What’s in my NOW? — Sara H. – Cool Tools

What's in My Bag

What’s in my NOW? — Sara H.

issue #202

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I’m Sara, technology worker by day, newsletter writer by night. I love everything media (tv, movies books, long form journalism). I live for a good online rabbit hole, candles, tea and comfy sofas. I write Things That Make Me Happy, a newsletter about books and entertainment recommendations, as well as curated links and rabbit holes. — Sarah H.

PHYSICAL

Creatine – It’s one of the most researched supplements in the market and one of the safest. When you get to your thirties you start to lose muscle mass, and with just 3 to 5 grams you’ll make the muscle building process easier (with lots of protein and resistance training!)
Amazon Kindle – I pack my kindle in my everyday bag and I whip it out in waiting rooms, traffic or public transportation. I connect it to my Libby library account for free entertainment. Last year I read 80 books thanks to this habit of carrying my Kindle everywhere.
Pedometer – No frills pedometer that only tracks your steps. It keeps me accountable to my goals and I don’t need to connect, share my data, or pay a subscription.

DIGITAL

Wylde Flowers – This is a cozy game that hooked me for hours and hours. It has, a farm simulation (with animals and produce), relationship building and a witchy twist. Can be played on the phone or on consoles.
Digital Bingo Card – I think that resolutions are not a great idea for various reasons, but January is a great month to plan your year and expand on some goals. I used Canva to create a Bingo Card with things that I want to accomplish this year.

INVISIBLE

All you hear and all you see is what your life will ever be.

This phrase appeared on a friend’s Facebook wall a decade ago and it still shooks me. You decide how and who you spend your days with and what to make of life.

02/19/25

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The Alpinist/OpenTimes map/Ultimate Book List

Nail-biting documentary

If you found the documentary Free Solo – about climbing sheer mountain cliffs without ropes – nerve-wracking, then you’ll find The Alpinist documentary even more so. The crazy protagonist of Free Solo says the Alpinist is even crazier – he ascends sheer mountains in winter snow and ice – without ropes and by himself. This film tries hard to explain the why – why would anyone do this for fun? Watch till the end (on Amazon Prime). The documentary explains as well as it can be explained. — KK

Travel time U.S. map

Just click anywhere on the OpenTimes map of the United States and it displays color-coded zones showing how long it would take to drive, bike, or walk to surrounding areas — up to 6 hours away. (The driving times can be optimistic since they don't factor in traffic.) — MF

Ultimate Book List

The Ultimate Book List is a directory of books recommended by famous personalities, celebrities, and experts. I like that it includes source links to interviews and articles where these books were mentioned. If you’re just browsing, you can filter all the listed books by "most recommended." — CD

AI photoshopping

As a photographer and artist, I’ve longed for this tool, which you can try out for free now. It’s pretty cool. Using Google’s experimental Gemini 2.0 Flash you can upload an image (photograph, painting, cartoon, etc.) and have the AI make very specific changes in the image while keeping the rest of the image intact. Usually you get very convincing edits that match the original image. Sort of like the world’s best photoshopping for free instantly. (You need to register with Google’s AI Studio > Image Generation to get this beta version. Choose Gemini 2.0 Flash (Image Generation) Experimental from the Model dropdown menu in the right column, and then use the + to upload an image, and then type your request.). — KK

Discover your cosmic worldview

This Substack post presents a two-step "cosmic worldview" quiz designed to help you identify your core beliefs about the nature of reality and your place in the cosmos. First, you answer a series of questions to identify your beliefs about the nature of reality at a high level. Once you've identified with a broad cosmological category, you refine your beliefs by answering one final question to pinpoint your precise view of the cosmos. I took it a few times, because I don’t have a precise view, I’m somewhere between animism, Gnosticism, and the multiverse theory. This quiz is useful for self-discovery and for understanding diverse perspectives on existence. — CD

Best Wooden Spoon Set

I'm starting to replace my plastic cooking utensils with wood and metal. I started by getting an OXO Good Grips set of 3 beech wood spoons (small, medium, and large). I like the solid (rather than laminated) design with a chunky handle. Just don't put them in the dishwasher — that's a quick way to ruin any wooden utensil. — MF

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