Daily Archives: April 19, 2021

It was a little over a month ago when seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion-turned-IndyCar rookie Jimmie Johnson and four-time IndyCar champion and one-time NASCAR Cup Series rookie Dario Franchitti sat in Johnson's Charlotte home and talked racing. OK, they were trying to talk racing. But they were quickly interrupted by Chandra Johnson, wife of a NASCAR legend-turned-IndyCar rookie.

So what did Mrs. Johnson ask Mr. Franchitti?

"'Is my husband going to make a fool out of himself?'" Johnson recalled Thursday morning, chuckling as he prepared to jet south to Birmingham's Barber Motorsport Park for Sunday's Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, his first open-wheel start and first of 13 planned road and street course events.

And what did Mr. Franchitti tell Mrs. Johnson?

"He never hesitated. He said to her, 'No, he is not. You have nothing to worry about,'" Johnson said. "That's the good news, that Dario isn't worried. The bad news is that I don't feel nearly as confident about it as he does."

It's not that the man lacks for confidence. He is, after all, the winner of 83 Cup Series races, including a pair of Daytona 500s. He just wishes he had a little more seat time in the lighter, faster, more nimble IndyCars. OK, a lot more seat time. Moving from a racing life lived behind the wheel of a 3,400-pound stock car and into the cockpit of a 1,600-pound open-wheel machine is like going from piloting an Airbus to an F-22 fighter jet. NASCAR is about momentum, how one throws that weight around and how it throws them around, building speed one lap after the other. IndyCar is point-the-nose-and-go, with everything and anything happening instantly.

In July, after Day 1 of his oft-COVID-delayed first test session, Johnson responded to a "How was it?" text with a GIF from the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon as it made the jump to light speed.

"It is so exciting, but it is also so challenging," he said. "I have had to literally rethink everything I know about driving a race car. In a stock car, speed is all about how you attack the exit of a turn. In an IndyCar, it's about how you attack turn entries. There is so much acceleration into the turn. That's new."

There is so much that's new it's hard to keep track. Everything from race starts and pit stops, to terminology (when the rear end of the car loses grip and goes sideways, that's no longer "loose," it's "oversteer") and tire spin. It's the latter that's been giving him fits, struggling a bit to understand braking and acceleration points with the bigger tires on a lighter car. He's really wrestled with getting his Firestones up to the right temperature and air pressures, accidentally spinning and burning up those tires prematurely. With strict tire limits, there's no rubber to be wasted.

"The biggest worry I have is making a dumb mistake, something that stems from inexperience," Johnson said. "Using up tires or botching a pit stop, or even just getting in the way when I don't mean to. We were limited to only five tests, and the last one of those was a while ago, early March. I got probably 150 laps in during each test, so do that math and it's not a lot of laps."

To make up for that lack of seat time, Johnson has traveled to Speedway, Indiana, to strap himself into race car manufacturer Dallara's sci-fi film-worthy 360-degree simulator. But pandemic travel restrictions kept engineers from gathering and uploading updated 2020 data. It's still set up to 2019 race specs. So while the sim time gave Johnson a great handle on the racetracks, it provided only a partial feel for his 2021 ride. To fill in those gaps, he has worn out the video and data servers of his new team, Chip Ganassi Racing, watching every angle of every 2020 race lap and pit stop over and over, as well as everything gathered during his five tests.

Right now, those downloads have been limited to the road and street courses, the 13 events he is running this season, sitting out the four ovals. That means no Indy 500. For now. Asked to gauge the possibility he might change his mind next month, he rated the chance as "a sliver."

The other data banks he's mined are the human ones, especially Franchitti and teammate Scott Dixon, who also happens to be the six-time and reigning IndyCar champ, aka the Jimmie Johnson of open-wheel racing. "Yeah, I have leaned on Dixon some, but when I was so many seconds off his pace in the beginning, I tried not to bother him," Johnson said. "As we inched closer, I feel like I'm a little more worthy to ask a few more questions."

Dixon scoffs at such remarks, echoing the universal praise being heaped upon his 45-year-old rookie teammate, coming from every corner of the IndyCar paddock. "He has already covered so much ground with very limited laps. You saw immediately how competitive he is. The intensity is just insane. Everyone knows what amazing shape he is always in physically, but he has even changed how he trains to prepare for the different feel of these cars, for the G-force loads. He is covering all his bases. That's how you win seven championships. This is going to be so big for IndyCar to have him with us."

