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

Aliens 30th Anniversary / What Am I Doing Here?

Issue No. 68

ALIENS 30TH ANNIVERSARY: THE ORIGINAL COMIC SERIES

Aliens 30th Anniversary: The Original Comic Series
by Mark Verheiden (author) and Mark A. Nelson (illustrator)
Dark Horse Books
2016, 184 pages, 8.3 x 12.4 x 1 inches (hardback)

Buy on Amazon

Aliens is one of my all-time favorite movies. A perfect mix of action, sci-fi and horror, which I would argue hasn’t been replicated. Then there’s Alien 3, and everything that came after it. I don’t like to talk about that. But, in 1988 after Aliens came and four years before the next movie would come out, this comic series ran which gave me the followup story I wanted.

The series has been published as Aliens: Book One, Aliens: Outbreak, and in novel form as Aliens: Earth Hive (a lot to keep track of), but since these publications were made after Alien 3 came out, names were changed to avoid confusion from the films continuation of the story. So Wilcks = Hicks and Billie = Newt. Thankfully this comic doesn’t do that. This printing features the comic as it was intended to be read with the characters we’re familiar with.

The story picks up a few years after the film ended. An adult Newt and aged Hicks are struggling to deal with the horrors they witnessed, and Ripley is ominously missing. The black-and-white comics really capture the gritty world that the movies take place in, expanding on it in the best way. Although the comic ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, the story is continued in Aliens: Nightmare Asylum, but you will have to deal with the name change of the main characters.

The book itself is beautiful. And black. Very black. It feels like something that was designed by H.R. Giger himself. Why I’m most excited about this rerun of the series is because it gives me some hope at seeing a movie that truly succeeds Aliens. There’s been a lot of back and forth, but Sigourney Weaver, Ellen Ripley herself, has been in talks with Neill Blomkamp (director ofDistrict 9), and the two are championing a new Alien movie. One which might retcon everything that happened in the later movies. This would mean that the cinematic world might very well line up with these comics. It’s a stretch, and might never happen, but I like to dream. Aliens fans will definitely appreciate this one. – JP LeRoux

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WHAT AM I DOING HERE? EXISTENTIAL ABSURDIST CARTOONS FROM THE 1940S

What Am I Doing Here?
by Abner Dean
New York Review Comics
2016, 168 pages, 7 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches

Buy on Amazon

In the 1930s and 1940s, Abner Dean was a highly sought-after illustrator who drew covers, cartoons, and illustrations for The New Yorker, Esquire, Time, Life, and Newsweek, as well as advertising illustrations for insurance companies and product manufacturers. In 1945, Dean quit his day job and drew the first of seven books that have been described as “existential gag cartoons.”

What Am I Doing Here? is Dean’s second book, and is generally regarded as his best work. It was originally published in 1947. This facsimile edition just came out today and contains about 100 single panel drawings, rendered in India ink and graytone washes (in the classic New Yorker style of gag cartoons).

Dean’s drawings look like cartoons but they aren’t very funny, at least not in the traditional sense. They’re absurdist and disquieting. Everyone is naked and the action takes place either in decrepit urban settings, living rooms filled with grinning desperate characters, or barren surrealistic wastelands. Each drawing features the same hapless character, a lonely youngish man who questions his role in the human race, represented by a crowd that changes its form and behavior from page to page. The people are sometimes club-swinging brutes, other times they are blinkered sleepwalkers, insincere mask-wearers, bloodthirsty mobs, hysterical celebrators, suicidal lemmings, or guru-seeking fools. They often look more like animals than people. The protagonist is at times foolhardy, delusional, disappointed, fearful, proud, insecure, ruthless, or bewildered.

In the introduction, Clifton Fadiman (chief editor of Simon & Schuster in the 1920s and 1930s, and editor of The New Yorker’s book review section for ten years after that) wrote:>

It is pointless to try to “explain” Abner Dean. His pictures are trick mirrors in which we catch sight of those absurd fragments of ourselves that we never see in the smooth glass of habit. Formulae for the art of Abner Dean are irrelevant. What is important is the fact that it jolts you into sudden awareness of your own pathos, your own plight, your own unending and gigantic laughableness.

