04 July 2024
Rechargeable Travel Toothbrush/Skip the Rental Car Line/More Local Co-working
Nomadico issue #111
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.
An Electric Toothbrush Built for Travel
In the early days of this newsletter I highlighted a USB rechargeable electric toothbrush that was compact and easy to pack. Unfortunately, it crapped out on me six months later (dead battery I think) while my wife’s Philips One by Sonicare version is still going strong. I’ve ordered one of my own from this link because it comes with replacement heads as well in a bundle.
Going Straight to Your Car With Hertz
I encountered high summer rental car rates in Richmond and Atlanta across the board on this current trip, so I went ahead and rented with Hertz. I was glad I did because I found that they’ll let you upload your driver’s license and take a selfie to check in ahead of time from your phone. When you get to the garage, you go straight to the spot number they texted and drive away, no waiting in line. You don’t have to book directly with them or be a loyalty member either: my second booking was via Priceline. (National does this as well, but is mostly aimed at biz travelers.)
Changing “Low Season” Travel Trends
I was recently at a travel blogger conference meeting with the rep from a city in northern Germany and she told me, “Don’t come in December, the hotels are all full then.” I wasn’t surprised: add remote work, home schooling, and global warming together and you’ve got major disruptions in what we used to think were set patterns. I wouldn’t go as far as this article that has “The End of Low Season” in its title, but don’t automatically assume a destination is going to be empty just because it used to be at that time of year in the ‘00s.
Goodbye WeWork, Hello Hyper-local Co-Working
This interesting article from Wired highlights the fact that WeWork’s demise does not mean that there isn’t a strong demand for co-working spaces. We just need people who can run them better and put them in the right places. In many cases, those places are, not surprisingly, outside of the city business core where offices used to be. There are a lot of potential trends popping up for community work spaces (some billed as “clubs”) and it’s nice to see creative repurposing of buildings to serve a whole different purpose.
07/4/2402 July 2024
The Card Catalog / How to Eat a Lobster
Books That Belong On Paper Issue No. 21
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.
A THOUGHTFUL, LOVING, AND VISUAL TRIBUTE TO THE HUMBLE LIBRARY CARD CATALOG
The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures
by The Library Congress
Chronicle
2017, 224 pages, 7.5 x 1.0 x 9.0 inches, Hardcover
When I was an eggheaded teenager growing up in a sleepy Southern Baptist town, I lived for my little local library. It was like a desert oasis to me and I spent hours in it, perusing the books and magazines, browsing the card catalog, and requesting strange and obscure books that made my librarian frown and twist her lip up funny.
Of the many features of the library, it was the card catalog that held a unique fascination for me. Being a budding information junkie, the card catalog seemed almost magical, my gateway to all sorts of exotic ideas and adventures, buried amongst the mundane, waiting to be unearthed by the eager flicks of my fingertips. I loved everything about the card catalog: the thick oak cabinet with numerous tiny drawers that slid out easily with their heavy loads of often crammed-tight 3×5 cards. The knurled brass knob and rod that held the card stacks in the drawers. The cards themselves, sometimes neatly and perfectly typed out, other times, hand-written or heavily annotated, struck through, and carefully painted with white-out. Some cards seemed to have acquired plots and stories of their own. I can even remember the satisfying thunk the drawers would make when you pushed them back in. And the smell! The thought of that smell is a like a Proustian moment that easily invokes this part of my childhood.
So you can imagine how excited I was when an unsolicited review copy of The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures showed up on my doorstep. If the subject-matter and the lovely cover, with its card catalog half-wrap (featuring Whitman’s Leaves of Grass), didn’t win me over, they had me after I opened the book up to discover a pocket and library check-out card on the inside front spread.
The book includes a history of the card catalog, the Library of Congress, and the automation technologies that eventually killed analog card systems, but the heart and soul of this book are the photos of the actual cards of famous books in the Library’s collection and covers of the books themselves. The majority of The Card Catalog is a series of facing pages with a photo of the book on one side and the catalog card on the other. There are also pictures of library supply catalogs of the turn of the century (showing catalog cabinets, typewriters, and various types of date and other stamps), and plans and photos of the Library of Congress under construction. There are also lots of interesting facts and trivia throughout the book. Like, I had no idea that, from 1901 to 1997, the Library of Congress actually produced library catalog cards and supplied them to local libraries. So, many of the cards in my local library were likely not produced on-site, but rather, came from Washington.
