To Err is Human
I’m sure by now even those who weren’t participating in any drinking games or office pools involved with this year’s Oscars have heard of the awkward snafu that ensued when the wrong winner was announced for the biggest prize of the night.
Jokes about “La-La Land” winning the popular vote and “Moonlight” winning the general election quickly abounded on the streets of social media, but what the whole thing highlighted for me is just how many things we do the old fashioned way just for the sake of ceremony.Think about it…this could have all been avoided if we took upgradable components such as envelopes and human beings out of the equation as much as possible.
Here’s my suggestion: next time instead of trying to keep track of 54 individual pieces of paper specifying the winners of each category, just read the winners from a screen or something incorporated into the platform. It works in pretty much every other forum…not even Alex Trebek reads from cards any more, and doing what he does 5 days a week for the last ever, I’m sure he knows a good system when he sees one.
Give it Away
If you’re reading this, you know I’m obsessed with shiny new gadgets, and I love sharing them with others almost as much as I love the moment where the latest smiling box brings me another toy. That’s why I’ve scoured the Internet to find some of the coolest tech giveaways for our next NetVU event, because I know my readers could always use something new to plug in.
For example, you might think you’re happy with a home full of standard picture frames, but that’s because you don’t know about Iris Frames yet. These next gen display devices allow you to manage and add pictures to its screen from anywhere in the world, which is great for making people jealous with vacation pictures remotely.
Another great little product is the Boombit, a Bluetooth speaker you can actually wear with modern Earth clothing…I mean, sure, there have been speakers that have claimed you can wear them around before, but you’d need one of these giant Shakespeare collars or a stiff-necked Dracula cape to hold it up for longer than it took to get a picture for the ad.
Boombit finally delivers on the ultra-portable Bluetooth promise, so stay tuned for more information about winning one or getting your hands on a free Iris Frame just for caring.
I <3 Warren Buffett
No, not just because his nephew is the legendary Jimmy Buffett (although it certainly doesn’t hurt his overall appeal). I dig his perspective because he has a unique way of looking at the world that I have to assume has driven his success throughout his career in big-time finance.
For instance, he—more specifically his wife—decides what to order at the Mickey D’s drive-thru based on how the market is performing at the time. If growth is slow or down he’ll keep it to the dollar menu, but things are looking bullish he’ll lay out for the Biscuit, Egg and Cheese sandwich for a little over 3 bucks.
Is it a bit eccentric for a billionaire to be counting pennies at a fast-food joint? That’s up for debate…but the guy is one of the foremost minds in the industry, so who the heck am I to argue with his economic choices?
Besides, he’s also a compelling character overall, donating his entire 40 billion+ fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation among other philanthropic works that are less publicized. As you might expect, the movie on the man is a pretty fascinating watch, and anybody with an appreciation for uncommonly wired people should make an effort to check it out.
Your Filthy Phone
When’s the last time you cleaned your smartphone? I can’t think of anything else in most people’s possession that we expose to more germ-filled environments and then happily put on the sides of our faces.
I’m glad smartphones didn’t exist when I was a teenager, I’m sure my acne would have been way worse and it would have killed my chances on 80s’ Tinder.
Anyway, if I successfully made you give your soiled smartphone a sideways glance with this segment, here’s a Wall Street Journal article about making it clean again.
The Last Word
Another fun week of “Brad’s Blog” in the books…life is good. Thanks as always to everyone who continues to make time for my weekly dose of unbridled and unapologetic geekiness disguised as corporate outreach. I’ll be back in your inbox before half a fortnight, but until then feel free to shoot me an email if you want to chat, complain or connect!