Having four kids (between the ages 6 and 11) I’ll need to get to know the big “teenage apps” soon enough. This story provides a snapshot (see what I did there?) into the daily life of a young US teenager . Ah, how happy I am that I survived that age without too many scars… :)

This is a fairly long read, but it’s the best summary I’ve found on on the background and politics related to replacing Justice Scalia. In short, since ® have the Senate majority, and obstructionism is the flavour of the day, we shouldn’t expect confirmation of any Obama nominee. The stakes for the general election in November just got higher.

I rarely set, and follow-up on, any (measurable) goals for myself, and still, I believe, I’ve accomplished quite a lot over the years. Sometimes I use quantifiable goals as a starting point for a discussion, but achieving a goal is never the goal, achieving great things is the goal. Don’t stick to an arbitrary, measurable goal just because it felt right three months ago. 

Ah, everything in this article is so true, and important. If you have any interest in company building, or just work at a company (!), make sure to read this. Short excerpt: 

“Most companies have a stated corporate purpose or mission statement. Unfortunately, these are rarely-used words that do little to drive purpose or passion within the company. […] When you can make the connection between passion and mission, you can truly propel your organization to a new level of performance.”

And while we’re at the subject of inspiring passion and creativity in your co-workers, don’t miss Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull (Co-founder and President of Pixar). A must-read, at least for people in creative industries (which, in reality, should be almost every industry nowadays). 

Blizzard Entertainment is hands down my favourite development studio (apart from Massive and Planeto ;). Every game they create is a masterpiece and this article gives a good history on the company, and some insights into why they’ve become so successful over the years (hint: read the hbr.org article above). My only complaint: the long article was too short. It’s time for someone to write the definitive book on Blizzard. :D

My old company Massive Entertainment is firing on all cylinders. The Division open Beta is soon available, don’t miss this if you’re into great online games! :D

Ahhh, my fear of heights is getting worse with age. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to play Mirror’s Edge with a VR headset…? :)

Let’s end with a laugh. John Oliver is brilliantly funny, as always. And it’s unbelievable how corrupt some parts of American politics are.