Strands of Genius: Do We Live More Than One Life, Steak Sandwiches Aren't on the Menu of the So-Called Best Steak Sandwich Spot in Town, Visual Essays from The Pudding

Guest curated by Megan Thompson, Founder of Lore

Dec 12, 2024

:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, MEGAN THOMPSON ::

LOCATION: London, UK

Hello hello - I'm Meg. I run a data consultancy and training company called Lore, which I set up in 2023. Setting up Lore has led to an awful lot of talking, and writing, and networking, so I met Faris because of another guest spot that I was fulfilling recently - I ran a Q&A session for his Data Works class (run by the exceptional Dr. Grace Kite).

I love a guest spot because I adore chatting, particularly about data and marketing, as Faris discovered during our overlapping, excitable-puppies, warts-and-all, intro call.

I was thrilled that one guest spot led to another, and frankly, if anyone reading this wants to offer me another one, I'll jump at it. Like a good consultant, I'll do anything to talk about work and avoid actually doing any.

Editor’s Note (Genius Steals): Thanks to the Data Works course Faris has been enjoying he did indeed come across Meg. Sadly, let’s assume due to his newly diagnosed ADHD, he missed the live session (it had changed days of the week and…well) but he watched the recording and reached out to Meg to chat. It was indeed a delightful conversation between two wonks with too much to say and limited impulse control. Invigorating and elucidating he absolutely recommends getting in touch with Meg. She was head of data at storied London agency AMV before setting up her own shop, Lore. If you look at her website you will see her free SOS Talk Data to Me offer. Thanks so much for an excellent edition Meg! Hope to meet IRL one day and talk data.

:: THE LINKS ::

DO WE LIVE MORE THAN ONE LIFE?

I love spooky stories, but am extremely cynical about their veracity.

Otherworld is the perfect clashing of paranormal experiences with robust science, human experiences and relationships, and unexplained elements of human physiology and psychology that you assumed were already explained.

This episode, where Jack interviews Dr. Kim Penberthy of DOPS, is the greatest example of Otherworld at its best.

The team at DOPS (a department in the University of Virginia) are investigating and tracking data across a range of 'paranormal' fields like past lives, near death experiences, and the use of drugs such as psilocybin on the effects of long term grief.

It reminds me that we can quantify and codify absolutely anything at all. But the host, Jack Wagner, also constantly reminds me, that I basically don't know anything about life, and anyone who says that they do is lying. (Spotify: Otherworld)

STEAK SANDWICHES AREN’T ON THE MENU OF THE SO-CALLED BEST STEAK SANDWICH SPOT IN TOWN

I'm equally proud and embarrassed to be a die hard Redditor, right from day dot. I was there for some of the most famous moments, many of them absolutely terrible experiences quite honestly. Reddit is a really dreadful and hilariously funny place.

And so, I was there for this comment in the r/London sub, about the best steak sandwich in town. If you're not familiar with British humour, it was the start of an in-joke which every single person committed to with gusto.

Thread after thread popped up, until, as planned, the Google AI scrapers picked it up, unable to decipher that it was a con. I know we hear it a lot, but it really highlights that you have to be careful because what you read on the internet was probably just put there by a bunch of 12 year olds who are laughing at you. (Reddit)

VISUAL ESSAYS FROM THE PUDDING

The Pudding beautifully answer some of the greatest questions that I never knew I wanted answered. They are my constant inspiration to use data for interesting, cultural, creative pursuits.

From things like “Are crosswords too old, too white, and too male?”

And questions such as “Do movies with more coughs win Best Picture?”

Or the super important “How has the use of digital laughter, and perception of it, changed over time? From lol to haha to hehe”

And finally, in honour of how much Faris and I both chatted away when we met, I thought it apt to also share the Chrome extension that The Pudding created.

’Pass the Mic’ displays a bar chart to show the share of conversation of each person in a meeting. I imagine Faris and I managed to both be at 100%.
(The Pudding)

Looking for more from Megan? Coming Friday, look for an interview from her in your inbox!

:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::

:: Game :: I have a disgracefully high number of hours logged on Mario Kart

:: City :: London girl for life

:: Book :: The Hobbit

:: Podcast :: This Paranormal Life - told you I like it spooky

:: Song :: Jolly Street - Jeff Buckley

:: BEE-YOND BALANCE ::

Talk Data To Me,
Meg x
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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.

Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.

Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)

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