--- title: "The100: Tarot Cards, Gnomonists and dishwater" description: "Symbiotic Corporate Altruism? I liked this article about Spotify, not just because I’m an avid user, but also because of this: “We know that we’re only going to be successful as a company if the music industry is successful. That’s why we don’t think of ourselves as just the R&D department of Spotify – but …" image: https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20(22).png --- [![Bombayworks logotype](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/wmt-logo_inverse.svg "Bombayworks logotype")](https://watchmethink.com/) - [What we do](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Watch Me Explore](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-explore) - [Watch Me Develop](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-develop) - [Watch Me Use](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-use) - [Watch Me Shop](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-shop) - [Who it's for](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Consumer Insights](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/consumer-insights) - [Shopper Insights](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/shopper-insights) - [Category Management](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/category-mangement) - [Innovation & Product Development](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/innovation) - [Sensory & Consumer Science](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/consumer-science) - [Packaging](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/packaging) - [Marketing](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/marketing) - [About](https://watchmethink.com/about) - [The 100 Blog](https://blog.watchmethink.com/) - [Contact](https://watchmethink.com/contact) - [Login](https://watchmethink.com/dashboard) - [Sign up](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Corporate users](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Request registration here](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Consumer](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) - [Get paid to review products](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) Menu # The100: Tarot Cards, Gnomonists and dishwater - Home - [Blog](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) - The100: Tarot Cards, Gnomonists and dishwater - [Blog home /](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) [Alistair Vince](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/author/alistair-vince) 05/18/2018 [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) [0 Comments](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100_may18#postComment) 1 Minutes ### **Symbiotic Corporate Altruism?** I liked this [article about Spotify](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/spotify-we-are-the-rd-department-for-the-entire-record-industry/), not just because I’m an avid user, but also because of this: *“We know that we’re only going to be successful as a company if the music industry is successful. That’s why we don’t think of ourselves as just the R&D department of Spotify – but actually as the R&D department of the entire music industry. We don’t think the music industry has had an R&D department before – we’re it. That’s our mission”.* Helping your entire industry become more successful (and by default even your competitors) may seem counterintuitive to some. Just wave as you pass them by. ### **Tarot Cards of Tech** [These are designed to help the wizards-behind-the-curtains](https://www.artefactgroup.com/the-tarot-cards-of-tech/) consider more fully the impact of their tech creations. There are in fact some useful questions for us all to consider in the MRX world.  Such a nice way to get people to re-look at their business while using common sense. ### **Bandwagon alert: Artificial Intelligence** Robots, AI, blah, blah, blah. There’s a lot of talk how they’ll take over many jobs Here is the Guardian with a brilliant collection of photos on the  [people whose jobs are disappearing](https://www.theguardian.com/money/gallery/2018/apr/30/disappearing-jobs-around-the-world-in-pictures) right now. The photos are great, the many implications serious. One thing you will learn is what a Gnomonist does (not what you think) and that there is such a job as an Ear Cleaner. Who knew? ### **Tralalalalalahhh** America. *“The U.S. in the 21st century can be a bewildering place, even for its own residents.”* Here is [a list of 10 books](https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-02-05/10-things-to-read-to-understand-america) to help you out. Or take a look at this long but marvelous recounting of [24 hrs in NYC (in the 1980s)](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/t-magazine/24-hours-new-york-city-1980s-life.html) …without immediately booking the next flight out – or grinning to yourself if you’re lucky enough to be already there. Continuing in the US, even if you didn’t watch [The Wire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire), this is a very short anecdote on how the [tools we need for creativity](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/magazine/new-sentences-from-all-the-pieces-matter-the-inside-story-of-the-wire.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fnew-sentences&action=click&contentCollection=magazine®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection) are often closer than we think. ### **Dishwater? Seawater.** It’s fairly well known (by anyone that’s met me) that I’m pretty dishwater-dull… which may be the reason why I found this article on the [secret language of ships](https://www.hakaimagazine.com/videos-visuals/the-secret-language-of-ships/) so interesting. All those strange shaped markings, the crooked lines and coded letters… not to mention the anti-pirate mannequins. --- #### Tag: [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) #### Share: - [Follow us on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100_may18) - [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100_may18&text=The100:%20Tarot%20Cards,%20Gnomonists%20and%20dishwater) - [Follow us on Linkedin](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100_may18) - [Follow us on Pinterest](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100_may18&text=The100:%20Tarot%20Cards,%20Gnomonists%20and%20dishwaterdescription=Symbiotic%20Corporate%20Altruism?%20I%20liked%20this%20article%20about%20Spotify,%20not%20just%20because%20I’m%20an%20avid%20user,%20but%20also%20because%20of%20this:&media=https://3461170.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/3461170/Untitled%20design%20%2822%29.png) --- --- ## From the archives If you like The100, maybe even found it vaguely enjoyable (steady now), you can have a ganders at our previous issues. Fill your boots. [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) 04 September, 2026 #### [The100: Patterns that aren't, time well spent and the knights of Arundel](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-patterns-that-arent-time-well-spent-and-the-knights-of-arundel) The leadership of sound bites It’s a strange old time in research and insights at the moment, eh?… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-patterns-that-arent-time-well-spent-and-the-knights-of-arundel) [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) 21 August, 2026 #### [The100: Neurononsense, the gym test and the Republic of Olvana](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-neurononsense-the-gym-test-and-the-republic-of-olvana) Cite me if you can If I had a cent for every time I heard “95% of purchase decisions are… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-neurononsense-the-gym-test-and-the-republic-of-olvana) [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) 07 August, 2026 #### [The100: Discount loops, The Batman Effect and crimes against the Y axis](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-discount-loops-the-batman-effect-and-crimes-against-the-y-axis) Yellow sticker syndrome Mark Ritson has staged an intervention against price promotions and given… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-discount-loops-the-batman-effect-and-crimes-against-the-y-axis) - Get started - [Login](https://watchmethink.com/account/login) - [Sign up: Corporate User](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Sign up: Consumer](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) - Resources - [Terms for Thinkers](https://watchmethink.com/terms) - [Terms for Adhoc Work](https://watchmethink.com/terms-for-adhoc-work) - [Terms for Subscriptions](https://watchmethink.com/terms-for-subscriptions) - [Terms for Agents](https://watchmethink.com/agent) - About - [Contact us](https://watchmethink.com/contact) - [About us](https://watchmethink.com/about) - [Blog](https://blog.watchmethink.com/) - [Privacy policy](https://watchmethink.com/privacy) - [Equality, diversity and labour standards](https://watchmethink.com/equality-diversity-labour-standards) - Social - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/watch-me-think) - [Twitter](https://twitter.com/watchmethink) ![cyber-essentials-plus](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/cyber-essentials-plus.png?width=96&name=cyber-essentials-plus.png "cyber-essentials-plus") ![mrs-logo-cps](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/mrs-logo-cps.png?width=216&name=mrs-logo-cps.png "mrs-logo-cps") ![watch](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/watch.png?width=213&name=watch.png "watch") Watch Me Think © 2025. All rights reserved. ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=1498698&fmt=gif) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Alistair Vince", "url" : "https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/author/alistair-vince" }, "dateModified" : "2025-12-01T14:42:10.544Z", "datePublished" : "2018-05-18T08:48:24.000Z", "headline" : "The100: Tarot Cards, Gnomonists and dishwater", "image" : [ "https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20(22).png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100_may18", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/wmt_logo_rgb_for-web-1.png" }, "name" : "Watch Me Think" } } ```