I don’t read much science fiction, so when I do I am picky. An author I find reliably good is Ted Chiang, who writes mostly short stories, including the one that was the basis for the movie Arrival. I really like his anthology of nine stories, Exhalation. I would classify his genre as well-crafted, somewhat literary, hard (plausible) science fiction, with inventive, deep and original stories. I am a fan in large part because most of his stories are uplifting rather than the usual dystopian. — KK

Soulmates is a one-season sci-fi show on Netflix that imagines a near future where individuals can take a DNA test that guarantees a match with their one true soulmate. Each episode is a stand-alone and follows different people who have taken the test and are now living with the consequences. Marriages are tested, cults are formed, and love becomes something you can measure, monetize, and manipulate. One of the series creators and writers is Brett Goldstein, who is best known for Ted Lasso. It’s very Black-Mirror-esque and thought-provoking, and I’m bummed that it was never renewed. — CD

Here are some quotes I gathered recently:

• It takes a lot of work to make something simple. — Steve Wozniak

• One of the most realistic parts of Lord of the Rings is that almost no one wanted to get involved, until it was very nearly too late. — Ricki Tarr

• Everyone searches for opportunities while running from problems, missing that they’re the same thing. Problems aren’t obstacles to opportunity, they ARE the opportunity. — Shane Parrish

• Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion. — W. Edwards Deming

• When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them “No I went to films.” — Quentin Tarantino

• Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. — Jeff Bezos

• The three lenses of opportunity cost: (1) Compared with what? (2) And then what? (3) At the expense of what? — Shane Parish

• You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from. — Cormac McCarthy

• Everyone driving slower than you is an idiot, and everyone driving faster than you is a maniac! — George Carlin

I find witty quotes sharpen my thinking and help me pay attention. — KK

Freak Pages is a directory for the weirdest Wikipedia entries, community‑curated to help you discover strange topics you’ve probably never heard of. Lots of rabbit holes to dive into. — CD

I’ve stayed in Airbnbs in many different countries, and have learned one universal truth: the kitchen knives are invariably dull. As a service to myself and future guests, I’ve started bringing a small knife sharpener with me when I travel. The Smith’s 2-Step Knife Sharpener is inexpensive, small, and lightweight, so I don’t mind packing it. It takes less than a minute to restore the edge on a blade. — MF

“The existential balm of seeing yourself as a verb, not a noun” is a perspective‑shifting essay that explores a gentler way to hold the fear of death by reframing the self not as something fixed, but as a natural unfolding process. The author suggests reframing personhood as a shifting weave of body, breath, memory, mood, and perceptions, always in motion and in relationship with the world. The idea is to loosen perfectionistic pressure around having to be a fixed, definitive “someone,” and instead approach death as a quieting down of processes rather than the annihilation of a solid self. — CD

I believe every American should be required to watch Ken Burn’s Civil War series to understand their country today. Ken Burns has done it again with his new series on The American Revolution. Six episodes, 12 hours. LIke his other series, it unsettles the story-book history we have in our heads, and celebrates the complexity of the actual ideas, events, and complicated characters at the time. — KK

Every December, writer Tom Whitwell publishes an eclectic list of 52 surprising things Whitwell learned over the year. It’s one of my favorite year-end reads. A few samples:

• Marchetti’s Constant is the idea that throughout human history, from cave dwellers to ancient Greeks to 21st century Londoners, people tend to commute for about an hour a day — 30 minutes out, 30 minutes home. So faster travel leads to longer distances, not less time. [Cesare Marchetti, plus a 2025 update]

• The Casio F91W — the ubiquitous digital watch, worn by Osama Bin Laden, costing just £12 — has been faked for years, and the fakes are getting better and better. [Andy C]

• Childhood peanut allergies are falling dramatically, perhaps because advice to avoid peanuts was reversed. [Simar Bajaj]

Browse his previous lists here. — MF

I recently spent time with friends who mounted a 36-inch by 200-foot kraft paper roll with a steel dispenser and cutter at the end of their work table. It’s surprisingly useful. Pull out a few feet for messy art projects, cover a table for a party, or tear off sheets for gift wrapping. The cutter gives clean tears across the full width. — MF

If you want a quick way to see all your receipts in Gmail, I recently noticed that in my personal account a “Purchases” label category was automatically created and added to my sidebar. Unfortunately, this feature is not available in my Google Workspace account. I use both personal and work emails for shopping, so to mimic that view I type “category:purchases” into the search box to display messages that include receipts, purchase confirmations, invoices, and statements. This is especially helpful during the holiday season. — CD

