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Digital IDs (US)

In the US, mobile digital IDs can replace your state’s driver license, so there would be no need to carry a card if you had your phone. A handful of states have their own state ID app (California, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Utah), and a handful of states allow an ID in an Apple Wallet (Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Georgia), even fewer states accept Android wallet, and only 6 airports in the US accept digital IDs for TSA. However there are 30 states in the process of adopting digital IDs so availability is in flux. I just downloaded and enrolled in the California DMV Wallet app, which the TSA at San Francisco’s SFO will accept in their pilot program. – KK

Cross-body bag

The Maxtop cross-body belt bag’s compact design allows me to discreetly tuck it under my shirt or jacket, significantly reducing the risk of pickpocketing. The bag’s multiple pockets comfortably hold my passport and essentials, making it great for travel. — MF

Find interesting places nearby

NearbyWiki.org is a map you can use to find places nearby that have their own wikipedia page. I discovered that one of the last independently owned radio stations in the Bay Area is broadcasting from a house two blocks away. — CD 

Books belonging on paper

A few years ago, we ran a website edited by my wife, Carla Sinclair, that showcased visual reference books – art books, comics, photography books, pop-ups, atlases, and so on. We realized these were books that belong on paper and were worth keeping as books (they don’t disappear). You can still visit the site (called Wink), but it hasn’t been updated recently. We are repacking all this visual greatness into a new free newsletter: Books That Belong on Paper. Each issue will feature two books from Wink, complete with updated links to purchase them. We hope you subscribe! — MF

What Good Friends Look Like

This article on “What Good Friends Look Like” prompted me to reflect on the qualities of my closest friendships. The author introduces Tim Urban’s “Does This Friendship Make Sense” Matrix, a framework for evaluating friendships by dividing them into four quadrants. Q1 friendships are both healthy and enjoyable, Q2 friendships are healthy but not enjoyable, Q3 friendships are enjoyable but not healthy, and Q4 friendships are neither healthy nor enjoyable. But the quicker method is Tim Urban’s Traffic Test — a metaphorical test where you and a friend are in a car together driving home. If you’re hoping for traffic because you enjoy their company and conversation, they pass the test. If you encounter traffic and feel a sense of dread, they don’t pass. I realized I might have a couple of those traffic-dread friendships, but that just inspires me to dig deeper into our conversations.  — CD  

Screenshot this!

The easiest way to capture a screenshot on an iPhone is to say “Hey Siri, screenshot this.” It’s hands-free and idiot proof. — KK

02/4/24