Travel Keyboard/Baja Ferry/Best U.S. Airlines

Nomadico issue #104 (Two-year birthday!)

Bluetooth Keyboard for Better Posture

Most of us with a home office or regular co-working space have a better ergonomic set-up there than when we take our laptop on the road. It’s easy to get slumped and hunched in a bad posture situation. You can set your laptop on two stacks of books or food storage containers to get the screen level with your eyes, but then how do you type? The solution is a portable Bluetooth keyboard that folds up small for travel. I use this one that’s currently 30 bucks and it goes for days between charges.

Taking the Ferry to/from Baja

Three days a week you can fly direct from mainland Mexico to the Baja Peninsula, but there’s another option where you can go on an overnight ferry ride instead. I took it between Mazatlan and La Paz a few weeks ago. It’s a vehicle ferry, which could save you more than 3,000 kilometers of driving. Here’s a detailed post I wrote about it if you’re interested, with a video tour to show what the experience was like. (Or go to YouTube here for the video only.)

A $35 Billion New Airport in Dubai

Dubai’s airport is reportedly the world’s busiest in terms of passengers, with 87 million coming and going last year. The ruling family thinks that’s too small, so they’re going to spend $35 billion (if they keep to the budget) to build a brand new airport with 5 parallel runways, 400 gates, and a capacity of 250 million annual passengers. It is scheduled to take a decade. “As we build an entire city around the airport in Dubai South, demand for housing for a million people will follow,” Dubai’s ruler said. “It will host the world’s leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors.”

The Best of the Worst: U.S. Airlines Survey

Apparently the way to please customers is… be nice to them. And take care of your employees. Southwest Airlines came out on top a third year in a row in the latest J.D. Power and Associates customer satisfaction survey on 9 U.S. and 2 Canadian airlines, despite some rough patches they had last year with canceled flights. That was for economy class, where Delta came in second and the other legacy airlines were beat out by budget carrier Allegiant. Delta topped the business class category and JetBlue was second. Air Canada was last in two of three categories: business and premium economy. Frontier was last in economy (472 out of 1,000), where even Spirit topped them.

05/16/24

What’s in my NOW? — Larissa Fernandes

issue #179

Sign up here to get What’s in my NOW? a week early in your inbox.

The most consistent and successful thing I have been in my life has been a mother. With my 14-year-old, we respect each other, we have fun together, and we talk about the important things. At work, however, I have never been very consistent. From copywriter to recruiter to artist to professor to consultant and, now, to Account Executive. Yes, I sell things. When I’m not selling things, I’m attempting to play the piano or drums, trying to become a writer, learning to cook, and nurturing this special kid, so that he becomes a decent and kind human being who can bring more joy into the world. — Larissa Fernandes

---

PHYSICAL

• My hammock — You have never really rested or felt truly at peace if you haven’t rocked yourself gently while laying in a hammock. I cannot fathom living in an apartment or house where I could not have one. In the most comfortable hammocks, you feel nestled by the soft fabric, almost as if you were being hugged by someone you love. The best place to set up a hammock is parallel to and near a wall, so that you can rock yourself gently by pushing against the wall with your foot. I’ll give you a tip: don’t buy the flat ones, by the ones that adjust to your body. You’re welcome.
• Figuring by Maria Popova — I bought this book over a year ago and was excited to start reading it, having been a “Marginalian” reader for ten years. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past the second page due to the writing style, which I found to be verbose and too decorative. A year later, I tried it again and, to my surprise, I devoured it over the course of three weeks. I have never read such a beautifully written non-fiction book. Once I got used to the embroidered style, I fell in love with all kinds of real-life characters; some scientists, some writers, some philosophers, most women, most queer, all genius. It’s sad how we have forgotten the very people whose struggles and battles made it possible for us to be here today. This is a book to take in slowly, to research on the side to learn more, and then reread over the years. I miss it as I would miss a friend.
• Victrola/Record Player — Even though I have never owned a record player, a few years ago my dad passed down to me his entire vinyl collection. He knew how much I valued the power of music and thought I would be the right protector of his musical legacy (also, my mom made him get rid of it). When my sister lent me her record player recently, I was eager to try my records for the first time. As I rummaged through the collection, looking for one to play, I stumbled upon a record with the cover so damaged, you couldn’t tell who the artist was. When I looked inside, the tag on the vinyl read “The Beatles”. I was stunned; it was the “White Album”. I set the first disc (side 1) onto the turntable, moved the needle to the first song and, as “Back to the USSR” started playing, I burst into tears. It was impossible to not feel emotional throughout all of the songs. It was like listening to history; a different kind of feeling. Unexplainable, incomparable. If you have never heard vinyl records, they are the real deal. Get one and listen to real music.

