The world’s most… The top X… The most unique… The most phenomenal… If the popularity of sites like Deputy Dog is anything to go by, we seem particularly drawn to such lists.

I wonder why this is so? The characteristics seem to be:

A list is involved.
The content is something fun/curious to look at; to be consumed and disposed …

About 400 years ago, some humans on the other side of the planet made this rude giant at Cerne Abbas.

A few days ago, some other humans near where I live made this in a carpark (not quite at the same scale).

Penguin has a series of books with blank white covers. You can design your own covers. Express yourself. Turn one into a unique gift and so forth.

Some customers will enjoy this level of customisation and participation. So how can you adapt this to your business?

Many examples exist in the tangible products world – you can buy “draw on me” versions of mugs, mouse mats, t-shirts …

“[America has] two values: How much can a man consume for the highest possible price, and how much can he produce for the possible pay?” said the character Chambord in Robert Ludlum’s The Paris Option (by Robert Ludlum and Gayle Lynds).

This is likely true of all Western civilisations, including Australia.

We get paid less and less to do more and more work. And yet at the same time, we …

Two interesting videos. Two different messages.

From Stilgherrian’s post: The tyranny of the ideal:

Design idealised processes, safely away from the people doing the work. You are the consultant, you know best.

Idealised processes make great flowcharts to present to the board (the people paying your fees) – especially when you remove the messiness that is humanity. Yuck.

Implement the process. They, the people doing the work, will take it (or leave). More …

The behaviour:

Jerks are in every work place.

Jerks get noticed.

Brazen charm is often mistaken for intelligence.

Dominant behaviour is mistaken as competence.

“We think of these people as deserving even more status…”

“…if you need to establish your position in the office, then glaring at people, maybe insulting them, maybe fighting are actually going to be quite constructive…”

The benefits:

Better opportunities for promotions.

More power and glory.

Public adoration.

Dr. Maccoby finds that the most revered …

I gave a talk this week to several hundred high school students at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research where the Eating Disorders Foundation had their Youth Forum. My talk was about body image – specifically how fantasies are literally manufactured in the media, advertising and the fashion industry.

Eating disorders aside, there is no doubt that being constantly bombarded with impossible and unattainable ideals will negatively affect self …

If you haven’t noticed, there’s currently a spate of spam or PC intrusion attempts using emails disguised as ecard notifications. You know, the ones that say “you have received an ecard” with a link to click on. Which presumably then causes trojan horses and all sorts of other nasties to be installed on your PC.

This is so sad. Ecards were a great way to keep in touch with …

Smart Company posted this:

Can’t afford to give your staff a pay rise? Boost their egos instead with a significant sounding title. … it could well result in them getting a better job with more pay somewhere else!

Good grief. How much more dishonest and superficial can you get?!!! I can’t believe they seem to be endorsing this behaviour. So much for being “Smart” if they were…