Cool Tools

Data storyteller RJ Andrews is obsessed with data graphics. He helps organizations solve high-stakes problems with visual metaphors and persuasive graphics. He recently produced designs for The White House, Google, and MIT. RJ’s newest book is “Info We Trust: How to Create Value with Data Graphics.” He is also author of “Florence Nightingale: Mortality and Health Diagrams” and other works. Learn about all publications at Visionary Press. RJ lives/works in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco. Links: Newsletter X Profile Bluesky Profile TOOLS:0:00 – Intro 0:47 – Cheap book cradle (airplane neck pillow) 2:30 – Weighted bookmark 9:00 – Bendable neck reading light 12:58 – Giant desktop bookstand 20:43 – Visionary Press 20:43 – Info We Trust Watch on YouTube   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/rj-andrews-data-storyteller/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/qc496XB6bGbrAEKK7

Julian Bleecker, Ph.D., is an accomplished engineer and author with a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University, an MSEng from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. from UC Santa Cruz. He founded Near Future Laboratory in 2005 and OMATA, a one-person innovative hardware product design studio, in 2014, which he sold in 2022. Julian has written It’s Time To Imagine Harder and co-authored The Manual of Design Fiction. He also wrote the influential essay, Design Fiction: A Short Essay on Design, Science, Fact and Fiction. His engineering expertise and innovative work in Design Fiction have significantly shaped creative practices worldwide. Near Future Laboratory Podcast LinkedIn Instagram TOOLS: 0:00 – Intro 0:34 – Baofeng 5RM Multi-Band Ham Radio 7:43 – Make Playing Cards 17:08 – Sendy.co and Instructions 24:23 – Astro + Netlify Watch on YouTube   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/julian-bleecker-engineer-and-author/ To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out

Mac Moss is an Idaho based graphic designer who operates his own one man studio known as mm.s. Heavily inspired by science fiction and the American West, his work has naturally drifted into predominantly the outdoor industry. Outside of work, Mac races competitively at ultra marathon distances.   TOOLS: 0:00 – Intro 1:29 – Solar Awareness / Lumos Sun Tracking App 11:27 – Hori Hori Garden Tool 14:41 – Sodastream Hack 21:51 – Quanta Vinyl Streaming 30:11 – Getty Pacific Standard Time exhibit 30:35 – The Ecology Center   LINKS:  Instagram: @macmoss.studio Website: macmoss.studio   Watch on YouTube   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/mac-moss-graphic-designer/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/qc496XB6bGbrAEKK7

David Rager is an accomplished Creative Director with over two decades of experience in design leadership, brand building, and environmental experiences. As NASA’s current Creative Director, he oversees the agency’s visual brand and iconic Graphics Standards Manual and is responsible for reintroducing the NASA Logotype (Worm). Previously, Rager led teams at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Disney, the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, and the New Museum, and co-founded Weekends, a design studio operating between Paris and Los Angeles. TOOLS: 0:00 – Intro 1:29 – Solar Awareness / Lumos Sun Tracking App 11:27 – Hori Hori Garden Tool 14:41 – Sodastream Hack 21:51 – Quanta Vinyl Streaming 30:11 – Getty Pacific Standard Time exhibit 30:35 – The Ecology Center Watch on YouTube   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/david-rager-creative-director-at-nasa/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/qc496XB6bGbrAEKK7

ABOUT DANNY KIM: 20+ years of vehicle architecture & prototype development. Inventor w/ 65 issued int’l patents, 22 USPTOs. Focus of HBS case study: Industrial design & sustainable transportation. Former Land Rover mechanic, machinist, woodworker, welder, and vehicle integrator. Reed College, UCB, RISD, & Media Lab. LINKS: LIT MotorsWefunder Flickr Instagram YouTube TOOLS: 0:00 – Intro 1:19 – 48″ Margining steel lead screw shaft Rockwell 52 (AKA Handy File) 7:48 – Spectrum 375 Plasma Cutter (1/2″ lightsaber “Scissors’) 14:35 – Edwards 65 Ton Ironworker 16:07 – Miller MIG Welder 23:58 – Maybe cardboard would be a prototyping tool 23:49 – LIT Motors prototype Watch on YouTube   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/danny-kim-inventor/

Aishwarya Khanduja is the founder of a stealth entity working to solve wicked problems through lenses of complexity, markets, and power. She's spent the majority of her career thus far being a founder or supporting founders. Her companies span biotech, ed-tech, and the future of work. She writes a weekly letter, essays, technical primers, and other musings on aishwaryadoingthings.com.   TOOLS: 0:00 - Intro 1:08 - Hero 329 pen: https://geni.us/jcjsKx 8:48 - bamboo book stand: https://geni.us/mPf9 11:06 - tetr app: https://tetr.app/ 16:30 - vestoj: the journal of sartorial matters: https://vestoj.com/buy/ 24:20 - The Analogue: https://www.theanalogue.group   Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/R-CNQMPVXxE   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/aishwarya-khanduja-social-and-health-tech-innovator/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/qc496XB6bGbrAEKK7

Adam Hill (He/Him) is a dad who loves science, cooking, math, engineering, skepticism, espresso, and politics! He has been a teacher, an engineer, and now a software business analyst. Curiosity now and forever! TOOLS: 0:00 – Intro 0:46 – Burley Bee Bike Trailer 5:20 – Nanofoamer Pro 12:07 – Magsafe wallet 16:22 – Eat Your Books   Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xFTW8E6aSVI     For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/adam-hill-software-business-analyst/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form.

