2025-03-19 00:00:00
Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse
by Nate Cosby
Archaia
2015, 112 pages, 6 x 9 x 0.3 inches (softcover)
Boyd Linney, also known as the Cow Boy, is a 10-year old bounty hunter. Armed with a custom pop gun in the shape of a hobby horse, he roams the West in search of wanted criminals. Unfortunately, they just happen to be his relatives.
A cinematic western about a 10-year-old bounty hunter, Cow Boy: A Boy And His Horse is action-packed, kid-friendly, and surprisingly gritty. Light on dialogue, where guttural utterances and highfalutin’ 25-cent words like dadgummit, tarnation, and goldarnt are sprinkled amidst desert landscapes and frontier saloon interiors, each colorful panel dramatizes a simple Wild West story of a boy in search of his wayward, outlaw family, and he’ll find them at any cost.
Breaking up the storyline are brief, humorous vignettes, one of a gunslinger with no underpants, a laser gun showdown with enormous steampunk robots, a woman who walks miles through the desert to accept a marriage proposal from an outlaw, and a gun-toting heroine with a penguin as a sidekick.
Propelled by Peanuts-like drawings that evoke a Sergio Leone-esque, widescreen atmosphere, this graphic novel features a compelling tale that touches on themes of family, loneliness, slavery, abuse, and gumption that never feels heavy-handed. Appropriate for all ages, Cow Boy: A Boy And His Horse is an entertaining page-turner that gallops along. – S.Deathrage
The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye
by Pantheon Graphic Novels
Pantheon
2016, 320 pages, 7 x 1.2 x 10.4 inches (hardcover)
The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye is one of the most intricate and impressive graphic novels I’ve ever read. It’s a biography of the great Singaporean comic artist Charlie Chan Hock Chye, and traces the evolution of Chan’s career by showing the wide array of artistic styles he experimented with. These range from Marvel-style superhero comics to celebrity caricatures, cartoonish science fiction, manga, noir, and more. All this is complemented by explanations and annotations of Chan’s work, which are also presented in graphic form.
The work is complex not only in style, but also in content. A driving theme throughout Chan’s career has been uncompromising political satire. Thus the survey of Chan’s work is also a dense and dizzying tour of 20th-century Singaporean history. The comics depict the complex Singaporean identity following independence from Britain, as the tiny nation-state struggled to define itself ethnically, politically, and economically.
While this is a weighty topic, there’s an ever-present humor in Chan’s comics. For instance, his superhero parody is called Roachman. Roachman worked as a human waste collector in Singapore’s pre-plumbing period, and gained his powers from the bite of a cockroach. His transformation into a superhero allows for commentary on the social ills of the day, as well as providing a snapshot of a country just before rapid urbanization and development.
The big conceit in all this is that Chan isn’t real. He’s a fictional character invented by Sonny Liew to take readers through a simultaneous history of Singapore and of 20th-century comics. One lasting impression from this book is that it must have been so fun to create: inventing not only an artist, but also his works, and the additional meta-layer of being a faux biographer/art historian. Only someone with an enduring love of comics could have produced this work. – Christine Ro
Books That Belong On Paper first appeared on the web as Wink Books and was edited by Carla Sinclair. Sign up here to get the issues a week early in your inbox.
2025-03-18 00:00:00
1900 House Frontier House Colonial House
The premise of this first reality-TV program is brilliant. Take an ordinary middle class family of the year 2000 and make them live for 6 months like an ordinary middle class family of the year 1900. The London-based producers succeed in this transformation by getting every detail of Victorian domestic life exactly right and complete. The volunteer family is plunked down in a different era as if by time machine, and there is no escape. No shampoo, either. The edited 6-hour result is deep, instructive, and totally riveting, Kids who hate history are mesmerized by it. Because it is so visual and visceral, it changed the discussion of chores and gender roles in our household. Better than 100 essays, this video series reveals the notion of progress. It is now my favorite history “book.”