How big? No matter what Johnson's results might be, he will make motorsports history simply by showing up in Birmingham this weekend. While there has been a long list of IndyCar superstars to jump into NASCAR with some success -- A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney and Johnny Rutherford all won Cup Series races -- that has rarely happened in reverse. A few NASCAR stars, including Indy 500 Rookies of the Year Donnie Allison (1970) and Kurt Busch (2014), have shown flashes of potential, but no NASCAR driver has ever won an IndyCar event and only one crossed over to run the full open-wheel schedule, a fact so little known that not even a fellow legend knew about it until he was told on Thursday.

"Wait ... Cale Yarborough ran a full IndyCar schedule?!" Johnson replied when told the three-time Cup Series champ did indeed run the USAC Championship Trail calendar in 1971. He also came the closest to winning an open-wheel race, leading with less than 10 laps remaining at Ontario Motor Speedway. A decade later, after Yarborough had won three consecutive Cups and had 83 wins, a kid who grew up not far from Ontario made his family drive out of their way to find a Hardee's hamburger joint so he could buy a die cast toy of Yarborough's famous No. 28 Hardee's-sponsored ride.

That kid's name was Jimmie Johnson, and he recalled that story for Yarborough in 2008 after he tied that record of three straight championships. Now they also sit together with 83 Cup Series victories, sixth on NASCAR's all-time wins list.

"That's the part of this experience that I get the most excited about, following in the footsteps of the racers who were my heroes," Johnson added, his voice beaming through the phone line. "When we were kids we'd say, 'Who do you think you are, Parnelli Jones?' We said that because he raced everything everywhere. Parnelli, A.J. Foyt, the guys who have run the Charlotte/Indy Memorial Day weekend double duty. Being able to cross over like that, like I have the opportunity to do now, this is as old school as it gets. I'm ready to go, man."

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Jimmie Johnson ready to make his official jump from NASCAR to IndyCar this weekend - ESPN

Sushmita Sen posted this video. (Image courtesy: @sushmitasen47)

Actress Sushmita Sen is one of the best motivators you can find on social media. Time and again, she has kept her fans inspired by uploading jaw-dropping workout videos. In her latest post on Instagram, Sushmita gave us a glimpse of another intense workout, which has left us speechless. In the video, that she called "meditation in action", Sushmita, in an all-black athleisure wear, is seen performing an act on her favourite gymnastic rings. The former Miss Universe captioned the video, "Sharing a feeling, I call alive. It doesn't take strength...It takes will. Back to my practice...How I've missed this feeling. I love you guys."

Her hashtags were #alive, #practise, #will, #breathe, #gratitude and the customary one, #duggadugga. The comments by her fans ranged from "amazing" to "girl power" and "mind-blowing" to "brilliant workout".

Working out with gymnastic rings is no mean task. The actress has been doing it for a few years now, too, had a shaky start. During her first attempt at working out with gymnastic rings in 2018, she had posted that "knuckle push-ups are really a piece of cake in comparison".

When it comes to motivational messages as well, the actress has always been spot-on. In another post, that just had the line, "Never tell me the odds", the 45-year-old wrote, "I believe everything in life is possible, when we begin even. Just because someone couldn't do it, doesn't mean you can't. Go after what you want, leave the odds to the odd ones out."

So, what pushes her every day to radiate such positivity? Well, in another post, she says if you really want something "commit to it, cut out all the noise both inside your head and outside your being. Focus all your energies to honour your commitment and then you will prevail."

The actress confirmed in February that the second season of her web series, Aarya, was on the cards.

Aarya had marked her digital debut in 2020, and Sushmita had left a lasting impact on fans in the role of a drug lord, who takes on her husband's business.

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Sushmita Sen's "Meditation In Action" Post Is Beating Our Monday Blues. Watch Her Workout Video - NDTV

Masked passengers line up at Ronald Reagan National Airport just outside Washington, DC.

COVID-19 vaccinationrates continue to ramp up in the US, and the promise of summer travel is becoming more reality than fantasy. As we crowd onto flights, a new question is emerging: Should governments and the private sector embrace the idea of a vaccine passport for international travel? Advocates say such passports, which would be a form of documentation (likely digital) that would allow you to prove to border officials or another gatekeeper, would ease the grip of thecoronavirus pandemicby making vacations and business trips abroad possible again. But the idea is not without controversy.

Before too long, though, proving yourcoronavirus vaccinationstatus (or maybe just a negative COVID-19 test) will likely be key to globetrotting again. Some countries, most of them with economies dependent on tourism, are pushing ahead either with real vaccine passport plans or allowing vaccinated visitors to skip quarantine requirements for entry. The private sector, most notably cruise lines and airlines, is also eagerly climbing aboard.

