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Titanium spork

Seven years ago, I bought a cheap, lightweight Toaks titanium spork. I take it with me whenever I travel. I use it rather than plastic cutlery when I eat in fast food restaurants or in my hotel room. It’s so durable that it still looks brand new. — MF

Cheap phone calls

I met someone who was surprised to hear that Skype was still going. Yes, it was bought by Microsoft, and for me Skype is the main way I make international phone calls. They aren’t free but they are extremely cheap compared to other telephone channels. Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp are all essentially free, but many companies are only reachable with a phone number. To call a phone number via Skype open the Skype app on either your laptop or phone, and select the keyboard icon, then dial the phone number. (You need a few dollars credit in your Skye account.) — KK

Envisioning life as a plate and table

I’ve been reading Oneness by Rasha and I was really struck by the effectiveness of one of her allegories called The Plate of Life — where you imagine Life as a plate at a buffet table of experiences. Rasha suggests working backwards from the end of your life to now and consider what experiences you choose to put on your plate to create the life you want. I shared the full excerpt here on Twitter, which can be better viewed on a desktop. — CD

Reliable chat answers

Here is the best trick so far to get reliable informational answers from Chatbots. 1) Ask it to give you the experts on whatever material you are seeking. 2) Then ask it to answer your questions in the voice of those experts. This elevates its responses to a more informed opinion, instead of “what everybody knows.” (You can skip step one if you already know who the reliable experts are). — KK

A fun way to understand how things work

Technology Connections is a fantastic YouTube channel for learning about the inner workings of everyday items. With a bit of lighthearted humor thrown in, the videos break down complex concepts into easy-to-understand explanations, and give me a greater appreciation for the technology I use all the time, like smoke alarms, water heaters, and microwave ovens. — MF

Telescoping mini flashlight

I had no idea how useful this small and extendable LED flashlight by Vibelite would be when I bought it. We keep it out on a side table in the living room, which is a perfect place for it because we often need to fix something behind our TV or Wifi setup and I’m always searching underneath our recliner to find my dog’s runaway toys. I’m going to buy one more to keep in my basement. — CD

— Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, Claudia Dawson

04/2/23