text:
Austin Montero
Art Meets Science
Scientific artists or artistic scientists?
By: Austin Montero Instagram: @Atnius
1) Austin, would you say you are an artist first and a scientist second, or a scientist first and an artist second?
Honestly, I do not know which I would be first.
I started drawing from the moment I could use a pencil, but I began to observe the behavior of the animals since I could imitate the sounds of ravens and chickens as a child.
However, my first paintings were sold at age of 14 and my first income as a biologist was obtained when I sold crickets to my friends at the university.
What is certain is that nature has amazed me from two different angles, on one hand, I see lights, details and shadows, but on the other, I see evolutionary processes and neuronal protocols that lead an organism to perform specific behaviors.
2) What led you to pick science as your theme?
When I was 5 years old I wanted to be a veterinarian to work with animals, then at 10, I wanted to be a paleontologist to work with dinosaurs, at 13 I knew that a biologist would do all that, so I decided to become a biologist.
I think the most important thing to definitely choose science, was when I started reading middle school books of astronomy, ethology and biology. I liked it a lot because many of my questions were answered by science.
3) Do you have goals with what you do like educate, inspire, stimulate curiosity, or do you do it for yourself?
Yes, one of my goals at future is to make publicity about the current state of natural resources and show people how they can help us to save species and ecosistems. The way I want to do this is through my paintings and animated documentaries.
4) What aspect of science do you focus on?
I basically focus on animal's behavior and evolution, which is why I do photography, video and artworks of animals.
However, I like many themes of science, for example, I want to make an artwork related to human behavior since I like neurobiology and anthropology, besides, I'd like to make another one about our planet and the solar system, because I like astronomy.
5)What kind of media do you prefer?
I like painting, drawing, photography and filming.
For painting I use oil. For the drawing, I only use charcoals and pencils mainly the 7B. For photography, I use a Canon 70D camera, tripod and lenses (70-135mm, 18-55mm, 55mm, 55-250mm). For filming a lot of equipment like the Canon 70D camera, Canon Ti5, Gopro, lenses, tripods, underwater case, editing programs, drones, and extensions.
6) Tell me about your favorite piece.
Here are my favorite pieces.
For filming, this is a video documentary I made in 2015
For photography, this is one of my very favorites (in gallery below). I took this photo in 2014 when I was doing my bachelor thesis at Bahía de los Ángeles, Baja California, Mexico. I liked very much because it represents one of the most important things I want to do, which is showing to people that animals are not our enemies. Moreover, from an evolutionary perspective, they are like our cousins.
They can breathe, eat, sleep and feel many emotions like us. Maybe, a lot of people wouldn't believe this, but our brains are more similar than we think and same neurotransmitters are acting in their brains than in ours.
This photo represents that for me, we can live with other animals without hurting them or fear them, after all, we evolved together on the same planet.
... besides, I always wanted to work with prehistoric animals and the whale shark is undoubtedly one of them.
For painting: (featured image).
My dad is used to artworks because he works in an art gallery, so not many artworks impress him. However, when I painted this one, for the first time he stayed behind me for more than two hours watching me painting it. I didn't even realize that he was there until I took a break. When I turned back he was laughing.
On this artwork I used techniques I haven't used before and I started painting what I wanted instead of what I thought could be saleable. So, with this work, I remembered that my true talent is to see nature in ways that others can't.
7) Do you sale your art? Do you take commissions? Do you have etsy store, or other social media accounts you show art on? If so how would people contact you to talk about these things?
Science consumes a lot of time, so I have not been able to do many works, but since I trained in filming, I have always received some payment for making a video. About photography, I do it more as a hobby since it is more simple compared to making a documentary or painting. Although I have won prizes, I have not sold them. My paints and draws have been easier to sell, I sold my first works at 14 (a couple of landscapes) and although not every year I have been able to paint, I have accumulated some and there is always someone who buys me. Instagram: @Atnius
8) Where are you from


text:
Over the years I have been privileged to build relationships with other artists and institutions that have helped me to grow. More to come soon...
Ben Cowan
Artist living and working in New York, NY. Former classmate at SAIC. His work in painting landscapes has always inspired me.
Gaylord Schanilec
Artist living and working in St.Paul, NC. He taught me about woodcut and wood-engraving. His approach to nature studies and the narrative is steady and sure.
Peggy Macnamara
Artist-in-residence at the Field Museum in Chicago, IL. She taught me how to draw and to paint watercolor in the realm of scientific illustration. Her teaching style attracts students to take her courses again and again.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Manual handling of contracts is both error prone and time consuming, and yet most organizations have not yet automated these key business processes. Electronics OEMs should put automated contract lifecycle management (CLM) at the top of their to-do list, though, to achieve high visibility, decrease risk, and streamline complex processes.
"We are seeing early-ish adoption in the high technology sector," Steve Jones, vice president of Strategic Development at CLM vendor SpringCM, told EBN in an interview. "Certainly, the benefits are particulary apparent where there are a lot of renewable agreements or description-based contracts that come up for formal-review regularly."
Read full article >
©2019 SpringCM


text:
About Our Auction
Win a full package of custom pinstriping for your ride by George Weldon of Kustom Paint and Body, tailored to your request, style and car. The artistry will occur at the event, with your car in front of the Main Stage at 4:00PM, Saturday, Sep. 22nd. Your car will be showcased to the crowd and media! All proceeds benefit SHIELD616, a provider of protective gear for first responders. This a great way to to make your car shine and benefit a good cause.
About our Donor:
At Kustom Paint & Body we specialize in Hot Rod Fabrication, Restoration, Pinstriping, Air Brushing, Lettering and Gold & Silver Leaf. We specialize in complete frame off, ground-up restorations, metal fabrication, sheet metal repair & customization, wheel tubs, chassis, dent & rust repair, panel replacements, body work & paint and engine conversions.
"The craftsmanship and skill of free hand pinstriping is quickly becoming a dying art. George uses the "old school" techniques and has been providing high quality custom pin striping since 1986. With George's 30 years of experience and being best known for his custom work you can be assured that you will receive a unique, one of a kind creation that will enhance any project."
About our Charity:
"SHIELD616 was formed with the peace officer on patrol in mind. We have since seen the need to help protect all first responders. The goal of SHIELD616 is two-fold.
First, we want to equip every first responder with necessary, advanced active shooter / crowd control gear. Second, we want to provide a support group for that first responder who will pray for the first responder and his or her family on a daily basis and shower the first responder with support and encouragement throughout the year."
About Pikes Peak International Raceway
Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) is a destination participatory motorsports and entertainment venue located in the Pikes Peak region just south of Colorado Springs in Fountain, CO. PPIR is a regional hub for all things automotive and the place to push the envelope on your motorsports expectations. PPIR facilitates fun for everyone 365 days a year, with a schedule packed with participatory driving events, all which allow drivers of all skill levels to get on track and fuel the need for speed. This includes the PPIR Drive 365 program, Time Attack and Drift series, Performance Driving Xperience, open lapping and test days, professional team testing, race schools, and racing club events.
The facility is also used for a variety of sanctioned races, OEM product launches and testing (proving grounds), ride and drives, commercial and film shoots and more. In addition to motor-sports, PPIR also hosts a wide variety of group and corporate events, such as conferences, meetings, parties and proms, and "human powered" events such as runs, concerts, and festivals.
PPIR offers a variety of racing surfaces and event facilities able to accommodate almost any type of event. The property includes; a banked one-mile oval, 1.3-mile interior road course, 12-acre paved drifting and autocross lot, 1/4 mile flat oval, 1/8 mile pit lane drag strip, as well as a variety of classrooms, banquet halls, and conference and multi-functional spaces. For more information call 719.382.7223.


text:
Our planet is covered in water — more than 70 percent of the surface. Oceans comprise the vast majority, and the rest is made up of smaller seas, lakes and rivers.
It's something that's easy to forget, especially in the United States, where 3.8 million square miles of land masks the millions of miles of streams and rivers. But our country is actually packed full of flowing water bodies that collect precipitation and shuffle it back to the oceans.
Today I came across a data visualization that was impossible not to share — three different maps of all of the rivers and bodies of water in the Lower 48.
According to American Rivers, the U.S. has more than 25,000 rivers that travel a total of 3.5 million miles. No two of these rivers are the same," American Rivers says. "Each river is unique to its landscape, winding through low foothills and valleys, rushing clear and cold from mountain forests, or sweeping warm and muddy down desert canyons."
Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it.
–Margaret Atwood
This map comes from Hungarian cartographer Robert Szucs, who is using his mapmaking skills as a volunteer at an orangutan rehabilitation center in Borneo. Szucs mapped every river and tributary in the Lower 48, color-coded by drainage basin.
Every river in a color drains to the same river, which then drains into the ocean. The giant basin in the middle of the country is the Mississippi River basin. Major rivers like the Ohio and the Missouri drain into the behemoth.
NASA developed this excellent animation that narrows in on the Mississippi basin — specifically, the direction of water flow. It starts at Brower's Spring near the Montana-Idaho border — that is the head of the Missouri River. Then the Upper Midwest spawns the beginning of the Mississippi and Pennsylvania births the Ohio River. It all drains into the Mississippi which converges on New Orleans.
The final map was designed by Redditor WF835334. Simple and clean, it draws every body of water in the Lower 48.
h/t @da_fallon at Digg.com


