#servinglies. 02

[korrhaphi-blog]

@servinglies // liked for a starter.

               ‘ merlin. ‘

his voice was quiet but the tone ( commanding, strong— regal ) left no doubt to what the simple name meant; be quiet, stop rambling. looking up to his servant, chin rested over his arm with all his weight on the table, he didn’t look very princely but if there was one person he could be like that around, it was merlin. with a heavy sigh, he spoke.

                ‘ my father made his choice. what is there that i can do ? they practiced magic which is forbidden and they got caught. i tried to talk to him but things are as they are. i’m no sorcerer, i can’t fix this. ‘ he hoped that merlin understood. he couldn’t do anything about this, he’d played his cards. now it was his turn. arthur had no doubt he’d find one way or another to deal with this.

[starlightsulu]

Just  a  fun  little  character  game.   fill  in  the  below  categories  with  3 - 5  things  that  your  character  can be identified by .  repost  &  tag away !   PLEASE  REPOST,  DO  NOT  REBLOG.

EMOTIONS  /  FEELINGS . 01.  that feeling you get when you catch that break ( elation that surges up despite planted feet ) ; the thrill with the rush of water against your ear , that tiny rock of the board but , you still keep steady .  02.  that uncurl and unknot of tension and stress , hands gripping steering controls and breath exhaled , because you know ; you’ve done this before , you can do this , you’ve got it .  03.  steps forward , freedom ( finally ) ; and you don’t look back  04.  when it’s just you and you hear nothing but the rain ; eyes closed , breath steady , heartbeat in that slow rhythm 

COLORS . 01.  green ; exotic places with humid air , blades of grass that bow in those early mornings with the carried dew , hot tea and the wafting smell of popcorn ( genmaicha )   02.  gold ; sunlight , sap that oozes fom the trees , duty and promise with a badge , the eyes of a cat who made it’s home with you  03.  brown ; fresh dug earth , the crunch of autumn leaves , dirt across the face and against the knees 

SCENTS . 01.  pine ; a boy who wandered , home among the trees in the forest  02.  sea salt ; a girl by the sea , where the forest meets  03.  fresh water ; something clean and pure and crisp  04.  engine fuel ; roar of energy that fills the heart , and that which promises for things above ; skyward

OBJECTS . 01.  an omamori ; a promise  02.   a sword ; discipline  03.  a badge and silver bands ; ambition   04.  a seed ; growth 

BODY  LANGUAGE . 01.  open body ; confidence and trust  02.  stillness ; focus and attention 03.  touching lips ; thought 04.  drumming fingers ; fidgeting , distracted , bad habits  05.  leaning forward , invading the space of those he trusts and those he’s comfortable with

AESTHETICS. 01.  where the forest meets the sea and the sea touches the sky  02.  the turn of seasons from autumn to winter  03.  paths and mountain peaks  04.  greenery and tender hands  05.  kenny loggins and the danger zone

TAGGED  BY : @halysborn     TAGGING :  @neverthedark ; @poetrs ; @blackshadowed ; @dirtypaw ; @ruinaa  ; @servinglies ; @lovedloudly ; @themimicry ; @hrimhvat

[viralnewstime]

It’s suspiciously convenient that Facebook already fulfills most of the regulatory requirements it’s asking governments to lay on the rest of the tech industry. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is in Brussels lobbying the European Union’s regulators as they form new laws to govern artificial intelligence, content moderation and more. But if they follow Facebook’s suggestions, they might reinforce the social network’s power rather than keep it in check by hamstringing companies with fewer resources.

We already saw this happen with GDPR. The idea was to strengthen privacy and weaken exploitative data collection that tech giants like Facebook and Google depend on for their business models. The result was that Facebook and Google actually gained or only slightly lost EU market share while all other adtech vendors got wrecked by the regulation, according to WhoTracksMe.

GDPR went into effect in May 2018, hurting other adtech vendors’ EU market share much worse than Google and Facebook. Image credit: WhoTracksMe

Tech giants like Facebook have the profits lawyers, lobbyists, engineers, designers, scale and steady cash flow to navigate regulatory changes. Unless new laws are squarely targeted at the abuses or dominance of these large companies, their collateral damage can loom large. Rather than spend time and money they don’t have in order to comply, some smaller competitors will fold, scale back or sell out.

