1.Term to know: "harmonization of taste." It's why all coffee shops look the same, whether you're in Sweden or Seattle or São Paulo. It's the great convergence of global elite aesthetics, and it's just getting started, bolstered by our grand globetrotting class of creatives and the feedback loops of recommendation engines like Foursquare, Yelp, and Instagram.
3. "Starting now, Mattel is re-imagining the all-American guy... The decision to give him some depth marks a new chapter for men, and dolls who are men. From this day forward, Ken doesn’t always have to look like the most basic frat bro ever to get a B- in econ. He can be complicated, mysterious—maybe even vegan. No more Mr. Nice Ken," Caity Weaver writes (brilliantly) in GQ. Also intriguing: "According to a 1996 study, the odds of meeting a man with Ken’s idealized shape were about 1 in 50. The odds of meeting a woman with Barbie’s: less than 1 in 100,000." But the big takeaway, of course, is that this isn't really a "re-imagining," but a right-on-time reflection of very real social and demographic change hitting the U.S. And as Weaver points out, it's not the kids who care how Ken looks; it's the adults who choose what they're buying their children.
5. George Clooney is selling his tequila brand Casamigos to liquor giant Diageo for a mere $1 billion. Looks like the newborn twins are going to be very well set with their college fund. "But we're not going anywhere," Clooney told CNBC. "We'll still be very much a part of Casamigos. Starting with a shot tonight. Maybe two." Bless him.
