I bought a couple of TagVault Fabric Mounts to attach Apple AirTags to my luggage, which I use to keep track of their whereabouts. These flexible mounts have an adhesive backing that makes a permanent bond on fabric surfaces, securely holding the AirTag while allowing it to flex with the material. Suggested uses include jackets, backpacks, and purses. I stuck mine on the inside of my suitcases under the lining, making them nearly invisible. — MF
This article “How to do mental time travel” offers practical exercises to help you engage with your past and future selves. These exercises encourage adopting a long-term view and gaining a vast perspective on life, as well as your place in the world. Here is a list of the mental exercises that can help you gain clarity and meaning, and avoid harmful short-term thinking:
Conversation with Future Self: Imagine asking your future self open-ended questions to make better present choices.
Empathy for Future Generations: Visualize the lives of future people to foster concern for long-term issues like climate change.
Temporal Windows: Spend time each week reflecting on the long-term past and future by observing your surroundings.
Generational Thinking: Consider your place in the timeline of your family and humanity to feel more connected to the past and future.
Future-Gifting: Do something now that will benefit your future self or future generations.
Long-Term Communities: Engage with communities and movements that promote long-term thinking and effective altruism.
Alternative Time Perspectives: Learn from different cultural views on time to enrich your understanding and approach to the future.
— CD
Some of my most intense reading experiences have been listening to an audible book. When I was commuting to work, audible books transformed my commute from dread to anticipation. The best books would leave me sitting in my driveway, not wanting to get out because I had to hear more of the story. A few recommended books that are fantastic in audible form, and will not disappoint:
Lonesome Dove: Pure lovely storytelling from the first paragraph. I cried at the end of this western saga because I wanted to hear what happens next and for the story to continue on forever. It was made into a not-bad video mini-series, but this audit is longer and so it’s better.
Shantaram: A one-book wonder that tells the wild story of a New Zealand fugitive hiding in the slums of India, who comes to love the colorful characters of India’s mafia and outlaw underground. An incredible inside view of Indian cities. The narrator does all the voices in pitch perfect accents.
Harry Potter: This version narrated by Jim Dale, who delivers every voice in a stunning performance, is the canonical version of this franchise for me, which I prefer over reading the book or the movies.
Peter the Great: Non-fiction works well in audible too. This long biography of Peter the Great, who transformed Russia, was a page turner, and a deep tour of the Russian soul. — KK.
Google has released an experimental AI called NotebookLM that allows you to upload PDF and text files for processing. The AI then generates various outputs such as FAQs, study guides, and briefing documents. The most intriguing feature is its ability to create a 10-minute long podcast-style conversation between a man and a woman, discussing the uploaded documents as if they were the most fascinating topic they've ever encountered. As an example, check out the results from an 1897 article from The Strand Magazine about unusual competitions held in London's East End. The AI-generated podcast show is astonishingly good. — MF
A cool use of an AI image generator is to produce contemporary snapshots of ancient celebrities based on paintings or sculptures. Someone named Hidreley created very nice ones to share on Demilked: meet historical personalities at a dinner party. Next up will be extremely realistic video simulations of people from the past. — KK
This food and flower seasonality chart is primarily for residents of the SF Bay Area and Northern California, but I'm sharing it anyway in case it inspires you to find a local listing of your own. — CD
Author A.J. Jacobs created the best guide for navigating our post-truth world. His "Ten Strong Suggestions" include framing disagreements as puzzles rather than battles, assigning percentages to beliefs, and embracing sources that admit mistakes. Jacobs advocates for curiosity over fury, skepticism of individual experts while respecting consensus, and wariness of human memory. This is the opposite of fake news. — MF
I've been using the Image downloader - Imageye Chrome extension for the past year, and it has yet to fail me. This extension allows me to quickly and easily browse and bulk download all images from a webpage. The features I find most useful are the ability to filter images by width, height, or URL, and then save images to subfolders while renaming them. Overall, it does exactly what I need efficiently. — CD
