What’s in my NOW? — Magnus Ojala

A construction professional based in Sweden, currently working with residential projects. Interested in flow, systems thinking, and practical ways to ...

A construction professional based in Sweden, currently working with residential projects. Interested in flow, systems thinking, and practical ways to manage complexity at work and in life. Uses simple tools to stay focused, learn continuously, and protect long-term capacity. — Magnus Ojala

PHYSICAL

• Beal clean grip liquid chalk:Recommended to me by a more experienced lifter when I started weight training in 2010. Every time I’ve forgotten it since, lifting has felt like trying to hold onto the bar with soapy hands. One bottle lasts for years.
• Any A4 spiral notebook:
  I’ve used an A4 spiral notebook to plan my weeks since 2014. One notebook per year, one page per week. Each page follows the same structure: a numbered list of ten projects or focus areas for the week. Not tasks, but the things that will compete for my attention. Seeing all ten on a single page gives me a realistic sense of capacity. If something is tied to a specific day, I simply write the weekday—like “Tue”—on that line. I sometimes add small circles next to an item to indicate how many pomodoros I want to spend on it. It’s a simple, manual system. It doesn’t help me do more—it helps me decide what actually matters this week.
• Oral-B iO electric toothbrush:
  The difference in feel between a manual toothbrush and an electric one is real. The difference between a standard electric toothbrush and the Oral-B iO feels just as big. You notice it immediately when you run your tongue over your teeth. Once you’ve gotten used to that level of clean, going back—when traveling without it—always feels noticeably worse.

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DIGITAL

• Readwise (and Reader):
  I’ve used Readwise since 2020. I’m currently on a +1,700-day review streak, with over 30,500 highlights—mostly from Kindle Paperwhite/Kindle app and Reader. What keeps me coming back isn’t the streak, but the habit it supports. Highlights resurface when I’ve forgotten them, often at exactly the right time. Readwise Reader has also become my default place for PDFs and (long-form) articles. It’s the best app I’ve found for turning things I read into things I actually remember.
• A personalized Todoist setup based on Tiago Forte’s video series:
  I’ve adapted my Todoist system around Tiago Forte’s approach to managing projects and commitments (from his excellent video series). Instead of treating Todoist as a task dump, my setup helps me distinguish between what I’m committed to and everything else. I find this framework far more useful than a generic inbox-to-zero workflow—the structure gives direction, not just an empty inbox. The method has become the backbone of how I actually work with Todoist.https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/cg-29pZUFcs?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

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INVISIBLE

Herbie, the bottleneck

From The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt. In the story of Herbie, the slowest boy in a hiking group determines the pace of the entire line. Even if everyone else walks faster, overall throughput cannot exceed the speed of the bottleneck.

The insight is simple: system performance is governed by its constraints, not by the individual speed of its fastest parts.

01/7/26

The Wolves of Currumpaw / Sinatra 100

Issue No. 99

THE WOLVES OF CURRUMPAW – A TRUE STORY ABOUT LOBO, A WOLF FROM THE OLD WEST

The Wolves of Currumpaw
by William Grill
Flying Eye Books
2016, 80 pages, 9.7 x 12.1 x 0.6 inches

Buy on Amazon

In the early 1800s, half a million wolves roamed North America, but by 1862 settlers began pouring in from Europe and the landscape started to change. “These were the dying days of the Old West and the fate of wolves was sealed in it,“ begins The Wolves of Currumpaw.

The Wolves of Currumpaw, released today, is a true story about a wolf named Old Lobo, and a skilled hunter, Ernest Thompson Seton. Lobo was part of notorious pack of wolves in 1893 who, for five years, raided the ranches and farms of the Currumpaw Valley in New Mexico. Nobody was able to catch the stealthy wolf, and the locals began to think Old Lobo, or the King as they called him at the time, possessed supernatural charms. The locals finally offered $1000 to anyone who could catch him. Expert hunters set out to track him and hunt him down, but like the Terminator, Lobo couldn’t be killed – until Canadian-raised Seton came into town.

SPOILER paragraph: The story ends tragically, and might not be appropriate for more sensitive children. Seton does succeed in taking Lobo down, a section of the book that was hard for me to read. But then Seton has deep regrets and becomes a changed man. As a writer and sudden activist, Seton devoted the rest of his life to raising awareness about wolves. He was also one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America.

