#tech x sheryl

[hyperesthesias]

In case anyone was wondering what Sheryl looks like 💝

[ivan-fyodorovich-k]

If you had to capture Silicon Valley’s dominant ideology in a single anecdote, you might look first to Mark Zuckerberg, sitting in the blue glow of his computer some 20 years ago, chatting with a friend about how his new website, TheFacebook, had given him access to reams of personal information about his fellow students:

Zuckerberg: Yeah so if you ever need info about anyone at Harvard Zuckerberg: Just ask. Zuckerberg: I have over 4,000 emails, pictures, addresses, SNS Friend: What? How’d you manage that one? Zuckerberg: People just submitted it. Zuckerberg: I don’t know why. Zuckerberg: They “trust me” Zuckerberg: Dumb fucks.

That conversation—later revealed through leaked chat records—was soon followed by another that was just as telling, if better mannered. At a now-famous Christmas party in 2007, Zuckerberg first met Sheryl Sandberg, his eventual chief operating officer, who with Zuckerberg would transform the platform into a digital imperialist superpower. There, Zuckerberg, who in Facebook’s early days had adopted the mantra “Company over country,” explained to Sandberg that he wanted every American with an internet connection to have a Facebook account. For Sandberg, who once told a colleague that she’d been “put on this planet to scale organizations,” that turned out to be the perfect mission.

Facebook (now Meta) has become an avatar of all that is wrong with Silicon Valley. Its self-interested role in spreading global disinformation is an ongoing crisis. Recall, too, the company’s secret mood-manipulation experiment in 2012, which deliberately tinkered with what users saw in their News Feed in order to measure how Facebook could influence people’s emotional states without their knowledge. Or its participation in inciting genocide in Myanmar in 2017. Or its use as a clubhouse for planning and executing the January 6, 2021, insurrection. (In Facebook’s early days, Zuckerberg listed “revolutions” among his interests. This was around the time that he had a business card printed with I’M CEO, BITCH.)

And yet, to a remarkable degree, Facebook’s way of doing business remains the norm for the tech industry as a whole, even as other social platforms (TikTok) and technological developments (artificial intelligence) eclipse Facebook in cultural relevance.

To worship at the altar of mega-scale and to convince yourself that you should be the one making world-historic decisions on behalf of a global citizenry that did not elect you and may not share your values or lack thereof, you have to dispense with numerous inconveniences—humility and nuance among them. Many titans of Silicon Valley have made these trade-offs repeatedly. YouTube (owned by Google), Instagram (owned by Meta), and Twitter (which Elon Musk insists on calling X) have been as damaging to individual rights, civil society, and global democracy as Facebook was and is. Considering the way that generative AI is now being developed throughout Silicon Valley, we should brace for that damage to be multiplied many times over in the years ahead.

The behavior of these companies and the people who run them is often hypocritical, greedy, and status-obsessed. But underlying these venalities is something more dangerous, a clear and coherent ideology that is seldom called out for what it is: authoritarian technocracy. As the most powerful companies in Silicon Valley have matured, this ideology has only grown stronger, more self-righteous, more delusional, and—in the face of rising criticism—more aggrieved.

The new technocrats are ostentatious in their use of language that appeals to Enlightenment values—reason, progress, freedom—but in fact they are leading an antidemocratic, illiberal movement. Many of them profess unconditional support for free speech, but are vindictive toward those who say things that do not flatter them. They tend to hold eccentric beliefs: that technological progress of any kind is unreservedly and inherently good; that you should always build it, simply because you can; that frictionless information flow is the highest value regardless of the information’s quality; that privacy is an archaic concept; that we should welcome the day when machine intelligence surpasses our own. And above all, that their power should be unconstrained. The systems they’ve built or are building—to rewire communications, remake human social networks, insinuate artificial intelligence into daily life, and more—impose these beliefs on the population, which is neither consulted nor, usually, meaningfully informed. All this, and they still attempt to perpetuate the absurd myth that they are the swashbuckling underdogs.

Comparisons between Silicon Valley and Wall Street or Washington, D.C., are commonplace, and you can see why—all are power centers, and all are magnets for people whose ambition too often outstrips their humanity. But Silicon Valley’s influence easily exceeds that of Wall Street and Washington. It is reengineering society more profoundly than any other power center in any other era since perhaps the days of the New Deal. Many Americans fret—rightfully—about the rising authoritarianism among MAGA Republicans, but they risk ignoring another ascendant force for illiberalism: the tantrum-prone and immensely powerful kings of tech.

The Shakespearean drama that unfolded late last year at OpenAI underscores the extent to which the worst of Facebook’s “move fast and break things” mentality has been internalized and celebrated in Silicon Valley. OpenAI was founded, in 2015, as a nonprofit dedicated to bringing artificial general intelligence into the world in a way that would serve the public good. Underlying its formation was the belief that the technology was too powerful and too dangerous to be developed with commercial motives alone.

But in 2019, as the technology began to startle even the people who were working on it with the speed at which it was advancing, the company added a for-profit arm to raise more capital. Microsoft invested $1 billion at first, then many billions of dollars more. Then, this past fall, the company’s CEO, Sam Altman, was fired then quickly rehired, in a whiplash spectacle that signaled a demolition of OpenAI’s previously established safeguards against putting company over country. Those who wanted Altman out reportedly believed that he was too heavily prioritizing the pace of development over safety. But Microsoft’s response—an offer to bring on Altman and anyone else from OpenAI to re-create his team there—started a game of chicken that led to Altman’s reinstatement. The whole incident was messy, and Altman may well be the right person for the job, but the message was clear: The pursuit of scale and profit won decisively over safety concerns and public accountability.

Silicon Valley still attracts many immensely talented people who strive to do good, and who are working to realize the best possible version of a more connected, data-rich global society. Even the most deleterious companies have built some wonderful tools. But these tools, at scale, are also systems of manipulation and control. They promise community but sow division; claim to champion truth but spread lies; wrap themselves in concepts such as empowerment and liberty but surveil us relentlessly. The values that win out tend to be the ones that rob us of agency and keep us addicted to our feeds.

The theoretical promise of AI is as hopeful as the promise of social media once was, and as dazzling as its most partisan architects project. AI really could cure numerous diseases. It really could transform scholarship and unearth lost knowledge. Except that Silicon Valley, under the sway of its worst technocratic impulses, is following the playbook established in the mass scaling and monopolization of the social web. OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and other corporations leading the way in AI development are not focusing on the areas of greatest public or epistemological need, and they are certainly not operating with any degree of transparency or caution. Instead they are engaged in a race to build faster and maximize profit.

None of this happens without the underlying technocratic philosophy of inevitability—that is, the idea that if you can build something new, you must. “In a properly functioning world, I think this should be a project of governments,” Altman told my colleague Ross Andersen last year, referring to OpenAI’s attempts to develop artificial general intelligence. But Altman was going to keep building it himself anyway. Or, as Zuckerberg put it to The New Yorker many years ago: “Isn’t it, like, inevitable that there would be a huge social network of people? … If we didn’t do this someone else would have done it.”

Technocracy first blossomed as a political ideology after World War I, among a small group of scientists and engineers in New York City who wanted a new social structure to replace representative democracy, putting the technological elite in charge. Though their movement floundered politically—people ended up liking President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal better—it had more success intellectually, entering the zeitgeist alongside modernism in art and literature, which shared some of its values. The American poet Ezra Pound’s modernist slogan “Make it new” easily could have doubled as a mantra for the technocrats. A parallel movement was that of the Italian futurists, led by figures such as the poet F. T. Marinetti, who used maxims like “March, don’t molder” and “Creation, not contemplation.”

The ethos for technocrats and futurists alike was action for its own sake. “We are not satisfied to roam in a garden closed in by dark cypresses, bending over ruins and mossy antiques,” Marinetti said in a 1929 speech. “We believe that Italy’s only worthy tradition is never to have had a tradition.” Prominent futurists took their zeal for technology, action, and speed and eventually transformed it into fascism. Marinetti followed his Manifesto of Futurism (1909) with his Fascist Manifesto (1919). His friend Pound was infatuated with Benito Mussolini and collaborated with his regime to host a radio show in which the poet promoted fascism, gushed over Mein Kampf, and praised both Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. The evolution of futurism into fascism wasn’t inevitable—many of Pound’s friends grew to fear him, or thought he had lost his mind—but it does show how, during a time of social unrest, a cultural movement based on the radical rejection of tradition and history, and tinged with aggrievement, can become a political ideology.

In October, the venture capitalist and technocrat Marc Andreessen published on his firm’s website a stream-of-consciousness document he called “The Techno-Optimist Manifesto,” a 5,000-word ideological cocktail that eerily recalls, and specifically credits, Italian futurists such as Marinetti. Andreessen is, in addition to being one of Silicon Valley’s most influential billionaire investors, notorious for being thin-skinned and obstreperous, and despite the invocation of optimism in the title, the essay seems driven in part by his sense of resentment that the technologies he and his predecessors have advanced are no longer “properly glorified.” It is a revealing document, representative of the worldview that he and his fellow technocrats are advancing.

Andreessen writes that there is “no material problem,” including those caused by technology, that “cannot be solved with more technology.” He writes that technology should not merely be always advancing, but always accelerating in its advancement “to ensure the techno-capital upward spiral continues forever.” And he excoriates what he calls campaigns against technology, under names such as “tech ethics” and “existential risk.”

