Before we get to today's main topic… I’m pleased to share that this is the 100th issue of The Dispatch! It is also the first issue for 2024. Thank you for coming with me on this ride. CES 2024 is this week in Vegas, and as I have done many times before I’ll be leading tours of the show floor for StoryTech. If you see me, please say hi. BTW, a plane flight to Vegas is why this week’s Dispatch is arriving a little later than usual.

Hello! I was on my way to the departure gates at the Indianapolis Airport last month when I heard a familiar song playing. I instantly recognized it, though not the version that was blasting through the large speakers outside the food court. “Ah, it’s Total Eclipse of the Heart!” I thought. “With a dance beat!” This was three days before the total solar eclipse (of the heart) hit Indianapolis – but hearing Bonnie Tyler’s 1980s classic had me thinking of something else.

By coincidence - as this post had stalled since Monday - Spotify has published its financial result for Q3 2021 and it revealed it now has 172m global Premium subscribers. This was up 19% YoY and up by 4% (+7m) QOQ. Spotify’s Premium subscriber growth translated into Premium revenue of €2.178 billion ($2.52bn at current exchange rates) in Q3, which was up by 6% on the €2.056 billion ($2.38bn) generated in the prior quarter (Q2 2021).

Flattery exploits our normal and healthy need to form authentic loving connections with others. Flattery can be used as a tactic in most any social interaction in which the flatterer wants something from another. It’s an effective tactic of coercion. You think of the flatterer in a more positive way because they’ve caused you to feel better about yourself, which enhances the likelihood that you’ll comply with their agenda for you.

As the gap between the have-nots and the want-everythings expands, must the tech bros corrupt our language as well? The editor in me cringes every time I hear the term “sharing economy.” Redefining the word “sharing” as someone charging for a service (a room, a ride) perverts the English language—and religion, philosophy, common decency and stuff every kindergartener knows.  By sharing—in the literal sense of the word—the 21 endeavors listed in this newsletter prevent waste, reduce pollution and help build community.