Web Distractions: What's Interesting on the Web in Feb

We’re starting a new monthly column here on the blog. Called Web Distractions, each month we’ll do a round-up of interesting articles, galleries, slideshows and videos from all over the web, covering every subject under the sun.

Monica and I are constantly coming across interesting titbits while researching our articles, and we’d love to share some with you. Here are some great things we’ve found this week

Life Advice from Werner Herzog. The legendary filmmaker offers up 24 gems to help you live better, including “carry bolt-cutters everywhere” and “take revenge if need be”.

Are you running a blog as part of your company’s inbound-marketing campaign? Problogger has 5 Ways to Make Your Blogging Life Easier.

Facebook’s CEO Sheryl Sandberg writes about how we’re making bias worse, and discusses the terrible fate of petrified wood.

American heiress Huguette Clark died at the age of 104, after decades of hiding from the outside world. Take a peek inside her deserted mansions, each one meticulously maintained, despite none of her staff having seen her face for more than 20 years.

Meet Mr. Money Mustache, the laid-back, outdoorsy personal finance blogger who wants you to spend like you’re poor. His blend of hyper-frugalism, (called Mustachism) has swept up millions of readers across the globe, and got clueless people, like me, into investing.

Repeat after Me: You Are NOT Your Buyer.

Gary Vaynerchuk has some great advice (and a whole lot of ranting) for anyone talking about their personal brand.

In his piece Social Media Sabbaticals are the New Nepal, Paul Jarvis talks about his own social media sabbatical and what he learned from the experience.

Check out these 14 Pop-up Offices: Modern Mobile Studios for Creatives. I particularly love the “Observatory” offices - they sit on swirling bases, so no matter where you are you can rotate your office for a stunning new vista.

Are you a fan of Haruki Murakami, the Japanese author of beautiful and surreal novels? If so, you’ll know how vitally important music often is to the characters and plot. (His most famous work, Norwegian Wood, is even named after a Beatles song.) Here’s a 56-song playlist of music from Murakami novels. Bliss.

From Agency Post, here are 11 Commercials Directed by Oscar-Nominated Filmmakers. Featuring David Lynch’s surrealists Louboutin ad, and Ridley Scott’s “1984” Apple commercial.

Not as gothic as it sounds, but definitely interesting: Factories of the Future: The Value of Dark Data.

And, because this has been posted on my Facebook wall a thousand times and it is amazing, watch ballet dancer Sergei Polunin dance to Hozier’s “Take Me to Church.” Beautiful.

What are you reading / watching / listening to this week?

Image from Weburbanist.