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Wrapping paper aid

For wrapping presents, I have found this simple gadget helpful. The Elf Gift Wrap Cutter is a short plastic tube that slides onto a standard roll of wrapping paper. I slide it up and it cuts the paper precisely square. Trivial, but simple, cheap, and forever. It lives with the wrapping paper. — KK

Better Reddit search

Reddit is often a more reliable source of information than Google, especially for product reviews, restaurant recommendations, and how-to instructions. Unfortunately, Reddit’s native search engine is clunky and leaves a lot to be desired. I started using Giga, a site that returns relevant Reddit posts and summarizes them. I used it to find out how to cook chicken breasts so they don’t become tough and dry. — MF

Ultimate Guide to Emotional Intelligence 

This article in Fast Company discusses the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in the workplace and gives advice on how to cultivate it. Three key signs that you might be lacking EQ are: 1. You often provoke unexpected reactions. 2. You don’t get the help you need from colleagues, and 3. You get passed over for promotions or other opportunities. Cultivating EQ requires developing self-awareness, active listening skills, curiosity, emotional regulation, as well as an ability to accept constructive feedback and show genuine empathy. An introspection practice I like to do at night is to replay the day backwards in my head and relive the day’s interactions through the other person’s eyes. This was advice I picked up for lucid dreaming, but it’s definitely helped me cultivate more emotional intelligence. — CD

52 things Tom learned this year

Every December, Tom Whitwell, a managing consultant at Magnetic, compiles a list of 52 interesting facts and stories from the year. Here are a few examples from his 2023 list:

• The US Defense Department earns $100m/year operating slot machines used by soldiers on their bases.
• Psychedelic cryptography is a way of concealing messages (normally in videos) so that only people who’ve taken LSD can receive the messages.
• Scotland’s forest cover is nearly back to where it was 1,000 years ago, while England has risen to levels last seen in 1350.

— MF

Toddler construction toys

Since I have little people in my life again (grandchildren) I am always on the lookout for cool toys. I find construction toys keep kids interested the longest. A clever design that works great for toddlers are bristle tiles which resemble giant velcro. Long combs on every surface stick together enough yet pull apart easily for tiny hands. Like Magnatiles, a little bit of helpful stickiness assists in making things. There are lots of knockoff brands. I don’t even know which one was the original, but Picasso Bristle Tiles work fine. — KK 

List of favorite meditation apps 

Jane Friedman of Electric Speed recently asked her readers to share their favorite meditation apps and reasons why, and here is the complete list. Calm, Insight Timer and Headspace seem to be most popular. — CD

12/17/23