Whisk/Burning Man/Bracket City

Recomendo - issue #452

Cool Tools Omnilist

I created a searchable archive of every product we’ve recommended in Recomendo and our other newsletters since 2020. The database includes thousands of items (with photos) that you can filter by category, date, or keyword. Want to see all the knives we’ve reviewed? Just type “knife” in the search field. This makes it easy to browse our entire review history or find specific recommendations. The site is ready to explore, though I’m open to suggestions for improvements. — MF

Imagery playground

I still regularly create AI imagery of my dreams using Midjourney, and I recently discovered Whisk, a Google lab tool for blending different visual elements into something entirely new. I just drag and drop the images, and I’m able to merge styles, subjects, and scenes. I can provide some visual guidance with text, but you don’t need to be an expert at writing prompts to have fun with it. It feels like a playground for creative visualization. — CD

Unforgettable experience

Like the Grand Canyon, or the Pyramids, I believe Burning Man is something you should experience at least once in your life, no matter who you are. This year is a good time to go, because it is no longer cool and you can easily get tickets. It is still a spectacle of art and creativity, a wonder of urban design, a singular example of a miraculous gift economy, and the best bicycle city on Earth. The cliches about it are all true, yet it will astonish you. I will make this guarantee: If you have never been to Burning Man, and you go this year and are bored, I will personally refund your ticket price. The festival erupts north of Reno, Nevada from August 24 to September 1, 2025 and the easiest way to attend it is in an RV. — KK

Clever Word Game: Bracket City

I discovered a delightful five-minute word puzzle game called Bracket City. The gameplay is simple — you just start typing words to solve crossword-like clues in brackets that are nested within other clues. What makes it addictive is how the clues build on each other, with each solution revealing new parts of connected puzzles. Here’s the tutorial example: [where [opposite of clean] dishes pile up] or [exercise in a [game played with a cue ball]]. You can peek at the first letter of any clue if you’re stuck. I’ll bet the NY Times will end up buying it. — MF

Top-rated things to do

Things.in is useful for creating a travel guide and a curated list of the top sights, restaurants, and places to stay in a city. I’m currently planning a trip to London and feeling overwhelmed by all the history and important sights to see. This tool is helpful in narrowing down my itinerary. — CD

Electrician’s magic wand

I noticed several professional electricians using this thing: The Klein Non-Contact Voltage Tester is a small magic wand that beeps when it detects a live current in a wire, or a switch or a cable or anything electronic. The cool thing is that you don’t need to bare the wire or contact, you just wave this near the wire. That is both much safer and way quicker. It can detect voltages between 12 and 1,000 which will be enough for most uses. For me it has replaced several devices in my toolbox I used to use to detect a live current. — KK

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03/10/25

Packable Duffel/RentRemote/Easiest 2nd Passports

Nomadico issue #145

Packable Duffel Bag for Travel Expansion

Several times I’ve protested the onerous baggage policies of budget airlines by taking everything in an underseat bag and on my body, like I did when I went to Costa Rica and Guatemala on Volaris (video with the duffel featured here). My secret was taking along a tiny pouch that expanded into a duffel bag on the other end. This also works well when you know you’ll be coming back with more than you flew there with. I like my water-resistant and rugged Sea to Summit one, but it seems to be discontinued so check out these alternatives from Eagle Creek and Bago.

Beyond Airbnb for Monthly Rentals

If you know a lot of nomads who have used Airbnb, you surely know a few disgruntled renters who ran into problems and had trouble getting support help. Some more service-oriented platforms have sprung up for remote workers who have a heftier budget and need a guaranteed workspace. One that has long gotten me drooling is HousingAnywhere (in 150 cities) and Nomadico partner Mark Frauenfelder sent this newer RentRemote one that looks enticing too. Some of the prices seem inflated even for highly paid software developers, but rents are more reasonable in Mexico City than they are in Paris. Expect to see more of these agencies popping up since Airbnb is such an easy and visible target as a housing problem scapegoat.

