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Meet our tech editor, Chris Dannen. Chris edits Fast Company’s software and media experimentation site, Co.Labs. Here are the three best things he found on the Internet this week: 1. The “McDonald’s theory of bad ideas” This isn’t entirely new, but I love how Jason Jones recasts it to apply to group collaboration. We probably know what we’d all want in an ideal world. But the hardest part is establishing a floor—what suggestion sucks so much that we’d never do it? Let’s start there and work our way up. The by-product is that we all reveal what we consider to be “self-evidently bad,” a process which, in and of itself, can help everyone question their assumptions. 2. Julian Assange’s take on the new book by Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt The book is, he says, “an attempt by Google to position itself as America’s geopolitical visionary,” a notion I find alternately horrifying and inspiring. The piece strikes at the core of my ambivalence about Google, which is a subject of something I’m writing this week, two weeks after my trip to their big developer conference. I’ve never come across a company with such vision in some areas—try out a Chromebook Pixel—and such a sad lack of humanity in others—ahem, Google Glass. Never has such a bipolar company had so much power, so much money, and such an uncertain future as they wean off display advertising. 3. ElectroFurI spotted the founder of this company at Google I/O wearing a full-length, multicolored glowing faux-fur coat that absolutely blew my mind. We’ve been covering the right (and wrong) way to design wearable technology, and I’m convinced this sort of thing—while obviously a little ostentatious for everyday use—is hinting at the most inspiring future for fashion design and software you wear. If you want to learn more about Chris, check out his recent interview in Nieman Lab. He’ll also be presenting at the June 27 Hacks/Hackers meetup. Come and say hello!  More recommendations from our team!

Meet our tech editor, Chris Dannen. Chris edits Fast Company’s software and media experimentation site, Co.Labs. Here are the three best things he found on the Internet this week:

1. The “McDonald’s theory of bad ideas” 
This isn’t entirely new, but I love how Jason Jones recasts it to apply to group collaboration. We probably know what we’d all want in an ideal world. But the hardest part is establishing a floor—what suggestion sucks so much that we’d never do it? Let’s start there and work our way up. The by-product is that we all reveal what we consider to be “self-evidently bad,” a process which, in and of itself, can help everyone question their assumptions.

2. Julian Assange’s take on the new book by Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt 
The book is, he says, “an attempt by Google to position itself as America’s geopolitical visionary,” a notion I find alternately horrifying and inspiring. The piece strikes at the core of my ambivalence about Google, which is a subject of something I’m writing this week, two weeks after my trip to their big developer conference. I’ve never come across a company with such vision in some areas—try out a Chromebook Pixel—and such a sad lack of humanity in others—ahem, Google Glass. Never has such a bipolar company had so much power, so much money, and such an uncertain future as they wean off display advertising.

3. ElectroFur
I spotted the founder of this company at Google I/O wearing a full-length, multicolored glowing faux-fur coat that absolutely blew my mind. We’ve been covering the right (and wrong) way to design wearable technology, and I’m convinced this sort of thing—while obviously a little ostentatious for everyday use—is hinting at the most inspiring future for fashion design and software you wear.

If you want to learn more about Chris, check out his recent interview in Nieman Lab. He’ll also be presenting at the June 27 Hacks/Hackers meetup. Come and say hello!

 More recommendations from our team!

What traits do today’s prominent female leaders share? Let’s take a look:   Effective role models: A recent CNN opinion piece about how to have more women like Sheryl Sandberg concludes that it is the prominence of such women that inspires others to be like them: “We can create more Sandbergs by surrounding ourselves with confident, outspoken women.” Sandberg herself actively works to encourage others by running a monthly salon with talks by inspirational women. The more role models we have across all industries, the more likely it is that the female leaders of the future will be inspired. Mentoring—at all levels: If you can identify opportunities and encourage women early on then they will be able to fulfill their potential throughout their careers. Some of the most prominent women had great mentors—and they are often now working as mentors to the next generation themselves. Confidence: Confidence can mean a world of difference between a woman who is able to live her dreams and one who is not—so often a talented woman is held back through lack of confidence. The former U.K. prime minister Margaret Thatcher was famous for her confidence and iron will—and for her slogan “The lady’s not for turning.” In an article for the MBA@UNC, media pioneer Arianna Huffington cites lack of confidence as “a killer to success for women. In order to advance their careers, women need to be comfortable seeing themselves as qualified leaders and risk takers.” Keep reading: 7 shared traits that unite women in power

What traits do today’s prominent female leaders share? Let’s take a look:  

  • Effective role models: A recent CNN opinion piece about how to have more women like Sheryl Sandberg concludes that it is the prominence of such women that inspires others to be like them: “We can create more Sandbergs by surrounding ourselves with confident, outspoken women.” Sandberg herself actively works to encourage others by running a monthly salon with talks by inspirational women. The more role models we have across all industries, the more likely it is that the female leaders of the future will be inspired.

  • Mentoring—at all levels: If you can identify opportunities and encourage women early on then they will be able to fulfill their potential throughout their careers. Some of the most prominent women had great mentors—and they are often now working as mentors to the next generation themselves.

  • Confidence: Confidence can mean a world of difference between a woman who is able to live her dreams and one who is not—so often a talented woman is held back through lack of confidence. The former U.K. prime minister Margaret Thatcher was famous for her confidence and iron will—and for her slogan “The lady’s not for turning.” In an article for the MBA@UNC, media pioneer Arianna Huffington cites lack of confidence as “a killer to success for women. In order to advance their careers, women need to be comfortable seeing themselves as qualified leaders and risk takers.”


Keep reading: 7 shared traits that unite women in power

A nationally representative scientific sample of over 19,000 married and divorced people found that almost 35% of couples who married between 2005 and 2012 originally met each other online. The couples who met online were less likely to divorce, even after controlling for age, education, income, and race. Meeting over the web was also independently correlated with higher levels of marital satisfaction. Interestingly, it matters where a couple first meets: in the wholesome, well-lit hotel ballrooms of Match.com and eHarmony? The banal, crowded corridors of Facebook? This study says a lot about the different kinds of “neighborhoods” that people frequent online. Read more [Image: Flickr user Patrik Jones]

A nationally representative scientific sample of over 19,000 married and divorced people found that almost 35% of couples who married between 2005 and 2012 originally met each other online. The couples who met online were less likely to divorce, even after controlling for age, education, income, and race. Meeting over the web was also independently correlated with higher levels of marital satisfaction.

Interestingly, it matters where a couple first meets: in the wholesome, well-lit hotel ballrooms of Match.com and eHarmony? The banal, crowded corridors of Facebook?

This study says a lot about the different kinds of “neighborhoods” that people frequent online. Read more

[Image: Flickr user Patrik Jones]

“Starbucks is not a startup. To behave as a startup is completely irresponsible. Innovation is good, but unwarranted testing at the customer’s expense, even at a rather small scale, is unacceptable.” The world’s largest coffeehouse chain regularly launches products before they’re perfect. Does such a risky approach to innovation work? A look inside Starbucks’s innovation process, which, as it turns out, is one big leap of faith.

“Starbucks is not a startup. To behave as a startup is completely irresponsible. Innovation is good, but unwarranted testing at the customer’s expense, even at a rather small scale, is unacceptable.”

The world’s largest coffeehouse chain regularly launches products before they’re perfect. Does such a risky approach to innovation work?

A look inside Starbucks’s innovation process, which, as it turns out, is one big leap of faith.