Pickpocket Obstacles/European Rent Prices/Cruises That Don’t Suck

Nomadico issue #134

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.

A Force Field Against Pickpockets

I’ve brought up both of these product lines in the past, but when we had half as many subscribers, so a shout-out to two companies that will help you hold onto your valuables. I just spent five days in Rome, often pegged as the pickpocket capital of the world, and left with all my money thanks to Pickpocket Proof Pants from Clothing Arts and my wife’s Pacsafe Metrosafe bag. The former have a zipper, a button, and a clasp where your wallet goes for triple protection (plus multiple other secured pockets). The latter have complicated zippers, clasps, and slash-proof straps.

Spain Thinks Brits Are Criminals

Brexit has not been kind to British travelers, but nobody has socked it to them harder than Spain. The new rules that went into effect this week have the UK fuming. If followed to the letter, hotels in Spain are now required to obtain 31 pieces of information from visiting Brits, including a land line number (?!) and proof that they have enough money in the bank to support themselves on holiday. Do an online news search to see how the tabloids have reacted to what’s being touted by Spain as an anti-crime campaign, but here’s a more straightforward rundown on the regulations.

Where Rents Are Highest in Europe Compared to Wages

It makes logical sense that the lower the wages, the lower the rent prices in any given country or city. But it’s not always true. This report shows the minimum wage across Europe and the average rent price. It turns out that minimum wage earners pay the lowest proportion of their salary in France, Greece, and Croatia. The worst are Luxembourg, Ireland, and Netherlands. If you’re from the USA and Canada though, this sentence might make you want to see when your current lease is up: “The rent for a property with a maximum of two bedrooms ranged from €215 in Bulgaria to €1,340 in Luxembourg, while the average of 14 countries is €599.”

The “Free Time Ashore Test” for Cruises

I’ve never been a cruise guy and have no desire to go onto some giant floating hotel with thousands of others, but I’ve been on a fair number of small ship cruises that have gone well. I recently finished a river cruise with Viking (see my IG account for highlights) and we are currently on a Mediterranean one with Windstar. Both passed the crucial “free time ashore” test: we had entire days on our own to explore interesting places that people live in, not just commercial ports. Some passengers actually hopped on a train and went to another city from where were were docked. Pay attention to how much time is off the ship when evaluating itineraries.

12/12/24

Gar’s Tips & Tools – Issue #191

Access to tools, techniques, and shop tales from the diverse worlds of DIY

Gar’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales is published by Cool Tools Lab. To receive the newsletter a week early, sign up here.

Gar’s Favorite Tools of 2024

Here are some of my favorite (mostly small) tools from this past year. This is in no way a comprehensive list, just a miscellany of go-to tools and tool discoveries I made this year.

Every maker’s coffee table (or workbench) needs this gorgeous, eye-opening tool tome. Same approach, structure, and design as Gray’s amazing The Elements.

I actually bought this Fiskars folding utility knife in 2023, after seeing a Project Farm video comparing folding utility knives. It’s become a near-daily go-to.

These Amazon Basics heaters, at $23, were another great Project Farm find. So far, we’ve bought two of them for my wife’s art studio and our guest room.

Another surprisingly decent Amazon Basics product — a set of three groove joint pliers for $27. Perfect for lightweight, periodic use.

In response to my piece about the expensive but really great JustRite dispensers, Cool Tools’ Kevin Kelly introduced me to these plastic acetone dispensers (just $7 for 2!). They now happily sit on my painting desk, dispensing acetone, alcohol, and Goo Gone.

My tool of the year would definitely be the Workpro 18-in-1 multitool. At $20 (sometimes as low as $17), and with such surprising quality and feature set, I can’t stop buying them to hand out to family and friends. Stocking stuffers!

I have finally found an amazing pair of socks that my feet don’t hate! These Carhartt Men’s Force Performance Work Socks are comfortable, don’t make my feet sweat, and don’t bind my calves too tightly. At $15 for three pairs, the price is great, too.

Via Scott at Essential Craftsman comes his recommendation for the ideal filthy shop cleanup combo: Fast Orange and good ol’ Tub o’ Towels (which we’ve covered here before).

