What is a good brand?

The School of Life's The Book of Life looks at the most substantial things in life: your relationships, your income, your career, your anxieties. Under the theme of capitalism they explore what is a good brand

Essentially a brand is a constellation of qualities, it is a personality in the material realm. It presents a vision of life in a hugely condensed manner via physical objects and services. The bad associations around brand spring from the way that often this vision of life is a little fake, exaggerated or plain daft.
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But a brand doesn’t only symbolise a set of ideas. It makes these ideas reproducible and universal. Brands allow particular qualities to multiply across the world.
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Brands invite the recognition that great things are not usually (actually, practically never) done by individuals acting in heroic isolation. At some point every good idea, every important insight should go through the process of becoming a brand. Because this just means that it should widen its power in the world. And it means other people can join in. The world is in great need of better brands.

This reminds me of a recent post on advertising & the great and wicked troubles of our day

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Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.

Neil Gaiman presents lifetime achievement award to Ursula K. Le Guin at 2014 National Book Awards

For more than forty years, Le Guin has defied conventions of narrative, language, character, and genre, as well as transcended the boundaries between fantasy and realism, to forge new paths for literary fiction. Among the nation’s most revered writers of science fiction and fantasy, Le Guin’s fully imagined worlds challenge readers to consider profound philosophical and existential questions about gender, race, the environment, and society. Her boldly experimental and critically acclaimed novels, short stories, and children’s books, written in elegant prose, are popular with millions of readers around the world.

In recognition of her transformative impact on American literature, Ursula K. Le Guin is the 2014 recipient of the Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. She is the Foundation’s twenty-seventh award recipient.
 

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Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.

Kurt Vonnegut on how to write a short story

Advice from Vonnegut, because today everything is storytelling. 

Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.

The Week's Links: February 6, 2015

ALL THE LINKS POSTED ON SOCIAL NETWORKS THIS WEEK:

  • Harper Lee's Novel Achievement- Smithsonian owl.li/IqJqJ
  • The Chipotle effect: Why America is obsessed with fast casual food owl.li/IrWmd
  • Economists Say Millennials Should Consider Careers In Trades owl.li/IqI5g
  • Combining The Nation's Digitized Libraries, All In One Place owl.li/IrVuJ
  • Super Bowl halftime show review: A professional dance critic defends “Bad Left Shark” owl.li/IrXTJ
  • When Does Freezing Rain Become Sleet? owl.li/IqJzY
  • Why are some people left-handed? - Daniel M. Abrams owl.li/IqHHw
  • Babies as young as 13 months can follow complex social interactions owl.li/IqHBQ
  • ◉ Schopenhauer on Genius owl.li/Im6Wl
  • Your Creative Calendar: 65 Things To Do, See, and Hear This February owl.li/IqBor
  • 15 Predictions for Tech and Design in 2015 owl.li/Inn4F
  • How An Intergalactic "Powers Of 10" Inspired The iPad's Most Beautiful New App owl.li/Iq142
  • ◉ Grace Hopper: The Queen of Code - smartercreativity.com/blog/2015/2/3/…
  • New Research May Solve a Mystery Behind Shakespeare’s Sonnets owl.li/InmJa
  • The Selling of the Avocado owl.li/InZ6p
  • Google Brain’s Co-Inventor Tells Why He’s Building Chinese Neural Networks owl.li/Inn8I
  • The Importance of Being on Time (and Why We Often Run Late) owl.li/IqHVG
  • Former Executive Shares The Secrets To How Disney Runs Its Empire owl.li/ImIi2
  • The Untold Story Of Shake Shack's $1.6 Billion Branding owl.li/ImI2M
  • ◉ The Washington Ballet's hardest dance moves, in slow motion owl.li/Im6pe
  • It's official: the FCC will seek to reclassify the internet as a utility. "The internet must be fast, fair and open." owl.li/Ivzyg
  • If Your Boss Thinks You’re Awesome, You Will Become More Awesome owl.li/Imovs
  • ◉ Recommended: Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age - smartercreativity.com/recommendation…
  • A Chronological Compendium of Watches owl.li/Imgrl
  • 7 Captivating Motion Graphics Designs owl.li/ImikH
  • ◉ A Dance Break - smartercreativity.com/blog/2015/2/3/…
  • Map: If the size of countries reflected their populations owl.li/Imgi4
  • Privacy vs. Policy: What Does the End of the Cookie Mean? owl.li/ImgBQ
  • Chipotle: The Definitive Oral History owl.li/ImOHn
  • Some Faces Just Get Away With Stuff owl.li/ImgwB
  • Seven Habits Of Organized People owl.li/ImeoC
  • How "In Living Color" led to the modern Super Bowl halftime show  owl.li/Im9y6
  • Why Super Bowl ads never live up to the hype owl.li/IlTFE
  • ◉ Massimo Vignelli: A Collection of Experiences owl.li/Im64a
  • Are we ready for companies that run themselves? owl.li/Im1A6
  • Posters Against Ebola- all proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders owl.li/IlTa0
  • Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, and Music Superstars Sing a Fantastic A Capella Version of Queen’s ‘We Are the Champions’ owl.li/IlXS8
  • ◉ Is the secret to a good algorithm human input? -  smartercreativity.com/blog/2015/2/3/…
  • The Creativity Top 5: Super Bowl Edition owl.li/IqBgx
  • How much should you charge for design? owl.li/IlSIf
  • Harper Lee's newly discovered To Kill a Mockingbird sequel will be published this summer owl.li/Iq1ep
  • TED Radio Hour: What We Fear owl.li/IlXC1
  • Words of Wisdom for Photographers by Renowned Photojournalist Steve McCurry owl.li/IlUe4
  • The Science Behind Baking Your Ideal Chocolate Chip Cookie owl.li/Ijr7z
  • The '90s Startup That Terrified Microsoft and Got Americans to Go Online owl.li/IjhIo
  • ◉ The Cult of Busy owl.li/Im5Fx
  • Making Complex Decisions: A Masterclass with Lawrence Summers owl.li/IiJpM
  • East Asia's Massive Urban Growth, in 5 Infographics owl.li/Ij700
  • ◉ Recommended: Redesigning Leadership (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life) - smartercreativity.com/recommendation…
  • Fantastic: Vintage Logos - an album on Flickr owl.li/IfCjL
  • Can a test measure your imagination skills? owl.li/Ij28E
  • ◉ Inside a Camera at 10,000fps - smartercreativity.com/blog/2015/2/2/…
  • Instagrammers discover front-page NYT placement by chance owl.li/IeHhI
  • What the World Will Speak in 2115 owl.li/IiQwJ
  • ‘Star Wars’ Never Would Have Happened Without This Dedicated Individual… owl.li/Ikuya
  • How Cadbury lost the right to sell its own chocolate in the US owl.li/IiJCf
  • The Best and Worst Super Bowl Ads of 2015 owl.li/Ikus0
  • Breathtaking Paper Figure Sculptures and Geometric Origami by Richard Sweeney owl.li/IeGdq
  • Early Japanese Animations: The Origins of Anime (1917-1931) owl.li/IeAii
  • MIT Students Redesign The How-To Video, In 4 Easy Steps owl.li/Ibcjg
  • A Brief History of the Buffalo Chicken Wing owl.li/Ij35j
  • Breath: A Stunning New Collection Film Exploring How We Breathe owl.li/IbaAd
  • Football’s Trailblazing History of Live TV Production - Timeline.com - owl.li/IiJTA
  • Revealed: Facebook’s Project to Find Out What People Really Want in Their News Feed owl.li/Ie0Dk
  • The Best and Worst Super Bowl Ads of the Last Half-Decade owl.li/IbajH
  • How, and Why, Apple Overtook Microsoft - NYTimes.com owl.li/IdJKn
  • AP's 'robot journalists' are writing their own stories now owl.li/IeGZO
  • This Drone Ambulance Is Totally Wild, And Totally Inevitable owl.li/IdH5p
  • Amazing: Incredible Footage of Oranges Being Exploded by Fireworks Filmed at 62,000 Frames Per Second owl.li/Ib2XC
  • These Are the States Where People Live Longest owl.li/Ib12P
  • New Swift Development Courses Available on iTunes U owl.li/IaNyr
  • Why Your Coffee Addiction Isn’t So Bad for You owl.li/Ib0YO
  • BBC News - Future of News: News v Noise owl.li/IasQk
  • 50 Must See TED Talks about Creativity and Design owl.li/IaZZb
  • Scientists have found a way to ‘unboil’ eggs – and it could be a life-saver owl.li/IaiU0
  • Portland's New Pipes Harvest Power From Drinking Water owl.li/IaZv6
  • A New Story From Neil Gaiman....on Chipotle Cups owl.li/IaYx9
  • Skip the fairy tales, and tell your daughter science bedtime stories owl.li/Ib33R
  • Five Futuristic Musical Instruments That Are Now Real owl.li/I7lL9
  • NASA's Kepler Discovers Ancient Solar System With Five Earth-Like Planets owl.li/I7lB3
  • ◉ Gretchen Rubin: The 4 Ways to Successfully Adopt New Habits owl.li/HQc4L
  • The Coast Guard’s Most Potent Weapon During Prohibition? Codebreaker Elizabeth Friedman owl.li/I7lt8
  • A Scientist’s Defense of Free Will owl.li/I2X2z
  • Shutting Down New York’s Subways Is Very Expensive - NYTimes.com owl.li/I3vbJ
  • A Coffee Cup Designed to Let Astronauts Sip Espresso in Space owl.li/I2qEz
  • Literary Moments on TV owl.li/I32Ez
  • Carnegie Hall to Mark 125th Anniversary in 2015-16 Season owl.li/I7HBW
  • Australian Stories Capture 10,000-Year-Old Climate History owl.li/I2Xas

Antonio Ortiz

Antonio Ortiz has always been an autodidact with an eclectic array of interests. Fascinated with technology, advertising and culture he has forged a career that combines them all. In 1991 Antonio developed one of the very first websites to market the arts. It was text based, only available to computer scientists, and increased attendance to the Rutgers Arts Center where he had truly begun his professional career. Since then Antonio has been an early adopter and innovator merging technology and marketing with his passion for art, culture and entertainment. For a more in-depth look at those passions, visit SmarterCreativity.com.

Grace Hopper: The Queen of Code

The FiveThirtyEight Signals Series

You probably don’t know the name Grace Hopper, but you should.
As a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy, Hopper worked on the first computer, the Harvard Mark 1. And she headed the team that created the first compiler, which led to the creation of COBOL, a programming language that by the year 2000 accounted for 70 percent of all actively used code. Passing away in 1992, she left behind an inimitable legacy as a brilliant programmer and pioneering woman in male-dominated fields. 
Hopper’s story is told in “The Queen of Code,” directed by Gillian Jacobs (of “Community” fame). It’s the latest film in FiveThirtyEight’s “Signals” series.