The success of 1900 House spawned Frontier House, a parallel experiment that transfers the conceit to the edge of Montana in 1893 during homesteading days. It ups the challenge by requiring the participants to build their homesteads and raise all their own food while sticking to period tools and the lifestyle of pioneers. The three families who settle in a beautiful valley need to stockpile enough food, shelter and firewood to last a Montanan winter. Instead of cooperating, they compete against each other, making this remarkable 6 hours series into what Survivor should have been – an authentic test of surviving. There is probably no greater persuader of women’s inequality than this pair of films. The guys loved being pioneers, while the women and girls were imprisoned by it.
In the last to be made, Colonial House, the premise is now familiar — only with fewer tools. Make a modern family live with only the tools and resources available four centuries ago. The suburban families are sent to live in the summer of 1628, on a forested island off of Maine. Their task: build a New World colony (20 people strong) that can both survive and pay back its investors in England. Life is pretty grungy. Two families to a room; no outhouses.
Of the three programs Colonial House is the best, in part because of the reality show-like drama and bickering between the colonists. They fight over religion, status, and food. Cameras record every detail as the pudgy newcomers scrounge for scraps, learn how to farm Indian corn, all the while slowly starving, and assuming appropriate roles such as indentured servants with astounding ease. Who knew how easy devolution was? Like the hit TV series Survivor, it’s about how primeval people get when survival is at stake. But unlike Survivor, there’s genuine historical logic, authentic rituals, and significant meaning in their test. If I had to choose one of these three historical reenactments, I’d start with this one, the 8-hour Colonial House. But if I could, I would require every child in 21st century America to view all three series. These are the nearest things yet to a time machine. — KK
Most of what you read about what happened in the past is written by someone who read what someone else read about it. Here is a diverse collection of short first-hand, eyewitness accounts of what proved later to be important events. Vivid, uncensored, naked testimony from someone there at the time. Make up your own mind.
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.
2025-03-17 00:00:00
China is vast, nearly a continent to itself with highly diverse ethnic cultures. It has become an easy place to travel, with 28,000 miles (45,000 km) of high speed trains, and cheap domestic flights. My guide to traveling to the most interesting places in China is an English-speaking YouTuber, Yan, who calls herself Little Chinese Everywhere. Yan records her explorations of her own country, usually to offbeat, little-visited places, far from crowds, but extremely enjoyable. She specializes in the border areas of China where it mixes minority cultures (Tibetan, Mongolian, Uyghur, Vietnamese, etc.). Her channel is perfect armchair travel because she captures a very unromantic view of China, taking buses, renting motor scooter, staying at expensive hostels, interviewing shop keepers. This is the real China, and if you wanted to get a sense of what the everyday country is like, watch her channel. Better yet, visit it. — KK
If you’re considering psychedelic therapy, I recommend starting with Althea’s Psychedelic Preparedness Scale, a three-minute quiz that helps assess your readiness by evaluating mental health stability, intentions, knowledge, support systems, and coping skills. Developed in a clinical trial at University College London, the quiz identifies areas needing improvement to ensure a safer and more meaningful experience. Althea, a Public Benefit Corporation based in Oregon and Colorado, connects individuals with licensed facilitators for legal psychedelic therapy, aiming to make these transformative experiences more accessible and stigma-free. — CD
This web tool instantly shows how a word translates across about 30 European languages, displayed on a color-coded map. Type in English words like “cat” or “thank you” and the translations appear in their geographic locations. The color codes show linguistic families like Romance and Slavic languages. Proszę bardzo! — MF
I’m often very unimpressed with my Netflix algorithm, but these Netflix Codes have helped me discover new and surprising content. It’s useful, if you can overlook all the unsightly ads. — CD
One of the crazier projects funded by the US government was a plan in 1957 to build a 4,000-ton spaceship powered by exploding nuclear bombs. A small group of scientists aimed to reach Mars by 1965 in Project Orion, long before the dream of NASA’s Apollo. One of those working on the project was physicist Freeman Dyson. His son George Dyson interviewed his father and all remaining participants, and got thousands of declassified documents to tell the whole astounding story in a remarkable book, Project Orion. Published to little fanfare in 2002, Dyson has re-released a self-published expanded version (2025) with new material, new documents and illustrations, full citations of his sources, all material that the original publisher excluded. This strange story has lessons for attempting (and funding) hairy, audacious seemingly impossible projects. It’s great historical storytelling, too. – KK
The compact EPICKA Universal Travel Adapter has 5 USB ports (3 USB-C, 2 USB-A) and plug configurations for US/EU/UK/AUS. Its LED power indicator lets you know it’s working. Just remember it’s not a voltage converter — your devices need to be dual-voltage compatible. — MF
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2025-03-15 00:00:00
I love the concept of the “inspired object,” first introduced to me by maker-philosopher, bike guru, and “shade tree mechanic,” Mister Jalopy. An inspired object is something — a tool or other physical object — that manages to inspire or elevate you whenever you use it. It’s usually something that embodies one or more of the following qualities:
An inspired object always impresses you with its extra-special qualities whenever you use it. The effect is almost magical.
