#20. Global market events

[techmarkethunter]

what is gift nifty?

Title: Unwrapping the Gift of Nifty: A Guide to Navigating the Stock Market Introduction: In the dynamic world of finance, the stock market stands out as a fascinating arena where investors can explore various opportunities. One such avenue that has gained immense popularity is trading in Nifty, a flagship index of the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE). In this blog post, we’ll dive into…

[probablyasocialecologist]

If Plan Dalet was a settler-colonial script for the destruction of Palestine from 1948 onwards, it was preceded by – and had its conditions of existence in – the imperialist vision of an entity imposed on the land of Palestine for the protection of the interests of the core: access to raw materials and markets, prevention of subversive projects, buffer zones and counterweights against more distant rivals. In 1840, it was cotton, Muhammed Ali and Tsarist Russia. 127 years later, when the occupation was completed, it was petroleum, third world liberation and the Soviet Union. We are dealing here with an exceedingly deep structure, not an event or two; a ratcheting up and escalation across two centuries, a worsening and intensification of patterns first developed in the early nineteenth – also, not coincidentally, the temporal form of global warming itself. I have pointed very quickly and superficially to three further pivotal moments of articulation. In 1917 and after, the British occupation of Palestine was part of the transformation of the Middle East into a foundation for fossil capital, by dint of its oil resources. In 1947 and after, Western support for the new Zionist state was informed by the consummation of that order; in 1967 and after, by its defence. The steps along the way to the destruction of Palestine were simultaneously steps along the way to that of the Earth.

[...]

The destruction of Gaza is executed by tanks and fighter jets pouring out their projectiles over the land: the Merkavas and the F-16s sending their hellfire over the Palestinians, the rockets and bombs that turn everything into rubble – but only after the explosive force of fossil fuel combustion has put them on the right trajectory. All these military vehicles run on petroleum. So do the supply flights from the US, the Boeings that ferry the missiles over the permanent airbridge. An early, provisional, conservative analysis found that emissions caused during the first 60 days of the war equalled annual emissions of between 20 and 33 low-emitting countries: a sudden spike, a plume of CO2 rising over the debris of Gaza. If I repeat the point here, it is because the cycle is self-repeating, only growing in scale and size: Western forces pulverise the living quarters of Palestine by mobilising the boundless capacity for destruction only fossil fuels can give.

[ninjathrowingstork]

More Renfield potato content but I can't stop thinking about this moment,

Ugh it's the first time he's seen it's possible to stand up to someone that much stronger, even if it means knowing they could kill you she'd rather go down fighting than be paid off and be owned by the mob like the rest of the department

And then

The great war. WWI.

Sure he catches himself and does know recent global events, but it means something that it's the earlier war he thinks of first. If we're basing his age off Dwight Frye's, then he'd have been fifteen when the war started, just turning nineteen when it ended. He grew up during the war that wiped out most of a generation, maybe older boys he'd known. Did young Robert Montague Renfield also join, once he was of age near the end of the war? Did he at all see action in the final years? He'd already lived in a world where he'd feel powerless against the constant death and horror of the war.

And then, being young and studying to be a lawyer in the 20s, seeing the glitz and money and industry rising around him, and then just passing the exams in 1930-31 (in Dracula, Jonathan only learns he's passed as he's leaving to meet the Count) and the early years of the Depression and stock market crash, and he's a young father and trying to make this business deal that might set his career and provide for his family as the market is fading from under him, he's grasping for any way to keep up the career and family and life that a businessman is expected to in his generation, and then. And then he meets this aristocrat who promises him immortality, to not die like so many others he'd known, to have access to prestige and society and wealth that he's craved, if only in exchange for his service. And back then, it was more common for a gentleman to have a valet, after all, and his own father might have employed one himself. But he was also alone, no one else knowing where he'd traveled to and seeing this power and monstrosity from one man, being terrified and weak and isolated he just broke. The person he'd been before was gone, traded for a trickle of physical strength and the status of serving an aristocrat and by the time society rotated and that social power didn't mean as much, it was too late for him to have walked away without being shown that was even possible. He's traded his freedom for the assurance he wouldn't die, wouldn't be vulnerable to the uncertainties of the world he'd grown up in, but he says The Great War because that was the last one he was actually free and a person for.

[jokeroutsubs]

Nace Jordan for Slovenian online journal Aleteia

From performing at Ritem srca (Rhythm of the Heart) to Eurovision: "I value honesty the most"

03.06.2023

Interview with Nace Jordan, bassist of Joker Out

"Thank you, don't count on us..." This is a segment of their currently hottest song Carpe diem, taken out of context. Two weeks ago at Eurovision we were counting on them quite a lot. Despite finishing 21st they did not let us down, as we got to witness an energetic, playful and colourful musical delicacy.

We are glad you managed to take some time for Aleteia during the exciting post-Eurovision events. The youngest member of Joker Out according to length of service, and the wisest according to age, the likeable bassist Nace Jordan.

Congratulations for your wonderful Eurovision performance. Have you gone deaf due to the crowds that have excitedly welcomed you yet?

(laughter) We haven't gone deaf, but the reactions were very nice. We heard that people in Slovenia were watching and loudly cheering for us, especially during the semi-finals performance. All of this is very 'extra'.

Did anything disappoint you in Liverpool?

I can't say we were disappointed about anything. Maybe I would mention that they were promising us 'crazy' parties, which take place during Eurovision. They were great, but not as special as we were promised.

How long has it taken for the adrenaline to calm down after Eurovision?

Personally, I have not yet managed to recover from it all. All together it was very mentally and physically exhausting, but because of our love for music, we managed to pull through.

When coming home, was it difficult to switch from a huge event, where everything is about you, and come into a familiar, calm environment and simply go to the store?

