26th April 2020
Wonderful. From The Guardian. ‘In celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday and in partnership with Shakespeare’s Globe we invited the general public to join leading actors in performing three of Shakespeare’s iconic speeches from their place of quarantine: As You Like It, Hamlet and The Tempest.’ More than 500 people from around the world contributed. The Globe (along with many theatres) is in a dire position, as a result of the current crisis. If you would like, you can donate here to help secure its future.
Worth a look – the Covid-19 Ecommerce Impact Report. A week-over-week analysis of the crisis. Information displayed on an interactive, scrolling infographic.
By Bill Gates – ‘The First Modern Pandemic’. Full length version hereand condensed opinion piece in the Washington Post, here. ‘ World War II was the defining moment of my parents’ generation. Similarly, the coronavirus pandemic—the first in a century—will define this era. But there is one big difference between a world war and a pandemic: All of humanity can work together to learn about the disease and develop the capacity to fight it.’
Wunderman Thompson’s Intelligence briefing for April is chock full on interesting stuff. Reports include – ‘the new language of advertising’, ‘social media metamorphosis’, ‘Gen Z: Coming of age in a pandemic’ and ‘Digital Lives’. This very ‘on-brand’ initiative from Airbnb is from the latter – ‘Virtual tourists can ‘travel’ via Zoom to meditate with Buddhist monks in Japan, visit with the dogs of Chernobyl and cook with a Moroccan family in Marrakech.’ (“Human connection is at the core of what we do” – Head of Airbnb Experiences).
Like this initiative from (friend of The Filter) Hills Balfour and the World Travel and Tourism Council.’#TogetherInTravel. Let’s show our love for the industry and keep wanderlust alive.’
Futurist Gerd Leonhard is coming into his own at the moment. Here he has ’12 bullets, essential Post-Corona foresights’. ‘It brings out the best and worst in us.’
From the Future of Storytelling (FOST). ‘Are we living in a Margaret Atwood novel? Atwood is famous for her gripping works of dystopian fiction, and on the new episode of the Future of StoryTelling podcast, she discusses her inspiration for creating such fictional worlds and how we can all benefit from engaging with them.’
From Techcrunch. ‘Forget the calendar invite. Just jump into a conversation. That’s the idea powering a fresh batch of social startups, led by Clubhouse, poised to take advantage of our cleared schedules amidst quarantine. But they could also change the way we work and socialise long after COVID-19 by bringing the free-flowing, ad-hoc communication of parties and open office plans online.’
Supernatural is an immersive, virtual reality fitness experience that combines music, coaches, destinations and movements into a home workout. ‘Exercise in the most beautiful places on earth, without leaving your home.‘
Time for this year’s Marketing Technology Landscape Supergraphic (2020). Now over 8,000 solutions. Worth looking back at the first one in 2011, when there were 650.
Lovely piece on the great David Gentleman, from Creative Review, as he publishes a new book on London, to coincide with his 90th birthday. He speaks about his lengthy career and the stories behind his work, including his Penguin book covers and platform-length Underground mural.
Good news for cyclists (and pollution). Milan announces ambitious scheme to reduce car use after lockdown
The Secret of Scooby-Doo’s Enduring Appeal. ‘So we watch—and our kids watch, and eventually their kids will watch—four so-called teenagers and their Great Dane roam the countryside, pulling the mask off some fraudulent phantom or counterfeit creeper. They’ll be headed for your local multiplex soon enough. And fear not: They won’t ever really leave…’
Sharing my recent, personal post that I hope may prove interesting and helpful. Mindfulness in the time of the virus.
Finally, I’ve not shared much from Maria Popova’s wonderful Brainpickings for a while. This poem from Marie Howe is a wonderful discovery. ‘The poem (Singularity, after Stephen Hawking) is… a stunning meditation on the interconnectedness of belonging across space and time, across selves and species, across the myriad artificial unbelongings we have manufactured as we have drifted further and further from our elemental nature. Its closing line is an invocation, an incantation, ending with a timeless word of staggering resonance today: Home.