My Productivity Apps
(I am not sponsored or paid by any of these companies (I found them), but I do get a small affiliate payout if you’re nice enough to sign up using my link!😊)
Sleep
Healthy / Smart Home
Water Pitcher
Why I love it:
- The extra-wide filter is essentially 2-in-1, making it go twice as fast.
- Came in top, ahead of Brita and the like, when when filtered samples were sent to a lab.
- Natural wooden handle means I don’t mind putting it out on the table for guests as-is.
Humidifier
Maintaining 50-60% humidity lowers your odds of getting severe COVID and many other diseases. Most humidifiers have a hard time gettin there during the winter, and are a pain to clean (necessary to prevent mold). This guy does it!
I recently switched to this one from this older evaporative humidifier. The top choice from both The Wirecutter and Consumer reports, this guy is powerful enough to make a significant difference in humidity levels, and the newer 600s model is smarthome enabled and easier to clean (which makes it worth the extra $25 in my book). If that’s less important to you, this older 300s is just about as effective.
Note: Relying on the built-in humidity sensor in humidifiers isn’t all that accurate, as the air right around them tends to be significantly more moist than the rest of the room. I like to use one / a few of these cheap $10 humidity sensors to better gauge how my space is doing.
Air Purifier
This has been the best bang for buck air purifier out there for years, even at it’s normal ~$185-$190 pricing. Now it’s down to $133!
- Great for rooms ~500 sq ft, still a solid effect for the 500-100 sq ft range.
- Top Wirecutter pick
- Best combo of coverage, noise, and price (including year 1 filter) in this analysis of 50+ air purifiers!
Note: The effectiveness of any filter-based air purifier is a direct function of it’s fan speed. When shopping for any air purfier, look for something that says “CADR” or “Clean Air Delivery Rate.” As a rule of thumb, aim for a CADR of ~50% the square footage you’re trying to treat, assuming ~8.5’ ceilings.
Air Quality Monitors
PORTABLE
This is the best way to determine the ventilation level in a given environment, and the corresponding disease transmission risk. I take it everywhere. There are cheaper CO2 monitors, but this is the industry gold standard and it's worth every penny.
If ~$185 is too steep, here’s a decent budget option.
AT HOME
Awair Element Indoor Air Quality Monitor
Living in a NYC apartment, it's amazing how fast the CO2 levels can rise out of control, or other particulates and gases from the oven. Having this guy running and hooked up to my fan / air purifier / AC via smart connections is super useful!
Audio Recording Setup
Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface - This lets you plug your XLR mic into your computer, adjust it’s volume levels, and monitor the sound as you’re recording.
Shure SM58-LC Cardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone - This has been an industry gold-standard for years, for good reason. I use it to record in my New York City apartment and it does an excellent job of NOT picking up all the background noise!
I use this windscreen for it as well.
If you have a larger budget, I’d go with this Shure mic instead.
I also use this mic stand and this pop filter.
Gadgets
Here are some of the fun gadgets I currently use. Eventually I’ll get around to writing about some of my favorite setups! 😃
WAOAW Sleep Mask
Why I love it:
- I’ve worn this in a bright airport and not been able to tell if my eyes are open or closed. ‘nuf said
Expand-A-Lung | A Breathing Fitness Exerciser Device
Using this sucks. For your lungs. In the short term. Buut in the long-run it’s great for you respiratory health! (Full review / vid on this coming soon)
Philips Norelco OneBlade Pro
After doing a ton of research into the latest electric shavers, I got this last month and have been loving it. And now it’s 33% cheaper than i bought it for.
Gifts for Nerds
I bought most of these on Amazon, expecting to return them, buuuut they ended up being too much fun (either for myself or my guests), so now I just have an interesting coffee table.
Some of the non-Amazon items were sent to me by brands that are small businesses run by usually just one or two nerds like myself. If you want to support them (and me), make sure to buy from them directly–through my link or using my discount code!
Under $30
Double Pendulum Spinner
Chaos in action! The tiniest small motion completely changes the way that it will swing, but that doesn’t stop my brain from trying to predict it. I’ve spent hours playing with this thing.
Pendulum Spinner
This spinner works on a less cerebral, more kinesthetic level. It moves super smoothly and is very viscerally satisfying to play with, both from it’s density and it’s smooth motion. This is the one that people steal from me most often 🤣
Cube Spinner
This is solid metal, with the larger part spinning around the smaller axis in a manner similar to that of a normal fidget spinner. I like how decorative it looks when not in use.
Precision Spinning Tops
These feel very on-theme for Channukah season. I’ve gotten these to spin for more than 6 minutes, but some have gone higher than 8!
Kinetic Spinning Floaty Orb
👆The technical term for it I’m sure! This is a super cool desk decoration that, when you spin it, makes it look like the orb in the middle is hovering in mid-air.
Rattleback
This solid metal gadget spins smoothly counter-clockwise, but as soon as you try to spin it clockwise it quickly rattles to a stop and then (briefly) reverses its direction. The phenomena has been known for a long time, and is also called a Celtic Stone–I bet many folks throughout the years have been quite baffled by it.
Floating Lightbulb
This is the coolest piece of decor in my living room right now. I may need to get another one for my work/studio area.
Novium Hoverpen
Precision engineering, luxury feel, super cool floating floatiness! Owning it automatically makes you feel rich. Buying it makes you feel poor 😉
FerroFluid - Venom in a Bottle
This stuff is fascinating to play with, whether you’re 5 years old or 50. Also a cool way to teach electromagnetism. Also might be an alien parasite.
High-End Gifts that are Totally Worth the $$
Periodic Table–With 83 ACTUAL ELEMENTS!
Each of these are handmade by the guys at Engineered Labs. It includes almost every element safe + possible to include, even ones like gold, platinum, all the gases (in little ampules), and even uranium!
This link should give you 10% off (and helps me a bit). Make sure to check out all of their other cool stuff!
Science Flask Tumblers
These are made of laboratory-grade borosilicate glass with colorful, non-slip silicone boots, and a stopper complete with a straw-hole for the included metallic straws. I love serving drinks to guests out of them
Using this link should give you a discount!
Floating Lightbulb
This is the coolest piece of decor in my living room right now. I may need to get another one for my work/studio area.
Novium Hoverpen
Precision engineering, luxury feel, super cool floating floatiness! Owning it automatically makes you feel rich. Buying it makes you feel poor 😉
Alfred Cutting Board
I’ve been gearing up for a Science-In-The-Kitchen series for a while now, and first step was for me to get a super high-end cutting board to use (and film on). I did a bunch of research and found a small family business out in LA that makes these beautiful walnut cutting boards, and were nice enough to send me one. You can use code SCIENCE10 to get 10% off!
(no links here are sponsored, but some are affiliate–ie if you use them to buy you help me out 😊)
Kits
Note: I am not being paid to endorse any of these products, but the links you see are affiliate links that will give me a super tiny percentage of your purchase price if you decide to use them. It’s not much, but it helps!
Budget Moisturizer: CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion | Night Cream with Hyaluronic Acid and Niacinamide