Proving you're vaccinated to travel abroad isn't a new concept -- some countries have required yellow fevervaccines for years -- but doing so for COVID-19 would be on a far grander scale than ever before and would present immense logistical challenges. Passport skeptics also predict they could result in discrimination and fraud, encourage risky behavior in the face of newcoronavirus variants, and be a privacy minefield. As the debate continues, here's what we know.

This story has been updated with new information.

Now playing: Watch this: Eager to travel abroad? Bring your vaccine passport

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Despite its name, the vaccine passport likely wouldn't be like the little booklet you present to immigration officials when you cross an international border. Rather, the most probable concept is a mobile app with a scannable barcode that shows your vaccination status. The app could also allow you to check entry requirements for a country (possibly after uploading your itinerary) and hold the status of your last COVID test, and maybe other health information. For people without smartphones, some proponents are pushing for an alternative paper version. Multiple apps are currently in development (see next section).

The app could verify your vaccination a few ways. Perhaps you could take a photo of a paper vaccination certificate, but that method opens the door to possible forgery. A better option would link apps to databases that hold vaccination records. In the US, that data is held not at the federal level, but by individual states.

Keep track of the coronavirus pandemic.

Currently, a few businesses and organizations are working to create passports. Here's a partial list.

One is the International Air Transport Association, a trade group based in Montreal that represents 290 airlines worldwide. The IATA is developing an app called Travel Pass that would let users upload documentation to prove vaccination status. It would also allow passengers to check health entry requirements for countries they plan to visit and find COVID testing centers -- either before they leave for a trip or upon arrival. Eventually, the Travel Pass could incorporate biometric information, such as a thumbprint or facial recognition, to prove a person's identity.

The IATA says 23 airlines, includingQantas, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and the parent company ofBritish Airways, arecurrently testingTravel Pass. The organization says airlines would have the option of integrating the data into their own apps.IBM is developingDigital Health Pass, which would "enable organizations to verify health credentials for employees, customers and visitors entering their site based on criteria specified by the organization."

Clear, the registered traveler program that allows you to speed through security at US airports, is pushing its own app'sHealth Pass feature. It recently partnered with The Commons Project Foundation to collect and manage vaccination records. The Commons Project Foundation, working with the World Economic Forum, also has its own app:CommonPass. that could link with the iOS and Android health apps. I'll discuss which airlines are using CommonPass a bit later.

Other possible apps include the AOKpass, Passport for COVID and Corona Pass.

The IATA is developing Travel Pass for its member airlines.

A lack of standardization would be a burden for everyone. Some apps, for example, could request more information than others or could work in different ways. Another potential problem could be countries and airlines accepting only some apps, forcing travelers to upload their vaccination records multiple times. We'll have to see how that plays out, but it could be one avenue for governments to step inand sort out the mess (more on that later).

That's unclear at this moment, and it's something that could get messy if some countries decide to exclude a vaccine that's not approved for use within their own borders. The European Union has already said as much, which I'll discuss later.

Not yet, at least on a cross-border basis. But Israel, which is leading the world in vaccination rates, has launched a "green passport" that gives holders access to places like gyms, theaters, hotels, concerts and synagogues. New York state has announced an app called Excelsior Pass, which shows your vaccination proof or the results of a negative COVID-19 test (you must also show a photo ID).

It's a broad coalition, with much of the push now coming from Europe. Denmark and Swedenhave both said they will develop vaccine passports for travel, and Estonia is working with the World Health Organization on a solution. Popular tourist destinations like Greece, Spain and Cyprus are eager, as well.

On March 1, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that the EU would present a legislative proposal this month for a Digital Green Pass that would include proof a person has been vaccinated, has received a negative test result or has recovered from COVID-19. Two weeks later on March 17, the European Commission released a proposal(PDF) for resuming free travel within the bloc for EU citizens and residents with Green Passes. There will likely be some restrictions: The EU hasn't yet approved Russia's Sputnik V and China's Sinopharm vaccines for use, and vaccinated people from other countries would still be barred from entry. The Green Pass could be ready by June.

Outside of the EU, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said his government is reviewing their use. China and Japanare also advocating for vaccine passports, as are other tourism-dependent countries like Thailand and Aruba.

Keep in mind, though, that many countries remain closed to international visitors. Removing those barriers will be a completely separate issue.

As part of a Jan. 21 executive order aimed at curbing the pandemic, President Joe Biden directed his Cabinet to assess the feasibility of linking COVID-19 vaccination to the current International Certificates of Vaccination or Prophylaxis used by the WHO (more on that later). It's clear, though, that there will be no national mandate for using them.

