Friends of Dave #115: Lo/Hi
Snow, stomach flu and Michael Jackson were enough to leave me queasy....
Friends, I think I really jinxed myself last week by pontificating about us all having to deal with being uncomfortable. Among other things, the universe rewarded me with a snow day on Monday, a bout of 24 hour stomach flu to follow and some gut wrenching viewings of the multi-part HBO documentary Leaving Neverland.....definitely put me to the test...thanks universe!
Not going to comment too much about the specifics of the film itself. I think for most people, on the surface it didn't report much that wasn't already suspected about Michael Jackson. However, the level of detail and the clear patterns of alleged odd, disturbing and sustained predatory, abusive behavior was pretty unsettling.
What I am finding more intriguing is how steadfast hardcore Michael Jackson fans have been in their defense of him and in reaction to the allegations in the film. Launching vicious threats against those involved in the movie, these fans are quick attack anyone who supports the notion that what was depicted in the film may actually be true. Unsurprisingly, social media is playing a central role in all of the backlash.
I know that people have always been relentless in support of their beliefs. But it is a bit scary to witness how easy it can be for people to convince themselves to ignore plausible evidence that may be contrary to those beliefs. And it is even scarier to see how quickly supporters can mobilize with a gang-like mentality to vilify those who, regardless of who may have been the perpetrator, have the courage to publicly come forward and claim to have been victims of an injustice.
We seem to be seeing this scenario happening a lot these days, don't we? I guess I wonder what will happen when we find out that those that have been elevated to god-like status ultimately turn out to be nothing but a smooth criminal? I know, it's enough to make you sick...
Got a bunch of solid articles for you this week -- couple long reads, but on the most part they will be easily digested. I have to say the Last Word piece about Disney and the investment they are making in creating a "realistic" Star Wars themed world at their parks was a bit mind blowing for me (and I am not a huge Star Wars fan by any stretch). Also managed to slip in a little something for the music fans as well....
And don't forget: SPRING FORWARD!
XOXO
Dave
Think on These to Start...
Are You Addicted to Doing? Running around getting things done is always better, right? Wrong. Have you tried lowering your speed limit?
The Religion of Workism Is Making Americans Miserable
Our desks were never meant to be our altars.
For the college-educated elite, work has morphed into a religious identity—promising transcendence and community, but failing to deliver.
3 For Your Day Job...
The future of finance will be female.
Perhaps alpha is rare because alpha males are mostly in charge of generating it. The seminal (no pun intended) study of male versus female investors showed that women had better results than men. What if the way to reverse the shift to passive investing is by giving more women the chance to manage money?
As usual, a provocative, important POV here from 13D Research.
Why All B2B Brands Will Act Like Media Companies in the Next 5 Years
In a world with unlimited competition for attention, you must find a way to deliver value to your customer before they ever make it to your product pitch.
You and your company (or for some of you, your portfolio companies) need to radically start to embrace the media model when it comes to promoting services or risk being left behind. The train has already left the station. This is a great primer on how companies can immerse themselves in valuable content creation.
You may have heard this week that Mark Zuckerberg posted thoughts about how he plans to make privacy a much bigger priority at Facebook. This is a pretty good analysis of his strategy for those who are interested in the topic and do not want to read the entire Zuckerberg missive.
A Quick Musical Interlude...
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
Ode to The People Who Eat the Same Lunch Every Day
We all have at least one of these people in our lives....
Someone in Canada Is Selling a Collection of 55 Vintage VW Buses for $350,000
Apparently someone in Canada may also need some money to support their weed habit...
Breakdancing At The 2024 Paris Olympics? Here's Why It Makes Perfect Sense
If this happens, no doubt you can expect a follow up Netflix docuseries on it called Breakin' Deux: Olympic Bugaloo....
No, this is not an Onion article, PBR lovers. Sadly, this is real.
And The Last Word....
How Disney Built Star Wars, in real life — techcrunch.com
Absolutely fascinating look at the not-so-distant future for theme parks and vacation experiences, where our full immersion into (and active participation in) alternate virtual realities will be expected. The amount of thought, strategy, and planning around customer experience can be applied to most other businesses as well.
HEADS UP: this is a long read, but well worth it if you have the time, even if you are not a Star Wars fan (you can easily skip past the geeky fan stuff).