If there’s an object in my home that I use every day, I tend to choose that item carefully. But for some reason, I never chose drinking glasses with such discernment … until now. I saw these Duralex Picardie glasses recommended in a trustworthy publication, and I was wondering what all the fuss was about. I decided to order the largest Duralex Picardie tumblers and find out.

Over the past two months, I have been surprised at how wonderful these 17.62 oz (0.52 L) Duralex Picardie tumblers are, and what a difference they’ve made in my quality of life. I hadn’t realized that I had been drinking out of cheap copies of this particular design for all my life. But the subtle difference between those knockoffs and these classic tumblers was significantly noticeable with daily use.

Duralex Made In France Picardie Tumbler Set of 6, 17.62 oz

The delicate rise in the beltline of these glasses — a feature that’s absent in the cheap knockoffs — gives my fingers an inviting place to hold onto. The elegantly flared lip at the top allows a more pleasing interface between glass and mouth. The feel of the glass itself is smoother and easier to grip than any other I’ve encountered. And the impression of bulletproof durability is unmistakeable (even though I’m sure these tumblers are not bulletproof).

The result? A delightful, profoundly different experience while drinking liquids that affects me multiple times every day. It’s hard for me to believe that a mere piece of glassware could be so enjoyable to use, but there it is. I can’t recommend these glasses enough. They’re a delight to have and to hold and they’ve genuinely improved my life by a tiny, yet persistent degree.

Finally, this crazy era of magical thinking, lies, conspiracy theories and greed makes sense. That’s what Kurt Andersen’s book, Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History did for me. I feel like I gained crucial wisdom from this brilliant work of nonfiction. He starts 500 years ago and explains in vivid and often humorous detail why Americans are exceptional — and that isn’t a compliment.

Andersen points out how the advertising of the 1600s looked quite different from the way it looks today, but was equally effective. It worked so well, that people starting coming to the New World in astonishing numbers. Because these ancient ad campaigns touted mountains of gold and a Garden of Eden for religious and magical thinking, most of the colonists were self-selected for their greed and gullibility. You can still detect their influence to this day.

This beautifully written book shows how we got to this dangerous and frustrating place, where few can detect falsehoods, nearly everyone has a pet conspiracy theory, people will do anything for money and the vast majority believe in devils, angels, heaven and a sky daddy who keeps them under surveillance 24/7.

Thank you, Mr. Andersen, for enlightening me. Fantasyland turned out to be one of the most illuminating, entertaining and enjoyable books I’ve ever read.

This tire inflator is an innovative, impressive achievement. It’s the best tire inflator I’ve ever seen. I had no idea there was a device that would let you dial in a tire pressure number and then pump up your car tire to exactly that pressure — and then turn off automatically. It’s magical, really.

I had a leaky tire for so long, and got tired of PAYING FOR AIR to pump it up. Now? Bye bye, 50-cent gas-station air!

When I looked at the pics of it on Amazon, I thought it was much bigger. That is not the case. This little tire inflator is scarcely larger than a football, so I stow it away in the trunk and always know it’ll be there, ready to go. A quick plug-in of its nice long cable to the car’s cigarette lighter and it springs into action.

Hard to believe a convenience like this costs less than $33. Glad I bought it!