Like William Grill’s other picture book, Shackleton’s Journey, Wolves is beautifully illustrated on thick textured paper with colored pencils. Wolves, which is based on Seton’s short story, Wild Animals I Have Never Known, is powerful, told as much by Grill’s narrative as it is by his illustrations. Grill has chosen two interesting, not commonly taught histories as the subjects of his first two books, and I look forward to seeing what he brings us next. – Carla Sinclair

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A LUSCIOUS TOME OF FAMILY STORIES AND PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN PHOTOS TO CELEBRATE FRANK SINATRA’S 100TH BIRTHDAY

Sinatra 100
by Charles Pignone
Thames & Hudson
2015, 288 pages, 11.2 x 13.9 x 1.3 inches

Buy on Amazon

Sinatra 100 encapsulates the legendary performer’s life through text and previously unseen photographs from the family archives as well as classic images from various photo shoots. After forewords by two friends who knew him best, Tony Bennet and Steve Wyn, as well as an introduction by book author Charles Pignone, the book is broken into three long sections: The Voice 1915-1952, Chairman Of The Board 1953-1972, and Ol’ Blue Eyes 1973-1998. That leads readers into afterward sections by various family members and other items of interest.

Frank Sinatra, the man who would be known as “The Voice,” was born in Hoboken, New Jersey on December 12, 1915. Singing in his Dad’s bar led to a lifetime in music. The pages of that first section detail in photographs and text how difficult his early career was as well as his personal circumstances. After having some very early success, by the early 1950s Sinatra could have easily been relegated to a brief footnote in history. It was those early days that taught him what loyalty meant to both himself and others.

While the early fifties were ugly, things changed fairly rapidly. Winning the Oscar on March 25, 1954 was a pivotal point in that turnaround and a small taste of what was to come. In Chairman Of The Board 1953-1972, that turnaround is thoroughly detailed. Sinatra quickly became a box office superstar while his deal with Capital Records made him a major business success. His personal life was another matter as marriages came and went. All of this is detailed in both text and pictures though it is the pictures that really tell Sinatra’s story by way of Hollywood movie sets, recording studios, award events, and more.

The final section, Ol Blue Eyes 1973-1998, covers the later years of Frank Sinatra’s incredible life. He had found peace and had gradually returned to singing by way of touring. Along the way the awards and accolades came to him from a worldwide audience as he continued to entertain people everywhere. While the text is important, the pictures truly tell the tale and are the real story of the book. Often the photographs capture other well-known figures such as Orson Wells, Bing Crosby, Clark Gable, etc. As such the photographs not only give readers a glimpse back in time of Sinatra, they also serve to showcase other legendary talents and others who just happened to be in the right place at the right time to be immortalized. They serve as a window into history, not only of Frank Sinatra, but of our history and culture over decades of American life.

It is worth noting that the coffee table-sized book is very heavy. Beyond the sheer weight of approximately six pounds is the fact that the text in captions and elsewhere in the book is very small. The caption text is even smaller than the main text with the result being a very well done book that could be difficult to read for those who have eyesight issues. Published by Thomas and Hudson this tome is meant as an all-encompassing historical visual record to commemorate the singer’s 100th birthday. – Kevin Tipple

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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.

01/6/26

Paper Cutting

Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 171

Optimal place to cut

Self-Healing Cutting Mat

You razor-cut things on this mat, and unlike other materials it won’t accumulate a field of cut marks to misguide your blade. The self-healing rubber keeps the surface uniformly smooth, clean, and firm. And protects your table. Get the largest one you have room for and can afford. A large mat also says: don’t pile stuff here. — KK

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Self-sharpening paper cutter

Dahle 550 Paper Cutter

Until a couple of years ago I had struggled with different inexpensive paper cutters, but I kept finding myself going to Kinko’s and using the cutters there. Then I got smart and jotted down the brand name, Dahle 550 Rolling Trimmer Paper Cutter, and bought one online.

What I appreciate most about this cutter is that I never have to change blades, or deal with dull blades, because it’s self-sharpening. The steel rotary blade contained within the plastic safety housing moves across a stationary blade that extends the length of the cutting platform. This action hones the rotary blade, which remains constantly sharp. It’s also set up for wall mounting, which is ideal in my home office layout.

