Best compact show shovel
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For snow, the best compact shovel is a snow claw.
http://www.snowclaw.com/

For general use, I like the Glock model which include a saw inside the handle:
http://www.botachtactical.com/glento1.html

http://www.seedsavers.org/

"Since 1975, Seed Savers Exchange members have passed on approximately one million samples of rare garden seeds to other gardeners. We are a non-profit organization of gardeners dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds."

Don't know if it's the best but it may be a great place to start.

My favorite avocation is carving and I've built up a modest collection of tools to turn wood blocks into sculpture. This past Christmas my wife got me a Flexcut Carvin Jack. This is basically a pocket knife where the blades are replaced with carving tools. The Carvin Jack contains 6 tools, a carving a knife, a small chisel, a gouge, a sweep knife and two scorps. The tool is small enough to carry in my pocket while large enough to be useful for small projects. It is the perfect thing to carry when I'm away from home but still want to carve.

You can find them at most wood working websites as well as Amazon. The price is $129.

I know this doesn't address the specific items you were looking for, but I thought I would drop you a line about the Carving Jack just the same.

i've been trying submit this for months. i've used a lot of key rings in my life, some better than others. this one by hillman is far & away the best. i regularly have to take a key off & on the ring and other key rings that are designed to do such aren't as good as this Hillman model 711076. smooth, accurate, durable.

I like the Patagonia Down Sweater, and it's thicker fullsize down cousin. And Patagonia seems to stand by their products. I left my down vest on the dashboard of my car and the defroster damaged it. I brought it to their store in Santa Cruz and they replaced it free of charge.

I have a Metric Craftsman Dogbone wrench. I choose Craftsman for most of my tools mainly for customer service. I like knowing that if it fails I can go to the nearest Sears and get it replaced.

For barefoot running. Your body mechanics should be able to learn what to do on their own. I don't see the need for instruction. However my path was to start with Nike Free 5.0's, graduate to 4.5's. Then graduate to Vibram Fivefingers to get rid of the heal lift.

I like somafm.com for internet radio. They've got a unique selection of stations, which I like to listen to while working.

I forgot to mention, my favorite Moleskin Pen is now available in the U.S.

The SKB SB-1000 it's the same pen James Jean uses for much of his art. I haven't found anything else that glides across paper as easily.

skbpens.com

Shapeways is a good service, I've ordered models in Nylon (white,strong and flexible in their terminology) and brass-infused stainless steel from them. The flat rate worldwide shipping (included in the printing cost) makes the service especially attractive to people (like me) outside of Europe/USA.

They also introduce new materials and processes on a regular basis. the latest option is full-colour plastic printing

Great comments. Maybe some of them can be expanded into complete submissions!

An alternative to a down jacket is the micro-puff and nano-puff jackets by Patagonia. I find it great for ~40F - ~0F along with a few other layers. I've had one for years now and its held up extremely well. Its synthetic so it isn't quite as warm as down, but it hard to tell. It packs extremely well. The matching pants are also awesome.

When trying to get groups to agree on a date for a business or social meeting I use http://whenisgood.net/. Great, simple free tool.

"Collapsible silicon colander?"
From wrapables:
These durable, freestanding, 100% silicone colanders collapse (to 2" high) for easy storage. Great for straining and steaming, the colanders are heat resistant to 675 degree Fahrenheit. Dishwasher safe.
SALE (certain colors) $17.99
reg. $24.95
http://www.wrapables.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=C57358&cate=sale&sec=0305

KK rules, btw.

Best compact show shovel - Gerber E-Tool Folding Spade with Pick http://www.gerber-tools.com/Gerber-E-Tool-with-Pick-22-01945.php. Other option could be Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel. I have found both to be good in action and they fold pretty well.

In other areas than US, you find same tool sold under Fiskars brand.

I'm disappointed that many recent entries on Cool Tools have a blank byline and no link to a source for the product and no price. Otherwise, I love Cool Tools. It's a terrific source for all kinds of things.
One good online source for barefoot running is Barefoot Ken Bob's runningbarefoot.org Another great source for ideas and info about barefoot running is Christopher McDougall's Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (Knopf, 2009).

Thanks, all, for your contributions. Please keep them coming. Also, feel free to e-mail me directly: elon {at} schoenholz dot com.

@Terry Beck: If you point out a specific entry that's missing a byline or purchasing info, I'll gladly correct it. As editor, it's my responsibility to ensure that information is included with every post. I just made a quick survey of the most recent entries, and didn't encounter any missing details along those lines.-es

I had to replace a temp/pressure relief valve on my hot water heater ...... I had no universal fitting on the water discharge copper to the outside of the house. I went to the local hardware to pick up a universal fitting ( it allows using a wrench to disconnect the copper rather than having to cut it ) and they no longer carry universal couplings ..... they said they have been using Sharkbite connectors and haven't had any significant complaints. It took me about 10 seconds to install and it can be taken apart and reused very simply. I might add that .... although I haven't had any problems with this connector ..... it isn't a part of a pressurized system. http://www.sharkbiteplumbing.com/
They have elbows, couplings, tees, etc that all utilize the same technology as the coupler I used.