text:
Video: it's so hot right now.
Everybody in the business world seems to be buzzing about video content marketing.
There's a good reason for the buzz: video as a marketing tool has grown significantly in the last few years. Companies are allocating more and more budget to video content every year. This year video ad spending is expected to top $11.4 billion. And that's just the advertising side of video-- you know, the stuff you skip over to get to the cat playing a piano.
Times are changing. People now interact with brands and shop in a completely different way. The ways companies have typically reached consumers in the past-- banner ads, commercials, etc.-- aren't working as well as they used to.
Everybody's using Ad Blockers now.
Yeah. All that money your company spends on pre-roll and banner ads? If your target market is a person on a computer, they're probably using an ad blocker. In 2015, over 200 million people worldwide were using ad blockers. In 2016, that number skyrocketed to 615 million (side note: I literally had to turn off my own ad blocker to read this report. Joke's on them, I turned it right back on).
So how do you get around this growing epidemic of people ignoring your expensive ads?
Content marketing.
You create valuable content that keeps your audience coming back for more. And if your company isn't including video as a part of its marketing mix, you're going to get left behind.
Still not convinced? Here are 5 reasons why you need to get on top of that ASAP.
1. Google search prioritizes video content.
If there's a video related to your google search, it's going to rise to the top of the list. Videos are 50x more likely to rank on the first page of Google results. Not only that, but video content has a much higher click through rate than a normal link.
As a new homeowner, I've been researching a lot of DIY stuff. When I search for "how to replace a light fixture", the top two listings are from Lowe's, but the very next listing is a three year old video on YouTube from a guy who does handyman tutorials. One man's small business is getting just as much exposure as a corporation putting tons of money into SEO.
And honestly, which link do you think I'm going to pick when I'm getting out the drill?
2. People crave videos.
1/3rd of all online activity is spent watching videos. And this isn't only the straight up entertainment kind. People are watching tutorials and vlogs and literally other people playing video games, and then devouring whatever the related content is.
On top of that, people are much more likely to watch a video than read an article. And if that article is a white paper? Forget about it.
3. People actually open emails that have video content.
Crafting the perfect email campaign with the perfect Call to Action and the perfect subject line can get expensive and time consuming, and then your open rates might still be meh.
Imagine increasing your click through rates by 200-300% just by including a video in the email. It could even be a repeat of the the exact same information you would have written, but now it's more likely somebody will see it.
4. Video converts better than anything else.
70% of B2B marketers claim that videos convert users to qualified leads more than any other content. More executives and decision makers are watching video than ever, and when it comes time to buy, a video might make the difference between yes and no.
So while your company is spending time on the perfect online ad or email campaign or infographic, your video-savvy competitor is snaking those leads right out from under you.
Bonus Reason #5: If your existing video content is bad, it's going to hurt your brand.
It's not enough to just throw a bunch of stuff at the YouTube channel and see what sticks. You need to actually think about what you're putting online, and why. And you need to make sure it doesn't stink, because otherwise your customers will lose respect for your brand.


text:
Issue 5.2
issue contents
> fiction
> nonfiction
> poetry
featured artists
our editors
Fabrice Poussin teaches French and English at Shorter University. Author of novels and poetry, his work has appeared in Kestrel, Symposium, The Chimes, and dozens of other magazines. His photography has been published in The Front Porch Review, the San Pedro River Review and more than 350 other publications.


text:
Control dc bus current using bi- directional converter
Бюджет $30-250 USD
Model bi-directional converter with battery to control dc bus voltage or current of stand alone system ( pv with boost converter , battery with bi directional converter and loads) , the controller must use double loop pi controller ( inner and outer controllers , using simulink
17 фрилансеров(-а) в среднем готовы выполнить эту работу за $217
Hello, i am electrical engineer expert on power electronics and control systems, i can implement control of dc bus current using bi- directional converter in simulink
Hello I'm Mohamed Saeed. MATLAb expert with high experience in simulink. I have checked your job description and I'm ready to help you in your project
Hello, dear! Nice to meet you. I am a professional in Mechanics, Mathematics, Vibration, Control system. If you see my profile, you can know my skills from my past 100%-COMPLETED projects. Feel fee to contact m Больше
Hi, I am an expert in control system. I am very familiar with pv with boost converter and battery with bi directional converter. I can do your project perfectly. Thanks.
Hi, nice to meet you. I read your project description carefully. After deep consideration, I notice that I can complete your project. Check my profile, please. Feel free to contact me to discuss in detail. Thanks!
I am an expert in Electrical Engineering, Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Architecture, who consistently delivers great work on time, every time? That's exactly what I'll do for you Больше
Hello I am an Electrical Engineer did MS in Electrical Engineering (Control System) as well. I have 4 years of Experience as well, also have 11 IEEE conference publications and 3 Journals with good impact factor. M Больше
Industrial engineer and project engineering Phd. More than 8 years experiences with MATLAB/ANSYS/SIMULINK/R/SPSS/EXCEL/SOLIDWORKS....I can solve all your problem in the field of : mathematics, electrical engineering, Больше
We are experts in electrical engineering & circuit & pcb design, we use Eagle and Altium Designer. Hire the Best, forget the rest
Hi, I am electrical engineer, I have also completed Master in electrical engineering, with specialization in power electronics. I have done research on the topic in master thesis, title as "Modeling and Control of Больше
Hi, I am very happy to bid in this project. I read your description very carefully and i am experienced in your project. I will complete your project on time with 100% accuracy. Please drop me a message so that we can Больше
Place your full requirement and full specification.
I will fullfill your requirements. Solar panel with boost converter.... Etc so I will process early. Thank you


text:
Last week the Federal Trade Commission published new guidelines on using testimonials and endorsements in advertising. The new Revised Endorsements and Testimonials Guide ads new restrictions to using testimonials and endorsements in advertising.
Consumer Testimonials – The Demise of "Results not Typical"
Now, advertisements that use a consumer to tell about his experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case, will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. Under the old rules, the phrase "results not typical" could be added to protect the advertiser from liability. No longer. If your consumer's results are not typical, then you will have to explain what results are typical to avoid liability for false advertising.
Bloggers and Other On-line Marketers Now Endorsers
The new rules also expand the universe of endorsers, and require that the advertiser disclose any "material connection" with the endorser. "Word-of-mouth" endorsers, such as bloggers and viral marketers are now considered endorsers, and if a blogger is paid cash or receives products to provide an endorsing review, the "connection" must be disclosed.
Research Company Ties Must be Disclosed
If an advertisement refers to the findings of a research organization that conducted research sponsored by the company, the advertisement must disclose the connection between the advertiser and the research organization.
Endorsers May be Liable for False Advertising
Advertisers and endorsers can be liable under the FTC Act for statements they make in an endorsement. The new guides clearly confirm FTC case law, stating that both advertisers and endorsers may be liable for false or unsubstantiated claims made in an endorsement – and for failing to disclose material connections between the advertiser and endorsers. Most endorsers have little knowledge about the details of the products they endorse, or the claims made in an advertisement, and the possibility of liability for claims made by an advertiser is likely to substantially reduce the number of potential endorsers available to advertisers.
No More Celebrity Covert Endorsements
Paid celebrity endorsers can no longer endorse products outside the context of traditional advertising, unless they disclose that they are a paid endorser. For example, a celebrity can no longer go on a talk show, blog, Twitter or other social media and promote a product for pay, unless they disclose that the endorsement is a paid endorsement. This rule alone may significantly reduce Paris Hilton's income.


text:
After her third laser therapy session her grip was about 60% better, and she was able to pronate her forearm and touch her thumb and index finger together. Her son reports that she now practices making a fist on her own.
Research shows that low level laser therapy (AKA photobiomodulation) is indicated for healing neurons, including within the brain. Daily in our practice we are seeing with our very own eyes the research being validated, sometimes more so than we had imagined.


text:
compare and contrast social networking software
Budget $100-300 USD
hi i want somebody to compare and study off the shelf social networking software - whats good whats bad who uses what .
10 freelancere byder i gennemsnit $185 på dette job
Hi, I want to suggest my benefits for you. Please, check my feedbacks and my portfolio at [login to view URL] I will be glad to help you. Thanx!
Hello, I am an experience analyst and I have handled several such projects at work. I have also handled a similar project through GAF, which you can see from my feedback. Kindly do give me an opportunity to handle t Flere
Hello I would very much like to assist you with your project. I am currently studying towards a Diploma in Law and Management and am confident that the skills learned will hold me in good stead. Upon reading yo Flere
Human Resource Certified Society of Human Resources-- Fairfax, VA 2005 Marymount Manhattan College Bachelor of Arts and Humanities: English Literature 2002-2006
Hi, I am an MBA and have done an extensive project on this topic. Will be able to finish work in 3 days or earlier as required.