---

DIGITAL

• Reddit — Reddit can be the black hole of doom for humanity, or it can be a worthy community for healthy discussions. I joined Reddit on the same day that I left Instagram. I didn’t know what to expect, but my son gave me several warnings and some great tips. So, I joined a few communities and I have been having fun talking with people about the books I read, the movies I watch, and things that interest me such as philosophy, psychology, music, writing, science and math. I have found communities where people have had the same difficulty I had to finish Walden by Thoreau, the same love for Snatch, and the same favorite songs by AJR. If you know where to look (and from where to keep out), Reddit can be a great place to learn and have fun.
• Year Compass — This is a digital journal (which you can also print out) that helps you close the year behind you and plan for the year ahead. It is meant to be worked on once a year and I have completed it three times already. I love looking back at my year and seeing how I am always able to accomplish more than I thought. You begin to realize that some goals take longer to accomplish, while others don’t really matter as much. You can keep track of dreams, objectives and activities, and how they evolve and change over time. You learn to plan and create a better life for yourself and your community. It’s especially handy for those who don’t keep a daily journal, like me.

---

INVISIBLE

“I don’t know where I’m going, but I know exactly how to get there.”

I recently heard this quote from Boyd Varty. It spoke to me, because one of my greatest fears is not getting to where I want to be. Not because I don’t think I’ll get there, but because I don’t know where “there” is. I don’t know what I want to be, do or accomplish. I don’t know what my purpose is. Is there really such a thing? There are so many things that I enjoy doing outside of my day job, but none that gets enough attention. It also doesn’t help that I change interests every six months. At 38, I feel like I will never accomplish anything real. But, that quote helped me to understand that you have to keep on doing what feels right and for as long as it feels right. Eventually, if you keep working on it, that feeling will manifest itself as the “there” that you are looking for.

---

05/15/24

Zonzo / Stuck in the Middle

Books That Belong On Paper Issue No. 14

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.

---

ZONZO CONTINUES THE TRADITION OF MOX NOX WITH 50 ALL-NEW STRIPS OF SMILING PSYCHOPATHS

Zonzo
by Joan Cornellà
Fantagraphics
2017, 56 pages, 6.7 x 0.4 x 9.2 inches, Hardcover

Buy on Amazon

I don’t think there’s going to be any middle ground here. You’re either going to love Joan Cornellá’s comics, or you’re going to despise them. I’d first seen his work popping up here, and there, on the internet; and immediately fell in love. His comics are evocative, disturbing, and deviously funny.

I remember seeing a Robert Crumb comic for the first time, I was shocked. The very act of reading the comic felt obscene. I’ve read some pretty controversial comics since then, but none of them came close to giving me that same feeling, none of them except Zonzo. Without using any words, Cornellá pushes the boundaries and makes you uncomfortable, in the best way.

This is a small book, but there’s a lot of cringe inducing panels packed in. I also think that it might be best to experience Cornellá’s work in small doses, reading too many in one sitting might bring on some sort of psychosis. Like a good stand-up comedian, after finishing the book you definitely ask yourself, “why am I laughing at this?” The work makes you reflect on yourself, or you might just appreciate how dark the humor gets. Either way if you’re a fan of Cornellá or looking to see how provocative comics can get, I’d recommend picking this up.

