#How to Get FB Live Streams

[sturnsdarling]

the library

love and cigs, merc

(!) indicates smut, (✯) are my faves

!'I don't know how to forget you' ✯

matt and y/n have been best friends their whole life, but after a drunken kiss and a night of tangled limbs, everything is changing.

‘I get them too, sometimes'

y/n has an anxiety attack and Matt calms her down the only way he can think of in the moment (based on the ICONIC stydia scene)

'lets just stay here for a while'

{part two of 'I get them too, sometimes' } anxious!reader has an anxiety attack so bff!matt kisses her to calm her down, after, they agree to not go back to the party and just hang out with each other for a while.

!'Dinner and a show'

Matt and his girl go to dinner, but little does he know she has something planned for him when they get home.

!‘never have I ever; shared a girl with my brother' ✯

Matt and Chris’ best friend takes an innocent game of ‘never have I ever’ as her opportunity to ask the boys something she’s always wondered

!'Birthdays in Boston' ✯

a prequel to 'I don't know how to forget you', and the full story behind the photo of Matt and y/n on the fridge

!'save a horse...'

you and Matt go to a ranch for your anniversary and end up finding an old abandoned barn, taking the perfect opportunity to live your true wild west fantasy.

'teenage dirtbags', Intro, part I, part II, part III, part IV

Skater!Matt and Overachiever!reader have never gotten along, but after Matt needs her help passing philosophy, everything starts to change.

'gloves off'

Hockeyplayer!Matt is on the ice, and a guy from the other team says something about his girl, so Matt deals with him

!'It's 2am, and I miss you'

You and Matt broke up months ago, but he cant seem to get you out of his head.

!‘need to taste you’

ex!matt is in his feelings, and they’re all directed at you….

!’flashing lights’

you and matt discover his new LED lights have a clap on/off setting, and take full advantage of it.

‘cherry cola’ ✯

you ask for Matts assistance in dying your hair red

‘it’s so obvious’

the boys’ best friend joins them for a stream, and fans notice the tension between her and Matt

!’after party’

tour!matt and his girlfriend can’t wait another second once he gets off stage…

!’english love affair’…incoming

Matt and his brothers go on tour in the UK, and whilst in a crowded london bar, he meets a girl that he can’t get out his head

!’I know you will’…incoming

you’ve been desperate for matt all day, and you’re finally alone

you're my only option...incoming

figureskater!reader has a major competition coming up, but her partner dropped out last minute, leaving hockeyplayer!matt her only shot at gold

...more tbd

'are you still awake?'

Chris and y/n had a stupid fight, but he refuses to go to bed angry

!'just need t'feel you around me'

part two of 'are you still awake?', Chris can't keep his hands off y/n once they make amends after an argument.

'Chris likes girls who don't like him back' ✯

Late night streaming with your best friends turns to a conversation about the boys' type, and Chris gets called out.

!‘never have I ever; shared a girl with my brother ✯

Matt and Chris’ best friend takes an innocent game of ‘never have I ever’ as her opportunity to ask the boys something she’s always wondered

!’take it’

You and Chris have had sex a thousand times, but this time, after a dirty comment you thought nothing of, Chris’ secret obsession comes to light

'lazy days'

Sometimes you just need a pretty girl on your lap and some good music, and that’s what Chris has with his girl.

!'I can make you feel better'

Chris has been in a mood all day, and theres only one thing that will get him out of it

...more tbd

*indicates fratboy!mattXreader | *indicates fratboy!chrisXreader | **indicates interaction with both (if it's both, fb!matt is always the romantic interest)

*!'you're much better company, tough girl' ✯

fratboy!matt has met his match with smartand'mean'!reader, and he can't get enough of her

*she's the coolest person I know'

fratboy!matt tries to play it cool about him and smartand'mean'!reader spending alot of time together, but fratboy!chris and nate aren't convinced

*'stay the fuck away from her'

fratboy!chris leaves shy!reader alone at a party for the first time and it goes south, quickly.

**'what the fuck is wrong with you?' ✯

fratboy!matt calls smartand'mean'!reader after the fight, telling her she needs to come look after shy!reader, but after she finds out what happened, she lays into fratboy!chris, giving him the reality check he needs.

*!'you look like this song'

smartand'mean'!reader is getting ready in fratboy!Matts room, listening to Nirvana, and he can't keep his eyes off her.

**an unlikely friendship' ✯

fratboy!chris needs a girls help with a deal, and the only girl he knows he can trust, is fratboy!matts.

*fratboy!matt and smartand’mean’!readers insta launch

“yeah my boyfriends pretty cool…but he’s not as cool as me”

*'boyfriend' ✯

smartand'mean'!reader goes to one of fratboy!matt's freshers parties, and has a run in with a boy that doesn't end well.

*'beast boy and raven'

smartand'mean'!reader convinces fratboy!matt to dress up for halloween

*insta posts

some things found on fratboy!matt and smartand’mean’!readers instagrams

**!'all I wanted'...incoming

fratboy!matt and smartand'mean'!reader find themselves at their breaking point

!'lemme jus' put it in

how and when Chris/Matt would beg for you to cockwarm them...according to merc

!'what chris is into'

the kind of stuff chris is into…according to merc

!'how the boys fuck', II

links and blurbs on the boys' style...according to merc

...more tbd

[hanahanumana]

From AnaMaria Abramovic on Fb

Paste magazine has done an article about Michael and how underrated he is in Good Omens and I found a transcript since it's behind a paywall. Here's the link if anyone wants to subscribe. 💙

https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/amazon-prime-video/good-omens-michael-sheen-underrated-performance-explained-streaming

There’s so much to love about Prime Video’s Good Omens. A delightful adaptation of the popular Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett novel of the same name, the series is romantic, thoughtful, hilarious, and heartfelt by turns. The story of the almost-apocalypse and what comes afterward, it wrestles with big concepts like destiny, free will, and forgiveness, all framed through the lens of an unorthodox relationship between an angel and a demon whose love for one another is a key to saving the world.

As anyone who has watched Good Omens already knows, nothing about this series works without the pair of lead performances at its center. Stars David Tennant and Michael Sheen—who play the demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale, respectively—have the kind of lighting-in-a-bottle chemistry that’s the stuff of legend, and their characters’ every interaction conveys both their deep affection for one another and the Earth they’ve made their home. Their romance is the emotional linchpin around which most of the series turns, and their heartbreaking separation in the Season 2 finale is so devastating precisely because we’ve seen how necessary the two are to each other’s lives.

But it’s Sheen’s performance in that final scene that really twists the knife. As Aziraphale’s face crumples following his and Crowley’s long-awaited kiss, the actor manages to convey what feels like every possible human emotion in the span of less than thirty seconds as the angel realizes what he has both had and just lost. The moment is emotionally brutal to watch, particularly after sitting through five and a half episodes of Aziraphale looking as lovestruck as the lead in any rom-com. Sheen makes it all look effortless, shifting from giddy joy to devastated longing and everything in between, and we really don’t talk enough about how powerful and underrated his work in this series truly is.

Though he’s half of the central duo that makes Good Omens tick, Sheen’s role often tends to get overshadowed by his co-star’s. It’s not difficult to see why, given that Tennant gets to spend most of the show swanning around in tight trousers looking like the Platonic ideal of the charming bad boy, complete with flaming red hair and dramatic eyewear. Tennant also benefits from Crowley’s much more sympathetic emotional arc. I mean, it’s hard not to love a cynical demon with a heart of gold who’s been pining after his angelic best friend for literal millennia even after being cast out from Heaven. Of course, viewers are drawn to that—likely a lot more easily than the story of an angel who’s simply trying the best he can to do the right thing as he wrestles with his role in God’s Ineffable Plan. Plus, let’s be real, Tennant’s sizeable Doctor Who fanbase certainly doesn’t hurt his character’s popularity.

As a performer, Sheen has a long history of playing both real people (Tony Blair, David Frost, Brian Clough) and offbeat villains (Prodigal Son’s Martin Whitly, Underworld’s Lucian, the Twilight Saga’s Aro). In some ways, the role of a fussy, bookish angel is playing more than a bit against type for him—Gaiman himself has said he originally intended for Sheen to be Crowley—but in his capable hands, Aziraphale becomes something much more than a simple avatar for the forces of Good (or even of God, for that matter). With a soft demeanor and a positively blinding smile, Sheen’s take on the character consistently radiates warmth and goodness, even as it contains surprisingly hidden depths. The former guardian of the Eastern Gate of Eden who gifted a fleeing Adam and Eve his flaming sword and befriended the Serpent who caused their Fall, Azirphale isn’t a particularly conventional angel. He enjoys all-too-human indulgences like food and wine, runs a Hoarders-esque bookshop that never seems to sell anything, and spends most of his time making heart eyes at the being that’s meant to be his hereditary adversary.

Given the much more difficult task of playing the literal angel to Tennant’s charming devil, Sheen must find a way to make ideas like goodness and forgiveness as interesting and fun to watch as their darker counterparts. It’s a generally thankless task, but one that Sheen tackles with gusto, particularly in the series’ second season, as Good Omens explores Aziraphale’s slowly evolving idea of what he can and cannot accept in terms of being a soldier of Heaven. His growing understanding that the truth of creation is colored in shades of grey and compromise is often conveyed through little more than Sheen’s deftly shifting expressions and body language.

Our pop culture consistently struggles to portray the idea of goodness as something compelling or worth watching. Explicitly “good” characters, particularly those who are religiously coded, are frequently treated as the butt of some sort of unspoken joke they aren’t in on, used to underline the idea that faith is a form of naivety or that kindness is somehow a weakness. For a lot of people, the entire concept of turning the other cheek is a sucker’s bet, and believing in something greater than oneself, be it a higher power or a sense of purpose, is a waste of time. But Good Omens is a story grounded in the idea that faith, hope, and love—for one another, God, and the entire world—are active verbs. And nowhere is that more apparent than in Sheen’s characterization of the soft angel whose old-fashioned waistcoats mask a spine of steel and who refuses to give up—on Crowley, on humanity, or on the idea that Heaven is still something that can be saved.

Though he and Tennant have pretty much become a matched set at this point (both on and off-screen), Sheen’s performance has rarely gotten the critical accolades it deserves. (Tennant alone was nominated for a BAFTA for Season 2, and Sheen was categorized as a supporting actor when the series’ competed in the 2019 Saturn Awards.) But it is his quiet strength that holds up so much of the rest of the show around him, and Sheen deserves to be more frequently recognized for it. That he makes it look so easy is just another sign of how good his performance really is.

[noobsomeexagerjunk]

i feel like our varying ability to understand and speak english + popular local perception of minecraft as a game + the way varying class and geography incluences our use of social media affects knowledge of local mc streamers, so the sentiment is super felt.

in my experience, the mcyt i knew well back in the early 2010s was simply american youtuber captainsparklez, and i didn't even watch him for minecraft then. the resurgence during the pandemic (via smplive and dsmp) may have brought new viewers in but its still mostly english speaking i guess??? other regional languages are listed in the qlobal translator but to what end will they be used? it'll really depend on who gets invited i suppose. (i was born in negros but i moved to south luzon (and moved around a lot there) + grew up considerably upper-middle class so i've only been able to speak the casual, relatively slang-filled tagalog one learns via private catholic schooling. this is a very specific experience that is only reflected by specific pinoy users so like 😞 idk)

i know we have big local streamers but like some folks in the tags mentioned they play games that are competitive (like, idk, genshin and similar anime-based games and fps games in the vein of valorant) which in turn reflects different audiences that i feel have their own biases regarding minecraft streaming and mcrp

is it fucked up that as a filipino i dont know any filipino mc streamers or filipino streamers in general? like the ones who actually stream in tagalog/bisaya/ilocano/ilonggo/whatever dialect???

like im so envious of the ppl who are like "so and so was my childhood im excited to see them in qsmp" and here i am like "wow filipino streamers huh can't wait to meet them ^_^"

[mostlysignssomeportents]

My McLuhan lecture on enshittification

IT'S THE LAST DAY for the Kickstarter for the audiobook of The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

Last night, I gave the annual Marshall McLuhan lecture at the Transmediale festival in Berlin. The event was sold out and while there's a video that'll be posted soon, they couldn't get a streaming setup installed in the Canadian embassy, where the talk was held:

https://transmediale.de/en/2024/event/mcluhan-2024

The talk went of fabulously, and was followed by commentary from Frederike Kaltheuner (Human Rights Watch) and a discussion moderated by Helen Starr. While you'll have to wait a bit for the video, I thought that I'd post my talk notes from last night for the impatient among you.