But at least in the case of GDPR, everyone had to add new transparency and opt out features. If Facebook’s slate of requests goes through, it will sail forward largely unperturbed while rivals and upstarts scramble to get up to speed. I made this argument in March 2018 in my post “Regulation could protect Facebook, not punish it.” Then GDPR did exactly that.

Google gained market share and Facebook only lost a little in the EU following GDPR. Everyone else fared worse. Image via WhoTracksMe

That doesn’t mean these safeguards aren’t sensible for everyone to follow. But regulators need to consider what Facebook isn’t suggesting if it wants to address its scope and brazenness, and what timelines or penalties would be feasible for smaller players.

If we take a quick look at what Facebook is proposing, it becomes obvious that it’s self-servingly suggesting what it’s already accomplished:

User-friendly channels for reporting content – Every post and entity on Facebook can already be flagged by users with an explanation of why

External oversight of policies or enforcement – Facebook is finalizing its independent Oversight Board right now

Periodic public reporting of enforcement data – Facebook publishes a twice-yearly report about enforcement of its Community Standards

Publishing their content standards – Facebook publishes its standards and notes updates to them

Consulting with stakeholders when making significant changes – Facebook consults a Safety Advisory Board and will have its new Oversight Board

Creating a channel for users to appeal a company’s content removal decisions – Facebook’s Oversight Board will review content removal appeals

Incentives to meet specific targets such as keeping the prevalence of violating content below some agreed threshold – Facebook already touts how 99% of child nudity content and 80% of hate speech removed was detected proactively, and that it deletes 99% of ISIS and Al Qaeda content

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the European Union headquarters in Brussels, May 22, 2018. (Photo credit: JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Finally, Facebook asks that the rules for what content should be prohibited on the internet “recognize user preferences and the variation among internet services, can be enforced at scale, and allow for flexibility across language, trends and context.” That’s a lot of leeway. Facebook already allows different content in different geographies to comply with local laws, lets Groups self-police themselves more than the News Feed and Zuckerberg has voiced support for customizable filters on objectionable content with defaults set by local majorities.

“…Can be enforced at scale” is a last push for laws that wouldn’t require tons of human moderators to enforce what might further drag down Facebook’s share price. “100 billion piece of content come in per day, so don’t make us look at it all.” Investments in safety for elections, content, and cybersecurity already dragged Facebook’s profits down from growth of 61% year-over-year in 2019 to just 7% in 2019.

To be clear, it’s great that Facebook is doing any of this already. Little is formally required. If the company was as evil as some make it out to be, it wouldn’t be doing any of this.

Facebook pushes EU for dilute and fuzzy internet content rules

Then again, Facebook earned $18 billion in profit in 2019 off our data while repeatedly proving it hasn’t adequately protected it. The $5 billion fine and settlement with the FTC where Facebook has pledged to build more around privacy and transparency shows it’s still playing catch-up given its role as a ubiquitous communications utility.

There’s plenty more for EU and hopefully U.S. regulators to investigate. Should Facebook pay a tax on the use of AI? How does it treat and pay its human content moderators? Would requiring users to be allowed to export their interoperable friends list promote much-needed competition in social networking that could let the market compel Facebook to act better?

As the EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton told reporters following Zuckerberg’s meetings with regulators, “It’s not for us to adapt to those companies, but for them to adapt to us.”

Unemployment is the top risk of AI. I think a tax on its use by big companies could help pay for job retraining the world will desperately need

— Josh Constine (@JoshConstine) February 17, 2020

Friend portability is the must-have Facebook regulation

from Social – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2P4b27L

[technicalsolutions88]

It’s suspiciously convenient that Facebook already fulfills most of the regulatory requirements it’s asking governments to lay on the rest of the tech industry. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is in Brussels lobbying the European Union’s regulators as they form new laws to govern artificial intelligence, content moderation, and more. But if they follow Facebook’s suggestions, they might reinforce the social network’s power rather than keep it in check by hamstringing companies with fewer resources.

We already saw this happen with GDPR. The idea was to strengthen privacy and weaken exploitative data collection that tech giants like Facebook and Google depend on for their business models. The result was the Facebook and Google actually gained or only slightly lost EU market share while all other adtech vfendors got wrecked by the regulation, according to WhoTracksMe.

GDPR went into effect in May 2018, hurting other ad tech vendors’ EU market share much worse than Google and Facebook. Image credit: WhoTracksMe

Tech giants like Facebook have the profits lawyers, lobbyists, engineers, designers, scale, and steady cash flow to navigate regulatory changes. Unless new laws are squarely targeted at the abuses or dominance of these large companies, their collateral damage can loom large. Rather than spend time and money they don’t have in order to comply, some smaller competitors will fold, scale back, or sell out.

