Mysterious credit card charges

There was a charge on my credit card that I didn’t recall making. The statement said, “EB 801-413-7200.” I looked up the number on a website called What’s That Charge and discovered it was for Eventbrite. Then I remembered that I had bought tickets for a play using Eventbrite. Next time you see an unfamiliar charge on your statement, try it. — MF

MoneyClaudia Dawson
Twitter thread of self-fulfillment questions

Greg Isenberg says he asked 1 billionaire, 1 PHD math professor and 1 99-year-old man what self-reflection questions they asked themselves and then he shared them in a Twitter thread, as a list of questions to make you feel more fulfilled in life, love & career. The ones I’m pondering are:

  • What is it that I can think of, read, watch, listen and talk about for hours on end without tiring of it?

  • What would this look like if it was fun?

  • How do I want my life to be different in one year?

MindClaudia Dawson
Best travel guidebooks

Wherever I am headed to, I always buy the latest edition of a good guidebook. It’s a cheap bargain compared to the cost of the trip. I use all the brands, RoughGuides, Moon, Brandt, Fodors, and many independents, but by far the consistently best guides are Lonely Planet. Crammed with info, maps, prices, all dutifully updated frequently. I think they do the best job or orientation, organizing, and serving angles of interests, If you go to the Lonely Planet website and look up your destination, they’ll tell you when the next edition is due so you can judge whether you want to wait. — KK

Travel tipsClaudia Dawson
External DVD drive

I recently bought a 3-disc CD set and needed to rip it to iTunes but my laptop doesn’t have a CD/DVD drive. I bought this tiny USB-powered CD/DVD reader-writer for under $20. I plugged it in my laptop and inserted a CD. iTunes opened automatically, I clicked a button and the songs downloaded to my computer without a hitch. I’m sure it will come in handy for watching my old DVDs, too. — MF

GadgetsClaudia Dawson
What font is that?

When I need to know the name of a font (say so I can seek it out and use it myself), I snap a screen shot of it and place it in this free website, WhatTheFont, which usually identifies it. — KK

DesignClaudia Dawson
Online hearing test

I get my eyes checked every year, but haven’t had my hearing tested since I was in high school. Soundly.com has a free 5-minute hearing test that was designed by audiologists and sound engineers. It’s for educational purposes only, but a good place to start nonetheless. I took the test and it reported back I have mild hearing loss which is not at all surprising or alarming. It just motivates me to mention this at my next physical. — CD

HealthClaudia Dawson
Classic mixer

As baking season begins again, I am reminded of how fantastic our Classic KitchenAid Stand Mixer is after 25 years of use. I believe it could easily go another 25 years. There are mini and maxi versions and scores of competitors and imitators, but KitchenAid is still making this same “K” design – which is built like a tank – since the 1930s. They are so rugged there is a healthy aftermarket for used ones on Craigslist. — KK

KitchenClaudia Dawson
List of common misconceptions

I’m learning a lot from scrolling through this list of common misconceptions. These are concise summaries that are linked to longer articles on Wikipedia. I like that they are worded as a correction, with the misconceptions implied. I’m relieved to dispel the misconception that the pyramids of Egypt were built by slave labor. I’ve also learned that dogs sweat mainly through their footpads and the Pacific Tree Frog is the only frog species that actually makes the “ribbit” sound. — CD

LearningClaudia Dawson
Favorite newsletter

There are few newsletters I read as soon as they arrive in my inbox. Coco’s Variety is one of them. It chronicles the obsessions of a Los Angeles used bicycle shop owner. He writes about collecting antiques, restoring old cars, cooking, garage sales, flea markets, good books, good music, and good living. His perspective is inspiring. — MF

FollowableClaudia Dawson
The Mind Thing

The Mind Thing is a 1961 science fiction horror novel by Fredric Brown. The first time I read it was over 30 years ago when I bought this used copy for 75 cents. Recently, I reread it and recommend it to anyone who enjoys Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Twilight Zone. In the story, an alien hijacks animal brains (including people) and uses their bodies as puppets. It must kill the body it is inhabiting at the time in order to jump from one to another. At 150 pages, I found The Mind Thing to be an exciting, fast, and satisfying read. — MF

ReadableClaudia Dawson
Zen Buddhist jokes

I giggled for an hour watching standup comedian Sheng Wang’s Netflix special, Sweet and Juicy. I love his uplifting and positive style, which is rare in comedy. He cracks jokes about enlightenment, except he is serious. And instead of long buildups to punchlines, he delivers an unending patter of quiet epiphanies. It’s laugh therapy! — KK

What to watchClaudia Dawson
Get more awe in your life

According to this Guardian article, “regular doses of awe may be vital to our wellbeing and make us nicer people.” The article includes a list of different ways to experience the shivery, goosebumpy feeling of awe, including attending live performances by skilled people, watching nature documentaries, and listening to music that gives you the chills. — MF

LifeClaudia Dawson
Maker nerd newsletter

The Prepared is a free weekly newsletter about manufacturing, materials, engineering, infrastructure, factories, and the built world. It’s put out by hardware nerds. They also have a great cool tool review section on their website. The newsletter is insider talk about professionals making stuff for real. I look forward to it every week. —KK

WorkshopClaudia Dawson
Search research papers for a consensus

Consensus.app is a search engine that extracts, aggregates and distills findings from 200 million peer-reviewed scientific research papers to answer your questions. It’s still in beta, so there is disclaimer that the results are not meant to be taken as final truth, but more of a reflection of relevant research relating to your query. I love using other search engines besides Google whenever I can. Here’s a list of other interesting search engines we’ve recommended in the past. — CD

SearchClaudia Dawson
Really long form podcast

I just finished listening to a 5-hour podcast interview by Lex Fridman. Lex is an AI researcher who started interviewing colleagues in his field, and then kept expanding his reach and interests. He now interviews intellectuals and thinkers in many technical fields, from biology to cosmology to philosophy, usually at great length (many hours). Lex’s questions are often clumsy and awkward, but going long allows him to get deep, and often intimate. He seeks answers to hard questions. While he sometimes interviews famous pundits, he usually speaks with really interesting people you’ve never heard of. The payoff is that his Lex Fridman Podcast keeps me informed about “big questions” stuff. — KK