Ask HN: How do you stimulate your creativity on a day like today?

A few times a week, I like to pick up a copy of the FT, WSJ, etc. and read through them to come up with interesting ideas and projects.

I'm aspiring to do the same with sci-fi short stories... Reading them but also asking the question of, "How can this be built?"

What tools and tactics do you use to stimulate ideas and brainstorm?