I want to thank the festival and the embassy staff for their hard work on an excellent event. And now, on to the talk!

Last year, I coined the term 'enshittification,' to describe the way that platforms decay. That obscene little word did big numbers, it really hit the zeitgeist. I mean, the American Dialect Society made it their Word of the Year for 2023 (which, I suppose, means that now I'm definitely getting a poop emoji on my tombstone).

So what's enshittification and why did it catch fire? It's my theory explaining how the internet was colonized by platforms, and why all those platforms are degrading so quickly and thoroughly, and why it matters – and what we can do about it.

We're all living through the enshittocene, a great enshittening, in which the services that matter to us, that we rely on, are turning into giant piles of shit.

It's frustrating. It's demoralizing. It's even terrifying.

I think that the enshittification framework goes a long way to explaining it, moving us out of the mysterious realm of the 'great forces of history,' and into the material world of specific decisions made by named people – decisions we can reverse and people whose addresses and pitchfork sizes we can learn.

Enshittification names the problem and proposes a solution. It's not just a way to say 'things are getting worse' (though of course, it's fine with me if you want to use it that way. It's an English word. We don't have der Rat für Englisch Rechtschreibung. English is a free for all. Go nuts, meine Kerle).

But in case you want to use enshittification in a more precise, technical way, let's examine how enshittification works.

It's a three stage process: First, platforms are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die.

Let's do a case study. What could be better than Facebook?

Facebook is a company that was founded to nonconsensually rate the fuckability of Harvard undergrads, and it only got worse after that.

When Facebook started off, it was only open to US college and high-school kids with .edu and k-12.us addresses. But in 2006, it opened up to the general public. It told them: “Yes, I know you’re all using Myspace. But Myspace is owned by Rupert Murdoch, an evil, crapulent senescent Australian billionaire, who spies on you with every hour that God sends.

“Sign up with Facebook and we will never spy on you. Come and tell us who matters to you in this world, and we will compose a personal feed consisting solely of what those people post for consumption by those who choose to follow them.”

That was stage one. Facebook had a surplus — its investors’ cash — and it allocated that surplus to its end-users. Those end-users proceeded to lock themselves into FB. FB — like most tech businesses — has network effects on its side. A product or service enjoys network effects when it improves as more people sign up to use it. You joined FB because your friends were there, and then others signed up because you were there.

But FB didn’t just have high network effects, it had high switching costs. Switching costs are everything you have to give up when you leave a product or service. In Facebook’s case, it was all the friends there that you followed and who followed you. In theory, you could have all just left for somewhere else; in practice, you were hamstrung by the collective action problem.

It’s hard to get lots of people to do the same thing at the same time. You and your six friends here are going to struggle to agree on where to get drinks after tonight's lecture. How were you and your 200 Facebook friends ever gonna agree on when it was time to leave Facebook, and where to go?

So FB’s end-users engaged in a mutual hostage-taking that kept them glued to the platform. Then FB exploited that hostage situation, withdrawing the surplus from end-users and allocating it to two groups of business customers: advertisers, and publishers.

To the advertisers, FB said, 'Remember when we told those rubes we wouldn’t spy on them? We lied. We spy on them from asshole to appetite. We will sell you access to that surveillance data in the form of fine-grained ad-targeting, and we will devote substantial engineering resources to thwarting ad-fraud. Your ads are dirt cheap to serve, and we’ll spare no expense to make sure that when you pay for an ad, a real human sees it.'

To the publishers, FB said, 'Remember when we told those rubes we would only show them the things they asked to see? We lied!Upload short excerpts from your website, append a link, and we will nonconsensually cram it into the eyeballs of users who never asked to see it. We are offering you a free traffic funnel that will drive millions of users to your website to monetize as you please, and those users will become stuck to you when they subscribe to your feed.' And so advertisers and publishers became stuck to the platform, too, dependent on those users.

The users held each other hostage, and those hostages took the publishers and advertisers hostage, too, so that everyone was locked in.

Which meant it was time for the third stage of enshittification: withdrawing surplus from everyone and handing it to Facebook’s shareholders.

For the users, that meant dialing down the share of content from accounts you followed to a homeopathic dose, and filling the resulting void with ads and pay-to-boost content from publishers.

For advertisers, that meant jacking up prices and drawing down anti-fraud enforcement, so advertisers paid much more for ads that were far less likely to be seen by a person.

For publishers, this meant algorithmically suppressing the reach of their posts unless they included an ever-larger share of their articles in the excerpt, until anything less than fulltext was likely to be be disqualified from being sent to your subscribers, let alone included in algorithmic suggestion feeds.

And then FB started to punish publishers for including a link back to their own sites, so they were corralled into posting fulltext feeds with no links, meaning they became commodity suppliers to Facebook, entirely dependent on the company both for reach and for monetization, via the increasingly crooked advertising service.

When any of these groups squawked, FB just repeated the lesson that every tech executive learned in the Darth Vader MBA: 'I have altered the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further.'

Facebook now enters the most dangerous phase of enshittification. It wants to withdraw all available surplus, and leave just enough residual value in the service to keep end users stuck to each other, and business customers stuck to end users, without leaving anything extra on the table, so that every extractable penny is drawn out and returned to its shareholders.

But that’s a very brittle equilibrium, because the difference between “I hate this service but I can’t bring myself to quit it,” and “Jesus Christ, why did I wait so long to quit? Get me the hell out of here!” is razor thin

All it takes is one Cambridge Analytica scandal, one whistleblower, one livestreamed mass-shooting, and users bolt for the exits, and then FB discovers that network effects are a double-edged sword.

If users can’t leave because everyone else is staying, when when everyone starts to leave, there’s no reason not to go, too.

That’s terminal enshittification, the phase when a platform becomes a pile of shit. This phase is usually accompanied by panic, which tech bros euphemistically call 'pivoting.'

Which is how we get pivots like, 'In the future, all internet users will be transformed into legless, sexless, low-polygon, heavily surveilled cartoon characters in a virtual world called "metaverse," that we ripped off from a 25-year-old satirical cyberpunk novel.'

That's the procession of enshittification. If enshittification were a disease, we'd call that enshittification's "natural history." But that doesn't tell you how the enshittification works, nor why everything is enshittifying right now, and without those details, we can't know what to do about it.

What led to the enshittocene? What is it about this moment that led to the Great Enshittening? Was it the end of the Zero Interest Rate Policy? Was it a change in leadership at the tech giants? Is Mercury in retrograde?

None of the above.

The period of free fed money certainly led to tech companies having a lot of surplus to toss around. But Facebook started enshittifying long before ZIRP ended, so did Amazon, Microsoft and Google.

Some of the tech giants got new leaders. But Google's enshittification got worse when the founders came back to oversee the company's AI panic (excuse me, 'AI pivot').

And it can't be Mercury in retrograde, because I'm a cancer, and as everyone knows, cancers don't believe in astrology.

When a whole bunch of independent entities all change in the same way at once, that's a sign that the environment has changed, and that's what happened to tech.

Tech companies, like all companies, have conflicting imperatives. On the one hand, they want to make money. On the other hand, making money involves hiring and motivating competent staff, and making products that customers want to buy. The more value a company permits its employees and customers to carve off, the less value it can give to its shareholders.

The equilibrium in which companies produce things we like in honorable ways at a fair price is one in which charging more, worsening quality, and harming workers costs more than the company would make by playing dirty.

There are four forces that discipline companies, serving as constraints on their enshittificatory impulses.

First: competition. Companies that fear you will take your business elsewhere are cautious about worsening quality or raising prices.

Second: regulation. Companies that fear a regulator will fine them more than they expect to make from cheating, will cheat less.

These two forces affect all industries, but the next two are far more tech-specific.

Third: self-help. Computers are extremely flexible, and so are the digital products and services we make from them. The only computer we know how to make is the Turing-complete Von Neumann machine, a computer that can run every valid program.

That means that users can always avail themselves of programs that undo the anti-features that shift value from them to a company's shareholders. Think of a board-room table where someone says, 'I've calculated that making our ads 20% more invasive will net us 2% more revenue per user.'

In a digital world, someone else might well say 'Yes, but if we do that, 20% of our users will install ad-blockers, and our revenue from those users will drop to zero, forever.'

This means that digital companies are constrained by the fear that some enshittificatory maneuver will prompt their users to google, 'How do I disenshittify this?'

Fourth and finally: workers. Tech workers have very low union density, but that doesn't mean that tech workers don't have labor power. The historical "talent shortage" of the tech sector meant that workers enjoyed a lot of leverage over their bosses. Workers who disagreed with their bosses could quit and walk across the street and get another job – a better job.

They knew it, and their bosses knew it. Ironically, this made tech workers highly exploitable. Tech workers overwhelmingly saw themselves as founders in waiting, entrepreneurs who were temporarily drawing a salary, heroic figures of the tech mission.

That's why mottoes like Google's 'don't be evil' and Facebook's 'make the world more open and connected' mattered: they instilled a sense of mission in workers. It's what Fobazi Ettarh calls 'vocational awe, 'or Elon Musk calls being 'extremely hardcore.'

Tech workers had lots of bargaining power, but they didn't flex it when their bosses demanded that they sacrifice their health, their families, their sleep to meet arbitrary deadlines.

So long as their bosses transformed their workplaces into whimsical 'campuses,' with gyms, gourmet cafeterias, laundry service, massages and egg-freezing, workers could tell themselves that they were being pampered – rather than being made to work like government mules.

But for bosses, there's a downside to motivating your workers with appeals to a sense of mission, namely: your workers will feel a sense of mission. So when you ask them to enshittify the products they ruined their health to ship, workers will experience a sense of profound moral injury, respond with outrage, and threaten to quit.

Thus tech workers themselves were the final bulwark against enshittification,

The pre-enshittification era wasn't a time of better leadership. The executives weren't better. They were constrained. Their worst impulses were checked by competition, regulation, self-help and worker power.

So what happened?

One by one, each of these constraints was eroded until it dissolved, leaving the enshittificatory impulse unchecked, ushering in the enshittoscene.

It started with competition. From the Gilded Age until the Reagan years, the purpose of competition law was to promote competition. US antitrust law treated corporate power as dangerous and sought to blunt it. European antitrust laws were modeled on US ones, imported by the architects of the Marshall Plan.

But starting in the neoliberal era, competition authorities all over the world adopted a doctrine called 'consumer welfare,' which held that monopolies were evidence of quality. If everyone was shopping at the same store and buying the same product, that meant it was the best store, selling the best product – not that anyone was cheating.

And so all over the world, governments stopped enforcing their competition laws. They just ignored them as companies flouted them. Those companies merged with their major competitors, absorbed small companies before they could grow to be big threats. They held an orgy of consolidation that produced the most inbred industries imaginable, whole sectors grown so incestuous they developed Habsburg jaws, from eyeglasses to sea freight, glass bottles to payment processing, vitamin C to beer.

Most of our global economy is dominated by five or fewer global companies. If smaller companies refuse to sell themselves to these cartels, the giants have free rein to flout competition law further, with 'predatory pricing' that keeps an independent rival from gaining a foothold.

When Diapers.com refused Amazon's acquisition offer, Amazon lit $100m on fire, selling diapers way below cost for months, until diapers.com went bust, and Amazon bought them for pennies on the dollar, and shut them down.

Competition is a distant memory. As Tom Eastman says, the web has devolved into 'five giant websites filled with screenshots of text from the other four,' so these giant companies no longer fear losing our business.

Lily Tomlin used to do a character on the TV show Laugh In, an AT&T telephone operator who'd do commercials for the Bell system. Each one would end with her saying 'We don't care. We don't have to. We're the phone company.'

Today's giants are not constrained by competition.

They don't care. They don't have to. They're Google.

That's the first constraint gone, and as it slipped away, the second constraint – regulation – was also doomed.

When an industry consists of hundreds of small- and medium-sized enterprises, it is a mob, a rabble. Hundreds of companies can't agree on what to tell Parliament or Congress or the Commission. They can't even agree on how to cater a meeting where they'd discuss the matter.