We are lucky enough that since coming home from Great Britain, we have had so many things happen that we haven't yet had any time to lead a normal life, even to go to the store to buy something.

Currently we are positioned on various European charts. (Author's note: On the day of the interview (interview posted 03/06/2023) the group is fourth on the Spotify Global Viral chart; the only fellow Eurovision contestants above them are Finnish representative Käärijä and Swedish representative Loreen. Overall they have surpassed the 1,500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Source: evrovizija.com.)

Marvelous!

All of this feels unreal and nice and it gives us a lot of energy. In addition, many are beckoning us to concerts abroad. The dreams of each musician are to once spread from the narrow area of Ex-Yugoslavia to the markets all across Europe. We decided that we will risk it, since the people want to hear us. We announced a concert in Dublin which we will perform with our Irish Eurovision friends. Let me say that the concert was sold out in 20 minutes. These are truly 'insane' numbers, which are not letting us catch our breaths after Liverpool.

The excitement of the crowds does not surprise us. When and how did the members of the group even meet?

Bojan Cvjetićanin and Kris Guštin met at a performance in secondary school, where Kris was the reporter of the school newspaper. After a while, Bojan invited Kris and Jan Peteh into the band. After a while Jure Maček joined, and last year myself as well.

You came into the band last, yet it seems as though you've been with the boys since their beginnings in 2016.

That's right.

Nace, we have already managed to observe you well on stage. We see that you're all smiles, brave and energetic. How would you describe yourself?

Really? (laughter) I would describe myself as silent and smiley. Due to me being the oldest member of the band (Author's note: Nace is 28, the ages of the other members vary between 23 and 24), I have noticed that I have a different view of things than the other members of the band.

So the age gap is noticeable?

I think so.

In short, describe the other members of the band.

Bojan is intuitive, Maček playful, Guštin serious. And I can't describe Jan in any other way than saying that he is a pure artist.

Do you have other occupations, not connected to music?

I can speak for the entire band when I say that no one does anything besides music. Well, Bojan may occasionally appear in a commercial or two. (laughter)

What is the atmosphere among you? Do you trust and help each other?

No doubt, without it we couldn't have handled the pressure of Eurovision. Everything was easier because there were five of us. If someone was feeling down, the others noticed right away and gave him some space. Or offered him to talk - whatever he needed in that moment.

I liked it how you said at the press conference in Liverpool that you wouldn't consume alcohol before the performance. I have also noticed that you know how to express yourself in interviews. And we can't forget the fact that you sang in Slovene at Eurovision. Do you think it's important to maintain our language?

The fact that we sang in Slovene at Eurovision should say it all. We love Slovene and we find it the most appropriate for expressing ourselves, both in songs and conversation.

In the song Carpe diem, among other things, you sing about how you are against hate. How do you, as Nace Jordan, take steps toward a kinder society?

Let me correct that the song itself is not only against hatred, but it also talks about how we have to seize each day and look at the bright side. We ourselves are the only ones who have control over the fact that we wake up in the morning and make the best of the day. Personally, I make a person's day by smiling at them and consequently giving them a good feeling.

During your concerts, unexpected things are bound to happen. Would you let us in on any such event?

Not everything is of public nature. But I can mention that recently we had a concert in Umag. It took us a very long time to find the entrance to the concert hall. Luckily, we managed to find it right before the concert. We were really close to missing our own performance. (laughter)

Nace, Joker Out is not the first band in which you played. In the past you have collaborated with many Slovene performers, you are a member of Diamanti ('Diamonds' - the RTV house band) who take care of the musical accompaniment for the show 'V petek zvečer' ('On Friday Evening' - a show on Slovene national TV).

I don't know how much longer, sadly time is tight.

Your friends mention that you're a real-life 'jukebox', as you still remember the melodies of all the 200 songs that you performed during your times on the cruise ship.

That's true.

How was it, playing on a large ship away from shore?

When others went to study, I went to play on the ship. At that moment I chose to dedicate my life to music. This was one of the nicest and best decisions I've ever made. The half year spent on the cruise ship shaped me into the musician I am today. Living on a ship with so many people was a real school of interpersonal relations.

Was the music you performed always according to your taste?

Of course not, amongst the less favoured were for example German hit songs. (laughter)

I can't not mention that you were a member of the accompanying band at 'Ritem srca' ('Rhythm of the Heart' - festival of modern Christian music) and at the concert of 'Radio Ognjišče' ('Radio Fireplace' - a Christian Catholic radio in Slovenia). What is your memory of that experience?

I was looking forward to performing at Ritem srca this year as well. But sadly we had concerts and practice with Joker Out, so it wasn't possible. Ritem srca is one of the more pleasant festivals in Slovenia and I do not have a single bad experience with it. All participants were not only kind but also in good spirits and energetic. That is exactly what the world needs, it's 'carpe diem' in principle.

Who is the best performer of spiritual rhythmic music according to you?

I can mention Matej Šoklič, who I know personally. And Franci Rotar. Franci is a real 'character'. Every time I meet him he brightens and improves my day.

Speaking of spiritual music... Have you had to give up something that did not align with your personal beliefs during your musical career?

I avoid politics.

At the moment, Joker Out are a role model for many youths. What do you admire in a person?

It may sound cliché, but I appreciate honesty the most, both a frank critique and praise. With time I forget that I'm good at something, so it feels really nice when someone reminds me of it.

~

Translation cr.: @beeoftheanxieties

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

“The Couple Next Door” at MIPCOM 2023 in Cannes 🇫🇷

Beta Film distributed “The Couple Next Door” series, the Beta Film drama series was sold before the MIPCOM’s event to Movistar Plus+ in Spain and Nordic countries, public television stations NRK in Norway, YLE in Finland, SVT in Sweden, DR. in Denmark and RÚV in Iceland took the title.