Mia Coots is a Senior at Nokomis Regional High in central Maine and an amazing presenter for the Student Leadership Ambassadors of Maine for the Department of Education. LINKS: http://SLAMShow.org TOOLS: 0:00 – Intro 0:53 – ATEM Mini Switcher 7:50 – Rode Wireless II Mics 15:22 – MuteSync 18:50 – Canva Watch on YouTube   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/mia-coots-student/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/qc496XB6bGbrAEKK7  

Josué Moreno, a Spanish composer and sound artist, has made Finland his home, where he inspires the next generation of musicians as a teacher at the prestigious Sibelius Academy’s Music Technology Department. Known for pioneering Urban Sonic Acupuncture, Josué seamlessly blends the vibrancy of live electronic compositions with the innovative realms of Computer-Assisted Composition and Generative Arts. Since 2017, he has been creating interactive soundwalking experiences through cutting-edge phone applications and guided sonic acupuncture exercises broadcasted through engaging radio shows. Josué Moreno’s work is an invitation to reshape how we engage with the sounds that surround us.   LINKS: Website YouTube TOOLS: 0:00 – Intro 1:02 – Roland Mobile Cube 10:39 – Max Music Software 25:08 – Overleaf 33:01 – Ulysses Watch on YouTube   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/josue-moreno-composer-and-sound-artist/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form.

Kern Kelley is a Technology Integrator at Maine School Unit #19. Starting his teaching career in New Zealand, he has provided support to educators for over two decades and conducted professional development across the globe. He advises a student produced technology show for the Maine Department of Education at MLTI.me and brings his student presenters, the Student Leadership Ambassadors of Maine to numerous conferences around the world and authored the Google Apps Guidebook. TOOLS: 0:00 – Intro 0:45 – Air Rocket Launcher Educational Kit 9:44 – Creality CR-30 3D Mill Infinite Z Belt Printer 16:33 – GoPro Hero 10 (used with High Altitude Balloon Launches) 21:57 – DJI Mavic Pro 3 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rx09sOuX9Uk   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/kern-kelley-technology-integrator/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/qc496XB6bGbrAEKK7

Rich Edwards is the CEO of Mindspan Systems, which helps community financial institutions transform themselves with data-driven strategies and technologies. Rich has worked extensively with banking, insurance, and financial services clients worldwide during his career. He has led product strategy in data center automation and artificial intelligence, including the launch of IBM Watson Developer Cloud. Rich has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Masters of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and served as an engineering officer in the US Army. You can follow Rich on Twitter @richedwards. TOOLS: 0:00 – Intro 0:35 – Uni Core mechanical pencil 7:05 – Scotch tape runner (extra strength) 14:43 – Making a 1993 factory car phone fully functional today (a triumph in defeating obsolescence) 17:01 – Matter, turn any webpage into an audio book (great Evernote companion) Watch on YouTube   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.o

Brent Deverman founded and sold a China-based internet startup providing services to tourists and English speakers based in Shenzhen, China. With over 20 years of experience in software development, analytics, digital transformation, and e-commerce development, Brent has also executed technical projects for HSBC, CNN, DFS, and AIA. He graduated from Michigan State University with a dual degree in Computer Science and East Asian Studies. Personal Website LinkedIn TOOLS: 0:00 – Intro 1:22 – Rust 7:20 – Readwise 12:47 – Minaal Carry on Bag 3.0 19:47 – Slate AX Travel Router Watch on YouTube   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/brent-deverman-consultant/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form.

Chris Butler is a chaotic good product manager, writer, and speaker. He has extensive experience in product management leadership at Microsoft, Waze, KAYAK, Facebook Reality Labs (aka Meta), and Cognizant. He is now Group Product Manager in Google’s Core Machine Learning team. He is also the co-founder of The Uncertainty Project a community focused on decision making and strategy. LINKS: LinkedIn The Uncertainty Project Chris Butler's product, strategy, randomness, adversarial, and AI/ML talks Twitter TOOLS: 0:00 - Intro 1:43 - Delegation Poker cards 12:10 - Work Kit of Design Fiction 29:46 - The Decider app 34:24 - Flipper Zero 44:32 - The Uncertainty Project Watch on YouTube For show notes and transcript visit To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form.

