Recomendo

Ragmask/Advanced internet security/Personal-size heater

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Recomendo: issue no. 195

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DIY facemask
There’s a lot of back-and-forth about the effectiveness of facemasks to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The ragmask is one you can make on your own by following the PDF instructions. It looks more comfortable than wrapping a bandana around your face. — MF

Advanced internet security
Some folks such as journalists, activists, tech executives, crypto fans, and politicians may need more online security beyond the already strong 2-factor authentication they should be using. Google offers an Advance Protection Program for the legitimately paranoid. — KK

Personal mini-heater
I work best if my office room temperature is at least 74 degrees Fahrenheit or more (and I can’t be the only one, read: “Women want the office to be warmer. Science now backs them up”). The days of arguing with my husband over the thermostat are over, because I bought myself this AmazonBasics mini heater ($20), and now this perfect-sized, 500-watt heater sits on top of my desk and keeps me warm while I work, and this is my favorite thing right now. — CD

Don’t mute, get a good headset
We are all Zooming, Skyping, Webexing, Google hanging. Nothing will increase the quality of a video conference better than having a good mic pointed at everyone’s mouth. The least expensive way to get a good mic is with a headset. Lightweight ones don’t have to look dorky. It’s what I use. Which headset should you get today? Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress, whose entire 900-person company has worked remotely for a decade, outdid Wirecutter in trying out and testing all USB headsets. He posted his work and recommendations here on his blog post, Don’t Mute. — KK

Get comfortable with uncertainty
I’ve had this book (Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chödrön) for years but find myself pulling it off the shelf more in the last month than ever before. You don’t need to be a meditation expert or Buddhist to appreciate the message. Each chapter is a short lesson in self-compassion and awareness, designed to make you comfortable with uncertainty. It is one of those books you can open to any page and find wisdom. There is a Kindle version, but I think it belongs in everyone’s library. — CD

Easy-clean litter box
One of our cats is getting too old to comfortably hop into our Clevercat litter box, so I needed to get a litterbox with a low profile so she could easily get in and out of. I ended up buying this one (Pet Mate 42036 Arm & Hammer Large Sifting Litter Pan) that has a plastic screen so you can clean the litter without a scoop. It works surprisingly well! – MF

-- Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, Claudia Dawson 04/12/20
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Categories

Venice Entrance Fee/Flying With Weed/ATM Fee Differences

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.

5 Euros for Venice Day-trippers

The new Ripley series on Netflix may have beautiful black-and-white shots of Venice with hardly any people in them, but you won’t find that happening in 2024. If you’re visiting the city on a day tour and not spending the night, you’ll now pay a 5-euro entrance fee. Only between mid-April and mid-July though, when Venice averages 40,000 visitors per day.

If You Want to Live in Turkey…

I’ve been avoiding Turkey for years since a free press, women’s rights, gay rights, and much more went into the trash bin under its autocratic leader. Democracy showed some surprising strength in the last state and municipal elections though, as the opposition made huge gains, so there’s some hope for eventual relief for its beleaguered population. (Inflation is still 68.5%.) The country launched a digital nomad visa on April 15, though apparently I’m too old for it and there are a lot of details that are still fuzzy. See what we know so far here.

Flying With Weed in the USA

There’s been some news this week that marijuana could be in for a classification change at the federal level. Until that happens, it’s illegal to fly with it, no matter what its status is where you’re departing or landing: airports are subject to federal laws. There’s a big “but” to that though, as this TravelPulse article that quotes the TSA points out. If you read between the lines, it says you’ll probably get away with something that looks like candy and not a clear baggie full of dried buds and leaves. They’re looking for weapons and big bottles of liquid that are a threat to safety.

Avoiding Hefty ATM Charges

I’ve previously talked about avoiding local ATM fees while traveling by using a debit card from the likes of Fidelity or Schwab that reimburses them. (My Novo one reimburses up to $7 each month too). If you don’t have one of those though, the local charges can make a big difference over time, so shop around as hard as you would for anything else. Last week in Los Cabos when I needed to use a different card, the Banco BBVA machine wanted 197 pesos to get to my money, almost US$12. The HSBC machine a few steps away was 89 pesos. I kept going and tried the Santander branch, which charged 39—US$2.29 instead. Ka-ching.


KEVIN KELLY SITES

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May 2024
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