“Sketchplanations” of Key Concepts

I love finding an offbeat niche site that does one thing well and sticks with it. Sketchplanations.com is dedicated to explaining concepts with a sketch or cartoon instead of just text, which makes learning something more fun. Some examples include Chihuahua Syndrome (alternate spellings can render data useless), Survivorship Bias (the dead/failed/gone are forgotten), and The B.S. Asymmetry Problem (why simple b.s. beats out more complicated facts).

Easiest Second Passports

I know two people who have had a baby in a country they don’t intend to live in so they would have a path to a second passport for the family. If you don’t want to go to that extreme, here’s a list of countries where you can get a second passport by other means. The three main categories are by ancestry, by naturalization, or by investment. The article from International Living is geared to U.S. citizens, but in many cases the same programs are open to other nationalities as well.

A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.

03/6/25

What’s in my NOW? — Asmus Helms

issue #203

Asmus Helms is an artist from Copenhagen. He paints on everything and has self-published two zines and two books. His works draw on autobiographical material, portraying people and places from his daily life. They range from everyday absurdities to themes like identity, addiction, and sexuality. Find him on Instagram @asmushelms.

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PHYSICAL

• Custom Built-in Shelving Unit – My wife and I just moved into a new apartment, and a home isn’t complete without books and art, so one of our bigger upgrades to the space was a built-in shelving unit in the living room. It was build by Made By Baden and we love it.
• How To Be An Artist by Jerry Saltz – A no-nonsense, inspiring guide to making art. It’s packed with blunt advice, humor, and practical steps that cut through the usual artistic self-doubt.
• Montana Foldable RPET Bag – Holds all of the groceries, a bunch of spray cans, folds up small, and looks cool. Made from recycled plastic, it’s tough, portable, and the perfect mix of function and aesthetics.

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DIGITAL

• The Art Career Academy – Making a living as an artist is hard. I am not there yet, but this has helped me get much closer. It’s practical, community-driven, and filled with real strategies instead of vague motivational nonsense.
• Struthless’ YouTube Channel – Funny, smart, and useful. Self-help often gives me the ick, but Struthless is both brutally honest and very funny. His videos offer real insights on creativity, self-discipline, and making things that actually matter.

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INVISIBLE

“Whatever you like it all fits in. It doesn’t matter how different those things are that you like. They all fit into this world of shit you like.”

— El-P (On the “What Had Happened Was..” podcast)

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03/5/25

The Twilight Children / Make: Tools

Issue No. 56

THE TWILIGHT CHILDREN MIXES SPUNKY KIDS, COMPLICATED ADULTS, AND GOVERNMENT GOONS WITH MAGICAL REALISM

The Twilight Children
by Gilbert Hernandez (author) and Darwyn Cooke (illustrator)
Vertigo
2016, 144 pages, 6.7 x 10.2 x 0.2 inches (softcover)

Buy on Amazon

Any fan of Love and Rockets creator Gilbert Hernandez and of Batman, Catwoman, and New Frontier writer and artist Darwyn Cooke will be excited to read The Twilight Children, a four-issue series by Vertigo collected in this soft cover book.

The Twilight Children is set in a seaside town and the cast of characters includes his familiar mix of spunky kids and “complicated” adults. There are also government goons, a metaphysical siren, and mysterious, powerful orbs. People disappear, children are blinded (yet see again), and what is the deal with the glowing balls?!?

It’s great to see the wonderful art of Darwyn Cooke again, but sadly he died suddenly at age 53 in May, 2016 and this may be one of his last books (reason enough to get the book). Cooke’s commercial art style with lively character design and simple, bold brushwork gives a more “slick” look than what you’d usually expect from a Gilbert Hernandez book. Dave Stewart (my favorite colorist and the best part of many Dark Horse comics!) does a spectacular job. His painterly, subtle palette and restrained use of color hold line art fits Cooke’s drawing perfectly. No gradient mesh or lens flare effects, just solid sponge- and dry-brush painting. The bright and colorful seaside setting is a good contrast to the darker story elements. Also included in this compilation are some nice extras, like full-page paintings between chapters and a sketchbook of characters with storyboards by Hernandez.

