Category Archives: Mind Uploading

For 14 or so years, I have been making a living building some of the largest audiences on the YouTube platform. Ive seen a lot of videos and channels.

What I always find the most interesting, though, is that even after all of the time Ive spent, all of the videos Ive watched, all of the papers Ive written here on Tubefilter, all of the conversations Ive had with other strategists, all of the data analyses and spreadsheets and reports that Ive presentedthere are still new things to discover, analyze, dissect, and share.

At my agency Little Monster, weve been spending a lot of time recently thinking about macro programming strategies on YouTube. What weve boiled it down to is that YouTube channels employ one of four typical growth strategies:

You can see each of these strategies represented in the top 100 most viewed channels on YouTube each month, and all have pros and cons.

Im going to lay out for you the foundation of each strategy, why it works, how and where it can fail, and the best practices required for each to succeed.

The Mass Upload strategy is exactly what it sounds like (and the antithesis of the Little Monster Methodbut more on that later). Within this strategy, a channel is not trying to maximize every upload, theyre trying to maximize upload-ing. In short, the mass-uploader is placing as many bets (videos) on the board as possible. The basic proposition is more videos should equal more views. And its not necessarily wrong.

Of the top 10 most viewed channels in the last 30 days as of this publication, according to Gospel Stats, four of them, including the top two most viewed channels, T-Series and SET-India, have more than 15,000 videos uploaded. Twenty-three channels in the top 100 have uploaded more than 10,000 videos, and 43 channels have uploaded more than 1,000 videos (YouTube Shorts channels excluded).

This strategy is largely employed by media companies with large libraries of content, and it would be difficult to imagine an independent creator being able to pursue this strategy in a sustainable way. However, its not impossible.

Take gamers, for instance. A little back-of-the-napkin math would indicate that if a gamer was able to upload 10 clips a day, they would be able to get to 10,000 uploads over the course of nearly three years.

Large media organizations dont have this problem. They can use the mass upload strategy to generate billions of monthly views, and when they do, there are a few high-level best practices essential to success.

First and foremost, for this strategy to work, a channel must recognize that what they are really building is a content library. This library will primarily thrive on:

1.1 Content Quality

The word quality is subjective here, but lets be honest: content farms typically mass-produce garbage videos and rarely succeed in the long run.

5-Minute Crafts monthly YouTube Views from January 2019 to May 2021.

On the other hand, the channel T-Series and similar brands succeed not just because of the volume of their library, but also the quality of the content therein. Just eyeballing on a cost-per-minute comparison, the videos being distributed on the T-Series channel probably cost 10x your average YouTube video or more.

The importance of this can not be understated. They are not just pumping out hot garbage on a plate. These are often music videos, movie trailers, or clips from TV shows and movies produced straight out of Bollywood that viewers are looking for.

That last bit is vital to the success of the Mass Upload strategy. If viewers are not looking for the type of content being mass produced, theres a low likelihood of success with mass-uploading. Movieclips works because hundreds of millions of people are looking for these videos on a monthly basis.

Recent videos from Fandangos Movieclips

1.2. Never Slow Down

Once a channel has begun to move toward mass uploading, growth is predicated on keeping a mass-upload pace or accelerating. Constantly adding to the library means that the channel will constantly create new opportunities to be recommended to viewers by YouTube.

Most of these uploads will not generate views in the long run. Some content will get a second wind and spike for one reason or another. But every now and then a mass-uploaded video will crank out millions of views a day, every day, for years.

This is where the Mass Upload strategy pays off.

By having many thousands of videos in the channel library, the mass uploader does not need every video to generate thousands or millions of views on a daily basis in perpetuity. They only need a few to break through.

1.3. Thumbnails and Metadata

Mass Upload channels depend largely on their library to drive viewership (as opposed to the success of each new upload). Despite having nearly 200 million subscribers, a new video on T-Series rarely breaks 100,000 views. The vast majority of their 3 to 4 BILLION monthly views are coming from their library of past uploads (videos older than 30-90 days).

