Wispr Flow
I literally have no idea how I made it through writing long papers before this app. It lets me talk my way through a paper and turns it into neat, formatted text with all the punctuation in the right place. It's become my preferred way to get anything from my head into words.
This Little Photo Printer
Printing out little photos is way more fun than staring at your phone all day. Plus, they're so cheap you can print whatever floats your boat. I like to tuck a stack of photos in my notebook, and then flip through them like a deck of mini cards every now and then. They're also great to give out to friends or use as bookmarks.
Sherman Oaks Public Library Book Sale
This is the best kept secret for readers in Los Angeles. Their monthly book sale has books, DVDs, and CDs priced ridiculously low (try 20 cents for DVDs and 50 cents for paperbacks). Good titles, too! The sale is the second Saturday of every month, and if you pay to join their Friends of the Library group, you get access to a pre-sale the day before.
NotebookLM
When I'm struggling to understand a complex topic or just want to get the download on it before I dive into it in-depth, I turn to NotebookLM. It turns a pile of sources into an upbeat podcast I can listen to on the go. I can also ask questions about the sources, and it includes links back to the material in its answers. No hallucinations!
