Hi ,Back in Chicago this week and the country is gearing up for the holiday season. It's going to be my first Thanksgiving in the US since I was five years old! I've just completed purchasing all my ski gear yesterday and am looking forward to being in Utah visiting for Thanksgiving, nervously watching the weather forecast (not much snow). Still, Park City Mountain Resort near where I'll be has a target opening day for Thanksgiving, even if it's only a few runs open that'll be enough for me to get started and have some fun!This week was also rich in fun cultural events: I was invited to go see the smash hit musical Hamilton on stage and it was amazing, a colleague invited me to a prog rock gig I probably wouldn't have checked out otherwise, The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses world tour, and finally DC's Justice League at the cinema.And yet, these had little to do with the two articles mentioning friends that caught my attention this week. Best,WillemAlso important news and sort of relevant gif, Pixar's The Incredibles 2 teaser trailer landed this week.

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

'It tears every part of your life away': the truth about male infertility (The Guardian, 20 min read)

This is What Would Happen if TED and 'Black Mirror' Had a Baby (Forbes, 2 min read)

I first met Marcus Brown in London through professional acquaintances and while I haven't seen him in a few years I guess I'd call him a professional friend. I really like what he does, he's really smart and operates differently from most industry consultants. He was already known for fascinating and satyric performances different from any traditional communications industry talks, and I follow from afar some of the initiatives he's seems to have been at work on such as creative walks.One of his latest creations in recent years described in this article is the Black Operatives Department. It's a fictional agency, and on request he creates industry talks à la TED.com but taking some reality and pushing it into too close to reality for comfort dystopia. Sorry for the spoilers but the end of the previous article speculating causes for male infertility and new experimentation in only needing a male cell to multiply and procreate rather than sperm cells seem to be the kind of fuel for new Black Operatives Department innovation.