Wonder Tools
Episodes
Teach Smarter with AI
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
I recently talked with Lance Eaton, Senior Associate Director of AI and Teaching & Learning at Northeastern University and writer of AI + Education = ...
📚 Find Fantastic Books
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Escape AI slop by reading more books. 📚 That’s my plan for making the most of leisure time this year. One book a week. Some short. Others mostly ...
Make Gatherings More Engaging ✨
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The hardest part of teaching — or leading meetings — is sparking engagement. Getting people to engage enthusiastically with something new can be t...
Top Teaching Tools for 2026 🏆
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
I tested more than 200 educational sites, apps and services last year. Some were so confusing that I quickly gave up. Others were too costly. A few we...
🎧 My Podcast Problem (and How I Solved It)
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
More than 600,000 podcasts released 27 million episodes in 2025. Keeping up with even a tiny fraction of those 70,000+ daily releases is impossible. S...
🗞️ Your News, Your Way
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
I can’t keep up with all the news that interests me. So I’m exploring new ways to get concise, curated updates. Today I’m sharing three new tool...
A Tech Expert's AI Toolkit 🧠
17 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Azeem Azhar is the kind of guy who loves both old-fashioned pens and advanced AI. It was a delight talking with him, not just because he’s a success...
10 AI Tools I Actually Use ✨
20 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’ve relied on these 10 tools this year to act as a team of AI assistants. They’ve helped me approach work with a spirit of experimentation and ex...
🎨 Ideogram: The Complete Guide
14 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I rely on Ideogram, an AI image generator, to help me create posters, banners, social posts, newsletter illustrations, and video thumbnails. Context: ...
NotebookLM: The Complete Guide 📍
06 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
NotebookLM is the most useful free AI tool of 2025. It has twin superpowers. You can use it to find, analyze, and search through a collection of docum...
5 Surprising Ways to Use AI 😳
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I like pushing AI to be less predictable. When AI assistants are less bland and more bold, they challenge my blind spots and nudge me to rethink. So I...
🌟 Google Docs Gets Smarter
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Google Docs has new tricks to try: an audio button to hear your writing read aloud; an optional AI helper to summarize your doc; an activity dashboard...
📱The Best Mobile AI Apps
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
15-second summary of this post: Your phone is now a pocket AI studio. Design a presentation, get voice coaching, conduct research, or make a quick inf...
🎯 My Private, Free AI Setup
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Short on time? Read this 30-second summary of today’s post. 👇Download a free, private AI program to run on your computer. Use it offline without ...
✨ Claude Turns Ideas into Apps
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Claude feels like a genie to me. With its Artifacts feature I can turn any idea I have into an interactive application, visualization, or graphic. Yes...
20+ Kid Tools for Better Screen Time 🎨
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Not everything creative needs a prompt. The Web is increasingly flooded with AI-generated images and videos, much of it aimed at kids. Sometimes it’...
Gretchen Rubin’s Secrets of Adulthood: Live with Jeremy Caplan
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wondertools.substack.com/subscr...
What's in My Conference Bag 💼
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of this post, I shared my conference prep and networking toolkit. But here's the thing: conference value often gets lost the week after. Y...
My Conference Survival Kit 📱
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I go to conferences just a few times a year. To make the most of the frenzied days, I rely on a suite of tools. Read on for those worth trying.I. The ...
📚 Meet Your New AI Tutor
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI assistants are now more than simple answer machines. ChatGPT's new Study Mode, Claude's Learning Mode, and Gemini's Guided Learning represent a sig...
Weird prompts, better answers 🧠
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI assistants are surprisingly conservative by default. Push them to be unconventional, and you’ll get dramatically different results. This updated ...
🧠 4 Ways I Use AI to Think Better
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bland AI outputs grow stale quickly. Instead of just speeding up routine tasks, what if we used AI to slow down, challenge our thinking, and build new...
✨ AI Tools Worth Your Time
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Four new AI tools caught my attention recently for solving specific problems well. They're free to try, quick to learn, and point toward where AI is h...
My all-in-one productivity tool 🚀
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If I could use only one app, I’d pick Craft. Craft is my favorite multipurpose document + notes tool. It looks and feels nicer than Google Docs or A...