The official thriller of the dark psychological drama ‘The Couple Next Door’ (6x1h, Eagle Eye Drama/Beta/Channel4/STARZ/LIONSGATE+) delves into the repercussions of pursuing one's darkest desires. Sam Heughan and Eleanor Tomlinson partner with Alfred Enoch (Harry Potter, How to Get Away With Murder) and Jessica De Gouw (The Secret She Keeps) was presented on Tuesday 17th October at The World Greatest Gathering of TV & Entertainment Executives 16-19 October 2023 at Palais des Festivals, Cannes.

#thecouplenextdoor show will launch this autumn 2023, there's no date, on Channel 4 in the UK, Starz in North America and Lionsgate+ in Latin America. Filming took place earlier this year in Leeds and Belgium, and Beta Film is the distributing.

BETA Unveils MIPCOM 2023 line-up with over 20 new dramas and seasons from 15 countries - Thrillers, about tragedies, and love stories of fresh and compelling series from all over Europe, which will celebrate its world premiere at the prestigious Grand Auditorium of the Palais de Festivals in Cannes.

MIPCOM CANNES 2023- (Marché International des Programmes de Communication, English: International Market of Communications Programmes) is an entertainment content market', and happens every October, MIPCOM is the most anticipated week for global decision-makers to compete for new series, source international production partners, and set the development agenda for the coming year and beyond.

The 39th edition of MIPCOM CANNES brought together more than 12,000 delegates from over 110 countries, including 3,000 buyers, to the vibrant city of Cannes.

Because of the BAFTA’s event, I believe the TV Preview and official thriller to the public will not be available until Wednesday 1st November in London (it makes sense to show everything in one day) with cast Sam Heughan, Eleanor Tomlinson, Alfred Enoch, David Allison, writer, Dries Vos, director as announced, at the Princess Anne Theatre.

#thecouplenextdoor #thriller # BETA #Cannes #MIPCOM2023 #France #PalaisdeFestivals #InternationalMarketofCommunications #Channel4 #EagleEye

[exeggcute]

good stuff from wired. it's far too easy to forget that all of the data you send and receives goes somewhere—real tangible servers that people have to build and maintain, supported by both digital and physical infrastructure with not-at-all negligible financial and environmental costs—including the post you're reading right now.

some highlights:

[The tech industry has] trained us to upload, download, stream, post, and share to infinitum. In turn, we have come to expect seamless and instant access to digital content anytime, anywhere, as if data were immaterial. [...] A typical data center spans about 100,000 square feet, but I have been inside of facilities that are the size of a small home or as large as a university campus. The average data center can consume as much electricity as a small city in order to power and cool its computing equipment, drawing energy from electrical grids that in many parts of the world are coal-fired. To maintain our expectations for constant availability without as much as a hiccup, data centers run diesel generators in a state of hot-standby to supply power in the event of an electrical grid failure. [...] The International Data Corporation, a “global provider of market intelligence” for IT professionals and executives, estimates that digital data storage capacity may have to double or triple by 2030 to meet rising global demands for data storage. By the end of this decade, some estimate that cloud infrastructures will gobble up 20 percent of the world’s energy resources. (These figures, however, are speculative, provisional, and reliant on quantification schemes that are themselves highly contested given the opacity of the privately owned infrastructures behind the cloud and the complexity of variables involved.) [...] The cloud, as I have seen it, is already broken, already breaking. There are no easy techno-fixes that can save us, because the problem we are facing is not an engineering problem, but a cultural one. We suffer from a deficit of imagination because capitalism has conditioned us to think of the digital as inexhaustive and instant, to think of ourselves as consumers rather than stewards, to think of the cloud as a service rather than a community.

[feckcops]

Secret Amazon Reports Expose the Company’s Surveillance of Labor and Environmental Groups

“Updates on labor organizing activities at warehouses include the exact date, time, location, the source who reported the action, the number of participants at an event (and in some cases a turnout rate of those expected to participate in a labor action), and a description of what happened, such as a ‘strike’ or ‘the distribution of leaflets.’ Other documents reveal that Amazon intelligence analysts keep close tabs on how many warehouse workers attend union meetings; specific worker dissatisfactions with warehouse conditions, such as excessive workloads; and cases of warehouse-worker theft ...

“The new intelligence reports obtained by Motherboard reveal in detail how Amazon uses social media to track environmental activism and social movements in Europe—including Greenpeace and Fridays For Future, environmental activist Greta Thunberg's global climate strike movement—and perceives such groups as a threat to its operations. In 2019, Amazon monitored the Yellow Vests movement, also known as the gilet jaunes, a grassroots uprising for economic justice that spread across France—and solidarity movements in Vienna and protests against state repression in Iran ...

“‘It’s not enough for Amazon to abuse its dominant market power and face antitrust charges by the EU; now they are exporting 19th century American union-busting tactics to Europe,’ Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global Union, a global federation of trade unions that represents more than 20 million workers, told Motherboard. ‘This is a company that is ignoring the law, spying on workers, and using every page of the U.S. union-busting playbook to silence workers' voices’ ...

“‘Amazon's systemic use of military surveillance methods against unionists and activists is deeply alarming,’ said Aubry, who is also a senior member of France's France Insoumise, France's main radical left party. ‘Amazon and Jeff Bezos act as if they were above the law because they have accumulated unprecedented levels of wealth and power. This has to stop.’”

[tinyozlion]

Suggested Policy of Ignoring Stupid Shit

(the following section contains *Minor Spoilers*)

[ -Back to Part 03]

Everyone in this show is too goddamn young. They are simply too goddamn young. This is my hill, and I will die on it. 