Or take what might be considered the Apostles’ Creed of his emerging political movement:

We believe we should place intelligence and energy in a positive feedback loop, and drive them both to infinity … We believe in adventure. Undertaking the Hero’s Journey, rebelling against the status quo, mapping uncharted territory, conquering dragons, and bringing home the spoils for our community … We believe in nature, but we also believe in overcoming nature. We are not primitives, cowering in fear of the lightning bolt. We are the apex predator; the lightning works for us.

Andreessen identifies several “patron saints” of his movement, Marinetti among them. He quotes from the Manifesto of Futurism, swapping out Marinetti’s “poetry” for “technology”:

Beauty exists only in struggle. There is no masterpiece that has not an aggressive character. Technology must be a violent assault on the forces of the unknown, to force them to bow before man.

To be clear, the Andreessen manifesto is not a fascist document, but it is an extremist one. He takes a reasonable position—that technology, on the whole, has dramatically improved human life—and warps it to reach the absurd conclusion that any attempt to restrain technological development under any circumstances is despicable. This position, if viewed uncynically, makes sense only as a religious conviction, and in practice it serves only to absolve him and the other Silicon Valley giants of any moral or civic duty to do anything but make new things that will enrich them, without consideration of the social costs, or of history. Andreessen also identifies a list of enemies and “zombie ideas” that he calls upon his followers to defeat, among them “institutions” and “tradition.”

“Our enemy,” Andreessen writes, is “the know-it-all credentialed expert worldview, indulging in abstract theories, luxury beliefs, social engineering, disconnected from the real world, delusional, unelected, and unaccountable—playing God with everyone else’s lives, with total insulation from the consequences.”

The irony is that this description very closely fits Andreessen and other Silicon Valley elites. The world that they have brought into being over the past two decades is unquestionably a world of reckless social engineering, without consequence for its architects, who foist their own abstract theories and luxury beliefs on all of us.

Some of the individual principles Andreessen advances in his manifesto are anodyne. But its overarching radicalism, given his standing and power, should make you sit up straight. Key figures in Silicon Valley, including Musk, have clearly warmed to illiberal ideas in recent years. In 2020, Donald Trump’s vote share in Silicon Valley was 23 percent—small, but higher than the 20 percent he received in 2016.

The main dangers of authoritarian technocracy are not at this point political, at least not in the traditional sense. Still, a select few already have authoritarian control, more or less, to establish the digital world’s rules and cultural norms, which can be as potent as political power.

In 1961, in his farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower warned the nation about the dangers of a coming technocracy. “In holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should,” he said, “we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite. It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system—ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society.”

Eight years later, the country’s first computers were connected to ARPANET, a precursor to the World Wide Web, which became broadly available in 1993. Back then, Silicon Valley was regarded as a utopia for ambitious capitalists and optimistic inventors with original ideas who wanted to change the world, unencumbered by bureaucracy or tradition, working at the speed of the internet (14.4 kilobits per second in those days). This culture had its flaws even at the start, but it was also imaginative in a distinctly American way, and it led to the creation of transformative, sometimes even dumbfoundingly beautiful hardware and software.

For a long time, I tended to be more on Andreessen’s end of the spectrum regarding tech regulation. I believed that the social web could still be a net good and that, given enough time, the values that best served the public interest would naturally win out. I resisted the notion that regulating the social web was necessary at all, in part because I was not (and am still not) convinced that the government can do so without itself causing harm (the European model of regulation, including laws such as the so-called right to be forgotten, is deeply inconsistent with free-press protections in America, and poses dangers to the public’s right to know). I’d much prefer to see market competition as a force for technological improvement and the betterment of society.

But in recent years, it has become clear that regulation is needed, not least because the rise of technocracy proves that Silicon Valley’s leaders simply will not act in the public’s best interest. Much should be done to protect children from the hazards of social media, and to break up monopolies and oligopolies that damage society, and more. At the same time, I believe that regulation alone will not be enough to meaningfully address the cultural rot that the new technocrats are spreading.

Universities should reclaim their proper standing as leaders in developing world-changing technologies for the good of humankind. (Harvard, Stanford, and MIT could invest in creating a consortium for such an effort—their endowments are worth roughly $110 billion combined.)

Individuals will have to lead the way, too. You may not be able to entirely give up social media, or reject your workplace’s surveillance software—you may not even want to opt out of these things. But there is extraordinary power in defining ideals, and we can all begin to do that—for ourselves; for our networks of actual, real-life friends; for our schools; for our places of worship. We would be wise to develop more sophisticated shared norms for debating and deciding how we use invasive technology interpersonally and within our communities. That should include challenging existing norms about the use of apps and YouTube in classrooms, the ubiquity of smartphones in adolescent hands, and widespread disregard for individual privacy. People who believe that we all deserve better will need to step up to lead such efforts.

Our children are not data sets waiting to be quantified, tracked, and sold. Our intellectual output is not a mere training manual for the AI that will be used to mimic and plagiarize us. Our lives are meant not to be optimized through a screen, but to be lived—in all of our messy, tree-climbing, night-swimming, adventuresome glory. We are all better versions of ourselves when we are not tweeting or clicking “Like” or scrolling, scrolling, scrolling.

Technocrats are right that technology is a key to making the world better. But first we must describe the world as we wish it to be—the problems we wish to solve in the public interest, and in accordance with the values and rights that advance human dignity, equality, freedom, privacy, health, and happiness. And we must insist that the leaders of institutions that represent us—large and small—use technology in ways that reflect what is good for individuals and society, and not just what enriches technocrats.

We do not have to live in the world the new technocrats are designing for us. We do not have to acquiesce to their growing project of dehumanization and data mining. Each of us has agency.

No more “build it because we can.” No more algorithmic feedbags. No more infrastructure designed to make the people less powerful and the powerful more controlling. Every day we vote with our attention; it is precious, and desperately wanted by those who will use it against us for their own profit and political goals. Don’t let them.

[crystallineirises]

Emmy 2024 Liveblog

We high, we got snacks, we filled out a physical ballot lets see if i can figure out my mom's tv

heyyyyy a brother for MLK day

I do think about how he marched for me, a black girl, to say "step on me" about white women on the internet *black power fist*

I'm bored already lol

I turned the volume down lower so i can eat my little nosh

Why does the Fox camera never look as good as the other cameras, this has got an American Idol glow on it

I was like "is that Pete Davidson"

MOM

FOLLOWED BY SARAH

CHRISTINA why have not finished Dead To Me oh yeah cause I don't want it to end

ROUND OF APPLAUSE AND TEARS

TWO HITS DISABILITY AND OZEMPIC GO AWF

OH J - no it's not it's comedy

I'm rooting for everybody black actually I'm rooting for everyone this is stacked

AYO GET YR ASS UP HERE

Oooh Padma is looking fine

The energy of this is already better than the whole GG

CAAAAROOOOLLLL

They should just stay standing up

She looks so GOOD and that joke hit PERFECTLY women are better at everything

I don't really know which way this is gonna go

I still need to watch Poker Face I keep forgetting

QUINTAAAAA she looks so sweet

Damn Sarah got that ICE round her neck alright rap star girlfriend

SHERYL LOOKING REGAL

Didn't prepare nothing I love it

I really don't need to annotate the physical ballot and live blog but WHO CARES this is for me

Can these commercials stop the Discord said this is J's category and I know its not gonna be her but what if it *was*

I'm that meme of "Bruh thinks he's on the team" I've been nervous all DAY

Sam Seaborn what's up why are you hosting weird shit

*adds Sopranos to watch list*

Oh they have props money

OMG it's the mom from Rizzoli and Isles!!! OMG HEY

Hoooooo here we go

THESE GAYS

Eighty damn people in this category

GASP if you're gonna lose lose to Jennifer love this for us *CAW*

ALL THE EVIL GAYS

Your arm still broken damn

Someone give us the bleeped version plz but also he nailed that stare

Alan with his rocks and insects speech tho

SARAHHHH LOL TOMGREGS WINNING

DAMN that theme song sounds banging on this soundbar I really should learn how to use this tv

How is Curb still on the air? Not that it's bad, it just seems like it's been a very long time lol

Someone on Discord just said they wondered if they're gonna do a Friends thing for Matthew OH MY HEART in memoriam is gonna be roughhh

I'm not high enough lol

AYEEE EBON

Also that leather jacket is sickkk

I like the lack of commentary as they walk up, can we keep this shit classy

FIRST AD let's shout out the tech TEAMS

BLACKPEOPLEEE

I didn't realize Jeremy was also a small man lol I kinda would have loved for OMITB to win something but it's cool

sweet baby full of LOVE

AMY AND TINA

Smoke break

A pyramid lol

That woman behind him in the navy dress looked hot oh it's in a suburbs kinda way that's a great fucking dress though

OH she's not here? SHE ALWAYS HERE that's how black moms work

BEANS DONT BURN ON THE GRILL

Hannah's face and Kieran's face

BLACK DONT CRACK AND ITS NEVER TOO LATE

This is the blackest show i've ever seen without that many black people nominated

So many babes in this category

MORE BLACK WOMEN BLACK QUEER WOMEN

THIS SPEECH IS GOING OFFFFFFF

AND HER MOM I need to have all the black moms in the audience in a glamour shot together

oh and NOW we are high let's get into it YUH *rock on emoji*

WHERE EVERYBODY KNOW YR NAME

NORM

I love The Bear but I do like when things get spread out a bit? There's so many shows out there

*survivor yell*

YAY FOR THE GAYS AND GWORLS AND KWEENS AND THEYZ

Arsenio looks GOOD

Who is this beautiful woman

ALWAYS SUNNY THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF MY HEART and they look AMAZING

