Daily Archives: May 11, 2021

Emoji are now part of our language. If youre like most people, you pepper your texts, Instagram posts, and TikTok videos with various little images to augment your wordsmaybe the syringe with a bit of blood dripping from it when you got your vaccination, the prayer (or high-fiving?) hands as a shortcut to thank you, a rosy-cheeked smiley face with jazz hands for a covid-safe hug from afar. Todays emoji catalogue includes nearly 3,000 illustrations representing everything from emotions to food, natural phenomena, flags, and people at various stages of life.

Behind all those symbols is the Unicode Consortium, a nonprofit group of hardware and software companies aiming to make text and emoji readable and accessible to everyone. Part of their goal is to make languages look the same on all devices; a Japanese character should be typographically consistent across all media, for example. But Unicode is probably best known for being the gatekeeper of emoji: releasing them, standardizing them, and approving or rejecting new ones.

Jennifer Daniel is the first woman at the helm of the Emoji Subcommittee for the Unicode Consortium and a fierce advocate for inclusive, thoughtful emoji. She initially rose to prominence for introducing Mx. Claus, a gender-inclusive alternative to Santa and Mrs. Claus; a non-gendered person breastfeeding a non-gendered baby; and a masculine face wearing a bridal veil.

Now shes on a mission to bring emoji to a post-pandemic future in which they are as broadly representative as possible. That means taking on an increasingly public role, whether its with her popular and delightfully nerdy Substack newsletter, What Would Jennifer Do? (in which she analyzes the design process for upcoming emoji), or inviting the general public to submit concerns about emoji and speak up if they arent representative or accurate.

There isnt a precedent here, Daniel says of her job. And to Daniel, thats exciting not just for her but for the future of human communication.

I spoke to her about how she sees her role and the future of emoji. The interview has been lightly edited and condensed.

What does it mean to chair the subcommittee on emoji? What do you do?

Its not sexy. [laughs] A lot of it is managing volunteers [the committee is composed of volunteers who review applications and help in approval and design]. Theres a lot of paperwork. A lot of meetings. We meet twice a week.

I read a lot and talk to a lot of people. I recently talked to a gesture linguist to learn how people use their hands in different cultures. How do we make better hand-gesture emoji? If the image is no good or isnt clear, its a dealbreaker. Im constantly doing lots of research and consulting with different experts. Ill be on the phone with a botanical garden about flowers, or a whale expert to get the whale emoji right, or a cardiovascular surgeon so we have the anatomy of the heart down.

Theres an old essay by Beatrice Warde about typography. She asked if a good typeface is a bedazzled crystal goblet or a transparent one. Some would say the ornate one because its so fancy, and others would say the crystal goblet because you can see and appreciate the wine. With emoji, I lend myself more to the transparent crystal goblet philosophy.

Why should we care about how our emoji are designed?

My understanding is that 80% of communication is nonverbal.Theres a parallel in how we communicate. We text how we talk. Its informal, its loose. Youre pausing to take a breath. Emoji are shared alongside words.

When emoji first came around, we had the misconception that they were ruining language. Learning a new language is really hard, and emoji is kind of like a new language. It works with how you already communicate. It evolves as you evolve. How you communicate and present yourself evolves, just like yourself. You can look at the nearly 3,000 emoji and it [their interpretation] changes by age or gender or geographic area. When we talk to someone and are making eye contact, you shift your body language, and thats an emotional contagion. It builds empathy and connection. It gives you permission to reveal that about yourself. Emoji can do that, all in an image.

Read more here:

The woman who will decide what emoji we get to use - MIT Technology Review

Republican voters choice for Virginia governor, a deep-pocketed first-time candidate who plans to run as a business-friendly political outsider, will offer a major test in the post-Trump era of the partys ability to win back suburban voters who have fled over the past four years.

Glenn Youngkin, who won the Republican nomination on Monday night, had walked a line between his partys Trump-centric base and appeals to business interests in a crowded field, defeating two rivals who more aggressively courted supporters of former President Donald J. Trump.

After years of Democratic advances in the state thanks to suburban voters who adamantly rejected anyone linked to the Trump G.O.P., Mr. Youngkin, 54, a former private equity executive, has warned that we can kiss our business environment away if Democrats retain power in Richmond.

During the nominating fight, he criticized the current governor, Ralph Northam, and his predecessor, Terry McAuliffe, for creating business conditions that cause college-educated residents (read: suburbanites) to move away.

But even as Mr. Youngkin tries to focus on kitchen-table issues, Democrats signaled on Tuesday they would aggressively seek to fuse the nominee to Mr. Trump, by reminding voters of hard-line positions he took in fending off six Republican rivals including on voting rights, Medicaid expansion and culture-war topics like critical race theory.

Mr. McAuliffe, the polling leader for the Democratic nomination, said in a statement on Tuesday that Mr. Youngkin spent his campaign fawning all over Donald Trump, adding that he would make it harder to vote and be a rubber stamp for the N.R.A.s dangerous agenda.

Mr. Trump stayed out of the G.O.P. race while the field jockeyed for position, with Mr. Youngkin ultimately emerging as the winner after roughly 30,000 voters cast ranked-choice ballots at 39 locations around the state on Saturday. But the former president jumped in on Tuesday with an endorsement of Mr. Youngkin, although it was primarily an attack on Mr. McAuliffe, a former fund-raiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton, who as a private citizen was in business with Chinese investors.

Virginia doesnt need the Clintons or the Communist Chinese running the state, Mr. Trump said, so say no to Terry McAuliffe, and yes to Patriot Glenn Youngkin!

But Mr. Youngkin might consider such effusions unwelcome in a state Mr. Trump lost by 10 percentage points in November.

Mr. Youngkin, 54, was raised in Virginia Beach and has lived in Northern Virginia for 25 years. He defeated two rivals who appealed more directly to the Trump-centric base: Pete Snyder, a technology entrepreneur, and State Senator Amanda Chase, a hard-right supporter of the former president who was censured in a bipartisan vote of the states General Assembly for referring to the rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6 as patriots.

Mr. Youngkins appeal to Republicans was at least twofold: He is a political blank slate, with no record in elected office for Democrats to attack. And his private wealth reportedly more than $200 million after he retired as co-chief executive of the Carlyle Group will allow him to compete financially against Mr. McAuliffe, a prolific fund-raiser.

Mr. McAuliffe raised $36 million for his 2013 election campaign and more than $9.9 million during the past two years, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Mr. Youngkin has already spent $5.5 million of his own money since entering the race in late January.

Republicans have not won a statewide election since 2009, and Democratic dominance of the once-purple state accelerated under Mr. Trump, with Democrats taking control of both houses of the General Assembly in 2020 for the first time in a generation.

They used their dominance of state government to pass sweeping progressive priorities like more restrictive gun laws and a ban on capital punishment.

But the trend is not irreversible, as some election analysts see it. In the pre-Trump era, Mr. McAuliffe won his first governors race in 2013 by just 2.5 percentage points against a hard-right conservative, Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II. Rural regions of southern and southwest Virginia have grown redder even as the populous northern and central suburbs are bluer. There is a theoretical path to statewide Republican victory for a candidate who rouses rural Trump voters, appeals to suburban independents and benefits from lower overall Democratic turnout without Mr. Trump as a motivator.

And Mr. Youngkin has signaled that he would run against the very legislation Democrats have passed, accusing his opponents of pushing Virginia far to the left of most voters preferences.

Mr. McAuliffe may be the clear polling leader for the Democrats, but he is conspicuous as the lone white candidate in a field with three Black contenders, in a party whose base is heavily African-American.

In four years in office, Mr. McAuliffe governed as a pro-business Democrat, and he began his campaign for a second term in December on a pro-education note, pledging to raise teacher pay and offer universal pre-K. (Virginia governors cannot serve two consecutive terms.)

Though Mr. Youngkin is not as unrelenting a supporter of Mr. Trump as some of his Republican opponents, he declined the chance at a recent candidates forum to distance himself from Mr. Trumps lies about a rigged 2020 election. Asked about voter integrity, he launched into a five-point plan to restore our trust in our election process.

During the nominating race, he also pledged to restore a state voter identification law and to replace the entire state board of education. He also said he would create the 1776 Project, an apparent reference to a curriculum of patriotic education proposed by a commission established under Mr. Trump that has been derided by mainstream historians.