text:
For the purposes of this website a 1031 tax deferred exchange is the selling of an existing rental or investment property and "exchanging" it for another qualifying rental or investment property.
Realtors are qualified to handle certain aspects of the 1031 exchange process. What is really needed is a team: Realtor, accountant or CPA and an "accomodator" or "facilitator". The Realtor can help you establish the value of the property to be sold or exchanged, market the property to find a qualified buyer and assist in structuring the exchange with the buyer. Qualified Realtors will also help "identify" the "replacement property" and structure the "replacement property" transaction to satisfy the 1031 exchange requirements. The CPA will assit with establishing the profit, or capital gains or "boot" as it is known in the exchange process. If there is no profit or gain there is little reason to do a 1031 exchange. The accomodator or facilitator acts as the neutral party to hold the "boot" or profit until the exchange into the "replacement property" is ready to complete. A somewhat complicated process, but worth it if capitol gains can be deferred and in some cases eliminated.
Why Exchange?
Capital gains tax is significant:
Reinvestment into replacement property allows taxpayer to leverage dollars that would otherwise be spent on taxes:
Allows for non-income producing property to be replaced with income producing property; and
Allows taxpayer to diversify portfolio and minimize risk
What Does a "Qualified Intermediary" do?
Act as "Qualified Intermediary" as required by the Treasury Regulations:
Prepare all documents required for the exchange:
Consult with your tax advisor
Execute closing documents
Hold the exchange proceeds to avoid constructive receipt of funds; and


text:
Location: Hoboken NJ USA
Tutoring and Homework Help
|Math, Test Preparation
|Algebra, Basic Math, Geometry, Middle School Math, GRE, LSAT, Other, SAT, TESOL
Mr Steve O. of Hoboken NJ USA Tutor Profile
Tutor Personal Information
|Mr Steve O.
I have been tutoring GMAT (Math and verbal), SAT Math and verbal, ACT, TOEFL, GRE, LSAT and other tests and subjects for over 15 years. I have worked with all sorts of students all over the world. I got a 780 on my GMAT, and a 780 on my SAT math. I have a very fun personality that gets the most out of people. I make learning fun.
I am available throughout the day and on some evenings and some weekends. I can travel throughout Philadelphia and NY/NJ, as I have clients in both areas.
I can also help with B-school and college applications and editing. I have been doing this since I applied to B-school (accepted to Columbia) back in the 1990s! I have edited for the Bank of Japan for over a decade, and I also do some writing and editing for Forbes.
Call me to discuss rates, and scheduling.
You will be surprised what sort of knowledge I can unlock from deep in your brain!
There's a reason I am not cheap. This is what I do. And, I get real results!
Tutoring Fee and Tutors Availability
|Grades Tutored:
|Elementary, Junior High School, High School, College, Graduate
|Days Available:
|Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
|Contract Availability:
|Long Term or Open-Ended Tutoring Commitments.
|Tutoring Rates:
|$60.00 to $150.00
|Sliding Scale:
|This tutor offers a sliding scale for students with economic hardships.
Tutor Background
|Time Spent Tutoring:
|More than 10 years
|Students Tutored:
|More than 50
|Special/Focus Groups:
|Educational Level:
|BA Economics, JD Law
|University of Virginia, Villanova Law
|Teacher Certification:


text: It was so lovely to have Ella all to ourselves for this session. With two busy sisters it was always a bit too much for her, but this time Ella was our little star! Always lovely to witness that special one-on-one time that all parents, I am sure, come to appreciate when it comes to your youngest child.


text:
Tom Wilson
Motown is a legendary record label.
That's not a controversial statement by any stretch of the imagination, the Detroit based music factory changed the way the black musicians could approach the business. With a "for us, by us" business model, Berry Gordy became one of the most successful black music executives ever and launched the careers of some of the most important entertainers of all time.
The roster of producers that graced Motown are giants in their own right. From Holland-Dozier-Holland to Norman Whitfield, the label's legacy with songwriters is just as proud as their connection to pop stars.
But what about black producers who didn't work for labels like Motown, or studios like Stax? Those were places where a producer of color could thrive, but in the 50's (and a decent portion of the 60's), it seemed like jazz was just about the only genre where one could become a "crossover" success.
However, there was an outlier. He was sharp in more ways than one, as free jazz icon Cecil Taylor called him "Ivy League and street smart." His ideas, which could seem outlandish, brought the fringe to the forefront of culture and his list of clients reads like a Hall of Fame induction list.
Imagine Berry Gordy in New York City around 1967, hanging out with Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed, on acid.
It sounds implausible, but in the 60's Tom Wilson was doing just that, what nobody expected of a black record producer. His kaleidoscopic taste, experience and ambition made him one of the most important record producers of all time, who bucked expectations at every turn.
Born in 1931 in Waco, Texas, Wilson was fortunate to grow up in a middle-class black family. His mother was a librarian, while his father sold insurance and directed the church choir. Wilson attended a segregated high school, and after graduation went to Tennessee based HBCU, Fisk University.
After a year at Fisk, he made a life-changing transfer to Harvard University. According to the Harvard Crimson, the school newspaper, in the 50's the quota of black students was fewer than 12 (people not percent). Wilson was by every stretch of the imagination an exception, but the prestige of Harvard and the lack of fellow black students didn't seem to faze him.
Wilson was a hyperactive student, involved in many student organizations. He served as president of the Harvard Young Republicans Club (pre-Southern Strategy, mind you) and did more to set himself apart in the music scene.
Heavy participation with the college radio station WHRB led to Wilson creating the Harvard New Jazz Society, acting as president. Under his guidance, the club reached up to 150 members and sponsored nights on the radio station, jazz forums, and scheduled concerts. The HNJS also brought Dave Brubeck, Lee Konitz, and The Modern Jazz Quartet to the school in well-received concerts.
Wilson was building his chops, learning how to work with and around artists, how to make deals. Not only did Wilson survive in this highly competitive environment, he also thrived, graduating cum laude in 1954, with political science and economics degrees.
The lessons he learned while at Harvard started to bear fruit in 1955 when he launched his own label Transition Records. Funded by a $900 loan from a friend, the label was Boston-based. Since he was a recent alumnus, the Crimson ran a story on the launch of the label and Wilson made his intentions clear.
Wilson had become a fan of music that was on the fringe of the national interest. Although a longtime fan of jazz, he'd been turned on to the new sounds emerging in the genre. With a label, Wilson was able to embrace both. He was also able to embrace roles as an executive and a producer, holding down both shifts at the label.
Transition started out with Dixieland and Bebop recordings, most notably releasing Donald Byrd's first few records. Working with Byrd meant working with Art Blakey, one of jazz's top drummers, and those records helped to raise Transition's profile as a label. However, the label quickly went into the uncharted territory that Wilson was devoted to.
The next record after Byrd's was astral-traveling orchestra leader Sun Ra's debut, Jazz by Sun Ra. Wilson doubled down on experimental jazz by releasing Cecil Taylor's debut, Jazz Advance. Producing and releasing such unorthodox records is bold, especially as such a young man in the business. Regardless, Wilson had unflinching confidence in what was "next", never afraid to accept new sounds. Transition never dominated the charts, but the releases on the label kickstarted some of the most successful careers in jazz in the years that followed the hard bop movement.
As a first attempt in the music business, Transition was perfect for getting Wilson in the game, but it wasn't financially viable. The label folded after two turbulent years, when Wilson simply ran out of money. Thankfully, running Transition launched Wilson's career, and money soon wouldn't be an issue.
Wilson moved down the coast to start working in New York where he was quickly employed by Savoy Records. The Newark-based jazz/R&B label got him working with artists like Booker Ervin and Gene Ammons, continuing Wilson's industry education. He produced The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra for Savoy, maintaining relationships with his past clients.
Wilson also did dates for Blue Note and United Artists Records, continuing to build his name in the jazz scene. Eventually, people began to notice and respect his work, and he worked with greats like Max Roach, Art Farmer, and John Coltrane. Finally a name on the scene in jazz, something happened in 1963 that would change his life.
Pop-gospel music was starting to rise in popularity, to the point that there was a fairly popular New York-based gospel nightclub called The Sweet Chariot. Columbia Records, one of the biggest labels in the world, decided they needed to capitalize on the movement, and hired Tom Wilson to record the gospel scene, live at the club.
Wilson became the first African-American staff producer to be hired by Columbia, shattering industry standards. He was also the perfect fit for the job, having listened to the church choirs his father directed in his youth, and with his vast experience recording live music from his work in jazz.
He cut a live record featuring various gospel groups and a few gospel albums, but the scene eventually petered out, and Columbia stopped investing time to The Sweet Chariot. Undeterred, Wilson finally had his foot in the door, and he used his new access as a Columbia producer to meet prominent artists.
Within a few months of working at Columbia, Wilson met Bob Dylan, a successful new folk singer on the scene. Although standing in front of a soon-to-be icon, Wilson didn't have much interest in the folk scene at first.
In 1976, he recounted his introduction to Dylan to music magazine Melody Maker.
Wilson recognized the opportunity, and quickly took action. He got in with Dylan and started producing for him. He cut four tracks on 1963's The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, then went on to produce Dylan's next three albums.
The run of The Times They Are a-Changin', Another Side of Bob Dylan and Bringing It All Back Home was transformative for Wilson and Dylan. Dylan made the famed transition to electric guitar and folk-rock, and Wilson became the executive producer for immensely successful albums. With Bringing It All Back Home peaking at #6 in the US and hitting #1 in the UK, he was established. If his foot was in the door in '63, by '65 he was putting plaques on the walls.
Dylan spoke highly of Wilson, calling him one of the producers that "meant the most" to him in 1974, but while the pair had plenty of respect for each other, their relationship wouldn't last forever. Wilson's period with Dylan culminated in 1965 when he was lead producer on Rolling Stone's Greatest Song of All Time, "Like a Rolling Stone". If there's any way to end a working relationship, a #2 hit on the charts which is regarded as a #1 in the history books is a good way.
Another legacy-affirming project Wilson took on in '65 was retooling an abandoned folk song, overdubbing a rock instrumental onto a track from an album he'd produced the previous year. The artists on the track (Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel) had all but given up on careers in music, but Wilson revived their hopes. Wilson's experimentation delivered their classic #1 hit "The Sound of Silence", an early work of folk rock.
At this point Wilson was a top dog in the industry, starting to get dates from international acts. In 1966, he started to produce for the "British Invasion" band, The Animals. His time with the group birthed three Top 40 singles in the US and a #4 album in the UK.
He was on a hot streak that paralleled the great producers of the era, but his laid-back style kept him far from becoming a celebrity. It isn't unfathomable to think that people were also surprised by his race, he was doing things a black man had never done before. He wasn't the first African American to capture White America's ears, but he was among the first to do it from behind the boards.
Despite the various successes he had in '66, the most important projects he worked on that year were two commercial failures he commissioned after he moved on from Columbia to work at MGM.
First, he discovered and signed The Mothers of Invention and executive produced their debut double album Freak Out!, effectively launching Frank Zappa's career. If he hadn't had the chart success with Dylan and The Animals, odds are The Mothers would have never been signed, nevermind being given the opportunity to record one of the first double albums.
According to Zappa, Wilson was on LSD while leading the recording session for the album's...memorable final song. In 1999, Freak Out! was awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award for its influence on progressive rock.
The second dud was the result of an office performance that most A&R men at the time would consider horrendous. Lou Reed and John Cale walked into his office, wielding an electric guitar and electric viola. According to Rolling Stone, Cale says "We plugged in and let him have it." They played two unrecorded songs, "Heroin" and "The Black Angel's Death Song". The tunes were about as far from the jazz, rock and folk that Wilson had built his name on as one could get.
Most executives would've ended the meeting pretty quickly, but Wilson wasn't fazed. When they were done he said, "Wow, love that viola — that's real excitement coming out of that." Wilson's vision and trusted track record helped him sign the band to Verve, and he assisted in the recording of The Velvet Underground & Nico.
The debut album of the art rock icons sounded like absolutely nothing on a major label and didn't do well in the market. Today the project is in the Library of Congress, as a seminal recording in rock history.
Andy Warhol is famously credited as executive producer, but outside of funding the sessions and providing the iconic cover, his involvement with the project was minimal. John Cale says that Wilson produced the majority of the album and that "The band never again had as good a producer as Tom Wilson." Lou Reed also called Wilson the "real producer" of the album.
With Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel, Wilson was the genesis of folk rock. With The Mothers of Invention, he was part of the beginning of prog rock. With The Velvet Underground, he worked with the pillars of art rock. Taking all this into account, while remembering his early association with the avant-garde jazz scene, it's clear that Wilson was one of the most forward-thinking producers of the 60's and all time.
Not only could he go to the edge of culture and cultivate the newest sounds, he could also find success with a popular movement like The British Invasion (i.e. his work with The Animals). High profile artists were constantly set up to work with him. Pete Seeger, Hugh Masekela and Soft Machine all also worked with Wilson on various albums and projects.
Given the incredible amount of success, on the charts at least, Wilson had the creative license that was only granted to top producers by '68. Many producers at this point in their careers would just raise their rates or push for more recognition. However, Wilson was the same man that launched his first label fresh out of college on a $900 loan, and his entrepreneurial spirit pushed him to do the unexpected.
Wilson would leverage his control and influence to launch three subsidiary labels (Rasputin, Gunga Din, and Lumumba), two music publishing companies, and a talent management firm. Along with all of those business ventures, he hosted a radio show sponsored by MGM called The Music Factory. Finding an alternative route was always a natural instinct to Wilson, and he cast his net as wide as he could.
The Music Factory was an hour-long show which featured interviews with distinguished guests. Lou Reed and John Cale appeared, as well as Richie Havens and presumably his former Savoy coworker, legendary A&R man Teddy Rieg. Wilson's presence on the mic matches the calm and in control persona that his peers remember him for having.
When it came to the actual musical content of the show, he was liable to play anything from Rock to Jazz to Latin, even Classical. His interest in the fringe had brought him to the big time, and he finally had a show that could wholly encompass his taste.
As for the various companies he started, they all came with bands and acts to work with. By 1968, a New York Times profile said he was working on two albums a month along with various singles. His time was being split in between seven different bands. Not only was Wilson the producer and publisher, he was also the talent manager, earning 15 percent of earnings for public appearances of the groups.
Wilson was doing quite well for himself, earning around $100,000 a year, $600k+ adjusted to inflation. These numbers are astronomical, especially for a black man in the 60's. However, the many acts that he took on didn't benefit from his busy schedule, and the 70's weren't nearly as generous as the previous decade.
Many of the acts he managed didn't get major label releases, and the ones that were released didn't sell well. The daily recording sessions got a lot of music made, but the albums weren't the successes that Wilson had become used to. Only one of the bands he managed lasted to make a sophomore album, and MGM/Verve cut ties with him. In '68 he produced 13 albums, in '69 he cut down to 5, and by 1970 only two.
Wilson was still in the business, but far less active. His companies folded and production credits grew increasingly sparse. His last credit of note was on the Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson album Bridges in 1977. There's no clear reason for the decline, but Wilson was a family man with a wife and kids, and plenty of money. Maybe he lost the passion, his killer intuition, or his entrepreneurial edge.
Either way his run is as good as any producer in history, and with more range than most. Wilson never saw himself with any limits or glass ceilings for a black man in America. Instead of considering himself lucky, he thought "why not me?"
On the edge of Rock, Jazz, and Folk culture, with no role models to look at who came before him, Wilson shattered every expectation. Not only making it to the top of the charts but making music that would shift culture, Wilson's approach to music mirrored his views on race. "Why not?"
In 1978 a heart attack ended Tom's life, still young at 47. To work on multiple projects, and with multiple artists that will stand the test of time, is a testament to one of the true mavericks of the music industry.
Wilson was taste personified, and the breadth of his work speaks to the different worlds he lived in. From pews in Texas to the halls of the Ivy League to hustling through New York's jazz scene and rock underground, Wilson lived a life worth making music about.


