This three-minute video explains how those annoying “I’m not a robot” reCAPTCHA checkbox tests work. It turns out the checkbox itself is not the test at all, but rather it’s your mouse movements and browsing history that give away your humanity. The video is full of surprising facts about these “completely automated public Turing tests.” For instance, I learned spammers pay workers as as little as $1.00 per thousand tests to solve CAPTCHAs. — MF

We still have an outdoor clothes line, in addition to our dryer, to take advantage of solar energy. Over time a rope line will sag. This clever, inexpensive device, a $7 Clothesline Tightener, will cinch your line taut with a hard pull. It’s affixed to the end of the line. It won’t work with thin wire lines, only rope lines. – KK

I have two lunar calendars and I use them both. MOON is on Apple only ($11/yr) and I love it because it displays a huge moon widget on my home screen. The moon is animated to depict its illumination percentage and the stars will play music for you if you shake and tap them. It’s fun. My other app and the one I can wholeheartedly recommend because it’s free is My Moon Phase (available on iOS and Android). It’s one of few apps I have set to allow notifications and it provides more specific information about the moon like its distance from Earth and moonrise and moonset times. Sadly, no widget. — CD

View a Sunset at virtually any time of the day with Sunset.funwebsite.fun. This website will connect you to livestreams and webcams all over the world and tell you how many minutes have passed before or after sunset. It’s fascinating to look at this in the morning as my day is just beginning. I feel connected to far-off parts of the Earth. — CD 

The best book about tools – the tools you can buy today – is this new illustrated tome by Theo Gray, called Tools: A visual exploration. It is comprehensive (covers hundreds of examples from hand tools to elaborate power tools), detailed, very graphic (clear photos for each thing), and witty. Most importantly, this overview of all tools is based on Gray’s 40 years of using all these tools to make an astonishing range of things. As a maker, I found his expertise and recommendations essential. I also read the book as a catalog of possibilities; each tool unfamiliar to me opened up possible new directions of making. Gray also made a free website with pictures of the tools without any text. — KK

The Viewtainer is a cleverly designed storage container made from clear plastic. It lets you easily see the contents, while the squeeze-to-open top makes accessing the contents convenient. Just apply light pressure to the tube's sides and the slitted rubber top pops open, allowing you to easily insert or remove small items. It's perfect for organizing craft supplies, dog treats, and hardware like screws or nails. I use one to collect sea glass when we go to the beach. — MF

My husband bought this XULRKOS Splatter Screen ($9) for our frying pan, and it’s one of those indispensable multi-purpose kitchen tools that I didn’t know I needed.  It doesn’t prevent all splatters, but it significantly reduces excess grease on our stove and counters. You can also use it as a sieve or cooling rack. — CD

Nicolas, a designer at GitHub, maintains a list of quotations that he shares on his personal website. Most of them are new to me, and many are inspiring or provocative. Examples:

• “Be careful what you cast out — the vacancy is quickly filled”  — Austin Osman Spare

• “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” — Voltaire

• “There is no product or service more ecological, sustainable and recyclable as the one we do not use.” — Philippe Bihouix

• Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again. — André Gide

– MF

I find keeping in mind my estimated death date greatly helps me focus on important things. This website by World Data Lab will quickly give you your estimated longevity, calculated from actuarial tables. How long you live varies depending on where you live. I turn this date into how many days I have left and use it as a countdown clock. — KK

New York Times Magazine made this interactive guide to the James Webb Space Telescope and it was awesome to see all the new images and new discoveries made about our Universe. My jaw dropped and I got chills when I saw the image of 94,000 galaxies now made visible by Webb. I recommend viewing this on your desktop. — CD 

I didn’t know how handy this little car door step gadget would be until I started using it to wash the roof of my car. It fits on the latch of most cars, giving you a boost of a couple of feet off the ground. Most people use them to get access to their car’s luggage rack. — MF

When Spanish conquistadors marched into the island city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan in 1518, they were stunned by what they encountered. The scale, richness, complexity, and advancement of this capital built by the local Aztecs surpassed anything in Spain at the time. I find this 3D virtual reconstructed Portrait of Tenochtitlan on lake Texcoco to reward endless scrutiny. The sliding overlay of modern Mexico City is genius. I am as much stunned by its grandeur as the first invaders. – KK

Often science documentaries these days are fluffy with wiz-bang graphics, slick re-enactments, endless repetitions, and fancy hosts, but Doug’s Geology Journal, a series on Amazon Prime, has none of those. Doug is a regular-guy geologist who draws his own graphics with pencil, and carries his own camera as he trudges across the landscape, giving the big picture of what has happened to shape the land, and how that shapes the culture on it. He gives you the right level of details, at the exact place on the land, which makes the big picture visible. He’s my favorite geology teacher. — KK

Seth Godin's advice for the “Amateur Presenter” is excellent advice if you ever find yourself called to give a public talk. Seth says focus on passion and purpose rather than professional polish. It's natural to be nervous, particularly if you're not a seasoned presenter — don't apologize for it. Having something interesting to say is more important than perfect delivery. Instead of trying to engage everyone in the room, find one person who seems receptive to your message and speak as though you're having a conversation with them. — MF

Genius Wisdom is a daily newsletter I don’t mind invading my inbox. Each issue highlights a “legendary thinker” with practical tips and tasks for applying their genius vision to your own life. It’s a good daily motivator. — CD

Despite their small size, Victorinox’s compact, fold-up nail clipper delivers a powerful cut, with extremely sharp blades that require minimal force. If you have only ever used cheap drug store nail clippers, this will surprise you. — MF

This advice on How to Title Your Art is written for gallery artists, but I think it’s useful for anyone who writes titles or headlines. The most interesting takeaways for me are: 

• Think of titles like keywords. What kinds of words do you use when talking the work? These types of words are excellent starting points for titles.

• Titles should save time. A title gives them a starting point, a reason to slow down and take a closer look.

• Good titles help people to recognize what may not be immediately obvious. Titles help viewers see what you want them to see.

• Unusual words or word combinations tend to attract more interest and attention than ordinary ones.

— CD

I’m enjoying Stewart Brand’s newest book which is about Maintenance: of Everything. However, the book is not done yet. Stewart is posting drafts of chapters as he writes them in a way that solicits feedback from readers. So not only can you read the book early, you can influence the book, as many readers have already. Everything, from your car to your local town, needs to be maintained, but is often neglected, so this book has something useful and pertinent for everyone in making maintenance more exciting. — KK

I am late to discovering cooperative board games. Instead of competing with other players to win, you cooperate with them to win. This changes the vibe of a game in a significant way, transforming it from a me thing to a we thing. There is a whole world of cooperative games, but the one I enjoy the most so far is The Crew. Each round of the game consists of “missions” the players need to complete, and the missions get more complicated – requiring more cooperation – as the game progresses. There is a bit of a learning curve, but everyone playing is on the same team (the crew), so helping each other becomes the norm. I am much more interested in playing games now and very uninterested in playing standard competitive games. — KK

I don’t know whether chiropractic care is effective or not, but just watching this animal chiropractor adjust the skeletal system of dogs makes me feel better. Known as Der Knochenknacker (“The Bone Cracker”), Murat Colak is an animal osteopath from Germany who has TikTok and Instagram channels with videos of him loudly cracking the joints of dogs. His love for animals shines through in the clips. — MF