Hamilton Performance from the Tony Awards

Tony Awards…

“Hamilton” is coming to Chicago soon and tickets go on sale June 21st. I might have to try my luck for some tickets.

Game of Thrones Recap: … the Hound Swing His Axe

Variety…

  • A lot of credit for that goes to Rory McCann’s return as the Hound, whose scenes this week and last if stitched together into a supercut would make a revenge flick worthy of Charles Bronson or Mel Gibson. We knew the gist of what was coming when we saw the little Clegane brother grab that axe last week after his new crew of pacifist pals was slaughtered. We got it in spades when “Game of Thrones” produced its first ever axe-to-crotch moment.

One of these days I should bite the bullet, subscribe to HBO, and get sucked in. Who doesn’t like a good axe-to-crotch moment?

Ed Sheeran Sued for More Than $20 Million for Alleged Plagiarism

Rolling Stone…

  • The complaint includes musical charts that aim to demonstrate parallels between the songs’ chord progressions, melodies and rhythms. The songwriters include their own 2009 version, as well as the Cardle version as examples. Their lawyer, Richard Busch – who won a similar suit regarding Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” for the family of Marvin Gaye last year – claims that some 70 percent of the chorus to “Photograph” is identical to that of “Amazing,” right down to the phrasing.

I must have listened to the other 30 percent in my comparison because though similar, I go along with what I heard one guy say once, basically that there are only eight notes, and you can only put them together in so many ways.

Warren Buffett has one piece of advice to anyone starting a new business.

Business Insider…

  • Tomorrow morning when you look in the mirror after you’ve gotten up, just write — in lipstick or whatever you want, on the mirror — just put: “Delight my customer.” 
    Not “Satisfy my customer,” “Delight my customer.”

Would you rather support a business that satisfies you, or delights you? Funny how one word can make the entire experience different.

Microsoft Planner ready for showtime

Microsoft…

  • The addition of Planner to the Office 365 lineup introduces a new and improved way for businesses, schools and organizations to structure teamwork easily and get more done. With Planner, teams can create new plans; organize, assign and collaborate on tasks; set due dates; update statuses and share files, while visual dashboards and email notifications keep everyone informed on progress.

As a competitor to things like Trello and Asana, (I’m a pretty big fan of Trello) it will be interesting to see this in action. The only drawback is it looks like all users must have an Office 365 subscription, unlike others that give you the basics for free with a paid version for extra features. Will Microsoft follow the freemium model for this?

Is it me, or did the power just go off?

Six Colors…

  • after a few minutes, the paranoia sets in: How do I know the power is out for the neighborhood, and not just me? I stepped outside my front door to discover an empty neighborhood on a Tuesday morning. Nobody else was around to notice.

Nice, geeky way to figure out if your power is out. Never assume your neighbors called to report the outage, though – You should still call the electric company yourself.

AC/DC’s Brian Johnson Gives Positive Update on Hearing Loss

Rolling Stone…

  • “It works,” Johnson said of Ambrose’s ADEL hearing technology in an authorized statement. “It just totally works and you can’t argue with that. I was really moved and amazed to be able to hear music again like I haven’t heard for several years now. I can’t wait for it to be miniaturized so I can use it in every situation from normal communication, going out to noisy restaurants, [and] performing live music onstage.”

Even if it doesn’t mean touring with AC/DC again, this is good news for all with hearing damage.

World Naked Bike Ride

World Naked Bike Ride: Chicago…

  • The event is bare-as-you-dare; anything from body paint to underwear to fanciful costumes are encouraged. Due to legal restrictions in Chicago, full frontal nudity is at your own risk, but large numbers of participants do go all out. Large-scale body painting is typically available pre-ride, and personal expression is encouraged.

Chicago can be such a kill-joy sometimes. No full frontal for you!

The Tao of Muhammad Ali

Rolling Stone…

  • Ali was a poet, a firebrand, a trash-talker, a zen master, the Yogi Berra of the modern era. The imminently quotable heavyweight boxer died in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday, June 3rd. He was 74.

Rest in peace, Mr. Ali. You’ve earned it.

Are scrotal lifts the next trend in male grooming?

The Telegraph…

  • Men, I explained, sick of slack scrotums and testicles inconveniently separated by boxer seams, were lining up to have their low-hangers permanently lifted.

All this does is remind me of the song lyric “Do your balls hang low?”

  • The procedure itself is minimally invasive: excess skin is removed and the joins are positioned where natural grooves form up to the scrotal ‘seam’ so as to minimise any scar visibility. The whole thing takes around an hour (you can easily have it done at lunch) and is performed under local anaesthetic.

So, the next time you are at lunch you can ponder if you, or your loved one, might just need a scrotal lift.