Rank anything/SF Crosstown Trail/Factors of Happiness

Recomendo - issue #383

Rank anything

This website is a tool for ranking a list of items such as movies, video games, restaurants, songs, or anything else.  You start by inputting an unordered list of the items you want to rank. Then you click the button, and it displays two items from the list. Click your favorite of the two, and then it displays another pair of things from your list. After several rounds, the site generates a ranked list for you, ordering your items from best to worst. — MF

Transect a city walk

On your next visit to San Francisco (or if you live there) walk across this small city on the SF Crosstown Trail. Even though I have lived in or near San Francisco for forty years, I discovered all kinds of gems, and stunning views that I had no idea existed. The route is engineered to pass through as many neighborhood parks as possible, with unexpected turns, and hidden treasures. Although you can do its 17 miles in one long day, we divided it into multiple days, ubering back to our start place. The entire walk is enjoyable, safe, and endlessly surprising. Download the app so you can easily follow the trail on your phone. For locals, the trail runs from the new Candlestick Point Park to Land’s End national park. If similar transecting crosstown walks exist for other great cities, let me know. — KK

Factors of Happiness

This infograph titled “8 Factors of Happiness” is worthy of revisiting whenever you notice discomfort. I’ve found the quickest way to dispel unhappiness is to ask myself introspective questions to find the source. Based on these 8 factors of happiness, I would ask myself: 

• Am I feeling suspicion and resentment? 

• Am I living in the past (or in the future)? 

• Am I wasting time and energy fighting conditions I can’t change? 

• Am I isolating myself or withdrawing from the world? 

• Am I indulging in self-pity? 

• Am I expecting too much of myself? 

I then continue the line of questioning to gain more self-awareness or I pivot to an easy gratitude practice, like listing 10 things that make me happy on my fingers. This usually gets me out of my head and back to the present moment, as well as in alignment with the values and experiences that make me happy. — CD

Animal chiropractor

I don’t know whether chiropractic care is effective or not, but just watching this animal chiropractor adjust the skeletal system of dogs makes me feel better. Known as Der Knochenknacker (“The Bone Cracker”), Murat Colak is an animal osteopath from Germany who has TikTok and Instagram channels with videos of him loudly cracking the joints of dogs. His love for animals shines through in the clips. — MF

200 Best Inventions

I got a clearer picture of present and future technologies thanks to Time’s list of the Best Inventions of 2023. There are 200 inventions listed and some consumer products you can even buy now. This may be silly, but I can’t wait until you can buy these reusable interlocking cup and plates at the store. — CD

Cooperative board game

I am late to discovering cooperative board games. Instead of competing with other players to win, you cooperate with them to win. This changes the vibe of a game in a significant way, transforming it from a me thing to a we thing. There is a whole world of cooperative games, but the one I enjoy the most so far is The Crew. Each round of the game consists of “missions” the players need to complete, and the missions get more complicated – requiring more cooperation – as the game progresses. There is a bit of a learning curve, but everyone playing is on the same team (the crew), so helping each other becomes the norm. I am much more interested in playing games now and very uninterested in playing standard competitive games. — 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, and other newsletters, including Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW? and Book Freak.