So, what are your “inspired objects?” Let me know — share pics!
Homebrewed recipes, formulas, and low-cost supply substitutes
Periodically, I’ll be sharing these formularies around different areas of making, For this first entry, here are some useful craft and hobby painting recipes.
Paint Washes
Washes are used in a lot of hobby painting, such as tabletop miniatures, scale modeling, and cosplay costuming. Washes add realistic weathering, aging, and deep, contrast shading. To make your own, all you need is a few drops of your desired paint color or artist’s ink, some matte medium, and distilled water. There are many wash recipes online. Some add Flow Aid (used in airbrush painting) to the mix to help the wash resist clinging to high surfaces and flow better into nooks and crannies where you want it.
Matte Glaze Medium
Thinning paints in water tends to separate the water and pigment, making it difficult to get a thin coat with adequate coverage. Enter matte glaze medium. It is designed to maintain the integrity of thinned paint for fuller, smoother coverage. There’s no set recipe here. Experiment with the amount of matte medium (and Flow Aid) until you get a nice, thin but pigment-rich mixture.
Acrylic Paint Thinner
Airbrush Cleaner
Loctite is a go-to product for preventing bolts from loosening, but many people misuse it. In this High Performance Academy video, Matt from Loctite explains the differences between purple, blue, and red thread lockers—and how to apply them correctly:
One common mistake is overusing red Loctite—many assume stronger is better, but Red is meant for permanent applications and can be a nightmare to remove. Another issue is applying too much; only two drops are needed where the threads engage. Any excess stays liquid and doesn’t add strength.
Another major error is using Loctite on high-heat components like turbochargers and exhaust manifolds, where heat degrades its effectiveness. Instead, use mechanical fasteners and anti-seize to prevent galling.
Proper Loctite application:
Using the right thread locker correctly ensures bolts stay secure without creating unnecessary headaches.
Maker pal Geof Meston sent me this video detailing his DIY answer to the Bow Xtender Fence System. innovative DIY table saw fence system that enhances accuracy, safety, and infeed support—all while being more affordable than commercial alternatives like the Bow Fence Extender. The Bow Fence Extender is a popular upgrade, but it comes with drawbacks. It’s expensive, costing around $259 (£240), and its 8.8 lbs (4kg) weight makes it cumbersome for job-site saws. Instead, Geof’s DIY solution uses aluminum extrusion, 3D-printed brackets, and other affordable hardware, reducing the total cost to just $120 (£95) while maintaining excellent functionality. The key improvements in Geof’s system include hold-down clamps to prevent kickback, a thin-rip jig for precision cutting, and customizable support brackets for infeed and outfeed stability. The setup is lighter, just as sturdy, and fully adjustable, making it a great alternative for woodworkers who want a high-quality fence without the high price tag.
My quest for the mini Harbor Freight toolbox continues. I waited patiently for them to come back into stock (store-only), but by the time I got to my local Freight, they were already sold out. While I’m waiting, I’ve been watching more reviews of the box and videos from makers who’ve created storage trays (and other accessories) for them. What’s kind of hilarious is how controversial these boxes have become. Some people love them, and see the utility in a tiny, sturdy toolbox for small tools and parts. Others see it as a useless gimmick. I guess your use case (and personality type) will determine what you think about this product. I plan on buying at least two and using them for scale modeling tools, airbrush parts, Dremel accessories, and similar.