text:
A NEW Swansea could be built in Italy.
Officials from the Puglia region, based around the city of Taranto in the "heel" of Italy, have asked plan-ners from Swansea to help them design a new future.
A United Nations economic ambassador on a visit to Britain was extremely impressed with the transformation of derelict dockland into Swansea's award-winning marina.
And the ambassador, Nicholas You, was also enthused about the ambitious £200m plans for the Port Tawe seafront homes and business development which will be an extension of the Marina.
Industries in Taranto include agriculture, steelmaking, paper mills and engineering.
The city lies inside the Gulf of Taranto with an old town linked to a more modern part of the city by a swing bridge.
Taranto is a significant naval base and fishing port and also has cement and chemical manufacturing industries.
The Port Tawe development will also reclaim derelict dockland and is due to be completed over the next decade.
A university-linked Innovation Centre for hi-tech companies which is part of Port Tawe has already attracted overseas investors and Nasa has agreed to establish a space research visitor centre on the site.
Mr You was also impressed with the Swansea Vale project further north which has benefited from £250m worth of investment.
Swansea Vale promises to bring 3,500 new jobs to Swansea and 1,600 homes will be built there.
This week David Williams, a development officer at Swansea City and County Council, will be addressing the Taranto 2020 Conference in Italy.
And there will be further links between Wales and Taranto as the Italian city seeks to transform unused dock facilities into new homes and modern business units based on the Swansea model.
Before leaving for Italy, Mr Williams said, "The United Nations economics department was extremely impressed with Swansea during a recent visit.
"He feels Taranto, a heavily industrialised area, could learn and thrive from our experience of regenerating run-down areas and attracting private investment."
Mr Williams, who has also helped to advise war-ravaged cities in Croatia on regeneration added, "I am convinced the progress made in Swansea will prove an inspiration for Taranto."
The Taranto 2020 Conference, which aims to build a series of prosperous housing and business areas along the Adriatic over the next two decades will hear the story of how Swansea transformed its industrial wastelands.
Clearance work has already started on Port Tawe, which is taking shape on the east side of the River Tawe.
The listed Norwegian Church building is being lifted brick by brick from Swansea's port entrance to form one of the historic centrepieces of the showpiece development.
And a dramatic sail bridge will link Port Tawe with Swansea Marina for thousands of new residents.
Byron Owen, Swansea City and County Council's cabinet member for development, said, "Swansea's economic story is a major success.
"The face of the city is changing daily as we turn former industrial areas and run-down docks into 21st Century enterprise zones and new communities.
"We are proud that Swansea is being held up across Europe as an example of how to transform your economic fortunes."


text:
Top 10 Ways to Make Money Online
We all want money. Who don't need money right? If you think you can't earn money online you are totally wrong. Even you can make huge amount money with or without technical skills. Today, it is time to discuss about some of the top methods by which you can make huge amount of money easily.
Okay, we will basically focus on two points:
1. Should be Easy.
2. Huge Earning.
So lets discuss about it right now!
1. Creating Website / Blog:
I love this method, I'm using it too! It is not too hard to start a blog using Blogger or WordPress. After creating the blog you need to place advertisement in the blog. There are many advertisement provider out there. Before jumping into setting up advertisement you need to write some posts, compile advertiser's policy and make your blog attractive. Alternatively, if you have good technical skills, you can write your own websites.
1. Good earning when you will get good amount of visitors on your blog.
2. Creating blog is easy not rocket science.
3. It is like building home day by day then giving rent! So, Here you are creating your empire.
1. You may need some technical skills to set up template/theme.
3. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Maintaining.
4. Initial earning is low so, you need to wait to see good amount of money until you get good amount of page views per day.
2. Upload Videos on Youtube:
Many people using this method to earn huge amount of money. You can do this too! You just need to join youtube and upload videos. Videos must follow Youtube and AdSense policies to make money. Otherwise you will end up banning your AdSense account.
1. Huge earning when you've many viewers.
2. You don't need any technical knowledge to start earning.
3. You can choose any topic which compiles with Youtube and AdSense policies.
1. Creating video is little bit hard!
3. You need minimum 1000 subscriber and 4000 hours of watch time.
4. Videos (Should meet Youtube and Adsense terms & conditions).
3. Article Writing:
There are many websites who need author to write for them including us. If are not ready to create your own website / blog then this is the best option for you. It has a advantage also over creating website or blogs, you don't need to care how many visitors you will get to make money because the websites you are writing for may have many visitors per day.
1. Don't need any technical knowledge to create website/blog.
2. May have fixed rate per article writing.
3. There are lots of websites to start with.
4. Huge rate ($1 – $300) per article.
5. You don't need to worry about incoming traffic.
1. You need to write good and original articles. So, you need good knowledge.
3. You may need to know little about photoshop so you can provide images for your articles.
4. Freelancing Jobs:
If you are technical person this is a great way to earn big amount of cash. So, basically what you need to do is, visit: https://www.freelancer.com and click on Browse Jobs menu, there you will find different kind of online works provided by different clients. Then you need to find out what is suitable for you. After that you need to bid on that. The client may review your profile to check whether you are suitable person for this job or no. For more details I'm writing a separate article on Freelancing Jobs!
1. You can earn huge amount if you are a skilled person on your field.
2. Here, between you and clients the communication is direct.
3. If you are technical person it is great way to make money.
1. You need to provide good quality of product to clients so, they get interests to work with you again.
2. You may need to have technical skills (Programming / Graphics Design etc). Because, most of the freelancing jobs are technical jobs.
5. Android Apps :
Everyone can make money with android applications. There are many apps out there but few of the apps pay real money. Mostly the apps offer surveys, playing games, installing other apps, sharing articles etc. The task apps provide may be different from each other.
1. It's super easy.
2. You will only need a android phone and internet connection.
1. Rates varies [Mostly the earning rate is low compare to other methods].
Best 10 Android Apps to Make Money Online


