shoe Cleaner Kit ($17). It’s comes with a brush and a microfiber cloth and it only takes a few minutes to spray and scrub all the dirt off. — CD

I love poetry, so this Google AI experiment “PoemPortraits“ was something I enjoyed playing with. I donated the word “supernatural” which then produced a unique two-line poem, pulling from more than 20 million words of 19th century poetry. Then I took a selfie with my laptop camera and the poem became my face. I am now a part of the ever-expanding and evolving machine-created poem. — CD

This pot holder ($10) is a padded fabric envelope with a knobby silicone sheet on one side, Nothing can slip from its grip. I even use it to open stubborn jar lids. – MF

I have found it useful to purchase a duplicate set of cords, cables, chargers, desktop items, earphones, etc that I carry in a dedicated bag just for travel. Increasingly I’ve added duplicate articles of clothing, shoes, hats to my carry-on luggage. They never leave. That way I don’t have to pack, but more importantly, I don’t ever forget anything. The cost of duplication is minimal for the benefits. – KK

When I have trouble sleeping listening to the Autogenic Relaxation by Meditation Oasis usually knocks me out. The audio guides me through relaxing all my limbs starting with my feet. I rarely make it past my neck. Here is a link to download the meditation. — CD