New Flying Hassles/Portugal Tops Wish Lists/Bilt Rewards Points

Nomadico issue #158

New US Flying Hassles and Warnings

Southwest officially started its sad decline yesterday, with the free checked bags eligibility moving from “everyone” to “almost nobody.” (Unless you have their credit card.) They also announced that you can’t put phone chargers in the overhead bin. United is telling passengers to get to the airport earlier or possibly be denied boarding, even if flying domestic with just a carry-on. Then the TSA made a public announcement that we shouldn’t trust the USB chargers that the airports are in charge of because of potential malware. (Apparently they haven’t heard of charging-only cords that can’t transmit data.)

Portugal Tops a “Where I Want to Move to” Survey

Mexico is the top country for US and American expats who have moved abroad, but according to this survey from a moving consulting company, Portugal tops the list for those who haven’t pulled the trigger yet. It was no small sample size: 116,363 Americans through the whole year of 2024. Others on the list included Costa Rica and Mexico, but 6 of the top 10 were in Europe.

Water Bottle Sling

I’ve used a ChicoBag water bottle sling for a decade probably, made from post-consumer recycled plastic. Our team member and Recomendo contributor Claudia mentioned it recently there so I’ll just use her quote: “For walks and short hikes, I’ve been leaving my daypack behind in favor of this ChicoBag water bottle sling. It’s convenient and comfortable to wear, and it even has a large pocket for my phone and keys. It folds up and takes up no space, so I just carry it with me at all times.”

Bilt Rewards for Points on Rent

I haven’t used this because I’m a homeowner, but if you pay rent each month, you could be getting something extra from that big expense by signing up with Biltrewards.com and running your rent through there. The points you build up can be transferred to airline and hotel programs at a 1:1 ratio like you can from Amex or Chase Sapphire. They also have neighborhood-focused deals at restaurants and gyms. There’s no fee if you pay with ACH, an automated check system, or Bilt’s own credit card.

Correction: A few readers dug deeper into the fine print than I did for last week’s product keepyourhomeip.com. Turns out there is a mandatory $8+ monthly support fee after you buy the equipment and set up the system.

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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.

06/5/25

I Dissent / Cheap Novelties

Issue No. 69

I DISSENT HAMMERS HOME WHY IT’S EASY TO ADMIRE RUTH BADER GINSBURG

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
by Debbie Levy (author) and Elizabeth Baddeley (illustrator)
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2016, 40 pages, 8.5 x 11 x 0.6 inches (hardcover)

Buy on Amazon

I’m going to be upfront here: this book made me cry. As a woman, mother to a daughter, and formerly outspoken little girl in a time and place where “feminism” was was an anachronistic term for bra-burning rather than the badge of pride and call to action it is today, this book made me grateful and proud. I was already an RBG fan – it’s pretty hard not to be – but I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark hammered home all of the reasons why it’s easy to admire the influential Supreme Court Justice through a beautiful, illustrated biography that stresses the importance of standing up for what’s right.

Debbie Levy frames RBG’s story with objections, beginning with her mother, Celia Amster Bader, who sets the tone for the book and for her daughter’s trajectory by encouraging little Ruth to strive for more in life than finding a husband. “Ruth’s mother disagreed,” is the first of many hand-lettered, marquee-like pronouncements that tie together Levy’s text and Elizabeth Baddeley’s visual storytelling. This bold dissention (“Then she protested.” “She resisted. And persisted.” “Ruth really, really disagreed with this!”) in the face of prejudice and sexism allows readers to feel the weight of injustice and the power of speaking up as they straighten their shoulders, square their feet, and shout with Ruth, “I dissent!”

I learned a lot through this book. Who knew that RBG and Antonin Scalia were friends? Or that Justice Ginsburg’s mother was such a driving force in her life? There is also a section for further reading after the story ends, including photos of RBG, information on cases referenced in the story, and a selected bibliography, which serves as a great resource for curious readers who want to learn more. – Mk Smith Despres

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CHEAP NOVELTIES – RAW’S JULIUS KNIPL, REAL ESTATE PHOTOGRAPHER, FINALLY FINDS A SUITABLE HOME

Cheap Novelties: The Pleasures of Urban Decay
by Ben Katchor
Drawn and Quarterly
2016, 112 pages, 8.8 x 10.9 x 0.7 inches (hardcover)

Buy on Amazon

Like a lot of bourgeois bohemians in the 1990s, I was a huge fan of the RAW comics anthologies which, among other incredible discoveries, introduced me to the work of Ben Katchor. One might not think that a comic strip about urban architecture, culture, city development and decay, real estate photography, memory, and loss would make very compelling comics, but then you probably haven’t met Katchor’s beloved comic strip character, Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer.

