7 stories to read this weekend

It has been a crazy week, one that has been hectic with activity and multiple news events. Of course, we hosted our RoadMap conference earlier this week. And there was the election that preoccupied all us. Nevertheless, I found time to read quite a few stories and here are seven of them that are worth your attention.

  • Being there: Robert Kaplan of The Atlantic bemoans the fact that we have become multitasking addicts and in order to enjoy travel, we need to get over our small screen addiction. Why? Because if we know everything, how are we supposed to enjoy it all?
  • Monopoly is theft: The history of one of the most popular board games in the world is a fascinating read. It is one of the best pieces I read this past week.
  • Inside the Arizona Fall league: Baseball season is over for the big leaguers. But the real business of baseball that includes finding the young and the talented continues. It is not an easy task.
  • Does sugar kill?: A story about how the sugar industry is working hard to keep us loving the sweet stuff. On a more personal note, I know if I eat sugar, it will kill me. And so it will hundreds of millions of the growing number of diabetics across the planet.
  • The underground economy: New York has a subway that keeps the city humming. Hurricane Sandy exposed its limitations. The MTA’s heroic efforts brought it back online much faster than anyone thought, including MTA itself, the New York Times reports.
  • This land is my land: A tragic story about how an old bootlegger and a gun merchant fought over a piece of property. And I thought I left this kind of stuff in the old country.
  • And finally a tech-centric piece, that talks about how brands will become media.


GigaOM