As I have been missing in action for two weeks, instead of focusing on just one topic, I have listed below some things that have caught my attention the past few days:
1. FIFA's latest scandal
Somehow FIFA continues to let down millions of football fans by being corrupt and selfish. Good news is that Mr. Blatter has just resigned. Millions of people got their Christmas present early this year. The video by John Oliver above is a must watch in my opinion. This John Oliver guy is funny.
2. YouTube's TrueView for shopping
YouTube is incorporating it's Google shopping platform directly within YouTube. Click to buy ads have existed on YouTube for some time, but consumers were redirected to the advertiser's own e-commerce site. Cutting this out improves the user experience and makes buying seamless on YouTube. We move one step closer to buying using our thoughts!
3. Lego develops Minecraft video game
Lego takes on Minecraft by developing its own virtual world game. In my opinion, Lego is one toy maker that gets it. They have been able to maintain their popularity with kids when so many others have struggled (like Mattel) and this is one reason why. They are not afraid to embrace technology and jump on trends. Imagine building a Lego city offline and being able to bring it online (or vice-versa). The synergy and potential to grow the business further are just too big to ignore at this point and Lego is looking to capitalize and remain relevant.
4. The key to success? Grit
Although not new news, I only learned about this video while attending my son's school orientation this past week. I thought the video was very interesting. I guess we all intuitively already know this. The world is full of so many self-made men and women who persevere and become successful. Now we have some data to prove that this common trait is not IQ, not EQ, not even luck. Rather, it is GRIT. Now, how to teach our kids to become gritty? Easier said than done. In a world that is rapidly becoming interconnected and global, kids are growing up with less obstacles and challenges in their way. How to teach kids to continue to fight their way through resistance and failure when there is no resistance to fight against?
These are the four main things that have caught my attention this week. As usual, there are so many things going on in the world, so many things to learn.Any thing else that I should take note of? Happy to hear your thoughts.