2026-04-17 00:00:00
I got quoted in this Travel + Leisure article about some of the best destinations in the world for young adults to consider for moving abroad. This is not meant to be a definitive list, but it’s a good article if you want 8 options to consider instead of being overwhelmed with choices. You don’t have to be young to enjoy these places, but they’re strong on the vibrant qualities people look for when they’re in their 20s and 30s, plus the cost of living is another favorable factor.
The airlines never met a fee they didn’t like and when one of their competitors raises the price, the execs usually match them in lockstep. So after JetBlue went first, as mentioned last week, many of the other lemmings followed, with $45 for the first bag being the most common amount now, blamed on fuel costs. For budget airlines, you’re going to pay extra to bring anything unless you travel with just a “personal item,” but for the legacy airlines you can usually still get away with bringing a carry-on into the packed cabin. Otherwise, Alaska Air, Air Canada, JetBlue, and United all offer credit cards with free bag checks on all flights, not just a subset of them. This includes at least one companion if booked together. The current United sign-up bonus with Chase is huge too, enough for a round-trip ticket to almost anywhere.
“You’ve got a bottle in your bag pocket, remember?” the woman said to her significant other in the line at the airport coffee shop in front of me yesterday. He put it back and saved $4.99 (plus tax) because he was 20 steps away from a filtered water dispenser. I saw another guy pay $6.89 for bottled water in our second airport of the day while being equally close to another dispenser. Since numerous studies have shown that bottled water is more contaminated than your average tap water, paying a premium and then throwing away more plastic seems like a bad idea all around if you’re flying in the USA or Europe.
If you’re having trouble finding a hotel staffer when you need one, it’s probably not your imagination. We’ve already seen the reduced influx of immigrants to the USA impact the food industry, but the next big hit will be where you lay your head when traveling. According to those in the industry, there’s already a serious worker shortage and it’s going to get worse. “The hospitality industry ended 2025 with 98,000 fewer workers than the year before, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.” With immigrants making up one-third of the labor force for hotels (and more for the construction of new ones), don’t expect rates to go anywhere but up in the coming years stateside.
A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.
2026-04-16 00:00:00
August is a husband, father, runner, practical Midwesterner, and HR executive currently serving as Chief Human Resources Officer at Central Trust Company in Jefferson City, Missouri.
“Proceed as the way opens” — Quaker Proverb
I first encountered this Quaker proverb in William Least Heat-Moon’s River-Horse, where he called it his “precept of last resort” while navigating 5,000 miles of American waterways. It stuck. There’s something in it that echoes what evolutionary biologists call the “adjacent possible” — the idea that each step forward opens up the next one, even when you can’t see very far ahead. I find it grounding. It’s never hopeless. There’s always something you can do, and one move usually reveals the next.
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2026-04-15 00:00:00
Beautiful Birds
by Jean Roussen (author) and Emmanuel Walker (illustrator)
Flying Eye Books
2015, 56 pages, 8.9 x 12.2 x 0.4 inches
In Beautiful Birds, author Jean Roussen and illustrator Emmanuel Walker fly through the alphabet with dozens of feathered friends. It begins, of course, with “A is for albatross, the admiral of the skies,” and progresses all the way to “Z is for zos-ter-o-pi-dae…” with details about all kinds of avians in between. The writing brims with clever rhymes and colorful words (ogling orbs, polychrome quills) making it delightful to read out loud. If I had to guess, I’d say Roussen is a fan of E.B. White’s idea that “children are game for anything… They love words that give them a hard time, provided they are in a context that absorbs their attention.”
