Virtual history

When Spanish conquistadors marched into the island city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan in 1518, they were stunned by what they encountered. The scale, richness, complexity, and advancement of this capital built by the local Aztecs surpassed anything in Spain at the time. I find this 3D virtual reconstructed Portrait of Tenochtitlan on lake Texcoco to reward endless scrutiny. The sliding overlay of modern Mexico City is genius. I am as much stunned by its grandeur as the first invaders. – KK

Awe-some Guide to the Universe

New York Times Magazine made this interactive guide to the James Webb Space Telescope and it was awesome to see all the new images and new discoveries made about our Universe. My jaw dropped and I got chills when I saw the image of 94,000 galaxies now made visible by Webb. I recommend viewing this on your desktop. — CD 

Car door step

I didn’t know how handy this little car door step gadget would be until I started using it to wash the roof of my car. It fits on the latch of most cars, giving you a boost of a couple of feet off the ground. Most people use them to get access to their car’s luggage rack. — MF

Countdown clock

I find keeping in mind my estimated death date greatly helps me focus on important things. This website by World Data Lab will quickly give you your estimated longevity, calculated from actuarial tables. How long you live varies depending on where you live. I turn this date into how many days I have left and use it as a countdown clock. — KK

Grease splatter guard

My husband bought this XULRKOS Splatter Screen ($9) for our frying pan, and it’s one of those indispensable multi-purpose kitchen tools that I didn’t know I needed.  It doesn’t prevent all splatters, but it significantly reduces excess grease on our stove and counters. You can also use it as a sieve or cooling rack. — CD

List of useful quotations

Nicolas, a designer at GitHub, maintains a list of quotations that he shares on his personal website. Most of them are new to me, and many are inspiring or provocative. Examples:

• “Be careful what you cast out — the vacancy is quickly filled”  — Austin Osman Spare

• “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” — Voltaire

• “There is no product or service more ecological, sustainable and recyclable as the one we do not use.” — Philippe Bihouix

• Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again. — André Gide

– MF

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