In order for these videos to do well over time and be consistently recommended in YouTubes main arteries (suggested, browse/homepage, and search) they need thumbnails that accurately represent the video, and metadata that is clear so that people can find what they are looking for.

In a recent Creator Insider video, YouTube stated that the recommendation system finds videos for viewers, not viewers for videos.

So, in order for YouTube to find your video for a viewer, the content must be doing a good job of satisfying the viewers who have already clicked on it. Thus, the importance of accuracy. When YouTube sees viewers are finding what they are looking for in your video the recommendation system will continue to serve that video to similar viewers; or viewers looking for that thing.

Please note that you do not need a masters in YouTube SEO to succeed here. Theres no amount or secret sauce of keywords that will help you rank here. Those days are LONG gone. What matters is:

Mass Upload channels do not need a highly engaged audience to succeed, and may in fact be some of the least engaged with channels given how few views new uploads receive. This strategy is about being everything to everyone (Walmart), instead of being a specific thing to a specific audience (Tiffanys). The play here is to simply flood the zone with endless uploads as fast as possible. Go fast, and accurately portray the videos in your thumbnails and metadata and you can succeed.

A Utility Channel is how we at Little Monster refer to a channel whose viewership is largely driven by direct informational value to the intended audience. These are essentially channels that make videos where the viewer is there to receive specific information.

This type of video is the second most sought after behind entertainment. In the September 2018 whitepaper YouTube Needs: Understanding Users Motivations to Watch Videos on Mobile Devices, Google reported that of the 432 viewers they studied, 30.7% of the visits were reported as to obtain information.

Huge audiences can be built here, but its difficult. Lets take for example Khan Academy, whose viewership has little to do with how frequently they post, or the quality of any individual video. Khan Academys viewership has far more to do with when people are in school and looking for specific information on the classes they are taking. Note how their viewership thrives when class is in session, and plummets over the summer and over the holidays:

Khan Academys monthly YouTube views from January 2020 to May 20201.

While this is a pattern that generally seems to be true for similar educational or curriculum-based channels, other types of utility channels experience a strikingly similar need vs. viewership correlation.

Lets take a car review channel, Redline Reviews. This channel regularly releases videos reviewing various cars, and their viewership can swing by as much as 300% upload to upload.

These two videos released within a few days of each other:

Two videos from Redline Reviews

Whats driving (pardon the pun) the viewership here is the need for information on a specific car. There are far more people interested in a brand-new model of car and in the price range of a Volkswagen ($32,000) than in the market for a car that has been around for a long time and in the price range of a BMW ($45,000).

Another type of channel that we at Little Monster call a utility channel are recipe channels. The viewership here is predicated on a potential viewers need to know how to make the food item being advertised in the thumbnail and title. Again, we still see sporadic viewership ranging from a few thousand views, to tens of thousands of views. As an example, heres what the viewership on BuzzFeeds Tastylooks like over 24 recent uploads:

What these channels all have in common is that viewership is largely based on a potential viewers interest in the topic of the video. The viewer chooses to watch or not watch based on that particular videos specific relevancy to them.

Ive written and spoken extensively about the danger of having viewership be based on topicality previously. That said, in short, what this type of programming strategy leads to is unpredictable viewership, large swaths of your audience becoming less likely to be served your videos over time, and ultimately a mass upload strategy.

This leads to a mass upload strategy because that is the best way to succeed when you are a utility channel. This is true because the more videos you have that could potentially be relevant to a viewer, the more likely you are to gain viewership. The calculation is simple because if you want to grow as a utility channel, the more topics you cover (videos) the more potential viewership you will have. What is a library other than a utility to find the information you want?

Therefore, the same best practices that exist for Mass Upload hold true for a utility channel, with a few small tweaks:

2.1. Thumbnails

Your channels niche largely determines the thumbnail style that is most likely to get your videos viewed. Recipe channels typically use glamour shots of the finished food product, car review channels use glamour shots of the featured car, and so on. These selections accurately represent the video, but more importantly adhere to conventions audiences have become used to and conditioned successful channels to use. Essentially, those channels that have come before you in a given niche have done the hard work of finding out what viewers are most likely to click on through years of trial and error.

