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Why We Love Fake Stories, Perfume That Smells Like Nothing And My Slides From SXSW

Rio-Londoneiro

I spent the early part of this week at SXSW and one of the themes of my talk (see slides here) was our shifting relationship to the truth. I believe we must choose to venture beyond our own media bubbles and seek out information from unfamiliar sources. This week the largest ever study of fake news found … Read more

SXSW Top Trends, Predictably Dumb Companies And Disturbing Problems With Ride Sharing

ingram model

In this recap, there are many stories of companies behaving badly, stupidly or with evil intent. United airlines replaced their employee bonuses. BrewDog launched a painfully bad pink beer for women and MIT found that more than half of  all ridesharing drivers make less than minimum wage. There is hope, though, like the success story of Arby’s … Read more

AI Outperforms Lawyers, Seeking Love With DNA Matches And Google “Right To Be Forgotten”

jane walker

This week you’ll find stories of DNA-based dating to automated agriculture, but there was one that captured my attention most. It relates to the latest report and findings from Google around their four year journey to pore through 2.4 million “right to be forgotten” requests. How can you get something that has been shared online … Read more

StockX Takes On Ebay (And Wins), Predictive Banking And A Surprising Gamble From Moviepass

Emirates - Best Economy

This was a busy week with continuing stories from the Olympics, teens showing leadership, and the launch of a questionably moral new reality show from Netflix. Other stories this week take a deeper look at the potential of predictive banking, the rapid rise of StockX as a competitor to eBay and Emirates wonderful new ad that … Read more

Gender At The Olympics, Diesel Sells Fake Products and Why Apple’s Homepod Is A Bad Buy

The value of branding was questioned in a few stories this week, including one of a perfume store selling scents without the “noise” of marketing or labels and retailer Diesel launching its own store selling knockoffs. Other stories this week feature a fascinating data analysis of what might happen if women and men could compete … Read more

The Disruption Issue: Norway’s Olympic Curling Pants, Saudi Solar And Soap Fetishes

norway curling

This week disruption was the theme in multiple stories featuring everything  from new ASMR videos, to rocket launches to more than one story warning about the downside of technology. The stories remind us that regardless of whether we call these changes disruption or evolution, most of them don’t help everyone equally. There are winners and … Read more

Why Are Icelanders So Creative? Hint – It’s Not Their Environment

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The power of empathy was a big theme this week, in stories from Amnesty International and a “robotherapy” chatbot. Both look at new and interesting ways for us to better understand one another and get help when we most need it. New Survey Reveals Multiple Reasons Why Icelanders Are So Creative A new published study … Read more

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#1 WSJ & USA Today Bestselling Author

In addition to Non-Obvious Thinking, Rohit is the author of 10 books on trends, the future of business, building a more human brand with storytelling and how to create a more diverse and inclusive world.

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