I got this idea from the Amish. They have replaced their kerosene lamps with LED lamps powered by a rechargeable battery. That’s not so new; their hack is to power the LED lamps with a cordless tool battery, which acts as a stable base, lasts a super long time (days), and can usually be found charged. Also, a battery is the most expensive part of a light and this is dual use. You can get these units to fit any of the three major tool battery systems. I use ours (for a Dewalt battery) for brilliant emergency lighting and as a perfect camp lamp.— KK
Something super-magical happens when people sing collectively in harmony. We don’t do it very much any more. Musical genius Jacob Collier is trying to change that with his audience choirs—the audience sings, in harmony, without practice. It can be profoundly beautiful. As example, listen to this concert at the Kennedy Center that begins with an Irish ballad. If that works for you, there’s longer audience harmony at Academy Brixton in London. Other performers, such as Pub Choir, are doing this as well on world tours. If you have a chance, give communal signing a try. — KK
The house we moved into a few months ago is overrun by spiders. New webs appear every day. This cobweb/duster has a 100-inch extendable pole that lets me reach the high corners where spiders tend to spin their webs, both inside and outside the house. It comes with two interchangeable heads — the spider web brush tackles cobwebs, while the microfiber duster gently cleans delicate areas. I paid around $13 for it and it's surprisingly sturdy for the price. — MF
This might be an oversimplification of the true sources behind our fears, but I appreciate this visual chart of possible unmet needs and the arrows pointing toward a healthy resolution for each fear. Sometimes fear can be paralyzing, and this serves as a good reminder to stay curious about my negative emotions and what truly lies behind them. — CD
Marketing guru Seth Godin and artist Debbie Millman have teamed up to create a unique page-a-day calendar for 2025, called Go Make a Ruckus. Each day features one of Seth's inspiring quotes, beautifully hand-lettered by Debbie. It's a fun way to get a daily dose of Seth's wisdom and Debbie's artistry. — MF
If you ever need to find words within words, anagrams.io is a useful website to bookmark. It’s a free anagram sentence generator for English, German, French, and Spanish. — CD
I read this short one-page article years ago and still remember its lesson vividly: Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning. A drowning person does not splash, flail, and yell. They are quiet and incapable of splashing, yelling, or even lifting their arms. “Children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why.” Read this and maybe save a life. — KK
To allow peace and pain to sit side by side, I practice this Anchoring Heart Technique by Deborah Grassman. It was initially created to help military veterans in hospice care, but is universally effective for anyone wishing to embrace conflicting feelings. How it works:
Place one hand or both hands firmly and tenderly over your heart. Breathe deeply.
Feel whatever you are experiencing, even if it’s just for a few seconds.
Be curious about the place inside you that is strong enough to hold your pain without fear. Get to know your BRAVE SPACE.
There is something very powerful and effective about being able to name your tension and embrace it at the same. It really is a very simple and beautiful act of self-compassion. Here’s a link to a 10-minute video that expands on how and why it works. — CD
My wife recently discovered a brilliant travel accessory — the EZ4UVOY stuffable neck pillow. It's a soft velvet neck pillow that you can fill with clothes or other soft items, giving you extra packing space without counting as additional carry-on luggage. You can fit 4-5 pieces of clothing inside, saving baggage fees. While it can get a bit heavy when fully packed, the pillow is comfortable to use on the plane once stuffed, and comes with a shoulder strap and a clip to keep it in a curved shape. — MF
Japan is not as expensive to travel in as many believe. This excellent video guide to budget travel in Japan is very relevant now that the yen is so cheap. How Expensive is it to Travel in Japan? Is a 30-minute YouTube video by a British Guy, Abroad in Japan, and he covers all the tricks of cheap Japan travel that I know. — KK
I learned about silicone freezer trays during a visit to my parents' house. They use them to store leftover soups and stews. The flexible silicone makes it easy to pop out individual frozen 1-cup cubes, and the rigid lids make them stackable in the freezer. — MF
I have an old ugly couch in the basement that I've covered with a throw blanket. To prevent it from shifting or being pulled off, I used Velcro Brand Heavy-Duty Fasteners. It’s not a permanent fix, but it spares me from unnecessary fussing with it. — CD