It’s one thing to have a cast full of troubled but highly marketable teenagers in a show aimed at teenagers– it’s a whole other thing to try and convince me that all the influential *adults* in the series are under the age of 25. These are characters who we are to understand have led full lives, and had active careers in the military before the start of the show– you know, during their literal infancy. 

For example: Treize is meant to be 24 at the start of the series. He’s a colonel in the Alliance Military, a position that usually requires about 20 years of service to attain. He also has a daughter that I’ve seen quoted as being either 7 or 9 years old. It doesn't matter which is true, because there is no positive integer you can subtract from 24 that makes a good age to father a child. (…Alright, okay, in the great variety of human experience, that’s an exaggeration.) What’s of more significance is that at the time, Treize was an instructor or sergeant in the military academy, in charge of a squad of mobile suit cadets. 

So which is a more reasonable age for that scenario, 15 or 17? Keep in mind that the minimum age requirement for enlistment in the US army is 17, with parental consent. 

--Ah! But this is Animé, where only teens and pre-teens are fully alive. Those who turn 20 become old, and venerable, able to draw on the rich wisdom of experience that comes with being not quite of legal drinking age. And if you’re over 30 obviously you must fade and go into the West, your time has ended. No, no, better to have characters too young for the events of their own lifespan to have occurred than to suffer an OLD PERSON on television.

--Up with this, I will not put. It is bullshit. Please join me adding *at minimum* two years to everyone’s age, up to a suggested 5-10 years to the age of adult characters– if ONLY so that we don’t have to stretch our suspension of disbelief to include a preternaturally articulate 4 year old receiving full military honors. 

___

Gundam Wing would like us to believe that everything in the series happened over the course of a single year. MS Gundam probably set the precedent for this with its One Year War, but MS Gundam also lets people get older and change hairstyles and be subject to the effects of linear time. While Wing certainly had more constraints on its production length, it really would have benefited from some believable time-skips.

…Mind you, after 2020 I think we can all attest that A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN ONE YEAR. But that doesn't account for all the downtime that happens in Gundam Wing-- times when everyone had to lay low, times where characters had to heal from massive physical trauma, times where everyone was stuck in a stalemate waiting to see what happened next, times during which whole space battleships had to be built and global armies had to be mustered.

On this I call bullshit a second time. In addition to giving the characters more realistic ages, we should also be allowed to expand the time frame of major plot events, based on vibes. 

--That concludes my suggestion. May this policy serve you well, in this and other fandoms!

[parchmentportals]

"The Rebirth of a New Hope Amidst a Global Crisis"

It has been nearly 700 years since the Black Death caused the death of more than 20 million people and animals alike; a fast-spreading disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. In today’s time, the world is facing a global pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus which took the lives of 6.8 million people in the past 3 years. A variety of modes of transmission have allowed such diseases to spread like wildfire, and the black death through fleas and rats, with new theories, even suggesting novel modes of transmission such as human body lice and infected grain (Glatter & Finkelman, 2021). On the other hand, COVID-19 is known to be transmitted through droplets, close contact, and exchange of bodily fluid; having the characteristics of high virulence of the pathogen, its transmissibility, and the potential for environmental contamination reaffirmed the need for special attention (Sohrabi C, Alsafi Z, et al., 2020).

In 2003, the world was given an extraordinary gift. It could be described as something birthed into the history of mankind way ahead of its time with the promise that previously undetected diseases would be discovered at an early stage with just a prick of a finger. The world was more hopeful than ever– not only did it cover a broad range of illnesses, but it was also going to be the most accessible medical test in history. Determined to change the world, 19-year-old Elizabeth Holmes was known for the invention of Theranos– an efficient method of testing through a wearable patch that continuously tests the blood of the wearer allowing for the admission of the right dose of medicine in real-time. Further, into the development of Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes’ idea changed– blood testing will now be done with a cartridge and a reader system instead of drawing a syringe full of blood from a vein. Theranos, making the traditional way faster and more comfortable for the patients would also allow these tests to be conducted in the comfort of their homes. It was a breakthrough that could have helped the world amidst several global crises.

 In the most twisted turn of events, what could have been one of the biggest gifts to humanity turned out to be one of the most elaborate deceptions of all time. The world was at arm’s reach of having something extraordinary in its possession that would greatly contribute to the medical field. It would seem that Elizabeth Holmes conceptualized a grandiose idea that unfortunately ended as that, just an idea. Her words were so powerful that scientists, medical experts, and investors all over the globe dreamt her dream. Until her own researchers exposed the truth that there was no viable technology behind Theranos. This revelation came after several units had already been distributed for use in pharmacies across the United States. When test results repeatedly showed incorrect information, there was no way for Elizabeth Holmes to redeem herself and Theranos from the truth that it was all just a marketing scheme.

The world progresses at a faster rate than anyone would realize, although proven as a scam, Theranos gave hope to people that a breakthrough has been made that would make disease detection to be more efficient. Furthermore, such an idea exists that would allow future scientists and medical experts alike to come up with a similar idea that could be even more efficient compared to Theranos; the world currently has watches that are able to detect the wearer’s pulse and oxygen saturation. In the future, a possibility of a watch that immediately calls the ambulance or a loved one once it detects a heart attack from the wearer, or a phone that has the ability to scan one’s eyes to detect diseases wherein results may be received in just a few hours. Technology continues to evolve as time goes by, phones that are able to scan one’s eyes for symptoms may be one of the future’s scientific or medical breakthroughs that will help the world fight against another global crisis or would just simply help people have a more efficient way of getting tested without having to get in line or wait for the results for hours or days. The only limit to the future’s advancement is one’s own imagination. The Theranos scandal underscores the dangers of deceit and ambition in medicine. By examining this case, readers are urged to scrutinize claims of innovation and advocate for honesty in scientific progress by questioning prevailing narratives and encouraging critical thinking, we can navigate global health challenges with resilience and foresight.