2.2. Being first

Utility can significantly benefit from being first to do something. When the latest tech or gadget comes out, those who are able to secure early access and get videos uploaded quickly tend to outperform others who come after.

The reason for this is that if your video is one of the first to be uploaded on a given topic, its a video that YouTube will already have processed the data around. This means your video, if it has decent metrics, will likely be served at the top of Search, in Homepage feeds, and at the top of Suggested, as interest and viewership spikes on a given topic. Additionally, theres likely to be a small supply of videos on the specific topic of interest, and therefore your video is more likely to be put in front of viewers rather than others.

This becomes an upward spiral as the increase in views leads to higher clickthrough rates as the video generates more and more social proof in the form of views. This leads to YouTube continuing to serve your video to more and more people in more and more places (assuming other factors remain relatively constant).

2.3. Specific Niche

While mass upload channels can be far more broad (movies, music, etcetera), Utility channels must find as specific of a niche as possible. This allows for your audience to flow across your videos more seamlessly as your videos close relation to each other means they are likely to be more relevant to the viewer.

These are the main differences between the Mass Upload strategy and utility channel strategy in regards to best practices. However, theres a poison pill in the utility channel strategy.

The pill is that viewership is based on the viewers interest in a topic, which makes it extremely difficult to build a sizable audience. This is true because its unlikely that the people you get to watch one of your videos will want to watch many (or any) of your other videos, because theyre only watching based on the value they can get out of the initial video they clicked on, or their interest in the topic of a specific video in the first place.

The audience is not there for you the creator, the style of the content, or the format of the show or video.

For example, look at these screen grabs from some of the top search results for how to make chocolate chip cookies:

Besides the different logos, these three channels are virtually indistinguishable from one another in terms of personality, style, and format.

These are the three key areas where a utility channel can distinguish itself. Focusing on developing these three areas can make a utility channel move beyond just providing informational value, and allow them to provide entertainment value or connection value as well.

To connect with others was the third main reason people came to YouTube in Googles study. This connection specifically relates to how a personality, talent, or host connects directly to their audience.

If there were a clear, repeatable science to creating this connection, there would be millions more full-time YouTubers, movie stars, and famous musicians. However, I dont think this is some mysterious X-factor that you either have or you dont. It can be honed and it can be leveled up through practice and training.

A common trope in our industry is be authentic. Hell, Ive said it myself when advising creators at Little Monster. But Ive never heard someone actually describe what that means in practical terms or at least define it in a way that is universally applicable.

My advice would be to study the creators on YouTube that you or your audience connect with. What do they do that makes you want to spend time with them? Find what that is, and what that is about you or your talent, and double down on that. Take improv classes. Practice making videos. Im not saying youll be the next PewDiePie, Zendaya, or Cardi B, but improving your skills here can increase your chances of finding success on YouTube.

As it pertains to style, thats simple and straightforward. Do people watch your videos because they really love the unique style of video youre creating? Is there something you can do to make your style just a smidge or two better than those in your vertical? If so, this can make you and your content stand out amongst the sea of competitors.

The lovely thing about style is that its far less subjective than connection, there are far more resources to make yourself better at the actual art of video creation, and it doesnt take a lot to really stand out.

When speaking to Utility channels, the aspect of content creation that Little Monster focuses on most is format. Ive written extensively about how a channel can distinguish itself by way of format in my Taxonomy article here on Tubefilter. I encourage you to read that article with an open mind, and to keep in mind that what I am proposing in that article is a methodology about how to create a new format, not just ape what is already being done successfully.

What we are essentially advocating for here is moving a channel from having a Utility Channel approach (Mass Upload) to a Little Monster Method strategy. The reason for this is that by and large, most media companies and independent creators (who, by the way, are media companies whether they recognize it or not) will not be able to compete against the Mass Upload strategy. If you can out-upload the Mass Uploaders, by all means, give it a shot. But youre more likely to bankrupt yourself or burn out than overtake a channel that already has thousands of videos and is adding more daily.