Warning: Some readers may feel unsatisfied with the ending. Much is left unexplained and mysteries persist. If shows like Twin Peaks piqued you, you might feel the same about this book. And, although the book looks like a colorful, mainstream comic, it is a Gilbert Hernandez story and is marked “SUGGESTED FOR MATURE READERS.” – Robert Knetzger

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LEARN TOOLS AS YOU PUT THEM TO USE IN PROJECTS

Make: Tools: How They Work and How to Use Them
by Charles Platt
Maker Media
2016, 260 pages, 8.0 x 0.4 x 9.6 inches, Hardcover

Buy on Amazon

One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about Charles Platt’s Make: Electronics series (which I instigated as an editor at Make: Books) is his “Learning by Discovery” approach. You learn about electronics by doing the electronics and then learning about the science and engineering behind what you just did. So I was thrilled to see that in Platt’s latest book, Make: Tools, he uses the same project-based learning approach. Here, you do various, mainly wood-based, projects and learn about the tools as they are needed. For instance, in the first project, which is a wooden puzzle, saws are discussed as one is called for, then mitre boxes, clamps, rulers and squares, sanding and finishing tools. In the end, you’ve been introduced to each of the the tools in action and you have a fun puzzle to show for your efforts.

Charles always picks clever projects and Make: Tools is no exception. Projects here include a set of jumbo wooden dice, a pantograph, a Swanee whistle, parquetry, some wooden and plastic boxes, basic bookshelves, and even a few useful shop jigs. Through the course of each chapter, the project reveals the tools needed and explains how they’re used, their features and variations, and any safety precautions. Each chapter is also followed by a fact sheet that delves more deeply into a featured tool or material introduced in the chapter. Charles is known for his intense attention to detail and there’s plenty of evidence of that here. Each of the handsomely-designed pages (photographed and illustrated by Charles and designed by his wife, Erico Platt) has a lot going on and close examination pays off. It’s a fun book just to browse through. And, even if you don’t build anything from Make: Tools, the steps in the projects act as a narrative through which you can better understand how these tools are used in a variety of building situations. By the end, you’ll have been introduced to dozens of tools, materials, and techniques and have gained a solid grounding in how to use them in the real world.

– Gareth Branwyn

Books That Belong On Paper first appeared on the web as Wink Books and was edited by Carla Sinclair. Sign up here to get the issues a week early in your inbox.

03/4/25

Cold Clothes

Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 127

Lightest down jacket

Montbell Ex Light Jacket

At first sight it’s a nice-looking puffy jacket. Then someone picks up said puffy jacket and throws it at you. You put your hand out ready to catch a pound or so of duck-filled garment and then – nothing. Not what you expected. It’ as though a helium balloon just brushed against your hand. It’s thick and puffy and warm, but it doesn’t weigh anything.

And so began my love affair with the Montbell Ex Light Jacket. Not to be confused with its heavier cousin, the Montbell UL Jacket, the Ex Light weighs in at a scant 5.7 oz for a medium. Don’t expect frills such as pockets or hemmed waists, or the insulation and more durable exterior of a thicker down coat.

I wore this jacket whenever I had a chance on the Wonderland Trail. Rest stops, camp, heck I even slept in it on most nights. It’s a perfect complement to my lightweight summer bag when things get a little chilly at night.