I am not a Korean drama aficionado, but my wife is a big fan, and she has persuaded me to watch some of the better ones. When folks who have never seen a K-drama ask where to start, I suggest they watch any of the following three series. All three are exactly the same story: They are all rom-coms set in a modern workplace, with protagonists using multiple crossed identities, love straddling class lines between boss and employee, and convoluted plots that tie everyone together into one story. (There are no coincidences in this world.) In order of ease of access: 1) Business Proposal, 2) Start-Up, 3) Would You Marry Me? — KK

Two tabs worth opening up in full screen are TIME’s Top 100 Photos of 2025 and BBC Science Focus’s 31 jaw-dropping space photos. The first depicts the past year’s major cultural moments — like political conflicts and climate disasters — and everyday life on a human scale, and the second is a gallery of cosmic wonders, catapulting you out to a higher perspective. Both snapshots of existence feel equally important to witness. — CD

You can add a US passport as your digital ID to your wallet app on an iPhone running iOS 26.1 or later. You still need to carry your passport overseas, but you can pull out this ID for TSA clearance at 250 airports in the U.S., including SFO, LAX, JFK and LGA. To do this go to your wallet, hit the + in the upper right, then choose “Driver’s License and ID Cards,” then “Digital ID.” You’ll be prompted to hold your phone’s camera over the photo page of your passport and then you need to touch your phone to the chip embedded in the back of the passport. Then you’ll be asked to take a selfie and do some prescribed head movements to verify you are real. Finally, your application will await verification. Once verified (mine took only a few minutes) your passport ID will appear in your wallet. — KK

MyTaxReceipt shows you a breakdown of how your U.S. federal taxes get spent — enter your Zip code and the amount you paid in Federal taxes (or you can use the default average for your Zip code). It generates a receipt-style summary showing what portion goes to defense, healthcare, interest on debt, and dozens of other categories. It’s eye-opening to see actual dollar amounts. The site also lets you message Congress about your spending priorities with one click. — MF

For a thoughtful self-care gift, I recommend the FOREO LUNA 4 go Face Cleansing Brush & Firming Massager. I use mine daily. Its one-minute cleanse deeply exfoliates and softens my skin, and the gentle vibrations help me relax and feel refreshed, especially in the mornings. It’s smaller than the palm of my hand, and one charge lasts up to 300 uses—so it travels everywhere with me. Right now, it’s on sale on Amazon. — CD

The Scrubba Wash Bag is a 5.3-ounce hand-powered washing machine. Add water, soap, and a few items of clothing to the waterproof bag, seal it, and start rubbing. Rubber nodules inside the bag gently scrub the clothes. It folds to pocket size. Not as thorough as an actual washing machine, but better than hand-washing in a hotel sink. — MF

I bought this National Geographic Platinum Series Ultra Quiet Rock Polisher Kit as a gift for my husband last Christmas, but it ended up becoming a gift to myself. Over the past year, I took up rock hounding, and this kit included everything I needed to start my new hobby of rock tumbling. It’s one of the more affordable and genuinely “quiet” tumblers available for beginners. We keep it in the laundry room, and it’s quieter than our washer and dryer—which is ideal, since getting through a load of rocks requires the machine to run for a month straight. — CD

Rubber stamps are fun for kids and adults. We make thank-you cards, holiday notes, border art, and mail art with small rubber stamps and colored ink pads. My favorite set of stamps is Stamp Bugs ($26), part of a series which includes Stamp Garden and Jingle Stamps. There are 25 wooden backed stamps holding parts of an insect like legs or antenna or wings, which you combine in infinite ways to make bugs, creatures, robots, or anything at all. The other sets give you additional parts and options, and any of them are perfect gifts. (The sets come without ink pads.) — KK

Here’s a free gift to give yourself and your friends: a library card. Beyond books, it can give you free access to museums, zoos, gardens, events, streaming services, and more. This guide provides a state-by-state breakdown of what your library card gets you — from free NYC Culture Pass access to the Met and MoMA to vehicle passes for state parks to performing arts tickets. — MF

Inexpensive laser engraving can produce personalized rolling pins which make great gifts. A pattern is etched into the wood so that it stamps the pattern on the dough before baking. Today on Etsy, you can get many folk patterns etched into rolling pins. Several years ago we got our daughter a rolling pin personalized with her name: it says “Homemade by Kaileen”. The roller is made in Poland and the crafts family is still going on Etsy. — KK