But at least in the case of GDPR, everyone had to add new transparency and opt out features. If Facebook’s slate of requests goes through, it will sail forward largely unpeturbed while rivals and upstarts scramble to get up to speed. I made this argument in March 2018 in my post “Regulation could protect Facebook, not punish it”. Then GDPR did exactly that.

Google gained market share and Facebook only lost a little in the EU following GDPR. Everyone else faired worse. Image via WhoTracksMe

That doesn’t mean these safeguards aren’t sensible for everyone to follow. But regulators need to consider what Facebook isn’t suggesting if it wants to address its scope and brazenness, and what timelines or penalties would be feasible for smaller players.

If we take a quick look at what Facebook is proposing, it becomes obvious that it’s self-servingly suggesting what it’s already accomplished:

User-friendly channels for reporting content – Every post and entity on Facebook can already be flagged by users with an explanation of why

External oversight of policies or enforcement – Facebook is finalizing its independent Oversight Board right now

Periodic public reporting of enforcement data – Facebook publishes a twice-yearly report about enforcement of its Community Standards

Publishing their content standards – Facebook publishes its standards and notes updates to them

Consulting with stakeholders when making significant changes – Facebook consults a Safety Advisory Board and will have its new Oversight Board

Creating a channel for users to appeal a company’s content removal decisions – Facebook’s Oversight Board will review content removal appeals

Incentives to meet specific targets such as keeping the prevalence of violating content below some agreed threshold – Facebook already touts how 99% of child nudity content and 80% of hate speech removed was detected proactively, and that it deletes 99% of ISIS and Al Qaeda content

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives at the European Parliament, prior to his audition on the data privacy scandal on May 22, 2018 at the European Union headquarters in Brussels. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images)

Finally, Facebook asks that the rules for what content should be prohibited on the internet “recognize user preferences and the variation among internet services, can be enforced at scale, and allow for flexibility across language, trends and context”. That’s a lot of leeway. Facebook already allows different content in different geographies to comply with local laws, lets Groups self-police themselves more than the News Feed, and Zuckerberg has voiced support for customizable filters on objectionable content with defaults set by local majorities.

“…Can be enforced at scale” is a last push for laws that wouldn’t require tons of human moderators to enforce that might further drag down Facebook’s share price. ‘100 billion piece of content come in per day, so don’t make us look at it all.’ Investments in safety for elections, content, and cybersecurity already dragged Facebook’s profits down from growth of 61% year-over-year in 2019 to just 7% in 2019.

To be clear, it’s great that Facebook is doing any of this already. Little is formally required. If the company was as evil as some make it out to be, it wouldn’t be doing any of this.

Facebook pushes EU for dilute and fuzzy internet content rules

Then again, Facebook earned $18 billion in profit in 2019 off our data while repeatedly proving it hasn’t adequately protected it. The $5 billion fine and settlement with FTC where Facebook has pledged to build more around privacy and transparency shows it’s still playing catch up given its role as a ubiquitous communications utility.

There’s plenty more for EU and hopefully US regulators to investigate. Should Facebook pay a tax on the use of AI? How does it treat and pay its human content moderators? Would requiring users be allowed to export their interoperable friends list promote much-needed competition in social networking that could let the market compel Facebook to act better?

As the EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton told reporters following Zuckerberg’s meetings with regulators, “It’s not for us to adapt to those companies, but for them to adapt to us.”

Unemployment is the top risk of AI. I think a tax on its use by big companies could help pay for job retraining the world will desperately need

— Josh Constine (@JoshConstine) February 17, 2020

Friend portability is the must-have Facebook regulation

from Social – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2P4b27L Original Content From: https://techcrunch.com

[shopdealman-blog]

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Did Princess Diana anticipate becoming a #styleicon?

By all accounts, she would have hated the negative feedback loops of Instagram and Twitter. But she certainly knew the power of clothing for personal branding, long before the Kardashians made a fortune from it.

Her meticulous utilization of fashion as messaging, in part, explains the enduring fascination with her style 20 years after her death.

“I suspect there are many aspects to Diana’s continuing iconic status, but a central issue has to be her apparent ability to communicate in personal terms across mass media,” says Jude Davies, a professor of American literature and culture at the University of Winchester, and author of Diana, A Cultural History.

