What You Need to Know Today: November 4
Good afternoon, Early Risers!
Here’s what you need to know
TECH
The best headphones in the world. “There is always going to be a market for high quality, and there is always going to be a market for long form,” says Tim Ferriss. If you can create the ‘best’ of anything in the world that people want, you’ll have no problem selling it. Yesterday, Sennheiser unveiled the new Orpheus headphones and they’re absolutely insane.
Virtual reality business models. “Virtual reality is stunning. But is it a business?” asks Fortune. VR pioneers from companies like Nokia, Go-Pro, and the startup Jaunt, discussed the possible business models for VR tech on Tuesday at Fortune’sGlobal Forum. Most of the proposed business models complement existing business models. For example, travel agents could show potential travelers what their destination will look like in 3D; mining companies can train their miners without having to go underground. Even one of our own Daily Brief readers and contributors, Trevor Koverko built and sold a successful VR business, this year, that gives condominium buyers an inside look at their home before it’s built.
CAREER
“Only a baby with a wet diaper likes change. Everyone else resists change. The job of a CEO is to resist the temptation to look at last year, and to persuade everyone that where we are going is worth fighting for.” — Mike Ullman, Executive Chairman, JCPenney. This statement could not be more true. Look no further than people’s reaction to Twitter replacing the star. “If ‘disruption’ and ‘change’ were the most used words of day one at the Fortune Global Forum in San Francisco, ‘culture’ carried day two,” says Alan Murray. Here are the highlights from Fortune’s Global Forum discussion on culture. I like this take-home point by Murray: Technology may be driving the rapid change in business today. But it is human attitudes and behaviors that are gating it, and determining the difference between failure and success.
3 timeless rules for making tough decisions. Share this with a friend who can never decide what to order.
“If you want to do something evil, put it inside something boring.” — John Oliver. This quote could also be changed to “If you want to do something amazing, figure out a way to turn something boring into something that gets people excited.” Doesn’t have the same ring to it, I know. But, my point is this cartoonist — who turned iTunes’ boring Terms and Conditions agreements — into something we can all easily digest and get excited about, has the right mindset.
LIFESTYLE
Memory expert reveals his secret to never forgetting a name. “Start to shift your mind to think in images. Once the brain gets used to seeing images, that’s also a much quicker way of thinking, and you have control over it,” says memory expert Mattias Ribbing. Example: When you meet someone named James, think of the first object that comes to mind. I visualize a James Bond gun. I enlarge it, I see it in 3-D. So if I see James, then at the same time I look at him I see this mental image between us, an image connection is formed in the brain.” Mic’s Max Plenke asked Ribbing how he’d remember his name. “I think of maximum volume, so I see a big guitar amplifier,” said Ribbing. “It’s just the first thing that comes to mind. I picture it on your shoulder, or tuck it into your beard or something.” The most interesting point Ribbing made in this interview was this: Memory itself isn’t that important. It’s how you think in the moment that’s most efficient. Full story.
How to get what you really want. “Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, ‘Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.’ This quote is completely true. Once you know what you want, you can stop taking advice from just anyone. You can filter out the endless noise and hone in on your truth.” Benjamin Hardy shares his step-by-step plan to train your brain to get what you want.
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#NOWYOUKNOW
Who Is Satoshi Nakamoto?
“‘I HAVE moved on to other things.’ Thus wrote the mysterious creator of bitcoin, who calls himself Satoshi Nakamoto, in an e-mail in April 2011. Except for a few messages, most of which are believed to be hoaxes, he has not been heard from since. Nobody has ever met him in person, no photos exist. Even the roughly 1m bitcoin (currently worth more than $400m) which sit in digital wallets once controlled by him have not been touched. So who is the elusive creator of the technology which powers the digital currency?” — The Economist
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