But when a sector dwindles to a bare handful of dominant firms, it ceases to be a rabble and it becomes a cartel.

Five companies, or four, or three, or two, or just one company finds it easy to converge on a single message for their regulators, and without "wasteful competition" eroding their profits, they have plenty of cash to spread around.

Like Facebook, handing former UK deputy PM Nick Clegg millions every year to sleaze around Europe, telling his former colleagues that Facebook is the only thing standing between 'European Cyberspace' and the Chinese Communist Party.

Tech's regulatory capture allows it to flout the rules that constrain less concentrated sectors. They can pretend that violating labor, consumer and privacy laws is fine, because they violate them with an app.

This is why competition matters: it's not just because competition makes companies work harder and share value with customers and workers, it's because competition keeps companies from becoming too big to fail, and too big to jail.

Now, there's plenty of things we don't want improved through competition, like privacy invasions. After the EU passed its landmark privacy law, the GDPR, there was a mass-extinction event for small EU ad-tech companies. These companies disappeared en masse, and that's fine.

They were even more invasive and reckless than US-based Big Tech companies. After all, they had less to lose. We don't want competition in commercial surveillance. We don't want to produce increasing efficiency in violating our human rights.

But: Google and Facebook – who pretend they are called Alphabet and Meta – have been unscathed by European privacy law. That's not because they don't violate the GDPR (they do!). It's because they pretend they are headquartered in Ireland, one of the EU's most notorious corporate crime-havens.

And Ireland competes with the EU other crime havens – Malta, Luxembourg, Cyprus and sometimes the Netherlands – to see which country can offer the most hospitable environment for all sorts of crimes. Because the kind of company that can fly an Irish flag of convenience is mobile enough to change to a Maltese flag if the Irish start enforcing EU laws.

Which is how you get an Irish Data Protection Commission that processes fewer than 20 major cases per year, while Germany's data commissioner handles more than 500 major cases, even though Ireland is nominal home to the most privacy-invasive companies on the continent.

So Google and Facebook get to act as though they are immune to privacy law, because they violate the law with an app; just like Uber can violate labor law and claim it doesn't count because they do it with an app.

Uber's labor-pricing algorithm offers different drivers different payments for the same job, something Veena Dubal calls 'algorithmic wage discrimination.' If you're more selective about which jobs you'll take, Uber will pay you more for every ride.

But if you take those higher payouts and ditch whatever side-hustle let you cover your bills which being picky about your Uber drives, Uber will incrementally reduce the payment, toggling up and down as you grow more or less selective, playing you like a fish on a line until you eventually – inevitably – lose to the tireless pricing robot, and end up stuck with low wages and all your side-hustles gone.

Then there's Amazon, which violates consumer protection laws, but says it doesn't matter, because they do it with an app. Amazon makes $38b/year from its 'advertising' system. 'Advertising' in quotes because they're not selling ads, they're selling placements in search results.

The companies that spend the most on 'ads' go to the top, even if they're offering worse products at higher prices. If you click the first link in an Amazon search result, on average you will pay a 29% premium over the best price on the service. Click one of the first four items and you'll pay a 25% premium. On average you have to go seventeen items down to find the best deal on Amazon.

Any merchant that did this to you in a physical storefront would be fined into oblivion. But Amazon has captured its regulators, so it can violate your rights, and say, "it doesn't count, we did it with an app"

This is where that third constraint, self-help, would sure come in handy. If you don't want your privacy violated, you don't need to wait for the Irish privacy regulator to act, you can just install an ad-blocker.

More than half of all web users are blocking ads. But the web is an open platform, developed in the age when tech was hundreds of companies at each others' throats, unable to capture their regulators.

Today, the web is being devoured by apps, and apps are ripe for enshittification. Regulatory capture isn't just the ability to flout regulation, it's also the ability to co-opt regulation, to wield regulation against your adversaries.

Today's tech giants got big by exploiting self-help measures. When Facebook was telling Myspace users they needed to escape Rupert Murdoch’s evil crapulent Australian social media panopticon, it didn’t just say to those Myspacers, 'Screw your friends, come to Facebook and just hang out looking at the cool privacy policy until they get here'

It gave them a bot. You fed the bot your Myspace username and password, and it would login to Myspace and pretend to be you, and scrape everything waiting in your inbox, copying it to your FB inbox, and you could reply to it and it would autopilot your replies back to Myspace.

When Microsoft was choking off Apple's market oxygen by refusing to ship a functional version of Microsoft Office for the Mac – so that offices were throwing away their designers' Macs and giving them PCs with upgraded graphics cards and Windows versions of Photoshop and Illustrator – Steve Jobs didn't beg Bill Gates to update Mac Office.

He got his technologists to reverse-engineer Microsoft Office, and make a compatible suite, the iWork Suite, whose apps, Pages, Numbers and Keynote could perfectly read and write Microsoft's Word, Excel and Powerpoint files.

When Google entered the market, it sent its crawler to every web server on Earth, where it presented itself as a web-user: 'Hi! Hello! Do you have any web pages? Thanks! How about some more? How about more?'

But every pirate wants to be an admiral. When Facebook, Apple and Google were doing this adversarial interoperability, that was progress. If you try to do it to them, that's piracy.

Try to make an alternative client for Facebook and they'll say you violated US laws like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and EU laws like Article 6 of the EUCD.

Try to make an Android program that can run iPhone apps and play back the data from Apple's media stores and they'd bomb you until the rubble bounced.

Try to scrape all of Google and they'll nuke you until you glowed.

Tech's regulatory capture is mind-boggling. Take that law I mentioned earlier, Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act or DMCA. Bill Clinton signed it in 1998, and the EU imported it as Article 6 of the EUCD in 2001

It is a blanket prohibition on removing any kind of encryption that restricts access to a copyrighted work – things like ripping DVDs or jailbreaking a phone – with penalties of a five-year prison sentence and a $500k fine for a first offense.

This law has been so broadened that it can be used to imprison creators for granting access to their own creations

Here's how that works: In 2008, Amazon bought Audible, an audiobook platform, in an anticompetitive acquisition. Today, Audible is a monopolist with more than 90% of the audiobook market. Audible requires that all creators on their platform sell with Amazon's "digital rights management," which locks it to Amazon's apps.

So say I write a book, then I read it into a mic, then I pay a director and an engineer thousands of dollars to turn that into an audiobook, and sell it to you on the monopoly platform, Audible, that controls more than 90% of the market.

If I later decide to leave Amazon and want to let you come with me to a rival platform, I am out of luck. If I supply you with a tool to remove Amazon's encryption from my audiobook, so you can play it in another app, I commit a felony, punishable by a 5-year sentence and a half-million-dollar fine, for a first offense.

That's a stiffer penalty than you would face if you simply pirated the audiobook from a torrent site. But it's also harsher than the punishment you'd get for shoplifting the audiobook on CD from a truck-stop. It's harsher than the sentence you'd get for hijacking the truck that delivered the CD.

So think of our ad-blockers again. 50% of web users are running ad-blockers. 0% of app users are running ad-blockers, because adding a blocker to an app requires that you first remove its encryption, and that's a felony (Jay Freeman calls this 'felony contempt of business-model').

So when someone in a board-room says, 'let's make our ads 20% more obnoxious and get a 2% revenue increase,' no one objects that this might prompt users to google, 'how do I block ads?' After all, the answer is, 'you can't.'

Indeed, it's more likely that someone in that board room will say, 'let's make our ads 100% more obnoxious and get a 10% revenue increase' (this is why every company wants you to install an app instead of using its website).

There's no reason that gig workers who are facing algorithmic wage discrimination couldn't install a counter-app that coordinated among all the Uber drivers to reject all jobs unless they reach a certain pay threshold.

No reason except felony contempt of business model, the threat that the toolsmiths who built that counter-app would go broke or land in prison, for violating DMCA 1201, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, trademark, copyright, patent, contract, trade secrecy, nondisclosure and noncompete, or in other words: 'IP law.'

'IP' is just a euphemism for 'a law that lets me reach beyond the walls of my company and control the conduct of my critics, competitors and customers.' And 'app' is just a euphemism for 'a web-page wrapped enough IP to make it a felony to mod it to protect the labor, consumer and privacy rights of its user.'

We don't care. We don't have to. We're the phone company.

But what about that fourth constraint: workers?

For decades, tech workers' high degrees of bargaining power and vocational awe put a ceiling on enshittification. Even after the tech sector shrank to a handful of giants. Even after they captured their regulators so they could violate our consumer, privacy and labor rights. Even after they created 'felony contempt of business model' and extinguished self-help for tech users. Tech was still constrained by their workers' sense of moral injury in the face of the imperative to enshittify.

Remember when tech workers dreamed of working for a big company for a few years, before striking out on their own to start their own company that would knock that tech giant over?

Then that dream shrank to: work for a giant for a few years, quit, do a fake startup, get acqui-hired by your old employer, as a complicated way of getting a bonus and a promotion.

Then the dream shrank further: work for a tech giant for your whole life, get free kombucha and massages on Wednesdays.

And now, the dream is over. All that’s left is: work for a tech giant until they fire your ass, like those 12,000 Googlers who got fired last year six months after a stock buyback that would have paid their salaries for the next 27 years.

Workers are no longer a check on their bosses' worst impulses

Today, the response to 'I refuse to make this product worse' is, 'turn in your badge and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.'

I get that this is all a little depressing

OK, really depressing.

But hear me out! We've identified the disease. We've traced its natural history. We've identified its underlying mechanism. Now we can get to work on a cure.

There are four constraints that prevent enshittification: competition, regulation, self-help and labor.

To reverse enshittification and guard against its reemergence, we must restore and strengthen each of these.

On competition, it's actually looking pretty good. The EU, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan and China are all doing more on competition than they have in two generations. They're blocking mergers, unwinding existing ones, taking action on predatory pricing and other sleazy tactics.

Remember, in the US and Europe, we already have the laws to do this – we just stopped enforcing them in the Helmut Kohl era.

I've been fighting these fights with the Electronic Frontier Foundation for 22 years now, and I've never seen a more hopeful moment for sound, informed tech policy.

Now, the enshittifiers aren't taking this laying down. The business press can't stop talking about how stupid and old-fashioned all this stuff is. They call people like me 'hipster antitrust,' and they hate any regulator who actually does their job.

Take Lina Khan, the brilliant head of the US Federal Trade Commission, who has done more in three years on antitrust than the combined efforts of all her predecessors over the past 40 years. Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal has run more than 80 editorials trashing Khan, insisting that she's an ineffectual ideologue who can't get anything done.

Sure, Rupert, that's why you ran 80 editorials about her.

Because she can't get anything done.

Even Canada is stepping up on competition. Canada! Land of the evil billionaire! From Ted Rogers, who owns the country's telecoms; to Galen Weston, who owns the country's grocery stores; to the Irvings, who basically own the entire province of New Brunswick.

Even Canada is doing something about this. Last autumn, Trudeau's government promised to update Canada's creaking competition law to finally ban 'abuse of dominance.'

I mean, wow. I guess when Galen Weston decided to engage in a criminal conspiracy to fix the price of bread – the most Les Miz-ass crime imaginable – it finally got someone's attention, eh?

Competition has a long way to go, but all over the world, competition law is seeing a massive revitalization. Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher put antitrust law in a coma in the 80s – but it's awake, it's back, and it's pissed.

What about regulation? How will we get tech companies to stop doing that one weird trick of adding 'with an app' to their crimes and escaping enforcement?

Well, here in the EU, they're starting to figure it out. This year, the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act went into effect, and they let people who get screwed by tech companies go straight to the federal European courts, bypassing the toothless watchdogs in Europe's notorious corporate crime havens like Ireland.

In America, they might finally get a digital privacy law. You people have no idea how backwards US privacy law is. The last time the US Congress enacted a broadly applicable privacy law was in 1988.

The Video Privacy Protection Act makes it a crime for video-store clerks to leak your video-rental history. It was passed after a right-wing judge who was up for the Supreme Court had his rentals published in a DC newspaper. The rentals weren't even all that embarrassing!

Sure, that judge, Robert Bork, wasn't confirmed for the Supreme Court, but that was because he was a virulently racist loudmouth and a crook who served as Nixon's Solicitor General.

