Ridwell is a Seattle-based startup that collects hard-to-dispose-of items for reuse, like clothing, batteries, and multi-layer plastics. If you sign up for a subscription service ($18 a month), every two weeks Ridwell will pick up your filled bags and replace them with empty ones. Right now, they service a handful of major cities (listed here). They haven’t yet it made it to San Jose, California but I signed up for their waitlist and was alerted to a free craft supply pickup. I happily donated yarn, papers and ribbons to support our local teachers. I recommend signing up if you’re interested in bringing this service to your neighborhood. — CD

The Public Domain Review is a free website that features fascinating material discovered in the public domain. A lot of it is curious illustrations, vintage images, oddball visuals, but also forgotten literature, weird poems, and excellent essays. It’s a fountainhead of exoticness and hard-to-find otherness. And of course, it is free to reuse.— KK

In their most recent newsletter, Clearer Thinking put together a list of eleven of the most popular approaches to "happiness" and their techniques. The approaches are: Positive Psychology, Stoicism, Common Sense, Christianity, Insight Meditation, Traditionalism, Introspection, Self-Help Books, Hedonism, Altruism, and Community. I realized I checked off every technique under Introspection (Find a way to look at the world that resonates with you) and Common Sense (Sleep enough) and quite a few under Hedonism (Remember that you get just one life, so you might as well enjoy it). Three approaches that I made up for my own life and that keep me happy are: 1. Investigate my own intentions and make sure they are aligned with the highest good possible. 2. Take naps on the grass with my pets. 3. Find something to celebrate everyday. (Even if it’s just pouring myself a glass of champagne after the work day.) — CD

I often recall watching a movie but can’t remember its ending. There is a website called Movie Spoilers that allows you to search for nearly any movie, providing a concise summary of the main plot, the key characters and their roles, as well as the ending. In an attempt to stump the website's database, I searched for The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976), and to my surprise, it was there. — MF

The second most-used tool in our kitchen (after the knives) are our kitchen shears. We’ve had several lightweight kitchen scissors which we use for everything, from opening packages, to cracking nuts, to opening bottles, to cutting craft projects, to cooking chores. But over the years all of the shears cracked their plastic handles, so we replaced them with solid stainless steel kitchen shears. These are heavy duty, but not too heavy, and indestructible. We have a couple of pairs of Newness Multi-Purpose Kitchen Shears ($18), and they will last a lifetime. — KK

I had neglected my one-speed bicycle for years, resulting in a badly cracked saddle. Instead of immediately buying a replacement, I opted to give an 8-inch by 11-inch Leather Repair Patch a try since it was only four bucks. Although I suspect it isn't genuine leather, it doesn't matter much because my bike saddle isn't either. After cleaning the cracked saddle with rubbing alcohol, I removed the adhesive backing from the patch and securely applied it to the seat, neatly trimming off any excess with scissors. The outcome is significantly improved—it looks much better now. — MF

Many of us have a favorite movie that we keep rewatching. Next time you begin a rewatch of a favorite, watch it in black and white. This “estranges” it, making it feel like you are seeing it for the first time. This hack comes via artist Austin Kleon, who wrote a short bit on how to invoke black and white on your screen (often options in the “Accessibility” menu), and has a list of classic movies that successfully estrange in black and white such as Mad Max: Fury Road, Princess Bride, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. I recently tried this on my favorite, The Fifth Element, and it worked great. — KK

Right now my most used AI tool is AudioPen.ai, a voice note recorder that I use in my browser and phone to turn my ramblings into clear text. It’s free to use, but I pay for an Prime account ($60, annual pass) so I can upload audio files, write in my own style, and record voice notes up to 15 minutes. The most useful and surprising ways I’ve been using AudioPen is to record my dreams while I’m half awake, and to upload audio files of my therapy sessions (only my audio). AudioPen does such a great job of cleaning up my confusing, long winded introspections and summarizing the most important points. — CD

Direct eye contact is the critical missing ingredient on zoom. It’s hard to achieve because each person is looking at the other person’s face and not at their camera off the screen. Years ago I built a contraption that suspends a small webcam in the middle of my monitor so I am looking at the camera as I look at the face. It gave me great eye-contact but was bulky and blocked parts of my screen. I have since replaced it with Center Cam ($120), which is an itty-bitty camera mounted on a very slender adjustable gooseneck that suspends in the center of my screen. It is tiny enough that I don’t even notice it, and it gives a clear, high-res image of me looking directly at you. It would be great if everyone else had one of these so your eyes would look directly at me. — KK

Here’s a list of the top 50 Substack newsletters with the most number of subscribers. I am not subscribed to any of these, but I did check out all their archives and the only one I was interested in was Organizational Psychologist Adam Grant’s newsletter Granted. Most of the newsletters I noticed were political. This list made me realize that the number of subscribers does not at all reflect a newsletter’s usefulness or personal value. Here’s a list of my top 5 favorite newsletters on Substack right now:

• Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter — I’ve been reading his horoscopes since I was a teenager. He’s a spiritual outlaw and a poet and his newsletters are not just horoscopes — they’re always inspirational and artful and joy-filled.