– Mark Frauenfelder

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.

05/27/25

Pliers and Grips

Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 139

Lightweight ratchets

Pittsburgh Pro Composite Ratchets

I have multiple Snap On, SK, and Craftsman ratchets so when I first head how smooth and nice the action is on the Pittsburgh Pro Composite Ratchets from Harbor Freight I scoffed. A metal mechanism inside a plastic and rubber covered ratchet?

So I tried the 1/4″ and 3/8″ models and all I can say is WOW! I have not tried the 1/2″ model yet, but all three sizes are dirt cheap at under $10, feature lifetime warranties, are light-weight, have a non-conductive body, are “warmer” to use in cold weather, and have a butter smooth 72-tooth ultra-fine ratcheting mechanism. This isn’t to suggest you ditch your regular ratchets for high torque applications (use a breaker bar) but these are quite nice and have earned a place alongside my other ratchets. These are a real gem. — Warren Flearl

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Ergonomic ratcheting wrench

GearWrench X-Beam

These are not your standard combination wrenches. They literally put a twist in it. The working ends are offset from each other by 90 degrees, which makes for a great handle that reduces stress and increases leverage. Beyond its heft and balance, the design of this crescent wrench/box wrench ratchet is much more comfortable, especially for repetitive tasks. By twisting the axis, that non-working end now makes for a more natural handle that diffuses pressure into the palm and across the fingers. The shaft of the tool is also slightly longer than many combo wrenches (small increases in shaft length greatly increase torque, or conversely decrease force required to achieve required torque).

I’ve been using this wrench for three months in near daily use. As a solar installer I use my gear heavily in adverse conditions: bolting solar modules to rooftops. When other installers tipped me off to this brand, I did some investigating. They are the only tools I have ever seen endorsed by the Arthritis Foundation. I figured that if they are good for arthritis sufferers, it has to be good for me, too. I was right. — Mark Colacito

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Screwed up pliers

Screw Pliers

The first time I used these screw pliers I was amazed that I had lived without a pair for so long. These pliers are designed for screw removal in cases of corroded or stripped heads.

Regular pliers tend to have straight jaws. This works if you grab the screw from the side (horizontally), but if you are in a cramped space and attacking the screw from the end regular pliers fail. I have had many pliers slip off a difficult screw because the jaws are straight where contact is made with the screw, which limits the gripping surface area.

The jaws of these pliers are curved with teeth on the inside of the clamping surfaces. Since the jaws have both horizontal and vertical teeth, these pliers will bite into the circumference of the screw head regardless of the orientation – this makes stubborn screws very, very easy to remove.

It won’t handle stripped countersunk screws (those are suited to the extractor bits on the drill) but for other surface screws or bolts it should be fine. — Ezra Reynolds

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Universal farm tool

Fence Pliers

Most useful farm tool No.1 is a pair of Fencing Pliers. These little beauties cost me about $13 and represent the best value for money of any of my tools. In one device it is a wire cutter, a staple puller, a hammer and a great source of leverage on any object unlucky enough to be in it’s grasp or impaled on it’s horn.

While most multi-function tools tend to be a jack of all trades and master of none, the fencing pliers hardly compromise at all. They will cut high tensile fencing wire (including our famous New Zealand#8 wire) that would simply blunt most plier-design wire cutters. When it comes to removing staples, they don’t only excel at pulling staples that are proud of the post. The flat hammering face can be hit with another hammer to drive the horn into a staple that has been driven too far into the wood. Once you have hooked the staple, levering it out is pretty simple. Try that with a hammer or nipper-design staple puller. The jaws can also be locked over the head of a nail for the same leverage effect. As a hammer, they work pretty well and have a nice weight balance. The only negative is the smaller striking surface, but you can’t have everything!