Last month, Mr. Youngkin said it was a sad thing that Virginia had expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, though he acknowledged the clock couldnt be turned back.

As Mr. Youngkin likely spends generously on TV ads to forge a more soft-focus identity as a pro-business outsider, Democrats are sure to try to keep his earlier positions in front of voters.

Make no state mistake about it, we are going to point out every step of the way the right-wing extremism of Glenn Youngkin, Susan Swecker, chair of the Virginia Democrats, said on Tuesday.

See original here:

In Virginia, a Fight Over the Suburbs in the Governors Race - The New York Times

A fractured wrist is about the only thing that has stopped Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball. The injury cut 21 games from his rookie season. He recently picked up where he left off, lobbing a nearly full-court, pinpoint underhand pass in his first game back, against the Detroit Pistons.

At just 19, Ball has long been a celebrity, even before making his N.B.A. debut. Steered by his father, LaVar Ball, he was playing professional basketball overseas and starring in reality shows when most teenagers were focused on prom. His oldest brother, Lonzo, helped pave the road by spending a season at U.C.L.A. before becoming the second overall pick of the 2017 N.B.A. draft.

Now in the N.B.A. as well, LaMelo Ball has proved worthy of the commotion. His Hornets are in the chase to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16. He is averaging 16 points, 6.2 assists and 5.8 rebounds a game, and has come to be known for his passing and joyful play.

Though much has been written and said about him, Ball doesnt say much. So The New York Times sat down with him, in a video chat, to ask him about his game, his life off the court and those wild passes he makes to Miles Bridges.

This interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

At what age do you think you could have reasonably competed in the N.B.A.?

Reasonably competed? I would say, my thought process, I was 14 at the time when I thought I could have been.

Your father has drawn a lot of headlines over the years. What types of lessons have you learned from your mother, Tina?

Pretty much just everyday life stuff growing up: how to treat people right, how to go on with your day, have respect for people. Just all the stuff you need to get through life, for real, and just be who you are.

Do you have a favorite pass that youve made?

Yeah, probably a long time ago. One of my friends passed away and we had a game and then my brother [Lonzo Ball] just went for a lob. And I remember he was playing that game real hard because his man had just passed. So I was at halfcourt, he act like he was going to draw a play, and I just threw it like this with my left from halfcourt. And it was a lob, and he caught that, cocked it back, it was over. That was A.A.U., so it was hard.

Your coach, James Borrego, was a longtime San Antonio Spurs assistant and recently said your game reminded him of Manu Ginobilis. What do you think of that comparison?

I dont really do too much on the comparisons. I like to compare myself to myself pretty much. But I think I know why he did that one. I know he loves that Spurs team. So probably thats a good answer for him, I guess.

If you had gone to college, where would you have played?

At first, I was going to U.C.L.A., and then they went to Under Armour or something. I decommitted. I was going to go to U.S.C., though. For sure, would have been up there.

Whats your favorite color?

Orange.

Favorite movie?

Im hoping its going to be this Space Jam 2, because I follow Space Jam 1 heavy. So, yeah, Space Jam 2 looks dope.

First song that really caught your attention growing up?

First one that I really liked? Honestly, I dont even know, but just thinking back that far, type of music that my pops had playing. It definitely probably would be like a Lil Wayne song or a DMX. He always had that on.

Morning person or night person?

Definitely night.

Is there a country left that youd still like to most visit?

Even when I was traveling, I aint ever even keep up. I just live in the moment. Its wherever Im at, Im at. Thats how that goes.

When youre coming down the court with the ball, do you feel like the game is in slow motion for you?

Its just how I played basketball my whole life. So I was coming down when I was 3, same how I feel at 19.

How often do you see a pass thats there and you can make it, but you dont because youre not sure that the recipient is ready for it?

Thats just where the chemistry comes. The more you play with me, the more you start understanding. Thats just all where that comes from. Its honestly just our first year, whole team coming together. First time ever playing together. So I feel like its going well, but once you like really get to know me, then youre going to know all the little passes and stuff like that.