The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures was released this week to coincide with National Library Week. Now, more than ever, we need to be celebrating book-learnin’ and a culture of intelligence, truth, and inquiry. This lovely volume will likely be a potent reminder of the power of learning and exploring ideas, at least for bookworms of a certain age.
– Gareth Branwyn
LEARN HOW TO EAT A LOBSTER AND ANSWERS TO OTHER ETIQUETTE QUESTIONS WITH THIS BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED GUIDE
How to Eat a Lobster: And Other Edible Enigmas Explained
by Ashley Blom, Lucy Engelman (Illustrator)
Quirk Books
2017, 160 pages, 5.0 x 0.7 x 6.6 inches, Hardcover
Say you’ve ditched your frozen dinners, gotten swept up in foodie culture, and, with new found enthusiasm, eat out and order seafood. You wax poetic about the merits of sustainable fish farming, but your smile suddenly wanes when your server brings the fish — whole. Or maybe you’re a college student embarking on your very first unpaid internship company lunch meeting. You arrive at the office looking sharp in that smart new number you scored off the clearance rack, only to discover that the boss has a hankering for barbecue. Or maybe you simply love food and self-improvement and are dying to find a new book to meet your niche! Whatever the case may be, How to Eat a Lobster has you covered.
The book’s guidance is served up in three courses, each packed with easily digestible bites of how-tos. Tricky Techniques covers dissecting and devouring everything from escargot to pig’s head. Etiquette Enigmas finesses table manners like sipping soup and dividing up a bill. Foodie Fixes goes inside after the bite with tips for handling spicy food and bad breath. It’s even small enough to fit neatly in your bag in case any unanticipated food adventures pop up and leave you scratching your head over which fork to use. If you plan to sneak away to reference check your etiquette in a bathroom stall, just be sure to read the How to Excuse Yourself section before you take your seat at the table.
– Mk Smith Despres
07/2/2401 July 2024
Skateboards
Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 93
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.
Surfing on hills
Downhill skating is like surfing; carving back and forth on long downhills. Note: you guys who skated as kids and have quit. The technology is way advanced these days. Decks, trucks, wheels, designs. It’s a different skating world. If you’ve ever skated, you’ve got the motor skills (due to “muscle memory”), and you’ll be surprised at how much fun you can have skating downhill with today’s boards. Here are three unique skateboards meant for downhill, as opposed to acrobatic street and ramp skating. — Lloyd Kahn
Loaded Carving Systems
This is my board of choice, after maybe 20 boards. The decks are made of 1/2 cm strips of vertically laminated bamboo (with the grain running truck to truck,) sandwiched between layers of fiberglass. The decks are convex (from end to end) and you can pump to accelerate, gaining speed from the flex of the deck and rebound from the truck bushings and wheels. They produce a graceful and flowing ride. I’ve got a Dervish model with Orangatang wheels. Check out the film clips on their website.
$328 Dervish complete board w/wheels Loaded Boards.
Carveboard
This is a whole other animal. Surfers love them. They’re heavy, have adjustable air pneumatic tires, and the deck tilts off springs so you can carve insanely tight angles. I use one with tires deflated to about 10 lbs. pressure to be able to skate a steep local hill that I can’t handle on any other board.
$359 43″ Carveboard Carve USA
Landyachtz Evo 2008
From British Columbia, land of heavy-duty mountain bike riders and downhill skaters, come these downhill racing boards. The drop-down decks give you a lower center of gravity and great stability at high speeds. Being closer to the ground makes it easier for skaters to get a padded glove on the ground for sliding (to slow down).