But Congress got the idea that their video records might be next, freaked out, and passed the VPPA.

That was the last time Americans got a big, national privacy law. Nineteen. Eighty. Eight.

It's been a minute.

And the thing is, there's a lot of people who are angry about stuff that has some nexus with America's piss-poor privacy landscape. Worried that Facebook turned Grampy into a Qanon? That Insta made your teen anorexic? That TikTok is brainwashing millennials into quoting Osama Bin Laden?

Or that cops are rolling up the identities of everyone at a Black Lives Matter protest or the Jan 6 riots by getting location data from Google?

Or that Red State Attorneys General are tracking teen girls to out-of-state abortion clinics?

Or that Black people are being discriminated against by online lending or hiring platforms?

Or that someone is making AI deepfake porn of you?

Having a federal privacy law with a private right of action – which means that individuals can sue companies that violate their privacy – would go a long way to rectifying all of these problems. There's a big coalition for that kind of privacy law.

What about self-help? That's a lot farther away, alas.

The EU's DMA will force tech companies to open up their walled gardens for interoperation. You'll be able to use Whatsapp to message people on iMessage, or quit Facebook and move to Mastodon, but still send messages to the people left behind.

But if you want to reverse-engineer one of those Big Tech products and mod it to work for you, not them, the EU's got nothing for you.

This is an area ripe for improvement, and I think the US might be the first ones to open this up.

It's certainly on-brand for the EU to be forcing tech companies to do things a certain way, while the US simply takes away tech companies' abilities to prevent others from changing how their stuff works.

My big hope here is that Stein's Law will take hold: 'Anything that can't go on forever will eventually stop'

Letting companies decide how their customers must use their products is simply too tempting an invitation to mischief. HP has a whole building full of engineers thinking of new ways to lock your printer to its official ink cartridges, forcing you to spend $10,000/gallon on ink to print your boarding passes and shopping lists.

It's offensive. The only people who don't agree are the people running the monopolies in all the other industries, like the med-tech monopolists who are locking their insulin pumps to their glucose monitors, turning people with diabetes into walking inkjet printers.

Finally, there's labor. Here in Europe, there's much higher union density than in the US, which American tech barons are learning the hard way. There is nothing more satisfying in the daily news than the latest salvo by Nordic unions against that Tesla guy (Musk is the most Edison-ass Tesla guy imaginable).

But even in the USA, there's a massive surge in tech unions. Tech workers are realizing that they aren't founders in waiting. The days of free massages and facial piercings and getting to wear black tee shirts that say things your boss doesn't understand are coming to an end.

In Seattle, Amazon's tech workers walked out in sympathy with Amazon's warehouse workers, because they're all workers.

The only reason the tech workers aren't monitored by AI that notifies their managers if they visit the toilet during working hours is their rapidly dwindling bargaining power. The way things are going, Amazon programmers are going to be pissing in bottles next to their workstations (for a guy who built a penis-shaped rocket, Jeff Bezos really hates our kidneys).

We're seeing bold, muscular, global action on competition, regulation and labor, with self-help bringing up the rear. It's not a moment too soon, because the bad news is, enshittification is coming to every industry.

If it's got a networked computer in it, the people who made it can run the Darth Vader MBA playbook on it, changing the rules from moment to moment, violating your rights and then saying 'It's OK, we did it with an app.'

From Mercedes renting you your accelerator pedal by the month to Internet of Things dishwashers that lock you into proprietary dishsoap, enshittification is metastasizing into every corner of our lives.

Software doesn't eat the world, it enshittifies it

But there's a bright side to all this: if everyone is threatened by enshittification, then everyone has a stake in disenshittification.

Just as with privacy law in the US, the potential anti-enshittification coalition is massive, it's unstoppable.

The cynics among you might be skeptical that this will make a difference. After all, isn't "enshittification" the same as "capitalism"?

Well, no.

Look, I'm not going to cape for capitalism here. I'm hardly a true believer in markets as the most efficient allocators of resources and arbiters of policy – if there was ever any doubt, capitalism's total failure to grapple with the climate emergency surely erases it.

But the capitalism of 20 years ago made space for a wild and wooly internet, a space where people with disfavored views could find each other, offer mutual aid, and organize.

The capitalism of today has produced a global, digital ghost mall, filled with botshit, crapgadgets from companies with consonant-heavy brand-names, and cryptocurrency scams.

The internet isn't more important than the climate emergency, nor gender justice, racial justice, genocide, or inequality.

But the internet is the terrain we'll fight those fights on. Without a free, fair and open internet, the fight is lost before it's joined.

We can reverse the enshittification of the internet. We can halt the creeping enshittification of every digital device.

We can build a better, enshittification-resistant digital nervous system, one that is fit to coordinate the mass movements we will need to fight fascism, end genocide, and save our planet and our species.

Martin Luther King said 'It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important.'

And it may be true that the law can't force corporate sociopaths to conceive of you as a human being entitled to dignity and fair treatment, and not just an ambulatory wallet, a supply of gut-bacteria for the immortal colony organism that is a limited liability corporation.

But it can make that exec fear you enough to treat you fairly and afford you dignity, even if he doesn't think you deserve it.

And I think that's pretty important.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/30/go-nuts-meine-kerle#ich-bin-ein-bratapfel/a>

Back the Kickstarter for the audiobook of The Bezzle here!

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[sayitaliano]

Sanremo 2025 - the post!

Hello everyone!

Here you’ll find this year’s Sanremo’s stuff and news (I’ll be updating this post through all the week). The Festival will start on Tuesday February 11th at 8:30 pm, and end on Saturday February 15th, when the final will be broadcasted.

/ Official website / you can find loads of videos and interviews here + the latest news. You can already find the presentation videos of the songs made by the artists.

Rai’s website dedicated section (here) | youtube playlist | spotify playlist

TikTok official channel: @/sanremorai; @/sanremoesc Instagram official: @/sanremorai Twitter official: @/SanremoRAI; @/SanremoESC Facebook: festivaldisanremo Youtube: @/rai (to check also the latest interviews)

Each night from February 8th to February 15th, before the start of Sanremo at around 8:25 PM (GMT+1), on Raiuno will be broadcasted the usual PRIMAFESTIVAL. The hosts are: Bianca Guaccero, Gabriele Corsi e Mariasole Pollio (tv hosts, actors/actresses -Gabriele is the Eurovision's host as well iykyk) (you can rewatch it on raiplay)

There’s gonna be the usual DOPOFESTIVAL, with Alessandro Cattelan (tv host, veejay) starting right after the end of each Sanremo’s night (11th-15th Feb.) on Raiuno. Some of the guests are: Selvaggia Lucarelli, Anna Dello Russo and Street Clerks.

As every year, on the Sunday after Sanremo's final (Feb. 16th 2025 this year) DOMENICA IN hosted by Mara Venier will take place in Sanremo: all the singers will get to perform their song once again and answer a few questions. It'll be broadcasted on Raiuno starting from 2:00 PM (GMT+1). At around 8:35PM (GMT+1) always on Raiuno, DIETROFESTIVAL will show an hour of behind the scenes from Sanremo's competition.

CasaSanremo- A website about Sanremo and all the artists who will take part, with more infos and interviews (also Italian places and food specialties will be shown). Follow them also on their Social Media Channels, usually they make live video/interviews/shows on FB for example.

On Sorrisi&Canzoni you will find also other infos about Sanremo and every lyrics’s explanation (ofc ask me if you need a translation)

"Il Podcast di Sorrisi a Sanremo" - the famous media outlet will host daily starting at 7 PM (GMT+1) from February 11th to February 15th on RealTime TV a podcast about Sanremo with Rettore, Coma_cose, Francesca Michielin and Alessandro Amoroso as guests, sharing infos and special bts of the competition. The hosts are Lodovica Comello (radio/tv host, singer, actress...), Tommaso Cassissa (actor, youtuber...) and the director of Sorrisi Aldo Vitali.

The # on this blog is #sanremo 2025, #sanremo, #sanremo2025 you can black any of these (the first one in particular) if you want.

To watch it live:

Raiuno -> just click on the second video on the left, or here, to open the Raiuno streaming immediately (I added the whole Rai channels things in case you had troubles connecting directly and wanted to try from there). RAI’s geoblock is usually removed for Sanremo’s week, no need to create accounts or whatsoever to enjoy Sanremo online!! Remember you can rewatch the whole event and each performance on Raiplay few minutes after it has happened and for the whole week too (after the end of Sanremo, there will be only 1mins vids of each performance avaiable).

You can also follow the whole competition on Radio2.

FESTIVAL LIS - songs and whole exhibition explained in signs language

FANTASANREMO - this year as well you can play while enjoying your Sanremo! How does it work? Every person “buys” 5 artisti and marks one of them as a captain. As in the last years, artists will have to do or say something while on stage to help you gain points (and also classification will have a say). Subscriptions open on December 27th 2024. It seems there are some new features in the game too.

I’ll try to write down some more infos/links through the week.

——-

HOST & GUESTS & Other stuff

This years’ host will still be Carlo Conti (who choose the songs taking part into this Sanremo), a TV and radio host/deejay. He already hosted for 3 years (2015-2017). He will be accompanied by a different co-host each night (check the schedule below). Together with them, as usual, during each night there will be different guests. Some will be announced only right before the start of the evening so keep an eye on the schedule.

There won't just be the competition inside the Ariston: the Suzuki Stage will be held in Sanremo's piazza Colombo and every night there will be live performances (they may show something during Sanremo as well). Mattia Stanga and Jody Cecchetto (tv/radio hosts) will be the hosts, while the performers will be: Raf (Feb.11th), BigMama (Feb.12th), Ermal Meta (Feb.13th), Benji & Fede (Feb.14th), Tedua (Feb.15th).

How it works:

There will be 29* singers in the ARTISTI (artists) section. There will be again 2 sections: BIG/CAMPIONI (already known artists) and NUOVE PROPOSTE (youngs). 29 artists of the BIG section were chosen by Carlo Conti, while the 4 of the NUOVE PROPOSTE are the finalists of Sanremo Giovani (held in December 2024). The winner of the BIGs competition will represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest (May 13-17th 2025, in Switzerland): if he/she/they won’t accept, the choice will be another artist, usually the 2nd classified or the next (the first one accepting).

-> *Originally there were 30 BIG but Emis Killa withdrew since he's being investigated

This year we’re gonna listen to the 29 BIGs' songs on the first night and get a top 5 rank at the end. On the 2nd night we’ll get to listen to the 4 NUOVE PROPOSTE's songs. The two with the most votes will perform again in the final on day 3: on that same night we'll find out the winner of the category. On day 2 and 3, we'll also listen again to 14/15 BIGs' songs and get another top 5 rank. People at home can vote for both sections. On the 4th night there will be the usual “covers” night: the BIGs can choose any song published until December 2024, national or international, and will be accompanied by another artist. From this year, artists can also decide if to duet with another Sanremo's contestant. We'll get the winner of the covers' night but the rank will be a separate rank from the one of the real competition. People at home can vote for both sections again. On day 5, all the BIGs will perform again. At the beginning of the night we'll get the general top 5 rank of the past days, and at the end of the night we'll get the positions from 29th up to 6th. The first 5 will be not in order. Another vote will take place after which we'll find out the first 5 positions order and Sanremo's winner.

Day 1 - co-hosts: Antonella Clerici (tv host, former Sanremo host), Gerry Scotti (tv host, deejay) Prob. guests: Lorenzo Jovanotti, Noa and Mira Awad (singers), Gimbo Tamberi (athlethics) We’ll listen to all the 29 songs (in order of performance: Gaia; Francesco Gabbani; Rkomi; Noemi; Irama; Coma_Cose; Simone Cristicchi; Marcella Bella; Achille Lauro; Giorgia; Willie Peyote; Rose VIllain; Olly; Elodie; Shablo Guè Joshua Tormento; Massimo Ranieri; Tony Effe; Serena Brancale; Brunori Sas; Modà; Clara; Lucio Corsi; Fedez; Bresh; Sarah Toscano; Joan Thiele; Rocco Hunt; Francesca Michielin; The Kolors).