• Rusty’s Electric Dreams — described as, “one of the most inspiring, weird and off-kilter collections of curated kitschy ephemera for the big-brained” and as “the New Yorker for the weirdos.”

• Burning Shore — Author Erik Davis’ newsletter exploring the “cultures of consciousness.” He describes his work as dancing around “the intersection of alternative religion, media, the popular imagination, and the cultural history of California.”

• deepculture — a weekly digest of 10 interesting things every Tuesday. (Sometimes I discover Recomendos here!)

• The Most Creative — This newsletter is about balancing and prioritizing the creative life. Elliott Fienberg’s musings are insightful and encouraging and a beacon of light in my inbox.

Our sister newsletter, Nomadico (free), delivers four tips weekly to folks who work while they travel or travel while they work. Nomadico is written by Tim Leffel, who runs the Cheapest Destination Blog, and is author of the constantly updated book, The World’s Cheapest Destinations, now in its fifth edition. The premise behind the blog and book is that you can travel at a higher level, or for twice as long, or for half the price by heading to cheaper destinations. Because of complex factors including monetary exchange rates, these cheaper destinations can often offer extremely high quality experiences, so they are a real bargain. Tim keeps up with the latest news, addresses lingering concerns, and knows the latest bargain places. — KK

One of my favorite novels is The Treasure of the Sierra Madre by B. Traven, written in 1927. Recently, I read his 1926 novel, The Death Ship, and found it equally captivating and impressive. The plot revolves around a young American merchant sailor who, while on leave in Antwerp, misses his ship and subsequently struggles to survive. The novel’s theme reminds me of Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London, because both explore survival in destitution, balancing of humor and harrowing intensity. (Very little is known about B. Traven, who was so publicity shy that he makes Thomas Pynchon seem like Jacqueline Susann.) — MF

Eye Candy is a really cool visual library of camerawork tricks. When you click on a technique a collage of examples pop up. It’s stunning and a source of inspiration, even if you’re not a filmmaker and just an art appreciator like me. — CD

I used to blame my measurement errors on the difficult-to-read graduations on tape measures. However, now that I have this Quickread tape measure, I can no longer use that excuse. The graduations are printed in both fractions and decimal equivalents. Also, the markings are oriented vertically rather than horizontally, making them easier to read. — MF

My secret to journaling every day is using custom notebooks. I previously recommended Papier as a source for beautifully designed journals that you could customize with a title and name, but I've now moved on to Denik.com for full customization. I uploaded a design I created using Midjourney and Canva and received my notebook within 10 days after ordering. Here's what my diary looks like.— CD 

If you're pulled over by the police and they ask to search your car, remember these key words: "Officer, you do not have permission to search my car." This is a crucial piece of advice offered by criminal defense lawyer Kirk Piccione. In his instructional video, he guides viewers through potential responses should the officer respond with, "OK, then we'll have to wait for a drug dog to sniff the outside of your car." Once more, your best response is, "Officer, you do not have permission to search my car." Beyond this, Piccione advises calmly and periodically asking if you're free to go. This underscores that you're not voluntarily remaining on the scene and that you're being unreasonably detained by the officer, which can help you in court. — MF

I'm fascinated by optical illusions and how they challenge my perceptions. I'm currently working my way through this collection of 151 Visual Phenomena & Optical Illusions with explanations on how they work. My mind always feels bendy and agile after just a few minutes spent on the website. — CD

My wife purchased this battery-powered hair detangling brush when our kids were young, and she, along with my daughters, continue to use it whenever their hair becomes knotted. Instead of traditional bristles, this brush features paddles that rotate back and forth, effortlessly gliding through knots and mats in the hair. It's like magic! —MF

A good example of how technology and innovation can transform even something as elemental as surfing, check out this documentary series on HBO Max called 100 Foot Wave. It’s about the zigzagging insane quest to surf a 100-foot wave. Because there is no professional surfing without professional photography to record it, this 12-part series documenting all 30 years of the quest is incredibly complete and cinematic. Big wave surfers are unique human beings. — KK

When you hear some music you want to identify, instead of opening an app on your phone, just ask Siri. Shazam, the premier music-identifying app is built right into Siri now, and it will identify the song and save the reference. “Siri, what’s this song?” — KK