The other night, American Idol -- yes, I watch, and religiously -- featured a short segment on the Beatles that seemed designed to introduce the band to the AI audience who would otherwise have no idea who the Fab Four were. And judging from the fact that one of the twenty-something contestants actually did a cover of White Snake's version of "Day Tripper," the primer was probably pretty prudent. Anyway, the gist of the clip was that boys from Liverpool weren't just a mere band. They were gamechangers who opened up our minds to new ways that music could be made.

Fast Company has a strong piece up on Barack Obama as a corporate brand. Perhaps not too surprising a spin for a business mag, but I think it's somewhat off. Obama '08 may have all the snazzy logos and consistent typography of a corporate outfit. But I think what's different about his campaign has really been a question of style -- a style that you see in the way his team engages in social networking to the way he debates. His approach to doing a presidential race is different than we've ever seen before. And it's probably safe to say that the way he's demonstrating new ways of playing the game is downright Beatlesque. (Photo thx Dunechaser)