'$700 Juice Box' and 5 Other Stories You Should Read

Here's what you missed when you spent the week planning an April Fools' joke only to have it explode in your face like always…

Chosen by Dillon Baker, editorial collaborator

If you haven't watched the movie revolving around The New York Times and the NFL, it basically goes like this: New York Times released a paper with evidence that the NFL-supported concussion study actually has serious methodological problems that have been deliberately overlooked. Times also drew connections between the NFL and the tobacco industry, primarily from the revolving door of lobbyists between the two businesses.

That is not surprising. What was surprising, however, was the way the NFL responded: threatening legal action against the newspaper and then running ads on social media to spur their own procedural response to the lawsuit. with articles. It's the latest example of shady PR after Amazon's messy response with one Other New York Times show up. Major companies are responding openly and strongly to press investigations. Both Jay Carney and Joe Lockhart, the head of communications for Amazon and the NFL, come from political media backgrounds: Carney worked for the Obama administration and Lockhart for the Clinton administration.

It's clear that Amazon and the NFL have found that treating the press the way politicians do - questioning their integrity, denying access and eroding trust in the media. through - is efficient. In fact, trust in the media is at historic lows . The media has a lot to blame for this downfall, but it's hard not to see a steep slide if this turns out to be a widespread PR trend.

Chosen by Sam Slaughter, vp of content

As a Philadelphia-born and raised New Yorker, I spend a lot of time trying to explain the word “jawn” to people. Fortunately, I don't have to anymore, as Dan Nosowitz's passionate journey into the etymology of words has helped me with that:

The word “jawn” is unlike any other English word. In fact, according to the experts I spoke with, it is unlike any other word in any other language. It is a general-purpose noun, pronoun for inanimate objects, abstract concepts, events, places, individual people, and groups of people. It is a perfectly acceptable statement in Philadelphia to ask someone to “remember to bring that jawn to jawn.

Now, excuse me as I finish writing this article.

Chosen by Jordan Teicher, senior editor

As a basketball junkie and an employee at a tech company, I'm the ideal reader of this story, which talks about how a few VCs were able to lead the NBA's best team by watching They are like a startup.

Journalist Bruce Schoenfeld profile Warriors owner Joe Lacob over 6, 000 words, trying to convince the world that innovation brings victory and success: “In Warriors, Lacob sees a startup company improving turned into an inefficient business, a sports franchise that was run autocratically – and therefore futilely – as the industry grew around it. ”

Despite the extremely salacious reader comments that attribute much of the Warriors' success to good players and luck, I think the article makes a strong case for how workplace culture impacts. to business — whether you're considering an NBA team or a content marketing SaaS Company. Any company needs talent and luck to thrive, but it's easier if that talent gets along well and feels comfortable disagreeing.

Is it a chicken or an egg? Hoverboard or 10 – figure valuation? As the Warriors saw it, perhaps a bit of both.

Chosen by Carly Miller, editorial intern

Peter Berkowitz is paying $400 a month to live in a wooden box set inside someone else's apartment in San Francisco. And he's turning this concept into a startup. No, this is not an April Fool's joke.

For me, the house in the box perfectly satirizes the story of "educated young people who think life is a quest to 'find themselves'". But wait, am I just throwing rocks from my expensive glass box? I have been paying rent in the second most expensive city in the country for eight years. On my last apartment hunt, when I visited rooms that cost in the thousands, I found myself praying for at least four walls, space to get out of bed, and a door. book. Please, my God, a window. But it's hard to see my silly priorities amplified and reflected back to me — so I'll get back to the stoning.

My favorite Berkowitz quote: “If I meet someone and that person hates the idea of a box, maybe I should spend time with someone more like myself.” Is Berkowitz referring to free-spirited, otherwise inclined entrepreneurs, or real homeless people living in cardboard boxes?

Chosen by Ann Fabens-Lassen, communications director

Next time you feel guilty about smoking cigars and drinking instead of going for a run, think again.

Chosen by Joe Lazauskas, editor-in-chief

If you hate the juice craze and tech bubbles as much as I do, you'll love this hate book about $700 machines that make an 8-ounce glass of juice:

To make a juice, you insert a packet ($4 to $10 each) into the machine, close the door, and press a button. There are five flavors, including Sweet Root (carrot, beetroot, orange, lemon and apple) and Spicy (pineapple, romaine, celery, cucumber, spinach, parsley, and jalapeño peppers).

Each package has a QR code on it. An in-built camera scans the code per pack and uses Wi-Fi to check using an online database. If the package is not fresh or is believed to be contaminated, the machine will not press the package. If the package is fine, the gears start to rotate and come out spraying juice.

So far, it's been complicated. But the real logistical feat is behind the scenes. To make those packages in the Los Angeles factory, workers pick up truckloads of produce from nearby organic farms, wash them three times, then chop them into specific shapes (carrots diced, finely chopped pomegranates, while beets are finely chopped).

A dedicated machine will then fill each package. The packages are then sent by FedEx to users, who order using Juicero's smartphone app.

Grandfather. Evans and his investors talk of Juicero as a “platform” for a new food delivery model. And they talk about commercial sales. For now, restaurant chains including Le Pain Quoprisen have agreed to use Juicero. Hopefully larger companies will also put the machine in their office kitchens.

BACKGROUND FOR A NEW SPECIFICATION FOR JUICE. I really hope this is an April Fool's joke.