Friday links: June 27, 2014

suarezbite2 This had me chuckling out loud. I love it when creative people, current events, and social media crash into each other.
ian-arm Wow. Ian Burkhart, a 23-year-old quadriplegic, is the first patient to use an electronic neural bypass for spinal cord injuries. The machine was able to help him move his arm, an arm he hasn’t moved voluntarily in 4 years. The machine reconnects the brain directly to muscles, allowing voluntary and functional control of a paralyzed limb.
buggy300 The Amish are now reconsidering vaccination, which they had previously avoided. The largest outbreak of measles in recent U.S. history is underway. Ohio has the majority of these cases. The virus has spread quickly among the largely unvaccinated Amish communities in the center of the state.
New-Meta-Analysis-on-Over-a-Million-Kids-Shows-No-Link-Between-Vaccines-and-Autism-650x365 A new study proves that there is no link between vaccines and autism. The myth that vaccines cause autism began in 1998, when a quack doctor published a fraudulent study that showed a link between vaccines and autism. That doctor was found guilty of falsifying the results, and the study was completely retracted by the original journal that published it. Celebrities like Jenny McCarthy, Alicia Silverstone and Kristin Cavalari have advocated against vaccinating children. Now, we have outbreaks like the one described above. This past school year, there was a whooping cough outbreak in my daughter’s elementary school because of families who have opted out of vaccinations. Why do people believe celebrities instead of scientists? But now we have a bigger problem. A study recently published in the journal Pediatrics showed that pro-vaccine information tended to strengthen the beliefs and fears of the anti-vaccine people, especially in the U.S. Our public health professionals have a task before them to develop health messages that encourage positive behavior change without scaring people into the opposite direction.

 

Lagniappe: Two soccer promo videos

 

My family is a soccer family. With World Cup coming up, we’re getting the fever.

As a communicator, I’ve seen two video promos that really impress me.

There’s this one that promotes the World Cup.

It portrays the fans and the fan experience as integral to the game. The video starts quietly with the anticipation of fans arriving. Then alternates players with American flags, waving throngs and the rousing “I believe” cheer. The fast cutaways add to the frenzy.

I’m excited for this World Cup even though Team USA has a tough group to beat to make it to the finals. Does this video pump you up?

I also like this video because at the 47th second, my son is in the lower left of the screen! Here’s the screenshot:

i-believe-soccer

The second soccer promo I want to share was used by NBC last summer to promote its Premier League broadcasts.

This video is hilarious. It’s gotten more than 6.5 million views. My son does a great Ted Lasso impersonation.

It was a fun way for NBC to promote its Premier League broadcasts to the U.S., but I wonder if it has “not your father’s Oldsmobile” syndrome.

In the 1980s, GM launched a well-known campaign tagline: “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile.” The company was trying to change the perception of its cars and reach a broader audience. However, some experts believe that campaign alienated its core buyer demographic and contributed to the demise of the Oldsmobile.

With the Ted Lasso video, is NBC insulting its target audience — Americans?

While you mull that over, I’m going to go watch that video for the 357th time. It really is funny.