Cheap Novelties: The Pleasures of Urban Decay, a collection of Katchor’s Knipl strips, was originally published in 1991 by RAW/Penguin as a cheap paperback. Twenty-five years later and Drawn & Quarterly finally gives Katchor and Knipl their due in a lovely hardbound, landscape edition of the original RAW strips.

If you’ve ever stared in wonder at the decades-old, sun-bleached product boxes inside of the display window of the only original hardware store left in town, or smelled an old typewriter repair shop, or purused gag gifts and tricks in a magic shop that’s been in the same city location for generations, then you’ll understand some of the lost urban culture that Cheap Novelties so deftly and melancholically evokes. As Julius Knipl is called out on building photography assignements, we see these vanishing haunts through his lens, momenents before they leave the city landscape forever, and we hear Knipl’s thoughts on the loss, reflections on his own rather homely life, and urban trivia – all rendered in a very confident and characterful hand in ink-and-gray marker washes.

Cheap Novelties was one of the series that launched the whole “graphic novel” revolution in comics. After touring the city disappearing beyond Julius Knipl’s lens, you will understand why. – Gareth Branwyn

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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.

06/3/25

Buying Cars

Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 140

Warranted fixed-price used cars

CarMax

CarMax is a great source for when you are in the market for a certified, warranted, used vehicle. I don’t know of any other dealership where you can test drive a used car, in excellent condition, and not have to go through a hard sell sales pitch, or a torturous bargaining phase when you decide to purchase it. The no-bargain price is right on the vehicles, and is often quite a bargain (with notable exceptions, so you have to do your independent price-point research ahead of time). The salespeople have no incentive to make a hard sell because of the way their commissions are set, and the fixed prices (so don’t bother bargaining). Additionally, if you decide within five days of your purchase that it was not the right car for you, you can return it for a full refund, regardless of how much you drove it (and yes, I have actually tested this out) with no reason needed beyond simply that you didn’t like the car. They also make a similar no-bargaining, no-low-balling offer for your trade-in, and let you know with 30-45 minutes exactly what they are willing to pay you for your car. And, as it should be, the two transactions don’t have to be tied to each other. They also have a decent website that lets you find the car you want nearby, or sign up to be notified via e-mail if a car matching your criteria shows up in their lots. Their Service Centers also seem to be squeaky clean and very impressive. They seem to be the elusive Car Dealership with a Conscience. My advice to anyone looking to buy or sell a used car, it behooves you to at least see what CarMax has to offer before making your final decision. — Surkhab Niazi

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Convenient Car Buying Service

The Autoline

To find the best deal when buying a new car I use The Autoline. I can’t recommend them highly enough. For a modest fee they will find the car you want (or recommend the car you should buy based on your budget and requirements) and call you back with the best no-haggle price they can find. (They also do leases.) I’ve used them four times now and am very happy with the results. Each time they’ve arranged for dealer to deliver the car to my house, so I never have to set foot in the dealership or hassle with the guy who pressures you to buy useless “clear coat” and other pure profit add-ons.

Don’t be put off by their 1993-style website — all business is conducted by phone and email. — Mark Frauenfelder

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Better car part network

Car-Part.com

Getting quotes from Get Used Parts is nice and all but for the more hands-on “just give me the info” approach, Car-Part.com is a better fit. It actually gives you a list of all the places that have your part, their prices, condition etc with contact information for the seller and you can filter the results by area or state. A lot of parts are too big/heavy to ship or cost prohibitive so it helps to find nearby sellers. They even have a handy tool to help you figure out what a part is called if you don’t know.

The prices quoted online have been accurate and the parts are almost always available when you contact the seller. Most places have 800 numbers so its no big deal to call a few if need be or to find the best shipping prices. My dad has found several items to repair our family’s cars and has been happy with them. Of course the shipping costs, accuracy of item descriptions, etc will vary depending on the seller, but we haven’t had any issues to date. — Isaac Good

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Used auto parts online network

Get Used Parts

After recently being involved in a minor fender-bender that resulted in a cracked tail light on my Subaru, I found that replacement parts would cost about $300 brand-new. A thorough web search confirmed that no lower prices could be found for new parts. Then I thought of trying to find the parts from a junkyard, but soon realized that would involve calling all of the junkyards in my area and then traveling to get the part, if one could be found. So I did what any person would do in this day and age and searched Google for used or salvaged auto parts and found this website. Once I entered in the year, make, model of my car and the exact part I needed, I received a phone call a half our later from a junkyard in Alabama that had exactly what I needed. They sent me the part for $95, including shipping.

