{"id":44904,"date":"2025-10-05T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=44904"},"modified":"2025-10-02T13:32:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T20:32:26","slug":"brief-life-advice-codenames-the-scale-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/brief-life-advice-codenames-the-scale-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Brief life advice\/Codenames\/The Scale of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Brief life advice<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Unlike many of his peers in the advice business, Dan Pink is concise. In his books and videos, he distills his counsel into brief, well-crafted, bombs of wisdom with zero fluff. In 40 Harsh Truths I Wish I Knew in My 20s<\/a> he packs all his hard-earned life wisdom into 13 minutes. Well worth your time. \u2013 KK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun party word game<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We played Codenames<\/a> every night when our out-of-town friends stayed with us. It\u2019s a tabletop game with simple rules, so you can start playing without a lot of explaining. Players are divided into two teams. Each team\u2019s leader must help their team guess the assigned words on a grid of cards by providing one-word clues; however, guessing the wrong words can result in penalties. The first team to find all their assigned words wins. \u2014 MF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Scale of Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Scale of Life<\/a> is a website that visualizes worldwide statistics in real time, displaying a live count of everyday events, things made, and natural phenomena the moment you open the page. It\u2019s fascinating to watch the spectrum of activity\u2014from packages delivered and lightning strikes to new trees sprouting. It\u2019s not 100% accurate, but if you are curious can click on counters views sources and explore deeper. \u2014 CD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiny ring light<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I spend way too much time zooming, often at night (because most of my audience is in China), so I needed a way to fill in good flattering light at my computer. The solution which has been working for a couple of years is a small, cheap LED ring light that clips onto my monitor on USB. These are generic commodities; brands don\u2019t matter. I use something like a Cyezcor ring light ($19)<\/a>, which lets you set the color temperature. I usually set mine to warm. \u2014 KK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

21 party planning tips<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Uri at Atom Vs Bits has written up the 21 essentials of hosting great parties<\/a>. Tested tips include starting at quarter to the hour for better timing, using party apps to display guest lists, and having close friends arrive early to set the mood. Parties are a \u201cpublic service\u201d \u2014 good gatherings create meaningful connections that can change lives. Top tip: Don\u2019t stress out; \u201cit\u2019s better to have mediocre pizza from a happy host than fabulous hors d\u2019oeuvres from a frazzled one.\u201d \u2014 MF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quotables<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here are some quotes I\u2019ve carried with me for years\u2014reminders that keep me aligned with my heart. \u2014 CD<\/p>\n\n\n\n