Bud Thorpe is a long time photographer, a life long educator, and former paramedic. He and his wife specialize in creating artwork of dogs (and their well behaved families). They run the Dog Art Gallery in historic Portsmouth New Hampshire. He teaches studio lighting for photographers online at The Master Lighting Course. His website is BudThorpe.com. TOOLS: 0:00 – Intro 1:03 – Knipex 12 62 180, Self Adjusting Wire Stripper 8:47 – Snap-On TMS4E 1/4″ drive Speeder 17:49 – Titanium AAA Flashlight by Maratac REV 5 25:21 – Volty Switch Keychain Multimeter   Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BSZNulvab54   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/bud-thorpe-photographer/ To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form.

Davey Rogulich is a Stagehand and Maker from Albuquerque, NM. He has toured internationally with Tricklock Theater Company and throughout the US with “Blue Man Group” and “Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan!”. He is currently the Technical Director of NDI New Mexico at The Hiland Theater in Albuquerque and the owner of Davey Craft & Tools. His hobbies include woodworking, leather working, aircraft restoration, collecting tools, and caring for orchids in his greenhouse. You can find Davey on Instagram @daveycraftandtools.   TOOLS: 0:00 - Intro 1:03 - Knipex 12 62 180, Self Adjusting Wire Stripper: https://www.kctool.com/knipex-automatic-wire-insulation-stripper-awg-24-10/ 8:47 - Snap-On TMS4E 1/4" drive Speeder: https://shop.snapon.com/product/Speeders%2C-Chrome-(1-4%22)/1-4%22-Drive-16%22-Speeder-Drive-Handle/TMS4E 17:49 - Titanium AAA Flashlight by Maratac REV 5: https://countycomm.com/collections/aaa-flashlights/products/polished-titanium-maratac-aaa-flashlight-rev-4 25:21 - Volty Switch Keychain Multimeter: htt

Mike Harris legal assistant, bookworm and amateur photographer who likes the surreal and the silly. Mike writes a newsletter called ThinkTrove, where he wrangles the week's wonders.   TOOLS: 0:00 - Intro 1:02 - Fidget cube: https://www.antsylabs.com/collections/fidget-cube 5:34 - MyNoise.Net: https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/japaneseGardenSoundscapeGenerator.php 11:46 - Inoreader: https://www.inoreader.com 16:44 - Periodically: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.periodically 22:11 - ThinkTrove: https://www.thinktrove.org   Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5Lxj2u4CjPg   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/mike-harris-legal-assistant/

Casper Kelly is a writer/director of weird TV and movies including the viral short Too Many Cooks and the 2023 horror movie Adult Swim Yule Log. His website is casperkelly.com and he's on Twitter and Instagram @heycasperkelly.   TOOLS: 0:00 - Intro 0:43 - Chromadepth glasses: https://geni.us/cbvJf 4:53 - Mage.space: https://www.mage.space 21:51 - Tiny Habits; https://bjfogg.typeform.com/to/QXc0WJ? 25:04 - Focusmate: https://www.focusmate.com/   Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mQ-ynOLZNgg   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/casper-kelly-writer-director/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/qc496XB6bGbrAEKK7

Marc Payne is an IT specialist working for the Federal Government. My passion is flipping items via thrift stores, yard sales and retail arbitrage on Ebay and Amazon. You can find Marc on Twitter @houseofpayne.   TOOLS: 0:00 - Intro 2:24- Index cards: https://geni.us/Jc1f7 7:54 - Box resizer: https://geni.us/xGGHI 12:34 - Scotty peelers: https://geni.us/qUEr9Dy 17:12 - 3” packing tape dispenser: https://geni.us/fBjclC6   Watch on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/uVCwU78XimE   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/marc-payne-it-specialist/

Theodore Gray is a co-founder of Wolfram Research and creator of the Notebook user interface (since lovingly copied by Jupyter Notebooks). He is the author of several books and iPad apps including the NYTs best-seller The Elements, and writer/director of Disney Animated (BAFTA award winner and Apple's iPad App of the Year 2013). His latest book is TOOLS, which is all about his favorite tools.   Website: https://theodoregray.com   Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/k2eZ4W7VgYs   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/theodore-gray-co-founder-of-wolfram-research-3/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/qc496XB6bGbrAEKK7  

EDITOR NOTE: Due to technical audio issues, this episode might sound better for those listening at 1.5x or 2x speed.   Tom Robertson is an IT professional, currently leading IT at FreshBooks out of Toronto, Canada. Tom has a background in theatre, and has written and produced several shows in the Toronto area. In his spare time, he enjoys computer related hobbies, and has built a retro arcade cabinet, a kitchen display, and during Covid wrote an automated newsletter summarizing Covid numbers for his home province of Ontario. His website is tommertron.com.   TOOLS: 0:00 - Intro 1:40 - Ryobi Inflator: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/ryobi-18v-one-high-volume-power-inflator-tool-only-/1001063829 7:43 - Partake Non-Alcoholic IPA: https://drinkpartake.com/collections/beers/products/ipa-ca?variant=40002665611469 11:16 - Anker GAN Prime Charger: https://www.anker.com/products/a2148?ref=ganprime_top_itemlist&discount=WS7D5ZM242 15:26 - Dakboard: https://dakboard.com/site   Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uw1v