text:
|Clockwise: Walu Walu, Wagyu Hot Rock & Biendo roll
1. Uchi - Sushi lovers rejoice! This is not your average go to sushi place. In fact, I recommend you veer off of the roll mindset and try a variety of their dishes. Everything we had was superb, the service was amazing & the decor & ambiance left you feeling cool. Recommended dishes: Walu Walu (this was my fave - oak-grilled escolar, candied citrus, yuzupon, myoga), Wagyu Hot Rock ("sear it yourself" wagyu beef, ponzu, Japanese river rock), & Biendo (tempura shrimp spring roll, nuoc mam, grapes).
|El Diablo burger, fries & Lil Prick drink
|Queso fundido con chorizo & torta de huevo
slaw, queso fresco and guacamole served with white rice) & for brunch: Torta de Huevo (open faced scrambled egg sandwich with chorizo, jack cheese, refried beans, crema, avocado and pickled jalapeños served with spiced crispy papitas). Man I am getting hungry!
Poached shrimp spring rolls & Grilled McAllen
Flank Steak Banh Mi
Hope you give these a try and may your bellies be as happy as mine were!


text:
Find stories by year and month.
Publication Index
Find stories by year and month.
Feature31 December 2014
2015 Preview: New Year's resolutions
Eat less, exercise more, read more books…New Year's resolutions are invariably similar from year to year. But what about for the research community? We asked our panel to offer up their insight-driven resolutions for 2015.
Feature30 December 2014
2015 Preview: Most likely to succeed
We asked our panel which companies and/or brands were most likely to succeed in the coming year. Once we'd taken out all of those who named their own companies, they suggested a mix of specific companies and some general observations.
Feature29 December 2014
2015 Preview: The biggest trends
In this, the first of Research-live's 2015 preview articles, our contributors offer their predictions for the key trends of the coming year, including thoughts on polling in the upcoming general election.
Feature24 December 2014
2014 Review: The biggest disappointments
In the final review article of the year, Research-live contributors reveal what they consider to be 2014's biggest let-downs.
Feature23 December 2014
Top tens of 2014: Features and opinion
Following yesterday's rundown of the top ten news stories, here are the ten most read features and opinion pieces from the year.
Feature23 December 2014
2014 Review: Biggest success stories
Whatever your criteria for success, there have been some companies that will undoubtedly look back upon 2014 as a good year.
News23 December 2014
MarketShare appoints VP for EMEA
Marketing analytics software company MarketShare has named Ian Robin as its new vice-president for EMEA.
Feature22 December 2014
Top tens of 2014: News stories
A round-up of the most read news stories from Research-live in 2014.
News22 December 2014
Millward Brown buys Habitus
WPP-owned Millward Brown has acquired Ecuador-based market research company Habitus.
Feature22 December 2014
2014 Review: The best campaigns
Be they creative, controversial, culturally relevant, heart-warming or uncool – these days the advertising is as talked about as the films and TV programmes they appear around. See the pick of the best from some of our review panel:
News19 December 2014
Macromill launches medical research joint venture
Macromill-CareNet is a new joint venture specialising in medical market research.
News19 December 2014
Facebook 'the best network for user engagement'
Facebook adoption is almost 100% among the Interbrand Top 100 Global companies, according to the latest data from Simply Measured.
News19 December 2014
Newsworks appoints Turner as director of insight
Denise Turner, currently chief insight officer at Havas Media Group, will oversee the insight programme at the marketing body for national newsbrands.
Feature19 December 2014
2014 Review: The buzzwords
The second of Research-live's five review articles looks at the buzzwords that summed up 2014.
Feature18 December 2014
2014 Review: The most significant developments
In the first of five review articles, members of the research community look back on the most significant developments of the past 12 months.
News18 December 2014
Confirmit urges businesses to prepare for 'barrage of data' from IoT
Market research software provider insists that 'businesses must correct the imbalance between too much data and not enough insight'.
News18 December 2014
HGGC completes majority investment in SSI
The private equity firm has completed its investment, in partnership with Providence Equity Partners and Sterling Investment Partners, in the parent company of Survey Sampling International.
News18 December 2014
Pester power factor in mobile purchases
Children's choices have a significant influence on the decisions parents make when buying a wireless device according to research from Communicus.
News18 December 2014
Kantar acquires majority stake in IBOPE Media
WPP-owned Kantar has bought the majority interest in Latin American measurement and research firm IBOPE Media.
News18 December 2014
IHS buys Infonetics Research
Information, insight and analytics firm IHS has acquired global comms market research company Infonetics Research.
News18 December 2014
SoapBoxSample partners with TrueSample
SoapBoxSample has announced a deal with TrueSample to add two of its products, Sample Validation and Multi-Device Fingerprint.
Opinion17 December 2014
Online surveys need handling with care
Respondents to online surveys are often used as barometers for broader influence. Steve Abbott looks at when this works and when it can lead to problems.
News17 December 2014
Brandwatch acquires PeerIndex
Acquisition will see PeerIndex's influencer analysis technology, author profiles and Twitter author database integrated into Brandwatch's platform.
News17 December 2014
100% viewability measurement 'not yet possible'
The Interactive Advertising Bureau has recommended 70% as the best threshold for buyers and sellers during 2015.
News17 December 2014
Tesla Motors tops cultural traction in US
Tesla Motors, Google and Amazon have come out as the most culturally vibrant brands in the US according to Added Value's Cultural Traction 2014 report.
News17 December 2014
Quirkos launches qual software
Edinburgh-based Quirkos has released a software package to help researchers understand qualitative text data.
News17 December 2014
Facial reactions points to John Lewis' penguin's popularity
John Lewis' Monty the Penguin ad is the most compelling Christmas ad among those of UK high street retailers according to a study measuring people's facial reactions.
Opinion16 December 2014
Profiling the positives of Generation Rent
The assumption is often that when adult children are forced to live at home because of their finances it has a negative impact on families' lives. But this isn't necessarily the case says OMD's Rian Shah.
News16 December 2014
Sharon White named as new Ofcom CEO
White, who is currently Second Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury, will join Ofcom in late March 2015.
News16 December 2014
Second screen ad synching predicted to grow rapidly in 2015
Consumers will see more TV ads backed up with reminder and reinforcement messages on digital devices, according to predictions from Millward Brown.
News16 December 2014
TNS appoints Jacob as qual MD in Asia Pacific
Serena Jacob has been hired as managing director for TNS Qualitative in Asia Pacific.
News16 December 2014
Infotools makes senior appointments
Market research software company Infotools has appointed Amanda Boote as business development director for Infotools Europe based in its London office.
News16 December 2014
Cint and Opinium launch IFA panel
A panel of independent financial advisers has been integrated into Cint's system, in partnership with Opinium.
News16 December 2014
Inskip takes helm at The Futures Company
Mark Inskip has been appointed as global CEO of Kantar-owned The Futures Company, replacing Will Galgey who is moving to TNS UK as CEO.
News15 December 2014
ResearchBods hires three
Louise Davies, Benjamin Pelc and Shannon Berry have all joined the UK team.
News15 December 2014
Simpson Carpenter co-founder to retire
Derek Carpenter, who co-founded the research and insights consultancy with Tom Simpson in 1998, will retire at the end of this year.
News15 December 2014
Chrysalis welcomes two
Rana Baroud and Anna Fair have both joined Chrysalis Research as research managers.
Feature15 December 2014
Herd mentality
2014 was the year of the viral challenge. Ali Barnes of Incite discusses how brands and researchers can understand and leverage this new behavioural dynamic.
News15 December 2014
Red Carpet launches online affluent panel
Red Carpet Research ( RCR) has established a dedicated panel of affluent and high net worth individuals called LuxuryOpinions.com.
News12 December 2014
UK internet economy one of the strongest in the world
The UK had the highest e-commerce spending among the major nations surveyed in a new communications report from Ofcom.
News12 December 2014
Askem launches new targeting platform
The online Q&A company has launched Askem Know, a 'research and engagement platform' that enables demographic targeting.
Opinion12 December 2014
Twee, fake and disingenuous
Andrew Wiseman questions whether consumers are really fooled by brands on social media.
News12 December 2014
HRW welcomes new executive VP of US Research
Christine Dalzell has joined the company to head up its new US team.
News12 December 2014
Skim to expand to Asia
The new base in Singapore, opening in January 2015, will be the agency's flagship Asia office.
News11 December 2014
MRS league tables reveal industry recovering from recession
Latest league tables reveal overall growth of 2.5% was achieved over the 12 month period.
News11 December 2014
Cint and Aurora in panel partnership
Panel marketplace platform provider Cint has partnered with Aurora to add UK panellists to its OpinionHUB marketplace.
News11 December 2014
Brand USA 'most valuable' at $19 trillion
A report on the world's 100 leading 'nation brands' reveals the US as the world's most valuable nation brand, while the UK comes in fourth.
News11 December 2014
Bilicic joins Lightspeed
David Bilicic has joined Lightspeed as vice president of Business Development, The Americas.
News11 December 2014
Nielsen and Moat form data agreement
Intelligence and analytics company Moat will integrate Nielsen campaign audience data into its platform.
Opinion11 December 2014
Five things you should never do in a segmentation…
Anne Coveney identifies the five worst crimes committed in the conception, implementation and use of segmentation studies.
News10 December 2014
MRS Awards gallery
