Recommendations you can check.
Novelist (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, Sourdough, Moonbound) and co-founder of the olive oil company Fat Gold; writes a long-running email newsletter.
12 things
Thermapen OneHardware ThermoWorks
Thermoworks Thermapen One I cook a lot of meat, and I am devoted to the meat thermometer; cooking without one feels like flying blind.
His annual gift guide, a standing recommendation list across food, durable goods and books. The newsletter is dated only "November 2025"; day set to the 1st.
2025-11-01·robinsloan.com ↗
Hearts of SpaceOther
I’ve written before about the impact this show had on my youth; what’s amazing is that Hearts of Space isn’t just a memory!
His annual gift guide, a standing recommendation list across food, durable goods and books. The newsletter is dated only "November 2025"; day set to the 1st.
2025-11-01·robinsloan.com ↗
SiloOther
Silo has the aura of a future classic.
His annual gift guide, a standing recommendation list across food, durable goods and books. The newsletter is dated only "November 2025"; day set to the 1st.
2025-11-01·robinsloan.com ↗
Filson PullmanOther Filson
When I was looking for a travel bag, I got a tip to buy a Filson Pullman and man it is super great. Tough, capacious and unassuming.
An interview in "The Setup", the usesthis.com series that asks people what hardware and software they use to get their work done. Answers are in their own words.
2012-04-27·usesthis.com ↗
Kindle Keyboard 3GHardware Amazon
I’ve been places in Turkey and Greece where my shiny iPhone showed no bars but the quiet resourceful Kindle could reach Gmail without a hitch. Strange and miraculous.
An interview in "The Setup", the usesthis.com series that asks people what hardware and software they use to get their work done. Answers are in their own words.
2012-04-27·usesthis.com ↗
PrizmoSoftware
There’s a solid OCR app for the iPhone called Prizmo that makes it easy to grab blocks of text from books and magazines.
An interview in "The Setup", the usesthis.com series that asks people what hardware and software they use to get their work done. Answers are in their own words.
2012-04-27·usesthis.com ↗
Dandelion ChocolateOther
Dandelion Chocolate Dandelion Chocolate Don’t mess around.
His annual gift guide, a standing recommendation list across food, durable goods and books. The newsletter is dated only "November 2025"; day set to the 1st.
2025-11-01·robinsloan.com ↗
Boonville Barn Collective beansOther Boonville Barn Collective
The Boonville crew rotates beans through their fields, and we are the beneficiaries.
His annual gift guide, a standing recommendation list across food, durable goods and books. The newsletter is dated only "November 2025"; day set to the 1st.
2025-11-01·robinsloan.com ↗
The Fat Gold Gift SetOther Fat Gold
Consumable gifts Fat Gold The Fat Gold Gift Set My work life has two great lobes.
His annual gift guide, a standing recommendation list across food, durable goods and books. The newsletter is dated only "November 2025"; day set to the 1st.
2025-11-01·robinsloan.com ↗
Notational VelocitySoftware
I am a strong proponent of wanton notetaking - words, names, scraps, passages, whole articles, just dump it all in there - and I’d recommend this setup to anyone.
An interview in "The Setup", the usesthis.com series that asks people what hardware and software they use to get their work done. Answers are in their own words.
2012-04-27·usesthis.com ↗
Piment d’VilleOther Boonville Barn Collective
Their Piment d’Ville is a pantry staple.
His annual gift guide, a standing recommendation list across food, durable goods and books. The newsletter is dated only "November 2025"; day set to the 1st.
2025-11-01·robinsloan.com ↗
Google ReaderSoftware Google
Google Reader is my idea-sieve, though I’ve learned you have to play fast and loose with the “Mark all as read” button.
An interview in "The Setup", the usesthis.com series that asks people what hardware and software they use to get their work done. Answers are in their own words.
2012-04-27·usesthis.com ↗
Every entry is a verbatim quote and a link to the public post it came from. Nothing is paraphrased. If it is not on record somewhere public, it is not here.
The verdict is what they actually said: loved and liked are explicit; recommended means they told others to get it; uses means they only say they use it; read is a book on their public shelf with no verdict; mixed and disliked are kept too.
A dashed affiliate link, sponsored or their own label means the post disclosed a relationship. It is shown, never hidden.
The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is for its kind of thing.
The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is, for its kind of thing. Fully green is recent. It drains a quarter at a time as the post gets older, and is empty once it reads as dated.
What counts as old depends on the thing. A laptop praised four years ago has been replaced twice; a book loved twenty years ago is probably still loved. The shading is gone after about:
Stripes mean the post carries no date and the date shown is an estimate. No date at all, no shading.