Books in bullet points/Things that don’t work/ Phone camera

Recomendo - issue #403

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Mar 24, 2024

Books in bullet points

BookPecker.com summarizes popular books into 5 key points. Five bullet points may not be enough information to learn and absorb new concepts, but just enough to pique your interest and help you decide if you want to read a particular book or not. Here’s an example of a book I’ve been wanting to read: King, Warrior, Magician, Lover. Based on the summary, I decided to forgo reading the book and instead try to do some online research on each of the masculine archetypes. Currently there are 14,509 books summarized in 5 bullet points. — CD

Things that don’t work

Here’s a list of 43 things that don’t work, according to the author of the Dynomight newsletter. I don’t agree with all of them, but I’m on board with item number 12: Explaining board games (you should just start playing and answer questions as they come up), and 17: Arguing with people (“Words do not exist that will make people [change their minds] aside from a few weirdos who’ve intentionally cultivated the habit.”) — MF

Switching to a phone camera

I’ve been a serious photographer for more than 50 years. The best camera I have ever owned is a new iPhone 15 Pro. It is now the only camera I carry. But I had to learn and unlearn some tricks to use a phone as a camera well. Scott Kelby, a veteran pro photographer, made a fabulously helpful 45-minute video explaining his favorite 20 tips on using an iPhone for a serious travel camera. Most of the tips in Kelby’s Using Your iPhone for Travel Photography tutorial were new to me, and right on. Would probably be useful for any current smartphone. — KK

The secret to a heavier Chipotle burrito

Ben Braddock offers a devilishly clever tactic for Chipotle aficionados who want to maximize their protein bang-for-buck: “l always wait until after the employee puts the first scoop of chicken on my burrito to ask for double chicken, so the size of the first scoop isn't compromised by the knowledge I'm getting a second scoop and now the employee has shown their hand in terms of their default scoop size, so they can't skimp with my second scoop.” — MF

No, They’re Not Mad At You

If you’re ever feeling rejected, anxious, or insecure, at AreTheyMadAtMe.com you’ll find a wall of comforting messages from anonymous posters to remind you that you are not alone. Uncertainty can make me feel lonely or disconnected from other people, and this is a good reminder to not make assumptions about how others might be feeling toward me and practice some self-soothing. — CD

Quotable

“Today is the worst AI will ever be.” — Alex Irpan
“There are two kinds of people in the world… and who is not both of them?” — James Richardson
“To understand recursion, one must first understand recursion.” — Stephen Hawking
“When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story.” — Stephen King
“There is no failure in sports.” — Giannis Antetokounmpo
“Scarcity is the one thing you can never have enough of.” — Marc Randolph
“I wouldn’t have seen it, if I didn’t believe it.” — Marshall McLuhan
“No man was ever wise by chance.” — Seneca
"What people say about you behind your back is none of your business." — John Maeda
“The most selfish act of all is kindness, because its reward is so much greater than the investment.” — Tom Peters
"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are." — Carl Jung

That is another set of quotes I greatly appreciate, and find useful to remember. — KK

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Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel, a podcast, and other newsletters, including Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW? and Book Freak.

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