The vast majority of this type of channel will have to win not through quantity but through quality. Finding your footing in personality/talent, style, or format is the surest way we at Little Monster have found to do that.

Channels that play The Home Run Game upload many different types of videos until one really takes off (home run!). Once youve hit a home run, you double down on whatever worked, the value proposition of that particular video, be it format, style, personality, topic, or some combination of the four.

We see this often in channels that have been around for a long time before suddenly exploding with growth. A few top examples of this are channels like Cocomelon, PewDiePie, and MrBeast. MrBeast uploaded well over 100 videos and was active on YouTube for six years before he reached 1,000 subscribers.

3.1. Playing The Home Run Game

This strategy can work in a few different scenarios:

For example, lets say youve built a decent-sized audience in the home improvement vertical. You know your audience generally wants and expects you to talk about interior design. Your typical video shows you doing some sort of DIY project in your home.

Instead of doing the same thing in each successive upload, take some swings at the fences. Try reacting to various clichd themes, critiquing celebrity homes, remaking things in a celebritys home, go handheld instead of on a tripod, and so on.

Note that if you do hit a home run here, youre going to want to move everything else you are creating to another channel or spin this type of content out into a separate channel. YouTube channels are designed for one core value proposition. Two competing shows or types of value propositions on the same channel will hurt both.

In the long run, the Home Run Game strategy should be considered a means to an end, with the end being a solidified, clear value proposition. If a channel always swings for the fences with wildly different programming, the audience will have no idea what to expect when YouTube serves them one of its videos.This will alienate both the audience and the recommendation systems. As a mentor once told me, you want to be dependable, but not predictable.

The home run game is not moneyball. The home run game is trying to become the Yankees on a Norwich Sea Unicorns budget.

Moneyball, the 2003 book and 2011 film starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, chronicles how Billy Beane took the Oakland As to the playoffs in 2002 and 2003, with one of the lowest team salaries in the majors.

Essentially, Beane built a team by leveraging data to select and utilize players who were statistically highly likely to lead to wins through their combined impact, without relying on individual superstars.

The Little Monster Method is moneyball for YouTube channels.

We use data to create and distribute videos for our clients that are highly likely to succeed with our clients audience and thereby the YouTube recommendation system. Like Beane, our clients videos win because they are analytically designed to do so.

Our method is based on the premise that a YouTube channel should serve one audience a single core value proposition. We use the data in YouTube analytics to understand exactly what that audience is most interested in, and then super-serve them what they want.

This is a 360-degree approach to content creation, analyzing and optimizing the:

The two most important elements in this strategy are the Value Proposition and the format of both the channel and videos.

4.1. Value Proposition

A value proposition is essentially the answer to the question Why does someone watch your videos/channel? It can be a concept (they will be inspired), format (it will be a reaction video), style (a Wes Anderson film), personality (a specific person will be in the video), or a topic (videos will always be about surfing).

The value proposition doesnt need to be universally true for every viewer, but it does need to be universally true for every video. For example, if we asked MrBeasts fans Why do you watch MrBeast? you would get a lot of different answers. However, from MrBeasts point of view, every video is a larger-than-life spectacle (therefore, thats the value proposition).

4.2. Format

For MrBeast, the other elements (format, style), while important, are not beholden to this same singularity. For example, he can do a Challenge video format in one video, and in the next a reaction/listicle video format.

In the video below, MrBeast is utilizing a very classic Challenge video format, where three teams are competing to win a prize. Here, its a house:

Utilizing a completely different format (reaction/listicle) MrBeast made a video where he tips waiters and waitresses with real gold bars:

As you can see these videos are completely different formats, but still deliver on the larger-than-life spectacle value proposition.

For MrBeast, format is less of a core necessity than for others. This is actually true for the vast majority of influencers. Quite often, once someone achieves influencer status, the core value proposition has become the creator.

MKBHD is a great example of a channel that has made personality its core value proposition. MKBHDs core value proposition is that you get to hang out with him. Hes cool, transparent, humble, engaged, excited, and unflinchingly himself. He also has some of the slickest and most stylish tech review videos on the platform. Unlike other tech review channels, his content doesnt adhere to a singular format at this point, because it doesnt need to.