Top5 rank (casual order) : Brunori Sas, Giorgia, Lucio Corsi, Simone Cristicchi, Achille Lauro

Day 2 - co-hosts: Bianca Balti (model), Cristiano Malgioglio (singer, host, producer, songwriter), Nino Frassica (tv host, actor) Prob. guests: Damiano David (singer, former Maneskin's singer), "Follemente" movie's cast (actors: Edoardo Leo, Pilar Fogliati, Emanuela Fanelli, Maria Chiara Giannetta, Claudia Pandolfi, Vittoria Puccini, Marco Giallini, Maurizio Lastrico, Rocco Papaleo, Claudio Santamaria); "Champagne" tv serie cast (actors: Alessandro Gervasi, Francesco Del Gaudio); "Belcanto" tv serie cast (actors: Vittoria Puccini, Giacomo Giorgio, Carmine Recano); Carolina Kostner (ice skater) for the Winter Olympic Games 2026 in Italy The 4 NUOVE PROPOSTE will compete (in order: Alex Wyse VS Vale LP e Lil Jolie; Maria Tomba VS Settembre). The 2 NUOVE PROPOSTE FINALISTS are: Alex Wyse, Settembre We’ll listen to 15 BIG (in order of appearance: 4 nuove proposte; Damiano David sings Lucio Dalla; Rocco Hunt, Elodie, Lucio Corsi, The Kolors, Serena Brancale, Fedez, Francesca Michielin, Simone Cristicchi, Marcella Bella, Bresh, Achille Lauro, Giorgia, Rkomi, Rose VIllain, Willie Peyote)

Top 5 rank (casual order): Giorgia, Simone Cristicchi, Fedez, Achille Lauro, Lucio Corsi

Day 3 - co-hosts: Miriam Leone (actress), Elettra Lamborghini (singer, tv host), Katia Follesa (comedian, tv host) Prob. guests: Duran Duran, "Mare Fuori 5" tv serie's cast (actors), Iva Zanicchi, Edoardo Bennato (singers), Compagnia del Teatro Patologico (theatre and mental health), Simone Parodi (kid who knows everything about Sanremo), Victoria De Angelis (Maneskin's bassist) The remaining 14 BIG (in order of appearance: Bennato; Clara, Brunori Sas, Sarah Toscano, Massimo Ranieri, Joan Thiele, Shablo, Noemi, Olly, Coma_Cose, Modà, Tony Effe, Irama, Francesco Gabbani, Gaia; finale nuove proposte)

The NUOVE PROPOSTE WINNER is: SETTEMBRE!

Top 5 rank (casual order): Coma_Cose, Brunori Sas, Irama, Olly, Francesco Gabbani

Day 4 - co-hosts: Mahmood (singer), Geppi Cucciari (tv host, comedian, actress) Prob. guests: Paolo Kessisoglu (from Luca & Paolo, comedians/actors) and his daughter, Roberto Benigni (actor) The 29 BIGs Covers’ list (in order of appearance):

- Rose Villain con Chiello - “Fiori rosa, fiori di pesco” (Lucio Battisti) - Modà con Francesco Renga - “Angelo” (Francesco Renga) - Clara con Il Volo - "The sound of silence" (Simon and Garfunkel) - Tony Effe con Noemi - “Tutto il resto è noia” (Franco Califano) - Francesca Michielin con Rkomi - “La nuova stella di Broadway” (Cesare Cremonini)  - Lucio Corsi con Topo Gigio - “Nel blu dipinto di blu” (Domenico Modugno) - Serena Brancale con Alessandra Amoroso - “If I Ain’t Got You” (Alicia Keys) - Irama con Arisa - "Say something, i'm giving up on you" (Christina Aguilera) - Gaia con Toquinho - “La voglia, la pazzia” (Ornella Vanoni)  - The Kolors con Sal Da Vinci - “Rossetto e caffè” (Sal Da Vinci) - Marcella Bella con i Twin Violins - “L'emozione non ha voce” (Adriano Celentano) - Rocco Hunt con Clementino - “Yes, I Know My Way” (Pino Daniele)  - Francesco Gabbani con Tricarico - "Io sono Francesco" (Tricarico) - Giorgia con Annalisa - “Skyfall” (Adele)      - Simone Cristicchi con Amara - “La cura” (Franco Battiato) - Sarah Toscano con Ofenbach - “Overdrive” - Coma_Cose con Johnson Righeira - “L'estate sta finendo” (Righeira) - Joan Thiele con Frah Quintale - “Che cosa c'è” (Gino Paoli) - Olly con Goran Bregovic e la Wedding & Funeral Band - “Il pescatore” (Fabrizio De André) - Achille Lauro con Elodie - "A mano a mano" (Riccardo Cocciante) e “Folle città” (Loredana Bertè) - Massimo Ranieri con i Neri per caso - “Quando” (Pino Daniele) - Willie Peyote con Tiromancino (Federico Zampaglione) e Ditonellapiaga - “Un tempo piccolo” (Franco Califano) - Brunori Sas con Dimartino e Riccardo Sinigallia - “L'anno che verrà” (Lucio Dalla) - Fedez con Marco Masini - “Bella stronza” (Marco Masini)  - Bresh con Cristiano De André - “Crêuza de mä” (Fabrizio De André)  - Shablo feat. Guè, Joshua e Tormento con Neffa - Mix di “Amor de mi vida” (Sottotono) e “Aspettando il sole” (Neffa)

[original songs here]

Covers' rank:

Day 5 - co-hosts: Alessandro Cattelan (tv host, veejay), Alessia Marcuzzi (tv host, actress, model) Prob. guests: Vanessa Scalera (actress), Antonello Venditti (singer), Edoardo Bove (soccer player who suffered from heart failure during a match), Alberto Angela (tv host), Gabry Ponte (dj), Planet Funk (dance/electronic), Mahmood (singer) All the 29 BIGs will perform their songs (in order of appearance: Gabry Ponte with Sanremo's jingle; Francesca Michielin, Willie Peyote, Marcella Bella, Bresh, Modà, Rose Villain, Tony Effe, Clara, Serena Brancale, Brunori Sas, Francesco Gabbani, Noemi, Rocco Hunt, The Kolors, Olly, Achille Lauro, Coma_cose, Giorgia, Simone Cristicchi, Elodie, Lucio Corsi, Irama, Fedez, Shablo, Joan Thiele, Massimo Ranieri, Gaia, Rkomi, Sarah Toscano) and after midnight (prob. more like 1:30-2:30 am or later) we’ll know the competition’s final standings. The winner will go to the #ESC2025.

And the winner is: OLLY!

Final standing: 1. Olly 2. Lucio Corsi 3. Brunori Sas 4. Fedez 5. Simone Cristicchi 6. Giorgia 7. Achille Lauro 8. Francesco Gabbani 9. Irama 10. Coma_Cose 11. Bresh 12. Elodie 13. Noemi 14. The Kolors 15. Rocco Hunt 16. Willie Peyote 17. Sarah Toscano 18. Shablo ft. Guè Joshua Tormento 19. Rose Villain 20. Joan Thiele 21. Francesca Michielin 22. Modà 23. Massimo Ranieri 24. Serena Brancale 25. Tony Effe 26. Gaia 27. Clara 28. Rkomi 29. Marcella Bella

Olly refused to go to the ESC so LUCIO CORSI will take part at the ESC 2025!

Other Awards: - Premio della critica “Mia Martini” : Lucio Corsi - Premio della sala stampa “Lucio Dalla” : Simone Cristicchi - Premio miglior testo “Sergio Bardotti” : Brunori Sas - Premio miglior composizione musicale “Giancarlo Bigazzi” : Simone Cristicchi - Premio alla carriera: Iva Zanicchi - Premio alla carriera: Antonello Venditti - Premio Lunezia per Sanremo 2025: Simone Cristicchi - Premio Tim - La forza delle connessioni: Giorgia

————————

BIGs (+ lyrics):

Achille Lauro - Incoscienti giovani

Bresh - La tana del granchio

Brunori Sas - L'albero delle noci

Clara - Febbre

Coma_Cose - Cuoricini

Elodie - Dimenticarsi alle 7

Fedez - Battito

Francesca Michielin - Fango in paradiso

Francesco Gabbani - Viva la vita

Gaia - Chiamo io chiami tu

Giorgia - La cura per me

Irama - Lentamente

Joan Thiele - Eco

Lucio Corsi - Volevo essere un duro

Marcella Bella - Pelle diamante

Massimo Ranieri - Tra le mani un cuore

Modà - Non ti dimentico

Noemi - Se ti innamori muori

Olly - Balorda nostalgia

Rkomi - Il ritmo delle cose

Rocco Hunt - Mille volte ancora

Rose Villain - Fuorilegge

Sarah Toscano - Amarcord

Serena Brancale - Anema e core

Shablo con Guè, Joshua e Tormento - La mia parola

Simone Cristicchi - Quando sarai piccola

The Kolors - Tu con chi fai l'amore

Tony Effe - Damme 'na mano

Willie Peyote - Grazie ma non grazie

NUOVE PROPOSTE:

Alex Wyse - Rockstar

Maria Tomba - Goodbye (voglio good vibes)

Settembre - Vertebre

Vale LP e Lil Jolie - Dimmi tu quando sei pronto a fare l'amore

[more infos on the lyrics as on December 2024]

[all the lyrics can be found on this page]

(will edit with more updates, corrections and links as we get closer to the event)

[pedroshotwifey]

Hi! I have one request. Just a horny Joel Miller jacking off to porn. A solo session. That’s pretty much it 🫶

You got it, baby. Hope this is what you were looking for ;) If not, please feel free to send me another request or message and I'll fix it up for you!

Also gonna make a PSA here and say sorry that I still don't have updates for TTF or FB. I also want to apologize for not being super active lately. I promise I'm trying, I just have a lot going on right now. Love you all and hope you're doing well!

W/C: 1.1k

Tags/warnings: male masturbation, pornographic details, I mean c'mon it's pretty self explanatory

Stress Relief

It’s been an absolute shit show of a day. Wrong tile ordered after being on the waitlist for a week, two employees calling out, a customer changing their mind on the layout three fourths of the way through the project. Between it all, Joel didn’t get a single break. 

He’s tired, fed up, and ready to go home to an empty house. With Sarah gone to sleep over at a friend’s, he knows what he’ll be doing tonight. He’s pent-up as hell and there’s only one good release he can think about right now. Unfortunately, he’s been brewing on it the entire hour-long ride home. 

Thinking about the pull on his cock, his fist wrapped tightly around it. How good it’ll feel as he pushes all his thoughts away for the build-up. How the relief will take over him after he comes, exhaustion finally able to catch up to him and let him rest.

By the time he pulls into his driveway, he’s straining almost painfully against his jeans. And by the time he’s locked the door, he’s decided that anything else he needs to do tonight can wait. 

He shoves his coat off and drops it in the front fall before making his way to the living room. He doesn’t waste time turning on the light, instead bypassing the switch and scooping up his laptop to open on the coffee table in front of where he takes a seat on the couch. 

Shamelessly, he unbuckles his belt and opens a new tab. He clicks on the first video, not bothering to be picky. It begins to play, showing a man sitting on a couch, a woman coming up to him and sliding into his lap. Joel licks his lips and reaches for his cock about halfway before coming to a stop. His lube is sitting in the top drawer of his nightstand. 

And sure, he doesn’t need it, but god would it be so much better if he did. He decides to just get up and get it, stomping through the house into his bedroom to retrieve it. 

By the time he’s back to the couch, the couple in the video are naked and grinding against each other. As he opens the bottle of lube and squirts it on his open palm, the man slides inside of the woman’s heat. He begins thrusting up into her as Joel frees his length from his boxers, his heavy balls resting outside of them. Even the cool air against him feels heavenly. 

“Oh, fuck,” Joel groans as he wraps his lube-slicked fist around his aching cock. His hips buck with the contact, thighs tensing in both relief and anticipation. Lewd moans stream from the speakers of his laptop, the exaggerated noise turning him on way more than it probably should. 

He can’t help it though, the way his dick twitches when he looks down at the screen just in time to see the couple in the video switching positions. The man grabs the woman roughly only to bend her over the arm of the couch and slam back into her. The camera comes in close to capture the way her body jolts with the force in which the man is thrusting into her stretched pussy. 