Granted, I’ve spent more time in this jacket off the mountain at this point. It’s so snug, so cozy that I’ve been living in it for most of the winter. It replaces my Bozeman Cocoon Vest, and for 0.4 oz more it packs a whole lot more warmth. The downside is that I’m more vulnerable to rain as the Cocoon was synthetic and this is down, but I’ve found it to be a worthwhile tradeoff. —Brett Marl

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Best cold, wet outerwear

Paramo Directional Clothing System

Normal “breathable” shells have three great failings. The worst is that they’re just not that breathable, especially in rain, and extra-especially for people who carry on high-energy activities when it rains. This is because they’re based on a pored membrane that works by letting water vapour go from dryer to wetter air, so when the air outside is wet you’re stuck with living with your own sweat. Their two other failings are that repairing rips with a needle is disastrous, because water flows through the holes the needle makes in the membrane, and that getting dry once you’re soaked – whether by your own sweat or a fall in a river – takes forever. Softshells try to get around some of these problems, but at the cost of letting in moderate to heavy rain.

A company that has found the answer is Paramo with their “Directional” shell fabrics. Instead of using a membrane they use a “pump liner” that sucks water away from the inside of their shells. So sweat is still expelled in the rain, needle holes don’t matter because water trying to enter via them is pumped back, and if you get soaked under your shell when you fall out of your kayak your baselayers will dry out faster with your Paramo on, sucking water away, than if you took it off.

In other good news: Paramo is rustle free, completely windproof (it’s a popular choice of Antarctic exploration teams), is easily washed and re-proofed in a washing machine, and the average hard-used shell seems to last about a decade.

The downside of Paramo shells has been that they combine a shell with a midlayer, making them too warm for many people except in winter, and slightly bulky to carry. However the latest Paramo Velez Light has fixed this problem with lighter insulation and excellent venting. You simply put it on a over a baselayer and work the venting (and roll up the sleeves – something you can’t comfortably do with a normal shell) as needed – the shell stays on all day. Because sweat transport and venting are so good this works in all but summer weather. The Velez Light also has an exceptionally good hood that keeps goggles and spectacles dry in the rain but provides more than adequate side vision even for cycling in traffic.

The bad news is that although discussed excitedly on ultra light-weight hiking lists from time to time, Paramo doesn’t seem to be stocked widely – if at all – in the US. However, ordering from the UK is hardly the adventure it was before the invention of the steamship and wireless telegraph.

How good is Paramo? Good enough so that I can crank a cyclocross bike at maximum speed cross country in heavy rain and ice cold wind and my torso is as warm and dry as it would be if I was cycling on a summer day wearing only a wicking tee shirt. In short, ***astoundingly*** good. — Jonathan Coupe

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Traditional wool wear

Filson

Filson’s gear is made in Washington state and is superior to almost all of the winter/outdoor gear I’ve used. They are a bit spendy but spectacularly well made, and they wear like iron. I imagine my Filson Mackinaw will be handed down to my daughter and then to her children before its usefulness has departed. The woolen gear is quiet in the woods, keeps you warm even if damp or wet, and smells just fine to boot. Thumbs up. — John Coates

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Ultimate cold protection

RefrigiWear

Having to work outside in really tough conditions is bad enough, but many times worse if you’re cold too.

I found RefrigiWear suits years ago. They’re made for workers in blast freezers, so they’re tough, not super expensive and come in lots of sizes. My whole crew got these suits and they kept us fully functional while outside overnight for February-in-Wisconsin telecom projects.

I have no idea what Iditarod racers wear, and I’m pretty sure these won’t have the right cache for the ski set, but for working people these suits help you get the job done in the cold and won’t drain the piggy bank. — Wayne Ruffner

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Tips:

