Recomendo

March 6 · Issue #296 · View online

A weekly newsletter that gives you 6 brief personal recommendations of cool stuff. For a searchable archive of past issues check out https://archive.recomendo.com/.

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Laws of the Internet

The February 20, 2021 issue of Roger’s Bacon newsletter has an entertaining list of laws of the Internet. Many have been around for decades and are as valid as ever. Here are few:

Badger’s Law – “any website with the word ‘Truth’ in the URL has none in the posted content.”
The Wadsworth Constant – “the first 30% of any video can be skipped because it contains no worthwhile or interesting information.”
The Law of Fakery – “Anything fake which attracts enough attention will have some people vehemently proclaiming it’s real. Anything real which attracts enough attention will have some people vehemently proclaiming it’s fake. Corollary: If the creator confesses that it was fake, some people will still claim it’s real and call the confession a fake.”

— MF

Best forecasting skills

A basic survival skill these days is trying to imagine the future. Individually and collectively we can get better at it. Imaginable, by Jane McGonigal, at the Institute for the Future, is the only book I know of that will teach you the proven techniques that futurists use to help them forecast the future. The aim of forecasting is not prediction but to not be surprised – to imagine it. This clear book includes all the methods I use, and more. It’s practical and competent. Do the exercises suggested and you won’t be too surprised by what happens in the future. — KK

Random awesomess

Sharkle is a random-content discovery tool, like StumbleUpon used to be when it was around. I don’t really have time to bounce around the internet for fun, but I like to click on the “Show Me Something Awesome” when I’m briefly bored. Today it took me through this really cool Rainbow Tunnel! — CD

Most common dreams by country

My best friend called recently to ask what it meant to dream her teeth were falling out. I told her that was the most common dream scenario across the board and then asked her more questions about her recent career change, because it was obvious she was nervous about it. Today I came across this infograph showing the most common dreams by country and realized I was partially right — the most googled dream in the world is about snakes, and the second being teeth falling out. I loved learning the other dream meanings being googled in other countries. In Bhutan, they dream of rainbows often. — CD

Best hair gel

If I don’t gel my hair after washing it, it lays flat and resembles the hair style of Moe Howard or Captain Kangaroo. While I have nothing against either of these fine gentlemen, it’s not a look I’m aiming for. I discovered Got2b Ultra Glued Invincible Styling Hair Gel about 10 years ago, and it’s by far the stiffest hair gel of the many dozens of brands I’ve tried since 1979. I only need to use a drop or two and my hair defies gravity for the rest of the day. — MF

Astounding landscapes

One of my favorite Instagrammers worth following is Geomorphilogical Landscapes. It’s a parade of unusual, amazing, bizarre, weird, and surprising natural landscapes. Geological, biological, weather, and urban. Some scenes are beautiful but most are just astounding. I feel glad to be on the same planet. — KK

— Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, Claudia Dawson

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