Joel grunts, his teeth gritting together as he squeezes his cock. His stomach clenches as he tries to control himself. She sounds so sweet, her little whimpers and pleads for more of her partner’s cock swirling around his lust-filled head. He resumes up and down motions on his cock, tugging furiously and focusing only on the way the smooth skin of him feels so good gliding against his lubricant. He wants to draw it out, but he knows he can’t. 

He closes his eyes and listens to the symphony, imagining it’s him pounding into her sweet pussy instead, him getting his frustrations out through her body. His cock making those squelching noises with each push in, his cock collecting a milky rim at the base as the girl writhes in pleasure around him. 

He licks his lips, chest and cheeks pinking as he gets lost in his own fantasy. He pictures himself using the side of the couch for leverage, thrusting fast and slamming as hard as he can against her to get her to scream out in ecstasy. He would wrap her hair in his fist to pull her soft, warm pussy onto his dick until he spills inside, filling her up to the brim. 

Joel begins to pant as he tugs harder, opening his eyes to see they’ve switched positions again. This time, the girl is laying flat with her back on the couch, the man in front of her with his tongue on her cunt. The man is holding her down by her thighs and stomach as she squirms in overstimulation, but she cries for more even as her body tries to get away. 

Joel wishes he could taste her on his own tongue. It’s been far too long since he was able to feast on a woman in such a way. Too long since he had anybody to get him off but himself. 

Suddenly, the girl starts to come, her moans getting louder and more high pitched as she clenches around the man’s fingers. He doesn’t slow as he helps her through it, prolonging the orgasm until the girl is openly sobbing. 

The sound of Joel’s furious pumping is starting to get louder as the lube spreads and warms even further, the slick slapping noise every time he hits his pelvis almost drowning out the sound of the video. If he tries hard enough, he can even imagine it’s a real cunt he’s fucking into right now. 

He knows he’s getting closer. His balls start to tighten and he throws his head back, ears beginning to ring as he puts all of his focus on crossing that finish line. His breath comes out thinner but still noisy, whines and groans tumbling from his lips, unrestrained in the empty house. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” he grunts a final time before spilling over his hand. His jaw falls slack as he drags it out, pumping himself dry even after it becomes too much. He relishes in the way his own cum easens the slide and keeps him warm as he softens. He wants so badly to keep going, get himself hard again, but he can’t. 

He hisses through tightened teeth and finally lets his hand fall from his limp cock. The video’s ended, leaving him alone in his living room to cool off. Deciding he’ll just let himself relax to get his bearings for a moment, he lays his head against the headrest on the couch. His eyes fall closed again as his breathing starts to even out. He can only tell at the last second that he’s about to fall asleep, but he’s too far gone by then to care.

[strangelittlestories]

How about a little update, gang?

There's a lot going on this month.

1) The Indiegogo campaign for my live show has reached 44% of target! That's amazing. Thanks to all who have contributed so far (including some big donations). I'd love to get this up to 100% - or even hit some stretch goals - so now is a great time to back and nab a perk.

2) My new book Hopefully Ever After is available for pre-order on Amazon and will come out digitally on 3 May. I know not everyone buys from Amazon, but *if you do*, then early sales and early reviews make a big difference. Get it now!

3) I did a little storytelling live stream here on my FB page last week and it was really fun. I'm looking to do these regularly, so the next one is happening tomorrow on Fri 2 May at 7pm (UK time). Any appetite for something similar for Tumblr folk? Maybe via Twitch?

4) A new update for the little interactive story I've been writing with y'alls help will be going up today. Get ready to vote on your next choice!

5) Now is a great time to submit your prompts if you're a Ko-Fi backer. Form's here.

[jiminsass-istant]

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE HICKEY

This post was triggered by an anon moving around in these spaces trying to explain away the hickey/bite moment as something trivial. I will save my thoughts on the hickey for the end of this post.

First of all, to that anon- Get off your high horse. Not being a shipper doesn't make you superior. You are probably one of those cringey people cancelling queer armies on tw!tter these days. Now readers, sip your drink as you read this short think piece-

OT7 Captains in the fandom bubble:-

I really don't get the superiority complex of so called OT7s who love to live inside this cute little bubble they have created for themselves or as they call it nowadays:- " a curated tl". Cancelling people everyday and actually driving people away from the fandom. Every bio says "multis, solos, shippers dni". What are you afraid of? Little pixels? I have personally followed solo fbs of all members and boy the things I have found! They can get extreme at times, but it takes 2 minutes to fact-check their claims and draw your own conclusion.

I follow wholesome ship pages too, they are a great way to not miss out cute moments between various duos. If you are blocking them out, you'll be swept into whatever the OT7 decide the important interactions are. 🤷

Have y'all watched 'The Social Dilemma' on Netflix? I would actually want all bts fans to give it a watch. A very prominent tech figure admitted that she follows a good number of Tw!tter accounts that disagree with her to ensure that she gets to see all sides and all opinions. When you deliberately 'curate' a timeline to feed only your opinions, to make a 'safe' space that doesn't trigger you, without letting new thoughts penetrate it..THAT! That's the beginning of a cult.

Army is not a cult for defending BTS or for calling out billboard and other big authorities, but army is indeed a cult with the way they move against people within the fandom.

I said what I said.

With a curated 'OT7 captain' timeline, you start internalising things about the artists that the people you follow want to believe:-

1. All true army are OT7 and non shippers. 💫💫

Sure some of them are. But biases exist for a reason, right? If you think people don't run their bias's playlist more than the other 6, you are so deluded. Spotify wrapped'23 was a prime example. With the solo era, the rise of solo fanbases was unavoidable.

2. Your favourites are spotless, impeccable people. 💌💌💌

They are so not. They date, they make mistakes, they hurt people (like we all do). Heck, they might even offend certain groups of people, unknowingly or knowingly. Being ignorant is also a flaw.

3. Everything they say on camera is true.🙊🙊🙊

Everything they say on camera is what they want you to know. As Park Jimin of BTS, as Kim Namjoon of BTS and so on. And yes, your perception of them should be built based on their words alone, but it doesn't mean that you purposefully stay blind in a way that serves your personal projections onto the members. As Jimin once said " please take our words as they are"(Festa 2022). Read between the lines, and you get- "please do not make assumptions about us, please do not project past or future narratives onto us." No matter how much it makes BTS look like a saint, DO NOT paint them as perfect human beings just because they are your idols.

Once you get into the fandom bubble, you start rejecting all opinions that threaten to puncture that perfect bubble. In that process, you end up never getting to know about how some member promotions were horribly managed, how company delayed certain stuff, the obvious company agenda and different business strategies for different members. It's not about victimising members, but calling out the company when they make obvious mistakes. You do not see when hate against a particular member gets aggravated to the point it affects streams and sales.

And musical preference? The way the fandom just collectively decided that if you hate any song except 'ON ft Sia", you are basically an anti. I have no words.. I'll come out and say: I don't like DNA. SORRY JIMIN. Sure it's a great concert song, or maybe at a party, but it's never making it to my down-time personal playlists. Cancel me?

Top Social Artist?

This is my personal opinion. BTS having a huge presence on social media is both a boon and a curse. While it ensures that new fans are made everyday, the bts social media presence is an uncontrolled monster right now. Millions of insta, YT channels- most of them spreading a superficial image of BTS. It's for this reason, there are so many 'fans' out there who just love BTS for the few members and their visuals. I can guarantee you that they don't even know how streaming works, but they'll be sure to have an insta name like "mrs.jeon jungkook". If you made it to this part, I don't need to tell you how certain ships inducted their shippers through these very channels, spreading misinfo about the group dynamics and a completely manipulated idea of the boys, as if it's not real life, but some shitty bl drama.

While the company is obviously doing nothing about this mess, it is YOUR duty to focus on what's important as a fan and participate in projects that plan to counteract this mess. ( Of course only if you have time)

So..what does the hickey have to do with all this?

When you finally grow out of your perfect pure breed OT7 agenda, who considers this group of men a picture perfect family who can do no sin, you'll be ready to view the hickey/bite mark as a normal functioning member of the society who's in touch with reality.

Did I just write "pure breed"..

Let's say the hickey/bite does not actually mean anything intimate in a romantic sense. Sure. Even I think it was probably not an exclusively romantic thing. And this is coming from someone who ships them, but I do not see them as 2 people who are dating each other (because I don't claim to know their personal lives).

An older person biting the neck of a younger person long enough to leave a mark is NOT A NORMAL LEVEL of skinship. For friends, for family, for brothers. And this goes for Korea as well as at a global level. Not only k-jikookers but also k-armies had raised eyebrows when that happened. If you didn't raise your eyebrow at this, you need to go out more, have a social life, hang out with long term friends, idk.

But I'm sure if it was a man and a woman, you would have already declared that they are f@cking.

If you have observed jikook through the years, they have had an abnormal level of skinship that even surpasses skinship within their own group. Reminds me of the Butter photoshoot behind, where JK's hands so naturally slid under JM's crop top, like it was a usual thing. Now if one of them reacted differently or in a goofy way, I'd still brush it under the rug. But what had me scratching my head was the indifference. How close do 2 people have to be, for someone to SEARCH for familiar skin to touch?! Let's not forget how JK always touches JM's neck like a habit, massaging, holding, or just caressing, usually a little inside the collar.

Now if they were a man and a woman, you would have already declared that they are f@cking.

If you don't at the very least, acknowledge that it's an abnormally high level of skinship, and that jikook are at the very least, a highly interdependent, symbiotic, close, 2 souls-1 body entity, the closest duo in bangtan..then you are the delulu here. 🫵

I would advice such anons to stop visiting shipping spaces if you are bringing nothing to the table. (As I always say, opposing views are always welcome as long as you bring receipts and not hate). Maybe spend some time talking to real life people, couples, friends, you know?

[keepmeinmind-01]

hi, i’m asha (she/they), nice to meet you! feel free to drop me a message or ask anytime! i’d love to chat or answer questions :)

i’m currently most interested in the fantastic beasts series! Theseus is my fav, but I do love them all.

note: trans rights are human rights 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️. I detest JKR and her bigoted views, I will never support her or anything she stands for. please don’t purchase / stream any HP/WW content, merch, etc. don’t stream the new show. I’m just here to write fic and support the downfall of JKR’s commercial franchise. most of all, support trans rights; support your trans friends; stand up against bigotry whenever you can. trans people will always be part of our communities and deserve to have their identities respected. I want to make this blog and my sections of fandom safe spaces for people of every identity. you are welcome here and jkr’s views are certainly not. <3

free Palestine 🇵🇸

links — my fics

—keep me in mind 🕰️ — click here to read

When Theseus tries to make the arrest at the German Ministry of Magic, he's taken straight to Grindelwald. This is my Theseus-centric Secrets of Dumbledore and well beyond AU where Newt and Theseus slowly rebuild their relationship; Theseus fights to avenge Leta; the team get closer; Newt and Tina fall in love; the villains are pursued; old hurts hurt and are mended; and consequences are generally reckoned with.

It has several story arcs and focuses on all the characters at some point. While it revolves around Theseus, Tina, Grindeldore, and Newt, pretty much every other named FB character is included. Each chapter will have detailed content warnings. It’ll cover 1932-1945.

—never love an anchor 🌔 — click here to read

Theseus and Newt’s relationship from 1897-1919. Explores the different roles they are forced to take on, the challenges they face, their complicated but loving sibling relationship, and more.

—all i need 🪐 — click here to read

After Aberforth dies, Albus begins to spiral and allies with the Ministry in an escalating war against Grindelwald’s forces. When Leta defects to Grindelwald, Theseus follows her out of love, but things rapidly go downhill from there. Focuses on Grindeldore and Theseus, Leta, and Newt.