As a former nursing student who has taken Science, Technology, and Society (STS), I'm attracted to this topic for its interdisciplinary relevance. My STS studies and limited knowledge in the field of science provide insights into the dynamics between scientific progress, societal values, and ethics. Through this blog, I aim to apply these insights to real-world scenarios, fostering discussions and promoting ethical innovation.

[abtechsorg]

MetaTdex Launches Revolutionary Web3 Brokerage DAO at Global Launch Conference in Dubai

On December 20, 2022, MetaTdex held the highly anticipated “Web3 Brokerage DAO” Global Launch Conference at the luxurious Hyatt Hotel Creek in Dubai. The event drew a large crowd of influential investors, investment institutions, and crypto experts, all eager to learn more about MetaTdex’s latest financial innovation.

 At the conference, MetaTdex unveiled its plans to combine the world of crypto with the traditional stock market through the use of stablecoin. This revolutionary approach will allow web 3 users to invest in the stock market without worrying about OTC fees, currency exchange rates, and the tedious process of opening a stock market account. This is a game-changing development that has the potential to disrupt the traditional financial system and bring more people into the world of investing. 

In addition to providing an efficient and cost-effective way for web 3 users to enter the stock market, MetaTdex’s platform will also offer a wider range of options for wealth preservation and appreciation during bearish seasons. This is especially important for investors who are looking to diversify their portfolios and protect themselves against market fluctuations. 

Those who purchase MetaTdex’s stock-token packages will receive both short-term and long-term benefits, including Tdex Tokens (TT) and stocks. The TT tokens will give holders access to exclusive discounts and perks, while the stocks will provide long-term growth potential. This unique combination of benefits is designed to appeal to a wide range of investors and provide something for everyone. 

Overall, the Web3 Brokerage DAO Global Launch Conference was a huge success, with attendees leaving excited about the potential of MetaTdex’s innovative platform and the ways in which it will revolutionize the world of finance. The conference was a testament to MetaTdex’s commitment to innovation and their desire to bring the benefits of the stock market to a wider audience. With the launch of their stablecoin platform, MetaTdex is poised to make a major impact on the financial world and change the way people invest for the better.

To watch the video click the below:

Join our Community to get the latest update on MetaTdex: Main Group: https://t.me/MetaTdex_group MetaTdex Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/MetaTdex

Start your web3.0 journey with MetaTdex. www.metatdex.com

MetaTdex ：Safe| efficient | Diverse

[valpoupdates]

DECEMBER CALENDAR POSTING...

So much to see, so much to do, so little time ! Lucky for you, here at Santa Moneda we keep track of it just for you ! Unless stated otherwise by our management team, all of these activities are optional. Residents do not have to take part in these if they don't wish to ! These can be used for threads throughout the month but new threads can't be started for these activities once the month is up. Please track the smhqcalendar tag to stay updated month to month ( ©️ )

Valparaíso Activities:

December 1st: Christmas Market and Christmas tree lighting event in Downtown. The market takes place from 11AM to 11PM, while the Christmas tee lighting will start at 6PM complete with performances from Universidad de Bellas Artes de Valparaíso students and an appearance from El Viejito Pascuero himself !

December 16th: The city is turning Quintil Valparaíso Park into an ice skating rink made of synthetic ice! You can bring your own skates or rent some during the event. There will be photobooths you can use for a small fee and professional photographers you can request short photoshoots from for a discounted price

Please note that, if you go, you agree to allow the city to publish your photos in the December edition of the city magazine, La Revista De Valparaíso.

December 19th: There is a Christmas Parade in Downtown Valparaíso starting at 11AM. A variety of floats from different cultures, backgrounds, and interests will be displayed. Residents are always welcome to sign up if they have a float idea they'd like to bring.

December 31st: Catch Me If You Can Port Party. Say goodbye to 2023 with everyone's favorite hide and seek nightclub. They're set up at the port, using ship containers as bars and vacant ships as dance floors. You may start the year off with an arrest, but you'll have the perfect view of the fireworks when the clock strikes midnight.

Santa Moneda Activities:

December 7th: “December from a Global Perspective: How Other Cultures Celebrate the Month of December” – an informative presentation offered in the Santa Moneda Learning Center from 8PM to 11PM. This event will include:

a 20 minute presentation about how other cultures celebrate their holidays in December and world-renowned chefs have been invited to cook and serve foods from different cultures: chef amar bhatia : michelin-starred indian chef, owner of “the wholesome grain” chef nadia wan : international malaysian celebrity chef and personality, 20th youngest malaysian chef, & an iron chef on iron chef malaysia chef mahmoud samir : most sought-after egyptian menu developer and consultant chef, & owner of JAK Catering

December 10th: Ornament making course in the Learning Center from 5PM to 7PM

December 14th: Last day to sign up for the Santa Moneda gift exchange.

December 24th: Noche Buena dinner and gift exchange at Vincete's Jazz Lounge. Join your fellow Santa Moneda residents for a night of global cuisine and celebration. There will be a wide variety of food, drinks, and live music prepared as you exchange presents and maybe steal a kiss or two under the mistletoe. Feel to get on the mic yourself with our karaoke portion of the evening starting at 9PM.

December 25th: There will be Christmas Carolers down in the lobby to close out our celebrations at 12PM & 6 PM.

[aikos-filibuster]

For Fun or For Funds?

or " Are gaming communities becoming less about play and more about monetisation?"