$252 Evo 2008 w/Gumball wheels Landyachtz
Skater’s pavement paddle
The Kahuna Big Stick is a lightweight wooden shaft with fixed rubber wheels that allows a skater to push and pull while keeping balanced with both feet as opposed to pumping with one foot. On the level, it is way superior to foot-pumping. Even on uphills, I’ve found if I do a few foot pumps, then follow with a few paddles, it’s faster and smoother. On slight downslopes, I can now get a lot more speed by not having to foot pump. It’s got me skating a two-block section in town that used to be too slow. Plus, it adds an upper body workout to a sport that, traditionally, challenges your legs mostly. Surfers see me with it and invariably break into a grin; they instantly get it and are charmed. It really is incredible. The day I got my 5′ 6″ Big Stick, I tried it out in a parking lot while getting gas. Boy! After about five tentative strokes, I started reaching out as far as I could, zooming around. Later that night I decided to skate in the streets (no cars). I got in a bunch of half-mile downhills in an hour. It is insane fun. One disadvantage: You’re carrying this stick rather than free skating down hills. —Lloyd Kahn
Skateboard multi-tool
Here’s a tool I wish existed about 25 years ago. Silver Trucks makes this updated version of the classic skate key, with added functionality, so it works in a complete skateboard build-up and isn’t limited (as its predecessor was) to maintenance and adjustments. The SilverTool is a solid, straight, T-shaped tube that feels much better in my hand than other tools I’ve used and has more features than anything else out there on the market.
Like the old skate key tool that was the standard for years, the SilverTool has openings to adjust the nuts for the wheels, as well as adjusting the nut tensioning on the truck kingpin. What is revolutionary about this tool is that it has a reversible ratchet at one end and a removable Phillips/hex driver. These features allow me to install and adjust the hardware holding the trucks to my deck. (Rush makes a ratcheting skate tool that has a hinged ratchet socket, and a hinged pullout Phillips/hex driver. Rush’s tool is smaller than Silver’s, but I believe some stability/torque is sacrificed in exchange.)
The SilverTool is also equipped with a medium-grade file for smoothing out the grip-tape edges around the skateboard deck. This is a nice bonus, though it’s not quite enough for me to perform a complete setup. I still need to use a separate razor blade or Stanley knife to trim away excess tape.
I hope to purchase, or make, adapters for the ratchet that will allow me to use this tool for basic bicycle maintenance as well. If Silver were to think a little beyond just skateboarding, they could easily manufacture the tool of choice for those who are into both skateboarding and riding bikes. — Scott Singer
Customizable, easy-to-ride skateboard
I’ve ridden skateboards for the last 20 years and the ONDA Core has something I’ve never seen before: two interchangeable bushings on either side of the kingpin. ONDA calls them torsion shocks. Basically, they’ve rethought how trucks should work and I really like it. They’ve created a simple way (without any tools necessary) to swap out the “shocks” to 9 different levels of resistance. It’s pretty brilliant, as you can adjust it based on your weight or average speed to be the perfect fit.
The deck is made of plastic, which was what originally kept me from trying it. I’m used to wood decks, but the plastic is more flexible and lasts much longer. It took a few days to get used to it, but now I’m a huge fan.
The wheels are extra large, which definitely gives it a unique look. But they’re coming out with a newer model in August which has smaller wheels and a shorter deck. It looks more conventional, but the wheels are still wider and larger than most skateboards.
This board may not be for hardcore skateboard enthusiasts, but it’s super easy to ride and a great fit for beginner and intermediate riders. I’ve owned mine for only 2 months and I’m hooked. — Nate H.
