Kickstarter uses a clever financing model where every backer’s money is returned if the full funding goal is not met. But this innovation is only one of many dozens of possible funding models, and dozen more ways of collaborating, or governing projects. Allo Mechanisms is a handy gallery of 60 different possible “capital allotment” mechanisms, already invented, that might work for your particular needs. Some of them already have implementations. — KK

Live TV streams from around the world

Tv.garden lets you spin a globe and watch live TV streams from around the world — no subscription needed. While channel surfing, I got caught up in watching Christian music videos in Senegal, Algerian news, and TV psychic readings in Bulgaria. It’s utterly captivating and transportive. — CD

Best condiment

I finally tried Fly By Jing's Sichuan Chili Crisp and now I understand the hype. This umami-rich oil is packed with crunchy bits of crushed chili pepper, garlic, shallots and preserved black beans that add intense flavor and mild heat to everything from eggs to ice cream. The tingly numbing Sichuan peppercorn is what makes it addictive. While some may balk at the price for 6 ounces, a little goes a long way. — MF

Best coffee ice cream

Now that there are over 600 Trader Joe’s stores in the US, I feel okay to recommend a favorite item from there. I think their Coffee Bean Blast Ice Cream is the best grocery store ice cream you can buy, or at the very least, as Trader Joe’s claims, “it’s the very best coffee ice cream available anywhere on planet Earth.” I’m going to fight for that. — KK

Discover your attachment style

This NPR LIFE KIT interview features Dr. Amir Levine, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, discussing attachment theory in relationships and includes a short quiz adapted from his book to help listeners discover their own attachment style. Dr. Levine emphasizes that attachment is a biological need and that the four attachment styles — secure, anxious, avoidant, and anxious-avoidant — are normal variations in human behavior rather than pathologies. I had heard of attachment theory before and even worked on my own attachment issues before getting married, but what I learned from this interview that I didn't fully understand before is that addressing attachment issues is a two-person process, not just an individual responsibility, and that becoming more secure often involves surrounding oneself with secure individuals. I took the quiz, and it reported that in relationships, I'm 100% secure, 25% avoidant, and 13% anxious. — CD

Guide to understanding why things work (or don't)

This collection of Hacker Laws is aimed at software developers, but it provides insights for anyone trying to build or change things. Here are three:

Gall's Law says grand reinventions usually fail — working complex systems can only evolve from working simple systems, never from scratch.

Chesterton's Fence warns against eliminating an old policy or process that seems pointless, before first learning why it exists.

The Principle of Least Astonishment says that systems and processes should match users' expectations and mental models — the path of least surprise is usually the path to success. — MF

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