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Cool tools really work.
A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, video, map, hardware, material, or website that is tried and true. All reviews on this site are written by readers who have actually used the tool and others like it. Items can be either old or new as long as they are wonderful. We post things we like and ignore the rest. Suggestions for tools much better than what is recommended here are always wanted.
Rose Anvil Togo wallet. Rose Anvil are a Utah-based leather goods manufacturer. They use great leather and stitch these wallets by hand. It has four interior card pockets, two open pockets for notes and is held together with saddle stitch, like your great-grandpappy would have been familiar with. I have mine in light tan with a nicely developing patina. It fulfils nine out of the ten principles of good design by Dieter Rams. The one it misses out on is ‘be innovative’ mainly because trying to get more than three people to agree on what is innovative any more is a pain in the ____.
After 10 years my Apple Thunderbolt monitor gave up the ghost, leaving me in the lurch. I didn’t have a spare organ to hock on the dark web for a new Apple monitor and have found the MSI Modern MD271UL 27 Inch 4K UHD Professional Productivity Monitor - a very good stand-in. So long as it lasts beyond its warranty period I am still financially ahead of buying a new Apple monitor model. There is a whole argument over quality and environmental sustainability, but needs must at the moment.
Winter in the UK can be cold and damp. I have found the Hotties Micro Hottie which is a microwave-oven-heated hot water bottle invaluable for quickly getting ready for bed. My other half also uses it as a way to ease various aches and pains.
DIGITAL
Milanote - a virtual whiteboard. I’ve used it for facilitating virtual workshops, mapping out projects and mood boards. It comes with an online interface, a great Mac app and even an iOS app that you can reference your virtual whiteboard from on-the-move.
The Economist now publishes data from their data journalism on GitHub that you can make use of for your own personal needs or curiosity. Well worth a browse through.
INVISIBLE
This comes from my colleague Fiona as a way of thinking about prompting your LLM of choice. The memorable phrase: Thoughtfully Creating Really Excellent Inputs stands for Task: the persona that the LLM should assume and format that you want the output to look like, Context: give it the background information that it needs, Reference materials: give the LLM examples or existing materials that show what good looks like. (Not always applicable for abstract tasks), Evaluate: review the output, did the LLM understand what you wanted from your inputs?, Iterate: Refine your prompt: If the output isn’t right, try again by adding more details, rephrasing, or adjusting your request.
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