Ruben Casile

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BMW produces cars and SUVs, and uses an alphanumeric naming system many in the industry have come to imitate.

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Dr Amantha Imber is an organisational psychologist, founder of behavioural science consultancy Inventium, and co-creator of the Australian Financial Review’s Most Innovative Companies list. In 2019, Amantha was named as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence. Amantha is also the host of the number one ranking business podcast How I Work, where she interviews some of the world’s most successful people about their habits, rituals and strategies for structuring their day and being more productive.

About the bag

Gorman backpack: my backpack of choice is from Melbourne-based designer Lisa Gorman. Half of my wardrobe is probably from Gorman, so I was very excited when she started making backpacks. I don’t think this bag is available anymore, but I love it so much. It is lightweight (being made out of a parachute-like fabric) and I love the bright print. My only wish is that it had more pockets, but that’s easily solved through purchasing an internal bag organiser so things don’t get lost.

What’s inside the bag

Mix Pre 6: I host the podcast How I Work, and pre-COVID, I would do quite a few interviews outside of my studio. Many podcasters opt for the Zoom H5 or H6, but I found the Zoom wasn’t great for tuning out background noise. I’ve been using the Mix Pre 6 for over a year now, and it’s my sound mixer of choice for recording all podcast interviews. While it’s slightly more expensive than the Zoom, I find it eliminates nearly all background noise and produces amazing sound quality. I also use the Mix Pre 6 in my studio for recording back-ups. It hasn’t failed me yet!

Logitech Keys-to-Go: I like to keep my backpack as light as possible, so when I don’t want to lug around a laptop, I pack this portable keyboard. It connects via bluetooth to my iPhone and allows me to use my iPhone as a computer and type things quickly. The keys are smooth and the pressure feels just right, making for a top notch typing experience.

Logitech spotlight: another Logitech device! As part of my work at behavioural science consultancy Inventium, I do a lot of keynote presentations (well, more so pre-COVID). I feel like I have tried every presentation remote on the market and this is the one that I stuck with. I never leave home without my Logitech Spotlight — it’s by far the best presentation remote I’ve used. It’s simple to use and works 100% of the time. And it feels so light and comfortable in my hand.

Uni Mechanical Pencil Kuru Toga Roulette Model 0.5mm: I love a good mechanical pencil and this one has had over 4000 5-star reviews on Amazon. I figured that 4000 people can’t be wrong so I bought one. The pencil is very comfortable to write with and is incredibly precise (as you would expect from a mechanical pencil). The only problem is that my 6 year-old daughter loves it as much as I do, so it often does disappearing acts from my bag…

Fressko coffee cup: For many years, I was on the hunt for the perfect take-away coffee cup — one that keeps my coffee warm and is easy to wash. And something that looks good too. I finally found that mix in Fressko. The cup is insulated and keeps my coffee hot for a couple of hours. And unlike some cups that have fancy lids that are hard to clean, Fressko keep things simple and the cup and lid are quick and easy to wash.

-- Amantha Imber

[What's in YOUR bag? We want to hear about unusual and unusually useful items that you carry in your bag. We are especially interested in the specialized bags of doctors, athletes, repair techs, artists, gardeners, hikers, etc. Start by sending an email to claudia@cool-tools.org with a photo of the things in your bag (you can use your phone). If you get a reply from us, fill out the form. We’ll pay you $50 if we run your submission in our What’s in my bag? newsletter and blog.]

While some names like Jeep and Toyota are well-versed in the adventure lifestyle world, Chevy and Ford are putting some pressure on those segment stalwarts.

Below, for your consideration are a handful of pieces that advise on what to buy, where to go, how to organize and much more. Here's to never settling.

I got some Liquid Nails on my fingers last week, and soap and water wouldn’t remove it, even when I rubbed hard with a washcloth. Then I put a small dab of coconut oil in my hands and patiently rubbed it over the dried adhesive. The Liquid Nails dissolved completely, leaving my hands clean.

The organic cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil I buy from Amazon costs less than half the price of Trader Joe’s coconut oil (and probably one third the price of coconut oil sold at Whole Foods).

-- Mark Frauenfelder

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Holiday entertaining is in full swing, and I've learned the hard way that I can't do everything by myself. Gone are the days when I slaved over the styling, the shopping, the cooking and cleaning on my own: Lessons were learned during the Great Blender Explosion of 2011 and the Cannoli Stuffing Incident of 2008.

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We used to have a bad habit of buying meat, sticking it in the refrigerator and forgetting about it until it was spoiled. I finally got tired of wasting money and bought a small dry erase board that I mounted on the kitchen wall next to the refrigerator. Now we make sure to write down what we’ve put in the fridge and the expiration date. It’s been working great, but I think I like this solution from Think Board even better. The Think Board is a 14 x 14 inch reusable clear dry-erase board that sticks to any flat surface like your refrigerator. The board can be repositioned and doesn’t leave a stick residue when you remove it. It’s made in the USA and comes a Marker, Spray Bottle, Squeegee and Velcro to attach the marker. The Think Board is priced at $19.99 from The Grommet.

Filed in categories: Home and Kitchen, News, Paper and Pens

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Think Board puts a clear reusable dry erase board on your fridge originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 24, 2015 at 1:07 pm.

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Several years ago, my friend Becky Stern (formerly of Make:, now at Adafruit), told me I should get Tools and How to Use Them. I really didn’t think I needed yet another tool tome, and one mainly about perennial, analog tools. But I found a near-new copy on Amazon for .01 ($4 with shipping), so I figured, what the hell.

As soon as I began thumbing through it, I knew I’d scored a wonderful treasure. Over the years, I’ve frequently reached for this book when doing research for articles on various types of DIY. And, of course, this book has given me a better working understanding of the tools in my life, from the everyday to more exotic tools.

Tools and How to Use Them is a black and white illustrated encyclopedia. The illustrations are lovely and plentiful and they help create a mood around the book that I think makes you see the tool in a new way. (I get a similar feeling with the illustrations in Cook’s Illustrated.) The tools are grouped by general type: rulers, plumb and level, rasps and files, welding tools, digging tools, etc.

Each entry has the name of the tool, alternate names, typical size(s), typical material(s), and how to use it. The illustrations show the tool, some uses of it, and special features or variations of it. It really is kind of surprising how much useful information this book packs in. At least for a casual maker-generalist like myself, I’ve really learned a lot about a diverse range of tools, including some I may never see in person. There is also a brief, but informative, glossary of tool-related terms.

I bought it for four bucks and it’s become a treasured and indispensable resource. I’m so glad Becky encouraged me to get it. And now I’m encouraging you. Copies are still available for a penny.

-- Gareth Branwyn

Tools and How to Use Them

Albert Jackson and David Day

1978, 352 pages

from .01 to $15.56

Available from Amazon