"C480782"

I shared on Facebook photographs of Weston model 301 milliammeter number 480782, made in Newark, NJ; acquired by the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering; surplussed by the MIT Department of Physics. Check it out.

Compelling and Devastating.

"The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food" by Michael Moss will appear in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine.

"How many do you have?"

In "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity," playing through the end of the month at the Woolly Mammoth Theater in Washington, D.C., Chad Deity says:

"Chad Deity has four crispers in his fridge, and he doesn't even use a crisper."

I've never seen a better or more topical wrestling drama. If you're in the area, go! Tickets available.

Best. Coffee. Ever.

Following my attendance at the 20th annual meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, I am pleased to present, for NeuroCooking readers in the National Capital Area, these six simple steps to get the best coffee in the world:

1. Take the Washington D.C. Metro to National Airport (DCA).
2. Fly from DCA to Los Angeles (LAX).
3. Fly from LAX to Sydney (SYD).
4. Fly from SYD to Melbourne (MEL).
5. Take a bus or taxi downtown.
6. Go to Naked Espresso at 390 Little Bourke Street, and order an espresso.

Request for advice.

My wife has a first name that is not very common. So, she grew up having to spell it for people, and, in the late twentieth century, I was able to gift her with an eponymous top level domain. (Something like "susan.net" or "sally.org", only with her distinctive first name.)

Yesterday, we received an unsolicited offer of a significant amount of money for the domain.

So, what should we do? Should we say forget about it – it's not for sale! –, or should we make a counter-offer?

And, the question arises, who is the would-be buyer? If it's just another person with my wife's name, that's one thing. But what if it's an organization whose acronym happens to spell her name? In that case, wouldn't we have a moral obligation to find out who they are and what they do? Perhaps, if they're a good cause, we'd donate the domain to them at no charge; but if they're evil, then, the domain would not be for sale to them at any price...

We would value your advice on this, dear NeuroCooking friends.

Benefits of Building a Narrative Organization

Increasingly, I am working with both for- and non-profit organizations to build narrative organizations. In a narrative organization, brand identity is clear and appealing; audiences are quickly and sustainably engaged; leaders appreciate and strategically share stories; and knowledge is easily gathered and shared. The Stanford Social Innovation Review just published my essay on the benefits of building a narrative organization.

A modest proposal...

Now that it has been reported that "... greater liberalism [is] associated with increased gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, whereas greater conservatism [is] associated with increased volume of the right amygdala", we have no doubt that candidates for high political office in the USA will soon be expected to disclose not just their tax returns and medical evaluations, but also their brain scans.

Once upon a time...

[View from a Southbound Amtrak train, yesterday.]

"neuro-biomechanics"

NeuroCooking friends in the market for a new bicycle will no doubt be happy to learn that Serenity Bikes achieve their "unique and sexy styling" using "... designs based on a cyclist’s neuro-biomechanics; something no other cycling company can claim."

Indeed.

_____

[Quotes excerpted from the Serenity Bikes homepage as of today.]

Who said that?

Stigler's law of eponymy says: "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer."

World's Worst Stories?

At a meeting last month with the smart folks at Extend, Chile's largest public relations firm, I was asked to name the international companies who are not telling stories, or who I think are doing a bad job at sharing their stories for positive results. Good storytelling, of course, results in good brand recognition and recall: it's difficult to think of the companies doing a poor job. But, I respect the questions, enjoy the challenge, and invite you to join in the discussion.

Here's some initial thoughts on global companies doing a poor job of sharing their story:

• Sears and Kmart. Here's a recent article comparing Sears Holdings' revenue to Walmart, Target, Macy's, and JC Penny.
• Toyota, post-Prius problems
• Microsoft. Here's an interesting article about Microsoft telling a Gilded Age narrative.
• Several airlines. Although Virgin Atlantic, Southwest, and Emirates (have you seen the on-board shower?!) have established strong narratives, what brand-affirming stories are being shared by Continental or Delta?
• Many PR and advertising firms, actually. What is the story of Dentsu? Burson Marsteller?

Of course, you can not separate a person from their experience; my observations are completely subjective. What are your thoughts? What global companies do you think are failing to share stories, or are doing a poor job of sharing their stories?