“Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities” (KK/Cool Tools Lab) by Kevin Kelly does for the twenty-teens what “The Whole Earth Catalog” did for the late 1960s-early 1970s.
To quote from their masthead “A cool tool is anything useful that increases learning, empowers individuals, does work that matters, is either the best or the cheapest, or the only thing that works.”
It is an over-size vast and varying print collection of reviews, suggestions and opinions culled from the website of the same name. Its author claims that the book is a snapshot of the ongoing process online and is the result of the efforts of a large community dedicated to letting people what works and what doesn’t.
The benefit of having this book lying around on your coffee table is that you can pick it up, flip through and find things you weren’t expecting to find or didn’t know you were interested in. Things are grouped into overlapping categories ranging from consumption (price tracking, warranties, best review sites) to clothing, design, landscape history, fishing, cartoons, household, edibles and travel as well as hundreds of others.
Each item reviewed offers up the proper name of the “tool,” its major benefit, the street price and where you can get it, if it’s not available on Amazon and is accompanied by a QR code which is a hyperlink and when scanned with your phone will take you to a web link where you can purchase the item and/or get more information.
Tickets are now available for the Paul Thorn Band show coming up at the Art Center on March 22. The Tupelo, Mississippi based Americana singer-songwriter, and ex-boxer, has released eight critically acclaimed albums and has performed on both “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
He’s developed quite a following for his songs which mix blues, rock and country in tales of people living, surviving and thriving on the margins of society. In the coming weeks, we’ll take a closer look at the artist and some of his music. There’s been quite a bit of interest in this show, so for best availability it’s best to get your tickets early.
Tickets are $17 for CAC members, $20 for non-members and can be picked up at Jeff’s Copy Express, ITT @ NAs Fallon or by calling the Churchill Arts Council at 775-423-1440.
Kirk Robertson writes about the local arts scene.
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