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wwbr

What we've been reading: Reviews, spies and birds

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2nd Mar 2018
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When it's cold outside there is nothing better to do than stay indoors and read.

To keep you company while the beast from the east freezes much of the country, the team has once again picked our favourite stories from the past week (yes, there are other stories than snow!). 

From review sites to spy stories and birds, this week's WWBR is as varied as, well, last week's exciting edition. Don't forget, let us know what you've been reading. We 'll need more material to keep us entertained during the frosty weekend. So fellow shiverers and teeth chatterers, enjoy!

* * *

Valme: Ripe for a kicking - Hollywood’s love-hate relationship with Rotten Tomatoes

I always wondered what percentage of a film review can only be understood in the context of other reviews. Are film critics secluded and super-independent human beings, not by any means influenced by the opinion of their peers?

The reality is that critics are people too, and thus, influenced by the opinions of others. But what does this mean for the film industry, especially when there are websites like Rotten Tomatoes which highly favour consensus? The influence of the website on the film industry is so strong that it can determine the success or failure of a film, but its system is very simple: it categorises reviews as either positive or negative, omitting all possible nuances.

This triggers interesting situations. For instance, critic Cole Smithey decided to give Lady Bird a negative review just because its score was 100%. “I had to consider whether to cast Lady Bird as fresh or rotten in the context of a perfect score that people were using to trumpet Lady Bird as the all-time best-reviewed movie on RT,” he explained.

However, Rotten Tomatoes’ system has its advantages. I have often refused to see films with a score of 6/10 on other websites just because, well, you know, there are films rated as 8/10 or even higher and I just have one life to watch them. Does that mean I enjoyed them more than other films that were not as perfect but that would have well surpassed the “fresh” status in Rotten Tomatoes? Not necessarily.

In any case, if I ever recommend you a film, rest assured: There is a big consensus on its quality. After all, I checked Rotten Tomatoes before I watched it.

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Richard: From Russia with business advice

As is customary at accounting software events, a household name will sit alongside product demos and the general accounting pageantry, and that was no exception at QuickBooks Connect this week.

While day two welcomed footballer Gary Neville, day one saw former MI6 intelligence officer Julian Fisher attempt to link accountancy with the world of espionage. And they said the gun-toting movie The Accountant wasn’t realistic…

As an ardent reader of all things double-0 (especially Peter Wright’s candid and fascinating Spycatcher page-turner), I was ready to be shaken and stirred by Fisher’s globe-trotting Flemingesque adventures, rather than just frozen by the chilly London Printworks.

The venue was certainly fit for an MI6 intelligence officer. “This is the coolest venue I’ve spoken in,” Fisher said. “Not so much the spy that came in from the cold…”

But as spies go, Fisher was more Lazenby than Connery. Less Aston Martins and martinis, more powerpoint presentations and the art of persuasion in business.

“The one thing a business person has in common with a spy is a refusal to know their place,” Fisher said, as he coined a new phrase: 'spyprenuer'. Over the course of his 40-minute talk, Fisher told three stories on the themes of observation, storytelling and inspiring trust; all traits of being an MI6 Intelligence Officer.

From diffusing a potential elevator fisticuff thanks to clocking a Manchester United lapel badge to being under surveillance, Fisher’s stories, while interesting, may not be entirely relevant to all attendees. Hopefully, not many accountants will find themselves in a scenario where they have to go undercover as a pregnant colleague’s ‘husband’ while cultivating a target; that's a totally different kind of risk management to the one many accountants are accustomed...

* * *

Francois: Keeping warm in Winter is for the birds

I love birds. I admire their industry, they burst with life. Constantly aflame with some task. But I found myself wondering as I walked to work through this Arctic dreck, how do these little fellas stay warm?

They have feathers, sure -- but what does that count for in conditions like this? Well, a lot, obviously: their feathers are incredibly specialised structures. And, adding to their cuteness, they get puffier in the Winter.

But it doesn’t stop at the feather. They slow body functions to conserve energy and heat, they roost together, and stand on one leg, while the other is tucked up warmly in its feathers, frequently alternating to give the other leg a turn.

I’ve bored many a friend with my bird stories. I’m not sorry about it. We should treasure our avian friends more. This planet is theirs as much as ours.

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