JUNO YOU LOOK SO HOT that hair swoop is STRONG

LOL can we get a full transcript of all bleeped things

shouts to all the negative bank account hoes out here

GREYZ BEBEZ where's Kate Walsh

BARZ

OH GOD GILLIAN i am about to lose it

Just kidding they just threw us off with x files theme that's fucked up

MAD MEN THEME ANOTHER BANGER

NOT THE HUG

*twerk team* also Sarah Snook

omg the boy from 30 rock his face is me

this speech was boring but that shot of J was great

Beef is so good so far but I'm only two episodes in

Not enough people have been chased off the stage honestly

Amy and Tina you look GREAT

ELTON JOHN EGOT GAYS IS WINNING

Ryan is chaotic evil lol but he sure has given us some shit to watch

Secondary Beef sweeeep

That's the thing, you get one good role and then you win all three awards it can get a little boring

you're gonna make it after aaaaaaallllllll

and a HAPPY MLK DAY TO US ALL

Jessica nominated for something in every awards show and every time she's just sitting around being pretty and chill

JOAN AND TARAJI DREAM BLUNT ROTATION

invited everyone you kneewwwooooooowww you would SEE the biggest gift would be from ME and the caaaardd attached would SAY thank U for being a friiiiieeeeeennnddddddEEEEENNDDDDD *dah*

How is there another 50 minutes of this I'm pretty much over it

Also this new show with Diane Lane *gay panic*

not a compilation video of TV lol

WAG THEME

*we ARE welcome*

GOD look at her why am I always in the room with my mother when she's on stage lol

Yay gay people winning again

YES THEY DID BABY TRENT DID HIS THANG

Looking at her titties looking at her nails looking at her ass looking at her dress i am so femme and so gay and also so femme

I love that *this* is why they had the WAG theme that didn't register at first lol

Is RuPaul singing this song in the background wait maybe thats Titus or Billie who IS that lol which black gay is that

What up Sarah Kate that's a very gay outfit lol

Okay we have another 40 minutes though so like...unless we're gonna have Sarah speak for like seventeen minutes

They also keep panning to Jessica Chastain because she just looks beautiful at all times at all angles in all and it doesn't make any sense

LOL they found Bella like quick where's an enby quick, lol panning to Jenna holding a girl's hand

OMG Babette from GG love her guitar jacket that's camp

"Why is this always so fuckin SAD" - crystallineirses on in memoriam segments

LESLIE

PAUL

IRENE

I am gonna CRY how dare they

not the collage like it's top model

I came back to some random dance sequence lol what up Calista

oh LORD it's Kieran's time *MANIFEST*

MY MAN MY MAN MY MAN

SO MUCH KISSING BRIAN WHAT

SHIRTS OFF SHIT

MO GAYS

THE DEEP SIGH

MANIFEST

TEAM SHIV

SHIV BABIES WE DID IT

THIS IS OUR TIME

EMMY WINNERS SARAH AND KIERAN

"MLK allowed me to celebrate a bunch of white people depicting even worse white people" - crystallineirses on the Succession wins

MEN KISSING ON TV

FX IS TIGHT

GO J GO

get your way to him lol

Why are they off screen lol

Not me just watching J and Kieran shuffling around

DAMN Hannah

it's been real yall

Just more hugs for all the boys

MLK IN THE CREDITS

[bestdjkit]

You Can Buy Tickets to ODESZA, Swedish House Mafia and More for Just $25—But Only for a Week

Live Nation's "Concert Week" initiative offers fans all-in tickets—including fees—for $25 flat.

For one week in May 2022, tickets to see your favorite artists will cost less than a meal at Olive Garden.

Yes, the unlimited breadsticks deal is amazing, but it pales in comparison to Live Nation's "Concert Week" initiative. Starting Wednesday, May 4th at 10AM ET (7AM PT), the entertainment goliath is offering fans all-in tickets to more than 3,700 shows across North America—including fees—for $25 flat.

Electronic dance music fans can snag tickets to see Swedish House Mafia, Kraftwerk, ODESZA, Porter Robinson, RÜFÜS DU SOL, The Chainsmokers, ILLENIUM, GRiZ and more. Considering these tickets can run you anywhere from $55 to upwards of $300, it's a steal.

Pioneering electronic music band Kraftwerk. 

Peter Boettcher

"Concert Week" also offers tickets to concerts featuring many of the world's top contemporary music artists, of course. Fans of country, hip-hop, Latin, metal, pop, rock and more can get passes for shows with Zac Brown Band, Halsey, H.E.R., John Legend, Machine Gun Kelly, Nelly, OneRepublic, The Who and many, many more.

You can purchase the discounted "Concert Week" tickets here and check out a comprehensive, alphabetized list of participating artists below. The promotion ends on May 10th.

Live Nation Concert Week 2022

070 Shake 24KGoldn 311 5 Seconds of Summer Aerosmith AFI AJR Alanis Morissette Alejandra Guzman Alejandro Fernandez Alice Cooper Alice In Chains & Breaking Benjamin + Bush Alicia Keys Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness Anjelah Johnson-Reyes Anthrax As I Lay Dying Asking Alexandria Atmosphere with Iration Backstreet Boys BANKS Barenaked Ladies Bastille Ben Platt Ben Rector Benny the Butcher Bert Kreischer Biffy Clyro Big K.R.I.T. Big Time Rush Bill Burr Bill Maher Bleachers Bon Iver Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Bonnie Raitt Boyz II Men Brad Paisley Brandi Carlile Brian Regan Brooks & Dunn Caifanes Camilo Septimo Celeste Barber CHEER Live Chelsea Handler Chet Faker Chicago and Brian Wilson Chris Rock Chris Young Clannad Coheed and Cambria COIN Collective Soul Courtney Barnett Daniel Tosh Darius Rucker Dashboard Confessional Dave Chappelle David Gray Death Cab for Cutie Debbie Gibson Def Leppard & Mötley Crüe Deftones Denzel Curry Derek Hough Devo Dierks Bentley Franz Ferdinand Freddie Gibbs Gabriel Iglesias Garbage George Lopez Gera MX Gloria Trevi Goo Goo Dolls Greensky Bluegrass GRiZ H.E.R. HAIM Halestorm & The Pretty Reckless Halsey Hank Williams Jr. Hombres G Iliza Shlesinger Illenium Imagine Dragons Incubus Indigo Girls Interpol & Spoon Iration Jack Johnson Jack White James Taylor Jason Aldean Jason Isbell Jim Gaffigan Jimmy Buffett John Legend John Mulaney Jon Pardi Jonas Brothers Josh Groban Judah & the Lion jxdn Kane Brown Kany Garcia Keith Urban Kenny Chesney Kevin Hart Kid Rock King Princess Kip Moore KISS Koffee Korn & Evanescence Kountry Wayne Kraftwerk Lady A LANY Lauv Lee Brice Leon Bridges Lewis Black Lord Huron Los Angeles Azules Luke Bryan Lynyrd Skynyrd Mac DeMarco Machine Gun Kelly Maren Morris Margaret Cho Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin Megadeth Metric Miranda Lambert & Little Big Town Omar Apollo OneRepublic & NEEDTOBREATHE Our Lady Peace Parker McCollum Patton Oswalt Pet Shop Boys Pitbull Porter Robinson Primus Puddle of Mudd Purity Ring Randy Rainbow Ray LaMontagne Rebelution Rels B REO Speedwagon & Styx with Loverboy Rex Orange County Rise Against Rob Zombie & Mudvayne Rod Stewart Roxy Music RuPaul's Drag Race Russ RÜFÜS DU SOL Sam Hunt Sammy Hagar Santana & Earth, Wind, & Fire Sebastián Yatra Shania Twain Shawn Mendes Sheryl Crow Shinedown Sigur Rós Simple Plan Slipknot Spoon Static-X Steely Dan Sting Summer Walker Swedish House Mafia Switchfoot Sylvan Esso T-Pain Tai Verdes Tash Sultana Tears For Fears TECH N9NE Tedeschi Trucks Band Tenacious D Tesla The Airborne Toxic Event The Avett Brothers The Beach Boys The Black Crowes The Black Keys The Chainsmokers The Chicks The Doobie Brothers The Head and The Heart The Killers The Marcus King Band The Offspring The Who Third Eye Blind Thomas Rhett Tim McGraw Tina Fey

from Best DJ Kit https://edm.com/news/odesza-swedish-house-mafia-rufus-du-sol-tickets-live-nation-concert-week

[aion-rsa]

Why Evil is the Only TV Procedural Worth Watching

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This Evil article contains spoilers. You can read a spoiler-free review of the show here.

Who knows what evils lie at the heart of CBS’s Evil? Shadows know. We consulted a book of shadows (not the one Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson) skims, too many spoilers there) to cut into the left ventricle of the darkness feeding the network’s supernatural series, now in production for season 2. The blood of the police procedural pumps through the veins of the paranormal investigation show, but Evil transcends the statutes of those limitations. Occasionally by papal decree. The series is intelligent, filled with symbolism, and its main character, who is training to be a priest, drops acid on a semi-regular basis. And he’s not microdosing. Look at those baggies.

Evil doesn’t debunk demonic possession, which is the main thrust of the team’s investigations. It never treats it as campy. The series believes demons are real, even giving the audience a breakdown of the six different forms possession take. But it deliciously stops short of giving full commitment. The show also explores how to parse out personal responsibility when there’s a supernatural being to blame. In episode 7, “Vatican 3,” we learn “the court does not acknowledge demonic possession” in determining guilt or innocence. The series further muddies the waters when the crew has to take a hard look at a murder committed by someone who wasn’t possessed, such as when the parents of what they believed is a demonically possessed child kill him. The series further turns the screw because the kid they killed to save their other children was born evil. It was literally in his genes.