—other fics/wips 🌌

Please check out my profile on AO3 here @kashi_akarsaka1 for more. I have so many other WIPs and draft ideas in progress that can’t be included here haha.

current list of everything else:

world insured — a summary of Newt and Theseus’s difficult childhood and Theseus’s regrets (also explores autistic!Theseus).

sleeping with the lights on — a story that explores the brothers’ experience with a predatory family friend and Newt struggling to heal from the aftermath (tw: CSA, grooming), alternating between flashbacks and the investigation/healing journey.

cry for judas — a modern!AU where Theseus and Newt’s complicated relationship is turned upside down after a car crash, focusing on the slow process of reconciliation and learning to live with one another’s flaws (also, newttina and thesleta!).

hollow moon, empty room — the aftermath of New York and the beginnings of Newt and Tina’s relationship.

smoke signals — the story of how Newt quit the dragon research and restraint bureau that also happens to be a Newt sickfic, with Theseus taking care of him.

white button-down — after Leta’s death, Theseus isn’t doing well at all, and it’s up to Newt to help his brother (cw: self harm and suicidal ideation).

parthian shot — Theseus and Percival were together during the war, but when it ends, their relationship has to end, too.

every you, every me — the story of Theseus, Leta, and Newt between 1920-27, exploring how Theseus and Leta’s relationship began, and the tensions and love between the three.

[paginate54]

Dave Lewis, LZ chronicler, on Robert's performance of Stairway. From Led Zeppelin Celebration Days FB page:

Some personal thoughts on this performance of Stairway To Heaven...

There was something profoundly moving watching the YouTube footage of Robert Plant performing Stairway To Heaven at the Andy Taylor concert.

This was the first live public airing of the song since the Led Zeppelin 02 Reunion on December 10 2007.

Before I delve in to this subject, Robert’s entire appearance was captivating. Thank you delivered with much emotion, Black Dog hammed up brilliantly and the version of Season of the Witch segueing into a reprise of Black Dog lyrics and Buffalo Springfield’s For What it’s Worth – as in the LA Forum 1970 Blueberry Hill bootleg.

Incidentally, bassist on the night Guy Pratt noted that he has now performed Black Dog with both Robert and Jimmy Page – he was part of the touring band on the Coverdale Page Japan visit in late 1993. The band line up on the night consisted of the aforementioned Guy, former Reef guitarist Kenwyn House (wearing a dragon patterned shirt shades of Jimmy perhaps), Rod Stewart’s drummer David Palmer, Andy Taylor plus Andy Taylor’s son Andy J Taylor on guitar, singer Anne Rani and musician Dino Jelusick on keyboard and backing vocals.

So back to Stairway To Heaven...

We have all had a journey with this song over the years. Mine commenced on April 4 1971 when I heard it on my radio listening to Led Zeppelin’s BBC In Concert performance on Radio One’s John Peel show. I’d heard Jimmy in an interview describing how it had come together in various sections building to a climax. Sure enough this tentative version did just that.

I first saw it performed live on Sunday November 21 1971 at the Empire Pool Wembley – an extraordinary night. It was of course one of the stand out tracks on their just released fourth album.

It went to attain legendary status – the most played record on American radio and from 1975 the rightful finale to every Led Zeppelin live performance.

Like many of their songs the arrangement was often toyed with, not least by the singer who over time added many an ad - lib to the lyrics. As it was performed on every Led Zep show, this enabled the song to retain a freshness.

The first ad-lib I recall was when he inserted the line ''you are the children of the sun'' during the version to be heard on the classic bootleg Going To California from their performance in Berkeley on September 14 1971. From 1973 onwards 'Does anybody remember laughter?‘’ was an expected insert after the line ‘’and the forest will echo with laughter.’’

By 1975, Robert had changed the line ‘’your stairway’’ to ‘’our stairway’’ adding the line ‘’that’s all we got.’’ As I witnessed in awe from the side of the stage during their 1980 Over Europe performances , Robert added ‘’I keep chopin’ and changin'’’ as they led into the climax.

Post Zep, Robert has sang Stairway To Heaven’’ it a mere four times – at Live Aid in 1985, the Atlantic 40th anniversary show in 1988, a sweet truncated version with Jimmy Page in a TV studio in Japan in 1994 and at the Led Zeppelin O2 tribute concert for Ahmet Ertegun where he proclaimed after the song ‘’Ahmet we did it!’’

Well now he has done it again….

The obvious question is why now and why on this occasion?

There’s no doubt it was a special occasion being a concert staged by the ex - Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor. Andy has had serious cancer health issues and staged this concert in aid of Cancer Awareness Trust.

As well as performing on the night, Robert donated his personal gold disc of Led Zeppelin IV for the auction –as he put it ''our not so difficult fourth album.'' A part of this was featured on the video stream and it had clocked an initial £50,000 bid.“I love this music and I still love it now very much although I get a bit coy and shy when I have to go near it because it was such a long time ago,” he said.

In an interview with Led Zep News guitarist Kenwyn House revealed that Robert Plant chose to perform Stairway To Heaven after a wealthy donor agreed to donate a six-figure sum to charity if he did so.

So, a special occasion deems a special song for a very worthy cause.

It says everything for Robert’s ease with the Zep legacy, that he could perform this once millstone around his neck with such dignity.

As we know Stairway To Heaven became much maligned and a victim of much parody – and let’s not mention that farcical version by a disgraced not so all round entertainer.

Although he was quick to decry it in the immediate post Zep years, I happen to think Robert is rightly proud of the song, as he is the whole Zep legacy.

Who can forget his tearful reaction to the Wilson sisters and Jason’s performance at the Kennedy Honours in 2012?

So, with none of the pressure of performing it on a big stage and at a pressurised Zep related occasion, he was able to slot it in at this charity event with little fuss.

It worked majestically….

With an ad- hoc line up with few rehearsals, the arrangement was always going to be more loose than tight. That mattered little, as his vocal phrasing was absolutely spot on and what a joy it was to hear him sing this song with a calm control. Some subtle backing vocals aided the tranquil mood.

Here’s the thing – Robert Plant sang it as though he really meant it – confident in his skin at revisiting a major part of his past. Looking good with the mic off held in that familiar pose we know so well.

I wonder what was going through his mind? I know for me it prompted so many precious memories.

There were no ad-libs this time in what was out a fairly straight rendering – the guitar solo was neat and compact and they were back in for the grand finale. Here, Robert slowed things down and the key with it avoiding any strained vocals and he even sang the last section ‘’To be a rock and not to roll’’ for a second time – making it a unique arrangement. He did retain the ''our Stairway'' sentiment.

It was also unique for being the only time he has performed Stairway To Heaven without Jimmy Page...

The final ‘’and she’s buying’’ line was delivered with a delicate finesse – watching it prompted some instant flashbacks.

Momentarily I was back at Earls Court as the mirrorballs spun above them, back in that field just outside Stevenage when they came back to reclaim their crown (''so many people who've helped us over the years - no more people more important than yourselves who who came here on a blind date -this is for you all of yer'') and at home in 1985 watching the TV as the camera panned out to 90,00 watching them re group in Philadelphia for Live Aid.

I also thought about all the much missed friends and Zep comrades who are no longer around to enjoy this special moment...

All that was enough to prompt a huge lump in my throat and a tear in my eye.

Then Robert really sealed it.

Firstly he dedicated the performance to Andy:

“I know that in this contemporary age of digital stuff there’s every likelihood that other people will see that,” he said, facing Taylor. “So if they do, I offer it up to you and your success and to the whole deal that has happened here today and the future of it all.

And also so it’s not just that, I offer it up to Led Zeppelin, wherever they are”

Andy Taylor replied ‘’God bless ‘em there’s a lot of drummers in the sky we love.’’

Let's ponder on that statement...

''I offer this up to Led Zeppelin wherever they are''

It felt like he was giving the song back to his former bandmates and back to his audience – To the privileged few who were lucky enough to witness this special occasion and beyond that to countless fans like me and you.

Deep in the heart of the Cotswold's on an October Saturday evening Robert reclaimed a major part of his history and ours.

It’s likely he may never ever sing Stairway To Heaven this song again and if he doesn’t, it’s had a suitably poignant send off.

There was none of the pressure of the previous post Led Zep performances. It happened for a great cause and for a great fellow Midlands based musician.

I am aiming to be up in the Midlands in a few days’ time for the Saving Grace featuring Suzi Dian gig at the Birmingham Symphony Hall.

I am eagerly looking forward to it, not least after witnessing the YouTube video of this Andy Taylor tribute. For at 75 he is singing so brilliantly and his enjoyment as to where he is at in these advancing years is both inspiring and infectious.

Knowing that Robert Plant is at one with Led Zeppelin’s most famous song makes it all just a little bit more comforting.

As the song states ‘’If you listen very hard the tune will come to you at last’’

I’m still listening to Robert Plant intensely – as are countless others…

Dave Lewis - October 27 2023

[sweetrebelpersona]

Wednesday 17th January 2024 - The Impact of Gen Z Culture and Mental Wellbeing

If there's one lesson I've learnt from this book, should a person suffer from mental health issues over social media, get out and do something else instead of raging over typical stuff.

Hello Gen Z by Claire Madden summed up everything about the online world in terms of Gen Z culture and the negative impact on mental well-being. I was born under the Generation Z category at the time when the Internet was invented because many people want to go on the computer to play games, watch videos, blog about their daily lives, download music from a P2P streaming platform, write a review on the latest trends in pop culture, look at porno pictures, et cetera.

I am tech-savvy when it comes to using computer technology; you would build me a custom AI to have conversations with in case I'm down on my feelings lately. But seven months ago, my Facebook got locked temporarily because of some hacker who took hold of my personal information, my online friends, and my content. If I hadn't deleted that FB reset code, I would've done it straight away and kicked that hacker's arse to the curb.

Anyways, what I'm about to show you are my favourite pages from 170-171 and 176-177 in the seventh chapter of Claire Madden's Hello Gen Z:

I loved how the author put down some tables on the pros and cons of how to be a positive leader and how to collaborate in a group because when you lead a team of Gen Z citizens in making a better revolution in the digital age, this explains how serious technology affected people who were born under the Generation Z era and it could make an impact in the future, preferably in the next five to ten years.

If I were to read it again, I would save it for the next uni module as a citation where it would talk about music and its influence on wellbeing towards listeners who have a passion for listening to music in general. It would be so much better to include it in the reference list at the bottom if I had to.

[gracielbas]

It's 2024 and who doesn't succumb most of their days scrolling in their phones, typing away in fb messenger, making tiktoks or just laughing at cat memes. Of course, as a Gen-Z-er, I'm part of the digital native population or basically you can call me—chronically online because let's be real here I basically grew up with the internet. That is why I cannot imagine a life without technology, I feel like life would be 100x harder than it is today.

If you were to ask me how deeply integrated technology is to my daily life then I would tell you I am living in a "Cybereal world" and what is that you ask? It's a word I just made up to describe an interconnected world of technology and real life. Now, to get you a look in my daily life in the Cybereal world, let me show you how my day usually goes.

First, in the morning I consider my phone as my lifeline. Why? because as a student who's always tired and sleep deprived I find it hard to always wake up on time so I set up countless (and when I say countless I really mean infinite number) of alarms with 10 to 20 minute intervals. Sometimes, my friends also call me via Messenger or through my phone number to wake me up which I really appreciate so much 'cuz nothing beats starting your morning with some good vibes from your friends right?

After waking up, I start preparing for school. My school schedule is divided between online and offline setup. So on days where I have to go to school, I get ready with music playing in the background. I stream music from youtube 'cuz ya know I have to support my fave kpop group by streaming their music video or I use spotify as I have a subscription (thank god for student discounts it's like the only best thing I have received for being a student) ehem, anyways I usually just play music in my phone or my laptop (mp3 and CD players are so out of trend) . Then after getting ready, I chat my schoolmates and my beloved friends that I'm on my way to school and we decide on where to meet up for breakfast. Once I arrive school, the most important feature in our entire university campus is the elevator. I would not climb up 9 floors of stairs just to get to our room everyday. My weak body cannot tolerate that so praise whoever made elevators.

Online classes are like the best example of how internet and technology has changed this world like can you believe you can get proper education in the comfort of your homes? I really cannot grasp that idea at first but due to the pandemic that happened and the rise of digital world, it just became normal for me. Therefore, my online classes are just me (staring) listening attentively to my professor and taking down notes in Google Docs (PRO TIP! its easier this way).

After classes, I usually go out with my friends to go eat or visit some recreational spots just for leisure and enjoyment 'cuz we always go by the saying "You're never this young, so enjoy your life to the fullest." Of course, we cannot go anywhere without our phones 'cuz how are we going to navigate our way there without google maps? Or how can I go home without the use of transportation booking apps? As someone who sucks at directions google maps and online transportation booking apps are my holy grail.