However, format as a core value proposition is key for channels like Complexs First We Feast, MTVs Wild N Out, and Binging with Babish.

First We Feast by and large has two primary formats (in this case, named shows)Hot Ones, and The Burger Show. By and large Hot Ones outperforms The Burger Show.

On MTVs Wild N Out, the rap battles and highlights from the show dominate the other types of content theyve tried:

And for Binging with Babish, his main show beats out the secondary showStump Sohla regularly.

The reasons these secondary shows all underperform (and there are countless examples) is because they do not match the core Value Proposition of the channel fully, as these are channels that are more reliant on a viewers interest in the format.

You may be asking, why does this matter? Whats the harm in putting multiple value propositions or multiple formats into one channel?

The problem lies in how YouTubes recommendation systems are built and how audiences behave. To make recommendations, the YouTube recommendation system uses:

The rest is here:

The Programming Strategies That Shape The Worlds Biggest YouTube Channels - Tubefilter

Emmerdale actress Paige Sandhu first appeared in the soap back in September 2020 as the estranged sister of Manpreet Sharma and certainly got people talking with her constant meddling.

The dangerous and violent character has sent shivers down the spines of viewers.

Supervillain Meena is the first major professional acting job Paige has landed and the relatively unknown actress has certainly been thrown in at the deep end with her explosive storylines.

Unlike her character, however, Paige lives a sleek and stylish life, although she doesn't share much with the public.

Although Paige doesn't have much of a social media presence, she does post occasionally on her Instagram page.

Her uploads offer a glimpse of her private life through her stunning selfies and she's very real and candid on the platform, opening up about her own mental health issues.

Although Paige uploads many gorgeous snaps, she is keen to tell her Instagram followers of the realities behind her image - however it seems as though sometimes she may come to regret it, as she has deleted the majority of captions from her Instagram photos.

After posting a photo in flawless make-up and wrapped in a pink faux-fur coat last year, Paige had wrote: "I do not look like this all the time I promise you. I've got loads of makeup on and had a bunch of spots covered up."

She has since deleted the caption.

Previously Paige opened up about her mental health on Instagram, in a candid post that she has since deleted.

Uploading a picture of her in bed she added the caption, I want to take some time to address mental health with this post. So heres me looking super fly.

Its (obviously) more important than ever to take care of our mental health these days - but, like, what does that even mean?!

"Its not something we are taught in schools or socially... so it can be confusing to actually know how to take care of ourselves.

So bearing this in mind I wanted to let you in on a few of the things that help me.

"Maybe they arent a good fit for you, maybe they are. All I intend with this is to clear some confusion."

Paige's tips included reading self-help books, listening to self-help podcasts and Tapping/eft which she encouraged her fans to check out on YouTube to try.

She finished the post writing, "Focusing on everything Im grateful for and appreciate in my life. Journaling it aaaaaall out. Having a solo dance party.

These are some of the things that I notice really help me shift my state of mind. I hope you are all taking care of yourselves.

Paige's sweet posts and uplifting messages couldn't be further from Meena Jutla, and Paige wants everyone to know she's nothing like the character she plays in the soap.

The best characters are the ones that are so far removed from yourself, Paige has explained. Her lack of empathy and her playfulness make her a very exciting character."

Its also obvious from what Paige has said that shes loving her current role on Emmerdale. The budding soap star admitted that shed never played someone like Meena before.

Shes the strangest character Ive played for sure. But definitely the most fun, Paige said.

She added: Its so much fun to play a character that is on a completely different wavelength to everyone else, who always has a hidden agenda and will do anything to get what she wants.

Speaking of hidden agendas, Paigealso revealed that she knew about Meenas dark side as soon as she landed the part, but had to keep the top secret info under wraps from the rest of her cast mates.

Since Paiges personality is so far removed from her characters killer instincts, the young actressadmitted she had to do loads of research to try and get inside Meenas head.