Evil shares DNA with The X-Files, and David Acosta, played with charisma and empathy by Mike Colter (Luke Cage), is the new show’s Fox “Spooky” Mulder. He is looking for answers beyond the veil, which has the same letters as evil, and he is putting the pieces together like a hidden map of old Manhattan. There’s a truth out there and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to understand it. He’s not in it to solve any crimes against venal sins. He is looking for deeper meaning, and this alone puts the series above most procedurals. David’s got a bit of the scientist Dodge from original The Planet of the Apes film in his cinematic character. One of the first astronauts to delve so deep into the outer reaches of space, “He’d walk naked into a live volcano if he thought he could learn something no other man knew.” David is the same. He was a foreign correspondent in war-ravaged Afghanistan who got to know the soldiers whose stories he reported. Truth and knowledge are the most noble of callings, and ultimately come before his religious calling.

While the basic premise of a spiritual believer teamed with a dissenting psychologist is procedural trope, Evil is out to debunk the law of its diminishing returns. First, the show teams David with not just one skeptical voice, but two. Katja Herbers’ Dr. Kristen Bouchard plays the same role Agent Dana Scully played to Mulder, and with a similar arsenal. She comes from a different perspective, though. Bouchard does indeed believe in miracles, but thinks they all have scientific explanations. She is confident the only reason something might defy natural principles is because science hasn’t been applied properly yet. Scully, who wore a cross and took her faith seriously, accepted miracles on faith. David and Kristen rarely come to the same conclusion.

Ben Shakir, played by Aasif Mandvi, brings common knowledge, and shades his skepticism with cynicism. The former Daily Show correspondent takes on the weight of all three Lone Gunmen but with more constructive skills. Before joining the paranormal team, he was a carpenter, just like Jesus. Ben knows how things work, and when everyday mechanisms like sinks or faulty wiring are the root cause of supernatural phenomena, he can turn the screws, and spot the mold. Ben, “the Magnificent,” as Kristen’s children call him, is also tech savvy, and quite capable of hacking hackers.

Evil also throws things at Ben which he can’t easily spackle over with even the best of tests. Try as he may, and he tries, he can’t explain the light of an angel in the frame of a surveillance video. There is no evidence of doctoring, even at the most expert levels. “The world is weird,” David passes off as dating advice when Ben asks about potential girlfriend Vanessa (Nicole Shalhoub), who wants to know she if she should detach from her dead sister before committing to a new relationship. Vanessa thinks she is “tethered” to her phantom sister by the right arm.

Supernatural science is bizarre, creators Robert and Michelle King (The Good Wife, Braindead) believe. They push the show to diagnose causes the external evidence of exorcisms and stigmata, the bleeding wounds which correspond to the wounds on Christ’s hands when he was nailed to the cross. Because stigmatics display their wounds as they are portrayed artistically, rather than how the Romans historically would have done the crucifixion, it proves it comes from a psychological source. Internal belief causes the phenomena, not external spiritual forces. Evil explains that, allowing ample room for skepticism, belief, and even poetic reasons for spiritual incursions. David quotes Shakespeare to enunciate his faith. The concept of free will doesn’t come up in most procedurals. Neither does the way sociopolitical issues are turned into supernatural questions and tied to the origins of evil.

Evil is almost a character in Evil, and has relatable entry points. Real demons first get to Kristen’s four young daughters through an augmented reality videogame. A little girl who never takes off her Halloween mask almost gets the sisters to bury one alive. We don’t know how much of the characters’ perceptions is the result of a demon character’s influence on them. Each character is slowly being tempted by the dark side.

Kristen joined the team as a rational thinker but has had to accommodate uncomfortable ideas and adjust her comfort zone accordingly. In her usual line of work, she’s analyzed the criminally insane, but the show has pushed her into close contact with people who are evil in the Biblical sense. She is being pushed incrementally by forces in and out of her control. Her own mother Sheryl (Christine Lahti) sides with a manipulative competitor, Leland, over her daughter, and he’s made direct threats. The first season can be seen as Kristen’s slow corruption. The second season may see Kirsten apply her skills to her own situation, which will delve further into the dichotomy between the spiritual and pragmatic.

This is because Kristen may have already fallen. The final episode includes a telltale blood stain, which she wills Ben to unsee. On any procedural this is considered a clue, but here on Evil, the evidence actually points further than a mere homicide. It is the first sign that a main character has gone to the dark side. It is confirmed when the touch of a crucifix blisters her hand. There’s no such thing as an original sin and Kristen has been flirting with temptation long before this.

Kristen is a married nonpracticing Catholic who lost her faith. She’s sexually attracted to David, a man on his way to becoming a priest. When this subject was broached on the classic 1970s cop comedy Barney Miller, a prostitute who was supposed to be a young priest’s last fling before he entered a monastery said “I break laws, not commandments.” It feels like Kristen reminds herself of this every time the two of them are on screen alone together. Their sexual chemistry is that palpable. Yes, this is very similar to the long-gesticulating romance between Mulder and Scully, but he was no priest and she wasn’t married. Not only is Kristen married, but she’s got half a brood of daughters. Annoying things, really, but at least one of them has an excuse. Another reason Evil is the only procedural worth watching is because everyone on it just might be cursed. That’s not found in the manuals.

Evil towers over contemporary procedurals in how it’s going dark. Most procedurals chase a morally compromised arc, but Evil treats it like an encroaching corruption. Kristen, who is sworn to uphold the law, may have gone more than rogue vigilante. Besides the crucifix-burning season closing, David has visions of a goat demon waiting for Kristen with a scythe. She’d been tormented by her own personal demon throughout the season but when the George, the demon-like creature who visits Kristen during sleep paralysis, falls on the knife, it changes nothing. He is just one of many demons. One of them set up practice and is taking office hours with Leland.

The Demon Therapist is an all-male Goat of Mendes, or Baphomet. The show gets into how different biblical angels look from how they’re perceived artistically and by the contemporary faithful, but won’t present a faithful representation of Baphomet. It’s as patriarchal as Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Evil keeps it vague whether the goat demon is real or in Leland’s head. The Demon therapist appears in Kristen’s dreams as well. Lexis (Maddy Crocco) disabled the house alarm for the visiting devil therapist when he invites her to “the next level,” making it seem she is at least susceptible to underworldly influence. The kids are irritating, but they are a bargaining chip and their father, Adam, put them up for grabs when they chanted together offering an exchange of souls. Kristen was co-opted into evil through protective motherly instinct. She doesn’t see the mark of the devil as a badge of honor. When Kristen puts the cross in her palm, she doesn’t look like she expected it as much as feared it.

While the network show will never have the freedoms afforded cable series, the acting is top notch all around. Series like HBO’s Perry Mason or even Showtime’s reimagined second incarnation of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, provide a wider range of emotion and carnality. But Evil gives us muted, for the most part believable performances, very often underplayed. As are the special effects and use of technology as a narrative device. Too many procedurals treat high tech surveillance and other investigative tools like they are all-seeing eyes which can count nostril hairs.  It has become normalized. Evil doesn’t waste intellectual space with unreasonable gadgets. The tools Ben or Leland use to their computerized ends are believable. At one point, Kristen asks Ben to record a cell phone conversation which is already halfway over. She is surprised he can’t with all his special skills.

The series incorporates real world horrors into mundane life. Even some of the most normal looking settings carry a sense of unease, to underscore the show’s thesis that the supernatural is natural but never quite normalized. Many of the scenes are shot vertically, drawing the viewers’ eyes upward and inferring something is always going on above. The series’ many wide-angle shots put a distance between characters even in close-ups.

The show isn’t afraid to wear its influences on its sleeves, and on several occasions has a lot of fun with it. For Dr. Kurt Boggs’ (Kurt Fuller) arrival at an exorcism, they recreated Father Merrin’s introductory scene in the horror classic The Exorcist, shot for shot, even getting an exact replica of the light post and the same make car, though different year, from the film. They gave nods to Rosemary’s Baby, Misery, Cabin in the Woods, and Children of the Corn.  The climbing ax which Kirsten grabs on her way out to do damage on the serial killer Orson looks like it has teeth. As did the walking stick Lon Chaney’s Larry Talbot carried in The Wolfman. The demon George looks like Freddy Krueger’s good-looking cousin. The tonality of the show is reminiscent of Charles Laughton’s immeasurably influential Night of the Hunter.

The main reason Evil shines above most procedurals is because it is scary, and those scares have been building slowly and deliberately. Commonplace settings feel off, and the world around is filled with conspiracies and coverup. The Vatican asks the team to determine whether a woman who knows the hidden history of the church is a false prophet. The fertility clinic Kristen and her husband Andy used when conceiving Lexis corrupts fetuses with satanic insemination. A witty but innocuous internet meme, Puddy’s Christmas song, is a hummably foreboding earworm. Anything can go evil on Evil.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Evil season 2 is currently in production. Read more about that here.

The post Why Evil is the Only TV Procedural Worth Watching appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3fRxopa

[jazzumin-desu]

Blog Post (E-Portfolio) - Look Who's Famous

1) Tim Cook

-Cook is the CEO of the most valuable company in the world, Apple. He took over Apple after the company’s founder, Steve Jobs, succumbed to cancer in 2011. Cook has helped navigate Apple through the transition after Jobs’ death as well as developing new product lines and opening Apple retail stores in China. He has also led a very public battle against the FBI and their demand that Apple creates a backdoor for users’

-Harvard Business Review has classified Tim Cook as a “multiplier,” a leader who can actually make employees smarter, more innovative, and more competent via his leadership style.

