The Brad Berens Weekly Dispatch

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A Marketing Win
Since so much of the news is dyspeptic and terrifying, here’s a story about how 1-800-FLOWERS creates happiness and profit at the same time. (Issue…
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Brad Berens
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Death is Analog
We spend so much of our lives split between our digital and analog worlds, but that changes when somebody dies.
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Brad Berens
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Experience Stacks and Matthew Perry (R.I.P.)
When social media surfaced a clip of the late "Friends" star on "The West Wing," it activated crashing contexts that explain how Experience Stacks work…
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Brad Berens
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My Ozempic Journey: Packing Up
Sometimes, when you know a change is coming, the anticipation itself can create other sorts of change. (Issue #135)
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Brad Berens
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My 2023 in Books
My annual journey across the dozens of books I read this year. If you’re looking for a good read (or things to avoid) then dive in!
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Brad Berens
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Our Best Friends
Mark Zuckerberg thinks our BFFs will soon be AIs. He’s wrong. They’re still dogs, and that’s never more clear than when our dogs die. (Issue #167)
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Brad Berens
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Let’s Stop Calling it “Social” Media
Calling Facebook, Twitter/X, TikTok and the rest “social media” downplays the negative aspects of those services and platforms. What’s the alternative?
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Brad Berens
Why Musk Supports Trump
It has little to do with politics. (Issue #140)
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Brad Berens
Jokes, Puns, Politics, and Other Nonsense
Why do we laugh at jokes but groan at puns? And what does this have to do with politics and Experience Stacks? (Issue #109)
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Brad Berens
Analog Lives in a Digital World
What makes things special, memorable, satisfying often has less to do with the things themselves than with the context where we experience them.
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Brad Berens
2
Dueling Intelligences
How realistic is the idea that flesh and blood actors will soon find themselves performing alongside long-dead movie stars?
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Brad Berens
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AI and the Productivity Lie
Think twice about the pervasive idea that Generative AI is going to make you more productive. A look back on how email transformed our lives gives a…
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Brad Berens
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