🌟 Tally: Superb Free Surveys
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tally is the best free tool for creating surveys. They’re better-looking and more flexible than Google Forms, and they’re just as easy to create i...
Declutter your Digital Mess
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most bookmark tools feel like cluttered digital filing cabinets—full of folders, tags, and organizational overhead. mymind is a minimalist alternati...
🎯 Perplexity Update
14 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The audio for this post was generated by feeding the text of this Wonder Tools newsletter post into NotebookLM's new Audio Overview feature.Read the f...
🏗️ Build Better Presentations
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chronicle is a promising new tool for creating compelling visual presentations. Prioritizing design and full control over bullet points or speed, Chro...
Google's free AI Studio ⚡️
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Google’s AI Studio and Labs let you experiment for free with new AI tools. I love the way these digital sandboxes — like the one from Hugging Face...
🧠 Claude 4 is here
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the best AI models just got even better. Claude 4 launched yesterday and I’ve been using it for everything from analyzing files and planning ...
🚀 Find Your Next Great Job with AI
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’ve been curious lately — how might AI help my former students — and so many others looking for new jobs — in a challenging & complicated mar...
🧠 Deep Research with AI: 9 Ways to Get Started
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The AI search landscape is transforming at breakneck speed. New "Deep Research" tools from ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity autonomously search and gath...
5 Years of Wonder Tools 🎂
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I wrote the first Wonder Tools post in April 2020 to help journalists and educators navigate the pandemic shift to remote work. I was sick and feeling...
My Noon-to-Night Tech Stack 🌙
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last week I shared the tools that power my mornings. Now let's explore what I rely on from lunch to bedtime. Below you’ll see sites, apps, and gadge...
7am to noon: my digital workflow ☀️
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Curious about my actual tech toolkit? I'm sharing the apps and tools that powered me through a recent morning, from wake-up alarm to lunchtime break. ...
Raycast: My favorite hidden gem 🚀
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Raycast is one of my favorite free apps. It’s a hidden gem that helps you do almost anything on your computer—add to your calendar, list tasks, se...
ChatGPT’s New AI Image Creator 🎨
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
OpenAI just made the most significant leap in image generation I've seen over the past year. You can now type a simple prompt using ChatGPT 4o and cre...
Essential AI tools for better work 💫
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s post grew out of a lively conversation I had with Mahan Tavakoli on his Partnering Leadership podcast. Listen to Mahan interview me about AI...
5 new AI tools you'll actually want to try⚡️
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hundreds of AI tools emerge every week. I’ve picked five new ones worth exploring. They’re free to try, easy to use, and signal new directions for...
Paper vs Digital 📓 What finally works for me
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I like thinking on paper. That’s why I’ve got a box under my desk with 27 old idea notebooks. But when I’m looking for a specific note scrawled ...
9 useful AI prompts ❤️
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Summary: New AI models emerge weekly, but useful prompts are surprisingly stable. I’ve found nine versatile templates to be consistently useful afte...
Wonder Tools 📚 Find terrific books
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Books offer a compelling, slower alternative to the onslaught of negative news. With terrific new free tools, it’s increasingly easy to access print...
Voice AI 🎙️ say it, don't type it
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Typing isn't always the best way to get your thoughts down. Sometimes talking through an idea leads to better clarity. New AI tools can reliably trans...
Help your parents stay safe online
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When’s the last time you fielded a tech support call from a parent? You want your parents — or anyone you support — to benefit from email, photo...
Create your AI taste atlas ❤️
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine turning your reading history into a treasure map. By feeding a list of your favorite books and movies to an AI assistant, you can uncover hidd...
Protect Your Focus: A 10-Minute Guide 🎯
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A dozen tabs open. Notifications pinging. I just opened my laptop and unread emails are already calling my name. Sound familiar? To break this routine...
Wonder Tools ⏰ Try Timeboxing
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’m starting this year with a focus on tactics, not just tools. Timeboxing is the tactic I rely on to plan my 100 weekly waking hours. In this post ...
📚 Wonder Tools 2024 Favorites | Mini Apps and Podcasts
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
💎 In retreating from 2024’s chaotic news, I appreciated the niche apps and podcasts below. Consider today’s post a holiday care package 💝 wi...