-style integrates the following elements: Democratic leadership style. In contrast to Apple founder and late CEO Steve Jobs highly autocratic leadership style, Tim Cook exercises and promotes democratic leadership.

2) Sheryl Sandberg

-Sandberg has been the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook since 2008. She founded a nonprofit, Lean In, named after her best-selling book. She has been an influential advocate for women in the business world. She has made the successful transition from government work at the Treasury Department to the tech industry at Google and Facebook.

- Sheryl Sandberg is undoubtedly a transformational leader, who is a visionary, charismatic, inspiring, communicating and innovative in her approach with people and organization. Sheryl Sandberg is a great leader who believes in transformation of people. She loves her work, and her people.

3) Jack Ma

-Ma was the first entrepreneur from mainland China to appear on the cover of Forbes magazine. He is also the founder of Alibaba Group, a group of internet companies. Before getting accepted to Hangzhou Teacher’s Institute, Ma was rejected from university three times. After graduation, he applied for 30 jobs and was turned down for all of them. He first learned about the internet during a short trip to the U.S., and when he returned home, he created a small website about China and Chinese products. This would be his first step towards creating a company that would hold the record for largest IPO in history.

- Jack Ma used to be an autocratic leader. However, he found that this type of management will limit employees' freedom and ideas. Thus, he allows his employees to take part in decision-making because he believes that the best decisions come when everything is agreed upon by the majority.

Although they are all successful, they have different kind of platforms that made an impact to their appearance.

Tim Cook made his first appearance that made him famous is the internet (New Media). Way back 2014 where Tim Cook take over the company they publish an article online, and let is spread all over the world.

Sheryl Sandberg first arisen the peoples attention through television, news to be precisely, after that she have been interviewed by many news channel internationally.

And lastly Jack Ma he was shown in print media such as newspaper and magazine in late 90’s, at a young age he started thinking and building his own company and when it has been launch all the types of print media is spreading his success to the world.

Nowadays New Media is taking over the system of spreading news because it is faster and easier. but whatever the media you choose, your business will make name and impact itself.

Image Source:

https://www.google.com/search?q=tim+cook+first+interview&sxsrf=ALeKk012TFtromo0rJ7K3DpEUj5of-Gqrg:1603083350735&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgtqnt7r_sAhWtGaYKHcrjAbAQ_AUoA3oECBUQBQ&biw=1366&bih=625#imgrc=cowqi5aG6-YkZM

https://www.google.com/search?q=sheryl+sandberg&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjDw-zu7r_sAhVI5JQKHfeYAyYQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=she&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgQIIxAnMgQIABBDMgQIABBDMgQIABBDMgQIABBDMgcIABCxAxBDMgUIABCxAzIFCAAQsQMyAggAMgUIABCxA1DLtAFYwbYBYJHGAWgAcAB4AIABeIgBwwKSAQMxLjKYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=WRyNX4OzOMjI0wT3sY6wAg&bih=625&biw=1366#imgrc=FOhIvXQK3EH1HM

https://www.google.com/search?q=jack+ma+&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi45Or77r_sAhVxI6YKHT_-CXsQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=jack+ma+&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECCMQJzIFCAAQsQMyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECAAQQ1DhkgFY1aIBYLCmAWgAcAB4AIABcogBvgaSAQMyLjaYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=dRyNX_jVCfHGmAW__KfYBw&bih=625&biw=1366#imgrc=27QG1PELeGJVCM

Biography Source:

https://www.bizain.com/top-10-richest-entrepreneurs-list/

[soulvomit]

By the way, the worst sexism I ever experienced in tech in the 90s (which was sexist then, but it was more of a Silent/Boomer style of sexism than the Millennial "bro" sexism of Web 2.0) - was enforced by higher status women trying to hold position in the eyes of the patriarchal billionaires they depended upon. The real patriarchs weren't *any* junior employees, they possibly weren't even department managers - they were the people behind the curtain, in VC. In fact, department managers *regularly* got their female and minority hiring choices blocked by HR or by their pointy-hair bosses. (It took me years to find out who our VC was, or about sexism at the VC level. And by the way, it was Intel.)

Lots of men were genuinely clueless about it, *especially* the laid back Gen X male employees who weren't eyeing a brass ring. They didn't know they were being paid a dollar more than me at my first job. A couple of them would have actually opposed that, I'm sure, if it hadn't meant jeopardizing their own careers. The token-swapping Hunger Games/Highlander Effect dynamic which insured that most women could never be hired full time, was *also* opaque to them. Most people at a job just keep their heads down and do their job. I retained a few male friends after leaving the industry and they were genuinely clueless about women living in a totally different subjective space and reality bubble, just as women are often clueless that way about men. And there are lots of men who are only employable as contractors, such as my neurodivergent dad, who made his whole career as a contractor and outside consultant and somehow never, ever did well in corporate structures. If he'd ever been in a corporate structure as a manager for very long, then he would have been aware that there are patterns in who he would have been allowed to hire.

Stuff that went on in management or at the VC level was totally opaque to *most* lower level employees, and was even more opaque to people who were dominantly contractors or consultants.

It's only really since Web 2.0 that I found any validation in the feelings that had been dismissed as paranoia.

One of my companies had a woman CEO who was specifically only given VC funding under the condition that she not hire women in any tech department.

This shit was actually deeply structural and there's no way my individual abstention would have actually benefited anyone else at my own level of employment, aside from giving a chance to another token competing for the one token spot, who would then have ended up displaced *themselves* down the road. And they ALL ended up displaced. My refusing to cede my seat wouldn't have saved the career of most women I worked with, the majority of whom were washed out after the Dot Bomb. In fact the only marginalized women who benefited by not having women around, were higher level employees or CEOs who got to be the only woman there. Basically, my stepping aside was compulsory for the Sheryl Sandberg types but didn't result in the uplifting of a single rank and file marginalized worker.

[brostateexam]

The fact that I cannot remember the last time the internet made me feel, on balance, less anxious and better about other people tells you something about how much has changed online since 1999, 2001, and even 2007.

This is supposed to be a piece about Mark Zuckerberg, and so far I’ve barely mentioned him. Yet everything I’ve written here is about him. This is true partly because he’s the CEO of Facebook, and thus ultimately responsible for dehumanizing much of the internet, but in a broader sense I think that Mark Zuckerberg has himself become a kind of atmosphere, a context for online disillusionment. And that atmosphere, the translucent Zuckerberg hologram now flickering across most of the internet, says more about the mood of 2018 than anything Zuckerberg himself could do.

Here’s what I mean by that. It drives me wild when tech reporting unthinkingly assumes the perspective of people with power in Silicon Valley. Facebook faces new accusations. Sheryl Sandberg has been dealt a new setback. Will Zuckerberg be able to recover? This kind of coverage presumes that what really matters is the drama of the moguls’ own experience, as though they were the protagonists of a movie. I can speak only for myself here, but personally, my interest in the moguls’ experience is vanishingly dim; what matters to me is the internet itself and the people who use it. Before I started writing, I did a Google search for “Facebook” and “annus horribilis,” which showed that dozens if not hundreds of media outlets—The Guardian, the BBC, El Mundo, Die Welt, The Atlantic, the Silicon Valley Business Journal—used this phrase, Latin for “horrible year,” to describe Facebook’s 2018. But 2018 wasn’t an annus horribilis for Facebook. It was an annus horribilis for us, the people who actually faced the surveillance and dishonesty and abuse. It was an annus horribilis for us because of Facebook. (x)

Hello please read this essay about how the internet has changed.

[clarencenicholsonata]

Meet the Speakers of the Social Media X Growth Summit 2021

You’ve probably heard of the Social Media X Growth Summit 2021, Wishpond’s FREE one-day summit featuring social media experts from around the world sharing proven social media tricks and tactics that will help your business grow.

Taking place on the 3rd of June, this LIVE event will feature topics ranging from creating revenue with TikTok ads to selling on Facebook groups, examples of foolproof social media campaigns, and more! Find out more about what topics are being covered in our post on 12 reasons to attend the SMX Growth Summit 2021.

If the topics have piqued your interest and you want to find out more about the speakers themselves, you’re in the right place. Read on below to find out more about each speaker.

Table of Contents:

Scott Ayres

Nicole Baqai

Antoine Dupont

Derric Haynie

Kevin Ho

Elaisha Jade

Christina Jandali

Laura Palladino

Sheryl Plouffe

Savannah Sanchez

Neal Schaffer

Payman Taei

Scott Ayres

Content Scientist, Agorapulse

Scott Ayres is the current Content Scientist for the Social Media Lab powered by Agorapulse who conducts extensive tests and research to help social media managers and business owners get the most out of their posts; busting myths along the way. Scott loves busting myths about social media marketing, even if that means going against what he was taught in the past or is still being taught by “gurus” today. Unlike many social media "experts" Scott brings a real-world approach and perspective that business owners can relate to.

Nicole Baqai

Gorgias

Nicole Baqai manages strategic partnerships for Gorgias in the East Coast Region of North America. Prior to joining Gorgias, she worked at a technology and hospitality startup that was focused on reimagining the mini-bar and gift shops at hotels for the modern-day traveler. She worked with a multitude of brands to engage them in both wholesale and retail opportunities whilst also launching their own online Shopify store and retail store at a world-renowned boutique hotel chain in Los Angeles. She loves working with brands and helping them find automated solutions to drive brand awareness and attract more consumers.