• A bit of research online shows that 70% isopropyl alcohol in a 2:1 ratio with water seems to be the optimal solution to deice windows (if you have it on hand, methanol is recommended as well), and that it won’t hurt your car’s paint-job(although it might remove some wax). — Oliver Hulland
• I have a small wet/dry vac that I use as a substitute for renting a rug cleaner to spot clean my rugs and furniture. Use soap and water in a spray bottle or just pour it out of a glass on the spot. Rub it in with a brush or your fingers and thensuck it up with the wet/dry vac. Rinse the spot with plain water two or three times the same way. It works great. I’ve done this to get juice off of my car seats as well.— Stephen Foss
• Two-inch diameter concave mirror from Edmund Scientific magnifies your face when you look into it, and the shorter the focal length, the more magnification you perceive. While this mirror is intended no doubt for high school studentsconducting optics experiments, I use it to examine my own eyes. Why, you ask? Because when I am traveling, there is a small but tangible chance that I may get a particle of foreign matter in one of my eyes at a time when there is no one around to see it and remove it. (I once paid $200 to an emergency room, merely for removal of a tiny piece of soot adhering to the underside of an eyelid.) I don’t use contact lenses, but I imagine this problem is more acute for people who do. The downside of transporting the mirror is that it is fragile, but I have managed to avoid breaking mine for a couple of years now, and recently I was glad that I had itwhen I was in Florida on my own, everything was shut down because of a hurricane…and I got something in my eye. — Charles Platt
• I had a white board with old writing on it – I tried Windex, alcohol, etc, to little avail, then my girlfriend suggested using a whiteboard marker – they are full of the correct solvent! Just color over what you want to erase and wipe it away.Doh! — David Spargur

Once a week we’ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because the possibilities they inspire are new. Sign up here to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.

03/3/25

Retro Recomendo: Fun things

Recomendo - issue #451

Anti-boredom

I always carry a deck of cards. Not to play card games, but to practice sleight of hand. It’s easy to have a conversation and practice moves at the same time, and it prevents me from fidgeting. This 4 DVD set, The Royal Road to Card Magic is a bargain at $15, and a great way to get started. — MF

Geography quiz game

I thoroughly enjoy playing this geographical guessing game “City Guesser” — probably because I am good at it. To play online you are shown a first-person view of walking through a city and you have to guess what city in the world you are in. You get points depending on how close you are and how fast you recognize the place. You can play against yourself, or other players, and you can narrow the scope. I’m great in Asia and no good in Africa. The game also works as a virtual vacation because inhabiting someone else’s walk is weirdly comforting. There is a related game, “GeoGuessr”, that plops you into a random place on Google Street View, usually not in the city. Here you can look around in all directions on your own “walk” and control your speed and path. (The free version requires signup.) Some people take this challenge very seriously and there are YouTube channels that follow some of the master navigators, like the champ GeoWizard. The lightning speed of his detective work is unbelievable, and as entertaining as magic. — KK

So many paper airplane designs

I was happy to come across this repository of paper airplane designs on Foldnfly.com. I didn’t know so many possibilities existed! We had a fun family tournament in the backyard this weekend. There seems to be quick, video tutorials for all of the designs. — CD

Deep YouTube

My daughter told me about Astronaut.io. It’s a website that plays a few seconds of random YouTube videos with almost no views — like this video of a cafe in Vietnam with 1 view, and this one of goats eating weeds near a freeway in rural Japan with 0 views. After a few seconds, it starts playing another video. It’s addictive. Many of the videos aren’t in English, which is a plus for me. — MF

Feel connected to the Universe

This helped me get out of my headspace for a bit: NASA’s What Did Hubble See on Your Birthday? I entered all the important dates I could think of and went down a Wikipedia wormhole to learn more about the Sombrero Galaxy and light echos. Every image is awesome and uplifting and teleports me out of my mental space to somewhere else. — CD

Puzzle source

The go-to source for physical puzzles is Puzzle Masters in Canada. They have everything, including lots of Japanese puzzles: Puzzle boxes, puzzle locks, jig saw puzzles, rubik’s cubes of all varieties, magic puzzles, toys, collectible puzzles, all very high quality. — KK

Our subscriber base has grown so much since we first started eight years ago, that most of you have missed all our earliest recommendations. The best of these are still valid and useful, so we’re trying out something new — Retro Recomendo. Once every 6 weeks, we’ll send out a throwback issue of evergreen recommendations focused on one theme from the past 8 years.

03/2/25

What’s in my NOW? — Asmus Helms