– JP LeRoux

---

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE: 17 COMICS FROM AN UNPLEASANT AGE

Stuck in the Middle: 17 Comics from an Unpleasant Age
by Ariel Schrag (Editor)
Viking Juvenile
2017, 224 pages, 8.5 x 0.7 x 11.0 inches, Paperback

Buy on Amazon

Can we all just agree that middle school and censorship are the worst? Stuck in the Middle wasn’t out when I was in jr. high, but I sure wish it was. This is an anthology that tells different stories from a challenging time. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear about this book until I heard that parents were trying to get it banned from school libraries, and that people were attacking it on Amazon by giving it unjustified 1-star reviews.

Read the book for yourself, and you’ll see it deserves a lot more than 1-star. It’s an excellent collection of comics, and does a wonderful job telling difficult stories, that most people can relate to. Being an anthology, some stories will strike more of a chord than others, but all the stories are worthwhile. My only wish was that there was an update, a Vol. 2 filled with even more tales from the depths of middle school.

I know the type of people who would find this book obscene, because they’re the type who will find anything obscene. But they’re kidding themselves if they think kids aren’t already exposed to far worse than what you’ll find in Stuck in the Middle. When I was in jr. high, South Park was gaining in popularity, Eminem just released the Slim Shady LP, and parents, teachers, and students were trying to cope with the Columbine Massacre. The world’s only gotten crazier, so I can’t imagine what kids today are dealing with.

Parents want to ban this book because it has some adult situations and curse words? Fuck them. The issues presented in the book are the issues kids are dealing with. A thoughtful parent would want to share this with their child, to show them that they’re not alone. Fight censorship. Support artists. Buy this book, and leave a review on Amazon.

– JP LeRoux

05/14/24

Puzzle

Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 86

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.

---

Brilliant 3D maze

Perplexus

This is a cool 3-dimensional maze that is easy to get started and hard to finish. You need to steer a small metal ball along an ingenious obstacle course by rotating the clear plastic globe. There are 100 stations along the way, including some difficult topsy-turvy turns. All ages can get into it. We’ve found the puzzle to be extremely addictive to anyone who gets started. Because it’s like a 3D video game without the electronics, the very physical nature of playing — turning it this way and that — is very satisfying. In addition, the maze is like a sculpture, the design of the route is geekily brilliant, and the elegance of the eternal return of the steel ball within the sphere is a stroke of genius. Perplexus has the glow of a work of art. It makes me happy just to pick it up. — KK

---

Classic puzzle in great package

Tangoes

Simple games are the best. Tangrams are an old puzzle based on a set of elemental shapes that can be arranged in thousands of different patterns. To recreate a given picture is challenging, yet not too daunting even for kids. Playing gently encourages lateral thinking. It exercises a geometrical logic, rather than words or numbers. The puzzles are almost like peanuts; you keep wanting just one more.

We use tangrams as an after dinner parlor game. Everyone gets a set and we compete to find the solution first. Since the shapes can be contained in one large square, you can easily cut your own version from cardboard or plastic (and we have). But I’ve found that this Tangoes model is precise, won’t wear out, and crates up easily and tidily. Each Tangoes case contains two sets of tangrams (in two different colors) and a nifty set of puzzle pattern cards, all of which slide into a plastic case with instructions on the inside. It’s a very nice package. We have several sets, to fill all the seats at a table. — KK

---

3D Tangrams

Wedgits

I first saw this toy construction set at a front-door exhibit in the San Francisco-based Exploratorium. You arrange the rectangular plastic pieces in endless formations, limited only by your geometrical imagination. The squares interlock loosely, cleverly. A baby can do it. Every time you come to the set, you see new possibilities. But unlike other complicated construction sets, this ingenious one has just four simple sizes of one shape. I think of Wedgits as a 3D version of the ancient Tangram game. In fact you can get a booklet with profiles of shapes which you can try to build, in Tangram mode. Wedgits will challenge an adult, yet are easily manipulated by the small hands of an infant.

I’d get the Deluxe Set version with 30 pieces. — KK

---

Personalized photo jigsaw

Photo Jigsaw Puzzles

My family is addicted to jigsaw puzzles. When a special birthday came up for one of my daughters, I prepared a photo collage using paint.net and ordered a photo jigsaw puzzle from Venus Puzzle.

The puzzle comes in a custom box, shrink wrapped and with a copy of the submitted photo on the cover, commercial quality. Puzzle pieces and printing was of excellent quality.