A Personal Note

Entering my early 20s, I reflect on my early days of being exposed to the idea of gaming, I remember watching Disney Channel and during their breaks, they advertised the Disney Channel website where you could play flash games based on the cartoons being aired. I asked my father about it, and he beckoned me to the study room where our old family computer was. He opened up Internet Explorer and hopped on the Disney Channel website. That was the beginning of my personal relationship with gaming. Then it led to my father buying me a PlayStation 2, a major turning point as it allowed me to experience real gaming on a dedicated platform. Back then, gaming was simple as its main purpose was escapism, where you would come home from school or work, hop on your computer or console and forget about the day’s worries for a while. There was no such thing as subscriptions, content locked behind a paywall, or using real money to earn you an advantage over your opponents or to enhance your experience in general. And casual gaming was what it meant on the tin; it was a casual activity where you did not put much thought into it and was merely something to pass the time. Times have changed, and the only time you see gaming mentioned in the mainstream is of how much money was won by an Esports team and how famous you can get from gaming competitively and I personally can make a case that “Mammon” has even entered the realm casual gaming.

Gaming communities: A new cash cow?

The first culprit of the monetisation of gaming communities is the rise of professional gaming. More and more you see games that are tailormade to be played at tournaments and you’d rather watch other people play and win millions rather than to play the game yourself. The rise is popularity for games such as CS:GO, Fortnite, League of Legends, and most recently Valorant where you specifically train to play in Esports tournaments in the hopes to win money places profit over fun. It is not to play competitively, it is stressful, and the desire to win big pushes some to even abuse substances to keep themselves awake to get more hours of training just to hone their skills just for that littlest edge over the competition because the dollar sign is such a powerful drug in of itself. One just needs to look at how lucrative this new burgeoning market can be as in 2021, the global esports revenues totalled up to over $1.6 billion dollars, and looking at the geographical information, over half of that was generated by China and North America. I believe a lot of this monetisation and commercialisation of gaming communities comes from coverage of gaming by the mainstream media. Before the advent of esports as we know it, mainstream media painted gaming communities as sort of men who refused to grow up and continued to play with toys instead of spending time “normally” like watching television or taking more “conventional” interests like being a sports fan or going to your favourite musician’s concert. Instead, these gamers keep up to date with the latest gaming news. How odd! Now that events like the COVID-19 pandemic have changed the world’s attitude to gaming communities and what they do, suddenly the market has experienced unprecedented growth in the past 3 years. Now we see even governments paying close attention to what happens among gamers, seeing it as an opportunity for youths to specialise in to bring pride to their state, being recognised as a legitimate sport alongside field and track. The commercialisation of gaming has made the communities appear as mere customers to investors and even gaming developers. They saw how much money they can make, and now their as bold as ever in throwing money onto the growing money pile that is the gaming market. I remember a time when my mother scolded me for playing video games, asking sarcastically how much money I make. Now she sends me headlines about an esports team winning millions in a recent tournament. Funny how opinions can change so sharply. Now we even see the rise of film adaptations of video games, where Hollywood executives who have never held a gaming controller decide to make a film cash grab by taking advantage of the nostalgia of gamers they looked down upon decades ago.

Still for fun?

In conclusion, the statement that gaming communities are becoming less about play and more about monetisation can be quite interesting to answer, and to give it an answer, I would give a simple yes. Gaming communities will feel the changes in the environment that they hold so dear. They would be lying if they say they had not seen the massive cashflow into and around the games they love, and for some, it’s a given due to the nature of the games they build communities around. The more honest gamers will tell you they know the corporations who invest in the games see the communities as generic customers and a source of revenue, and the companies that churn out their games have become bold in their attempts to maximise their profits, sometimes at the cost of the soul and effort that used to be put into creating cult classics like we saw in the days of yore of gaming.

References

[ecommerce-yourguide]

How do you attract customers on Black Friday?

Attracting customers on events like Black Friday is a challenging task. The main objective for any seller must be to create a buzz, a sense of urgency that will ultimately attract more customers and encourage them to make a purchase. Here are a few ways how you can attract customers on Black Friday:

Implement a Referral Program or Customer Incentives: Your biggest potential customers are those who are in the social circle of an existing customer. You don’t even have to put a lot of effort into making the sale because word of mouth will do it. All you need to do is let them know via the referral program. This Black Friday Sale introduces a limited-time offer along the lines of - “Refer a friend and both get an extra discount on Black Friday purchases" By this, you’ll get new customers and potential purchases from existing ones at the same time.

Use Influencer Marketing for Product Endorsements: It may seem like it doesn’t work well, but actually, it's the best way to expose your brand to a massive audience. Previous records show that Brands have experienced upto 16.6% increase in engagement due to product endorsement via Influencer marketing. So don’t hesitate to step up. Collaborate with influencers to promote your Black Friday deals to their followers and attract more customers.

Leverage Social Media Hype and Countdowns: A sense of urgency and constant reminders creates an everlasting impact on customers’ mind. This Black Friday Sales, plan a thorough social media campaign with regular posts creating a sense of urgency. As an example: "Only 3 days left until our biggest sale of the year! Follow us for updates!

Start Selling Products on Marketplaces: An additional exposure to your products will turn out to be a profitable change. List your products on global marketplaces such as Etsy and drive a whole new audience towards your products. Its advisable to utilse and Integration App that creates a link between the store and marketplace allowing you to manage both platforms from a single location. You can even get the App at 20% off.

We hope this helps in attracting customers on Black Friday.