One that I submitted but didn't appear earlier - the Blazer micro torch:

http://www.interstatemusic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10051&productId=900001783&langId=-1

http://store.sra-solder.com/product.php/6351/0

Bend glass tubing, solder (big) jobs, shrink heat-shrink, even light candles or fires. SRA also has lighters which are about the same price, but for capacity and convenience this the best. Small enough to stay in your pocket, click to ignite, stays on, adjustable flame which is large enough for the bigger jobs, runs a long time. It also doesn't leak and become empty so will be ready when you need it. You probably have something that provides a flame, and it probably doesn't work nearly as well as this would.

ITEM2:

I saw the ball watch openers from esslinger, so when I needed a microscope to do surface mount I looked at what they had:

http://www.esslinger.com/elite1030gemoroeliteseriesprecisionmicroscope.aspx

The light can come from a ring under the stage outlining the work, or from the top, or from below, with a shutter and iris so you can always have enough light, the visible area is large (just under the size of a quarter at 10x - the expensive pro one at work is just over that size), and it is adjustable enough to work.

There are cheaper stereo microscopes but most have a smaller field of view (filled by a penny) or otherwise aren't as good for doing fine work. There are also better ones which are much more expensive.

It comes with a jewelry clip and without a glass stage (I use a glass meniscus or something else), so it isn't perfect, but so far I haven't found anything better for around the same price.

Elon,

Two great down jackets:

On the high end, the Western Mountaineering "Flight" jacket. Under a pound of 800+ fill down and gossamer nylon, it's like having a portable heater crammed into your backpack. It packs down to the size of a grapefruit, although I usually just cram it into corners around other stuff so that it feels like it doesn't take up any room at all. Pricey and worth it.

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=products&page=Down%20Garments&cat=Jackets%20and%20Vests&ContentId=55

In the mid-range, Go Lite makes the "Midnight Sun" jacket (which they oddly call a sweater). A little heavier, 600+ fill power, more durable fabric. I've used mine car camping, backpacking, traveling in Peru and New Zealand, and generally used it in almost any circumstance, without being careful with it, for well over three years. The zipper is starting to fail, which means I need to either repair it or get another one. As of February 2010, you can find the "Midnight Sun" on closeout in a few places, but it's since been removed from their lineup.

If you run your own company, the Creative Good Councils (http://creativegood.com/councils/) are a valuable source of advice and ideas. It's not cheap to join (somewhere around $500/year), but it's hard to beat having access to such a broad depth of business experience. They also offer regular teleconferences on a variety subjects in which senior managers and user experience engineers at large, well-known corporations are the presenters.

the best down jackets (and down goods in general) money can buy are made by feathered friends:

http://www.featheredfriends.com/

Is anything off topic? I would love to see a review of the Hi-point C9 handgun. will someone write one up if firearms are an appropriate topic for this website? I suppose I can, if it is allowed.

Have you seen or logged on to vpike.com. Kind of a "google earth" for residential (or business) street addresses, that takes you directly to a virtual street level scene of the location. Kind of creepy, in a "big brother" kind of way, but potentially very useful for househunters, realtors - or any situation where getting a walk through of a neighborhood is desired. The "creepy effect" is knowing that at some time someone must have "staked" out every single street with a minicam in hand road after road, day after day. by double-clicking on the directional arrow, one can step-by-step make their way from house to house.

For some people this might be "so five minutes ago", but I was amazed!

Sorry, vpike looks like an ad-gathering front end for google maps street view. Not a cool tool.

I'd be interested in recommendations for hand torches such as the one mentioned by tz above. What makes the $30 ones better than the cheap ones?

Jacket: I have a The North Face jacket wich is small enough to put in about every backpack would even get in an pocket of some jacket. The downside is that they are kinda expensive (100$-200$).

@MacMasore: What model North Face jacket is it?
Thanks.--es

I've had a really great time working through Shapeways, and I'd recommend them to anyone. Their service is easy, their tech support and model-checking is superb, and they're really friendly and community-engaged to boot.
While a lot of printing services are now trying to compete with the advent of the Makerbot, Reprap and Shapercube, Shapeways are doing things more sensibly by trying to keep ahead of the technology wave. They offer plastic, but they enthusiastically support home plastic extrusion devices, because they know their odd selection of premium materials will keep attracting people to them as a service for upgrades.

In addition to all that, they form an essential part of the invention toolchain for a 3D printing enthusiast or inventor. Because their service uses the same file formats a modeller at home uses with his printer (if he has one), prototypes can be done at home and immediately offered for sale through Shapeways once ready.. potentially in metal or coloured acrylic.

You don't need a 3D printer of your own to try Shapeways of course, and I'd suggest creative types hop on and give it a go right away. But if you have a 3D printer, Shapeways is your second stop after Thingiverse. Share your designs for people who have printers, sell your designs to those who don't, and sell premium versions (or heat/electrical conductive versions, or radio-opaque versions, or transparent versions...) online through Shapeways, earning yourself a margin to fund your hobby or career.

Definitely qualifies for a "cool tool".