Things of note for the week ending March 14th, 2014.
If last week was picture heavy, this week is about words. There really are some great reads this week. Starting off with…
1. A normal day in the unusual life of Michael Keaton
Esquire sent Tom Chiarella to Montana to meet, interview, and profile Michael Keaton. This is the result. If, like me, you think Keaton is one of the most under-rated actors of our generation, then go read. If not, read it anyway. I wish I could quote from it but I swear I am spoilt for choice. This is one of the best things I’ve read this year. Just. Mental.
“220, 221, whatever it takes”
2. ‘Augmentation’
The United Kingdom lost a big chunk of talent when Will McInnes upped sticks and left the well-respected agency he co-founded behind for the glamour of New York City (and the lofty heights of the rather awesome Brandwatch). The good news is however, weblogs are not bound by geographical restrictions and we’re still all able to keep up with dear Will while he spends his time in the US.
Which is just as well, because if we couldn’t then we would’ve missed this rather excellent musing on what it means to be ‘Augmented’, my favourite quote –
But what is perhaps most interesting and indicative of the way things will go is plugging my [UP] band into my phone and seeing them talk to one another about my movements – me, the fleshy host, hot, stupid and inconsistent; them the cold robotic collectors of data, computing my movements, ‘motivating’ with colourful charts and smiley faces.
Augmentation, by Will McInnes. Go read.
3. Paid, Owned, and Earned Media
I’ve been enjoying the insightful mutterings of Mat Morrison for a fair while now and, although his blog is quite the treasure trove of interesting reading, he occasionally makes a cameo appearance on his employer’s blog, Emerging Spaces.
This post, on paid, owned, and earned media is made up of the slides and scripts from the presentation Mat gave at Social Media Week London, 2013. I’ve only recently come across it and – almost staggeringly in the world of all things social – it hasn’t dated in the six months since it was written.
Even if you’ve only a passing interest in social media, client-side or agency, I can’t recommend this post enough.
4. The Wrestler
When Philip Seymour Hoffman died last month, you couldn’t move for articles trying to dissect the psyche behind one our generations most memorable and talented actors; I tried to read them all. This one ‘Remembering the fights that Hoffman won‘ stood out for me, and you should read it.
5. ‘Dear Internet’
This is from 2009, but I don’t care. Tina Fey is amazing.
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Bonus item: I was in The Guardian again this week. Not just a quote this time but my first fully-published article – ‘Beware the Blind Preoccupation with Big Data‘. Aces.