Putting the green into green

Narcotics, law enforcement, and the glib enablement of destructive lifestyle choices - it's all going off in Daveland

I was intrigued and a little giggly to learn this week of the first investment house to plough a fair bit of cash into the marijuana industry.
Founders Fund, a San Franciscan venture capital outfit co-led by PayPal founder Peter Thiel, has invested an unspecified amount in Privateer Holdings. A Seattle-based firm, it owns Leafly.com, which provides reviews and price comparison info for medicinal cannabis users in the US.
It also runs Tilray, which grows medical pot in Canada, and various other ganj-related interests. Privateer CEO Brendan Kennedy claimed his firm is all about "creating a smart, professional brand" in a market where the majority of its rivals "are so amateurish".
Maybe so, but most of them are pretty cool about you turning up at their "office" at one in the morning and don't mind if you just chill out and watch Trans World Sport for an hour or two while you're there.

BookFace
Talking of the extracurricular activities of tech chiefs, I discovered recently that Mark Zuckerberg has joined popular culture giants such as Oprah Winfrey and Richard and Judy in setting up his own book club.
The Facebook leader has reportedly vowed to read a book every fortnight this year and has created an online community for everyone who wishes to join him. His first choice was a tome called The End of Power by Moses Naim, a book about whether society's most powerful folk will continue to wield quite so much influence in future (spoiler alert: yeah, probably). More titles will follow, as Zuck racks up the literary miles.
"I've found reading books very intellectually fulfilling," said the social media CEO, as if he is one of only 10 people in the world to ever finish a whole one.

Arresting development
In a development sure to secure more votes for the Goodness Gracious - This Country, It's Political Correctness Gone Mad Party, I learned this week that applicants for a senior post in the police have been asked to prove their credentials by sending in a "New Year Selfie".
Humberside Police has asked anyone interested in becoming its new deputy chief constable to request an application pack by sending in a self-taken photograph. It might not appear entirely clear to a Non-Johnny Lawman like me what the link is between blurry headshots and apprehending criminals, but the force has explained that it wants senior officers to lead from the front when it comes to the effective use of social media.
"It is vital that potential candidates understand the importance of embracing new technology," said chief constable Justine Curran, before adding "LOL #YOLO #jussayin."

Eating your profits
Part of running a deeply successful business is knowing when to play hardball, and when to offer a tasty deal.
Giving your clients mates' rates is usually a combination of factors, and comes as a reward for loyalty, honesty, scrupulousness - or just liking the cut of someone's jib. But I read this week that some restaurants in China are taking a decidedly shallower approach to discounts.
The Zhengzhou Korean restaurant in Henan province reportedly offers free meals to those deemed to be its most attractive diners. Patrons of the eatery are photographed as they enter, before a crack team of cosmetic surgery professionals examine all the snaps and single out the five fittest faces, each of whom gets a free meal.
All of which might seem a little bit grubby, but is relatively harmless compared with the Na Huo joint in Chongqing, which last month offered gratis grub to customers who were dangerously over- or underweight. Money off their meal was awarded to the husky gentleman, with discounts increasing on a sliding scale (presumably made of reinforced steel) based on their bulk. Fellas clocking in at more than 22 stone ate for free.
Meanwhile, ladies were rewarded the thinner they were, with no charge for those weighing less than a scarcely believable 5st 6lb (if you want some context, that's roughly the same size as half a woman).
Of course, you'd never catch a corporately socially responsible CEO like me doing this sort of thing. Although if I spy a West Ham sticker on your rear windscreen, you might find my routers are surprisingly expensive.