The best of what I read this week: work culture, social media tips, and stealing knowledge

Save Yourself From Burnout By Putting Your Overachiever Tendencies On Hold (Fast Company)

Your Kid's Summer Job Didn't Put Them On The Path To Success Like You Planned (Fast Co.Exist)

A little known hack from Japan to get your notebook organized (HighFive, via Austin Kleon)

25 Tips to Become a More Productive Blogger (Blog Clarity)

26 Creative Ways to Publish Social Media Updates (Social Media Examiner)

5 Simple Office Policies That Make Danish Workers Way More Happy Than Americans (Fast Co.Exist)

If You Want To Be Successful, Learn How To Steal (Medium)

Image source: Bicycle races are coming your way by Khánh Hmoong is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

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The scariest thing about Kate Argent

(Spoilers for 4.11 "A Promise to the Dead")
A few things are unsettling about Kate Argent this season—her were-jaguar abilities, the Berserkers she controls, whatever she did to Derek—but the scariest thing she has done so far is turn Scott into a Berserker.

The scary part isn't that Kate turns Scott into a monster. We could say that Scott was physically a monster already, even if he chose not to hurt people with his werewolf abilities. The scary part is that Kate turns Scott into the polar opposite of what he wants to be. She shatters the heroic part of him, everything he has worked for and fought for, and she is calm about it, calculating. That gave me chills.

Worse, earlier in this episode, one of Satomi's werewolves talks to Liam about how amazing Scott is for earning the power to be a True Alpha, for his leadership, for the way he protects his friends. So just in case anyone in the audience hasn't been paying attention, we have these reminders of everything good in Scott McCall. Over four seasons of the show, we have seen Scott:

• Choose to use his power for good, over and over, even when others try to force him into violent situations.
• Lead others into action and give them hope, even when the odds are against them
• Give everyone a choice in getting involved with the supernatural world, and not judge them for choosing safety

Kate inverts all of that.

She forces Scott to become a Berserker and she controls what the Berserkers do. It seems like she will force him to fight his friends in the finale, so she takes away his power to decide what he does with his power and his desire to protect his friends.

The scariest thing is that Kate is able to unmake Scott the Alpha, turn him against his friends, and use him however she wants.

The Greatest American Hero is getting a reboot

The Greatest American Hero is getting a reboot and while I can understand why some people think the concept won't do well in modern times, I think it can work if the reboot sticks to the basic concepts of the original series.

A suit they don't know how to use
The twist in original show was that Ralph lost the instruction book to the suit, so he figured out how to use it by trial and error and, well, accidents. That idea can still work in an updated version—it's not much different from a superhero gaining powers and having to learn how to use them. In the original series, not knowing how to use the suit led to many comedic moments (including the running gag that Ralph couldn't land after flying). The updated series can use that, but not knowing how to use the suit can also lead to dramatic moments where the hero fails.

A government handler and a civilian with the suit
Bill and Ralph were a great team in the original series because they approached problems differently. Bill worked for the FBI and so he wanted procedures and scenarios for every situation. Ralph, a civilian teacher, wanted to help people without it being a big deal. He was even reluctant to get involved in some cases because he wasn't sure he was up to the task. That tension worked really well, both for stories and for character development.

Helping out with everyday problems
One of my favorite parts of the original series was that the crime stopping stayed local (to Los Angeles). The characters didn't face threats against the entire world, and that helped the series stay light. Every day wasn't a doomsday event, and that left opportunities to see who the characters were outside of solving crimes and figuring out the suit.

The reboot could also explore ideas that weren't explored much in the original series, including:

• Should the hero have an alter ego/secret identity?
• Are the hero and the FBI agent tempted to use the suit for themselves?
• Do these characters live in a world with superhero comics (and movies, TV shows), and does that influence what they do with the suit?

I'm interested to see how the reboot develops. With the success of so many superhero movies, I expect people will tune in. Hopefully the cast, writing, and direction of the show will encourage us to stick with it.