Here at Grid we spend a lot of time reading what the Internet has to say about business. Or, as journalists like to call it, “working.” Every Friday, we let you benefit from our diligence by collecting the most interesting and entertaining stuff we’ve encountered this week.
“They’re very quiet neighbors”
Cemeteries have long been the recipient of not-in-my-backyard sentiment because homeowners figure it’ll depress the value of their property. That’s one of the reasons why it’s getting more expensive to die — plots are scarce. But according to Redfin, via Quartz, homes within 50 feet of cemeteries sell for 13 percent more. Matt Present
The best part of Google buying Motorola
It’s not the free lunches. Or the assuredly amazing office. It’s that as soon as the purchase was official, Motorola launched its very own moonshot division. Now that team of creatives has released an animated short free to Moto X users starring a charming mouse. It also just so happens to combine former Pixar animators and virtual reality to create a completely new form of storytelling. In less than two years. Chalk one up for Google culture. Sarah Collins
Meet ‘the most important personal finance guru in America’
Pacific Standard profiles Dave Ramsey, whose talk radio show has 6 million listeners each week, whose privately held company has 350 employees, and who’s likely earned tens of millions telling people to “get second jobs, drive ‘beater’ cars, and to survive on rice and beans.” Meg Graham
Should the SEC turn investing over to Kickstarter?
The JOBS act is meant to democratize investing and, more importantly, give small businesses another way of accessing capital. It also has the potential to scale fraud across social networks and websites designed to collect money with very little oversight. At least so say critics. Sarah Collins
For American restaurant chains, the future is Mexican
Fact: Tacos are cooler than burgers. Last quarter, for instance, McDonald’s had a tiny uptick in same-store sales (0.7 percent) and Burger King’s fell 0.5 percent. Compare that with Chipotle, where similar sales were up 6.2 percent. Businessweek reports that many restaurant chains are looking to Mexican food for growth, in part because millennials can totally get down on some of that. Sara White
The street thug who would be king
Meet young Mike, a pudgy 8-year-old with glasses and a lisp growing up on the rugged streets of Brooklyn in the mid-70s. Mike gets bullied, he’s humiliated, then he learns to fight back. Then he becomes a thief, then gets locked up. In detention, he takes up boxing, and as it turns out he’s really, really good at it. This is the first-person account of how Mike Tyson’s heartbreaking childhood put him on the path to glory — and, ultimately, disgrace. Brandon Copple