🏆 Best of 2024
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I tested hundreds of new tools this year. Many were duplicative. A few stuck with me because they’re so useful. The dozen noted below are helping me...
🎬 Meet Eddie: AI that edits videos
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“Hey, can you cut that two-hour conference presentation down to a two-minute video for LinkedIn?”Two years ago, that request would have sent someo...
Wonder Tools — AI turns ideas into apps
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I don’t know how to code. So I was delighted this week to discover a new AI service, Windsurf Cascade, that helped me make several little games and ...
AI for Data 📈📊
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Julius is a promising new AI service for analyzing data. I’ve been using it to make sense of — and visualize — my analytics dashboard and find m...
Create WOW images with AI🪄
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Even if you can't draw or take a decent photo, you can now illustrate anything. Services like Unsplash, Pexels, and free Creative Commons search simpl...
ChatGPT’s free voice wizard 🧙
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode— free as of Oct 21— is like having a 24/7 wizard in your pocket. From language practice and virtual museum tours t...
How NotebookLM is improving🐬
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Google’s free NotebookLM made improvements today to what has become one of the most powerful ways to use AI.NotebookLM helps you draw insights and l...
Here's my AI toolkit
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For today’s audio post, I spoke with Nikita Roy, host of the Newsroom Robots podcast, about my favorite ways to use AI. The Q&A below, based on our ...
Create your own AI agent 😺
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Supernormal just launched an easy new way to create free AI agents. These automated assistants can independently host, transcribe, and summarize onlin...
Try Perplexity for Search🔥
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The audio for this post was generated by feeding the text of this Wonder Tools newsletter post into NotebookLM's new Audio Overview feature.Read the f...
The best new AI playground 🔥
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hugging Face is the best place to try thousands of free demo apps that show what AI can do. It’s an open-source community where developers test new ...
Claude's new AI superpowers 🚀
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Claude has quietly become one of the most powerful AI tools. Its most surprising and useful feature launched this summer: Projects. I can now train Cl...
🤩 Terrific Tools for Teachers
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In my teaching at the City University of New York Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, I benefit from tools that help make my teaching more enjoyabl...
Writing tools for busy people
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pens. Pencils. Typewriters. Computers. Wordstar. Word. Google Docs. Writing tools continually evolve. That evolution has brought us hundreds of writin...
👨🏻💻The best way to save links
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Raindrop is a terrific free tool for organizing bookmarks. I use it to save links for classes I’m teaching and topics I’m researching. I also save...
📓 Make an AI notebook
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the full, up-to-date post this audio connects to, visit https://wondertools.substack.com/p/notebooklm Google’s NotebookLM is a new free service ...
🌶️ 7 ways to spice up Google Slides
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Summary: Strengthen your Google Slides with new templates that make presentations look better, plug-ins that add interactivity, and AI to help draft d...
Surprising ways to prompt AI 😳
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Summary: AI outputs can be disappointingly conventional. To avoid predictable responses, I like instructing AI engines to be strange. Unexpected, radi...
✍️ Try this AI tool to summarize your meetings
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Summary: Bloks is simple AI-powered software I use and recommend to record and summarize meetings. Read on for how it works, how to make the most of B...
📺 How to create video clips with AI
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kapwing is an excellent Web-based video editing tool. Its useful new AI features make it easy to convert a long video — like a Zoom recording, an i...
How to make the most of ChatGPT in 2024 ⚡️
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
ChatGPT is the most powerful AI tool. It’s useful for dozens of daily tasks — from idea generation to editing suggestions. To get the most out of ...
🤩 My favorite ways to do ____ online
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Finding reliable services online can be time-consuming. So to help you strengthen your digital toolkit for 2024, I’m sharing a six-minute take on 7 ...
Do more with Google Docs 🌟
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 to those celebrating today. I’m with family taking a couple of days off, so I’m sharing an updated version of a prior post...
How I Use AI for Productivity ✍️
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s Wonder Tools I’m experimenting with an audio post.Nikita Roy recently interviewed me for her Newsroom Robots podcast. I’m sharing...
Save time with 15-minute book summaries
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Shortform gives you concise summaries of books you haven’t had time yet to read. In 15 minutes you’ll grasp a book’s core ideas. You can then de...