The intensely personal messages coded in her clothing, particularly in tandem with her charitable work, set her apart from the modern-day Angelina Jolies and Madonnas of the world.

“Crucial to this was a sense of not only her own feelings but her own vulnerability,” he says, referencing her well-known insecurities and search for positive reinforcement. “Hence she didn’t come across as patronizing – rather as seeking a genuine positive contact with other human beings.”

Princess Diana’s fashion will be showcased in an exhibit at Kensington Palace. USA TODAY

While still Her Royal Highness, she famously ditched the customary gloves still favored by Queen Elizabeth II — a strategic move that, gasp, allowed skin-on-skin contact with the masses she met at hospitals and homeless shelters. That included people with AIDS during a time when many were treated as lepers.

“That a very fascinating young royal person would do this made, I would say, much more of a difference than a lot of well-intentioned propagandists,” says British author and management consultant Peter York.

Her work advocating for landmine removal further let her ditch the stuffy princess personae, and literally and symbolically roll up her sleeves.

“My favorite image of her, apart from the Mario Testino portraits, is her walking through a minefield in jeans in a white tee shirt. That was so brave, she was a brave person,” says Meredith Etherington-Smith, former creative director of Christie’s International who worked with Diana on the 1997 sale of her dresses at the auction house.

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Princess Diana: Style icon

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Princess Diana used clothing as a powerful communication tool, and 20 years after her death, she’s become an icon as much for her style as her charitable work. Here’s a look at some of her top fashion moments.  JOHN STILLWELL, Associated Press

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29 Photos

Princess Diana: Style icon

But, as Etherington-Smith notes, Diana wasn’t always so keenly dressed. In the early ’80s, she became the poster-child for Sloane Rangers – a portmanteau coined by York and his editor at Harpers & Queen magazine Ann Barr of Sloane Square in the posh Chelsea neighborhood of London and The Lone Ranger. It became short-hand for old money, well-connected types with an affinity for country life, mustard corduroys, lacy collars and general shabby-without-the-chic aesthetic.

“We got her wrong, self-servingly, we got her wrong,” York confesses, noting that he and Barr chose a photo of the princess for the cover of their book The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook. “We had taken it for granted that she would be a nice upper middle Sloane girl in her behavior and of course what she was was a wacky aristocrat with a very firm idea of her own value.”

As she grew into her public roll, and more evidently after her divorce, she was not the wilting English rose.

“She was clearly a lot of times happier with self-made gay entertainers than doing field sports and riding and going to the country,” York says. “And she became this international type.”

John Travolta dances with Princess Diana at a White House dinner in Washington. Her velvet, navy dress was later known as the Travolta Dress. (Photo: AP)

The most famous display of her international glamour came in the form of a blue velvet gown by Victor Edelstein which she wore when dancing with John Travolta at the White House. It sold for $222,500 in the 1997 Christie’s auction, breaking a previous record of $145,000 for a garment, ironically, that Travolta wore in Saturday Night Fever.

“It was like something that might have been made for Queen Alexandra, she just looked beautiful in it,” says Etherington-Smith.

But that personal messaging in her clothing could be calculated, with occasional digs at her ex-husband or the press. The originator of the “Revenge Dress” — Diana showed up to the annual Serpentine Gallery summer party in a short, figure-hugging Christina Stambolian frock on the day Prince Charles was to confess in an interview to having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, now the Duchess of Cornwall.

The “Revenge Dress,” by Christina Stambolian, which Princess Diana wore the day Prince Charles was to give an interview about his affair. (Photo: Princess Diana Archive, Getty Images)

“It was quite deliberate,” says Etherington-Smith. “She was very good at obliterating the press, Princess Diana, she was out for the hero shot.”

And the tactic played well to her audience, who loved the perceived slap back against Charles and the confines of the monarchy.

But Diana’s greatest fashion contribution was taking the industry and style seriously in an environment that treated it as frivolous. Though impeccably put together at all times, the royal family had been anti-fashion, implicitly putting it down as air-headed and for the nouveau riche — which Diana changed.

“She was saying this stuff matters, it’s interesting and it matters,” York says. “And that is more important than any single dress she wore.”