Ina briefing on March 9, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the private sector would likely drive domestic use of vaccine passports. "There are lots of ideas that will come from the private sector and nonprofits," she said. "We welcome those. But our focus from the federal government is on getting more people vaccinated, and that's where we feel we can use our resources best." On April 6, Psaki said, "There will be no federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential."

Andy Slavitt, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,echoed those comments in a March 29 briefing. "We view this as something that the private sector is doing and will do," he said. "What's important to us -- and we're leading an interagency process right now to go through these details -- are that some important criteria be met with these credentials." That criteria includes equitable access to the passports (such as for people who don't own smartphones) and securing the privacy of user information.

Yes. Iceland was one of the first countriesto allowvaccinated visitors to skip testing and quarantine requirements. It's been joined bya handful of other countriesincluding Belize, Croatia, Ecuador, Estonia, Guatemala, Montenegro and Seychelles. That list will expand.

In the US, Hawaii is developing a program that will allow travelers who have been vaccinated to skip COVID-19 testing or quarantine.

Though the US alreadyrequires a negative COVID testto enter the country, it does currently not require a COVID vaccination. Visitors to the US and returning US residents are not required to be vaccinated against anything, though immigrants must be inoculated for 14 other diseases.

In the US, vaccine passports have already emerged as a partisan issue-- with Republican elected officials in particular decrying any use in domestic settings as a violation of personal freedoms. One of the loudest critics has been Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whoissued an executive order April 2 banning businesses and government agencies in the state from requiring vaccination passports. But that order may run afoul of the cruise industry, a powerful force in the Florida tourism sector (see below section about the private sector).

And around the world, the idea has yet to gain traction in developing countries with less access to the vaccine or with economies not dependent on tourism.

Though the WHO is exploring how a vaccine passport might work, in a Feb. 5 statement it said, "At the present time, it is WHO's position that national authorities and conveyance operators should not introduce requirements of proof of COVID-19 vaccination for international travel as a condition for departure or entry, given that there are still critical unknowns regarding the efficacy of vaccination in reducing transmission." WHO gives more reasons for its stance, which are included below.

Very much so. Cruise lines are motivated to support the use of vaccine passports given that cruise ships like theDiamond Princesswere major coronavirus hotspots when the pandemic began (and less recently forother diseases like norovirus).

"Cruise ships had a very, very difficult problem to solve," said Terry Jones, the founder of Kayak and Travelocity and a former CIO of American Airlines. "And they're a small microcosm of a lot of people. And so to get people to feel safe again, it simply makes sense."

Royal Caribbean announced on March 1 that itwill resume sailing from Israeland that all passengers 16 years and older will have to be vaccinated. It also has announced upcoming cruises fromCyprusandthe Bahamaswill be open only to vaccinated crew and passengers. It's not a stretch to assume that such a mandate will be enforced across all of the company's ships.

That's the case with Norwegian Cruise Lines, which announced April 6 that all passengers booked on cruises through Oct. 31will need to be vaccinated. Other cruise lineshave followedwith varying requirements of their own, including Cunard, Celebrity, Princess, Seabourn and Viking. Keep in mind, though, that theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention are still setting requirementsfor cruise lines to begin sailing from the US. At present, a vaccination requirement for passengers is not among them.

Qantas said it will require international passengers to be vaccinated.

Airlines, led by the IATA, cruise lines and others in the travel and hospitality industries are big supporters. Qantas, for example,will require visitorsto Australia to have a vaccine to fly. Given the country'sstrict quarantine policyand success insuppressing the pandemic, it's not surprising. The CEO of Qatar Airwayshas also said he supportsthe idea. Among the airlines using CommonPass on a trial basis for select flights are United, Cathay Pacific and JetBlue, Lufthansa, Swiss International and Virgin Atlantic.

There is a big incentive for airlines to endorse the idea of a vaccine passport for international flights. Keep in mind that airlines are responsible for ensuring passengers have the correct documentation to fly to any country before boarding a flight. In a sense, that makes an airline check-in desk the equivalent of a border crossing. And if an airline happens to fly someone to a country they can't enter because they're not vaccinated, the carrier is responsible for flying them back home at its own expense.

Terry Jones said it's unlikely that could happen for domestic flights, though that could change (see video). "The Presidentruled that flights must have masks. So, there could be some of that going on," he said. "I think it simply makes sense."

Advocates say they could:

The problem, though, is that these reasons aren't perfectly in line. So, which will be prioritized? That's something we'll have to decide.

There are a few critical ones here, as well:

Possibly. That would be the case with the EU's Green Pass. But we'll have to wait and see whether other countries or businesses adopt such a policy.

