Cool Tools
Cool Tools
Cool Tools
In each episode of the Cool Tools Show, Kevin Kelly and Mark Frauenfelder talk to a guest about some of his or her favorite uncommon and uncommonly good tools they think others should know about.
404: Adam Hill
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.
Mar 15
33 min
403: Mia Coots
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  
Mar 8
32 min
402: Josué Moreno
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.
Mar 1
52 min
401: Kern Kelley
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
Feb 16
32 min
400: Rich Edwards
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.org/cooltools/rich-edwards-ceo-of-mindspan-systems/ To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form.  
Feb 9
42 min
399: Brent Deverman
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.
Feb 2
36 min
398: Chris Butler
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.
Jan 26
54 min
397: Bud Thorpe
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.
Jan 19
48 min
396: Davey Rogulich
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: https://pcpoodle.com/products/volty-switch-keychain-multimeter-leatherman-compatible   Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/r9C9Y0rKD1c   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/davey-rogulich-stagehand-and-maker/   To sign up to be a guest on the show, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/qc496XB6bGbrAEKK7
Jan 12
40 min
395: Mike Harris
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/
Dec 15, 2023
28 min
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