My pair is about 5 years old and despite a few signs of wear and tear, they still function perfectly well. They rate #1 in my farm tool arsenal. When you factor in the relatively low cost, they are an absolute essential in any tool kit. — John Hart

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Clippers that cut anything

Knipex High Leverage Cutters

This is one of my favorite tools. I own at least two of these nippers. The difference between these and every other cutter is that they are drop-forged and they’ve got some specific hardening at the tip. They cut through everything. I’ve snipped through quarter inch bolts with these. I can cut the bane of all cutters — piano wire — all day long and these will never be marred by it. I have ruined so many other tools by cutting the wrong wire or nails. There may be other brands that do this, but this is the one I’ve been using for 20 years. The Knipex are expensive — they’re about $60 a pair — but it is one of those classic examples of how you can ruin a couple of pairs of something else and you’ve paid for these. I’ve never had these fail. — Adam Savage

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Rapid, safe, strong pliers wrench

Knipex Pliers Wrenches

The Knipex Pliers Wrench is best described in the US as a smooth-faced channel lock plier/wrench. Or, as a pliers-handled crescent wrench. I have a set of 3 different sizes and have used them for a year. They allow one to rapidly, safely and strongly grip nuts or bolt heads for tightening or loosening.

Rapidly: an adjustable crescent wrench is not rapid. One must adjust the opening to the nut or bolt head, and between tightening turns, in removing and replacing the wrench, inevitably the wrench loosens a bit and must be retightened. An open-ended or box wrench or socket is the best tool to use, but then one must keep in hand a range of sizes for each size of nut/head. In contrast the Knipex pliers wrench loosens and tightens like a pair of pliers or channel lock wrench.

Safely: an adjustable crescent wrench tends to loosen, rounding off the corners of the nut or bolt head. Pliers or vice-grips are worse, putting teeth-marks on the nut or head. In contrast the Knipex pliers wrench has flat, smooth, and parallel heads ensuring no rounding or gouging of the nut/head.

Strongly: the lever arm of the Knipex ensures a strong grip on the nut/head. I’ve used them to squeeze small solid aluminum rivets in building an experimental airplane.

To summarize, the Knipex pliers wrench combines the best features of other tools, enabling one to grip and turn nuts and bolts with a single tool, and apply considerable squeezing pressure on objects without gouging or tooth marks. — Ralph Fincher

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Tenacious wrench

Knipex Cobra Pliers

This unique tool provides instant adjustment, memory retention of jaw opening, and single-handed, self-gripping operation with a grip that won’t let go. The Knipex jaws really grip. You can literally hang from the handles and they will not slip. The upper and lower jaws are notched. This allows the user to grip a hex nut on the corner and the flat side so as not to round off the nut. They have a flat nose where the jaws meet that allows you to do some pretty fine work. The jaws are very tough. The Cobra is designed to eliminate “knuckle-busting” and the “burring” of nuts, bolts, and fittings. Its thin profile and lightweight ensure ease of operation.

On first glance, they look like the classic Channel Locks (on the right in the picture below). But the Channel Lock handles actually touch together in the extreme “wide” position. This can and has led to pinched hands and fingers if you slip off the workpiece. The Knipex handles do not touch, which leaves you with that little bit of saving grace if you slip off the workpiece. Also, the Channel Lock has 5 jaw positions that slip/slide into place, while the Knipex has 12 jaw positions and, each position is spring-pin locked into place. For example, you are working in a blind, tight space and drop the Knipex: the jaw will still be set to the position you started with and you suffer no aggravation except that due to your own clumsiness. Not so with Channel locks. You will have to fiddle around with them to get them back where you want them, and if you bump or roll them around the work while trying to get a bite, the jaws will slip back out of position.

I have used this tool almost every day for the past 18 years working with elevator and escalator system installations, repairs, servicing, and maintenance. It is always the first tool I grab to take with me to do a job at home or at work. — Shaler Derickson

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Old reliable

Vise-grips

If one needs a single tool, Vise-grips are it. On a motorcycle I have used one as clutch or shift lever or attached to a broken throttle cable. You can turn a screw if you can reach the side of it with this tool . Lock one down to something under the hood; you might not like to bugger up a bolt, but you won’t care if you are no where near tools. If required, you can rip sheet metal with one. Wire cutting too. You can clamp it down hard enough to hit it with a hammer. Vise-grips and a crowbar are thieves’ favorite tools. Buy the small size; and only the brand name: these are made of high-strength steel. — C. Bridger