There are several other sites that do essentially the same thing, i.e. use a standardized format to send a parts request to multiple junkyards and salvage lots around the country. I use this one because it has the nicest interface and I received the best and fastest quote on the parts I needed. One thing I noticed in using these sites is that they all used the same software for selecting the year, make, model of the car and parts needed. Some entrepreneurial software company must have identified this niche and they now monopolize the market for this specialized type of software. — Jason Spitzer

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The ultimate dry

The Absorber

For the last five years I’ve used a synthetic chamois called The Absorber to dry my boat and cars. It is so good I can’t bear to use anything else. It holds more water and absorbs faster than towels or real chamois. The chamois I used years ago had to be thoroughly dried out after use or it would rot, and when dry, was hard to store. Then you had to get it wet before use and wring it out frequently since it didn’t hold much water. A towel, once wet, doesn’t leave a dry surface (all those spots). The Absorber when moderately wet leaves your surface utterly dry. It’s kind of amazing, really.

After you’re done using it, just fold it in half, roll it up wet and tuck it in its hard plastic storage tube. It says you can machine wash it but I haven’t tried that myself.

On the company website, you can read details on its PVA open-cell material. The company claims that the product is “the best drying tool you’ll ever discover” and I have to agree it is — it is superior drying technology. I now own four of them in different colors. The site says you can use it to dry pets but I have never tried it on my dog (she’s a short hair model and doesn’t really need it), but I will try it on myself. —Steve Leveen

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Free car buff magazine

Winding Road

Winding Road is a free digital car magazine that arrives once per month — you can either view it online in flash or download it in PDF. Apparently the magazine hired away some of the good writers from the other well-known car magazines. They are doing a pretty decent job. The magazine has cool videos and audio interviews throughout, and the photos are very good. They also have a daily news site. With Winding Road I can get all the car magazine stuff I need, without having to pay, and they never asked me for a credit card number or any of that. I’ve cancelled my Car and Driver subscription because I don’t need it anymore. — Roy Nesseth

We had the Smart EV for several parade loops around Brooklyn and Manhattan, and certainly the cars were 100 percent in their element here. We do completely adore the in-cabin sitting-at-the-wheel relationship; it’s still near perfect and tremendously comfortable. The spatial attitude of the driver and our view out of the car are both near perfect in urban situations as well.

Acceleration to 37 miles per hour is quoted at 6.5 seconds, and top speed is capped at just 62 mph. That speed cap will keep drivers from routinely sucking the 16.5-Kwh, Tesla-Daimler lithium-ion battery pack dry, and thus falling way short of the quoted 82-mile range. The transmission is just an on/off switch really, with a single-speed system overseeing things. This automatically makes the ForTwo ED better than the gas-powered sibling, as the five-speed simplistic SofTouch automatic is, frankly, quite an awful experience.

Another mixed message: until the 2013 model year, these initial Smart ForTwo ED cars are available only on exorbitant 48-month leases at $599 per month. That’s $28,752 total, but the federal income tax credit is bound to be for the full $7500 possible,thus bringing the take down to $21,252 or, in the end, about $4,000 less than the base Nissan Leaf.

Evo has gotten an early drive of the BMW i8 prototype in northern Sweden.When driving, there is a whine from the three-cylinder motor, but it isn’t what one would consider bad. They describe it as sounding a bit like an early Porsche 911.

Volvo has introduced a new engine family called Drive-E with two offerings, one of which is both turbocharged andsupercharged.

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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.

06/2/25

Gar’s Tips & Tools – Issue #199

Access to tools, techniques, and shop tales from the diverse worlds of DIY

Nightbulbs: Big Ideas in the Night

I’ve always been fascinated by “night thoughts,” those weird, often nonsensical thought fragments that float into your conscious mind on your way to Slumberland, when you wake up in the middle of the night from a dream, or when you arise in the morning. I’ve been writing my night thoughts down in a notebook (or my phone notes app) for decades. I have books filled with them. Recently, I’ve been having another kind of night thought: A “big idea” that seems to arrive, fully formed, as I get up to go to the bathroom. Some of them seem useful at the time, but not so much in the morning, some are real gems. I’ve taken to calling these “nightbulbs.” When I first started recording my night thoughts, I realized that the act of recording them seemed to produce more. Same with nightbulbs. If you’ve never done this, give it a try. You might find them useful—or at least entertaining. Two of my all-time favorite night thoughts: “The next thing you know, it’s Adolf and Eva in a bunker” and “Amoeba-shaped power clowns.” For nightbulbs, the name itself is one.