A selection of pictures of some of the winners at the 2014 MRS Awards, which took place on Monday night in London.
Opinion10 December 2014
I'm a Celebrity Endorser, Get Me Out of Here!
Does research have a role in determining when a celebrity will add shine to a brand ponders Research Now's Ben Hogg.
News10 December 2014
Austerity measures hitting women harder than men
With the chancellor George Osborne making it clear in the recent budget that austerity measures are here to stay, it is women who are experiencing the greatest hardship according to JWT's latest Austerity Index.
News10 December 2014
Promotions at M3 Global Research
Healthcare market research firm M3 Global Research has appointed Michael Wildt as head of sales and Jim Anderson as senior vice-president of sales operations.
News10 December 2014
Brands failing to engage consumers with their loyalty schemes
More than half of UK consumers ( 54%) think it takes too long to earn rewards in loyalty schemes and, as a result, 27% have stopped using a loyalty programme.
News10 December 2014
Warc's global adspend forecast cut for 2015
Marketing intelligence service Warc has downgraded its 2015 global adspend forecast by 0.5 percentage points, predicting a 4.8% increase at current prices next year.
News10 December 2014
New hires for ThinkNow Research
Hispanic market research company ThinkNow Research has appointed two new people to its business development team.
News9 December 2014
GNM appoints new audience director
The Guardian News and Media has appointed Charlotte Putnam as its new audience director.
News9 December 2014
Ipsos MORI and BBC Media Action among MRS Awards winners
Ipsos MORI and Amgen won the Award for Healthcare Research and the Grand Prix for Greatest Impact at the 2014 MRS Awards ceremony held last night in London.
News9 December 2014
Digital's share of global ad spend to reach 30% in 2015
New report also forecasts that digital ad spend will overtake TV in the US in 2017.
News9 December 2014
China media giants gaining ground on US rivals
China now accounts for two of the six largest online media companies as Tencent and Baidu enter the list of companies with highest online media revenue according to the latest Digital Media Index.
News9 December 2014
Tablet ownership fastest growing of all connected devices
Growth in ownership among US consumers driven by video usage, according to new research from NPD Group.
News9 December 2014
JWT New Zealand acquires Heyday
WPP has announced that JWT New Zealand has acquired a majority stake in Wellington-based digital agency Heyday.
News9 December 2014
Cello buys Promedica
Healthcare and consumer marketing group Cello has announced the acquisition of San Francisco-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology market research company Worldwide Promedica.
News8 December 2014
Equifax launches segmentation tool
Consumer insights company Equifax has introduced a consumer segmentation tool so wealth and investment professionals can more accurately target consumers.
News8 December 2014
Northstar welcomes two new postgraduate interns
Six months after the launch of its Advanced Internship Programme, two new LSE student interns have been announced.
Feature8 December 2014
Through the looking Glass
The team at HRW have been testing Google Glass as an ethnographic research tool with some interesting results.
News8 December 2014
Simpson Carpenter hires new digital lead
Paul Roberts, formerly of BrainJuicer and SPA Future Thinking, has joined the company as digital director.
Opinion5 December 2014
Re-positioning the survey
The survey is the face of market research, says Lucy Hoang of Northstar. But are we putting our best face forward?
News5 December 2014
App Annie expands into user demographics
App analytics provider has announced the launch of Audience Intelligence, a product offering user demographics, related apps and sentiment data.
News5 December 2014
Dentsu Aegis Network acquires Tempero
Tempero is a UK-based full-service social media management agency.
News5 December 2014
Promotions and hires at product perceptions
Denise Bedford has joined the company as a senior research executive, while two promotions have also been announced.
Opinion5 December 2014
Speed, transparency, and 'good enough' research
In his second blog from the Insight and Innovation Exchange ( IIeX) APAC conference in Sydney, Stephen Phillips of Zappistore discusses fast and slow research and other highlights.
News5 December 2014
Noon joins The Sound
Caroline Noon, a founding partner of Vivid Research, has joined the company as research director.
News4 December 2014
One in three 'don't trust MR industry to safeguard personal data'
New research from GRBN also revealed that 36% of people worldwide are "very concerned" that their personal data might be misused.
Opinion4 December 2014
Intimacy, mobile chat and self-service
Stephen Phillips offers his highlights from day one at the Insight and Innovation Exchange ( IIeX) in Sydney.
News4 December 2014
Over half of digital ads 'never seen'
New analysis from Google has revealed that 56.1% of digital ads served to consumers are never seen.
News4 December 2014
European growth for uSamp
Market research technology firm announces a series of promotions within UK office and a new addition to its German sales team.
News4 December 2014
Possible acquires Swift
WPP's global creative digital agency has acquired US digital agency Swift.
News4 December 2014
Autumn Statement 'most popular political Twitter event of 2014'
Reaction from UK public to George Osbourne's Statement more positive than any other political events on social media in 2014, according to analysis.
News3 December 2014
Hunt warns of 2015 difficulties for pollsters
Tristam Hunt, MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central and shadow secretary of state for education, said that as voting becomes more erratic in the UK it will be increasingly difficult for pollsters to predict election results.
News3 December 2014
Jean Marc Lech, Ipsos co-president, dies aged 70
Jean Marc Lech, Ipsos co-president died yesterday morning.
News3 December 2014
Orians to head Critical Mix global customer care team
Kevin Orians has been appointed as customer care officer at the sampling, programming and data reporting services provider.
News3 December 2014
UK ad spend expected to show 6.3% increase in 2014
Prediction from WPP's GroupM would represent the fastest growth of any major, mature economy.
News3 December 2014
GfK hires Llewellyn as UK head of shopper
James Llewellyn joins from Nielsen, where he held a similar role.
Opinion3 December 2014
How (not) to lose friends and alienate people
Five rules to customer engagement by Adam Goran, divisional director of customer engagement at Grass Roots Group.
News2 December 2014
Zenith International opens Dubai office
The specialist food and drink industry consultancy is to open a new regional head office in Dubai.
News2 December 2014
The social value of 'shopping small'
New research from American Express has revealed the social benefits of shopping locally.
News2 December 2014
Informate announces new CEO
Will Hodgman has been announced as the firm's new CEO, alongside news of planned expansion.
News2 December 2014
Research Now appoints new SVP of client development
Pam Maltby has joined from Ipsos ASI where she was president of the US region.
News2 December 2014
Rentrak acquires Kantar's US TV measurement assets for $128m
Acquisition is part of WPP's media company Group M and research and analytics business Kantar Media's partnership with Rentrak.
News1 December 2014
Behavioural Insights Team on recruitment drive
The former Cabinet Office 'nudge unit' the Behavioural Insights Team ( BIT) has announced it is searching for a new head of energy and sustainability as part of a recruitment drive.
News1 December 2014
Digital to be over half of UK ad spend according to Group M
The UK's improving economy will mean ad spend will increase by 5.7% to reach £15.7 billion in 2015, according to WPP's Group M research.
Opinion1 December 2014
2015 a crunch test for pollsters
Penny Young, chief executive of NatCen Social Research continues the debate about determining voting intentions.
News1 December 2014
Word of mouth drives 13% of sales
A study measuring the impact of consumer word of mouth found that online and offline consumer conversations and recommendations account for 13% of consumer sales – or $6 trillion in annual consumer spend.
News1 December 2014
'Natural' food deemed healthy by UK consumers
'Natural' is the best proxy for healthy among the UK public according to research from MMR exploring food category health profiles.


text:
Looking at a future where a robot might take your job, and thinking maybe it's time to re-skill? here's some good news: with the demand for digital skills in Australia continuing to grow, by 2022 we will need an extra 81,000 specialist tech workers. Intensive tech jobs will increase by 236,700.
So how's this for good timing - Apple's "Everyone Can Code" initiative has gone global, with a full year-long "App Development with Swift" course launching in over 20 colleges and universities outside of the US - including at RMIT.
Designed for to students of all levels and backgrounds, RMIT University is offering the course online, on campus, there's a scholarship for school teachers - and a free summer school for high school kids.
"App Development with Swift will play a crucial role in helping RMIT's students use their creativity and entrepreneurship to prepare for success in the 21st century workforce," said Martin Bean CBE, RMIT University vice chancellor and president. "These are the sort of skills Australians need for the jobs of the future, and we're thrilled to work with Apple to deliver this important curriculum."
The new online program starts on 20 November, while the new vocational education short course will be taught on campus from February 2018.
RMIT says the new courses complement the uni's existing software engineering and computer science degrees.
RMIT is offering 100 scholarships for school teachers to upskill by completing the RMIT Online program. In addition, a free summer coding school at RMIT's City campus will give secondary students the chance to learn the basics of coding in Swift.
Helen Souness, CEO of RMIT Online, said the new iOS App Development with Swift online program was cocreated and endorsed by major industry partners, including Tigerspike, jtribe and Bilue, who represented key drivers of growth in the app economy.
"The industry has been crying out for more digitally-skilled workers for years and RMIT is proud to work with Apple to meet the demand in this booming area and create life-changing educational opportunities for people from all walks of life."
You can get more info here.