30 June 2024
Online passport renewal/No-slip hangers/Explain that Stuff
Recomendo - issue #416
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Online passport renewal
If you need to renew your US passport there is a pilot program to renew it online, but you’ll need 8 weeks to process it. Mailing it in is currently faster. But if you are not comfortable mailing your passport, consider this official state department beta program Renewal Online, which only accepts a limited number of applicants per day. (Thanks for the tip from our sister newsletter, Nomadico – written for people who work while they travel.) — KK
No-slip hangers
During a recent move, our movers suggested replacing our bulky plastic hangers with super-thin, non-slip velvet hangers — and they were right. They maximized my closet space while keeping clothes from slipping off. The 360-degree swivel hook makes it easy to adjust items so that they all face the same way. At around 50 cents per hanger for a pack of 30, they’re an affordable way to instantly declutter your closet and give it a more uniform, boutique-like appearance. Best of all, no more clothes on the floor! Here’s a photo of my closet with the hangers. — MF
Explain that Stuff
Explainthatstuff.com is a science and technology website that I find myself returning to again and again. Created by science writer Chris Woodford, it offers simple yet engaging explanations of how things work—from everyday gadgets to complex scientific concepts. I have to admit that lately, when I want to quickly understand something, I’ll ask an AI to explain it to me like I’m 5 years old. However, in comparison, this human-written website is much more satisfying to read and learn from, like having my own private science tutor at my fingertips. — CD
Walk across Bali
I just completed a six-day walk across the island of Bali. We carried only day packs and our luggage was forwarded each day. We walked roughly 77 km from Ubud, up to the volcanoes in the center of the island, and then finished on the north coast. We had two guides to lead the way through the rice terraces, and we slept in local villages, Balinese style along the way. I highly recommend the organizers, who charge only $500 for the whole trip, including all the vegetarian meals along the way. This is miles off the tourist, or even backpacker, tracks. The hosts, Astungkara Way, also offer a 10-day version which goes coast to coast. — KK
Best Months to Visit Each National Park
I love this visual guide that shows the best months to visit all U.S. national parks. It’s easy to read and will hopefully take the guesswork out of planning your next outdoor adventure. Here is the accompanying blog post about the criteria used to determine the “best” times to visit each park. The creator considered factors like historical visitor statistics, seasonal weather, road and trail closures, and even special annual events like bat flights and wildflower blooms. — CD
How to do great work
Last year, Paul Graham, a renowned programmer, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist known for co-founding Y Combinator, wrote an essay titled “How to Do Great Work.” He covered a wide range of topics, from choosing what to work on to cultivating originality. This week, I came across Peter Schroeder’s terrific visual representation that maps out the main ideas from Graham’s essay. It’s useful even if you don’t read the essay. — MF
06/30/2427 June 2024
Most Expensive Cities/Airbnb Insurance/Online Passport Renewal
Nomadico issue #110
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.
The Most Expensive Cities to Live In
The annual Mercer cost of living study is out and it’s always fun to read. This isn’t really applicable to most of us since it measures costs for salaried executives or government workers posted abroad—those people in your book club or biking group paying $12K per month of company money for rent in Barcelona for instance. But it is interesting to see which locations are rising and falling from exchange rate issues or macro economic factors. Cities in Japan and China have gotten cheaper. Mexico City jumped up a lot, while Buenos Aires went the other direction. One trend is clear: if you want to live somewhere expensive and pay a lot for housing, the USA and Switzerland are ready to oblige.
Think Twice About Airbnb Insurance
Similar to when you have a minor fender-bender in your car, you might want to work out payment directly with your Airbnb host if anything gets damaged, rather than letting them file for insurance. The customer profiled in this article spilled some food on the host’s sofa and then got banned from the platform after the host filed an insurance claim. It required a lot of intervention to get the guest (who was also a host) restored.
Chill Out in Lake Toba
When I first started backpacking in the early 1990s, Southeast Asia was full of idyllic spots with small crowds that only backpackers in the know seemed to visit. Many of these are overtourism poster children now, like Ubud, Ko Phi Phi, and Hoi An, but somehow Lake Toba on Sumatra is as chilled out as ever. See the recent report from James at Nomadic Notes here.
Online Passport Renewal for USA Now Open
My wife just had to renew her U.S. passport and after paying for the expedited option and mailing it back, she had a new one in about three weeks. Apparently it’s tough to copy this new hi-tech version because if you use the just-opened online portal to renew and pay, you can hold onto your old passport for a souvenir without sending it to get a hole punched. The site says to not plan any international travel for eight weeks though, so it’s not promising to be speedy.
06/27/2425 June 2024
Ice Boy / The Red Rooster Cookbook
Books That Belong On Paper Issue No. 20
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.