Antoine Dupont

katapult.biz

Antoine Dupont is a recognized expert and strategist in digital marketing. He’s an award-winning marketing agency owner and a speaker at national & international conferences. He combines 18 years in marketing and 15 years in the hospitality industry. His first job out of college was working for Gordon Ramsey in London at Le Gavroche. Antoine travels the world sharing his strategy and methodology to marketers and business owners. His goal is to improve lead generation and business growth via his proven marketing strategies. As a result, he is an in-demand consultant on discovering the strategies that work. His past clients include Office Depot, Unilever, The Sports Authority, Habitat For Humanity. Recent bookings & appearances at CMC19, PRINT19, DigitalSummit19, AICPA19, MPISES19, Florida Restaurant Association, John L Scott Realty, CoachRealtors19 & Digitalium 2018 (Romania), and many others.

Derric Haynie

Chief Ecommerce Technologist, Ecommercetech.io

Derric Haynie is the host of “The Future of Ecommerce” podcast and Chief Ecommerce Technologist at Ecommercetech.io – Where Ecommerce stores go to research, discover, and buy the right tools to grow their store. Half of his day is spent reviewing tech tools, and the other half is talking with merchants to help them discover which solutions are right for them. When he’s not doing that, you can find him speaking, networking, or grabbing a drink at any of your favorite Ecommerce events.

Kevin Ho

VP of Marketing, Wishpond

Kevin Ho is the VP of Marketing at Wishpond, a SaaS and full-service marketing company that makes it easy for companies to grow their revenue online. He is in charge of Wishpond's sales, marketing, and customer support teams. Having helped agencies and businesses generate over 100 million leads over the past 10 years, Wishpond has the experience and strategies to help you choose campaigns that actually drive sales.

Elaisha Jade

Sr. Social Media Manager, Thinkific

Elaisha Jade is a Sr. Social Media Manager at Thinkific and 3x Certified Corporate Meditation and Mindfulness Facilitator. Her work spans over 6 years in the Canadian tech scene managing bringing multiple Instagram accounts to 1 million and launching several successful multi-channel campaigns.

She turned to meditation and mindfulness when her work left her burnt out and ill. By studying and applying meditation and mindfulness teachings she was able to find purpose and productivity in her work again.

Christina Jandali

DeliverYourGenius.com

Christina Jandali is a confidence-boosting, cash-creating Business Growth Strategist who helps online business owners create an engaged and profitable Facebook group. After becoming a millionaire in her mid 20’s (losing it and rebuilding it over again) and climbing the corporate ladder, she realized she was ready to build her own dream business, not someone else’s.

Laura Palladino

Social Media Director, BOOM!

Laura Palladino is the Social Media Director for the ecommerce cosmetic and skincare brand, BOOM! By Cindy Joseph. She is also a content creator and a course instructor for Smart Marketer, an educational platform for entrepreneurs.

As the Social Media Director for BOOM!, Laura and her team are responsible for overseeing content delivery to an email list of over 700K email subscribers and over 350K social followers. Through strategic email flows, targeted content marketing campaigns, and a loving engagement with the BOOM! Community, she has helped scale this rapidly growing brand to over $85 million in total revenue. As a content creator for Smart Marketer, she has created courses in email marketing, social media marketing and content marketing, and she has spoken on stages at Smart Marketer Mastermind events all over the country.

Sheryl Plouffe

SherylPlouffe.com

Sheryl Plouffe is a video strategist, former Canadian TV broadcaster, and the creator of Cash In On Camera. She has been seen by millions over the course of her twenty-five-year career in news media, has produced thousands of videos, and has broadcast over 20,000 hours of live television. She lives and works in Ontario, Canada.

Savannah Sanchez

The Social Savannah

Learn from Savannah Sanchez from The Social Savannah how to make TikTok and Snapchat ad creatives that convert. Savannah has worked with many top eCommerce stores on their TikTok and Snapchat ads creative, and she will share with you her tips and tricks, as well as design elements to keep in mind when making paid social ads.

Neal Schaffer

NealSchaffer.com

Neal Schaffer is a leading authority on helping businesses through their digital transformation of sales and marketing through consulting, training, and helping enterprises large and small develop and execute on social media marketing strategy, influencer marketing, and social selling initiatives. President of the social media agency PDCA Social, Neal also teaches digital media to executives at Rutgers University, the Irish Management Institute (Ireland), and the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland).

Fluent in Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, Neal is a popular keynote speaker and has been invited to speak about digital media on four continents in a dozen countries. He is also the author of 3 books on social media, including Maximize Your Social (Wiley), and in March of 2020 published his 4th book, The Age of Influence, on educating the market on the why and how every business should leverage the potential of influencer marketing. Neal resides in Irvine, California but also frequently travels to Japan.

Payman Taei

Visme

Payman is an avid technologist. He loves new trends and tries to keep up with the ever-evolving internet. Frustrated with the lack of easy-to-use tools to empower non-designers to speak visually, He went on to create Visme, the "Swiss Knife of Visual Content" bootstrapped to profitability within 18 months of launch and now used by over 1.8 million businesses, non-profits and individuals from over 100 countries including NASA, IBM, Manpower, and NBCUniversal helping to improve the way ideas are visualized into engaging Presentations, Infographics and other forms of visual content.

Now that you’re familiar with the speakers of the Social Media X Growth Summit 2021 and the level of their expertise, signing up for the summit should be a no-brainer. Who are you excited to see speak? Let me know below in the comments.

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[hyperesthesias]

tech n sheryl finding some fun time in the workshop (just imagine the workshop pls)

lemon under the cut 🍋

i have been listening to mary on a cross on repeat bc facebook reels and this little scene was all i could think of

on another note, if i listen to ghost on my way to church tomorrow does that cancel out? or what?

[maaarine]

MBTI & Tech (x) Sheryl Sandberg: ENFJ

“Sheryl Kara Sandberg is an American technology executive, activist, and author.

She is the chief operating officer (COO) of Facebook and founder of Leanin.org (also known as the Lean In Foundation).

In June 2012, she was elected to the board of directors by the existing board members, becoming the first woman to serve on Facebook's board.

Before she joined Facebook as its COO, Sandberg was vice president of global online sales and operations at Google, and was involved in launching Google's philanthropic arm Google.org.

Before Google, Sandberg served as chief of staff for United States Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers.

In 2012, she was named in the Time 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world according to Time magazine.

As of June 2015, Sandberg is reported to be worth over US$1 billion, due to her stock holdings in Facebook and other companies.” (Wikipedia)

See also: Oprah Winfrey

[bestdjkit]

You Can Buy Tickets to ODESZA, RÜFÜS DU SOL and More for Just $25—But Only for a Week

Live Nation's "Concert Week" initiative offers fans all-in tickets—including fees—for $25 flat.

For one week in May 2022, tickets to see your favorite artists will cost less than a meal at Olive Garden.

Yes, the unlimited breadsticks deal is amazing, but it pales in comparison to Live Nation's "Concert Week" initiative. Starting Wednesday, May 4th at 10AM ET (7AM PT), the entertainment goliath is offering fans all-in tickets to more than 3,700 shows across North America—including fees—for $25 flat.

Electronic dance music fans can snag tickets to see Swedish House Mafia, Kraftwerk, ODESZA, Porter Robinson, RÜFÜS DU SOL, The Chainsmokers, ILLENIUM, GRiZ and more. Considering these tickets can run you anywhere from $55 to upwards of $300, it's a steal.

Pioneering electronic music band Kraftwerk. 

Peter Boettcher

"Concert Week" also offers tickets for many of the world's top contemporary music artists, of course. Fans of country, hip-hop, Latin, metal, pop, rock and more can get passes for shows with Zac Brown Band, Halsey, H.E.R., John Legend, Machine Gun Kelly, Nelly, OneRepublic, The Who and many, many more.

You can purchase the discounted "Concert Week" tickets here and check out a comprehensive, alphabetized list of participating artists below. The promotion ends on May 10th.

