A lot of the dots in a QR code are superfluous, meaning that they can be arranged into a picture, and not just randomly. Thus you can make the QR code into a picture. This neat little free website called QArt Coder will generate a QR for a website you give it (say your homepage) using an image you give it (say your portrait), yielding a QR code with a stylized image of you (or say a logo, or totem). Short urls and small high contrast images work best. I’m making stickers from my impressionist QR self-portrait. Hold a phone to it, and it takes you to my home page. — KK

I’ve had a Kindle since they were first introduced about 15 years ago. Every now and then I upgrade. The current version, the Kindle Paperwhite (11th generation, $140), is by far the best reading experience I’ve had. Its clarity, in dark and in sunlight, speed, battery longevity, and ease of highlighting are outstanding. In 8 out of 10 factors, I find the new Kindle is better than reading a paper book. (There is also a Paperwhite Kids version that has a rugged cover, an extra year of insurance, and a clever way to share and curate books with your kid.) The upgrade to Paperwhite was definitely worthwhile. — KK

I used ChatGPT to create a daily itinerary for a family trip to Tokyo and it was a success. First, I asked it to give me a list of 10 interesting places and neighborhoods less than 90 minutes by Tokyo. Then I asked it to give me the top ten things to do at each place. I fined tuned the lists by asking ChatGPT to include the best shopping streets in each areas. The lists it generated, which include dining suggestions. I’m going to do this for every trip I take. — MF

I felt a sense of glee when I came across Emojiton, because I take every opportunity to use emojis when it's appropriate. I'm a fan mostly because they add a playful emotional context to whatever I'm trying to convey. Emojiton is perfect for finding a string of emojis to translate films or books, or words in other languages. Here's Pinocchio in emojis. — CD

I was a few years into my loosely-disciplined meditation practice when I felt the urge to make hand gestures while sitting. I knew nothing about Mudras or where to even start. Googling it just overwhelmed me. Thankfully, I found my way to this deck of cards called Mudras of Yoga: 72 Hand Gestures for Healing and Spiritual Growth. The instructions and photographs are clear and each card has a description of the technique, application and benefits. It's definitely deepened my experience and I feel more embodied while meditating. — CD 

I am on a virtual book tour, where I’ve done almost 100 podcast appearances. It is hard to avoid answering the same questions, and I always look forward to answering new prompts.  The interviewer famous for his unique questions is Tyler Cowen. Tyler did not disappoint when I appeared on his podcast. In Conversations With Tyler he asked me a string of exhilarating, unique, off-beat, made-me-think, and insightful questions no one ever asked me before, which was a total joy for me, and for listeners. We covered travel, tech, and advice. And it is not just me. Listen to any of these other interviews with a diverse range of curiously interesting people. — KK

I was at a restaurant and bit something hard hidden in a piece of cake. It broke off part of my molar, and the jagged tooth cut into my cheek whenever I talked. I made an appointment to see the dentist the next day, and in the meantime, I bought a little container of orthodontic wax to smooth over the sharp part. The next day, the dentist told me I'd done the right thing. The container is so small that I keep it in my toiletries bag when I travel. I hope I never have to use it. — MF

The Mobile Phone Museum is designed to preserve the heritage of mobile technology and it is nostalgia-inducing. The museum currently has more than 2600 mobile phones from the past that were donated and you can search by type, brand, year and curated collections like Ugliest and James Bond phones. — CD

If you are having trouble accessing a website, enter its address into ClickMinded’s Google cache search. It will show you the snapshot of the page Google took when it last crawled the page. — MF

If you're a pen fanatic, JetPens has a very comprehensive list of the 42 best pens for 2023 which is worth checking out. I love to splurge on stationery and pens. The novelty of discovering a new favorite pen eventually wears off, so every few months or so I'll check out the JetPens Samplers packs and order a new bundle (prices vary from $15-$35). I also think these make great gifts!  — CD

I hate to misuse my position of power on this newsletter, but I must recommend my new book one last time. Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier will go on sale in two days (Tuesday) and I honestly believe most subscribers will find the book useful, helpful, surprising, and inspiring. Not techy, it’s as broad as life. You are the recipients I had in mind when I compiled it. BTW, it would make a perfect graduation gift for a young person, or even a Mother’s and Father’s Day gift. — KK