I bought one of these vortex mixers (widely used in the salon business for mixing nail polish) for my miniature painting. It works great. I don’t get to paint on the regular, so my paints settle in their small dropper bottles. With this device and two mixing balls added to bottle (which come with the mixer), you’re quickly good to go.

Via Adam Savage comes a recommendation for these brass jaw pliers. As he points out, pliers are a great way to accidentally mangle hardware and other materials. These pliers are brass-lined, soft, and smooth to prevent marring of finished or delicate parts.

I’m not going to lie. I’ve been known to strip a few screws in my day. This magical mixture, a polyvinyl alcohol with a gritty mineral filler, adds some grip to fastener heads for sinking them in without stripping or for backing out lightly stripped heads. It’s worth having in your toolkit.

Weird things can change your life. Unexpected things. We finally decided to get one of these heated mattress pads for our bed, and oh man, has it been a revelation! I can’t belief I’m six decades in (never you mind the raw number) and have never had one of these. As my wife said the first night we slept on it: “It’s like a trip to a spa!” Warm, relaxing, good for tired muscles, and it allows us to keep the nighttime house temp lower without getting uncomfortably cold in bed. This pad has two zones and two controllers, three layers of soft, quilted fabric, a quick-heat feature, 10 heat settings and a 12-hour timer. If this at all appeals to you, don’t be like us and wait years to get one!

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Your Favorite Tool?

What were your favorite tools for 2024? I’d love to see (and share) some of the tools that made your life and projects easier.

12/11/24

Margarash / Papertoy Glowbots

Books that Belong on Paper Issue No. 44

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.

MARGARASH, THE COIN BOOGIEMAN, PUTS A CLEVER, MODERN TWIST ON A CLASSIC FOLKTALE STORYLINE

Margarash
by Mark Riddle, Tim Miller (Illustrator)
Enchanted Lion Books
2016, 48 pages, 8.8 x 0.5 x 12.1 inches, Hardcover

Buy on Amazon

Deep down beneath the couch cushions, past the crumbs and pocket lint, lying in wait for loose change, lurks…Margarash! Mark Riddle’s titular character is a boogieman turned buddy in this sweet, silly, and just scary-enough picture book that follows Collin, a young coin collector, into the couch crack netherworld where Margarash lives.

Collin is your average coin-loving kid, the kind who collects, counts, and arranges his coins “by size or shape, country or state, even by smell or taste (which is something you should never do).” The monster, like Collin, hoards coins. When Collin, in his continuous quest to expand his collection, starts infringing on Margarash’s territory, the monster takes him prisoner, chanting a post-capture warning to the boy and to readers: “The coins that fall are for Margarash, / Margarash, Margarash, / The coins that fall are for Margarash, / Leave them where they lie.”

Margarash puts a clever, modern twist on a classic folktale storyline. Tim Miller’s illustrations take the edge off of the more frightening parts of the book and bring subtle beauty and depth to Margarash’s dark world, lit by beams and points of light that fall, like the coins he craves, through the cracks and tears of couches everywhere.

– Mk Smith Despres

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ORIGAMI MEETS ROBOTS IN A BOOK OF 46 DIY GLOWBOTS

Papertoy Glowbots: 46 Glowing Robots You Can Make Yourself!
by Brian Castleforte
Workman Publishing Company
2016, 196 pages, 8.4 x 0.7 x 11 inches, Paperback

Buy on Amazon

Attention, fellow mad scientists and monster creators! It’s time to put down our scalpels and electrodes and move into the twenty-first century. We need to upgrade our bio laboratories, transforming them into modern mechanical/electrical engineering labs. Anybody can pump several thousand volts into a creature created from spare parts. But, it’s the modern robot that gives us true control over every tiny detail of our creations, right down to the 1’s and 0’s of their digital brains. Imagine the horror and chaos that we can unleash with an army of mass-produced metal-monsters … mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Papertoy Glowbots is a collection of forty-six robot designs by fifteen notable papertoy artists from around the globe including the author, Brian Castleforte. These robots glow, taking the previous book, Papertoy Monsters, a step further. Some have glow-in-the-dark stickers while others require the use of glow sticks, night-lights, or battery-operated tea light candles. One way or another, they have the ability to light up in some fashion.