Live Nation Concert Week 2022

070 Shake 24KGoldn 311 5 Seconds of Summer Aerosmith AFI AJR Alanis Morissette Alejandra Guzman Alejandro Fernandez Alice Cooper Alice In Chains & Breaking Benjamin + Bush Alicia Keys Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness Anjelah Johnson-Reyes Anthrax As I Lay Dying Asking Alexandria Atmosphere with Iration Backstreet Boys BANKS Barenaked Ladies Bastille Ben Platt Ben Rector Benny the Butcher Bert Kreischer Biffy Clyro Big K.R.I.T. Big Time Rush Bill Burr Bill Maher Bleachers Bon Iver Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Bonnie Raitt Boyz II Men Brad Paisley Brandi Carlile Brian Regan Brooks & Dunn Caifanes Camilo Septimo Celeste Barber CHEER Live Chelsea Handler Chet Faker Chicago and Brian Wilson Chris Rock Chris Young Clannad Coheed and Cambria COIN Collective Soul Courtney Barnett Daniel Tosh Darius Rucker Dashboard Confessional Dave Chappelle David Gray Death Cab for Cutie Debbie Gibson Def Leppard & Mötley Crüe Deftones Denzel Curry Derek Hough Devo Dierks Bentley Franz Ferdinand Freddie Gibbs Gabriel Iglesias Garbage George Lopez Gera MX Gloria Trevi Goo Goo Dolls Greensky Bluegrass GRiZ H.E.R. HAIM Halestorm & The Pretty Reckless Halsey Hank Williams Jr. Hombres G Iliza Shlesinger Illenium Imagine Dragons Incubus Indigo Girls Interpol & Spoon Iration Jack Johnson Jack White James Taylor Jason Aldean Jason Isbell Jim Gaffigan Jimmy Buffett John Legend John Mulaney Jon Pardi Jonas Brothers Josh Groban Judah & the Lion jxdn Kane Brown Kany Garcia Keith Urban Kenny Chesney Kevin Hart Kid Rock King Princess Kip Moore KISS Koffee Korn & Evanescence Kountry Wayne Kraftwerk Lady A LANY Lauv Lee Brice Leon Bridges Lewis Black Lord Huron Los Angeles Azules Luke Bryan Lynyrd Skynyrd Mac DeMarco Machine Gun Kelly Maren Morris Margaret Cho Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin Megadeth Metric Miranda Lambert & Little Big Town Omar Apollo OneRepublic & NEEDTOBREATHE Our Lady Peace Parker McCollum Patton Oswalt Pet Shop Boys Pitbull Porter Robinson Primus Puddle of Mudd Purity Ring Randy Rainbow Ray LaMontagne Rebelution Rels B REO Speedwagon & Styx with Loverboy Rex Orange County Rise Against Rob Zombie & Mudvayne Rod Stewart Roxy Music RuPaul's Drag Race Russ RÜFÜS DU SOL Sam Hunt Sammy Hagar Santana & Earth, Wind, & Fire Sebastián Yatra Shania Twain Shawn Mendes Sheryl Crow Shinedown Sigur Rós Simple Plan Slipknot Spoon Static-X Steely Dan Sting Summer Walker Swedish House Mafia Switchfoot Sylvan Esso T-Pain Tai Verdes Tash Sultana Tears For Fears TECH N9NE Tedeschi Trucks Band Tenacious D Tesla The Airborne Toxic Event The Avett Brothers The Beach Boys The Black Crowes The Black Keys The Chainsmokers The Chicks The Doobie Brothers The Head and The Heart The Killers The Marcus King Band The Offspring The Who Third Eye Blind Thomas Rhett Tim McGraw Tina Fey

from Best DJ Kit https://edm.com/news/odesza-rufus-du-sol-tickets-live-nation-concert-week

[alexsfictionaddiction]

You Will Be Found

Today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, hosted by the UK charity Mental Health Foundation, who help those living with mental health conditions to live their very best possible lives. 

If you knew me as a BookTuber, then you may know all about my own mental health struggles because I used to talk about them every year on this day. I think this is the first time I’ve done so on this blog, so I will endeavour to fill you all in now. I should preface this by saying that I tell my story because I think it’s probably a common one. I don’t tell it to get sympathy or pity or attention. I tell it because I think a lot of people who feel very alone can relate to it and I tell it to let them know that they’re not on their own in this. 

In January 2013, I was 22, a fresh uni graduate with a good English degree and I was in my first job as Social Media Exec at a tech start-up. I was happy with my long-term boyfriend and I had an amazing set of friends. I was back home living with my parents having been away for uni but of course, that’s not unusual on an entry-level salary. Life was good. On the surface. So I thought. Then one morning, I woke up and I realised that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d truly felt ‘happy’. I couldn’t remember the last time I hadn’t felt scared, irritable, unenergised and sad. I had a really weird deep sadness that I couldn’t really understand. Nothing had happened to cause it. My life was exactly the same as it had been the last time I was happy, so what on Earth was this? 

Of course, I’d heard of depression before but at that time, I honestly thought it was something that happened to people when they lost someone or something close to them. I didn’t know it could just happen. So when I went to my GP and told her that I didn’t understand why my mood had been so low and why everything was suddenly so scary, she asked me some questions. Questions about how long I’d been feeling like this (about 3-4 weeks), if it affected my daily life and interactions with other people (yes, I was picking arguments over stupid things and crying a lot), if I’d had any suicidal thoughts (I had). And like that, I was diagnosed with both General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Depression. Suddenly two demons had moved into my head and my intense fear and sadness made sense. 

I was prescribed an anti-depressant called Citalopram (which gave me some really crazy dreams -an eight-legged centaur called Ralph was a common visitor to my subconscious) and referred to a CBT counsellor called Sheryl. I was wary of pouring my heart out to a stranger at first but the more I saw her, the easier it became. My chats with Sheryl gave me the space to just talk about whatever came into my mind without worrying about being called weird or stupid, which I had been in the past by people close to me. 

Sadly, I was only given six sessions for free on the NHS. I knew I needed more so Sheryl agreed to keep seeing me but I had to pay her £45 per hour rate. This meant I couldn’t afford to see her every week anymore and so I started seeing her every fortnight. It was still a huge drain on my finances but when I lost my job and my boyfriend within three months, my Depression in particular got worse, so I needed Sheryl more than ever. Basic things like showering, eating regularly, getting out of bed were sometimes impossible and my self-esteem was non-existent. Sheryl gave me coping strategies and thought-reversal exercises to practice whenever I felt a panic attack or thought spiral coming on (some of which worked and I still use today). 

Over the course of around 18 months, with a combination of Sheryl and Citalopram, I gradually began to get better. I was taking care of myself more. I’d discovered yoga, got myself a retail job and feeling a little lighter. Of course on a retail assistant’s salary, I had to stop seeing Sheryl but to be honest, I was pretty much ready to let go. By then, I’d come to the realisation that I probably wouldn’t ever be rid of the demons completely but I had learned to live with them and control them to some extent. 

Now it has been five years since I’ve taken any medication for a mental health condition but I have had more therapy. Two years ago, I took a counselling training course (just for my own interest really) and it included a lot of self-exploration and self-awareness. Each class started with a group therapy session where we were expected to talk about how our week had been and delve into our own mental health struggles. It was through these sessions that I realised just how many seemingly ‘normal’ people are also housing demons. Their demons say the same things, behave in the same way and affect their lives in exactly the same way as mine do. 

Now, I tend to think of Anxiety and Depression as a demon couple who live in my head. They’re fully settled in now and have no plans to move out. Yes, they both still affect me to some degree every single day. Sometimes I can keep them both at a reasonable manageable calm. Sometimes one of them swells up and dominates all the space in my head. Sometimes they argue terribly and that’s the worst because it paralyses me. Those are the days when nothing gets done and I’m convinced that everything bad that could happen definitely will happen. Those are the days when I sometimes consider ending it all. It’s a scary thought but I won’t pretend that it never enters my head because honesty is always key in any discussion about mental health. But mostly, I’ve got used to their peaks and troughs and I’ve learned to accept that they are a part of me. 

I am also really lucky that I’ve been able to surround myself with friends (both online and offline) who understand. Whether they have Anxiety’s and Depression’s twins living in their heads or whether they simply love me in spite of them, I know how fortunate I am to have quite a few amazing people in my life. I also know that not everyone who suffers from mental health conditions has a strong support network, so I’d like to let anyone reading this know that I am happy to be the start of that for you. 

I think it’s especially important to tell our stories in this time of isolation and fearful uncertainty. Anxiety and Depression have almost certainly multiplied numerous times over, since the start of the pandemic and will continue to do so after lockdown, as the inevitable recession hits and our new ‘normal’ begins. If you need someone to talk to and can’t afford a professional therapist, you are welcome to drop me a message and just tell me whatever is on your mind. I know first-hand that it is often easier to talk to a stranger about deep dark things, so please don’t hesitate if you feel like you need a chat with someone inside your computer.

Please look after yourself and stay safe and kind. -Love, Alex x

[pagesofivy]

Back to School Challenge

So I’m nearly to 200 followers and I don’t want to wait to put this out. I fucking love writing challenges. And it’s almost time for me to go back to school. So I came up with this great challenge with a ton of prompts. There are songs, vague words, specific scenarios, and dialogue prompts. Some could be multiple. You’ll see.

I’ll throw all the information and prompts under the cut!

Rules:

You don’t have to follow me but that’d be cool

Pick a number, and send me an ask to let me know!

Can be any fandom- seriously, I’m in so many, I want to read from it all.

Due by November 25th. 

Tag me and tag it #twx school challenge

Feel free to send it to me via messages too, especially if I haven’t reblogged it within a day or two.

Any questions, just ask!

Prompts:

Home for the holidays

High school au

College au

Professor x student

Nerd x jock

Roommates

Library

Study buddies

Research

Teen au

Nerd x punk

Marching band

Doing laundry/laundry room on the dorm floor

Communal showers

School shopping

School supplies

Lab partners

Pen Pals

Coffee shop au

Meet cute

Meet awkward

Someone stole your (unassigned) seat

Support animals

Job searching

Unrequited love

Childhood/high-school sweethearts

The one that got away... Is now back.

Someone has extra meal plan and you have none so they take pity on you and share theirs

Enemies to lovers

“Centerfold” by The J. Geils Band

“Are you following me?”

“Not you again.”

Accidentally calling/texting the wrong number

You’re my tutor for this class but you’re talking way over my head please dumb it down for me more, I’m so sorry.

Kink/sex education club

“Wrong room, sorry!”

“Dancing Queen” by ABBA

“Girl Crush” by Little Big Town

“Not My Type At All” by Jacob Whitesides

Disney movie marathon

“Just A Kiss” by Lady Antebellum

“Picture” by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow

Sports game/match/meet

“Stranger” by Jay Hayden & KingVodka

“Take a Hint” by Victoria Justice/The Victorious Cast

“You think I want to do this?”

