Flexible AirTags/Mental time travel/Memorable audible books

Recomendo - issue #429

Flexible AirTag mounts

I bought a couple of TagVault Fabric Mounts to attach Apple AirTags to my luggage, which I use to keep track of their whereabouts. These flexible mounts have an adhesive backing that makes a permanent bond on fabric surfaces, securely holding the AirTag while allowing it to flex with the material. Suggested uses include jackets, backpacks, and purses. I stuck mine on the inside of my suitcases under the lining, making them nearly invisible. — MF

Mental Time Travel Exercises 

This article “How to do mental time travel” offers practical exercises to help you engage with your past and future selves. These exercises encourage adopting a long-term view and gaining a vast perspective on life, as well as your place in the world. Here is a list of the mental exercises that can help you gain clarity and meaning, and avoid harmful short-term thinking: 

• Conversation with Future Self: Imagine asking your future self open-ended questions to make better present choices.

• Empathy for Future Generations: Visualize the lives of future people to foster concern for long-term issues like climate change.

• Temporal Windows: Spend time each week reflecting on the long-term past and future by observing your surroundings.

• Generational Thinking: Consider your place in the timeline of your family and humanity to feel more connected to the past and future.

• Future-Gifting: Do something now that will benefit your future self or future generations.

• Long-Term Communities: Engage with communities and movements that promote long-term thinking and effective altruism.

• Alternative Time Perspectives: Learn from different cultural views on time to enrich your understanding and approach to the future.

— CD

Memorable audible books

Some of my most intense reading experiences have been listening to an audible book. When I was commuting to work, audible books transformed my commute from dread to anticipation. The best books would leave me sitting in my driveway, not wanting to get out because I had to hear more of the story. A few recommended books that are fantastic in audible form, and will not disappoint:

Lonesome Dove: Pure lovely storytelling from the first paragraph. I cried at the end of this western saga because I wanted to hear what happens next and for the story to continue on forever. It was made into a not-bad video mini-series, but this audit is longer and so it’s better.

Shantaram: A one-book wonder that tells the wild story of a New Zealand fugitive hiding in the slums of India, who comes to love the colorful characters of India’s mafia and outlaw underground. An incredible inside view of Indian cities. The narrator does all the voices in pitch perfect accents. 

Harry Potter: This version narrated by Jim Dale, who delivers every voice in a stunning performance, is the canonical version of this franchise for me, which I prefer over reading the book or the movies.

Peter the Great: Non-fiction works well in audible too. This long biography of Peter the Great, who transformed Russia, was a page turner, and a deep tour of the Russian soul. — KK.

Easy AI tool for document analysis

Google has released an experimental AI called NotebookLM that allows you to upload PDF and text files for processing. The AI then generates various outputs such as FAQs, study guides, and briefing documents. The most intriguing feature is its ability to create a 10-minute long podcast-style conversation between a man and a woman, discussing the uploaded documents as if they were the most fascinating topic they've ever encountered. As an example, check out the results from an 1897 article from The Strand Magazine about unusual competitions held in London's East End. The AI-generated podcast show is astonishingly good. — MF

Historical celebrity

A cool use of an AI image generator is to produce contemporary snapshots of ancient celebrities based on paintings or sculptures. Someone named Hidreley created very nice ones to share on Demilked: meet historical personalities at a dinner party. Next up will be extremely realistic video simulations of people from the past. — KK

Interactive seasonality chart

This food and flower seasonality chart is primarily for residents of the SF Bay Area and Northern California, but I'm sharing it anyway in case it inspires you to find a local listing of your own. — CD

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Recomendo is an authentic, hand-crafted, human-written weekly newsletter that is free, but not cheap. Consider supporting our work with a paid option, now at the low price of $45 per year. Paid subs enable us to keep making it free for others. Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel and podcast, and other newsletters, including Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Books That Belong On Paper and Book Freak.

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