Readings:
My current page turner is Skeletons on the Zahara, the true story from the early 1800s of American sailors (who may have been slave runners) shipwrecked off the west coast of Africa, starving on a lifeboat, then starving in the desert, then captured by desert Arabs and sold off as white slaves through a chain of tough masters until they were ransomed as “skeletons.” I don’t take our easy life for granted. — KK

Beauty hack:
Blotting sheets are a savior when my face gets oily and I don’t want to ruin my makeup. Clean & Clear Oil-Absorbing Sheets are cheap and portable. But if you find yourself in need and without, just use a sanitary toilet seat cover — they work just as good. — CD

Silverfish solution:
For years we’ve had silverfish darting around our guest bathroom. I bought some silverfish traps (little cardboard boxes with sticky goo to ensnare them) and they helped, but didn’t stop them. A few weeks ago I read that lavender oil is a good silverfish repellent. It’s only $7 for a small bottle on Amazon, so I decided to give it a try. I wetted the end of a Q-Tip with the oil and ran it around the perimeter of the bathroom floor, adding a little extra to a seam between the floor and the wall. It smelled nice and we did not see a single silverfish for two weeks. I finally saw one, reapplied lavender oil on the perimeter of the floor, and haven’t seen any since. — MF

Best kitchen knife:
The gift I most often give for young adults starting their own kitchen is this great, thin, sharp, durable, yet inexpensive chef knife. Both the 6-inch and 8-inch versions are wonderful, but I always grab the 6-inch Victorinox myself. Still ranked by Cooks’ Illustrated as a best buy for $25, the Victorinox Chef Knife will last forever, keep a razor sharp edge easily, and balance in your hand perfectly. — KK

Scary movie tip:
Fargo is probably my favorite thing in the world right now, but watching it makes me very tense. Some life-changing advice when watching something scary or suspenseful: root for the villain. Once I decide I want the bad guy to win, I actually get happy when he pops up out of nowhere or kills someone off. — CD

Logo inspiration:
I have started dozens of projects and ventures that require logos. Logobook is an online library of thousands of logos, organized in categories. It’s fun to browse if you’re logo-curious like me. They are all black and white, which I like. (All logos should have black and white versions.) — MF

-- Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, Claudia Dawson 05/14/17