I have a small collection of mid-century science books for young adults, and one of my favorites is The Human Body: What It Is and How It Works. Published in 1959, this beautifully illustrated book describes how our muscular, reproductive, digestive, endocrine, respiratory, skeletal, nervous, and circulatory systems work in simple English. Out of print but inexpensive used copies are easily found online. — MF

We love our all electric Chevy Bolt, which we’d had for 5 years. It gets 260 miles on a charge, with 200 horsepower, which has been plenty for our needs. The 2023 model goes for $26,000, but regrettably GM is going to stop making them and sell only a more expensive base model. Since the Bolt is the most affordable decent American electric car available, you can still get one now while the inventory lasts. — KK

Apple AirPods Pro are not only state-of-the-art stereophonic headphones, they are also state-of-the-art noise cancelling headphones, and to a lesser extent, passable hearing aids for some people. In short, they are far more capable sonic devices than first appears. I keep learning new abilities they have. A great way to get a sense of what the Airpods Pros can do is outlined in this short article by Jason Kottke on “customizing your Airpods for even better sound.” — KK

This Space Elevator is another playful and cute project by Neal.fun. Scrolling up will take you on a trip to Space while exploring the atmosphere and its many layers, past high-dwelling animals and cruising altitude for aircrafts and different types of clouds. There's even a press play button for elevator music along the way as you ascend. I don't know if this is meant for children, but it's fun and educational for me too. — CD 

This Two-Minute Burnout Checkup helped me understand the primary factors of chronic stress and burnout. I can sense physically when I am nearing burnout, but before this I didn't understand that it's more than just feeling exhausted. This checkup evaluates six sources of chronic stress, including workload, values, reward, control, fairness, and community. You rate your level of stress from 0-10 for each one and add up all the numbers to get a score out of 60. I think this would be very helpful if I'm consistent in tracking my score everyday. Here’s a link to the survey. — CD

The iFixit Jimmy is a blunt, flexible steel blade attached to a handle. Because the blade is so thin, it's far more effective than a screwdriver for prying items apart. I use it to open battery access covers on electronic devices, or to carefully pry open laptops and phones for upgrading or replacing components. — MF

Upload any PDF (up to 10MB) to ChatPDF and it will generate a summary of the PDF and offer three sample questions you can ask about the PDF. Or you can ask it any question you can think of and the AI system will provide an answer in simple English. I had fun uploading Edgar Rice Burrough’s 1917 novel, A Princess of Mars, and asking questions about it. — MF

In an act of unabashed self-promotion, I highly recommend you get my new book: Excellent Advice for Living.  It’s the result of 70 years of trying to live the good and right life. There is a lot I am now certain of that I wished I had known when I was younger. So I wrote down these hard-earned bits of wisdom into brief telegraphic lessons with as few words as possible (life is short!).  Here are a couple examples:

• Rule of 3 in conversation : To get to the real reason, ask a person to go deeper than what they just did. Then again, and then once more. The third time’s answer is the one closest to the truth.

• If you are looking for something in your house and you finally find it, when you are done with it, don’t put it back where you found it. Put it back where you first looked for it.

• Taking a break is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.

• To succeed, get other people to pay you; to become wealthy, help other people to succeed.

• Productivity is often a distraction. Don’t aim for better ways to get through your tasks as quickly as possible. Instead aim for better tasks that you never want to stop doing.

There are 450 more! You can pre-order Excellent Advice for Living now; it ships in a week. — KK

One of the best books I’ve read recently is Mendeleyev’s Dream: The Quest for the Elements, published in 2019. Although it is not a long book, there are 3 books coursing through it. One theme is the slow discovery of the primeval chemical elements. That story would be enough for most books. A second is the convoluted and incredible story of alchemy, which was amazingly persistent throughout the birth of chemistry. And the most important story is the slow emergence of science, and how difficult its birth was. I found news and insight on nearly every page, and am shocked at how little I knew about the most basic stuff that our world is made of. Highly recommended. — KK