Here is a look at some standout business strategy, brand-building and communications stories that caught our attention last week.

Discussions Shaping Brand Strategy, Creativity & Innovation

• In Praise of Chaos: Governments’ Attempts to Control the Internet Should Be Resisted
• Think Quarterly: The People Issue
• On ‘Algorithmic Culture‘: Who Speaks for Culture?
• Notes from Google Zeitgeist
• Decoding Our Chatter
• What Planning Can Learn From Design Thinking
• Four Classic Ways to Recession-Proof Your Brand
• How Our Online Connectivity is Making Us Better Human Beings
• Digital Strategist Survey
• Minimum Viable Personality (brands, take note)

Notable Ideas: New Products, Platforms, Projects and Services

• Amazon Silk: An Ingenious Plan To Get You To Buy More Stuff
• Culture Kitchen: Letting Immigrants Swap Recipes with Foodies
• Prize-Winning Foursquare Hack Helps You Plan Your Next Trip
• Google’s Internet Bus Project (educating India about the power of the internet)
• The World’s Best Subway Maps
• The Corporate Guide to Happiness (and employee creativity, innovation – and retention)

Creative Brand Work (For Better or Worse…)

• “Arrested Development” Announces Fourth Season, Movie
• Art and Science Collide at IBM’s ‘Think’ Exhibit
• Nikon’s Provocative Facebook Comment
• MTV Remakes Itself for the Millennial Generation
• House Perfect: Is the IKEA Ethos Comfy or Creepy?
• Creating Amazing Customer Experience Through ‘Soft’ Innovation: Method’s Method
• Jello Jiggle-It

Digital Media News and Resources

• Beware of fMRI Studies ‘Proving’ That iPhone Love Registers in Our Brains
• Are Cellphones the Cigarettes of the 21st Century?
• How to Rank Highly on Google News
• Facebook Introduces New Metric ‘People Talking About’
• Facebook in Tracking Suit
• Spotify Now Requires Facebook Account for Registration (and adds everything you play to your News Feed)
• Few Consumers Are Cracking the QR Code
• Tumblr Lands $85MM in Funding