Friends of Dave #64: A Little Birdhouse in Your Soul
More snow + March Madness + St. Patrick's Day = CRAZIEST. WEEK. EVER.
Interesting times we live in these days....have you noticed that no longer is it enough to have simple snow showers or snow storms? We now have blizzards (and not like the ones that were named after a year in the old days, but ones that are named after actual people). During the winter on the East Coast, every snow event seems to be referred to as a Nor'easter. And when those aren't big enough to get your attention, we now have something called bomb cyclones.
The same holds true with our health too. Have the sniffles? What? The common cold? Are you kidding? Of course, there is nothing common about us and how crappy we feel in that moment. We are special. It must be a sinus infection. It's no longer a headache -- it's a migraine. Sore throat? Try strep throat. Or maybe it's some unique strain of the flu. And whatever it is, simple aspirin or cold medicine will not be good enough.....what we need are some antibiotics.
And it doesn't stop there....at work people can no longer simply be busy. We are back-to-back, slammed, jammed or swamped. At school our kids are either gifted or disabled.
In this spirit of us living in the age of hyperbole, Friends of Dave, not only was I slammed this week with work, we got crushed by a crazy Nor'easter that dumped like 2 feet of snow, one of my kids got food poisoning which made Tuesday night the night from hell, I think I may have severe early stage bronchitis and on top of it all, the team I picked to win it all in my March Madness brackets just got annihilated. And then, on top of it all, this weekend is St. Patrick's Day...Can you say: Craziest. Week. Ever?
So, as you can imagine, that's all I got for you in the preamble. Did manage to find some good stuff for you below, so definitely check them out. Also, if you have a chance, highly recommend catching the documentary series Dirty Money on Netflix -- provocative, in-depth looks at various types of corruption and misdeeds in business. Well worth your time.
Have a great weekend.
XOXO
Dave
2 To Get You Thinking...
Say goodbye to the information age: it's all about reputation now — aeon.co
We are moving from an age where access to information was important towards the ‘reputation age’, in which information will have value only if it is already filtered, evaluated and commented upon by others. Reputation is becoming a central pillar of collective intelligence today.
Creative freedom can turn people into entitled jerks — work.qz.com
It's a slippery slope: employees are more likely to be innovative and enthusiastic when they know that they’re in charge of their own destinies. Yet, they still need to be reminded of the ramifications of their work.
4 For Your Day Job...
Take Notice: WeWork is Becoming a Platform — www.cbinsights.com
WeWork has been expanding aggressively at home and abroad and pursuing diverse investments that have raised eyebrows. It's real-estate-as-a-service offering and trove of data on optimal office design is making the company’s value prop far more than a marketing ploy. It's transforming itself into a platform.
The World’s Fastest-Growing Economy? Ghana Contends for the Crown — www.nytimes.com
Mired in poverty not long ago, Ghana’s economic growth is projected growth in 2018 is between 8.3 and 8.9 percent -- putting it at the top of the list of the world's fastest growing economies, including India. Opportunities in telecom, agriculture, finance and health care abound in this West African nation -- good read.
Silicon Valley venture capitalists will not be riding to the rescue of the American midwest's startups anytime soon — qz.com
If the Rust Belt wants to bail out its economy, almost all the early-stage investment is likely to be local. “[Capital] is the one thing this ecosystem is missing,” Kvamme admitted.
Silicon Valley and Mayberry are having trouble aligning, no matter how good the innovation is.
Why drugmakers want your health records — www.businessinsider.com
"You can have a big debate about whose data it is - the patient's, the government's, the insurer's - but one thing for sure is the pharmaceutical company does not own it. So there's no choice but to do partnerships," Schwan said.
If you don't believe this is going to be a huge initiative for drug companies in the immediate future, I invite you to watch Dirty Money Episode 3 -- Drug Short.
3 Random Ones...
The Enduring Appeal of They Might Be Giants — www.theatlantic.com
To grow and survive requires change; it also requires keeping the nightlight on in the birdhouse in your soul.
In my opinion, it's really nobody's business but the Turks....
The History of The Coffee Cup Lid — www.atlasobscura.com
It's both art and a modern marvel.
How to Make a Clock Run for 10,000 Years — www.wired.com
Alexa, how much money does someone need to accumulate to think think this is a good idea?
And The Last Word....
Visualization of Global Cargo Ships — www.shipmap.org
Click on this incredible animated and interactive data visualization of global commercial shipping routes, created by Kiln for the UCL Energy Institute. Very cool in of itself, but also cool because it shows how advancement in data visualization platforms and the abundance of data itself is being used to allow people to quickly synthesize information.