All of the recommendations

It’s been almost a year since my last blog post which means it’s nearly time for my annual “year-in-review” post. But I want this blog to be more than just my year in review. So before I get to that, I would like to share with you some recommendations. All of them.

Twitter is like a human Chat GPT at scale. I tweet something (a prompt) and magically many, sometimes lots of people start responding to my prompt. Once I asked the entire internet for recommendations. Recommendations about anything. And I got a lot of great stuff in return. The tweet ended up attracting over 500,000 impressions, 358 replies, and 69 quote retweets.

I need recommendations. Just send me whatever recommendations you have about anything.
— meg.ehh 🇨🇦 (@MeganRisdal) July 28, 2021

So in this blog post I’ll share some favorite replies from this MVT (“most valuable tweet”). Now really couldn’t be a better time to celebrate what makes Twitter magic. The people and the ways we can collectively improve one another’s lives through sharing.

Lifehacks

Sunscreen was a common recommendation. Like, just wearing any sunscreen. I’d always been okay at wearing sunscreen, but after this I actually ended up making it a real daily habit. So, Twitter changed my life! And has maybe saved my skin? Also up there with sunscreen was drink more water.

Wear sunscreen.
— Wesley Miller (@getwired) July 29, 2021

Using apps to get free access to books! Which I guess you could use to check out some of the books people recommended to me in the thread.

Read books on your eReader or tablet for free with the Libby app!

You enter your library card number, and it lets you check out your library’s ebook collection and send directly to your kindle or other device. I’ve easily saved several thousand $ in books this way.
— Mai Nguyen, PhD (@mai_lin_nguyen) July 29, 2021

Some people smashed together multiple lifehacks into one recommendation like this person who recommends stretching occasionally and splurging on a mattress (I totally agree).

3 recommendations , even if you have a nice chair for working stretch your legs every hour or so. See the O show in vegas at the Bellagio and finally splurge when it comes to beds, bedding and mattresses you spend a lot of time in life sleeping, so it’s an easy win.
— James Scheibel (@james_scheibel) July 29, 2021

Other recommendations included get a bicycle and ride it everywhere, freezing all of your cheese-powdered snack foods, adopt two cats and a hamster, and something about posts, pylons, and concrete.

Food

I got a LOT of food recommendations. Some of them oddly specific!

Bellwether Farms whole-milk Basket-Ricotta Cheese. Blend with a vanilla bean and sweetener, and it’s dessert to die for.
— Allen Holub @allenholub@mstdn.social (@allenholub) July 28, 2021

Other food recommendations included:

I found the specificity oddly satisfying. I’d love to do a food-only recommendations thread sometime. It could be a great way to find new recipes or hopefully visually feast upon people’s creations. Love to take Instagram pictures of food I make.

Media

People recommended the following movies and TV shows:

And here’s one I waited too long to try out … Bluey! I just got a Disney+ subscription so I can watch with Cantonese dubs.

Bluey is the best kids TV show out there, watch it even if you don't have kids.
— Kornelis Sietsma (@kornys) July 29, 2021

Some books, too:

John Dies at the End
All the books by Ilona Andrews
The Deficit Myth
Sci-fi novels by Becky Chambers
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (or as another user replied, “everything by Terry Pratchett”)

Products

A lot of people recommended this vacuum. Weirdly I ended up buying a similar one a few months later when I moved to Canada. My partner is allergic to my cat so we vacuum multiple times per day.

THE DYSON CORDLESS VAC (as recommended to me by @dataandme). Tony and I were JUST SAYING how good of a purchase it was despite being $600. We can't go back.https://t.co/iquwSEALgi
— Chelsea Parlett-Pelleriti (@ChelseaParlett) July 29, 2021

Also, I still want this fan. Love a good fan!

https://t.co/grVRiPjajZ. This is out of stock everywhere but it’s worth waiting. Best £100 I’ve ever spent.
— Simon Brunner (@SimonAHPInfo) July 29, 2021

Here are some more products people recommended (I promise no affiliate links):

Buy a dehumidifier (did they mean humidifier?)
Garmin 935 running watch
Bitwarden password manager
Hybrid LED project light tool

Hobbies

If you’re looking for something new to do, there’s a lot of good ideas shared. For example, someone recommended tying knots. I assume as a hobby? I’m not sure!

Get a good knot-tying book and sensible rope to practice with (not natural fibers). Useful even if you’re not into climbing, sailing, fishing etc.
— Jim Savage (@abiylfoyp) July 29, 2021

Some other hobbies people recommended or gave me tips about:

Will our AI overlords replace us?

So of course we have to end here. This is what Chat GPT had to say in response to my “recommendations” prompt:

Sure! Here are a few recommendations:
If you’re looking for a good book to read, I recommend “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. It’s a beautifully written novel about a shepherd boy who embarks on a journey to find his personal legend.
If you’re in the mood for a movie, I recommend “The Shawshank Redemption.” It’s a classic drama about hope, friendship, and the human spirit.
If you enjoy listening to music, I recommend checking out the album “To Pimp a Butterfly” by Kendrick Lamar. It’s a groundbreaking work of hip hop that tackles themes of race, identity, and social justice.
If you’re interested in trying out a new recipe, I recommend making a stir-fry. It’s a quick and easy dish that you can customize with your favorite vegetables and proteins.
If you’re in need of some self-care, I recommend taking a relaxing bath with Epsom salt and essential oils. Epsom salt can help soothe muscle aches and improve circulation, while essential oils can help you relax and unwind.
I hope these recommendations are helpful! Let me know if you have any specific interests or needs, and I can provide more tailored recommendations.

Seems like not a terrible way to spend the rest of my holiday break sick with COVID. But it lacks heart and experience. I’ll continue to trust the wisdom of the human crowd (even though many people replied to this thread telling me not to trust people on the internet …). Anyway, who (or what) will you trust? Check out the tweet for all of the recommendations.

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