I’ve visited many tourist caves in the world. They all have their attractions. But by far the best cave experience I’ve had is Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Not only is it huge, but it is highly decorated, with endless intimate, close-up ornate formations. And an unthinkable amount of work went into making its immense spaces accessible, without wrecking its wildness. You can easily spend half a day enchanted. Like the Grand Canyon, or the Pyramids, it is an experience that cannot be captured by images. Bonus tip: Get the self-guide audio tour. I rank it in my top 3 favorite national parks. — KK

While reading an article, I came across a link to a court document hosted on Scribd. However, Scribd charges a monthly fee of $12 to access their hosted files. Since I didn't want to subscribe just to read a document that is in the public domain, I used a website called Scribd.vpdfs.com to download the file instead. (You may want to check out the numerous complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau by users who claim that Scribd continued to charge them even after they canceled their subscription.) — MF

At first, the title sounds like an insane idea: One Billion Americans. But this easy-to-read book is very persuasive in making the case why current Americans benefit from a vigorous immigration policy and generous family friendly programs, as ways to increase the country’s prosperity. Matt Yglesias, the author, deals with all the obvious objections of a billion Americans in an even handed way. He changed my mind; I think it is a great idea. — KK

PamPam lets you create custom maps in minutes and it’s fun to use! I was able to quickly search for and add points of interest by simply describing them to an AI. Then, I customized them with stickers and text. It feels very playful. For an even faster map-making experience, you can copy and paste text or a link to a list of places. PamPam is free for personal use and that includes 5 maps, 100 spots, and up to 500 views per month. I decided to test it out by making a nostalgic map of my hometown in under 5 minutes, and here's what I created. If you're unable to view it, it's probably because I have a free account and I've reached the limit of 500 views. However, you can check out the templates here. — CD

I need to transcribe a large number of recorded interviews every month.. I used to be a subscriber to Otter.ai, but it has a limit of 10 uploads per month. I have found a superior replacement, notta.ai, which is cheaper ($8.25 per month) and offers 1,800 minutes (30 hours) of transcription per month, which is more than enough for my needs. Notta's free plan provides 120 minutes, which should be sufficient for most people. I’ve also noticed that Notta is faster and just as accurate as Otter. — MF

The Library of Consciousness is a growing collection of writings, lectures and media about the human experience and all its mysteries. You don’t have to know what you’re looking for, just click around or search for keywords to navigate. It’s a source of inspiration. Right now, there are 200 authors in the library, and the curator says that they are actively seeking female and POC perspectives and welcomes recommendations. — CD

The biggest cultural export from China this century is the science fiction novel The Three-Body Problem. A ten-part Chinese version of it was made a few years ago, which was okay, but Netflix has just remade 3 Body Problem into an 8-part series produced by the guys behind Game of Thrones megahit series. I’m enjoying this version even more than the book. The story has been globalized, ramped up, and supercharged with appropriate effects, to make it clear, compelling, great science fiction. — KK

Do you find certain subjects too stressful to bear in a movie? If so, Does the Dog Die? is for you. Here, you can input a movie title and it provides a list of content warnings. For example, Marathon Man includes a warning for "damaged teeth," which makes my skin crawl. You can also search in reverse — a search for “Are any teeth damaged?” results in a scarily long list of movies that depict teeth being broken. — MF

This graphic illustrates 15 popular time management tactics. The methods I use the are the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working in 25-minute cycles with breaks in between, and Time Blocking/Task Batching. This is my first time hearing of the “Pickle Jar Method,” but it does seem like I could cross a lot of things of my list working this way: 1. Do major tasks first. 2. Slot in minor tasks around the major ones. 3. Continuously assess and reprioritize tasks. — CD

When I work in the garden, or fiddle with bike tires, or work on something that requires I kneel, I grab an inexpensive foam kneeling pad, like this one, from a pack of Gardzen (3 for $16). No knee discomfort. A small thing that makes a big difference. — KK

If you need to merge, split, compress, or convert PDFs, try ILovePDF. This free site transforms PDFs into various file formats (and vice versa). You can also use it to edit, sign, unlock, encrypt, and repair PDFs. — MF