Since you can submit any image with the suggested proportions and dpi, this service can replace or improve upon the previously reviewed hometown puzzle.

The advantage to this site is that it ships internationally with the same DHL charges for anywhere in the world.

For my next daughter I didn’t want to use DHL, and Venus Puzzle referred me to their sister site Piczzle, which has the same product range and quality, also shipping worldwide (but with regular post instead of DHL).

Base prices are a little cheaper on the Venus Puzzle site, but for my country, DHL added customs service charges that made it unattractive. The order from Piczzle arrived in about a week, instead of in 4 days.
Note that both sites are slightly clunky, and only the Venus Puzzle site has the necessary information on the recommended proportions and resolution: In my case I purchased the 550 piece puzzle which uses a 1:1.25 ration and minimum dpi of 150. — Aryeh Abramovitz

---

Personalized map puzzle

Hometown Puzzle

For Christmas this year I gave my parents a personalized puzzle featuring a custom map of the area around their lake cabin. “From any starting point, we’ll create a 400-piece puzzle of a six-by-four-mile area using U.S. Geological Survey maps. A house-shaped piece in the center represents the address you choose. Shows main roads, contour lines, water features, vegetation, and notable buildings. Arrives in a presentation box with space for a personal message.” If you search for a promo code, you can save 20%. — Jason Palmiter

---

Lease premium puzzles

ELMS Hand Cut Puzzle Rental Club

Dedicated jigsaw puzzlers know nothing matches the quality (or challenge) of a hand-cut wooden puzzle. But at about $2.00 or so per piece they are outrageously expensive (a 20″ x 24″ 1000-piece puzzle can cost $3,000). ELMS Puzzles solves the dilemma by offering a rental program that lets you keep a puzzle for three months, by which time you should either be done or realize you’ve met your match.

The wooden pieces (unlike cardboard) are very exact in their fitting so you have to be very certain about having the right piece. Also, many are cut with straight lines inside the puzzle — i.e. a piece in the middle won’t have interlocking pieces. Those who do puzzles by putting together the border and working their way in will really be challenged; and many of the pieces are cut in shapes appropriate for the puzzle. For example, a Christmas puzzle will have a piece the shape of a Christmas tree, the shape of a sleigh, the shape of an angel, etc. Oh, and no picture comes with the puzzle for those who “cheat” by looking at the top of the box.

While still not cheap, at $40 – $225 depending on the number of pieces, renting these puzzles becomes affordable for special occasions like family vacations with other puzzle fanatics. There are other companies that sell puzzles (Stave comes to mind from having seen their advertisements in The New Yorker), but ELMS are the only people I know who rent. I like the idea of renting 15 – 20 puzzles for the price of buying one.

I recognize this is not something everyone thinks is sane. Our family members are divided on it, some love them, others think it’s the biggest waste of time known to man. You either like jigsaw puzzles or are bored silly by them, but if you’re a fan you should enjoy the pleasure of a quality hand cut puzzle at least once. — Julee Bode

05/13/24

Card Buddy/Bread Book/Pocket Translator

Recomendo - issue #409

Sign up here to get Recomendo a week early in your inbox.

Draggable index cards 

I’ve tried using mind maps and Kanban board tools for brainstorming and organization, but they often become overwhelming. So far, I am very satisfied with the minimalist Card Buddy app, which is incredibly intuitive. I didn’t need to learn anything new to start using it. You can create an infinite canvas, drag around cards, drop in images, and customize the layout, style, and colors. It requires a one-time payment of $20 and is available exclusively on Mac and iOS. — CD 

Ultimate home bread 

If you have any interest in baking bread at home, check out this nerdy, obsessive, gigantic tome, Modernist Bread At Home, by Nathan Myhrvold. Sure, you can find bread recipes online, but this is different. Every possible type of bread in the known world, in all possible variations, tested through all manner of mistakes, are clearly illustrated. There are two volumes ($120), one with astounding images and one spiral bound for the kitchen with recipes, but the two are actually a digest distillation of a larger ultimate 5-volume set aimed and recalibrated for the home. This reference is very good for giving you enough guidance to try new kinds of bread you would not have tried making before. Not every home baker will need this level of expertise, so check it out at your local library. — KK

