It is 15 days since the new year. I am tempted to ask you how your new year resolutions are holding up. But I wont go there. I would rather tempt you with a fascinating piece I read. Fifty Two fantastic (if not eye popping) stories that I am willing to bet you will enjoy. Sample these. Have you imagined, in this day and age, a restaurant that would take reservations only by post? Or that blue light in Japans metros reducing suicide rates by 84%. How about men who lived through earth-quakes being more prone to take risks whilst women show no such propensity? More questions than we have answers for.
And that is exactly what we need more. Questions. Doubt. Curiosity. For definitive predictions of what the next minute will be like, you have google and your smartphone!
My new year wish and theme of “Play” got some attention with several people writing in saying that it resonated it with them. That feedback helped shape my own conviction in ‘Play’. Speaking of feedback, have you considered the science behind feedback? Did you know participants heart rate jumped as much as 50% during feedback conversations? Well, I didn’t. Do give that a read.
There are three other pieces that I chose for this edition. One on how an Alaskan town was hit by malware. Only then did they realize how much dependent they were on technology. Imagine that happening to one of our big cities!
The other piece was some heartwarming data about how physical books continue to do well. That data brought a smile.
The last piece is about Netflix and its obsession with data. An interesting read. In that very post, there are two specific angles I would request you to train your eyes on, additionally. First, Reed Hastings saying “Leaders like Steve Jobs have a sense of style and what customers seek, but I don’t. We need consumer science to get there.” is something about leadership. Second, the three principles that have stood Amazon in good stead had me arching my eyebrows. That list has ‘Patience’! How prescient.
Hustle but be patient. That is a good message to take home and play with. Perhaps that will help us along with our new year resolutions too. Play on!
Image credits Pixabay