The WHO Yellow Card lists a bearer's vaccination status.

A vaccination as a requirement to enter a country is not a new concept. The affected diseases include not just yellow fever, but also meningitis and polio. Travelers can record their shots and prove vaccination status with the WHO's International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (also called a Carte Jaune or Yellow Card) [PDF], which is a vaccine passport. Or as Jones put it, "This is simply a digital representation of that time-worn idea."

COVID-19 is different because it's happening on a vastly wider scale than something like yellow fever. Only a handful of countries, all in equatorial Africa, require a yellow fever vaccination for all travelers. And other countries -- like China, Australia, South Africa and Colombia -- only require it if you're arriving from a country with a yellow fever risk (the WHO has a comprehensive list of vaccination requirements by country).

Advocates say there are a few reasons to go digital. Paper passports would be more subject to forgery, and they'd be more difficult to replace if lost, stolen or damaged. It's also likely that border officials would be able to check digital passports quicker than they would paper certificates. That would help at busy international airports where multiple flights with hundreds of people each can arrive within minutes of each other.

No. Social distancing and mask wearing are still absolutely essential for fighting the spread of the virus and protecting the health of yourself and others. And they'll remain that way for many months.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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Vaccine passports for COVID-19: How they'll be a part of global travel - CNET

Welcome to Creators on the Rise, wherein partnership with global creator company Jellysmackwe find and profile breakout creators who are in the midst of extraordinary growth.

Gunnar Deatherage is no stranger to stitching for an audience.

In 2012, the Los Angeles-based designer showed his skills on two back-to-back seasons of Bravo TVs long-running series Project Runway, competing in the shows tenth season as well as the fourth season of its spinoff special Project Runway All Stars. Deatherage didnt walk away with the catwalk crown in either season, but Project Runway did help launch his career in fashion and set design.

Between the end of his time on Project Runway and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Deatherage had his work featured in magazines like Vogue Italia, Elle, Pattern Magazine, and USA Today. He styled celebrities including Lady Gaga, Matthew Broderick, and Allison Janney. At his day job as the art director, decorator, and draper for film and commercial design firm Nomad, he has worked on sets for music icons like Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Halsey, and Sia.

But, like many folks across many industries, Deatherages stream of work began to slow with the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. So he put idle hands to work by joining TikTok.

Deatherage posted to the shortform video platform at least once per week, with each upload showcasing his start-to-end process of making everything from custom dresses to ultraluxe hats to recreations of stars red carpet looks. At the same time as his TikTok following began to grow (hes now up to nearly 2 million fans), YouTube introduced its own TikTok competitor, Shorts.

For Deatheragewho says he considers YouTube the only platform that can support a full-time digital careerit was a clear opportunity to bring his content to the worlds largest video sharing site.

Deatherage began uploading 60-second videos to YouTube in January 2021. At the end of that month, he had his first hit: a clip where he made a cocktail party-ready dress from dollar store items. He made a similarly themed video at the end of February where he turned $2 fabric into a 60s party gown.

Both of those videos (plus the 20 hes uploaded since) helped drive Deatherages channel from 13,000 subscribers on March 1 to, now, more than 212,000. His view count has also skyrocketed from 821 views in January to 255,000 in February to more than 12 million in March.

Deatherage says the growing attention has already led to a partnership with Patreon. In the coming weeks, he plans to launch a page where patrons can pay for handmade patterns thatll let them recreate his viral pieces.

Check out our chat with him below.

Gunnar Deatherage: I am originally from Louisville, K.Y., but I live in L.A. now! I dont have much free time, but when I do take a moment for myself, I love to go to the gardens in Los Angeles, travel, shoppingha! My background is in set and interior design as well as fashion design! Im a bit of a Swiss Army knife of skill sets! I like to refer to myself as a modern Renaissance man. My brain just loves to create, it doesnt matter the medium.

GD: Its wild, right? Almost 200K in a month!

I can 100% thank YouTube Shorts for the increase. The new sector of the platform is really embracing the media style of apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels, so it has really brought my style of content to new eyes, and for that I am so thankful!

GD: My first truly viral video on YouTube was a video [embedded below] where I created a dress from items I bought at The Dollar Tree. I think theres something so fun and whimsical about making something from nothing. I was on a few seasons of Project Runway, so creating in that way is just in my nature at this point!

GD: My grandmother taught me to sew early on, and encouraged me to always improve my skills. Im entirely self-taught aside from her knowledge. I love dressmaking because you can create such incredible pieces from nothing but a flat piece of fabric. Its 3-D art meets multiple skill sets. Sewing is a lot of problem solving, so the little victories along the way make it worth it. Also, seeing someone feel their absolute best in a piece you created is a feeling like none other.

