Things from my Newsblur: Jan-14 Edition

It’s traditional that as the calendar turns over to start a new year, folks make some resolutions.  Well, Our Man’s are to keep you a little better informed about what he’s doing and thinking in 2014 than he did in 2013.  Like all New Year’s resolutions, it’s likely that this will probably be long given up on by the time the second quarter rolls around, but in the interim…what better way to start us off than some of the things that Our Man rather enjoyed reading over the holiday period. 

- An Oral History of Trading Places

Our Man was lucky enough to get to watch Trading Places on a cross-country flight over Christmas – I say lucky, because it’s both the best Christmas movie and the best Finance movie ever made.  Here’s some timely history behind how it was made, and the way it helped launch (or relaunch) the careers of a lot of those involved.  (Rob Wile, Business Insider)

- T-Rex Calories

If a T-Rex was released in NYC, how many humans per day would it need to consume to get its needed calorie intake.  Don’t worry folks, the answer may surprise you…you don’t need to be able to run that fast!   (What if?)

- The Beatles Succeeded Through Talent, Ambition and a Lot of Arrogance

Our Man’s mentioned his skepticism for the whole 10,000hours argument (popularized by Malcolm Gladwell, amongst others); here’s a take on some other reasons why the Beatles became successful.

(Andrew Romano, Daily Beast)

- “I do not trust Politicians”

The calendar might only have just turned to 2014, but folks are already jockeying for position for the Presidential primaries of 2016.  Brian Schweitzer, the former Governor of Montana, is the media’s current favourite to challenge Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary.  He’s also Our Man’s favourite candidate in either party.  (David Weigel, Slate)

- The Snowden Leaks and the Public

The Guardian has had a good run on the investigative journalism front, leading the charge with the Murdoch phone-hacking, the Wikileaks documents and now the Edward Snowden/NSA stories.  Alan Rushbridger, the editor of the Guardian, talks about the Snowden case, the impacts and the future.

(Alan Rushbridger, The New York Review of Books)

- The World Economy’s Shifting Challenges

You don’t have to agree with George Soros’ politics to recognize that he’s made his (vast) fortune but understanding the global economy and its impact on markets than just about anyone in recent history.  As such, when he’s offering his views on the world’s economies it’s certainly worth listening (or reading) to them even if you don’t agree with them.  Spoiler Alert: If you’re interested in, or worried about, China then it’s definitely worth you reading!  (George Soros, Project Syndicate)

- The Rise and Fall of Blackberry

Oral histories seem to be the rage at the moment and Blackberry was the thing, some 7-10years or so ago.  Thus why not combine them, and see a little about how Blackberry became the thing and then squanders it all away, to become nothing…all while seeming not to recognize and then mocking the things that replaced it.  (Felix Gillette, Diane Brady and Caroline Winter, Bloomberg Business Week)