[jaidonschool]

Seoul Lesson

A couple weeks ago I sat in South Korea, after a 14 hour day of travel, on a rusty folding chair in the abandoned lobby of a dirty 1 star hostel. In just 36 hours I would be going on stage, following 2 prestigious Korean designers, to give a 20 minute talk to 140 designers about the future of AI and service design. I was exhausted and starving. My body was inflated and numb from adrenaline; adrenaline induced by the heavy, captivating dread of not having my mind clear, not having my script complete, not having my slides even started, not having anything rehearsed. And I was locked outside my dark, dirty, 1 star hostel room.

In Korea I felt like a stray dog. Hungry, empty, wandering the streets, without anyone who might help me or care about me. Full of fatigue my eyes searched for signs of love. But all they landed on was clean facades, loud advertisements, and occasionally the eyes of others that passed over me like luke warm water. I barely caught the very last subway lines from Incheon airport Seocho station. At different stations, I saw men alone who were so drunk they could barely move try and make it to the train, only to be left behind in the gaze of the passengers, who would then be kicked out of the station to spend the night on the street. Every day throughout Gangnam I saw people with bruised faces, bandages, and nose splints recovering from plastic surgery.

Elderly Koreans lived in elivingtel with me. I believe it was $300/month. They too didn't have anyone. One of them was an employee, and gave me my bedding when I moved in. She told me to use a hand towel as my pillow case. They never spoke. Besides the event, to me the best part of Seoul was the emotional safety I felt in CoEx mall, which was the only place I wanted to visit and went almost every day, and buddhist monastery across the street. I decided in Gangnam that I don't want to be poor anymore. I want to protect myself from such a ruthless space.

My relationship with money has been the most emotional it has ever been. I woke up from a dream this morning where I was crying and crying and crying and screaming about money. A deep emotion of sadness –the kind that fills your body, pure and poignant, and makes you shake with tears– cracked open wider and wider like an egg, releasing waves that flooded my sleeping mind with the signals of love, freedom, and fortune being lost. My whole conscious was struck like a large church bell, that sent echos of heartfull sorrow ringing throughout my body.

The first 100k is the hardest. Maybe I'll be able to get there entrepreneurially. Here I sit in Berlin, filling my time with podcasts about lead gen, cold outreach, sales, product market fit. I spent $2300 on the flight and airbnb for the month, to go to the Service Design Global Conference 23. I spend this money to see friends. I'm ok with that. I have no other options.

Vinh Giang x Chris Do - Futur Linkedin Thing

[denimbex1986]

'You can now add Martin Scorsese’s hotly anticipated Killers of the Flower Moon to the films undergoing a delay...the eagerly awaited Western crime epic has canceled its limited Oct. 6 release date in the U.S. and will now instead open in wide release on Oct. 20, both in North America and various other global markets, including the UK.

And, curiouser still, the film will also be released in IMAX.

...At a glance the move even raises the question of whether Apple and Paramount believe they have another Oppenheimer on their hands...

Killers of the Flower Moon has of course already enjoyed considerable festival prestige, becoming the toast of Cannes where it made its world premiere in May and has to date accrued a 97 percent “positive” score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Paramount is abandoning the platformed strategy in favor of something that looks an awful lot like when Universal Pictures defiantly put Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer into global cinemas on the same date as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, and one week after what was expected to be one of the biggest hits of the summer, Paramount’s own Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

Instead Oppenheimer stunned skeptics who doubted audience interest in a talky, R-rated, and adult-oriented drama with little in the way of CGI spectacle. In fact, Oppenheimer proved to be the biggest IMAX release of 2023 and has grossed $778 million to date, with projections now placing it potentially north of $900 million by the end of its run. The film’s over-performance has also invited speculation as to whether adult audiences are starved for big event films that tackled serious subjects or historical figures (many times both at the same time) after more than a decade of multiplexes becoming consumed with superhero theatrics and space opera imagery.

Apple and Paramount would appear to be putting that theory to the test since only a handful of filmmakers’ names have the cache of Christopher Nolan with modern audiences, and Martin Scorsese is one of them...

So could Killers of the Flower Moon be an R-rated, zeitgeist-grabbing event on the scale of Oppenheimer?

… Probably not quite that. While Scorsese has remained one of the most influential and intensely followed filmmakers of the last half-century, his clout with the mainstream never reached the levels of Nolan or (as a more contemporary comparison) Steven Spielberg in his heyday. It’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see a Scorsese movie flirt with a billion-dollar gross like Oppenheimer currently is...

With Dune vacating early November, Killers of the Flower Moon has a newly formed lane to be the biggest movie in theaters for at least three weeks, ahead of Disney’s The Marvels (assuming that film releases this fall). IMAX therefore has everything to gain by putting Scorsese’s movie on the biggest screens in the world, and the film’s studio and streamer also will earn goodwill in the industry for taking a big swing in support of the theatrical experience. This will prove useful come awards season where Killers of the Flower Moon is widely considered Oppenheimer’s biggest competition at this point...'

[girlgamesnetwork]

Girl Games Network #2 (31/5/23)

Welcome back to the Girl Games Network Newsletter, a weekly roundup of games industry news and releases aiming to highlight the female and non-binary people working in games.

Summer Games Done Quick Returns!

From the 28th May to 4th June, 2023 the annual speedrunning fundraiser Summer Games Done Quick is back on Twitch raising money for Doctors Without Borders. Many of the runs are taking place at the Hilton Minneapolis, Minnesota for in-person attendees and VOD recordings of the runs can be found on GDQ's YouTube page afterwards.