And they come in a whole tribe of specialty varieties. The standard should be in everyone’s tool box, the small one in every emergency pouch, and you should at least know about the others. The same relentless leveraged but sensitive clamping action works with super wide vise-grips, narrow ones, wide necked ones, nut cutters, curved necks and so on. They are extremely handy. — KK

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Essential wrench

Vise-Grip Locking Wrench

There are some tools that belong in every tool box, and most of us already have locking pliers from one manufacturer or another. Irwin Tools, maker of the original Vise Grips brand product, is the best known. This new version of the tool looks and works nearly the same, but has a vastly improved jaw shape made specifically for grabbing on to damaged hex nuts and bolts.

I used mine just yesterday while working on restoring an old car for my daughter. I had to remove the heat shield from the exhaust manifold, and after 10 years of service those bolts were not in good shape at all. One of them was so bad that my sockets and box wrenches would just spin, getting no bite at all. My usual pair of locking pliers didn’t help either. The unique jaw shape on the Irwin Locking Wrench grabbed the head of the bolt from three sides and fastened firmly enough to do the job. In just a few seconds I had that old bolt out without having to resort to cutting it with an angle grinder or torch.

I’ve seen these online for less than fifteen dollars, and for the amount of headache they save I’d call it well worth adding to any tool box. If you’ve ever used regular locking pliers to try to get a stripped bolt out, you’ll find this new style of locking wrench works wonders. — Andrew Pollack

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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.

05/26/25

Smokeless fire pit/Pirate radio map/Human laws

Recomendo - issue #463

Smokeless fire pit

We wanted a portable fire pit for our patio, and my wife insisted that it be as smokeless as possible, so we settled on an East Oak Smokeless Fire Pit. I was pretty dubious about the smokeless part, but much to our delight, the East Oak burns all kinds of wood (from split firewood to 2×4 scraps) with almost no smoke once it gets going. We got the 21-inch version which is large enough. It is made of stainless steel so it has withstood standing outside for all seasons well. The retail price is listed as $270, however recently it has been selling for $160 or less. (Reminder you can use Camelcamelcamel to alert you to a target price on Amazon.) — KK

Human behavior rules

The Grand Encyclopedia of Eponymous Laws is a collection of 200 playful observations about human nature. Many of them are new to me. A few samples:

• Time Cube Law: “As the length of a webpage grows linearly, the likelihood of the author being a lunatic increases exponentially.”
• Wadsworth Constant: “The first 30% of any video can be skipped because it contains no worthwhile or interesting information.”
• Akin’s 10th Law: “When in doubt, estimate. In an emergency, guess. But be sure to go back and clean up the mess when the real numbers come along.”

— MF

Pirate Radio Map

This sound map of Brooklyn’s pirate radio stations is an audio archival project that lets you tune into the underground and countercultural broadcasts of past eras. When I was a child, my dad was a long-haul truck driver, so I would listen to Coast to Coast AM to feel close to him. I’ve always been fascinated by all things radio-CB radios, ham radios, pirate radios. The little girl in me still loves the lo-fi quality and fringeness of it all. — CD

Sprinkler key hide

If you still use keys for your front door lock, this small $4 hard plastic holder is the most perfect one I’ve found to hide a spare key. It is disguised exactly as the black top of a sprinkler in your garden or lawn. — KK

Park poetry service

Oliva Dodd goes to public parks with a folding table and a manual typewriter. She invites strangers to open up and tell her something personal about their lives. After a moment’s reflection, Dodd types a poem on a card, which she reads out loud to the person. As you can see on her Instagram, the recipients are sometimes moved to tears by the poignancy of the poems. — MF

5 Habits of Super Calm People

This article explores the perspectives necessary to cultivate calmness, but I think the key takeaway is that super calm people are not free from chaos. Instead, they have developed the ability to respond to chaos with acceptance, self-responsibility, flexible thinking, presence, and a natural alignment with the cycles of life. — CD

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05/25/25

What’s in my NOW? — Jim Lord