Walker’s vibrant illustrations give kids all the context they need. His graphic, full-bleed drawings feel like those of mid-century masters Saul Bass and Charlie Harper. As an added bonus, the book’s design is also gorgeous. It’s bound in a neon salmon linen, with patterned endpapers to match. The neon color can be found on almost every page in varying doses, giving the optical effect of spying a ruffle of feathers in the wild. – Sara Distin at Tinybob
The Botanical Treasury : Celebrating 40 of the Most Fascinating Plants through Historical Art and Manuscripts
by Christopher Mills (editor)
University of Chicago Press
2016, 176 pages, 8.5 x 11 x 1.6 inches (softcover in clamshell box)
The Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England has just come out with a sumptuous collection of “40 of the world’s most fascinating plants.” What makes them the “most fascinating”? For some it’s their appearance or structure, for others it might be their medicinal properties or economic impact. But from the bizarre-looking banksia to the quinine-packed cinchona to the functional bottle gourd, what they all have in common is a fascinating story.
The Botanical Treasury, which comes in a richly textured cloth-covered box along with 40 reproduced frameable prints, devotes four pages to each plant. Each entry includes an interesting tale pertaining to the plant along with copies of historical drawings, photos, letters, maps, journal entries and newspaper clippings. Most of the stories are about the naturalists and explorers who hunted for and studied these plants, but the book also celebrates the plants themselves, highlighting their unique features, uses, and capabilities. This makes a gem of a gift for any botanical nerd. – Carla Sinclair
2026-04-14 00:00:00
Tape Op is the only music geek magazine worth buying — and it’s free. Widely eclectic and ever encouraging, the main premise seems to be “Try, and trust your ears.” Pro, semi-pro, and DIY info sits comfortably side-by-side. Pros read it, hobbyists read it, some kids read it, all get something from it. Tape Op will give step-by step demos of, for instance, modding a certain low-cost microphone to get more bang for the buck written by a guy who sell his own mics for thousands. Or they talk to a guy with a barn full of home-made analog synths or someone who makes music out of sounds from antique recordings. The mag offers information in all kinds of directions, but it only wants you to do your own thing with it, what ever that is. Tape Op’s philosophy: use your ears and twist some knobs, learn all you can, then forget about it. Standards are explained, history is explored first-person, but rules might be thrown out the window. An undercurrent regarding how unrealistic and difficult it is to run a studio coexists with inspiring tales about the pleasure and pride that comes from recording music. The contributors work hard in their own studios and know what they’re talking about. A large community of recordists supports contributing articles and a lively online Q and A page (later edited and published). Recent profiles have run the gamut from legendary producers/engineers to seriously indie/outsider recordists; all have a jones for doing what they do their own way.
A recent, typical issue reviewed a mic you can buy for a steal on eBay for $40 and a mic that streets for $7,000. They don’t waste time writing slagging reviews; they review only what might be useful to someone on some level. On one hand, you can learn a lot by reading about something you may never be able to afford. On the other, you see that despite how amazing, desirable and beautiful that thing is — and this where most music mags stop — you don’t really need it. It might be a great tool for someone, but you don’t have to need it. Record reviews, written in the same “we like this” spirit, lean indie and outside, but might go anywhere. I always read about something I don’t know, but wouldn’t mind hearing. It’s independently published and paid for by ads from all kinds of audio-related concerns, but beholden to no one, so it’s neither slick nor slimy. Other recording magazines often seem to be trolling for sales or hyping an image. Their editorial decisions are suspect, noising on about last year’s retreads, repeating a press release, offering the same tutorials you could find in another magazine — or the library(!). The ‘net offers a lot of basic DIY sites you can learn from, but will they print an interview with Rupert Neve, as issue by issue, you learn about the products that riff on his designs? How about talking to Rudy Van Gelder (who recorded all the classic Blue Note jazz) about taping John Coltrane in the living room of his parent’s house in New Jersey?