GD: To be honest, YouTube intimidated me for so long! Had I not been at home from the pandemic, and posting on TikTok, I wouldnt have made the leap. Ive not even been on TikTok for a full year, and have almost 2 million followers, and seeing how inspired viewers are by seeing a somewhat difficult process simplified really inspired the move to YouTube!

For me, YouTube is the only app where you can actually make a living creating, so having a steadily growing following is mind-blowing.

GD: Well, partnerships make a big difference, ha! I have so many plans, and now that I know I have eyes who want to follow along that journey, I plan on stepping up to the plate and delivering!

GD: Well, it certainly isnt the comment section, haha!! The YouTube comment section can be brutal, but that being said, I think my favorite part is watching a new audience see what Im capable of, and then constantly surprising them. I LOVE hearing that people are surprised with every post.

GD:I do create for my TikTok as well as my Instagram! I try to give each channel its own style of content, and some content does not cross over to other channels, but its hard to keep up all the time because my content takes SO LONG to create! Im literally making a full gown for one 60-second post, ha!

GD: Education!!! Im working closely with Patreon to launch a Gunnar page! My team and I are creating custom Gunnar Deatherage patterns that will release on my Patreon, as well as the basics of sewing videos. I will have a lot of tiers and options so people can grow with me. I think sharing knowledge is my favorite part of creating, and offering that while supporting myself is the goal!

Jellysmack is the global creator company that detects and develops the worlds most talented video creators. The companys proprietary video optimization technology and data drive social audience growth, unlocking new revenue streams and amplifying monetization.

Currently home to over 150 influential Creators including PewDiePie, MrBeast,Brad Mondo, and Bailey Sarian, Jellysmack optimizes, operates, and distributes creator-made video content to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. Jellysmack-managed content boasts 10 billion global monthly video views and a cross-platform reach of 125 million unique U.S. users, making it the largest U.S. digital-first company in monthly social media viewers.

Looking to grow your social presence? Lets talk.

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Creators On The Rise: Gunnar Deatherage Is Stitching Himself A Career On TikTok And YouTube Shorts - Tubefilter

Pictured: Technology in use

Why broadband has never been more important for a residential care home in the midst of a global pandemic by John Keaney, SIRO CEO.

Covid-19 lockdown restrictions have been difficult for everyone, but it has been even more challenging for residential care homes across the country like the Tara Care Centre in Bray. Families suddenly could not visit loved ones, many of the centres operations quickly shifted online and connectivity was key as part of the vaccination programme.

The management of Tara Care Centre realised very early that their existing broadband service simply could not cope with simultaneous video calls by numerous residents, along with ongoing uploading and downloading of vital information as part of ongoing engagement with the health authorities. Simply put, they could not risk the safety of residents and staff due to slow broadband speeds.

After being connected to the SIRO network, the Tara Care Centre could ensure residents could contact loved ones from the comfort of their own rooms, instead of needing to be reliant on being nearby to a wifi router; and instantly access and upload the necessary information in seconds as part of the requirements of the vaccination programme and Covid-19 testing regime. Thats why a Fibre-to-the-Building broadband service was a crucial part of their strategy for navigating their way through the pandemic.

What most companies do not realise is that they are actually using a residential Fibre broadband service, which simply is not suitable for their needs a fact that is suddenly becoming obvious in the midst of the pandemic as their service slows to a crawl.

Regular Fibre broadband is typically delivered to a regular telecoms cabinet near to your company premises, with a copper connection serving as the last mile. In contrast, a Fibre-to-the-Building broadband service consists of a fibre-optic cable connected directly to your premises. It is a dedicated connection that is not shared with other users and it has no copper connections at any point to slow down the network.

The crucial aspect of a Fibre-to-the-Building business broadband service is that it is an asymmetric service where upload speeds are the same as download speeds, meaning that it is specifically designed for the demands of a modern business where supporting video and large file sharing, multiple remote users, cloud-based applications and smart technologies is a must. If a company is using a residential fibre broadband service, their upload speeds will be around 10% of the download speed.

SIRO, a joint venture between the ESB and Vodafone, is building Irelands only 100% Fibre-to-the-Building broadband network. Using the existing ESB network, SIRO delivers fibre-optic cables all the way to the building. Our Fibre-to-the-Building technology is recognised as the only future proofed broadband in Ireland, with a solution specifically tailored for business providing Enterprise grade SLA services, including a 24/7 option to give your company peace of mind.