Every robot is printed on both sides, so the finished toy has colorful graphics inside and out. Pieces are perforated for easy punch-out, and they are pre-scored for easy folding. Even the slots are pre-cut for easy assembly (no dangerous craft knives to contend with). Construction difficulties range from easy to advanced, and is recommended for everyone nine years or older, but my seven-year-old nephew gets a kick out of them too.

The book contains a variety of robots ranging from cyborgs to fully autonomous metal bots and mechanical horrors driven by living beings. Some are extraterrestrial in nature, and each one has its own back story for added fun. Choosing your next robot to build can be hard, but worth it in the end.

The really fun part is seeing your finished creations glow! Here’s a pro tip from one mad scientist to another: use a black light to make the glow-in-the-dark stickers spark and sizzle with intense light. It’s awesome!

Papertoy Glowbotscontains hours of tinkering fun at home, at school, or on the go. And, you don’t have to raid your father’s tool box or take apart the toaster looking for spare parts. The only tool you’ll need is glue.

– Robert Nava

12/10/24

Classic Hand Tools

Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 115

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.

Professional, shock-absorbing hammer

Stiletto TiBone Titanium Hammer

I drooled over and pondered getting this hammer for a year before I finally took the plunge — and it was well worth the very high price tag. This hammer really absorbs the vibrations as you pound it. I have been framing for about 14 years and have been swinging an Estwing 25-oz. California-style framing hammer for most of that time. My elbow is almost shot from the vibrations of using those all-steel hammers. Since buying the much lighter titanium T-bone (15 oz.), I have noticed a dramatic difference in my elbow.

All-around it’s an absolutely wonderful hammer. The magnetic nail starter isn’t a new invention, but it’s handy, and I use the side nail puller every chance I get instead of relying on the claw. The hammer also features a removable steel head (or face), which can be replaced with a milled waffle or smooth head (depending on which face you purchase to begin with). Stiletto makes other cheaper hammers with a titanium head and a wooden or fiberglass handle. They absorb a lot of shock, too, but tend to break fairly easily – unlike this model, which has a titanium handle covered in rubber.

If you are serious about building and/or want to lessen the impact on your elbow, arm, etc., this hammer is certainly worth the investment. I don’t know offhand what a shot of cortisone costs, but they probably add up. I wouldn’t recommend this hammer for the average Joe, but if you use a hammer a lot, this is the one to get. They come with a curved or straight handle. I have one with a curved handle, which just feels right. — Greg Morris

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Human-powered driver

Three Jaw Brace

Ever have to fight with a thirty foot cord on a cold day? This tool has no cord. And no batteries. No worry about theft, obsolescence, charging. Imagine being able to remove #4 Phillips screws, long embedded with their heads effectively stripped before they were painted over. By hand. The same tool, with a “no moving parts” adapter, is a speed wrench for 3/8″ drive sockets. And you can use 1/4″ hex bits as well.

The traditional hand brace does all this, and weighs less than a commercial-duty battery pack. That’s why I have two old braces in my on-site tool kit, where I do a vast array of kludge-like repairs to building systems — everything from removing the third set of windows in a building’s life, to re-hanging wood and steel doors (remember those stripped, self-tapping, Phillips screws?), boring holes to run a fish-tape through, and taking mechanical stuff apart.

