14th November

1) America’s pre-eminence in online holiday shopping sprees has been trounced by Alibaba, who have sold $9.3 billion worth of merchandise in one day . Here are Five takeaways from Alibaba’s record-busting shopping fest.
2) Pixar president Ed Catmull on how to run a creative business.

3) Very often worth listening to – The Ad industry is ‘over-indexed’ on print, magazines and classic TV in US, so says WPP chief Sir Martin Sorrell.

4) The 30 best people in advertising to follow on Twitter. I’m not on here unfortunately. Maybe next year.

5) Yahoo to buy Brightroll, the video ad platform for $640 Million . The company, flushed with money from the Alibaba IPO, seeks to expand it’s video business.

6) Marvellous – The History of Ideas series is running on Radio 4 – each episode is explained by animations online , here is Simon De Beauvoir on Feminine Beauty.

7) If you are in Vegas for the weekend ( and I know someone who is ) then you could always pop into the Marijuana Convention.

The pot business is starting to develop following legalisation in a number of US states. Here is Vox on the ridiculous profitability of the illegal drugs business (one imagines the legal drugs business won’t be far behind ).

And NYT on the life of a pot critic.

8) Nice spin on the anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down –  Wall Flowers – The Best of Berlin. It divided a city, but the Wall produced great stories and songs, dramas and films.

…and InFocus has an excellent photo collection showing the rise and fall of the wall.

9) Thomas Piketty’s ‘Capital’ wins Business Book of the Year

Capital in the Twenty-First Century, an epic analysis of the roots and consequences of inequality, has been named the 2014 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year.

10) Why Beethoven is the greatest composer of all
His invention and resource never flagged – his Fifth symphony, described … as “the most sublime noise that has ever penetrated into the ear of man” – has an entire structure that is erected based on only four hammerblow notes. His music, especially that composed during his last 10 years, is unique – nothing like it has been composed, nothing ever will…..and he was deaf 

Something(s) for the weekend – 

– Reactvertising – a brilliant video satire on real time marketing.

– All right, get ready. We’re going on the top ten chase scenes of all time.

– An awesome dissection of internet hyperbole from Charlie Brooker.

– Interesting promotional idea? Ten hours of Princess Leia walking the streets of New York.

– 80 spotlights bathe Blenheim Palace in Light and Sound.

– The one that got away – I wouldn’t have given this baby elephant much of a chance against a pride of lions…..