Stuff #124

Hey from Dublin,

I've had a bit of a spring clean; the site and this email is tidier and faster now, Stuff is moving towards a leaner, fitter future!

Stuff is nowhere near the top 50, but it continues to grow every week, so a massive thank you for helping me on its journey.

Next week - I'll have the latest edition of the Stuff Mixtape, I reach #10 and so far, it's a banger.

Thanks for being here, see you next Monday...

1. Monday Motivation:   Let this week be the one where you slow down, just a little bit.  This short quiz will tell you the pace of your life.  If your score is high, you might want to slow down, but still get things done - it can even make you MORE successful at work.  If you've decided to really slow down, it might be time to become a flaneur.
2. Your new superpower:  Have some fun!  Here's why you should make a habit of having fun.   Even in the workplace, it's possible without being 'that person', here are 23 ways to inject some joy.   If you are a leader, there is one certain way to introduce fun into your teams.
3. How to do everything:  I know how much you love a list; these are the new rules of life.  I'm a big fan of #12, #23 and anyone who has met me knows that #38 happens.
4. Take care: The most popular links last week were the tips on breathing to help sleep.  A very helpful reader (thanks G!) sent me this infographic which shows breathing patterns to help with many situations.  You could also use this 15-minute breathing exercise as an aid to relaxation.
5. TWIL:  Snowflakes are even more beautiful than I thought.  This ex-Microsoft exec built a special camera to capture something really special.
6. Up with the lark, it's good for you: Six benefits to waking up earlier.
7. Pass the wine please:  Google have meticulously digitised The Last Supper; a painting is thought to have been painted by Giampietrino and possibly Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio – both pupils of Leonardo Da Vinci.   It is an extraordinary rendering of a fragile painting.  The Smithsonian explains more.
8. AI-ight:  There are a lot of AI tools popping up, I'm going to turn this slot over to some of the interesting ones.  Vacay is a very clever travel chatbot, ask it to design an itinerary for your next trip. I asked it to design an itinerary for seeing the best brutalist architecture in the UK, and it nailed it.    Dream Interpreter is an AI tool that will help you understand your dreams. I guess this is less scientific, but no less fun!
9. Jack could've lived!  Director James Cameron scientifically tests if Jack could possibly have fit on the door at the end of Titanic.  
10. Finally: Learn the flags of the world.  Harder than you think it is!  Bonus stuff: amazing analysis of how flags are built.

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Stuff that MattR'sMatt Rutherford

🎧 Something a couple of years old, and new to me this week.  

Sierra Ferrell is a West Virginian singer-songwriter who combines influences from country, bluegrass, jazz and folk with an outstanding voice.

I first heard her on the Early James album I recommended in Stuff #122, but deep diving into the solo material turned up a debut album from 2021 called 'Long Time Coming'.  

There is a wide range of songs here, but when Ferrell slipped into a Mariachi influenced samba on 'Far Away Across the Sea', I was completely hooked.