Have you ever tossed the ball to Miles Bridges higher on purpose, just to see how high he can go?

Never on purpose, just wherever I feel like it needs to be.

The secret to shooting a perfect floater?

Just to shoot it with confidence.

Youve said that you try to learn at least one new thing every day. Where does that mind-set come from?

Just being me. I mean, its something I grew up trying to do every day. My pops always says, Its always room for improvement. You can learn every day and always just take something from somebody else and learn. You could take a negative and turn it into a positive or a worse situation and always just get something out of it.

Was obtaining the Rookie of the Year Award a goal for you entering this season?

Nah, not really. I aint really look at it as a goal. I just knew I was going to go out there, just had to be me. And if chips fall where they fall, you get the rookie of the year or you dont. You still just got to play, though. Its more of a team game. Im trying to go to the playoffs, trying to go on a deep run, stuff like that.

What were you able to learn while out with the wrist injury?

Pretty much just learning how the whole body works, how you can get your knee, everything right. I mean your whole body, just how it all works together. One thing moves, something could be hurt. And it can be totally different things thats actually hurting than whats actually hurt.

Was there anything you picked up while watching the games?

Seeing our players more, seeing where we can be on the defense, seeing just stuff like that.

Have you ever been nervous on a basketball court?

Nah.

See the article here:

LaMelo Ball Talks Wild Passes, Rookie of the Year and Space Jam - The New York Times

Just days after being nominated for the Turner Prize by Tate in London, a UK-based art collective has called out the institution for its alleged exploitation of Black and POC artists.

Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.), a queer, trans, intersex, Black people and people of color collective,took to Instagram yesterday to address some of the discrepancies they see between their mission and the way Tate, which oversees the prize, conducts its business.

Whilst we are grateful for the recognition for our work as a collective, it is important for us to name some of the inconsistencies as we observe them, the group in its statement. We demand the right to thrive in conditions that are nurturing and supportive.

The group, one of five social practice collectives nominated for the prize last week, called out Tate for a number of recent incidents, including the institutions cutting of jobs during the pandemic and its handling of a young Black artists allegations of sexual harassment against a prominent donor.

It is not lost on us that the collective action of workers coming together to save their jobs and livelihoods was not adequately recognized by Tate, the group said, referring to a 2020 strike by Tates retail, catering, and other commercial-services staffers.

The collective also said Tate and institutes like it do not provide artists groups with the same resources they offer to solo artists.

Although we believe collective organizing is at the heart of transformation, it is evident that arts institutions, whilst enamored by collective and social practices, are not properly equipped or resourced to deal with the realities that shape our lives and work, the group said.

We see this in the lack of adequate financial remuneration for collectives in commissioning budgets and artist fees, and in the industrys in-built reverence for individual inspiration over the diffusion, complexity, and opacity of collaborative endeavor.

Exemplifying this is the short time frame B.O.S.S. and the other collectives were given to prepare for this years Turner exhibition, the group said.

Notified last week, the shortlisted artists groups have less than four months to prepare new work for the show, which is set to open at the Herbert Art Museum in Coventry, England, on September 29.

The urgency with which we have been asked to participate, perform, and deliver demonstrates the extractive and exploitative practices in prize culture, and more widely across the industryone where Black, brown, working-class, disabled, queer bodies are desirable, quickly dispensable, but never sustainably cared for, B.O.S.S. wrote.

Artists must be free to express themselves and share their views however they wish, Tate said in a statement shared with Artnet News.Both the team at the Herbert in Coventry and Tate want the collectives to feel supported and look forward to working with them on the Turner Prize exhibition over coming months.

Tate said that, given the number of artists involved with the prize this year, it will give shortlisted collectives 10,000 ($14,000) each, as opposed to the normal 5,000 ($7,000) fee that goes to individual nominees. The winners, meanwhile, will take home an additional 25,000 ($35,000).

Tate did not say whether it has been in touch with B.O.S.S. since the publication of the groups statement.

Founded in 2018, the 18-member collective stages live events and music workshops in a hybridized, participatory brand of art, activism, and community organizing.

The rest is here:

An Art Collective Nominated for the Turner Prize Responds With Biting Criticism of Tates Exploitative Practices in Prize Culture - artnet News