Do we really need a card to validate an Act of Kindness?

I love to read my Springwise weekly newsletter. It meets me right where I need it: in my Gmail inbox. Then, we navigate together through the Internet, tasting bite-size fresh new ideas. Most of the time, these 15 minutes are illuminating, refreshing, kind of a summer shower for my mind. Sometimes though, I read about [...]

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Straight from Iconoculture

Millennials — Young nonbelievers build their own communities WHAT’S HAPPENING Young nonbelievers are coming out of the closet. Instead of hiding their views, they’re meeting to share ideas in campus groups like the Secular Students Alliance and online communities like Friendly Atheist. One in four Americans under age 30 are atheists or agnostics according to [...]

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Holy shit: grilled cheese

This is not a new story, but every time I bump into it, it bothers me just like it did the first time I heard of it, 5 years ago.  I classify this as intellectual harassment: somebody considered paying $28,000 for a grilled sandwich with cheese. Why? I hope: publicity. I refuse to believe the [...]

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To my embarrassment, I was born in bed with a lady

Mee too. But these are Mark Twain’s words. A legendary US character. Some call him the Father of American Literature. Either way you are referring to him, he was and remains a genius. Quite a controversial one, if you know a bit about the culture in the US. Here are some of his juicy thoughts: [...]

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4 to go – advertising in the US

Coca-Cola, HP, McDonald’s, Viagra, Connex/Vodafone, Hilton, Yahoo, ING, Publicis, DDB, and various other brands surrounding us represent my career landmarks. We all have something to point out to when we talk about our jobs. I have my brands.   Nowadays, people refer to my job in many ways: brand strategy, advertising, branding, permission marketing, communications, CRM, digital, [...]

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5 to go – reflections

So, what things pop into my mind when I reflect upon the 6 years spent in US? Plenty — here are some: 1. People, everywhere you look, are driven by the same things: money, sex, safety, food, companionship, fame/recognition. So, they will do whatever they think it’s necessary to achieve any or a combination of [...]

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2nd hand items for rich folks

You may think that there is no such market for rich people … in the end, why would it be? Can they not afford the latest and the greatest? The State of the Art? They certainly can afford all this, but the 2nd hand market for rich does exist and it’s thriving. It’s a matter [...]

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7 to go – the last full Thursday in Chicago

As Albert Einstein said a while ago, “people like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” So do I. But this never stopped me from using Time as a point of reference, to point out different things I accomplished or failed to accomplish. [...]

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Noblesse oblige – Concierge please

Azi am dat “cautare” pe NYTimes.com dupa cuvantul cheie concierge. Au aparut peste 10.000 de articole care mentioneaza cuvantul concierge. Apoi, am dat “cautare” pe Google.com dupa acelasi cuvant cheie. Au aparut 19.300.000 de pagini care mentioneaza cuvantul concierge. Apoi, am facut acelasi lucru pe Google.ro — am inclus doar pagini de internet din Romania. Au aparut 60.300 [...]

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Google, Chicago & Jim Lecinski

One great thing has the power to fascinate us — but how about three? Google, Chicago and Jim Lecinski. I believe you know quite a bit about our dear on-life companion — Google. And you may know a bit about Chicago too. That’s why I want to focus now on Jim Lecinski’s story. Jim is [...]

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