“Things I’ve Learned from Lately” is a regular compilation of articles that have made me a smarter marketer. Hopefully, they’ll help you, too.

Getting Onboard with Bitcoin - In this GQ piece, Marshall Salla writes about his first experiences as a Bitcoin user. In the piece, he explains what Bitcoin is, "the currency you send and the means by which you send it." Then he gets into his life as a user, explaining the perks and the challenges of relying on Bitchoin. He then gets into how others are using Bitcoin online with services like Silk Road. This piece is fascinating because it focuses on the human side of adopting Bitcoin, which is probably here to stay.

What Does this Font Convey? - This Fast Company piece looks at how typefaces convey meanings and elicit different emotions. Researchers are getting closer to understanding how font choices can impact readers' emotional responses. The piece shows the power of combining creativity with analytics to make the most impact with execution.

The United States of Data - This piece from Bruce Feiler shares how recently data has permeated all areas of life from social science to sports to lifestyle. The positive side of this is that it can help us make better decisions, but risk comes from the fact that data isn't the whole picture. Having too much data brings the challenge of living by the numbers instead of just living.

Cars Go Open Source - The Verge looks at Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk's statement that his company will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone using his company's technology in an effort to encourage electric vehicle creation and innovation. Instead, he's creating an opportunity for other companies to invest more in electric car manufacturing. Musk has brought open source development to car manufacturing.

Kids These Days - This piece from Mike Stobbe looks at the findings from the government's latest study on teen behavior. The study found that teens today have adopted healthier standards than their predecessors by drinking and smoking less but adopting a high degree of texting, including while driving. This group also spends a high percentage of time in front of a screen. The study shows how behaviors shift with each generation, and marketers need to prepare and adopt methods to accommodate them.