I’ve been subscribing since 1997-8 when a producer I met turned me onto it. There is absolutely nothing out there like it. Nowadays my job is production manager/soundcheck and rehearsal substitute/backline tech for a three-time Grammy winning artist. I work with and have hired top-notch audio pros and I learn a great deal from them. Tape Op has often given me insight that keeps me apace in our discussions and what I learn from them takes me deeper into the magazine. However, Tape Op also has allowed me to nourish a side-line in sound designing/composing for theatre when I am off the road. When no one’s paying me and I’m home with the kids asleep, I record my music or occasionally, friends. That is where the knife really gets sharpened and what I have taken in from Tape Op gets put to the test. — John Stovicek
For a number of years I’ve been into sound art and electronics, but never had the cash and space for an ARP 2600. I recently acquired a Korg Kaossilator, a fabulous little dynamic phrase synthesizer, which, for all intents and purposes, now serves as my main musical device. Pocket-sized and touch-operated, the Kaossilator is comprised of 100 sounds: electronic beats, synth chords and pads, squelchy bass tones and the odd acoustic instruments. The Theremin sounds alone are worth the price tag. The fun part is creating 8-beat loops in which you can control the tempo and the scales of the instruments selected. I’ve already “composed” a few pieces using just the Korg and will most likely start incorporating it into GarageBand or, perhaps, Max/MSP once my visual programming chops get happening. My only complaint is you can’t edit or remove instruments/sounds as you layer them or control individual volumes. Still, I highly recommend the Korg for beginners and semi-pros that haven’t got a cache of gear and/or software. For standalone equipment, I don’t think there’s anything really comparable to the Kaossilator, except it’s cousin, the Mini Kaoss Pad, which is more for effects.
A hobbyist that was a session drummer in another life (before children), it’s limiting to how often I can make music. Drummers have to deal with the confines of noise volumes (the neighbors), the amount of space required and the portability of your gear. Plus, your output is restricted to mainly the rhythmic aspects of music as well as performing in the more traditional acoustic genres. With two small children, I don’t get to play with the Kaossilator as often as I’d like, but the one-year-old loves to see and hear it in action. While you can use the sounds to record with in your audio software, you can also just plug in headphones and experience your public transit commuting time diminish exponentially. I’ve taken it out of the house a few times. It runs on either a 4.5V adapter (not included) or 4 AA batteries (included). I have yet to really clock the amount of time used with just the batteries, but it’s been a lot longer than you’d get on a laptop. — Gord Fynes
I remember the first time I encountered a Moog Synthesizer: Switched-On Bach. I was all of 14-years-old and absolutely captivated. All those knobs and patch cords. And then there were the sounds that it made. To an adolescent boy growing up in the mid-late ’60s whose hero was Mr. Spock, it was like a futuristic dream come true — my own musical version of the Starship Enterprise and for only a few thousand dollars. The Last Whole Earth Catalog even featured a review of it by Wendy Carlos herself!
Then I learned how much a few thousand dollars actually was. I tinkered with resisters and capacitors, transistors and chokes, but I couldn’t do anything like that. But this is what led me inexorably to a career in music and recording. Well, and the Beatles helped, too. Flash forward 41 years and many synthesizers, guitars and amps later, I still could not seem to afford that big gleaming Moog dream.
Then a company called Arturia released a virtual software version of my childhood Holy Grail, the Moog Modular V. And there were nine — count ’em, nine! — oscillators. Filters, envelope generators. A fixed filter bank. A sample and hold module. A bank of configurable mixers. And with enough computer firepower, I could finally make the sounds I’d heard Wendy Carlos make. The software even has stereo chorus and delay lines, a very neat addition to the package to fatten up your sound without having to use any outboard effects. And did I mention polyphony? Yes, unlike its hardware predecessor, the Moog Modular V offers up to 32 voices, if you have the processor power to deliver them.
I’ve been using this powerful, flexible piece of software for almost four years now and I have to admit that it does almost everything I ever wanted a music synthesizer to do. It does things the hardware version couldn’t even do. My only complaint is latency (delay). I would never use it live, but then again I haven’t been playing live these days, and if I did, I’d probably sample off the sounds I want to use and do it that way. The software can be used stand alone or as a plugin, for Mac or Windows OS. — Jeff Bragg
Once a week we’ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because the possibilities they inspire are new. Sign up here to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.