Some runs and runners of note this time include :

31/5 Shadow the Hedgehog - Gamecube by MetalMedB (Glitchless Bidwar)

1/6 Golf It! - PC by Nichole Goodnight & Bathinjan (Classic First 5 Maps 100% Race)

1/6 Give Me Toilet Paper! - Switch by Asuka424 (Hand%)

2/6 VVVVV - PC by Metroid Crime (Any% Glitchless)

2/6 Pokémon Colosseum - Gamecube by Swiftalu and Sparkle (Any% Race)

3/6 Fire Emblem Engage - Switch by Claris (Any%)

4/6 Super Mario Maker 2 - Switch by TheRileyC, Aurateur, PangaeaPanga, TanukiDan, Shoujo, Caspur189, LilKirbs and Thabeast721 (Relay Race)

In addition to SGDQ, GDQ hosts charity speedruns throughout the year and gives a spotlight to female and non-binary runners in their Frame Fatale events. On-site and remote volunteer registration for the next FF event  "Flame Fatales'' will be open from the 9th-17th of June if this week's show inspires viewers to contribute.

As with every GDQ event for the last six years, programmer and artist lexyeevee (Fox Flux Deluxe) is hosting a game jam concurrently on itch.io, this time called "Games Made QVIICK??? HD REMIX", which will be running until the 5th of June.

https://gamesdonequick.com/schedule

https://www.twitch.tv/gamesdonequick

https://eev.ee/

https://itch.io/jam/games-made-qviick-hd-remix

Super Free Games Faces Gender Discrimination Lawsuit

Former Super Free Games (Word Collect) employee Haley Bowman (Sonos) filed a lawsuit in the San Francisco Superior Court on the 11th of May, 2023 against the company for gender discrimination, unequal pay and being terminated while pregnant.

Super Free Games, formerly known as Super Lucky Games is a word and trivia game developer owned by the Stillfront Group and based in California with global remote employees, mostly across America. Although their careers page boasts a "flat management model" and insists on valuing a work-life balance, Bowman's case alleges "cronyistic" hiring practices, backed up by an anonymous former employee's review on Glassdoor.

In 2022, a Marketing Department Reduction in Force Committee was established at SFG and asked Bowman to leave her managerial marketing position for a position with a 20-26% pay cut in production on the grounds that she "had poor communication issues and created a level of mistrust with UA [the User Acquisition Team]". In her case, Bowman has said that there were no issues between her and UA. When she refused to take the cut and role change, she was terminated two months into a pregnancy she alleges SFG knew about and that her firing was falsely presented as a workforce reduction externally.

In addition to this, the lawsuit alleges an "unmistakable bias" against women, who make up less than a third of SFG, often being excluded from important meetings and social opportunities. Bowman also was not consulted on the marketing decisions that were key to her role in the Marketing division. SFG have not made any statements regarding the case as of two weeks after the filing.

https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/discrimination-lawsuit-filed-against-san-franciso-game-developer/

https://superfree.com/careers/

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/super-free-games-receives-lawsuit-that-alleges-biases-against-women

https://www.linkedin.com/in/haley-bowman/

https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Super-Free-Games-RVW55119549.htm

https://www.stillfront.com/en/stillfront-group-acquires-super-free-games-a-leading-developer-of-casual-word-games/

News of Note :

Excellent fan-art of a new Zelda NPC https://www.tumblr.com/koyoriin/718151838948573184/so-she-might-not-be-a-major-character-but-violynne

Bandcamp United formed after a 31-7 vote by eligible Epic Games-owned Bandcamp employees https://linktr.ee/bandcampunited & https://blog.bandcamp.com/2023/05/19/bandcamp-and-bandcamp-united-release-joint-statement-on-union-vote/  

Layoffs at Brace Yourself Games (Crypt of the NecroDancer) https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/report-brace-yourself-games-lays-off-half-its-staff and Deck Nine Games (Life is Strange : True Colours) https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/life-is-strange-dev-deck-nine-games-hit-with-staff-layoffs

Gizmodo interviewed Patricia Summersett, Zelda's English Voice Actor https://gizmodo.com/zelda-tears-of-kingdom-patricia-summersett-interview-1850440189

A reminder of how easily companies can scrub out the name of some of their biggest contributors https://twitter.com/WeAreJoel/status/1661172665980276737

Playstation enters a partnership with the Women's National Basketball Association https://sonyinteractive.com/en/press-releases/2023/playstation-and-wnba-announce-multi-year-partnership/

COO of board game publisher Alderac makes sexist comments after designer Elizabeth Hargrave pointed out the gender disparity of the industry https://kotaku.com/board-game-sexism-women-designers-representation-1850472739

"Get in the Car, Loser!" lead developer Christine Love is getting back into streaming https://www.twitch.tv/christine_love

Guild Esports and Sky UK (TV broadcaster) launch their No Room For Abuse campaign to prevent women being harassed when playing online https://www.gamesindustry.biz/guild-and-sky-uk-launches-no-room-for-abuse-campaign

Marvelous Showcase announces two new Story of Seasons and Rune Factory game in development https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMa-Aj3yF4g

Actor Grace Van Dien joins esports group FaZe Clan https://twitter.com/FaZeClan/status/1661809830221283347

Coming attractions :

Summer Games Fest returns online and in-person at the YouTube Theater, Los Angeles 8/6 https://www.summergamefest.com/

15/6 deadline to apply to the Canada Media Fund for up to $450,000 CAD for VR and AR projects https://cmf-fmc.ca/news/canada-and-france-launch-new-joint-incentive-for-virtual-and-augmented-reality-projects/

GDC Showcase 27-29/6 (book tickets before June to save $40) https://gdconf.com/

Thanks for reading this week's instalment and thank you for your patience - I'm not entirely settled on publishing these on Sundays yet as I find my feet with this. Also I'd initially wanted to write about the internal controversy that's come up from Grace Van Dien joining FaZe Clan, so I'd delayed this a little to try to do it justice, but the story's still developing, so look forward to a report on it next time!