Five things worth sharing from the last week or so, brought to you by a different member of the Browser Media team every Friday.
This week’s My Five is by Joe.
1. Don’t go in the water!
I found myself watching Jaws late one night last week, reminiscing of kitesurfing in shark infested waters in South Africa. The fact that I am writing this indicates that I survived. Australian surfer Mick Fanning had a close call last week in the middle of a competition in Jeffreys Bay.
Being an official event, there were a lot of cameras rolling and the footage is pretty amazing:
Did you know that dogs killed approximately 33 times as many people as sharks in the US between 2001 and 2013? An interesting read suggests that is highly likely that the ‘attack’ was not actually an attack and Mick would have come off a lot worse if it had been a genuinely aggressive attack. I am still glad that I was watching the video rather than grappling with a massive fish!
2. Contagious laughter
New to me this week, although not new to the internet, was one of those videos that really cracks me up and I cannot help myself from laughing uncontrollably.
I challenge you to watch this video (needs sound) without also cracking up:
Unfortunately, this was an April fools video and helium beer doesn’t actually exist, but it is really well done and I hope it gives you as much of a chuckle as it did for me.
3. The dour Scot
Personally, I think Andy Murray is a legend. What he has achieved in tennis is nothing short of staggering and made even more impressive by the fact that he is playing (and winning) in an era of unprecedented brilliance. I also suspect that, away from the glare of the camera and intesity of tennis tournaments, he is a completely different person to the dour Scot that he often appears to be.
There is no doubt that he has a massive image problem and a lot of people just don’t like him. I think that this is unfair and he should be recognised for his amazing tennis rather than be criticised for being a bit grumpy at times.
I have often thought that he needs help with ‘brand Andy Murray’ and he has scored some spectactular own goals (e.g. his tweet supporting Scottish independence on the morning of the referendum), but there are signs that he is learning that people want to see a happy Andy.
This week heralded one of my all time favourite posts on Facebook:
As a parent of two aspiring tennis players, this probably resonates with me more than most but it is great to see Andy smiling and clearly enjoying life at the top. Long may it continue and I hope that Andy will cement his position the hearts of the nation as the true champion that he is.
4. Reza Aslan v CNN
Without wishing to put a dampner on your Friday, nobody needs reminding that we live in troubled times. Across the globe, there are real problems and religion is at the heart of most conflicts. In the western world, this normally means pointing the finger at Islam.
I am embarassingly ignorant about religion but I found Reza Aslan’s appearance on CCN absolutely riveting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzusSqcotDw
Aslan 1 CCN 0.
5. Make a big splash
Term has finished and the school summer holidays are here. For the parents amongst us, this can often mean a search for fun activities to do with the children. Swimming is always a popular option and water parks are even better.
Americans tend to do things bigger than us humble Brits and Texans tend to go big by US standards. It would appear that this is also true for water slides – I found ‘The Royal Flush’ this week and it looks fun:
Have a great weekend!