I just bought my first-ever “new” brace from Lee Valley Tools. Made in France this version will accept traditional square-taper auger bits, and with its three jaw chuck, any round or hex shank tool up to about 15 mm (9/16”) diameter. This new one together with two power tools — a 25-year-old Black and Decker screw gun, and a Makita 7 1/4” circular saw — makes my tool kit. — Lou Parsons

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Precise start on metal

Auto Center Punch

A simple superior tool about the size of a stubby pencil that punches a tiny depression in metal. It’s used to start a hole or mark a point. But unlike standard punches, which you need to hit with a hammer — whose impact usually misaligns the spot you intended to punch — this one gets its punch from a tiny internal spring that flexes as you press the tip down. You simply press the punch where you want a dent and there it is exactly. A classic. — KK

We in the rescue trade also use these pretty routinely to safely remove the glass in automobiles. They work particularly well on the glass in the side and rear windows and leave all of the little glass bits intact in the window frame until you gently remove them with gloved hands. The bits then go where you want (generally) and not on your patient. I assume that keeping one in your car would let you punch out your own windows in case of emergency. Just remember that it is key to use the device on the lower corner of a window or the glass can shatter and go everywhere. — J. James Bono

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Hole maker

Japanese Screw Punch

This lovely tool can punch through multiple layers of paper, mat board, etc. It is great for making eyelet holes in fabric as well as leather. Used by book makers and mixed media artists. It is amazing in its ease and is very durable! Earns Extra Foofy Points to be able to say you have a “Japanese Screw Punch.” — Jane Wynn

The advantage of this tool (sometimes called a Paper Drill) is that unlike your usual plier-like paper punch, this one is not constrained by where you want a hole. You can drill a hole anywhere on any size sheet — not just the edges — by bearing down on the handle. To compensate for the lack of leverage you do get in a plier-like punch, the shaft of this screw punch rotates as you press, neatly slicing a trim hole. It will go through 15 pages of paper at once; thicker materials will require multiple passes. It comes with five bits, but the largest one will be smaller than the typical paper punch hole, so I’ve found more careful alignment is required. — KK

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Tough analog drill

Schroeder Hand Drill

A hand-powered drill allows a subtlety and control you don’t get from a power tool, so very much more direct and satisfying to use. From a sheer utilitarian perspective, my Schroeder 1/4″ drill is a wonder to behold and use. The gearing is all-metal, so it’s built to last. For the price, you won’t find a tougher drill. I’ve used it for building cabinets and tables, puttering around the house and garden, pre-drilling screw holes, and mounting things to walls, etc. and it works like a champ. I used Fiskars hand drills for years but their inner gears are made of plastic and will strip out if you apply too much torque. They also can’t be opened up for repair either, so once that happens it goes straight to the landfill, which is really disheartening. With the Schroeder, the solid, single gear is right there in the open. You have to hold it in your hands to appreciate it. Like the engineering in a 1970s BMW or a piece of Shaker furniture, it’s logical and simple, direct and pure. It makes me happy just to spin it. — Charles Henry Frieder

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Human powered high torque

Impact Driver Wrench

This hand tool is used to unscrew bolts that may have become rusted into place. One end has a 3/8th inch socket stub over which you fit with the appropriate socket head. You place this over the bolt and then use a hammer/mallet to hit the other end of the cylindrical tool while applying a slight twisting force on the the body of the impact wrench. The perpendicular motion of the hammer is translated (via a system of springs and prawls) into a sudden twisting motion at the head of the troublesome bolt. Since static friction decreases so much when the force is applied over a very short duration —like the time it takes a hammer to smack the end of the impact wrench — bolts that would otherwise require so much force that they might snap off can be easily removed. Very cool tool. Other tool makers make things very similar, but in my experience, the Snap-on version works best. — Gabriel Pilar

This hand-held Impact Driver is not to be confused with the hundreds of pneumatic and power Impact Drivers which have largely replaced it. For occasional use, this little guy will do — although it takes some skill to keep it on the bolt when you hammer it. I’ve used the Craftman’s brand, which is half the cost of the Snap-On. — KK

12/9/24

Holiday Gift Ideas

Recomendo - issue #439

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Spinning planet

I love my Mova Globe. This is a globe that slowly spins without batteries or wires. Its silent revolution is powered by ambient room light, and it will spin forever even from the light of a desk lamp. Internally there are two layers, the visible layer which spins inside a seamless clear shell, which sits on a clear tripod. Mova comes in 5 sizes, and 5 different forms, such as Mars, Moon, a map Earth, or a photorealistic Earth. I have the 4.5 inch (19 cm) version of the realistic Earth which spins next to me as I work. It is drifting right now. Since it isn’t cheap ($218), it makes a great gift for the right nerd. — KK