Pocket translator that works

This recommendation comes from my friend, Charles Platt, who purchased a translation device called PockeTalk for an upcoming trip to Japan and found it to be “amazing.” He said the phone-sized gadget is “does a voice-to-text conversation, then translates the text (you see it on the screen) and speaks it in a lifelike voice. It also has character recognition. It is intended for menus and street signs, but I gave it the back cover blurb of the Japanese edition of a book of mine, and even though the text was bold and in a weird color, it gave a very good conversion. It requires internet access but is preloaded with 2 years of credit for phone systems all over the world, and can also use WiFi. After 2 years, you pay $25 per year for global phone access. I tried a $75 translator last year, which was awful. This one is $300 [cheaper on Amazon] but much more than 4 times as good.” — MF

Cat cameras 

For an instant oxytocin boost, I’ve been visiting meow.camera to watch livestreams of cute, hungry cats eating. The webcams, attached to automatic feeders, only activate when a viewer is watching. It’s surprising how much happiness this brings me! You can favorite specific feeders and come back anytime to check in your furry friends. — CD 

Music generating AI

After years of crummy AI-generated music apps, there are now several music generators that are worth spending time with. I’ve been staying up late at night tweaking prompts to make complete songs using Suno. Just like using an image generator, I give Suno a wordy description of the song, mood, beat, that I am looking for, and it generates a very listenable song, with pretty good lyrics, bridges, choruses, and album cover art! The free version of Suno gives you 10 songs per day, maxed out at 2 minutes per track. I use these as soundtracks for video shorts. There are a couple other recent apps, but I like Suno the best and will pay for a subscription. It is good enough for anyone to try out. — KK

How to criticize something you disagree with

Here are social psychologist Anatol Rapoport’s rules for criticizing something:

1. You should attempt to re-express your target’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way.”
2. You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are not matters of general or widespread agreement).
3. You should mention anything you have learned from your target.
4. Only then are you permitted to say so much as a word of rebuttal or criticism.

Via Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking, by Daniel C. Dennett. — MF

05/12/24

Venice Entrance Fee/Flying With Weed/ATM Fee Differences

Nomadico issue #103

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.

5 Euros for Venice Day-trippers

The new Ripley series on Netflix may have beautiful black-and-white shots of Venice with hardly any people in them, but you won’t find that happening in 2024. If you’re visiting the city on a day tour and not spending the night, you’ll now pay a 5-euro entrance fee. Only between mid-April and mid-July though, when Venice averages 40,000 visitors per day.

If You Want to Live in Turkey…

I’ve been avoiding Turkey for years since a free press, women’s rights, gay rights, and much more went into the trash bin under its autocratic leader. Democracy showed some surprising strength in the last state and municipal elections though, as the opposition made huge gains, so there’s some hope for eventual relief for its beleaguered population. (Inflation is still 68.5%.) The country launched a digital nomad visa on April 15, though apparently I’m too old for it and there are a lot of details that are still fuzzy. See what we know so far here.

Flying With Weed in the USA

There’s been some news this week that marijuana could be in for a classification change at the federal level. Until that happens, it’s illegal to fly with it, no matter what its status is where you’re departing or landing: airports are subject to federal laws. There’s a big “but” to that though, as this TravelPulse article that quotes the TSA points out. If you read between the lines, it says you’ll probably get away with something that looks like candy and not a clear baggie full of dried buds and leaves. They’re looking for weapons and big bottles of liquid that are a threat to safety.

Avoiding Hefty ATM Charges

I’ve previously talked about avoiding local ATM fees while traveling by using a debit card from the likes of Fidelity or Schwab that reimburses them. (My Novo one reimburses up to $7 each month too). If you don’t have one of those though, the local charges can make a big difference over time, so shop around as hard as you would for anything else. Last week in Los Cabos when I needed to use a different card, the Banco BBVA machine wanted 197 pesos to get to my money, almost US$12. The HSBC machine a few steps away was 89 pesos. I kept going and tried the Santander branch, which charged 39—US$2.29 instead. Ka-ching.

05/9/24

What’s in my NOW? — Larissa Fernandes