Offline Google maps
My friend Star Simpson tweeted this useful travel tip: “Not enough people know that Google Maps has an Easter egg. If you type ‘ok maps’ into the search field it will download a map for offline use. Great if you might not have awesome cell reception where you’re going, is now a step on my packing checklist.” (For some reason it doesn’t work for Tokyo.) — MF

Backpackable photo drone
I wanted a tiny starter drone for taking mostly still photos from on high. The DJI Spark (about $350) fits the bill. It’s so small and lightweight it fits easily in my daybag. About the size of my open hand, I operate it from an app on my phone. Its range (via the phone) is about 100 meters, which is all I need. Lasts 15 minutes per charge. Despite its smallness, it does pretty well in a stiff wind. — KK

Focus music that works
After months of using different email addresses to access free sessions of Brain.fm, I have finally signed up as a paying customer. I’ve tried classical music, brown noise and other ambient sounds when I need to focus, but Brain.fm’s Focus music works best for me. I can put on a two-hour loop and forget to get up from my desk to stretch. They have different genres of focus music, like atmospheric, chimes & bowls, nightsounds, as well as Relax and Sleep stations that I have yet to explore. But now that I am a paying customer, I can listen to all their music on both my laptop and phone. They offer five free sessions, then it’s $7 a month or $50 per year. — CD

Talk to your appliances
I bought this 2-pack of GoldenDot WiFi smart plugs for $17 on Amazon. I used one on our bedroom’s air filter and the other on our garage door (to turn of the power so no one can open it with a remote). It was easy to link the plugs to Alexa and Google Assistant. I now control these appliances with my voice. I also put the air filter on a schedule, so it turns on at night and off in the morning. — MF

Video treats
These little video experiments from Dirk Koy are fantastic. They are short kinetic loops, like a long gif, that explore perspective shifts, new POVs, and re-framing motion graphics. Quick surprises. — KK

Found advice
Below are some insightful excerpts and quotes that I’ve been collecting from newsletters, websites and social media posts. — CD

“Understanding a person’s hunger and responding to it is one of the most potent tools you’ll ever discover for getting through to anyone you meet in business or your personal life.” — Mark Goulston, Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone, (Book Freak Newsletter)

The brilliant Japanese writer Haruki Murakami once wrote, “Always remember that to argue, and win, is to break down the reality of the person you are arguing against. It is painful to lose your reality, so be kind, even if you are right.” — Found on James Clear’s website

“Advice? I don’t have advice. Stop aspiring and start writing. If you’re writing, you’re a writer. Write like you’re a goddamn death row inmate and the governor is out of the country and there’s no chance for a pardon. Write like you’re clinging to the edge of a cliff, white knuckles, on your last breath, and you’ve got just one last thing to say, like you’re a bird flying over us and you can see everything, and please, for God’s sake, tell us something that will save us from ourselves. Take a deep breath and tell us your deepest, darkest secret, so we can wipe our brow and know that we’re not alone. Write like you have a message from the king. Or don’t. Who knows, maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who doesn’t have to.” — Alan Watts

-- Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, Claudia Dawson 10/6/19