PRINCESS DIANA: HER LIFE, DEATH AND LEGACY5 of Princess Diana’s most inspiring quotes | 1:02

Twenty years after Princess Diana’s death, her words, like her legacy, have withstood the test of time. USA TODAY

1 of 11

PRINCESS DIANA: HER LIFE, DEATH AND LEGACYPrincess Diana’s life behind palace doors | 2:09

Ahead of the broadcast of documentary “Diana: In Her Own Words,” Princess Diana’s former bodyguard Ken Wharfe gives insights into the late princess’ private life, recalling a confrontation with Camilla Parker Bowles. AP

2 of 11

PRINCESS DIANA: HER LIFE, DEATH AND LEGACYPrincess Diana: A fashion icon for the people | 1:22

Among her many unforgettable qualities, Diana was known for her fabulous style. From ditching her gloves to speaking to the people through her clothing, Diana’s flawless style lives on. USA TODAY

3 of 11

PRINCESS DIANA: HER LIFE, DEATH AND LEGACYNew Princess Diana photos posted on Twitter | 0:27

Prince Harry and Prince William posted pictures of them with their mother on the Kensington Palace Twitter page.

4 of 11

PRINCESS DIANA: HER LIFE, DEATH AND LEGACYEarl Spencer says William and Harry didn’t want to walk behind coffin | 1:16

Earl Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother, says in a new Radio 4 interview, that Prince William and Harry did not want to walk behind their mom’s coffin. Buzz60

5 of 11

PRINCESS DIANA: HER LIFE, DEATH AND LEGACYRoyal family to rededicate Princess Diana’s grave on her birthday | 0:28

Prince William, Prince Harry and Kate Middleton are honoring the late Princess Diana almost 20 years after her death. USA TODAY

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PRINCESS DIANA: HER LIFE, DEATH AND LEGACYHarry and Wills remember their mother, Princess Diana | 1:18

The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry spoke about Princess Diana as they presented awards at a ceremony set up in her honor. (May 19) AP

7 of 11

PRINCESS DIANA: HER LIFE, DEATH AND LEGACYNew exhibition of Princess Diana’s dresses | 1:22

A new exhibition celebrating the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, will open at Kensington Palace in London on Friday, 20 years after her death in a Paris car crash at the age of 36. (Feb. 22) AP

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PRINCESS DIANA: HER LIFE, DEATH AND LEGACYPrincess Diana fashion exhibit | 0:28

Princess Diana’s fashion will be showcased in an exhibit at Kensington Palace. USA TODAY

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PRINCESS DIANA: HER LIFE, DEATH AND LEGACYPrince Harry follows in footsteps of Princess Diana | 1:28

Prince Harry takes up campaign against landmines championed by his late mother, Princess Diana. (April 5) AP

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PRINCESS DIANA: HER LIFE, DEATH AND LEGACY5 things to know about Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ relationship | 1:38

Princess Diana and Prince Charles marriage breakdown has made headlines for decades, but a new book claims that the two were at odds long before they publicly announced their separation. Time

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Next Video

5 of Princess Diana’s most inspiring quotes

Princess Diana’s life behind palace doors

Princess Diana: A fashion icon for the people

New Princess Diana photos posted on Twitter

Earl Spencer says William and Harry didn’t want to walk behind coffin

Royal family to rededicate Princess Diana’s grave on her birthday

Harry and Wills remember their mother, Princess Diana

New exhibition of Princess Diana’s dresses

Princess Diana fashion exhibit

Prince Harry follows in footsteps of Princess Diana

5 things to know about Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ relationship

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20 years later, Princess Diana’s fashion still transmits messages Did Princess Diana anticipate becoming a #styleicon? By all accounts, she would have hated the negative feedback loops of Instagram and Twitter.

[korrhaphi-blog]

❛ I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. ❜

I CAN’T BELIEVE ( not accepting ) // @servinglies

‘ ah, come on now, merlin. ‘ his ROGUISH smile did nothing to conceal the utter amusement he got out of the situation. if he was going to suffer through the summer royal ball ( which sounded nice but was really just old people reminiscing, journalists and not enough drinks to get properly DRUNK ) then merlin would have to suffer with him. he was part of the royal household now after all—— and if arthur could see him in a tailored suit ( for once ! ) which made him look positively handsome then that was just a bonus. not that merlin was handsome. of course he wasn’t, it was merlin and he was his friend and a man and arthur had no such thoughts…( did he ? ) clearing his throat, he gently elbowed the lanky man in the ribs. ‘ it’s not so bad. there’s actually decent music this year. ‘