Kevin Kelly says: "A decade ago I made a huge 470-page book of the best tools available. This Cool Tools book was a catalog of possibilities. Each of the thousands of items featured enable a new possibility that you may have never considered doing before, such as keeping bees, building your own home, or starting a consulting busines. Cool Tools has been long out of print, so I finally made a digital version of it. The full-sized PDF of Cool Tools can be downloaded on Gumroad for $3.99. Good news for those outside the US where the price of the original book plus shipping was discouraging. It also serves as a very searchable version for those with the giant physical book."
Get the color 470-page Cool Tools book as a PDF for $3.99
Watch: pilot episode of Show or Share
My friends and colleagues at Cool Tools are developing a new YouTube series called Show or Share. In this episode Kevin, Claudia, and Camille talk about things they are enthusiastic about and want to share with each other and with viewers. It's fun to watch them work out what the show's format might be. READ THE REST
A web tool that converts PDF scientific papers into HTML
The folks at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence just released an intriguing tool — "Paper to HTML", which lets you upload a scientific paper and it turns it into an HTML web page. The goal, as they wrote in their email, is to improve accessibility: Screen-readers and accessibility tech usually finds it a lot… READ THE REST
Three cool tools
At my Cool Tools YouTube channel I make a monthly video with Kevin Kelly and Claudia Dawson called Recomendo Shorts. Here's our latest video, with reviews of a Retractable Extension Cord Reel, a Reversible Micro USB Cable, and a Sparkling & Seltzer Water Maker. If you like this kind of thing, please subscribe to the… READ THE REST
The VacOne Air Brewer Uses Vacuum Pressure To Make Perfect Coffee Every Time
For years coffee experts have recommended pourover as the best way to make coffee at home. But now, thanks to an ingenious design that was recently perfected, the traditional pourover has some serious competition. If you're the kind of person who thinks life is too short for bad coffee, say hello to the all-new VacOne… READ THE REST
This iPhone app lets you scan your problems away, and it comes at a discount!
Let's face it. Most people need an assistant. Who doesn't want a little bit of help from time to time with things like organization? Unfortunately, especially with our current technology surplus, it can be a bit easy to fall behind and feel disorganized. When scanning documents, in particular, it can be tough to figure out how to… READ THE REST
Grab a refurbished MacBook for the best of work and play for under $500
Some computers blast their fan the second you open Excel, but not MacBooks. As compact as they are, MacBooks are workhorses you can put through the wringer for years. That's what you'd get if you picked up this refurbished 11.6-inch Apple MacBook Air. For a limited time, this beautifully refurbished laptop is on sale for $499.99, down… READ THE REST
