Making failure work for you

Failure is a strange beast - essential to learn from, yet disappointing all the same. Sometimes comical. Sometimes incredible. How did failure work out this week?

In Silicon Valley, known for its blistering technology, Juicero is a company that makes a $400 juicer and has backing from several high profile VC firms including Google Ventures. But it appears to sell a juicer that doesn't juice anything. Squeezing the bags by hand produces the same effect as quickly or quicker than the machine.

In one of their regular takedowns of startups, Business Insider examines the fate of Augmented Reality (AR) app Blippar.

You may remember that AR was all the rage a few years ago, but that enthusiasm seems to have waned. Blippar, once a 'unicorn' and valued at more than $1 billion, has burned through large amounts of venture capital since, reputed to be as high as £2.4 million per month.

Then there's French food. Best in the world.

Except if you go to Le Cinq at iconic Paris hotel Le Georges V. Jay Rayner's verdict?

"Le Cinq supplied by far the worst restaurant experience I have endured in my 18 years in this job. This, it must be said, is an achievement of sorts."

"My lips purse, like a cat’s arse that’s brushed against nettles."

"It is mostly black, like nightmares, and sticky, like the floor at a teenager’s party."

Ouch!

The world's greatest actor Mads Mikkelsen now promotes Carlsberg lager, with the full campaign to break today, tapping in on the whole 'Hygge' trend:

Do you remember Pokemon Go? It was more popular than sunshine, more groundbreaking than sliced bread and more compelling than heroin. Where did it go, asks Ad Contrarian Bob Hoffman.

While Pokemon Go seems to have gone, here are some predictions for the latest of latest things and the future of voice search, by JWT and Mindshare.

To be grumpy is failure. Doesn't it? Well no - grumpy is good for you. So be grumpy. Grump it up.

A step-by-step analysis of Jeff Bezos’ letter to Amazon employees by Quartz.

How US show The Americans got the looks from the decade that fashion forgot (that's the 1980s) right.

The brilliant museum of failure, which features a device to use Twitter that could not even manage 140 characters, a Nokia phone/gaming hybrid that worked neither as a gaming device (no games) or a phone (it was hopelessly difficult to use) and of course Colgate lasagne. Who in their right mind would buy that? Would it taste minty? Is the sauce made from toothpaste? Is it good for your teeth? No thanks.

A failed film on the subject of failure was released 30 years ago. But Withnail and I became an unlikely sleeper hit. Look at some of the locations from this most quotable of films.

Has society failed? By this measure - well you make your own mind up. Netflix viewers have streamed Adam Sandler programmes and films for longer than human civilisation has existed.

A fascinating analysis of the new Dreams ad by Jeremy Lee which he's saying is a missed opportunity.

Plus the ad – it’s the one where the sleeping people are on a production line:

But to consider failure properly, you need to consider success too.

​One person who has succeeded this week is Belgian man Stan Vanuytrecht who beat 49 other applicants to win an unpaid, post as hermit above an Austrian town. The scenery is beautiful, the air pure. There is no running water, no electricity, no heating and no company. And no wifi.

An interview with Mashable founder Pete Cashmore, who started the blog in his Scottish bedroom and now oversees a proper media empire while dating supermodels.

Former Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer on his next project, a big data dive into the US civil service.

Birdman writer Armando Bo won an Oscar for his efforts. Here he is on writing better stories and what this means for those engaged in 'content'.

Finally, Nottingham due Sleaford Mods have grown in popularity and stature, thanks to a diet of decay and displeasure. A new documentary about their work, Bunch of Kunst ('kunst' is German for 'art') will be released in plenty of time before June 8: