Rohit Bhargava's Blog, page 25

3 Fun Examples of Non-Obvious Halloween Creativity to Share

Today is Halloween and a new survey suggests that for nearly half of all Americans, it’s their favorite holiday of the year. Amidst all the candy gathering and costume making, there are a lot of people and brands who use the day as a chance to put some stellar creative ideas out into the world. In honor of that I thought I’d share a few of my favorite examples here.

Since 2010, comedian and motivational speaker Josh Sundquist has been sharing images of his viral Halloween costumes that ta...

Victoria’s Secret Brought Back Their Runway Show as an Example of How They’ve Changed. Did It Work?

Six years ago, Victoria’s Secret shelved their popular runway show after significant blowback from media and consumers alike who felt the show was objectifying women. Since then, the brand has had to go through leadership changes and significant soul searching about what it stood for. This week they brought back their runway show in an attempt to “reflect who we are today, plus everything you know and love.” The show had some notable changes, including featuring more plus-sized models and leavin...

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz

In Four Lost Cities, science journalist Annalee Newitz takes readers on a journey to explore the rise and fall of four ancient cities: the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in Central Turkey, the Roman vacation town of Pompeii on Italy’s southern coast, the medieval megacity of Angkor in Cambodia, and the indigenous metropolis Cahokia, which stood beside the Mississippi River.

For any fan of historical non-fiction or futurist works, Four Lost Cities brings both together in a unique way by expl...

New Zealand Airport Institutes 3-Minute Hug Limit When Dropping Off

New Zealand’s Dunedin Airport launched a sign that limits the time you can hug someone to say goodbye in an effort to ease airport traffic congestion. It went predictably viral, with people calling the sign and rule behind it “inhumane” while sharing it widely. All those detractors might be missing the point. This is clearly an example of the old PR adage that any attention is good attention since the world is now talking about an airport in the otherwise often forgotten, second largest city on ...

Mail In Voting, Ballots and the Truth About Voting Transparency in America

I already voted. Millions of Americans have too. In Virginia, you can register to vote by absentee ballot and just mail in your vote early. The majority of states have similar mail-in options for voters. I do that in every election. No standing in line. No awkward conversations with pollsters asking how I voted. Just fill in the ballot and mail it. Yet, some people are afraid to vote this way, and this fear is being manipulated by stories about how showing up in person is the “safest” way to mak...

What Funny Wildlife Photos Can Teach Us About Life

If you have ever gone out with a camera to try and capture animals in the wild doing something interesting, you might have felt that moment of elation when you manage to capture the magic moment. Once in a while, that image might even be something funny.

This week, the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards announced their range of finalists and the choices are exactly as fun as you would hope. The rules of the competition say there is no digital manipulation of AI editing allowed, prom...

Student Caught Using AI, So His Parents Sued School. This is Why It Matters …

“Parents sue school after son gets punished for using AI on class project.” That’s the short summary of a story trending this week about Massachusetts-based Jennifer and Dale Harris who are suing their son’s school claiming the student handbook “failed to clarify when AI could be used appropriately.”

The story is a symbol of a confusing reality playing out in schools across the world. What’s the right way to use AI in classrooms and when (if at all) should it be banned? It also intersects...

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: A Kids Book About Diwali by Chhavi Arya Bhargava

Diwali is for everyone. That’s the biggest perspective you’ll get from A Kids Book About Diwali … which isn’t really just for kids. Going far beyond the usual holiday stories, this book clearly outlines the cultural traditions behind this important holiday in an inclusive way that incorporates the various traditions of the many faiths that celebrate it — including Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists.

For anyone looking to understand the meaning behind the five days of Diwali, answer kids’ ques...

The Talking Pet Collar That Aims to Give Your Pet a Voice

It’s an idea right out of science fiction: a talking pet collar. And it’s here thanks to entrepreneur John McHale who almost lost his dog to a rattlesnake bite. This dog collar comes with the ability to select one of several preprogrammed voices and customize all sorts of settings for your pet. Some are quite over the top:

“You can select your pet’s values, like compassion, justice, and courage. There are settings for its religious beliefs, power of forgiveness, or thoughts on freedom, fate, ...

The Virtues of [Not] Playing It Safe

Can a song capture 50 years of one of the most iconic buildings in the world?

Tim Minchin is an Australian composer who was commissioned to answer this question last year as part of the 50-year anniversary celebration for the Sydney Opera House. He shared the story of how he did it on stage this week as part of the SXSW Sydney event.

The opera house is one of the most recognizable in the world, so ubiquitous that it’s simultaneously become a legendary performance venue and a cliché logo yo...