Rohit Bhargava's Blog, page 67

How To Separate Meaningful Data From Quantified Bullshit

Last year I got my test results from the 23andMe genetic testing and found it to be fascinatingly useless. The numbers told me I was 99% South Asian and offered head-scratching “insights” like that I have an “average chance of hating chewing sounds.” This week an excerpt from a new book called A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived devastatingly refers to these tests as “genetic astrology” and debunks the science behind them. It’s a compelling read and effectively raises a red flag on the...

Why The Future of Work Should Be Jobs Humans Actually Want To Do

On September 13th Time magazine ran a cover story on the plight of underpaid teachers in America. A few days later, an Amazon worker published an expose about inhumane working conditions and low pay in Amazon’s warehouses, while Bloomberg reported that the retailer is considering opening 3,000 cashierless stores by 2021. To cap off the week, the World Economic Forum published a report that predicted robot workers are going to steal 75 million jobs by 2025.

It was a worrying week if you’re a h...

Is the Body Positive Movement Really A Good Thing?

Today there are plenty of examples of campaigns to help people become comfortable with their own bodies. Yet some have criticized this body positive movement as perhaps keeping people from admitting they are obese. One Newsweek article worried that people may use it as an excuse to justify their weight.

This movement has also gone far beyond only body weight. American Apparel has created a line of clothing for any of 27 different skin tones, and there is a lingerie brand focused on women who...

Why No Branding May Be The Next Marketing Trend

Last summer comedian and actress Mindy Kaling did a series of ads for McDonald’s with a curious omission – she never mentioned the brand. Instead, they would use phrases like “the place where Coke tastes so good” to allude to the brand. It was an interesting strategy and turned a few eyebrows. This week, Heineken launched an entire campaign intentionally omitting a tagline – and entire initiatives like Brandless are redefining traditional branding so deeply that they are even causing some to...

What You Can Learn About Storytelling From The Movie “Searching”

How many times would you watch a movie? When it comes to the hot new thriller Searching from first-time director Aneesh Chaganty, you will need more than a few because of the number of easter eggs and elaborate side storylineshidden in the movie.

The film is about a frantic Dad, played by John Cho, searching social media for clues about his missing daughter. Many of the shots in the film are from the viewpoint of the screen, which created an early challenge of what content to use for all thos...

How To Tell If You’re An Asshole (And Why It’s So Hard)

Last week a small army of cruise ship passengers disrupted a funeral in the tiny Norwegian city of Honningsvåg and took pictures of the mourners. According to The Guardian, Barcelona is crowded with careless tourists who overrun destinations and fail to respect the culture. A political story of a Supreme Court nominee seeming to ignore a handshake and walk away this week went viral. Each is a self awareness #fail.

Do people really need help knowing when they are acting like assholes?

There ar...

Why The Brazilian National Museum Fire Matters

The story of the devastating fire this week at the National Museum of Brazil made me unexplainably sad. Yet on three different trips to Brazil, I never went there. So why am I so upset about it?

Experts estimate nearly 20 million artifacts may have been lost. Even though many museums have ways to protect their collections, this loss isn’t really about the collection shown to the public. Instead, it is about the millions of artifacts which are studied by experts to learn from our history. Some...

Can Kellogg’s Reinvent Froot Loops As A Lifestyle Brand?

I remember last year I was walking past some trendy retail stores in NY and I saw a few handbags with the Pan Am logo. Apparently there is a whole historical foundation and store featuring all kinds of retro products like t-shirts and travel kits. The airline may have died but the brand is alive.

I was thinking about that as I read this story about Kellogg’s partnering with fashion pioneer AWAYTOMARS to try and evolve Froot Loops into a lifestyle and fashion brand. As they face more consumers...

How Digital Teachers Can Make Education Better

Earlier this month my family and I made a memorable journey to a fishing village in Cambodia. While there we were lucky to spend some time at a local school with a group of sixth grade children who had taken a rowboat to get to class. Unfortunately, their teacher was missing that day – because many teachers there are forced to work second jobs to make ends meet. So the kids show up to class and try to work alone. Some days they have a teacher, and some days they don’t.

In New Zealand this wee...

The Loneliness Industry and the World’s Saddest Product

About a year and a half ago, a Japanese company called Gatebox released a depressing preview video of a new AI powered “Holographic Wife” that would offer lonely young Japanese salarymen companionship at home. The character is based on anime and stand about 8 inches tall inside a glass box. This week the company finally released their actual product with a slightly less depressing video – so now the “holographic wife” is available for sale for about $1300 USD plus a monthly subscription fee.

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