{"id":45987,"date":"2026-05-03T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=45987"},"modified":"2026-05-01T14:18:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T21:18:29","slug":"embassy-of-the-free-mind-easy-search-on-phone-free-wireless-speaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/embassy-of-the-free-mind-easy-search-on-phone-free-wireless-speaker\/","title":{"rendered":"Embassy of the Free Mind \/ Easy search on phone \/ Free wireless speaker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Embassy of the Free Mind<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Recently when I was in Amsterdam, I went on a private rare book tour at the Embassy of the Free Mind<\/a>. The embassy houses one of the world\u2019s largest collections of Hermetic and occult books, and they\u2019ve digitized thousands of manuscripts that you can read online for free<\/a>. But if you\u2019re in Amsterdam, I definitely recommend booking a guided tour. I chose the tour that focuses on alchemical texts, but they have others on magic, witchcraft, and Rosicrucianism. I didn\u2019t get to touch any of the books, which is understandable, but I did get to smell one that was hundreds of years old and it was glorious. \u2014 CD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easy search on phone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Recomendo is biased toward iPhones because the three of us use one. So here is a tip for Android users: Enable Google\u2019s Circle to Search<\/a> on your phone. You can then use your finger to circle any image, part of an image, product in an image, word, phrase, text \u2013 anything on the screen and it will search what you circle. You don\u2019t have to take a screenshot. It works inside of any app. Hit the bottom navigation bar or home button and then use your finger to circle the part you want more information about. It instantly can identify products in a picture, or check to see if a message is spam, or translate text, or supply more information about a comment. Be sure the function is enabled in the Settings > Display or Navigation Mode. (I am hoping this function comes to native iPhone soon.) \u2014 KK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use your TV as a Bluetooth speaker<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I use a small JBL Go 4 Bluetooth speaker <\/a>for podcasts and music around the house. But when I\u2019m in the living room, I\u2019ve started streaming phone audio to my smart TV instead. Most TVs have bigger, better speakers than any portable Bluetooth speaker \u2014 the sound is fuller, with more low end and a wider stereo image. Whether it\u2019s AirPlay, Chromecast, or Bluetooth, almost every smart TV supports it. \u2014 MF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best open source library<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Shadow libraries disregard copyright law, and contain digital copies of just about every book ever published. A number of these open source libraries (such as Sci-Hub) have been shut down; the current best one up and running is Anna\u2019s Archive<\/a>, hosted offshore somewhere. I am slowly turning my physical library into a digital library. From Anna\u2019s Archive I have been downloading digital copies of any book I have purchased to create a working digital library I can use, search, apply to AI, and build upon. You can\u2019t do that with Kindle books. Anna\u2019s Archive also has 95 million scientific and scholarly journal articles, which is especially handy when publishers make getting a copy difficult. (Be wary: if you google Anna\u2019s Archive you get malware sites; best to go to the links listed in the Anna\u2019s Archive Wikipedia<\/a> entry.) If a digital copy of something exists, Anna\u2019s Archive will have it. \u2014 KK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Company Retreat<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kevin previously recommended Jury Duty on Prime<\/a>, and if you haven\u2019t watched it you should, then immediately watch the new season called Company Retreat<\/a>. It follows a temp worker hired to help run a company retreat for a fake company, called Rockin\u2019 Grandma\u2019s Hot Sauce, surrounded entirely by actors playing coworkers. He has no idea he\u2019s the only real person navigating these increasingly ridiculous situations. Right after binging I rewatched each episode with the behind-the-scenes audio commentary tracks. It\u2019s fascinating how the actors navigate multiple layers of story and reality, and how the \u201chero\u2019s\u201d genuine goodness keeps him ahead of a script he doesn\u2019t even know exists. It makes me think about the power of suggestion, authenticity versus programming, and how heartening it is to witness someone naturally driven by values that prioritize community over self. It is equally uplifting as it is hilarious. \u2014 CD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

USB-C to USB-A adapter<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The world seems to be converging on USB-C as the universal standard, and I hope nobody invents a replacement once we get there. For now, I live in a mixed world of USB-C and USB-A gear. These tiny, inexpensive\u00a0Syntech adapters<\/a>\u00a0are how I connect the two: a male USB-C plug on one end, a female USB-A port on the other. I keep them on my desk and in my travel bag for flash drives, charging cables, wired mice, and other older peripherals. I’ve tried a few brands; this one is the most reliable, with nearly 189,000 reviews and a 4.7-star average. \u2014 MF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to get Recomendo a week early in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recomendo – issue #512<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13684,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2323],"tags":[2324],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45987"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13684"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45987"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45988,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45987\/revisions\/45988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}