Recomendo

Backblaze/12min/Get Out of My Head

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Recomendo: issue no. 205

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Easy unlimited backups
You can’t have too many backups. You need at least one off-site online backup of your work. I previously recommended Crashplan but they have fallen behind in user interface, speed, and price. I am now a happy user of Backblaze, which has an unlimited plan for $60 a year. I back up 5 Terabytes (!!) of photos and videos (from more than one disk), and Backblaze was quick uploading and is super easy to manage. — KK

Popular books in 12 minutes
I recently got a subscription to 12min, a library of condensed non-fiction books (audio and text). New titles are added all the time. I’ve found it especially useful to refresh my memory on books I read years ago, like Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene, Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens, Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s Fooled By Randomness, and Tim Ferriss’s Tools of Titans. A lifetime subscription to 12min is $39. — MF

Inspiration for Overthinkers
I love this small, illustrated handbook for easing anxiety: Get Out of My Head: Inspiration for Overthinkers in an Anxious World. It has become a roadmap to help me navigate out of my anxieties and distortions, and it’s so much more magical than it is clinical. You can pick it up and start anywhere in the book at any time, and you’ll find playful ways to reframe your thinking and easy actionable advice to try now. My favorite part of the book is that it comes with an even smaller pocket book inside, with soothing illustrations, that acts as a visual tool to help you, “when something is wrong, but nothing is wrong.” — CD

Free Music for videos and other projects
Dig CC Mixter is a library of music you can use for free in videos, performances, podcasts, video games, or other projects. It’s well organized and it’s easy to listen to samples of the music. — MF

9 common thinking biases
I’m sure I’m afflicted by a lot of cognitive biases, but I like this list of 9 common biases, because of the short advice on how to overcome them. I’ll admit that I struggle with the halo effect — “when your overall impression of someone is influenced by one part of their character” — but I’m working on it and trying to appreciate humans in all their complexities. — CD

Teflon frying pan alternative
A surprisingly workable alternative to a Teflon frying pan is a ceramic coated pan. We use a GreenPan (it’s actually white ceramic inside) that unsticks as well as old Teflon. The cheap Teflon pans we use only last about 4 years. Our GreenPan is 5 years old and shows no wear. The 10 inch GreenPan is $25. — KK

-- Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, Claudia Dawson 06/21/20
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Categories

Future Eclipses/Italy’s Nomad Visa/Death of ExOfficio

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.

Planning Future Solar Eclipse Viewings

I had a few bizarre minutes of totality on a beach in Mazatlan last week and the latest total solar eclipse was a fantastic experience. If you’re looking to make travel plans to catch a future one, you’ll need to head out of North America for the next couple of decades. Upcoming total eclipse viewing opportunities will be Iceland/Greenland, Spain/northern Africa, Australia/New Zealand, and Botswana/South Africa. See a full list here that goes beyond 2030.

A Travel Power Strip for Europe

I often travel with a portable travel power strip for places that don’t have enough outlets, but that problem is especially prevalent in Europe where double outlets are a rarity and buildings can be much older. So when I head to Spain in May, I’m packing this travel power strip with a European plug so I won’t have to pack an additional adapter. The four-foot cord wraps around the base and there’s a strap to hold it together, so it packs up tight.

Italy’s Digital Nomad Visa is Live

Italy's digital nomad visa is officially available as of this month, though obtaining one looks to be far from simple according to this article. You need a stack of documents including proof of income, hefty health insurance, proof of accommodation in Italy, and a criminal record certificate. As with most of these, however, there's a fatal flaw in the “proof of employment” requirement that seems to eliminate the largest pool of potential applicants. You must "submit a declaration signed by their employer before any visa will be granted." Time will tell if we can submit one on our own behalf or if this is a deal breaker for the self-employed and the solopreneurs.

The Death of ExOfficio

I started traveling decades ago, so I’ve got a lot of ExOfficio clothing in my closet. The items were uncannily long-lasting, still looking good after 20 or 30 trips. I say “were” because the brand got bought out by the Newell Rubbermaid conglomerate a few years ago, the makers of Sharpies, trash bins, and toasters. ExOfficio has now devolved into an underwear-only brand: read the sad story I wrote back in February here. It gets worse though: their closest competitor, UK-based Craghoppers, announced this month that they are pulling out of the U.S. market, despite this historic market share opportunity opening up. Buy up inventory while you still can at their U.S. site through April 30.


KEVIN KELLY SITES

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April 2024
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