One of the Dahle’s downsides is that the plastic plate that holds the paper down got dinged up — keep away from kids — causing the blade to run off the track if I’m not careful. Also, the next one I buy will be a larger model: The 550 is meant to cut up to 14 1/8-inch paper, but it’s awkward cutting anything over 8×10. — Andrew Heidrich

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Better than razor blades

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Rotary cutters aren’t new tools. It’s just taken me awhile to appreciate how great they are. The Fiskars Rotary Cutter replaces exactos for most heavy-duty cutting jobs in our household. It’s faster, surer, easier and therefore safer to use than razor blades. It will slice through paper, vinyl, cardboard, fabric, and foam board with ease and accuracy. I can only manage perfectly straight long cuts with a rotary cutter and straight edge. Cutting curves is buttery. Seamstresses can add pinking blades. The replaceable blade retracts when not in use; it can be side-switched for left-handers. When I think “cut” I reach for this tool. — KK

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Safe paper trimmer

Fiskars Paper Trimmers

It is simply impossible to make a genuine straight, right-angle cut on paper using scissors, or even a razor blade and straight edge. The old guillotine paper cutter could deliver a clean cut, but at the risk of taking your fingers away. Fiskars, the scissors makers, invented a cutter with a tiny blade mounted on a hinged holder that zips through paper without any possible harm, even to the youngest children. It’s fast, accurate, and crisp. — KK

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Paper scoring and folding

Bone Folder

A classic bone folder is made of real bone, not plastic or Teflon, and resembles a fat, blunt-edged tongue depressor, rounded at one end and pointed at the other. With it, I can turn a digital print, piece of cardstock or watercolor paper into a professional-looking note or greeting card.

Pulling the pointed end alongside a straight edge and across the paper produces a subtle score that facilitates a perfect fold. Next, I fold the card very gently by hand along the score, and then stroke one of the short, straight sides of the bone folder along the score to flatten the rounded fold to a sharp crease.

When sending a letter that I want to look good, I make two quick strokes of the folder along preliminary hand folds to create folded edges that are sharp and square. Bone folders also can be used to burnish paper as it is glued to cardstock, album or scrapbook pages. They produce accurate and sharp folds and creases on origami papers as well as facilitate sculpting, architectural modeling or bookbinding with paper.

I recommend rubbing your bone folder with olive oil from time to time to avoid flaking or brittleness. Folders made of real bone are best, unless you wish to use a Teflon folder to avoid the slight luster sometimes created by the friction of a real bone folder. — Clifford Peterson

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Safe, quick newspaper clipper

Single Sheet Cutter

I like to clip items from the newspaper or magazines that are relevant to my clients and prospects. This tool makes that task simple — just grip between thumb and forefinger and trace the outline of the article you want to clip — you even leave the underlying pages intact! — Bruce Bradford

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Perfect for cutting rolls

Rolling Scissors

Two rotating wheels slice paper the way an open scissors does occasionally. Absolutely marvelous for cutting wrapping paper or making lots of long cuts. Also great for kids who don’t quite have the coordination to use scissors well. We keep ours in the gift wrap box. — KK

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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.

01/5/26

KK / Flat phone grip / Is it a cult?

Recomendo - issue #495

Trendy newsletter

I, too, now have a Substack newsletter where I post a short essay once a week. It’s my “works in progress” on technology, culture, travel, art, and even spiritual stuff. Some of my essays are brand new, and some are older pieces cross-posted from my Technium blog. Instead of having to visit the blog, I send it to you in an email (that is Substack). My pieces are low-stakes, cold takes – I am not in a hurry. I aim to pay attention to long-term trends. Comments are active and I try to respond to sincere comments. Sign up at KK on Substack. It’s free (although I have some paid subscribers, thank you!). — KK

Flat phone grip

My wife replaced her PopSocket phone grip to the new Snap Grip 5 ($40). It’s just 3mm thick, with a profile that prevents it snagging on pockets like bulkier grips. It has a powerful magnet that snaps to MagSafe phones. You can use it as a one or two-finger grip, flip it into a sturdy kickstand, or stick your phone to any metal surface (fridge, gym equipment, car door). Works with iPhones and includes an adapter for Android phones. — MF

