Recomendo

River Runner/LingYourLanguage/List of spy books

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Recomendo: issue no. 271

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Landscape virtual tour
This is so cool. River Runner is a virtual tour of the US that follows watersheds. On the website, pick a place in the contiguous US and then it will carry you along the creeks and rivers that flow from that place until you reach the ocean. You get a photo-realistic ariel view as if you were in a drone following the rivers and passing through towns and farms. For a fantastic and fantastically long (5,000 km) tour, start almost anywhere in Wyoming. These aren’t really a tour of rivers as much as a way to tour the greater landscape of a continent. — KK

Learn to recognize other languages
LingYourLanguage is a game of guessing the correct language after listening to a short audio clip. If you really want to challenge yourself, listen with your eyes closed before reading the multiple choice options. The audio clips are compiled by volunteers in an effort to share the world’s languages with a wider audience — read more about the project here. Listening to the world’s languages has a meditative quality to it and makes me feel more connected to the world itself. — CD

List of spy books
I bookmarked this page of Bert Hubert’s spy book (fiction and non-fiction) reviews, so I can read the books later. My favorite part of the page: “Do not read any Tom Clancy to learn about intelligence agencies. Do however read this CIA-authored spoof of The Hunt for Red October. I was specifically told that ‘you aren’t truly initiated into CIA until you think that The Hunt for Red October: The Untold Story is funny.’” — MF

Very lightweight travel umbrella
I was glad I kept this super-lightweight A.Brolly Tube umbrella in my backpack while I was in rainy New York last week. It was so light (3 ounces) and small (8-inches unopened) that I forgot about having it until I needed it. It uses carbon fiber instead of steel for the ribs. — MF

Dramatic houseplants
Some silly humor to add to your feed is the r/DramaticHouseplants subreddit. It’s just images of houseplants being dramatic, like this plant in a pig planter or this one. Both Fittonias. This sub is a great place to learn new plants! The time lapse videos are also beautiful to watch. — CD

What to watch
When I am wondering what’s new and good to watch on the streaming services, I go to the Variety magazine’s “what to watch” page, which is updated weekly. They cover new and recommended shows on the major streaming platforms. I can usually find one new one that interests me. — KK

-- Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, Claudia Dawson 09/26/21

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