Our services are available from a range of broadband retailers such as Vodafone, Digiweb, Viatel, Airwire, Blacknight Internet Solutions, Carnsore Broadband and Westnet. To enquire about switching to SIRO, simply search your Eircode on SIRO.ie to find out which retailers are available at your business address.

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Guest blog: Why broadband has never been more important for a residential care home in the midst of a global pandemic | Business & Finance -...

A look at all the women supporting each franchise that the cameramen of IPL has caught.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has always been the source of entertainment for fans over the ages. The cash-rich tournament has grabbed the attention of many who used to flood the stadium and enjoy the limited-overs game.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything and with keeping the safety of fans and players in mind, the league has gone behind closed doors.

However, before when situations were better and fans flooded the stadiums, the IPL cameramen were known to make people famous just by zooming on them.

The camera has caught many fans and even the franchise stars celebrating from their respective stands. So let's have alook at all the women supporting each franchise that the cameramen of IPL has caught.

1. Kaviya Maran

1/5

The 'mystery girl' that grabbed the attention of the cameramen is Kaviya Maran - the CEO of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). She is the daughter of Kalanithi Maran and is involved with SUN music and FM channels of SUN TV.

She first grabbed the attention in the 2018 season when she was spotted supporting SRH in a match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

During the mini-auction for the 2021 season, the camera panned towards the SRH table and fans got talking about her on social media.

She also grabbed the attention of netizens after she was seen frustrated after SRH's loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Chennai.

2. Navnita Gautam

2/5

Navnita Gautam is the massage therapist for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Gautam is from Canada and worked with the Toronto Nationals in Global T20 League.

As she always wanted to be associated with cricket, especially IPL, she shifted her base to India in 2017.

She was appointed by RCB in October 2019 and this news had grabbed the headlines all over. The reason being the lack of female support staff members in the IPL.

3. Malti Chahar

3/5

During an IPL 2018 clash in Pune between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI), the camera found someone sitting tensely.

Her tense look combined with her simple beauty had got social media curious and it was later revealed that the 'mystery woman' was the sister of CSK pacer Deepak Chahar. Her name is Malti Chahar and she was present at the Stadium to support her brother.

Malti is a die-hard MS Dhoni fan and keeps uploading photos of Dhoni on her official Instagram account. Not just Deepak, she even was to support her other brother Rahul who plays from MI.

4. Aditi Hundia

4/5

It was during the IPL 2019 final between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI), that the cameraman's focus shifted from the match and to one particular 'mystery girl' who was cheering from the stands. With social media asking questions, it came to be known that her name was Aditi Hundia. Soon after, her Instagram followers crossed over 100k within a few hours.

Aditi Hundia is a model and has taken part in Miss India 2017 pageant where she was crowned Miss India Rajasthan. She even won the Miss Diva 2018 pageant and was crowned Miss Diva Supranational. She represented India at the prestigious Miss Supranational contest in Poland.

While she is said to be a fan of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, she was seen supporting Mumbai Indians in the IPL and often spotted cheering the team in the stands.

The reason for her support for MI comes due to the rumours of her dating India's emerging star cricketer Ishan Kishan.

5. Riana Lalwani

5/5

Riana Lalwani, who was spotted during the Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) game at the IPL 2020 clash in Dubai, became the centre of attraction.

Her presence during the game's Super Overs led to tremendous internet speculation. Her photo broke the internet and netizens found her out soon.

On her Instagram page, it is said that she is from Dubai and even tagged herself as That Super Over girl.

More:

From Kaviya Maran to Aditi Hundia, women who grabbed IPL cameramen's attention over the years - DNA India

Last year Manticore Games launched Core, a free-to-play platform that acts as both a game creation tool and an online marketplace, letting people create their own games and then sell them. It's an ambitious project and one that received a $15M investment thanks to funding from Epic Games. Now, after a year in open alpha, Core is officially launching on the Epic Games store. From the outset, Core is similar to game creation platforms such as Roblox or PlayStation's Dreams, it's designed to make game creation more accessible for everyone.

"On one hand it's a place for game makers," Manticore CEO Frederic Descamps says. "Creating games, publishing them, sharing them, remixing them, and making money with them very easily. On the other hand, it's also an endless arcade multiverse for the players. People can build, explore games, explore worlds, all sorts of stuff. We literally already have dozens and dozens of genres already on the platform."

Core essentially has two halves. The first is an online arcade, where you and a group of friends can easily play a variety of community-made multiplayer games. There's a character creator where you can make a unique avatar and a social homeworld hub where you can meet your friends and decide what you'd like to play.

