Well, I took a couple of weeks off from the top five for obvious reasons, but I’m baaaack! And a crazy week in the news it has been.
Groupon is closing a $950MM round of funding (prepping for an IPO, is my guess) and Goldman Sachs invested $450MM in Facebook (prepping for an IPO to beat Groupon to the punch, is my guess). Can anyone hear that? It’s the bubble stretching. Hear it?
Anyway…let’s get to the really good stuff for the week.
5. Homeless Man with the Golden Voice. If you haven’t yet seen the video of Ted Williams, a homeless ex-disc jockey, it’s a must watch. Since the voice sensation hit the airwaves, he’s been offered a job with the Cavaliers AND it was just announced Kraft has hired him to do voice overs. Watch the video (click here, if you can’t see it in your feed). You’ll get it.
4. Rise of the Image Man. I’m often asked why we named our blog Spin Sucks. Well, this story that Justin Goldsborough sent me on the sly (so as not to increase their social media stats) describes perfectly our issue. Since the inception of the public relations industry, people have considered us “spin doctors” and this Economist article does nothing to help dissuade that perception. I’m disgusted. You’ll hear more from me about this.
3. Is There Really Any Hope for Paid Digital Content? I’ve had this blog post from Mark Schaefer open all week because it really has me thinking (I disagree) and I want to take some time to thoughtfully craft a response. His argument is that no one will pay for digital content and he provides a pretty compelling case. See what you think.
2. J.K. Rowling On Failure and Imagination. Early this week, Jonathan Fields did a recap of J.K. Rowling’s 2008 Harvard commencement speech as a reminder of how we can each bring ideas to their full capability. You may have watched it a couple of years ago, but it’s worth revisiting.
1. How French Laundry’s Chefs Reach for the Stars. I’m a huge foodie. I’ve eaten in nearly every Michelin-rated restaurant in the country (except for the French Laundry) and I’m obsessed with the science behind how food is created and how unusual combinations make a nearly orgasmic food experience. So when I found this article, as a sneak peak into how Thomas Keller runs his ship, I devoured it. If you like food or fashion yourself a foodie, you’ll enjoy this article.
Have a great weekend!