{"id":40975,"date":"2023-02-19T03:40:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-19T10:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=40975"},"modified":"2023-02-16T15:53:52","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T22:53:52","slug":"unsweet-treat-pace-of-life-background-remover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/unsweet-treat-pace-of-life-background-remover\/","title":{"rendered":"Unsweet treat\/Pace of Life\/Background remover"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Unsweet treat<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Instead of having something sweet after dinner every night, I\u2019m eating a small bowl of chia seed pudding. I like its consistency and texture. Here\u2019s a simple recipe<\/a>. I use the Trader Joe\u2019s brand of chia seeds and oat milk and I add cinnamon, vanilla extract, and roasted sesame seeds<\/a>. \u2014 MF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure out your pace of life<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I took this mini-quiz<\/a> to find out if I’m living my life in the “fast lane.” The quiz is based on research of how fast pedestrians walk along a 60-foot stretch of pavement in different cities, and how that affects pacing in other aspects of life. Turns out I am somewhere in the middle. I scored a 37. \u2014 CD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background remover<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Apple has a built-in “background remover” for images on Macs and iPhones. It\u2019ll blank out backgrounds behind portraits, people and figures. Open a photo on a Mac in Preview, then > Tools > Remove Background. Bingo! You can also do it in the finder by right clicking on the image file, then >Quick Actions > Remove Background. The same trick works on photos on the iPhone. Just press your finger on the figure and you get the option to share a backgroundless version. Great for isolating products, making a headshot photo, or green-screening things to blend into a collage. Just 5 years ago this magic would be considered “AI.” Maybe it is. (Let us know if there is built-in mode for windows\/android.) \u2014 KK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn history visually<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

HistoryMaps<\/a> uses interactive maps as a timeline so that as you read (and scroll) you can visualize where events in time took place. There\u2019s also a Timelines Game<\/a> that you can play, and according to the creator of the website there are hidden features and puzzles for added fun. \u2014 CD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A different kind of art<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Dutch painter Vemeer is in the news because the few paintings he did in his life are all being gathered into one exhibit. Many scholars contend that his paintings are anachronistically photo-realistic because he was using optical devices to help him paint, centuries before cameras. To prove this theory, a crazy inventor named Tim Jenison spent five years recreating Vermeer\u2019s favorite room including replicating all the furniture, and then figured out a way Vermeer could have used two mirrors (one concave) to project the image. Tim then spent one year using optics to precisely recreate Vermeer\u2019s painting stroke by stroke \u2013 even though he had never painted before. It\u2019s an epic journey of ingenuity and utterly mad obsessiveness. The whole story is told in an amazing 2014 documentary Tim\u2019s Vermeer<\/a>. (On YouTube for free, or on paid streaming services.) \u2014 KK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wikipedian curiosities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My friend Jean told me about The Cabinet of Wikipedian Curiosities<\/a>, a web page of interesting bits, lists, and links culled from the open source encyclopedia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n