Hey ,Happy Halloween everyone! It's definitely fall (autumn) season temperatures here in Chicago now, it has dropped to about 6ºC / 40ºF in the past few days. I've been catching up on Netflix's Stranger Things this week, finally finishing the first season and beginning the second - it's brilliant, I love it and recommend checking it out if you haven't seen it. Another strong sign of tabletop games - roleplaying in particular going mainstream with all their Dungeons & Dragons references.I also posted a quick update to my podcast, and recorded on fellow strategist Adam Pierno's podcast The Strategy Behind Everything. I'll keep you updated when that is published. Best,WillemGroup selfie in Second Life

 Weekly Combo Two or three flavours, interesting separately, fascinating together 

Returning to Second Life (Ars Technica, 14 min read)I love hearing and reading news about the virtual world of Second Life. I had heard someone mention it last week, in similar terms I hear it mentioned, people believing it was a hyped thing of ten years ago and died a quick death. Except not. Second Life is still around, always has been. The virtual world has an active community and the business that created it profitable. I was glad to find this feature visiting what it looks like these days. It feels like a cultural anthropology report from the field. Based on the second article I also wonder about the relation with Millennials and their apparent preference for social causes in the real world, and how well they are represented in Second Life active players in terms of age groups.As Millennials Demand More Meaning, Older Brands Are Not Aging Well (Fast Company, 5 min read)This is an interesting research report showing the differences in brand reputation opinions between Boomer and Millennial generations. The kinds of companies they value most are very different, and one trend seeming to be how much a brand publicly communicates their commitment to social causes in the world. Ironically, many brands younger people don't value actually spend considerable time and money towards these types of causes, they just don't publicize it as much. These two related articles show interesting initiatives from Mars and gaming to find solutions to a global agriculture issue (I wonder if something like this could go in Second Life too?), and online Mattress manufacturer Leesa's commitment to supporting homeless shelters with new mattresses.