Seaweed-based skincare

OSEA is a clean beauty brand that specializes in seaweed-based skincare products. I’m slowly working my way through their entire product line and all of their lotions and oils feel incredibly luxurious. You really can’t go wrong by gifting any of their sets. My favorite rebuys are the Vagus Nerve Trio and the Body Hydration Heroes. — CD

Leather zipper wallet

I bought the Pueblo Leather Round Zipper Card Case from SOT when I was in Japan in 2018, and it’s one of my favorite possessions. Mine holds a few cards, some paper bills, a band-aid, an ibuprofen pill, and an Apple AirTag. After six years, it shows no signs of wear besides a natural patina on the leather. I think the only way to order it is from the SOT website, or Amazon.jp. Thanks to a favorable exchange rate, it’s about $100. — MF

Nerf blaster mod

Modifying a toy nerf blaster to make it faster and stronger was a standard teenage hack. You can now buy hot-rodded nerf blasters online that rapidly shoot magazines of darts 150 feet (45 m). A good choice is the Dart Zone Max Omina Pro ($60) which is equipped with two magazines of half-length darts. It shoots in such a forceful direct line that I can have fun with soda can targets. Ideally you want two of them. Warnings: its battery-powered engine is loud, and you obviously need eye protection (included). — KK

Perfectly-sized portable speaker

The JBL Go 4 bluetooth speaker is the perfect size for personal use, and its sound quality has proven to be good enough for having a dance party with friends. It’s so easy to take anywhere and connect to instantly, that I find myself listening to music all the time now. Right now it’s priced at $40 and available in multiple colors. It would make a great gift or stocking stuffer. — CD

A gift of wonder and weirdness

Looking for a unique holiday gift for your favorite curious person? A premium subscription to my long-running blog, Boing Boing ($45/year), is like giving them a year-long ticket to a cabinet of curiosities. Your gift recipient gets our new ad-free site and newsletter covering tech, art, and wonderfully weird cultural phenomena. It’s the gift that delivers fresh surprises every day. — MF

12/8/24

What is the easiest way to make you laugh?

Just One Question #13

To participate in Just 1 Question, and receive the issues one week early, sign up here.

The cure for almost anything

Just give me and my friend Greg half an hour and we’ll be drying tears from our eyes, reminiscing about our high school days. We met as freshmen and have remained the best of friends for nearly thirty years. Maintaining adult friendships is hard—especially with families, kids, and all of the time commitments that come from that. Even though we live in the same city, we only see each other a few times a year but when we do it’s as if not a moment has passed since our last conversation, and time ceases to exist. They say, “Laughter is the best medicine.” I say, “Laughter with your best friend will cure almost anything.”

Matt H

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Buffoon

Be ridiculous, poker faced and own it.

JM Skibsted

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People

Surround me with the right people. There are some people, or combinations of people, who when I’m with I can’t help but laugh and goof around with. There is something about the chemistry of a group of people that elicits strong emotion. It is perhaps the history of experience we have together that has built that over time. Which makes me think, if we want to optimize for more happiness or joy in life, laughter if a pretty good proxy for that. And if it’s just a matter of getting a group of the right people together, perhaps the ultimate currency is not just time, but time spent with the right people.

Mike T

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Playing with Words

I enjoy word play—plot twists, puns, double meanings, and so on. Use those and I will laugh and join in.

But joking should be in jest—being mean on purpose is not funny. For instance, while Don Rickles could be brutal, you could tell he and those around him knew he was joking and not serious.

Tim

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dog and leaves

I can laugh at really good memes but the video of Stella the dog jumping into leaves truly brings me joy. I got a birthday card from my daughter that said, “Not just happy but dog with a new toy happy. That’s how your birthday should be.”

I’ve had dogs all my life but am in a situation now where I can’t have one. But seeing the complete joy of dogs will always cause me to laugh.

Phido

12/7/24

What’s in my NOW? — Tim Sismey