Cool Things

A mash up of cool pieces of tech, gear, and other fun things.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is equivalent to magic.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke

• I Tried Running for Two Years and it Transformed My Life
  “I want to die.” That was the thought I had as I looked up a staggering hill on my third ever run. I had just run for 15 minutes around my local block when I met this behemoth of a hill. The hill looked like Kilimanjaro or Everest; I would … Read more
• I Built My Dream Podcast Studio
  I love podcasts. I like talking to cool people. I had a spare room. So, I built a podcast studio. It took me two years to finalize, but I think it’s pretty great. In this post, I’ll show you everything in my new podcast studio. Audio Gear The Shure SM7B … Read more
• My 9 Favorite Early Morning Habits
  So you want to wake up earlier, get more done, and be a morning person. That’s great; when you wake up earlier, you can accomplish tasks, side projects, fitness goals, or dreams because you have that extra time. Here are my favorite things to do early in the morning. 1. … Read more
• 22 Things I learned in 2022
  2022 was a big year for me; I entered my last year of medical school, this whole YouTube thing became very real, and I finally figured out how to get my freezer ice machine to work. Here are 22 things I learned in 2022 (I wish I had known earlier). … Read more
• I Tried Waking up at 5:00 AM for 30 days and Here Is What I Learned
  I want to accomplish more, I want to do more, and I want to be successful. Does this mean I have to wake up early? And how early is early? I don’t even like worms. But, Tim Cook wakes up at 3:45 am, Jack Dorsey wakes up at 5:30 am, … Read more
• The Secret to Accomplishing More
  Motivation is a myth. It’s 6 pm, and I’ve just arrived home after a crazy day in the hospital. I’m tired; I’m smelly; I’m hungry. Of course, food is the most important thing because it’s what I am thinking about the most. I can imagine a luxurious frozen pizza bubbling … Read more
• 7 Rules To Live A Happy Life
  Sixteen years ago, I had an awful experience, a traumatizing experience. Something I never thought I would talk about on the internet. I was 11-years-old, and my mom accidentally threw away my Super Mario 64 game, and I lost all the progress I had made. Mario was dead. It was … Read more
• 17 Productive Things To Do Instead of Watching TV That You Can Do at Home
  It’s 7 pm, I’ve just finished dinner, and it’s time to unwind. Let’s see what’s on Netflix today… Sound familiar? This used to be my night every night after I got home. Is TV the best thing for me to do at night? Is it helping me grow? I’m not … Read more
• The Danger of a Distracted Life
  Have you ever had a drawer where everything goes into? For me, that’s my kitchen drawer. When I get home after the hospital or after a night out, everything gets stuffed into that drawer. The annoying thing is that I usually need items from that drawer. But it’s an absolute … Read more
• The Ultimate Lucid Dreaming Strategy – how to have a lucid dream TONIGHT
  Lucid dreaming is extremely difficult. Many people go weeks, months, or even years without having one even though they practice the essential strategies every day. I’ve found the ultimate method, the ultimate strategy, to have a lucid dream tonight. At one point, I used this strategy to have around four … Read more
• My NON-Minimalist Philadelphia Apartment Tour
  I love my apartment; I think I have finally maximized the space. There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a living room and kitchen combo. Let’s start with the entryway. No one is sponsoring this post; there is the occasional affiliate link throughout. Entry Way This little mirror on the … Read more
• 10 Best Mac Apps for Productivity 2022
  I never need to click again, I can maintain hyper-focus, and I’ve become more organized and productive than ever before, all because of Mac apps. The Mac is a good computer, but when you start correctly integrating and using great apps, the Mac becomes a great computer. These apps save … Read more
• My Efficient Desk Setup 2022
  I am addicted to those desk setup videos. Finally, after drooling over an Amazon cart of about 30 items, I pulled the trigger. My final desk setup was more incredible than I could have ever expected. In this post, I’ll take you through everything in my dream desk setup (which … Read more
• How I Make My YouTube Videos
  I’ll admit it. I love gear. I love 10-bit color space, 32-bit audio, 4k 120 fps, drones, gimbals, motorized sliders, and multicolored lighting; I love all of it. Since I first started making videos, 90% of my money from YouTube goes right back into creating better videos. So, at this … Read more
• Lucid Dreaming 101 – Unlocking Magical Worlds
  Have you ever been in the middle of a dream and suddenly realized you are dreaming? Well, that’s lucid dreaming! What if you could cultivate a mindset, a practice, to repeatably become aware while you are dreaming? Then, you could even start to take control. Flying into outer space, speaking … Read more