Is it a cult? Assessment Tool

My mother is a seeker, so I grew up baptized multiple times and in and out of various churches. As an adult, I’ve had to rebuild my relationship with both spirituality and community, and I tend to assume every organized group with a shared mission is a cult until proven otherwise. That’s why I really appreciate this carefully constructed “Is It a Cult?” tool by ClearerThinking. The assessment looks at things like unusualness, conformity, isolation, control of information, ethics, and sacrifice, reflecting the nuanced criteria behind their Cult Assessment tool. ClearerThinking’s programs and assessments are grounded in empirical data and are balanced in perspective, and this particular questionnaire understands that being a cult is not binary—it’s a set of traits, each of which lies on a continuum. — CD

Air Fryer Convert

I was skeptical about air fryers until I tried the Ninja Crispi. It comes with three glass containers so you can see your food cooking, and they’re non-toxic (no Teflon coatings). I’ve made sweet potatoes that came out caramelized on the outside and soft inside. It’s perfect for crisping frozen samosas and pupusas in minutes. My mother baked a whole chicken in it beautifully. The containers go from freezer to cooking to table to dishwasher. — MF

Reclaiming five-to-nine

This piece argues that most nine-to-five workers underuse their after-work hours because we stay in our “inner CEO” identity, which hijacks free time with urgency traps like emails, Slack pings, and low-value work that keeps laptops open all night. The advice is to acknowledge and give time to our other inner characters—like the Lover, Artist, Friend, and Athlete—and create a simple cast schedule for weeknights. For example, on Mondays the Athlete moves your body, on Tuesday the Friend schedules a conversation or hangout, and so on. The real key is honoring the end-of-work transition with a shutdown ritual: create a two-do list for the next day, close unnecessary tabs, say out loud “Workday closed, artist open,” and then do something sensory (shower, stretch, short walk, or after-work-only music) to let the next character take the spotlight. — CD

Advice guru

My favorite advice guru is Dan Pink. He is very wise, but also very concise. He can convey a book’s worth of advice in a few minutes – and his advice is good and practical. He is a master of dispensing his wisdom in very short videos. His latest class is a 4-minute lesson on How to Fix Your Attention Span. Might as well stay for his other lessons as well. — KK

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01/4/26

Best Retiree Spots/Welcoming Nomad Destinations/Loyalty Doesn’t Pay

Nomadico issue #186

Sunny Places to Retire

While Mexico is the most popular retiree destination for Americans and Canadians by a huge margin, it’s #5 on the annual Global Retirement Index that International Living produces. The top spot usually goes to Panama, thanks to its generous perks and terrific medical care, but this year it got edged out by Greece, which offers a residency permit to those spending at least 250,000 euros on real estate. Unlike Panama and number two Costa Rica, Greece offers plenty of variety in climate, altitude, and places to get away from the crowds. Other countries in the top-10 are Portugal, Italy, France, Spain, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Welcoming Countries for Nomads

If you’re not ready to put down roots but want to spend quality time where you land, only some of the countries that are great for retirees are also great for digital nomads. Thailand, Costa Rica, and Mexico are three of the exceptions in terms of countries where you can spend six months or more at a time without getting formal, long-term residency. Plenty of countries offer some kind of digital nomad visa, but a lot of those come with onerous requirements and tax obligations on foreign income. See my rundown here of the most welcoming countries for nomads and remote workers.

Airline Loyalty Doesn’t Pay Off for Most Travelers

American Airlines says that passengers buying their “basic economy” tickets (their match to Spirit or Ryanair service) will no longer earn loyalty points on their flights. Sadly, other legacy airlines will probably follow suit. This proves once again that high-spending frequent business travelers with elite status are now the only ones who earn significant frequent flier points from actually flying. (One example of how bad the payoff is: a business class flight from Mexico City to Tampa on Delta will earn me a whopping 1,000 SkyPesos.) Forget loyalty: if you want to earn free flights, you’ll get there far faster by just maximizing your credit card spending instead, preferably with a card that allows multi-airline transfers, like Sapphire Preferred.

Another Points Currency with Rove

Apart from the Chase points mentioned above and others available via Amex and Capital One, here’s a lesser-known option that could pay off even faster, especially if you like to stay in independent boutique hotels instead of chains. If you book through Rove Miles instead of, say, Expedia, you can earn 5 to 25 points per dollar that you can then cash in or transfer out. Flight bookings earn the lowest, but you often see 10 to 25 points per dollar spent on hotel bookings, on top of whatever your credit card is giving you. Plus they have a shopping portal. Then if you want to transfer points out, they connect to airlines in all three airline alliances: Star Alliance, One World, and SkyTeam.