The second half is its PC-based game creation tool that uses Epic's Unreal Engine. This tool is Core's main appeal, and its editor has been designed with speed and ease in mind, and, according to Descamps, it's already attracted all kinds of people with no game development knowledge at all. "We'd go over some of our profiles, and see teenagers, old retirees, moms, people who were just back end game engineers, or people from completely different professions," Descamps says.

Descamps and Chief Creative Officer Jordan Maynard take me through some of the community-created games that are on the platform. Each time they wanted me to jump into a game, they would post a link in the call, and through the Core client, I could join their game in just one click. Hopping in and out of different games is pretty effortless, and according to Descamps, Core currently has about 20,000 games on the platform now that cover a huge range of genres including RPGs, shooters, platformers, puzzle games, and everything in between.

All of these community games have been made by individuals or small teams of people, and Maynard highlights a MOBA that was made by two people. "This was done for one of our game jams which ran for a month." Maynard says." So, two people within a month made a fully functional MOBA. There are weapons, upgrades, teams, and it looks gorgeous. "

Creators don't need any prior programming experience, and creating a game in Core's editor can be as easy as dragging and dropping assets from a drop-down menu. Maynard demonstrates this by quickly creating a level of a multiplayer shooter. It only took a couple of minutes of typing items into the editor search bar and dragging them into the level. He chooses the terrain, then places a handful of buildings into the scene.The terrain editing is all voxel-based, meaning you can carve away at the landscape, making tunnels and caves.

After Maynard is done with the level, he hits the publish button to upload it to Core's server, and within a minute the team and I are playing the level. Manticore is keen to emphasize how quick building, uploading, and jumping into a game is. "The traditional game development pipeline, it's very tough," Descamps says. "It's very clunky, it's rigid, it's codified, and it can take dozens and dozens of specialists to make a game. The speed at which you can make games in Core is extremely fast, the ease of creation and speed is extremely high. It's a completely different paradigm of what the gaming industry is used to."

With this in mind, the team sincerely wants Core to bring in a new generation of creators into game development. Descamps emphasizes that the team has bold ambitions for the platform, not only having it be a place where creators can express their creativity through games but also as a platform where players can earn money.

With Core it's absolutely one of our missions is to bring a new generation of creators to the gaming world

"With Core it's absolutely one of our missions is to bring a new generation of creators to the gaming world," Descamps says. "And that means, as a creator, you should be able to monetise the way you want. In Core, you can monetise however you like, whether it's a tip jar, donations, a subscription, a VIP club with membership, consumablesit's all available."

Once you create something in Core, you can choose to release it for free, letting the community play and mess around with it, or you can settle on a monetisation option. Although creators cannot yet sell their games at full price, Descamps explains that Manticore is looking into how they can implement that system and even a system where you can contract people for work. "So basically you could say, 'Hey, I'm looking for someone who's super good at making this type of game or this type of environment.' The person could make them themselves, but this way they could hire someone in the community to do it."

It's not entirely clear how everything will work but, as with any platform that's based on both community sharing and creator monetisation, there's always a concern about who owns what. With Core, creators will retain rights to any original IP and Manticore will retain the rights of all the assetssound files, graphics files, and the like. Regarding the cut Manticore takes, the number currently sits at a 50 percent revenue share with its creators.

"It's the highest by a large margin of any other platform out there," Descamps says. "It's higher than, for instance, Roblox. In Roblox, if you're a top creator at the very max, they share 24.5 percent with you, we share 50 percent."

With a revenue split that big, I ask Descamps what they would think if anyone decided to leave the platform, taking the success they've found in Core to pursue their idea solo. Maynard says that it all comes back to the accessibility and agency Core gives players. They have the tools to create games, the audience to play them, and the ability to make money doing it. And this is without needing to worry about running servers or hiring whole teams.

"I don't think it would be the best choice to leave, because then you're having to create everything from scratch," Descamps says. "If it took you let's say two weeks to make a quality game. In the real world, if you're on your own or have a team, it's gonna take you like several months. I would say probably six months. So, why would you leave right?" Maynard adds, "I feel like it's our job to basically make it more enticing and better for them to stay on the platform than to go off."

Manticore certainly has bold ambitions for Core, and it has already seen game studios and solo devs emerge from its community. Maynard says that Core gets around 200 new or updated games every day and that the team hopes to keep nourishing the talent that does pop up in its community. It's hard to say if Core will open up the game development scene as much as the team wants it to. The 50/50 revenue split may end up being divisive, but it certainly succeeds at creating an accessible game creator that's easy to use.

See more here:

Core is an Epic-funded development platform hoping to be the next Roblox - PC Gamer