text:
BLF Tip of the Week
Lock your vehicle doors!
The most common form of theft comes from car burglaries where the vehicle is left unlocked. Unlocked vehicles create crimes of opportunity. Additionally, the most common cause of stolen firearms is, you guessed it, leaving firearms in unlocked vehicles. Simple tip: don't leave things of value in your automobile and always lock your car. Comfort and a false sense of security can leave you vulnerable. Bring your valued items inside and lock those doors! If a firearm is stolen form your vehicle, call the police immediately and report the stolen firearm, so that your firearm and serial number can be on file in case the firearm is used in a crime. Lock those doors!


text:
Empty seats in Calgary bars will be in short supply before sunrise Sunday morning when fans gather for a pint or two while big screens showcase the good ole hockey game.
Lots of bars, including Wurst, World Bier Haus and Jamesons Irish Pub, have stopped taking reservations ahead of the 5 a.m. puck drop as Canada attempts to reclaim Olympic gold against Sweden.
Lots of cars on 17th Ave this morn. Huge lineup outside The Pint. #weareearly— Jason Markusoff (@markusoff) February 23, 2014
A big hockey fan, Haymour will experience the gold medal game a lot differently than in 2010, when he and two friends flew to Vancouver to watch the action live, courtesy of another pal, star forward Dany Heatley.


text:
In ExTools you find the following 16 functions:
Ignitability Indices
1.minimal ignition energy: influence of temperature
2.minimal ignition energy: influence of median value
3.minimal ignition energy: influence of gas
4.minimal ignition temperature: conversion GG to BAM / BAM to GG
5.ignition hazard of sparks
Explosion Indices
6.lower explosion level : influence of temperature
7.Pmax: influence of temperature
8.Pmax: influnece of initial pressure
9.Kmax : influence of initial pressure
10.LOC : influence of temperature
11.LOC : conv. N2. - CO2
12.LOC : estimation with MIE and MIT
13.Rotary air lock
14.Maximum experimental safe gap (MESG)
15.Flexible Intermediate bulk container (FIBC)
16.circumferential speed and ignition hazard
don't be old-fashioned ...
get your ExTools for a most innovative and effective work in explosion safety!


text:
Tim Edmunds (2020)
My wife, Kristin, and I were both born and raised right here at Decatur First and have been members our entire lives. We have two daughters - Brooke and Lauren and we are active members of the Trinity Sunday School class. Over the years, I have been involved as a youth counselor, Appalachia Service Project volunteer and children's Sunday School teacher. I have also served on both the Administrative Board and the Staff-Parish Relations Committee. I have a background in finance and sports management and I am currently the CFO of TSI Solutions. I can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
This publication is available exclusively to Munich Re clients. Please contact your Client Manager.
Running time: 43 minutes
Munich Re and the Insurance Information Institute jointly present an overview of natural catastrophe activity for the first half of 2014.
The statistics for natural catastrophes for the first half of 2014 have been marked by satisfactorily low levels of global claims. Overall economic losses of US$ 42bn and insured losses of US$ 17bn to the end of June were considerably below the average for the past ten years (US$ 95bn and US$ 25bn respectively). However, towards the end of the year the natural climate fluctuation El Niño may impact regions differently in terms of the number and intensity of weather extremes.
The 2014 Half-year Natural Catastrophe Review provides an overview of natural catastrophes in the first half of the year, including winter storms, thunderstorms/tornados, floods, droughts, earthquakes and wildfires.
Webinar topics
|US/Global Catastrophe Update
Carl G. Hedde, CPCU
Head of Risk Accumulation
Munich Reinsurance America, Inc.
|Special Topic –Global Warming and Natural Climate Oscillations
Peter Höppe
Head of Geo Risks Research/Corporate Climate Center
Munich Re
|Economic Implications
Robert P. Hartwig, CPCU
President & Economist
Insurance Information Institute
In the US, Munich Re provides access to a full
range of property-casualty reinsurance and specialty insurance
products through Munich Reinsurance America, Inc., American Modern
Insurance Group and Hartford Steam Boiler Group. Together, we deal
with the issues that affect society and work to devise cutting-edge
solutions that render tomorrow's world
insurable. Munich Reinsurance America, Inc. has been successfully
addressing the key challenges of the future since 1917. Our clients
trust us to develop solutions for the whole spectrum of reinsurance
– from traditional reinsurance agreements
to the management of complex specialty reinsurance risks. Our
recipe for success: we anticipate risks early on and deliver
solutions tailored to clients' needs,
creating opportunities to achieve sustained profitable growth.
The Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) is a nonprofit, communications organization supported by the insurance industry. Its mission is to improve public understanding of insurance -- what it does and how it works. For nearly 50 years, the I.I.I. has provided definitive insurance information. Today, the I.I.I. is recognized by the media, governments, regulatory organizations, universities and the public as a primary source of information, analysis and referral concerning insurance.
For press information, please contact
Sharon Cooper
Phone: +1 609 243-8821
© Copyright 2015 Munich Reinsurance America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This publication is available exclusively to Munich Re clients. Please contact your Client Manager.