AN ICE CUBE IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE IN A COMICAL (AND VERY COOL) TALE OF TRANSFORMATION
Ice Boy
by David Ezra Stein
2017, 40 pages, Hardcover
Ice Boy is the story of a ice cube who wants more out of life than to sit in the freezer and wait “to be chosen.” He doesn’t buy his parents’ logic that ending up in a cold compress is the ultimate reward, and so, he sets off for adventure. Little does he know, adventure for an ice cube involves some really big changes! We follow the cube across land, sea, and air and through multiple states of matter as David Ezra Stein’s punny text and fitting watercolor illustrations tell the story of Ice Boy.
Though Stein’s intention was likely to tell a fun, scientifically-informed (and informative) tale of adventure in the face of the status quo, he also succeeds in making a story that can applied to a very different topic. After reading the book with my preschooler, who has been very curious about death lately and particularly interested in and excited by the ideas of reincarnation and the spirit (after watching the fabulous Moana), I used Ice Boy and his shifting physical form as another point of reference for talking about these super hard-to-explain subjects. No matter if he is a solid, liquid, or vapor, Ice Boy is still the same curious, happy-go-lucky boy that he always was. It’s always nice to find a light-hearted, silly story that teaches something about both the physical and metaphysical world, even if it wasn’t trying to!
SOUTHERN COMFORT FOOD RECIPES FROM SUPERSTAR CHEF MARCUS SAMUELSSON’S ICONIC HARLEM RESTAURANT
The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem
by Marcus Samuelsson
Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2016, 384 pages, 7.9 x 1.3 x 10 inches, Hardcover
I always enjoy watching Marcus Samuelsson. Anytime he shows up on Top Chef, Chopped, or any other food show; he exudes joy, and a love for cooking. I haven’t had the pleasure of eating at any of his restaurants, but Red Rooster is definitely on my foodie bucket list. Thankfully The Red Rooster Cookbook will hold me over until I can make a trip to New York.
Samuelsson has led a diverse and interesting life, and Red Rooster reflects that. He was born in Ethiopia, adopted and raised in Sweden, apprenticed in Switzerland and Austria, then came to America to start working in New York, where he became the youngest chef to receive a three-star review from the New York Times. Then, he pivoted from fine dining gastronomy, to open Red Rooster which focused on down-home-soul-food. The recipes found in this book are familiar, but take on Samuelsson’s heritage using ingredients found in Swedish and Ethiopian cuisine.
While you’ll find plenty of mouthwatering recipes in this book, you’ll also read stories and experiences that Samuelsson has had living in Harlem. Each section in the book features different people from the area who have had an influence on Samuelsson’s life. The book does an excellent job capturing the love Samuelsson has for the food, people, and the neighborhood.
– JP LeRoux
06/25/24ALL REVIEWS
06/18/24
A Child of Books / Fascinating: The Life of Leonard Nimoy
Books That Belong On Paper Issue No. 19
EDITOR'S FAVORITES
COOL TOOLS SHOW PODCAST
WHAT'S IN MY BAG?
12 June 2024
ABOUT COOL TOOLS
Cool Tools is a web site which recommends the best/cheapest tools available. Tools are defined broadly as anything that can be useful. This includes hand tools, machines, books, software, gadgets, websites, maps, and even ideas. All reviews are positive raves written by real users. We don’t bother with negative reviews because our intent is to only offer the best.
One new tool is posted each weekday. Cool Tools does NOT sell anything. The site provides prices and convenient sources for readers to purchase items.
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We recently posted a short history of Cool Tools which included current stats as of April 2008. This explains both the genesis of this site, and the tools we use to operate it.
Kevin Kelly started Cool Tools in 2000 as an email list, then as a blog since 2003. He edited all reviews through 2006. He writes the occasional review, oversees the design and editorial direction of this site, and made a book version of Cool Tools. If you have a question about the website in general his email is kk {at} kk.org.
Mark Frauenfelder edits Cool Tools and develops editorial projects for Cool Tools Lab, LLC. If you’d like to submit a review, email him at editor {at} cool-tools.org (or use the Submit a Tool form).
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