Tin Can Steam Engine

In this wonderful Dug North video, he turns a can of evaporated milk into a steam engine. The design is based on Hero of Alexandria’s Aeolipile and the scant instructions Dug used came from a 62-year-old issue of Mechanix Illustrated. Unlike Hero’s design, this version of the Aeolipile is vertically rather than horizontally aligned. Most of the build is straightforward, using common tools. After Dug builds his engine, he struggles to troubleshoot and tune it properly, but with a number of tweaks, he finally gets it going—and man, does it go.

Fire Bricks

Seeing Dug’s video reminded me that I need to get a few fire bricks. Besides their use as refractory bricks for kilns, forges, and ovens, they’re great for any sort of bench work (soldering, small casting, brazing) where you want to shield your work area from heat.

Dan Gelbart’s “Unusual” Shop Tips

I’ve raved about Dan Gelbart’s channel before. Dan is a Vancouver-based machinist and technology entrepreneur. Although I’m not a machinist and have very little experience in a machine shop, I love watching his videos and seeing the high-level tips and tricks he shares. Some of them are basic enough for me to incorporate into my work, such as how to center-drill a hole on a curved surface (e.g. pipe) without having to use a center punch and creating left-hand thread with right-hand tap.

The really amazing tip here is how you can spot weld aluminum using stainless steel pieces as a heat assist. Dan’s is one of those channels that always makes you feel smarter for watching.

Making DIY Control Panels

Cool-looking control panels have always been an attraction for me. On Accidental Science, they present two methods for achieving near-factory-grade results with tools you probably already have on hand. In the first video, he shows how to design your layout in Inkscape (or similar), print it, laminate, and glue it down with epoxy. You can then drill right through the laminated sheet. The results are shop-hardened, grease-resistant, and tough enough for robots, test gear, or any project that might take a beating. The second method result in more of a sleek, satin finish. Instead of laminating, you coat your printed design with spray varnish, back it with opaque white paint, and glue it directly onto aluminum. A final spray coat seals it, or if you’re feeling fancy, you can roll on a thin layer of liquid epoxy for seriously pro-looking results.

Both approaches are CNC-free, budget-friendly, and scale well from one-offs to short production runs

Maker Slang

Jargon, slang, and technical terms for the many realms of making things

Galling — When two metal surfaces slide against each other under pressure and start to stick, tear, or seize instead of moving smoothly. A form of wear caused by friction that can quickly damage bolts, nuts, or other fasteners, especially if they aren’t properly lubricated.

Tattooing — Slang for etching a design onto a knife blade. Usually done with acids, electricity (electro-etching), or fine abrasives to create designs, logos, or patterns without damaging the blade’s strength or performance.

Témoin — A French word meaning witness. In book printing, it refers to a piece of paper that was accidentally folded into the book’s body during production, leaving an unintended crease or extra flap between the pages.

Wallowed out — Describes something worn down, hollowed, or enlarged from repeated use, pressure, or motion. Often used to refer to a hole, groove, or opening that has become misshapen through friction, erosion, or continual movement.

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Almost 200 Issues!

It’s hard to believe that we’re at issue #199 of Gar’s Tips & Tools (and closing in on 10,000 subscribers!). This newsletter, launched all the way back in May of 2019, has been one of the most gratifying projects I’ve ever worked on. And readers seem to agree as I’ve gotten more positive feedback on this newsletter than pretty much anything I’ve done. Thank you so much for your support, contributions, and encouragement.

For the 200th issue, I’d love for you, dear reader, to share something that you’ve learned from the newsletter: a tool recommendation, a tip you now regularly use, a YouTube channel you heard about here and now regularly follow. Anything! Tell me a story!

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Paid Subscribers: Get Me Through the Next 200 Issues?

Paid-subscriber support has been a great addition to the bottom line of this project. Not only does it help justify the time I put into it, it also fuels my motivation to create even better content.

If you find value in Gar’s Tips & Tools and are able to contribute with a paid subscription, I’d greatly appreciate it. Every bit helps!

Special thanks to Hero of the Realm Jim Coraci for your generous support.

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Gar’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales is published by Cool Tools Lab. To receive the newsletter a week early, sign up here.

06/1/25

Retro Recomendo: Travel Gear

Recomendo - issue #464

Our subscriber base has grown so much since we first started eight years ago, that most of you have missed all our earliest recommendations. The best of these are still valid and useful, so we’re trying out something new — Retro Recomendo. Once every 6 weeks, we’ll send out a throwback issue of evergreen recommendations focused on one theme from the past 9 years.