Everytime I hang out with my friends, I always and I say ALWAAAYS end up with a hurting stomach because of excessive laughing and of course these moments are the moments we want to cherish and keep for the longest time. There's no better way to capture such wonderful moments than with your very high quality phone camera.

After spending a healing moment with friends, I'm back to being a fulltime student as I open my laptop and slave away to finishing school works. During exam seasons, I spend the rest of my week cooped up in my room in front of my computer reading transes for my exams. I also search more information on our topics and lessons in the internet. I also want to give a very special shoutout to Nurse Sarah and her youtube channel for carrying me throughout my college years.

Sometimes, I hop on discord call with my friends and we study together and teach each other concepts and lessons. I appreciate the rise of online calls through various platforms as it really makes it easy to communicate with people even without leaving my home.

A little bit about me is that I am diabetic so I have to take note of my blood glucose. There's this device called glucometer which lets me take my blood glucose level at home—which saves me lots of money as I don't have to go to the clinic and pay for professional fee just to get my blood glucose checked. Aside from that, I have to be active to stay healthy or else I'll have complications with my health. Therefore, I keep track of my exercise activity which I do using my phone and this app called health tracker.

I agree with what Ms. Ariana Grande said in her song 7 rings "whoever said money can't solve your problems must not have hadenough money to solve them" and so, I tend to reward myself by spoiling myself with my favorite things like buying kpop photocards and merchandises. I usually buy them online through applications or platforms like Shopee, Lazada or through twitter, which is now known as X. Whenever I buy online, I use this mobile money transferring app called GCash to pay for my items. I do agree that this form of e-wallet made purchasing items faster and more convenient as I don't have to frequently withdraw money from my bank account. If ever I do need to transfer money from my bank I can do it online through money transfer from bank to e-wallet. I would like to say that this also made me more impulsive in my buying decisions though. Luckily though this easier method of buying and paying is now applied in offline stores as I can pay my items through any e-wallet. All of this leads us to the equation of more things bought + more items gained = happier me

After doing all of these mentioned above, I move on to completing other house chores like washing my clothes like my uniform and then cooking food using our electric stove or the microwave if I'm feeling lazy. Being done all that, I end my day by listening to music again or watching k-dramas to put me to sleep. (i often forget to set my alarm again but I wanna thank whoever made scheduled alarm setups). All in all my cybereal world is full of living life with technology to accompany me in every step I take. Starting from waking up to ending my day, I need technology to back me up. Yes, I agree that I can do these things without my phone, laptops, etc but aren't traditional alarm clocks, cars, and even our doors are form of technology too? I believe that technology came to fruition to be a support for our everyday world. It's just up to us to control the way we let technology control our every day life. That ends this post, if you want to share your application of technology in your daily life then feel free to comment below your own version of your CYBEReal world! Thank you for reading~

[burbprepper]

Never done this before

Feels like our days are numbered. I feel like we live in a friggin bubble. We walk around like everything is fine and dandy. Is anyone watching the news? Do you see what’s really going on overseas? I’m not an advocate for main stream media, so I watch You Tube and hit X (Twitter) up.

I’ve never blogged before but I felt compelled to start. We have to get the word out. Prep now! Stock food, water, meds and protection. Water is going to be the next gold, I guarantee it. Food is a necessity but water is where it’s at. I have water but never enough. It hardly rains in my neck of the woods. We have a reservoir nearby but everyone knows it’s there and there’s literally thousands of people that will use it. Not to mention there’s the risk of venturing out. Think people. This is a serious issue.

I think getting 55 gallon drums can be helpful. Try marketplace on FB or your local classifieds. They should cost $10-30 a piece and must be food grade drums, ask what they had in them. Rinse them with bleach water until clean, fill them with tap water, stick them in a corner in the garage and forget about them until needed. Oops don’t forget to add a little bleach or buy the purification liquid off Amazon. Purify your water. I have purified my water but I will re-purify my water when I use it. Boiling, bleach or filtering it’s all good. I apologize for being scattered, I just want to get the point across, gets water now. Don’t wait please. I can show you how to make a filter, or how much bleach is needed. Nasty water borne bugs will not do you any justice. Who wants to have diarrhea when SHTF? (That’s shit hit the fan) BTW. That stuff can kill you. Be careful what you drink. Believe me those few cases of water you have stored in the pantry won’t last very long. Ration now. I buy cases of bottled every grocery run.

I wanted this blog to be quick little blurbs about prepping. Hit the high points. Water, food, meds, and protection. All needed and needed right now. We don’t have any time left, shits hitting the fan as we speak. It may not have hit our soil but it’s going to very soon.

Be prepared, not scared

Di

[spaciousreasoning]

Living Left-Handed

June 4 is National Cheese Day, National Hug Your Cat Day, International Corgi Day, National Cognac Day, National Old Maids Day, National Tailors Day, and Shopping Cart Day.

On this day in 1917, the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded. Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe). Jean Jules Jusserand receives the first Pulitzer for history for his work With Americans of Past and Present Days. Herbert B. Swope receives the first Pulitzer for journalism for his work for the New York World.

Dennis Weaver, an American actor best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006, was born on June 4, 1924. Weaver’s two most famous roles were as Marshal Matt Dillon’s deputy Chester Goode on the western “Gunsmoke” and as Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud on the police drama “McCloud.”

The day started off cloudy and a little cool, with a morning low of 47 degrees. There was some sunshine during the day, and the high managed to reach 73.

My blood sugar dropped a few points, to 165. Down, but not enough. After our coffee and brain games, we had a slice of cinnamon toast each.

We took off for my hand appointment at 9:15 a.m. We arrived at the fourth floor of the Slocum Center on time and checked in with a little more paperwork. Then we waited until almost 10:30 a.m. before a nurse came in and took me back to the prep area.

After going through more questions and answers, changing into a gown, getting in a bed, and being hooked up to an antibiotic feed, I waited again until a few minutes past 11 when the surgeon showed up with the anesthetic to numb my hand. Then, a little after 11:30, another nurse appeared and steered the bed into the operating room.

The three nurses present began prepping for the surgery, moving lights, setting up instruments, wiping down my arm and hand and moving them into position. By the time the doctor arrived, it was only a few more minutes before the procedure actually started. In less than ten minutes everything was done, the extensor tendon had been repaired, the wound was stitched closed, and the doctor moved on to her next patient.

The bandaging of my hand and arm began. I had arrived with just a band-aid covering the wound, but by the time I was returned to the prep area, my whole forearm was swathed in order to keep the tendon from being harmed during the recovery period.

Nancy was summoned from the waiting area to help me dress, the instructions for post-op care were delivered, I was given a sling for the arm, and we were sent on our way. Nancy drove home, of course.

We stopped off at the vet so Nancy could pick up more meds for Grace, and once we were home, she took over fixing lunch. She made an omelet with cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, warmed up a few pieces of bacon for each of us, and made toast. I tried buttering the toast with one hand, which did not go smoothly, but after Nancy cut my omelet into bit-sized pieces, I was able to use the fork with my left hand and feed myself.

Most of the afternoon was spent hanging out, trying to keep my arm in the right position, taking OTC pain meds every six hours, putting up with pain as the numbness wore off. I did manage to post on FB about the procedure, accompanied by a photo Nancy took of me wearing the sling. There have been lots of reactions and comments, for which I am grateful. It’s nice when people care!

After 6 p.m. Nancy started to work on dinner. She roasted more potatoes, steamed more broccoli and heated up the last of the Tuscan chicken. Once again, it was a delicious meal.

A little bit later Nancy drove to the grocery store for a couple of things, including more cold brew for my morning coffee intake. I went along for the ride.

We started our streaming when we got back, beginning with Colbert’s show from Tuesday, with guest Jacinda Ardern, the former prime minister of New Zealand. She has recently published a memoir, titled A Different Kind of Power. Next we returned to “Dept. Q” and closed the evening with “The Paradise.” I am skipping details because typing with one hand is quite time-consuming, and there’s a deadline for getting these posts online.

There promises to be more sunshine tomorrow, starting from a low of 50 degrees and rising to 76 or so. With my arm in the sling, any activities will be limited. Of course anything we manage to do will be reported here tomorrow. There may be limitations, of course, unless I can figure out how to better handle the typing.

[synonymouswithanonymous]

Hollywood opinion

Opinion, skip if uninterested. ☺☺

Post fires from google:

Impact on Production

However, the wildfires did cause production to pause in the area. 

FilmLA, the Los Angeles film permitting office, canceled permits for filming in or near evacuation zones. 

New applications to film in or near those areas were denied. 

Production in the area was expected to return, but live-action movies were no longer being shot in the Los Angeles region for the most part. 

If they're not even filming live action films in LA anymore "for the most part"......why would anyone make that their home base if they didn't want to?

From before the fires, article Sept 2024.

Mostly, impo a high 90+%, continuous Box office and critical flops, bad scripts, cheesey lacking of depth characters, and studios in crisis. Outsourcing etc to countries overseas......nah I think he made a good choice to stay in Europe. Why not help build up the great Danish film industry and work in Europe? I don't see it as a comfort zone, just smart business. Post covid and strikes, streaming services taking over, locations are mostly foreign now though that's nothing new (cheaper production/taxes). Imo most of the quality is coming from Europe, even what I suspected was a cheesey French movie about sharks was actually really good (jaws you've been replaced for aquatic terror) . the Bombardment was fantastic, both AHA and FB (I semi dislike they changed Ole B's title to appeal to viewers in the USA). And recently watched a series Burning Bodies from Spain and damn that was great! And based on a real murder. Europe is killing it for quality. Pun intended.

In today's world actors don't have to live in LA.

George Clooney and Amal Clooney (France), Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell (Denmark), Christina Milian (France), Richard Gere (Europe), Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi (England), and Josh Hartnett and Tamsin Egerton (England). Vincent Cassel (France), Cillian Murphy (Ireland).

More:

And more

Peace of mind/mental health should come first, but in a jetset world where you can just fly to locations, why would you have to sacrifice peace of mind, or friendships/family to move if you didn't want to?

What opportunity could he not fly out for? In the past year he's been to Poland, Spain, New York, France and more for regular fun travel. He can do all that and still call his home home. And build up a budding film industry, he and MH came up with their own show and it was greenlit and it was a hilarious modern satire-comedy drama. Would failing stateside studios have greenlit him or their ideas? Questionable. Even viaplay was affected by the fallout of the strikes and pandemic, but at least it went ahead instead of getting shelved unlike season 4 of GLOW (still sad, strong women that were like family who supported each other. And also told how hard it is to make it in LA as an actor).

He said he wanted to be a character actor, not a Hollywood heartthrob. He also says he's comfortable where his fame is at right now. And the labour laws are better over there.

Wow, I didn't realize Lilly Collins moved to copenhagen!! 💚 it's so sad also that so much of LA burned. 😢😢 it's affecting the industry and so many people lost everything they ever had or worked for, that's unimaginably horrible. Just like so many places recently, mother nature fights back with storms, bc to some preserving & creating wealth is more important than the planet we live on. Not looking forward to hurricane season.

[dastardly-ethereal-love]

I’m a wreck and ruin right now… have to share this amazing piece of writing by a friend who I know as a GO artist and not as a fanfic writer. She has me in tears. Like they are streaming down my face. I’m such a wreck for these boys.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62815471

This is what I wrote about it on the FB post she made…

Oh my…. I’m crying so so so damn hard. I’m laughing. I’m dying. I’m bloody yearning. This is so much of how I feel encapsulated in their words and I didn’t know I needed to hear them but I really really did. Oh my gosh my dear friend. I love all the references to fanfic I’ve read - got almost every single one of them and felt each one hit hard. Bloody crying here. Just so moved.

I’m so sad and scared of reading any posts about ‘season’ 3 because it’s breaking my heart that it’s not really a season. I wanted so so much more. I mean I’m grateful for life, for the somewhat ending we will get. I adore those actors too and can you imagine them being given a second shot in their lifetime?! I can’t but maybe in the future?! Oh… how can you possibly dangle that carrot out into the future! I just need to keep living and ‘waiting and seeing’ or something. Because the fanfic is an amazing galaxy… I love my life but if I had nothing else to live for, they would so be enough. I love them.

Thank you for writing this and sharing it! I was delighted to see you write as well as make art… your words as so beautiful as well. Xx