I drove at least a dozen couples to and from their happy festivities this Valentine's Day; some slightly inebriated but all on an upbeat swing in their lives. They were mostly young but a sprinkling of middle-aged couples puts a fine point on the human need for companionship and intimacy. Heart shapes are everywhere.
Speaking of symbols, Uber has decided to give up their ownership of the letter U, replacing it with an animation that defies easy description. There are only a few companies that can claim branding by a single letter so there is at least some confusion as to the thinking.
After the Valentine's Day rush and the President's holiday, Uber gets kicked in the teeth by the media pulling the company inside the horror story of the Michigan shooter. I am not an apologist for Uber but I don't remember the unnamed church being viewed with concern when a pastor is accused of killing his two wives or the County of San Bernardino for their nightmare. Oh well, Uber has been disruptive and remains on the road. Kalanick, the founder, must have known he would be on the ridge line and have to dodge potshots.
The next big push for Uber is in China and China might bring out the big guns, or potshots on steroids. Since they don't have Valentine's Day or possibly even any heart shapes to suggest love, I surmise that February 14 of each year won't signal a surge. There is the myth of the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd which in 2016 falls on August 9th, my birthday. I will celebrate if I can find a cowherd. I do crochet which is very close to weaving.
I am going to leave Uber with this post but suggest that love is certainly more than a one-day feeling and even the dictionary definition leaves us cold and wanting. The phrase an intense feeling of deep affection is qualified by the definition for affection as a gentle feeling of fondness or liking so we aren't sure if we should be intense or gentle. May I suggest both? Lastly, if you haven't already, check out the hilarious PR effort by the Uber newsroom.