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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.

01/1/26

Mann’s Pictorial Dictionary / Death is Stupid

Issue No. 98

MANN’S PICTORIAL DICTIONARY AND CYCLOPEDIA – THE MOST MISCELLANEOUS MISCELLANY OUT THERE

Mann’s Pictorial Dictionary and Cyclopedia Vol. 1
National Library Publications
1960, 240 pages, 8.5 x 11 inches

Buy on Amazon

What are the different parts of a knife called? How about the parts of a plough? Does anyone know what kind of mousetrap this is? What do Eskimo ice scrapers look like? I’ve got this chrysalis here — what kind of butterfly or moth will emerge from it? Can anyone show me the difference between a bath tap and a double flexible tube cock? How about a White Persian versus a Manx? How did the piano evolve? What kind of ship is that sailing out of the harbor?

All of these questions and a ridiculously large number more are answered in Mann’s Pictoral Dictionary and Cyclopedia, 240 pages of the most miscellaneous miscellany out there. Each page poses a not-entirely-naturally-worded question at the top, then answers it with illustrations. If we believe the foreword of this 1960 edition, the original book was found in a bombed-out library in England shortly after WWII. One illustration shows a woman’s hairstyle from 1920, while another list, “To Which Country in the British Empire Does That Badge Belong?” includes Kenya and Gold Cost which, if I know my British history (note: I do not), suggests the book was published sometime between 1920-1957.

I’d owned this book for several years before I realized that the pages are not random, they’re alphabetical (as long as you can figure out what category the page has been classified under, which is not always clear). This leads to delightful transitions like going from cat’s cradle games, to cattle breeds, to oak chairs, or from “What Bible Fruit is That?” to “Examples of British Game Birds.”

The British dial is set to 11. “What is the Name of That Sedge? The Chief Species Growing in Britain” is a two-page spread on grasses. “What is the Meaning of Those Badges Worn by the Boy Scouts?” asks another page. “Which British Owl is That?” — it turns out that “Ten owls are found wild in England, and by means of these drawings it will be possible to identify any owl that may be seen.” Identify your raptors with confidence, Britain! It’s out of print, but used copies can be found at the link above. – Sara Lorimer

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DEATH IS STUPID TALKS STRAIGHT TO KIDS ABOUT A TOPIC MOST GROWN-UPS STRUGGLE WITH

Death is Stupid
by Anastasia Higginbotham
The Feminist Press at CUNY
2016, 64 pages, 8.5 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches

Buy on Amazon

Death is Stupid does what so many grown-ups struggle to do with their kids. It tells them the truth that they already know. In collages of illustrations and dialogue, Anastasia Higginbotham walks readers through the confusion and questions that come when someone dies. Using two concurrent narratives, one that broadly voices and validates the feelings and fears kids have around death, the other focusing on a little boy whose grandmother has died, Higginbotham masterfully draws connections for young audiences and their grown-ups.

The story opens, gracefully straight-forward, “When a loved one dies people can say some stupid things.” The line stretches over the course of three pages in which the boy goes from surprised to sad as he hears, “I know exactly how you feel.“ “Don’t cry.” “Just be grateful for the time you had with her.” We follow him through the funeral and days after, through the rituals of grief and remembrance, through the fumbling adult attempts to explain and comfort. Through his experience and the narrator’s staccato interjections (“Dying is not a punishment. But it mostly doesn’t feel fair.”), readers are given the space to explore the well-intentioned answers and advice that grown-ups pat into the palms and shoulders of the kids they love, and the ways in which those hugs and kisses can land like blows.

Just as the boy tries out different ways to stay connected to his grandma while accepting her death, like caring for her garden, readers can explore suggested activities at the back of the book. Higginbotham offers templates for personalized remembering of both pets and people, simple instructions (“Read what they read. Make what they made.”), and the loveliest reflection on the power of speaking someone’s name. I know that when we are inevitably grieving a loved one’s death, I will be grateful to have this book on hand to read with my daughter. – Mk Smith Despres

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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.

12/30/25

What’s in my NOW? — Magnus Ojala