I assume most of my readers are familiar with Simply Green. It’s a versatile, biodegradable, non-toxic cleaner used for all sorts of cleaning tasks, both in the shop and around the house. Besides water, the main ingredients of Simply Green are Ethoxylated alcohols (surfactant/detergent), Sodium Citrate (a pH buffer and water softener for adjusting pH and improving cleaning effectiveness), and Sodium Carbonate (washing soda/alkaline builder for more cleaning power, and grease-cutting). I use it for everything from stripping acrylic paint to getting stains out of carpet (diluted) and many other around the house and office cleaning tasks. Recently, I used it to clean a really stubborn, impossibly sticky spill of an ant trap in my office. With a spray of Simply Green and a plastic razor blade, the goo came right up.
Tips & Tools readers join in the conversation
About the Disaster Prep docs piece in the last issue, Cool Tools reader Stephen wrote:
While it may seem like a good idea to have all those documents stored somewhere in the cloud (Someone else’s server) in case of a disaster. Be careful on where that is, because not all cloud servers are created equal and this list contains everything a would-be threat actor would need to wreak havoc on your identity and life…Use a service like Fidsafe or Trustworthy for important docents like these.
Gar’s Tips & Tools is free, but if you really like what I’m doing here and want to support me, please consider a paid subscription. Same great taste, but more cheddar for me to help keep a warm pad under my aching old bones. I will also pick paid subscribers at random and send them out little treats on occasion.
Special thanks to all of my paid subscribers so far and an extra special thanks to Hero of the Realm, Jim Coraci.
Gar’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales is published by Cool Tools Lab. To receive the newsletter a week early, sign up here.
2025-03-14 00:00:00
There were plenty of surprises at the Academy Awards, but A Real Pain from Jesse Eisenberg had already pulled in BAFTA and Critic’s Choice trophies before Kieran Calkin got the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. On the surface, it’s a story about two cousins going on an organized Jewish remembrance tour of Poland and we travel along with them. Of course the real story is the family history and personality dynamic between the two characters and how it plays out with the guide and other group participants. I watched it on a Delta flight and highly recommend it, streaming available on Prime and Hulu according to IMDB.
Our co-founder Kevin Kelly reminded me that the Electronic Travel Authorization to visit the UK is in place already for non-EU citizens since he had to apply for one recently. Since the UK is no longer in the EU, European visitors will soon have to cough up extra money too: 10 British pounds, as of April 8. Despite this process feeling just like getting a visa, the government insists that “An ETA is not a visa, it is a digital permission to travel.” This seems like a minor semantic difference when “it is still recommended to allow up to 3 working days.”
I had surprisingly good free Wi-Fi on my most recent U.S. flights from Delta and United. On Delta I just needed to log in with my loyalty account info, on United with my T-Mobile info. One of these days American Airlines will join them, but right now they’re just trying it on three routes. “The airline emphasized that the free WiFi is only in the testing phase right now and did not say when or if it will expand the complimentary service to wider parts of its network.” Meanwhile, a flight of theirs got delayed for hours last month when a passenger named their phone’s WiFi hotspot “I have a bomb.”
It’s no secret that Google’s search results have deteriorated badly the past couple of years, partly because of advancing their own ad interests above everything and partly due to favoring AI results over researched articles from real experts. You’ll get a lot less of both from making Duck Duck Go your default search engine (with less invasive tracking too), but if you want more human results from Google or Bing, you can put “-AI” at the end of your query—a shortcut for “minus artificial intelligence.” Apparently swearing in your query works too, though I haven’t tested that.
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.
2025-03-13 00:00:00
I’m an independent consultant based in Austin, Texas, who helps teams and organizations become better. Better in the sense of increased teamwork, increased flow, increased learning, and increased passion for their mission. — David Stackleather
You are always wrong; it’s just a question of degree.