text:
Posts Tagged 'Drink'
Drink, Food and Catering Options For Wedding
After this exchange with wedding vows, guests along with the newly wed couple you will need to let loose inside the reception at which satisfying munchies await. In terms of planning your meals and refreshments with the wedding wedding ceremony party, a wedding couple usually makes a decision between "American" service plan, buffet-style, family-style, or perhaps food gas stops. Below, you'll find an outline of a portion of the ways to consider food and additionally drinks that will wedding friends:
American Trend – The placed or sit-down list seen during many weddings is called an "American-style" beer arrangement. It is probably the most ordinarily selected expertise in catering because doing so permits numerous guests to their meal quickly research the least degree of servers. The dining is prepared within the kitchen then served to make sure you guests if you use banquet trays.
Buffet-Style – Since guest visitors are cup themselves using a buffet-style wedding celebration meal, it will take more time for everyone participants to their food items. Usually, numbered rooms are called to prevent congestion during smaller ceremony settings and larger sites allow guests in order to create orderly facial lines. A customer may come to feel more pleased with a buffet-style plan, as they will choose the different types of food the can consume : spanning many different vegetables, lean meats, and sugars displayed relating to large rooms.
Family-Style – With this sort of food contract, guests really are seated located at designated rooms, as they can pick and decide on a plate placed inside the table. Attendees pass the foodstuff to other sorts of guests inside the table, which might possibly be seen as an rather downright costly choice. It is because portion-control is definitely impossible plus guests are permitted to eat too much food as they quite simply want along with the caterer keeping many of the platters complete.
Food Routes – Choosing cuisine stations for your wedding reception is usually a similar selection to buffet-style concept. Food products, such seeing that pasta, stir-fry, kebobs, different appetizers, and sweets are ready at a request on the couple and additionally served to help you guests with buffet dining tables. A and also is which the guests happen to be kept enjoyed as chefs organize their food facing their encounters.
Don't Your investment Drinks – Alcohol as well as other beverages becomes a considerable feature for the reception, as there are numerous ways so that you can approach the following wedding variable. Couples can elect to present most of the guests by open watering hole or certainly bar, beverage hour, dried up bar, or perhaps limited clubhouse.
Food, Cake And Drinks Are Central To Any Baby Shower
Cuisine is key to any specific party while it not mainly fills all the guests in place but also, it is a wonderful vehicle to get your friends and family members to mingle collectively. When it concerns planning the meals for a child shower simpler is usually better and the other excellent option to make hassle-free food a lot more elaborate would be to take good care and period over the country's presentation. Generally speaking baby showering hosts prefer to serve some sort of buffet from finger food as this food is simple to devour, does not really require a good deal of preparation not to mention fairly big quantities from food may be provided moderately inexpensively. Another good option for baby shower celebration food is perfect for the host formulate a 'pot luck' selection to which all of the guests contributes different things to devour. Finally certainly it's possible to have an official sit-down supper, but there's nothing a common choice nowadays.
At the finish of the morning really it is up in the host decide how a lot she can pay for to devote to food and the amount time she's got available meant for preparation. This above all else will usually determine the actual menu with the party. Unless her infant shower is it being planned being a surprise, the number should speak about the menu while using the guest from honor if they initially meet to lift weights the facts for bathtub and, in case it is agreed which the host provides the food stuff, then this could be invested in in of a week ahead and also the initial prep done each day or two ahead, leaving the actual finishing touches of waking time of typically the party.
You mustn't forget that a guests may also need something to enjoy and, generally speaking. the sponsor should you should plan on serving merely non-alcoholic beverages. The pregnant woman aren't going to be able towards indulge at any rate and often there is a probability that should you choose serve alcohol a few of the guests may indulge more than they are able to. For this particular reason, it a wonderful idea to leave alcohol out completely. Serving non-alcoholic drinks is additionally a reduced amount of expensive nevertheless, at the conclusion of your day, the option is nearly the web host. Appropriate drink ways for a baby shower celebration might include many fruit lovely juices, and range of soda, a yummy fruit strike served in any punch can and teas and coffees. Also, since drinks cannot spoil, they can needless to say be purchased well before the event.
How Alkaline Foods, Drinks and Calcium Combat Indigestion, Acid Reflux and Heartburn
Alkaline snacks, alkaline alcoholic beverages, and lime scale offer healthy strategies to common the digestive system problems. Anyone who has ever experienced gird or pyros is (heartburn) knows which will burning feeling in your chest plus abdomen. Drastically that typical modern afternoon diet includes a great number of acid providing foods, drink and various items which will cause an improvement of acid elsewhere in the body. Coffee, beverage, wine, coca cola, some green tea, and possibly sport food and drink and nutrient waters all develop acidification will be side effects.
The body was organized to maintain a nutritious pH balance along with the more we make it by choosing the ultimate balance connected with foods in addition to drinks, appropriate it tasks. For model, soft cocktails are some of the acidic goods that people drink. Colas are actually so hugely acidic that they may remove decay from a form of metal. Imagine what exactly it needs to be doing on the medial side the physical structure. Now, imagine another effect if alkaline ingredients and alkaline food and drink are utilized. Indigestion, acid-reflux in addition to heartburn are usually signals the fact that body is going of account balance. Choosing the ideal foods and additionally drinks occasionally gives one's body the proper nutrients get rid of the acid and a healthier pH debt.
Calcium is amongst the most significant mineral in your battle with indigestion, gird, and acid reflux / heartburn. When typically the daily eating plan is a lot more acid rather than alkaline, your physique must gain minerals that include calcium, to try and neutralize the circumstance. Unfortunately, the absolute right place to attain calcium is during the osseous matter. So, when there is too a number of acid foods without having to enough alkaline drinks while in the diet, bones remove calcium during a faster in comparison with normal speed, resulting around osteoporosis and various health conflicts. It might also want to be considered that stress results to an acidic ecosystem while calcium supplements can deliver a calming effect on the digestion, which triggers positive results in the whole physical structure.
A body this really is always inside an acid state will offer less oxygen while in the blood, a weaker immune mechanism, gout, lower back pain, performance loss not to mention kidney pebbles. More truly serious health troubles, like many forms of cancer, also are more likely to expand inside an overly acidic setting. Alkaline foodstuff and alkaline drinks attributes needed body any chances to address itself well before these significant problems grow. An eating plan that does not have the enough alkaline foods may contribute to the tired, tired feeling subsequent to eating. Consider that we are having a debate about the uprate crystals or alkaline ash brought to life by the metabolization on the nutrients in addition to minerals from the food soon after consumption.
Dangerous Drinks, Foods and Drugs For Pregnancy
There are lots of precautions to look at during gestation. Here we concentrate on what usually enters you through orally. In various words, meal, drink not to mention medicines. It is best to eat an outstanding, healthy diet and then increase the total amount you partake of by approximately 200–300 calories a full day. A person should also avoid any sort of foods which have been harmful in the baby.
Foods Avoiding during Being pregnant – Any food filled with raw eggs with the risk regarding salmonella. Most of soft and even blue-veined cheddar dairy product, as good as all other unpasteurized dairy these might contain damaging wisteria bacteria's. Unwashed fruit and vet, and organic or under-cooked animal products (including pâté as well as pork), because all these may secure the parasite which could cause Toxoplasmosis Most of supplements incorporating vitamin Any, and every food (notably liver) loaded with levels with vitamin The, as sizeable quantities regarding vitamin A leads to birth blemishes. Be attentive: Recent studies have indicated that it's now additional necessary or possibly advisable to protect yourself from peanuts when you've got a family tree of allergic reaction.
Alcohol – Although it will be generally considered safe for you to drink a small amount of drink (concerning two and also four units one week) it is actually clearly far better to consume under possible both equally during pregnancy while breast-feeding. Binge–drinking will not be safe and really should be avoided at any expense.
Diet whenever breast-feeding – To offer energy in addition to help maintain a very good milk give, you should really: consume together with drink slightly a lot more than usual and it is important to are not likely skipping meals as you're are at the same time exhausted or even too stressful. You are going to eat everything else you want however, many infants obtain windy and additionally unsettled for those who eat garlic clove, hot and spicy foods including curries, or excessive numbers of citrus many fruits. Do consume loads of fluids.
Prescriptions and breast—feeding – Most over–the–counter drugs for example are usually safe taking while breast-feeding, but always browse the information leaflet to evaluate whether your drugs are appropriate for breast-feeding parents. Some medicines (I. g. anti-biotic) can provide your youngster diarrhea or simply make her uncomfortable by using wind or even colic. This absolutely will not actually harm having a child, but if she or he reacts rather badly you need to consult a physician or community pharmacist.
Money Saving Methods for Food and Drink Cost
All people faces these days around July just simply quicker to feed on out in comparison with return home in addition to make meals. In this overly busy contemporary society, it is usually very difficult to include time when it is all said and done to mend a new four training dish. Nevertheless, this is often a high priced habit in the event you move out typically. You will discover actions you can take to reduced often the tab after you just have an opening otherwise, you usually are treating yourself to per night available.
Coke is just about the best marked right up items with any selection. Nearly all restaurants expense your requests pretty much two cash for one ingest and many have a tendency even give no cost refills. If you think this for just a gathering of five that is definitely a supplementary 15 dollars for the look at, you will acknowledge that waters is often a significantly better decision. The opposite selection you can think of is choosing a dish that features a ingest.
Quite a few deserts fee almost approximately the leading training and intensely few individuals ever previously finish these individuals. That you are significantly better away from to hold back soon you go back home to get something lovely or cease somewhere purchase a total birthday cake on how household. You could commonly invest in a total pie as well as cake within the store for just the buying price of some slices for a bistro.
Expressing large zakouski is a wonderful method for saving income for a dish. Quite a few restaurants give large piece that finally end up about to squander. That is a strategy should you have little ones or toddlers. As an alternative to choosing a kids meal you could just simply obtain however zone. Realize many restaurants grimace within this train all of which will impose for a supplemental zone.
In the event you will likely be eating dinner out having, kids get a bistro, which provides no cost kid servings or not costly people. Many companies get one night each week they will specify as young children day or any young children under 14 eat no cost. You may as well hunt for eateries that contain exclusive kid's possibilities. These kinds of menus typically have the majority of the identical items for the older selection, just simply for a scaled decrease measurement.


text:
What We Mean When We Say "The End Of The World"
by Bethlehem Shoals
As a child I realized I would die, and thought about it often. My parents, now divorced, both like to recount the time I made this sad, if fairly inevitable, discovery. We were driving by a cemetery; I asked if all animals died, then if people were animals, and when I got my answers, was quiet for a long time. In second grade, I realized that looking forward to summer vacation was the same as eating away at the balance of my time on Earth. It was hard to enjoy the tire swing after that. Two years later, it was even worse. My family went to Montreal (again, the summer) and to this day, I associate the Expos with my own flesh gone cold and rotting.
That fall, I came up with a solution. I would devote myself, steadfastly, to the end of the world. That would be my thing.
In the late eighties, it was possible for a nine year-old to confront the end of the world as a purely theoretical problem. Although I grew up in the South, I don't think I knew what Revelations was until my teens. The Jewish tradition, or at least the education I received, didn't exactly make a priority of it. It could scarcely be bothered to articulate heaven and hell. My end of the world was a neat, tidy, and reassuring. Everything would be gone. I wouldn't turn into a fossil or gasoline. My toys wouldn't belong to someone else. There was no reason to to worry about irrefutable regret. I didn't even have to bother with God. The sun would swallow up this planet, and then as the grand finale, the entire universe would collapse on itself. Compared to a world without me, or my spending forever marooned in terrible blankness, it was a metaphysical security blanket.
Let me clarify one thing: I wasn't looking forward to this merciful poof, or interested in working to bring it about as soon as possible. There was nothing dark about this impulse, if you could even call it that. I really just needed a way out of a particularly nasty thought experiment. Also, like most human beings, especially very young ones, I don't think I could grasp the end of time and space. This was as much a way to short-circuit my brain as it was an appeal to common sense.
But when you find yourself constantly returning to the absolute End of Everything, a funny thing happens — you start to get really bored, really fast. When we think about death, it's almost always in reference to the world of the living, or some reasonable facsimile of it. We're drawn to life; the fantasy of watching your own funeral is as much reflex as pathos. It's certainly easier to situate ourselves there. The allure of the end of the world was that there was no life, no scraps to cry over or clutch at. However, this also meant that, freed from the feeling that human existence was meaningless, I was stuck contemplating absolute zero. There was something vaguely Buddhist about it all, I guess, although there's a difference between thinking deep thoughts and being sophisticated enough to care. Anyone who has dropped acid can tell you all about that.
Also, while I had turned to eschatology so I could stop worrying about death and destruction — drain The End of all feeling, as it were — it wasn't long before I realized what an opportunity I had wasted. There's the cool, rational response to everything going away forever, and then there's the belief that, if everything goes away forever, something pretty fucking cool had better happen to make it that way. Paul Boyer's excellent When Time Shall Be No More chronicles the strange way that the narrative of the Apocalypse has been shuffled in order to resonate with the times; the success of Left Behind depends not on the joyous peace of the Messianic age, but rather on the fireworks and bloodshed that precede it.
Today, this shit is everywhere, and the Rapture, when those stuck on Earth must band together to find the Antichrist, is a great time to make friends and build community. It helps that ultimately, all are united in Christ, but prophecy, not doctrine, is the real lesson here — and the source of so much religious fervor today. When the History Channel or A&E; runs a program about what we can expect when it all goes down, or people clamor for the end to come so they can start the party, they're not talking about The End. They're describing a process that brings all the thrills and chills of complete and total negation, one that at the last minute manages to avoid you-know-what. Even a nine year-old could tell you that.
Bethlehem Shoals is a founding member of FreeDarko.com and a regular contributor to NBA FanHouse. Pay attention to his book and FD's art emporium.
Image by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, from Flickr.


text:
Wild Knowledge
- 11,99 €
- 11,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
Today, we live and do business in a world where society gathers knowledge faster than it gathers wisdom. It is a world of continuous revolution and change. Those who manage to find, structure and exploit the power of "Wild Knowledge" - ie, the untamed data, learnings and experiences that flourish in our lives and minds - will come out the winners. In combination, we need to develop our ability to understand and judge which aspects of that knowledge are applicable to business and life in general. This is the so-called "Vicious Wisdom" which will force you to unlearn, to choose an approach of unthinking, in order to reach a deeper understanding, meaning and reason in your quest to find new and different solutions. This book, written by a leading futurist/philosopher, presents a powerful and radical approach to thinking about and solving our future lives and businesses.