2026-04-13 00:00:00
Dark Sky used to be the best weather app on the iPhone. Apple bought it years ago, incorporated its best features into their Weather App, but then never improved it. The folks who made Dark Sky are back with version 2.0, which they call Acme Weather. It produces extremely hyper-local forecasts with probabilistic scenarios, alerting you to how certain the forecast is. They also display crowdsource data, like rainbow sightings. I found it superior enough to pay for it ($25/yr), once the free trial ran out. — KK
Flighty’s airport dashboard shows live departure and arrival delays for hundreds of airports around the world. A quick glance before you leave for the airport could save you a lot of stress — or at least help you decide whether to grab that extra coffee first. Free to use in a browser. — MF
KAOS on Netflix is a dark, modern remix of the Greek gods that is both chaotic and entertaining to watch. The plot revolves around Zeus trying to prevent a prophecy of his downfall, the three humans handed the greater destiny of being the ones to topple the gods, and the betrayals of his dysfunctional immortal family. Dionysus, god of wine, pleasure, and wild frenzy, was my favorite character—a sad party boy god aching for real love and meaning. Because we’re dealing with gods and myth, there is of course sex and violence and a lot of death—nothing is sacred, not even babies. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you love mythology I highly recommend it. It will make you squeamish and it will make you laugh. I binged the first season in two weeks and was genuinely bummed to learn it was canceled. — CD
The Anker Smart Display Charger is a 45W USB-C block with a built-in color screen that’s genuinely useful. It shows real-time wattage, how close your battery is to full, which device is connected, and if your phone is fast-charging or just trickling. It is smaller than most 10W chargers, with 180-degree folding prongs that flatten for travel. — MF
The best flashlight is the one that you are carrying, which means the tiny one on your phone is what most of us use. However I like a lot of extra light inspecting work in my workshop, hunting for things in the house, and walking at night, so I carry a small dedicated light on my keyring and in my daypack. The Olight Imini 2 is only 2 inches (42mm) long, easy to turn on with one hand, and most agreeably, can be recharged with USB. No batteries ever needed! It’s 10 times brighter than a phone and easier to handle. I use mine far more than I thought I would. — KK
This website lets you follow the path of the Curiosity rover through every step and photo since it landed on Mars in 2012. You scroll along the rover’s path on a topographical map, and the actual raw NASA photos from that day fill the screen alongside it. It’s awe—and a super cool project. — CD
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2026-04-11 02:33:00
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck spent decades studying why some people bounce back from failure while others crumble. Her answer comes down to belief. People who see their abilities as developable (a “growth mindset”) consistently outperform those who see talent as something you’re born with or without (a “fixed mindset”).
A fixed mindset assumes intelligence and talent are carved in stone. When you believe your qualities can’t change, success becomes about proving you’re smart, and failure becomes a verdict on your worth. You avoid challenges that might expose you. You get defensive about criticism. You start to see effort as a sign you don’t have natural ability. Every situation becomes a test of who you are.
A growth mindset sees abilities as developable through effort, good strategy, and help from others. Failure isn’t a verdict. It’s information. People with this mindset don’t just seek challenge; they get energized by it, because struggle means they’re learning. Dweck’s key point: a person’s true potential is unknown and unknowable. You can’t predict what someone will accomplish with years of dedicated practice.
A growth mindset turns “I can’t do this” into “I can’t do this yet.” One word, but it changes your whole relationship to difficulty. When students learn they can strengthen their brains through effort, their performance improves. And there’s a physical difference: brain scans show that growth-mindset brains light up when reviewing errors, while fixed-mindset brains show no activity at all. One brain is engaging with the mistake. The other is ignoring it.
Praising children’s intelligence backfires. They stop wanting challenges because they don’t want to look stupid. Praising effort and strategy does the opposite. If you want to give kids a gift, teach them to love challenges and be curious about their mistakes. This applies to how you talk to yourself, too.
“The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life.”