First date

“What I Never Knew I Always Wanted” by Carrie Underwood

“I wish I never met you!”

“You need a study break. Dance with me.”

“Are you flirting with me?”

“Is it so wrong that I love you?”

Being dragged to a party by your roommate.

“Okay... This is new.”

That one person who doesn’t study but passes everything.

“I don’t think before I act, it’s part of my charm.”

“My uterus is shedding and I really want to stab you right now.”

Walking to class/school together.

Mistaking the professor for a student and bashing their class.

Being overheard talking about someone... by that person.

“This is the dumbest idea you’ve had in a long time.”

Artist/Art Major for a roommate/significant other

You’re the tech/IT person and you come to my room to check the (sucky) wifi and you’re cute I’m so sorry my room is a mess.

I’m taking this class so I can understand what the hell my best friend/significant other/whoever is talking about.

One night stand is accidentally your new professor. Whoops.

Being a nude model for art students/classes because you need the money and “it’s a good way to learn to love my body.”

College acceptance/rejection letters

Pretending to date to get your/their family off your/their back

Going to a speed friending/dating thing and “oh fuck you’re actually really sweet. Here’s my number, let’s get coffee?”

 We have to share a bed because my parents misread our friendship- We can be adults about this, right?

Spin the bottle/7 Minutes in Heaven

Drunk Twister

Strip poker

Everyone forgot my birthday but it’s- What? I thought you hated me? Thank you!

Halloweentown/Magic College Au

I told my parents I was with someone and now they’re coming to meet them, please pretend to be my significant other. I’ll do anything.

“I’m a fucking theater major. Of course I’m dramatic!”

I invited you to my band’s show/play but I didn’t expect you to come, thank  you so much.

Studying abroad/foreign exchange program/students

Soulmate au

Fake dating/married au

Escort au

Mean Girls Halloween- It’s a college Halloween party and you dressed up as something “normal” and not sexy but everyone else is in sex costumes and “Oh shit ok thank God it’s not just me, don’t leave my side.”

Accidentally matching with someone you see/someone in your class so “Okay now we have to be friends”

We’ve had four classes together in two semesters, and here we are again. It’s a sign. We’re friends now.”

“These bruises are marks of a good time. I’m proud of him. And I’m pretty sure he/she is too.” 

Tagging for interest and possible signal boosts: (honestly I scrolled my messages and my dashboard)

@winchester-with-wings @mrswhozeewhatsis  @myfand0msandm0re @feelmyroarrrr @kazchester-fanfiction @district-12-erudite @deansleather  @winchestergirl-13 @distinguishedqueenofbooks @uselessace @delightfullynoisystarlight @barbedwireandbubblegum @saxxxology @quiddy-writes @curliesallovertheplace @bladebarnes @retroasgardian @nichelle-my-belle @angryschnauzer @ursulaismymiddlename @marveloznerd @mysaintsasinner @daniyell619 @hunters-hiraeth @samsgoddess @supernaturalismalife @sassy-losechester @captainsbabysitter-blog @auduna-druitt @bkwrm523 @evansrogerskitten @natasha-cole @team-gabriel @sams-little-toy @pinknerdpanda @papi-chulo-bucky @plumfondler @vintagevalentinexx @vvintersouldier @tssweets @this-kitty-has-claws @lacqueluster @wonders-of-the-enterprise @impala-dreamer 

[giancarlonicoli]

https://medium.com/s/no-mercy-no-malice/time-machines-species-failure-8d059c438065

Survival — the pursuit of more time — is the most basic instinct. Procreation is a distant number 2. But 1a, making the most of your time, is survival instinct coupled with capitalism. Communism was intended as a more noble system — economic parity that avoids the inequality bound to arise from capitalism. Only the reds failed to recognize we won’t wait in line for fish for the benefit of our comrades. A cocktail of self-interest, cooperation, the assembly line, brand, and the processor has yielded more stakeholder value, as measured by GDP, in the last 50 years than in the previous 2,000.

Religion created a lot of value — it made people feel immortal. Time post death is an asset you’d trade shame for. But the ranks of the faithful are thinning. The opium of the masses no longer provides the same high. Wealthier, more educated societies have turned their focus to time on earth.

Any company that creates more than $10 billion in shareholder value does one of two things: extend time (more time, saving time) or enhance time.

Every firm that has aspirations of creating billions in shareholder value must construct a time machine and be clear on the type of benefit —savings or enhancement. The first trillionaire will build a time machine for the healthcare industry. The T-Man, or woman, won’t reduce costs (this is where the analysts get it wrong), but give us millions of years back, in the pursuit of health, at the same or lesser cost.

I’ve had a cough for the last month. My dad and sister freaked out, as I don’t get sick. They imagined the worst and demanded I get a chest x-ray. The doctor’s visit, two trips to Diagnostic Centers of America, and a consultation cost me 8 hours. An intelligent camera, Prime Health (whenever that arrives), and AI will give me 7 hours back. The best strategy for bringing healthcare costs down is to give time back. The real innovation in healthcare will do more than save money — it will save time.

Time Machines

The economic titans of the 20th century got you places faster (Ford, Boeing) or made your life more enjoyable (P&G, Prada). We’ve now gone gangster. Microsoft saves you years in efficiency (extend). LVMH allows you to enjoy the finest in life and increases your selection set of mates (enhance). Apple skimmed the foam off the top of the Microsoft beer, moving from tech to the luxury sector. Apple offered both faster transactions and an enhanced experience (for a 100% premium). iProducts just worked, made you feel better about yourself, and the global affluent willingly paid.

The sector that has created more value than any other over the last 10 years is the disruptors in media (Google, Facebook, and Netflix). These firms pulled a Robin Hood on the greatest thieves of time in post-WWII America — ad-supported media. Modern Family / ABC values your time at $4.67/hr. They get .70c for reminding you that you suffer from diabetes (9 min of ads). CBS gets a buck a month per viewer for urging us to buy awful beer or cars manufactured in South Korea.

Advertising is a tax the poor and technologically illiterate pay.

Ways to extend life:

Clear: I fly 2.5x/wk. I’ll pay Clear $5,370 over 30 years to not stand in line for 46 days.

Walmart Delivery Unlimited: At $98/year, that’s $2,940 over 30 years to get 120 days of your life back.

Netflix: At $156/yr, I’ll pay Netflix $4,680 over the next 30 years to avoid over a year’s worth of ads. If you could pay $4,680 to extend your life by a year, would you?

2013 Bombardier Challenger 300: Total costs over 10 years — depreciation, operating, and financing costs minus tax benefits = $10 million. (Not that I’ve dreamt of this … every day.) A two-bedroom that can skim the surface of the atmosphere at .83 the speed of sound would give me another 13 days a year at home with my family. So, if you had the money, would you, at the end of life, rather have $10 million or 4 more months with family? Keep in mind, that’s 2.5 dawg years. What Apple is to Android, the Challenger is to JetBlue, times a thousand. People who own jets all describe their bird the same way: Time Machine.

Movies and HBO saved some time, but were relatively expensive. And then came Google, Facebook, and Netflix. I’ll get a year back (time spent not watching ads) in exchange for $4,680 spent on Netflix. How to even think of doing research without Google? Would I have to go to a library and log on to Lexis/Nexis? It’s hard to imagine how much time and life Google has created.

The search firm has violated our privacy, divided us, and hamstrung the economy via monopoly abuse. Yet it’s still likely worth it. This doesn’t mean we should shrug our shoulders and not break up big tech. The combustion engine and fossil fuels have created enormous economic growth across the world, but we should still correct the subsequent global warming.

The biggest unlock in shareholder value in the last 5 years is Walmart’s click & collect and delivery. Walmart gave us 4 days a year back — grocery shopping takes an average of 69 min a week; you grocery shop 1.6 times per week, and the average commute for grocery shopping is 12.5 min each way. That makes the largest dollar-volume category (grocery, 750 billion) less time expensive. Since the introduction of click & collect and grocery delivery, Walmart has added over $100 billion in shareholder value.

RedBook

Facebook is now squarely in the red and a net negative for society. The social network held the promise of enhancing our time here, via connection, and has delivered on much of that. However, most time enhancement has been negated, as the social network is depressing our teens and endangering our most precious asset, girls. Teen suicide has skyrocketed — up 77% for older teen girls and up 151% for younger teens (research by colleague Jonathan Haidt).

There are many factors, but ground zero is the nuclear weapons we’ve put in girls’ hands to objectify them, perpetually undercut their self-esteem, and enable them to bully each other relationally, 24/7. Hospital admissions due to self-harm are up 50% for 15–19-year-old girls and up 200% for 10–14-year-old girls. At Facebook, a sociopath is wallpapered over by a 700-person corporate communications department and a $2 billion beard (Sheryl Sandberg).

The Dow, GDP, the Iowa polls. We are studying to the wrong tests. There is nothing more important for the future of the country, our society, and the planet than the health and wellbeing of girls. Think about this. The S&P is up 23% YTD, and the number of girls that decide to take their own life is up 151%. Three times more of them self-harm. The pursuit of money at the expense of girls’ wellbeing is the ultimate perversion of our society. We ignore injury to our daughters in exchange for the promise of economic growth.

Facebook is the incorporation of Jeffrey Epstein and Larry Nassar. Ok, that’s not fair. The social network is Jeffrey Epstein and Larry Nassar … times a million.

Facebook, Inc. is species failure.

Life is so rich, Scott