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 

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

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

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

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

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 

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

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 

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

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

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 

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

Visit AirPano to watch 360 videos of beautiful places on Earth, from Tokyo’s Shibuya Scramble pedestrian crossing (the busiest in the world), to a village of the Warao Indigenous people on the Orinoco River in Venezuela. My travel bucket list grew after watching some of these videos. — MF

Someone on Reddit asked “What’s your best advice from your profession?” and below is a summary of the most upvoted answers. — CD

• Doctor: Never be afraid to get a second opinion. If your doctor is offended, that's one more reason to get one.

• Teacher: Read to your kids from infancy, make books commonplace, and point out things in the pictures. This helps them develop literacy skills from an early age.

• Plumber: Check your basement weekly for leaks or signs of damage, and change your air filter regularly.

• Auto insurance adjuster: Get a dashcam to protect yourself in case of accidents or disputes.

• Librarian: Ditch Audible and get a library card to listen to free audiobooks. Many libraries offer apps where you can download audiobooks straight to your phone.

• Government worker: Find life satisfaction outside of the workplace.

• Sales: Never celebrate until the money is in your account, regardless of how many times the client said yes or if there are signed documents.

• HR: Underpromise, overdeliver, and keep your mouth shut to maintain a good reputation at work.

The concept of a “bioregion” is a powerful tool. A bioregion will share animal and plant types and a similar climate. It is the most natural way to divide up the planet since it follows nature. For instance parts of California, Italy, Chile, Australia and South African share a similar bioregion. Maps of bioregions can aid gardening, home design, urban planning, climate adjustment, and understanding of culture. The best bioregion maps are no longer printed on paper but can be downloaded online from One Earth at Bioregions 2020. — KK

These powerful little Poffattr magnets are useful for attaching notes to the refrigerator, but they are equally good for keeping my car cover from blowing off in the wind. The handles that make them easy to pull off are a superior feature. — MF

I think nature livestreams are the best corner of the Internet. Onlinesafari.tv has almost 100 wildlife cams online from around the world. You can search by type of animal or ecosystem. It’s always soothing to watch animals in their natural habitat. I was watching three bears roughhousing in a pond in Romania earlier. — CD

Science explainers on YouTube are a whole new genre. My two favorite YouTube science explainers are Steve Mould and Derek Muller at Veritasium. Both take an unusual phenomenon and explain it using clever demos, visits to experts, and intricate experiments. Veritasium in particular will stage elaborate productions just to memorably demonstrate a single point. Veritasium excels at weighty counter-intuitive propositions such as “electricity doesn’t move”, while Steve Mould likes to start with small oddities and curiosities that have larger consequences. Both have been releasing videos for years and have deep archives of hundreds of visually compelling, fun explanations. — KK

The Amazon Basics 5-Shelf Adjustable Heavy Duty Storage Shelving Unit was just what we needed to store kitchen appliances. It’s made from stainless steel, and plated with chrome, and is very sturdy. We just bought another one for our closet. Best of all, it was easy to assemble. — MF

It’s a small thing, but in my workshop and studio I use Paper Mate Sharpwriter mechanical pencils to mark and measure. They are cheap (35 cents), super lightweight, very finely precise, have a good eraser, and are forever sharp by simply rotating the end. They are cheap enough that I have them everywhere, and wouldn’t care if I lost one, but they are bright yellow and none of them have ever broken. I hear they are favored by students as well. — KK