Cool Tools

Casper Kelly, writer/director of weird TV and movies, talks about chromadepth glasses, the website mage.space, forming habits with Tiny Habits and focusmate.com, and his passion for writing movies and TV shows.

Marc Payne, an IT specialist with a passion for flipping items, discusses third-party sellers on Amazon, a box resizer tool for resizing cardboard boxes, the benefits of a three-inch tape dispenser for shipping, choosing products to sell on Amazon, the importance of a second income, and the 20-year anniversary of the Cool Tools blog.

Theodore Gray, co-founder of Wolfram Research and creator of the Notebook user interface, discusses his favorite tools including recommended drill bit sets, organizing tools with numbered boxes, and a high-quality micro screwdriver set. They also explore the 'Handy Herman' contraption, engraving tools and techniques, naming tools, building a studio space, and fascination with unique tools such as impact drivers.

Tom Robertson, an IT professional with a theatre background, discusses interesting tools including the Reobi Inflator for camping, Partake Non-Alcoholic IPA, the future of USB-C, building a weather display using a Raspberry Pi, and using Barbara to display customizable widgets.

Miles Hunter, a UX researcher, talks about Evapo-Rust, a non-toxic and reusable rust remover. He explores tips for privacy and data security, including the Incogni service. The Japanese 'paper clam' is discussed as a better alternative to paperclips. Topaz Video AI is highlighted as a powerful video editing tool using machine learning.

Will Walker is a lead human interface designer at Google, working on wearables, digital assistants, generative AI and conversational controls. His design career has spanned across interfaces for hybrid digital maps, 3d printers and volumetric scanners to leading the design of exotic running shoes. He paints, hikes, plants and rennovates a victorian with his daughter, partner and shiba in San Francisco and sunny Oakland CA. You can find him on Instagram @wr_walker and on Twitter @walkerwill.    Website: www.willwalker.design   TOOLS: 0:00 - Intro 2:00 - Supercritical dryer for making aerogels: https://www.tousimis.com/critical_point_dryers/MEMS_drying_system.html 13:40 - Paint shaver pro for historic plaster restoration: https://paintshaver.com/paintshaver-pro/ 23:18 - Abacus for finite element analysis for design of structural gels or foams: https://www.3ds.com/products-services/simulia/products/abaqus/ 32:49 - Form 3 resin printer for biohacking or making ceramic slip cast molds: https://formlabs.com/store/refurbished-3d-printers/refurbished-form-3-package/   Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MitjxPvqF6s   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/will-walker-lead-designer-at-google/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/qc496XB6bGbrAEKK7

David Buxton, a tech founder based in London, discusses interesting tools on this podcast. Topics include a personal information manager called Workflowy, the benefits of a calendar-less to-do list, a convenient and structured web app, the Turn GSD e-bike model, Langchain Python library for generative AI, the benefits of a line-a-day diary, and the future of AI assistants in HR.

Furniture maker Asa Hillis combines traditional and modern techniques to create timeless pieces. Topics discussed include the Wixey digital angle gauge, adding digital readout to buttons in the shop, Surge Leatherman multitool, creating strong joints with a domino, innovative techniques with tape and jigs, hand-controlled router, power of a superhuman tool, and versatile tool with integrated grid.

Natalie Buda Smith is Director of Digital Strategy at the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. Her career spans three decades in design, technology, and culture. The Library of Congress serves millions daily in their pursuit of researching our rich cultural archives, understanding U.S. legislation, and serving our nation's creative communities through Copyright.   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliebuda/   TOOLS: 0:00 - Intro 1:09 - Newspaper Navigator: https://news-navigator.labs.loc.gov 6:55 - Citizen DJ: https://citizen-dj.labs.loc.gov 11:44 - Library of Congress photo library: https://loc.gov/free-to-use 16:39 - Lib guides: https://guides.loc.gov   Watch on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/NAShjOghAWo   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/natalie-buda-smith-digital-strategy-director-at-library-of-congress/  

Arun is a product designer, engineer, photographer, and writer. Most recently, he was co-founder and product designer at Carrot Fertility. He writes at arun.is.   TOOLS: 0:00 - Intro 0:49 - BMI 40b x4 tape measure: http://www.bmitools.com/ads/products/categories/steeltapemeasures/window-tape.html 6:26 - BMI Inklinat level: https://www.bmi.de/en/products-spirit-levels-682-inklinat.php 10:00 - Merco packing tape dispenser: https://mercotape.com/products/merco-dtn 15:00 - Pinecil soldering iron: https://www.pine64.org/pinecil/   Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Mu8HC75K78M   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/arun-venkatesan-product-designer/