24th May 2020
An alternative perspective on (the ending of) confinement, from The Economist – ‘Yet, in myriad ways, confinement will continue as it always does. Alarms ring at the start of the day, and watches are strapped on, to submit to the limits of time. Bodies are roped with belts and ties, forced into unkind shoes and crammed into the narrow bounds of buses and tubes. Children, brushed and tidied, are packed off to school. And this, of course, is the daily round that many have been pining for.‘ (reg may be necessary).
At the end of Mental Health Awareness week, which also included World Meditation Day, a few related pieces 1) Described as “next generation meditation that unfolds like a beautiful dream”, GABA is a unique mashup of soundscapes, storytelling, and meditation; 2) How visual communication can help with mental health; and 3) love this proposition from Mary Portas : Welcome to The Kindness Economy.
‘Whiteboarding the New Rules.’ Writing a new workplace culture when there’s no workplace. ‘Hard to leave with any doubt that things aren’t going to be the same again. This is obviously consequential. When Glassdoor ask the elements of a job that most appeal to candidates workplace culture comes top, higher than leadership, pay, career development and work-life balance….and related – ‘The Office Is Dead. Get ready for the commercial real estate apocalypse.’
Is there a new ranking or value system for holding companies and public figures accountable? Did They Help?, an independent watchdog website that keeps a running record of brands’ good and bad deeds, seeks to provide this.
Really like this perspective. Are video calls good for equality?
From NoTosh. ‘The learning that students around the world are doing now is not optimal and, ordinarily, we wouldn’t choose it – notwithstanding its unintended benefits – so why are we calling the learning “remote” or “online” rather than “crisis”?’
‘As advertisers continue to eschew outdoor campaigns during quarantine time, a new global outdoor initiative from the U.K.’s Grand Visual and Talon Outdoor, is utilising unused billboard space across the world for a user-generated campaign. #sendinglove.
‘The time to beat is now less than 26 hours. A sub 28-hour Cannonball Run was once unthinkable.’ America’s most illegal record has been obliterated.
If we are going to be eating out, then we are going to be eating differently. Here are some new dining formats for the (near) future.
‘Rain on rooftops, crunching gravel: the strange appeal of ‘Slow Audio’. First there was slow TV – now radio and podcasts are getting in on the act with ambient recordings of forest walks and bird calls.’
When we need to be at home or perhaps, now, travelling less extensively; this fabulous Outside Stimulator, is a godsend. Crowded or remote, the choice is yours.
The New Influencers, are heroes of the front line.
Love this piece from the BBC (HT @neilperkin) Tsundoku: The art of buying books and never reading them. So true.
Vimeo Pick of The Week – Quarantine – A tale of confinement (3’33”) ‘Puberty is a peculiar time, characterised by enormous changes, insecurities and questionable choices. Now imagine if you add a global virus to the mix.’
From Marketoonist. Communicating in a crisis (Hey, where’s your face mask?)
We Are Social finds new meaning for Home in IKEA’s anti-homophobia drive. ‘For those who do not always feel welcome.‘