Travel tip:

The cheapest bargain of any overseas vacation is the $25 you might pay for a good travel guidebook, so I always get the latest version. It is better organized and often better researched than online forums. And I have no qualms about cutting it up. I get the large country-scale guide, and then with a razor blade knife I excise only the portions I could possibly use. Then I staple and bind with clear packing tape for very durable, and lightweight, thin booklets. — KK

Best bicycle tour bags

The best way to tour somewhere, IMHO, is via bicycle. E-bikes make that even easier these days. For overnight touring, you’ll need some bags (panniers). The blueribbon panniers are classic Ortlieb dry bags. Each is a roomy, rubberized single bag (no dividers or pockets) that seals off at the top to provide an absolutely waterproof container. Not cheap, but because of their simplicity they will last a lifetime. After 2,000 miles of use, I am very attached to mine, in bright yellow. — KK

Women’s travel kit

I recently visited my grandmother in Mexico, and the first thing I packed was my pStyle, which helps women pee while standing. It was the perfect travel tool for Mexico, where most public bathrooms have no toilet seat and you have to pay for toilet paper. There was no mess, it was easy to use, and I just attached it to my purse in one of these discreet carrying cases. — CD

Collapsible water bottle

You aren’t allowed to bring a bottle of water past airport security, and the bottled water sold at airport convenience stores is expensive. But many airports now have filtered water dispensers. I keep a collapsible water bottle in my travel bag. It rolls up to a tiny size and weighs nothing. Free water, what a concept! — MF

Water bottle sling

For walks and short hikes, I’ve been leaving my daypack behind in favor of this ChicoBag water bottle sling. It’s convenient and comfortable to wear, and it even has a large pocket for my phone and keys. It folds up and takes up no space, so I just carry it with me at all times. — CD

Maximum baggage for basic economy

“Basic economy” is the cheapest way to fly on United. You don’t get to select your seat and you can’t check any bags or even bring a standard carry-on bag without paying extra. You are allowed one personal item, measuring 17x10x9″ or less. That’s smaller than most backpacks and is an unusual size. Here’s a small duffel with those exact measurements. It’s big enough for a couple of changes of clothes, toiletries, electronics, and a laptop. (Here is a similar bag for Spirit) — MF

06/1/25

Wise Debit Card/Top Beer Countries/Home-based VPN

Nomadico issue #157

The Disappointing Wise Debit Card

I use Wise.com on a weekly basis for international business transactions with low fees, as do most of the people I know running online businesses. So there was a burst of excitement this week when they announced that their multi-currency debit card would be available to US account holders again after cutting us off years ago. Turns out the terms are terrible though, like a 2% fee every trip to the ATM or 2% plus $1.50 if you withdraw 3+ times in one month. Here’s my full take on it: The New Wise Debit Card is a Dud.

Who Drinks the Most Beer?

The Visual Capitalist site always has some fun charts and infographics packed with information. One of the latest is a rundown of beer consumption per capita around the world. If this were a World Cup of Beer, the Europeans would dominate. The Czechs drink almost 50% more than the silver medalist Austria and the next 10 contenders beyond that are all European. Panama is a surprise after that, drinking 81 liters per adult per year, barely edging out Bulgaria and Mexico. Gabon and South Africa rate higher than any Asian nation, with Cambodia being tops on that continent. Australia (#24) and the UK (#25) must be tipping fewer pints these days and craft beer heaven USA is in the passing lane: #27 with 61 liters per year.

Four Destinations to Avoid

When Tony Wheeler gives his opinion on something travel-related, people listen. As the founder of Lonely Planet, the guy who wrote their first guidebooks, he’s earned plenty of respect. In an article titled, “I’m Not Going There Anymore,” he runs down four destinations he won’t return to in their current state. Two of them I’ve never visited and probably won’t: Russia and Saudi Arabia. One I haven’t returned to since the ‘90s because I know it would make me cry: Bali. The last one I have no choice on because I’ve got friends and family there—the USA—but I can’t argue with anyone who has sworn it off for the next few years.

Travel Abroad, Work From Your Home Network

None of us has tried this, but Mark F. of sister newsletter Recomendo sent me this intriguing service for remote corporate workers who want to make it look like they’re still at the home office in Austin, not logging in from Auckland while traveling. Called KeepYourHomeIP.com, this service lets you “work remotely and still appear to be working from home, ensuring that your Internet access is secure and private. This means that your traffic cannot be identified as originating from a VPN service…” At less than $500 for the business option and no subscription fees, it seems like a great solution.

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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.

05/29/25

What’s in my NOW? — Jim Lord