In those endless lockdown times, what do you want to do? Probably not travelling much. In my case, beside being very busy with our toddler, I tried to make my days more enjoyable and learn new things. So why not share those? I recently found that the AI recommendations I am submerged with every day are pretty boring. Searching for friends and expert advices though, I found I could get to much better recommendations - so here are mine to share:
Learning
Smart Tips: Wellness: By looking this up, I just realize how expensive it is. IBMers have now access to Udemy for business, which is a pretty nice perk. Nonetheless, I found this course very useful and uncomplicated. It's very practical, while quite American in its tone (Europeans will understand what I mean, but this is hard to describe). If you have access to Udemy, reward yourself by learning about to live better - healthier, with less stress... A lot of the things described there don't involve major changes in your life, but rather small adjustments. Also, the background knowledge given on many topics is very interesting.
Tools
CSS Doodle is what I use to make the banners up here. It's so much fun to code and bring instant results! Thus, I often can start a new one in a few minutes and I get directly in a state of flow. Not that easy with many of the current "popular" web tools.
Music
Purple Noon by Washed Out. This is some very ambient, somewhat electronic pop. A fitting music for those mellow days to dream of the upcoming summer and destress. I actually bought it as CD, as I am getting back to offline medias. It's simpler to use, more reliable. The sound is better, and I can even resell it once I don't want it anymore. And it can also go on my music library. CDs are very cheap nowadays, sometimes cheaper than the corresponding MP3s.
The Wall by Pink Floyd. What an album! While sometimes on the fringe of too much, it shows an immense creativity and uniqueness. It is at the boundary of mad, but I guess this was a fitting mood at the times. It is the remastered version - I'd be curious to compare the original version. I hadn't listened to it for maybe two decades, so it was really a return to the past for me. It was also a great occasion to hear again why this is such a legendary album.
Let me know if you find those useful!
– Stephane