• I Tried Lucid Dreaming for 30 Days and My Life Has Changed Forever
  One-third of our life, about 9,000 days, are spent asleep. Is it possible that there is more to our sleep than just blackness followed by waking up? As I get busier, as I get older, I am constantly hunting for more hours in my day. I know, however, from academic … Read more
• 10 Amazing Items That Improved My Life Under $100
  Ten items have drastically improved my life under $100. These items are game-changers. I will never go without these items for the rest of my life or try not to because of the amazing impact they have had on me. These items make my life easier, happier, and better. Let’s … Read more
• I Went Screen Free for 24 Hours – I Will Never do it Again
  Tech, screens, notifications, and pop-ups seem everywhere. How much benefit do they provide? Is there a negative effect of all this screen time ? I wasn’t sure. So, I wanted to go nuclear. For one whole day, I wanted no screens whatsoever. No iPhone, no laptop, no TV; it can’t … Read more
• 7 Habits That Revolutionized My Life
  There are habits that have made my life happier, healthier, and more productive. Over the past couple of years, I have tried countless new habits. Some have stuck, some haven’t. Here are the habits that pack the biggest punch, that have made the biggest difference. I tried them out so … Read more
• I Traveled 3000 Miles to Ask My Grandpa The Meaning of Life
  My grandpa is 97-years old. He lives 3000 miles away and I love him very much. I wanted to make sure, for my sake, for my family’s sake, for the world’s sake, that there was some record of his story, a memory of the amazing man he is. Here is … Read more
• How much money my YouTube channel made in one year
  I have earned more money than I ever thought I would earn from YouTube in the past year. When I began YouTube one year ago, I thought, “ok, I will probably be earning dollars per video, and only when my videos start averaging at around 1,000 views. So, maybe, if … Read more
• How to get out of a rut fast
  The couch is escapable. I promise. In this post, I will show you not only how to extricate yourself from the couch but to do more of the things that make you happy and less of the things that make you unhappy. The rut is beatable. Let’s beat it. Step … Read more
• I Tried Running for 30 Days and My Life Will Never Be The Same
  Two months into quarantine my fitness was at an all-time low. I wasn’t going to the gym. I wasn’t doing yoga. I wasn’t exercising. On a walk with my parents, I was out of breath. My parents are both around 60 and were completely fine. Nope. That was not going … Read more
• How to do a Yearly Review (Instead of New Year’s Resolutions)
  “Next year will be better… next year I will get in shape… next year I will start my business… next year I will x.” Sound familiar? It does to me. Most New Year’s Resolutions don’t stick, they are too vague and unactionable. How about, instead, we take the time to … Read more
• The Best iPhone Apps for Students to Maximize Productivity
  The iPhone is amazing, almost too amazing… I often get distracted and spend too much time on the wrong applications. There are certain applications that help me study more efficiently and lead a generally more productive life. These iPhone apps can help you focus, eliminate distractions, and become more efficient … Read more
• $800 vs. $8,000 YouTube Setup – Is There a Difference?
  I recently made a YouTube Video (link coming Friday) where you can check out the side-by-side comparison. Is an $8,000 YouTube Setup 10x better than an $800 YouTube Setup? I decided to run an experiment and find out. Recently, I bought the a7S III. However, is it that much better … Read more
• What Tibetan Monks, Olympic Runners, and Navy Seals Have in Common | The Importance of Self-Observation
  This was one of my weekly newsletters, but people enjoyed it so much I decided to post it here as well! A navy seal, a Tibetan monk, and an Olympic athlete walk into a bar, what do they all have in common? They all are observers of themselves. Let’s start … Read more
• iPad Pro Magic Keyboard Impressions – is it Useful?
  A $300 “magic” keyboard? Is it worth it? In short – yes. The iPad Pro is amazing. I use it for practice testing, active recall, and my daily Anki cards. I also use it to take notes, watch Netflix, and (as a test) I am actually writing this post from … Read more
• My Medical School Essentials | 11 Things You Will Actually Need in Your First Year
  There were 11 things that I actually used on a regular basis in my first year of medical school that I would say are essential. I always have every one of these items in my backpack at all times (other than business clothes). Here are a list and links to … Read more
• How I Take Notes in Medical School with the iPad Pro and Notability (Legacy Post)
  Update: For the first two months of medical school, I took copious notes. In college, I took copious notes. I don’t take notes in Medical school anymore, and I outline why here. I wrote the post below over a year ago when I figured out the best way to take … Read more