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Matt Sesek (my father) has always been a problem-solver and maker. He and Val Sesek (my uncle) built their first bicycle from parts recovered from discarded bikes. Growing up, he would often make the parts we needed to fix things (e.g., he used a dremel tool to cut a small metal gasket to repair a leaf blower in less time than it would have taken to drive to the hardware store). He did not start wood carving until he retired. Now, in his 80s he spends a lot of time carving, p

This is a great channel that explains many physical phenoena in an egaging and understandable manner. Destin Sandlin creates some of the best engineering content on YouTube! Here are a few of my favorite videos: Why you should put YOUR mask on first! The Backwards Brain Bicycle . Why snatch blocks are AWESOME (How Pulleys Work) .

Title : The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Author : Stephen R. Covey Reviewer : Richard Sesek (educator, wantrepreneur) Amazon Affiliate Link (I get a small commission at no cost to you) Topic/Intent of book : This book provides sound advice for both personal and professional effectiveness. Covey’s principles emphasize timeless values such as responsibility, integrity, and working with others towards mutually beneficial, win-win outcomes. His principles are rooted

NewGo and GoMacro are vegan, gluten free, and dairy free. GoMacro MacroBars are vegan, gluten free, and dairy free. They taste great. They come in many flavors. They have 11-12 grams of protein. Amazon Affiliate Link (I get a small commission at no cost to you) NuGo Protein Bars are vegan, gluten free, and dairy free. They come in a variety of flavors, but the Dark Choclate Pretzel with Sea Salt is the best (this is not open to debate!). They have 12 grams a protein, not gr

Title : Oversubscribed: How to Get People Lining Up to Do Business with You Author : Daniel Priestley Reviewer : Richard Sesek (educator, wantrepreneur) Amazon Affiliate Link (I get a small commission at no cost to you) Topic/Intent of book : This book explains how businesses can create more demand than supply by designing for scarcity, building anticipation, and cultivating loyal audiences. The loyalty and devotion of your audience is often more important than its size

Title : The Machine that Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production – Toyota’s Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars that is Revolutionizing World Industry Author : James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos Reviewer : Richard Sesek (educator, wantrepreneur) Amazon Affiliate Link (I get a small commission at no cost to you) Topic/Intent of book : This landmark book analyzes the global auto industry and introduces the world to the concept of lean production. L

Title : A Hog on Ice and Other Curious Expressions Author : Charles Earle Funk Reviewer : Richard Sesek (educator, wantrepreneur) Amazon Affiliate Link (I get a small commission at no cost to you) Topic/Intent of book : This book is a delightful and scholarly exploration of the origins of scores of English idioms and expressions. Charles Earle Funk investigates the stories behind phrases that have become so common we rarely stop to question where they came from and others

Title : Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones Author : James Clear Reviewer : Richard Sesek (educator, wantrepreneur) Amazon Affiliate Link (I get a small commission at no cost to you) Topic/Intent of book : This book explores how small, incremental, and sometimes seemingly inconsequential behaviors, when performed consistently can lead to profound changes. James Clear presents a cogent framework for formation of good habits and extingu

Title : It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy Author : D. Michael Abrashoff Reviewer : Richard Sesek (educator, wantrepreneur) Amazon Affiliate Link (I get a small commission at no cost to you) Topic/Intent of book : “It’s Your Ship” blends autobiography with a leadership manual, chronicling how Captain D. Michael Abrashoff transformed the USS Benfold through empowerment, trust, and open communication. Abrashoff highlights modern

I bought a quiet air compressor and it is a game changer! You can have a conservation while it is running. Quiet air compressors are literally orders of magnitude less sound energy than conventional compressors. I have a Kobalt Quiet Tech compressor , but there are many others available from a variety of vendors. I purchased a Harbor Freight quiet compressor for my father who builds bird houses, among other arts and crafts. He uses it regularly and it has really cut down on h

I really like the Kershaw Chill as an every day carry (EDC) pocket knife. This knife is very thin and fits easily into just about any pocket. In fact, this knife seems to find its way into my pocket more than my others. One-handed opening ("flipper") with a 3.1" blade. Very sharp with a useful "pointy" tip. I removed the pocket clip because I never use it. This was a Festivus gift from my good friend Ed . Amazon Affiliate Link (I get a small commission at no cost to you).

Title : A Pebble in My Shoe: A Memoir Author : Katherine Hoeger Flotz Reviewer : Robert Sesek (inventor, lifelong student) Amazon Affiliate Link (I get a small commission at no cost to you) Topic/Intent of book : A Pebble in My Shoe is a reflective memoir centered on grief, resilience, and the quiet, persistent ways loss shapes daily life. The author, Katherine Flotz, survived the ethnic cleansing of the Danube Swabian people of the Batschka in post-World War II Yugoslavia

Quiet shop vacuums exist and they are much quieter than traditional shop vacs. This one was literally orders of magnitude quieter than what we were using. We bought a DeWalt Stealthsonic for our noise research. It was 20+ decibels quieter than the standard shop vacuum we were using. Here is the model we bought: DeWalt 9-Gallon Stealthsonic . It is advertised as 50% quieter. However, 20 decibels represents 75% quieter (in terms of how it "sounds"), but in terms of acoustical

The Outdoor Boys YouTube channel has some really fun content. It is great for viewers of all ages. They share backwoods adventures and foster an appreciation for the outdoors. My friend Mark introduced me to this site and loves watching the videos with his two sons. Luke Nichols provides wholesome content for the whole family.

I have used bone conduction headphones for many years and they are great for certain use cases. Because they do not block your ear canal, like tradtional headphones or ear buds, they allow you to hear your immediate surroundings. This make them good for working out in the gym (not tripping on people near you) or for running or working outside. Shokz (formerly AfterShokz) are good deal for the price (I have had multiple pairs and used them virtually continuously and in some h

Treehouse Detective is a great YouTube channel! Andrew Price digs deep on a variety of topics and presents them in a a fun and engaging format. My favorite episode is when he covered the intro music for the Mr. Rodgers program . Spoiler, every musical entry ("Won't you be my neighbor") was improvised (same melody, but completely oringal version) by musical genius Johnny Costa . Thanks Mark Schall for recommending this channel!

For listing to audio books, podcasts, and music I use the AirPods Pro 2 . The sound quality is really nice and they have a lot of features including: a hearing evaluation and hearing aid feature, transparency mode (you can leave them in and hearing surroundings normally), and noise cancellation (really nice on planes!). The battery life good and they recharge quickly. The case itself is a battery which facilitates a quick recharge even when power is not available. The AirPo

Title : Go, Dog. Go! Author : P.D. Eastman Reviewers : Richard Sesek (educator, wantrepreneur) Amazon Affiliate Link (I get a small commission at no cost to you) Topic/Intent of book : This book explores various transportation methods by which dogs or other rational agents might “go”. Specifically, it demonstrates how dogs might transport themselves to a tree-top dog party. I selected this book because : This is a childhood favorite and it had been a while since I re

Title : Reverse Innovation: Create Far From Home, Win Everywhere Author : Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble Reviewer : Richard Sesek (educator, wantrepreneur) Amazon Affiliate Link (I get a small commission at no cost to you) Topic/Intent of book : Global innovation strategy and emerging market dynamics. This book discusses how innovations designed for and deployed in emerging markets can disrupt and redefine developed markets. The normal progression for product d

Title : Primed to Perform: How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation Authors : Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor Reviewer : Richard Sesek (educator, wantrepreneur) Amazon Affiliate Link (I get a small commission at no cost to you) Topic/Intent of book : This book covers organizational culture, motivation, and performance management. The book uses a research-based approach, which I very much appreciate. The topic has been cover