A cool way to make some unusual art is to render an image in Lego. I used a kit from BrickMe that turned a photo of my wife into 5,625 pixels, and then they supplied me with Lego tiles in 50 different colors. Using the map they also supply, I “painted” the image by applying the tiles in the manner of paint-by-numbers. I glued the final assembly onto plywood to hang in my studio. The procedure is well-designed, fun, with plenty of extra tiles. Mine was the small size at 24 x 24 inches (57 x 57 cm) for $126; they can go much bigger. – KK

One of my New Year's resolutions is to create more distance between myself and my phone. This list offers some effective tricks to make your phone less interesting, as well as tips to avoid "brain rot." According to the Oxford Dictionary, brain rot refers to the "supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging." For me, simply disabling badge and sound notifications was enough to make my phone less engaging. I also encouraged my closest friends and family to call me more often and text less. — CD

Glicol is a free music programming environment that runs in your web browser — no installation needed. As someone who dabbles in music coding, I like how it lets you connect audio nodes (like oscillators and filters) using simple >> arrows, similar to patching modular synths. It's instantly usable for beginners. Watch a demo video. — MF

My father liked this aluminum tablet stand ($20) that I gave him for his birthday so much, he bought one for my mother. Unlike fixed-angle stands, this one lets you easily dial in the perfect viewing angle. Rubber-padded grips prevent slipping and scratches. Works with everything from phones to large tablets (4-17 inches) and folds nearly flat for travel. — MF

My home office doubles as a guest room, so I needed to find a comfortable floor mattress that could be easily packed away when not in use. I did a lot of research and went with the highly reviewed Milliard Tri-Folding Memory Foam Mattress (6-inch, Twin XL). Every overnight guest we’ve had says it’s really comfortable. I’ve also slept on it and liked it so much that I bought the smaller Twin size (6-inch) just to have an extra one on hand for camping trips or overnight retreats. — CD

There is a growing understanding of why some houses burn in a wildfire and why some escape. There are many things you can do to prevent your house from burning. First, the chief factor is how close your home is to another burning house. It is houses that set fire to houses, more than trees or vegetation. Prevention is a community thing. Second, a stream of embers ignites most houses, rather than flames. Those embers pile up in gutter debris, dry leaves near the foundation, firewood stack against a wall, or embers flying into vents, and that kindling ignites the house. These insights are based on the latest research into wild fire. A great starting point for learning what you can do – based on evidence – is the California Chaparral Institute. — KK

After one too many frustrating calls trying to spell out airline confirmation codes ("No, B as in Boy, not D!"), I built this simple web tool. Type in any text and it instantly converts it to NATO phonetic alphabet - so "B2K" becomes "Bravo Two Kilo." Try it for clearly communicating flight bookings, WiFi passwords, or any string of letters and numbers over the phone. — MF

A YouTuber I follow with eager anticipation is Cleo Abrams, who creates a science explainer about once a month, called Huge If True. For a great example, watch her video explaining what’s involved in human egg freezing and harvesting. (That they are her eggs added fantastic depth to her reporting.) A monthly schedule allows her explainers to have sophisticated levels of production and clarity. Her range of interests are broad and varied, and generally uplifting. I am a happy subscriber. — KK

This is a beautifully simple and concise framework for processing and releasing difficult emotions. The author outlines a 14-step guide that begins with acknowledging your feelings and ends with creating meaningful rituals. Every step is practical and flexible for anyone to adapt it to their own needs and experiences. — CD

My daughter's college friends are obsessed with this simple dice game called LCR Wild. Each turn, you roll up to three dice marked L, C, R or Wild - passing chips left, right, to a center pot, or using Wild to steal from anyone. As she explains: "Chips that go to the center are eliminated from play, so the game gets more intense as the supply dwindles. You can theoretically win the center pot with three wild rolls, but I've never seen it happen!" The last player with chips wins. Perfect balance of luck and light strategy that works for 3 or 30 people. — MF

I always keep Elmer’s Resuable Tac ’N Stik in my craft supplies. It comes in handy when I want to hang up paper prints on my wall without having to use a nail, and I avoid the risk of peeling off wall paint with double-sided mounting tape. — CD

The dollar-to-yen exchange rate continues to make now a fabulous time to visit Japan. The main trick is to get out of Tokyo, but Tokyo is a good place to start for first time visitors. My favorite guide to Tokyo is one aimed at kids, but also one that anyone young at heart will benefit from: Tokyo, City Trails by Lonely Planet Kids. It points you to all the actual fun things to do, not just endless food and temples. How about a toilet showroom, a chocolate bath, or a sleep capsule? In the same vein, for your guidance to cosplay, manga, anime, otaku activities, I recommend Tokyo Geek’s Guide. It’s a great way to experience the city and modern Japanese culture. — KK

Machine generated video is coming fast. Google just released their version, Veo 2, this month, which is now one of a dozen apps that turn text instructions into cinematic video, in your choice of styles. Jason Silva used these apps to create a 13-minute film called The Arrival of the Psychedelic Puppets that is weirdly trippy yet coherent in a dream-like way. His theme is that AI-generation is a new kind of psychedelic. Years from now this video will seem incredibly primitive, but right now it is the most stunning example of what one person will be able to achieve soon with these new tools. — KK

TimeCapsule is a clever solution for extending AirTag battery life from 1 year to 10 years. Just remove the standard coin battery and put the Airtag in this waterproof case that uses two AA batteries. It's valuable for tracking high-value items like camera gear or items in long-term storage. Around $20. — MF

Network of Time is a website that lets you choose two historical figures and connect them through a series of photographed encounters across time. It’s a fun way to waste time, and fascinating how it visually demonstrates the interconnectedness of human experiences and relationships throughout history. — CD

I especially enjoyed The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing by Adam Moss, a book that inspects the work processes of world-class artists. The artists range from painters, to poets, to musicians, screenwriters, comedians, photographers, and so on. Adam Moss is my favorite magazine editor; he gets the diverse artists to let him watch them work and through his firm questions best understand exactly how they create, including their detours, and mistakes along the way. The book is innovative in its layout and a work of art itself. — KK

The Sleek Socket is perfect for getting furniture closer to walls. It plugs into any 3-pronged outlet and provides three power ports via a flat cable that can be neatly routed along walls. It comes with adhesive clips for cable management. — MF

Someone on Reddit posted a visual to show the internal filters they use before speaking. However, I found the most valuable filtering advice in the comments:

1. Is this something that needs to be said?

2. Is this something that needs to be said by me?

3. Is this something that needs to be said by me right now?

I also agree with another comment that the simplest filter process is always: “Is it kind? Is it true? Is it necessary?” Another one to add to the EQ toolkit is a filter I learned this year for therapeutic settings, which is simply to WAIT—Before you speak ask your Why Am I Talking? and reflect on your intentions.

— CD

A fascinating collection of proverbs from cultures worldwide, organized into 100 categories. It makes centuries of human insight accessible for modern readers.

• "People seek out big-shots as flies seek out the elephant's tail." (Indonesian)

• "The full person does not understand the needs of the hungry." (Irish)

• "Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow." (Swedish)

• "A greedy person and a pauper are practically one and the same." (Swiss)

• "When money speaks, truth keeps silent." (Russian)

— MF

This website allows you to customize and create mazes in various shapes and sizes. I find maze puzzles to be a mindfulness practice and very soothing to get lost in. You can export the generated mazes as PNG, SVG, or PDF files, and they are free to use in any non-commercial way you want. — CD