Here’s a soothing 3-minute visualization that zooms in and out across the known scales of the Universe — from the tiniest particle to the vast cosmic web. This higher perspective makes me feel both small and a miracle. — CD 

An ecosphere is a self-contained world that contains plants and animals inside a completely sealed container. They can live for decades, without ever opening it up to feed or clean. The algae make food for the tiny brine shrimp, and the shrimp make carbon dioxide for the plants. Together they make a circle of life. I’ve had ecospheres on my desk for 30 years. Until I inadvertently killed it, one of mine lasted 25 years. I’ve bought small ecospheres and “repotted” them in larger vessels, but even small ones can last many years. A good deal for a small ecosphere is Shrimp Bubble, which comes with an internal magnet to clean the inside glass without opening it. — KK

Large political currents are moving China and the US towards a new cold war. I found the best remedy to temper this emerging hysteria is a new Netflix documentary series on the first Cold War. In 9 parts, each episode of Turning Point goes into great detail about the origins of the mutual fears, the mad way demagogues fanned them and played them out, and the huge repercussions the conflict had on the entire world and everyday lives. In this story the nukes were the “turning point.” Along they way the series hints at the nature of a China vs US cold war, where AI is the turning point, and the lessons we might take from this recent history. — KK

The Curricula is a website to help you learn “anything” by generating a guide and resources. I’ve been curious about the Alexander Technique, a method of improving the mind-body connection, and what I was given was a summarized learning path and links to books, articles, and videos for each of the core concepts. All the content is generated by AI, so it is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate, but it did a decent job of providing a starting point for my research, and I appreciate the creator’s intent. — CD 

After too many disappointing dining experiences, I've given up on using Yelp as a reliable restaurant guide. My new favorite resource is The Infatuation, which has curated bar and restaurant lists for many major cities. Lists for Los Angeles (where I live) include “The Best Coffee Shops In LA For Getting Work Done,” and “The Best Armenian Restaurants In Los Angeles.” — MF

• “Today is the worst AI will ever be.” — Alex Irpan

• “There are two kinds of people in the world… and who is not both of them?” — James Richardson

• “To understand recursion, one must first understand recursion.”  — Stephen Hawking

• “When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story.”  — Stephen King

• “There is no failure in sports.”  — Giannis Antetokounmpo

• “Scarcity is the one thing you can never have enough of.” — Marc Randolph

• “I wouldn’t have seen it, if I didn’t believe it.” — Marshall McLuhan

• “No man was ever wise by chance.” — Seneca

• "What people say about you behind your back is none of your business." — John Maeda

• “The most selfish act of all is kindness, because its reward is so much greater than the investment.” — Tom Peters

• "The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are." — Carl Jung

That is another set of quotes I greatly appreciate, and find useful to remember. — KK

If you’re ever feeling rejected, anxious, or insecure, at AreTheyMadAtMe.com you’ll find a wall of comforting messages from anonymous posters to remind you that you are not alone. Uncertainty can make me feel lonely or disconnected from other people, and this is a good reminder to not make assumptions about how others might be feeling toward me and practice some self-soothing. — CD 

Ben Braddock offers a devilishly clever tactic for Chipotle aficionados who want to maximize their protein bang-for-buck: “l always wait until after the employee puts the first scoop of chicken on my burrito to ask for double chicken, so the size of the first scoop isn't compromised by the knowledge I'm getting a second scoop and now the employee has shown their hand in terms of their default scoop size, so they can't skimp with my second scoop.” — MF

I’ve been a serious photographer for more than 50 years. The best camera I have ever owned is a new iPhone 15 Pro. It is now the only camera I carry. But I had to learn and unlearn some tricks to use a phone as a camera well. Scott Kelby, a veteran pro photographer, made a fabulously helpful 45-minute video explaining his favorite 20 tips on using an iPhone for a serious travel camera. Most of the tips in Kelby’s Using Your iPhone for Travel Photography tutorial were new to me, and right on. Would probably be useful for any current smartphone. — KK