The accelerator shakeup, managing your stupidity and massaging 50 Cent’s tongue. ?

Happy Friday.
(And hello from Ashburn, VA — where I’ve managed to be sick all week.)

I read (and tweet) a lot. This week, 125,000+ of you told me which of the reads were the most interesting (and reminded me that most of my tweets are terrible) — here are the top ten:

1. “It’s no secret that most startups fail. What’s a bit less obvious is that most startup accelerators also fail.” [Link] [Tweet]

Unless you’re part of the top-tier, the days of running accelerators and incubators on the economics of venture capital funds are over. Accelerators and incubators are the new business schools, it’s time they explored similar business models as well.

2. “So there I was with my finger inside 50 Cent’s mouth. At his invitation, I was massaging the back of his tongue.” [Link] [Tweet]

Despite 50 Cent’s recent bankruptcy filing, it’s interesting to get inside his head through articles like this one and understand how he thinks about being a musician and a moviestar. As he says, “If it makes money, it makes sense.” Perhaps this is an early signal that we all may have to think about how our skills can be applied across multiple disciplines.

3. “having kids is like having your heart running around outside your body.” [Link] [Tweet]

This.

4. “Keep it simple, do less, and manage your stupidity.” [Link] [Tweet]

Jason Zweig of the WSJ came up with this format in 2012 and Motley Fool brought it back recently. Most of the advice is similar but the more interesting part is that you can almost sense the competitiveness amongst the investors based on the words they’ve chosen.

5. “It did most of this while living together in an unremarkable McMansion in suburban Maryland.” [Link] [Tweet]

I read stories like this one and wonder if I’d be able to make the same commitment that these people did.

6. “I’m boring my dad because he will take any text, any call, any time, even on the ski lift.” [Link] [Tweet]

I hope that I never make my daughter feel this way.

7. “money is simply data, a simple way to measure and keep track of exchanges in value, or accumulations of wealth.” [Link] [Tweet]

I own a few Bitcoins and messed around with a (small) mining rig a few years ago but I’m still not sure what to make of it all. Reid’s article is a great overview if you’re looking to wrap your head around it.

8. “And people are afraid of hard work. Which is why they’re being left behind.” [Link] [Tweet]

This is yet-another-reminder that knowing how to code is important — not because everyone needs to be a coder but because you’re going to be dealing with coders regardless of your career path.

9. “Hindsight is unfair and inaccurate, but I still enjoy its lessons.” [Link] [Tweet]

If you can get past the title of the article, the actual tips are gold. The startup world is Hollywoodized — let’s get back to building businesses.

10. “I’m loyal only to results, and I suspect you are, too.” [Link] [Tweet]

Our phones are getting crowded with single-apps. As the author says, “I don’t want Yelp; I want to know where to eat. I don’t care about Google Calendar; I care about not missing appointments. I don’t buy iPhones; I buy best-in-class pictures of my kids.” This is an interesting read on the future of mobile.

Meet me in Lincoln, NE or Chicago, IL?
I’ll be keynoting the Nmotion Demo Day on Tuesday, July 28 and speaking at Work Design Magazine’s event on Thursday, July 30 (use “PAUL” as the discount code to get a free ticket). Hope to see you there!

Have a great weekend!

-P