I'm going to try a new experiment this year called Omar's Finds. As I find stuff I will post it. Much of this stuff will never make it to my newsletter. Some of it might. You will see me find and discover things in my early stages of research or post interesting stuff that I come across. I ingest a lot of daily news from a variety of places, and this curation might be interesting to some of you. I'll try not to overwhelm. If I do, remember you can just subscribe to my newsletter (1 review weekly via email, or you can use this dedicated RSS feed if you are reading using an RSS reader). We'll see how it goes. I expect no more than 2 posts a week.

Products

01 Tools: My stud finder recently broke, and I ordered the ProSensor 710 based on a recommendation from The Sweet Home

02 Tools: Ever since starting with “Getting Things Done” I’ve always had a label maker. They keep getting better and cheaper. This past weekend I taught my 3rd grader how to create labels for her new filing cabinet so she can organize her “stuff”. She has files now for 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, drawing, writing, autographs. It’s cute - DYMO LabelManager 280

03 Kitchen: I’ve been searching for the perfect Kitchen Towels of late. We go through a lot of towels through the week and I like to keep a half dozen to a dozen on hand. I love Microfiber and after the white ones we used for a few months got stained I’m switching to these - Sinland Microfiber Waffle Weave Kitchen Towels

04 Kitchen: A few years back I found these great glass Bodum storage jars. I have 6 of the 64oz and 4 of the 32oz. They don’t make them the same any more, but these new ones should fit the bill - Bodum Presso 34-Ounce Glass Storage and Bodum Presso 68-Ounce Glass Storage Jar

05 Entertainment: On our recent flight from JFK to SEA I saw the flight attendant coloring in some drawings when I was waiting outside the bathroom with my daughter. We inquired and found he was coloring in Fantastic Cities: A Coloring Book of Amazing Places Real and Imagined. Really cool book. I flipped through and then ordered for Sarah to color in along with the coloring pencils I used as a kid.

06 Household: I also picked up some more of these merino wool coasters that I found in Houston, TX a few years back. I love them.

07 Kitchen: I’ve been looking for a stainless steel vacuum water bottle with a straw for the kids for a while now. These Laken Jannu Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle are great. They come in 3 sizes and are easy to clean, drink from and best of all only stainless steel and silicon in contact with the water.

08 Hygiene: This floss is really good. It smells funny but it works.

09 Kitchen: Since reviewed by Cook’s Illustrated I’ve been happy with our Vollrath baking sheets. I ran out this Christmas so I picked up two more (half and quarter size). Don’t be confused though, Half is what you think of as a full size backing sheet that will fit in a normal oven.

10 Household: We have some light switches in the house that we don’t want people to use easily such as the fireplace switches and the outdoor lights that are 3-way but on a timer. These covers are elegant and child proof.

The Real World

11 Flying: I’m a bit weird, but when I’m bored I often like to see how miserable it is at various airports around the nation - http://flightaware.com/miserymap/

12 Quartz: One of the best articles I've read on happiness, hard work, the struggle and success.