Page explained: Ive watched all of Killing Eve as there are a lot of similarities between Meena and Villanelle. Taxi Driver, American Psycho, Nightcrawler, Killer Women with Piers Morgan, Inside the Criminal Mind, I Psychopath and Psychopath with Piers Morgan. And Im reading The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson.

Go here to read the rest:

Emmerdale actress Paige Sandhu is nothing like her character Meena in real life - RSVP Live

At a time when matrimonial platforms suffixing and prefixing caste or religious labels are getting attention, a humble non-profit initiative from Kerala is kindling an alternative thought.

Named Secular Marriage Matrimony, the initiative started in 2014, is a first-of-its kind platform for individuals seeking life partners with secular thoughts. Though the platform does not have wider popularity, in progressive circles it is gaining momentum as an unique platform on Facebook which is worth supporting.

According to Athira Paily and Ajith Kannan, who recently got married through Secular Marriage Matrimony, platforms like this are very much relevant.

I was very particular about finding a partner with a secular outlook. While looking for proposals, I realized that not just people but also most matrimonial platforms are not secular. Most of them are entertaining caste and religious fundamentalisms. I was looking for alternatives and thats how I found Secular Marriage Matrimony in 2018. I uploaded my profile on it and took my own time to find a person of the same wavelength. Though the screening of the profiles was time taking, I was determined and my parents were supportive enough. I think that there should be a generation that could live freely without caste and religious affiliations.And I think platforms like this are paving way to it, said Athira.

She also conveyed her disinterest about the mainstream tendency towards ceremonious marriages. Not just religious customs and rituals. Even the pompous celebrations associated with marriages should not be normalized and glorified. It is true that some people wish to make the moment memorable. However, at a time when many go debt-ridden over celebrations, we wanted to give a message that marriage can be conducted without any events. Our marriage was held at a Register Office and we did that as a legal formality. There was neither a seemingly secular garlanding ceremony, nor we were in a special wedding attire, Athira added.

Meanwhile, Ajith who finds Secular Marriage Matrimony as a promising attempt thinks that the mainstream caste and religion specific matrimonial platforms are just manifestations of existing social realities. Earlier there were just religion specific matrimonial platforms. But now things are getting worse. Even caste specific matrimonial websites have emerged. Day by day religious and caste streaks are getting rooted in our social life and these platforms are reflecting that reality. Sad truth is that many are happy about this proliferation. This is where the politics of Secular Marriage Matrimony stands out, he said.

The idea of Secular Marriage Matrimony came out of Manu Manushyajaathi from Thrissur. He began the platform as an extension of his own Facebook page `Madhamillatha Jeevithangal'. The conversations and interactions within the page made me realize that there was no space for people to find prospective life partners with a secular mind-set. This potential void was something widely discussed in that page, which in turn led to the start of Secular Marriage Matrimony, Manu said.

Though the platform was named with the words marriage and matrimony, Manu now detests from the apparent dogma associated with it. When I started this page, much consideration was not given for thename. My only priority was to name it with words that people can easily understand. However, now I understand that words like marriage and matrimony may be perceived as words supporting institutionalisation of love-relationships. So I wish to stress the point that the platform does not have such allegiance to institutionalisation. Meanwhile, I also wish to expand this as a community of people devoid of patriarchal mind-set and other regressive social norms. Notably, now the platform has been approached by transgenders among others. Thats something inspirational for the platform, to expand its horizons, he said.

Manu who is also involved in many other social activities is basically a mathematics teacher. He wishes to register Secular Marriage as an official entity and plansa website too. Now it is a small community which almost runs like a people led online community. It is a democratic space. At the same time, many people are joining this platform thinking that it is a normal matrimonial platform. That is problematic. Some people also pretend to be secular even when they are not. Therefore, screening is difficult. From my side I am carefully vetting the profiles before uploading it on the platform. Still there are chances of manipulation. Unlike most professional platforms, the platform is neither private nor has content moderation. So the members are cautioned about the risks and are encouraged to scrutinize the profiles in their own capacities. That does not mean the platform is open to malpractices. It is self-regulated rather than controlled. I hope chances of manipulation can be further avoided if we are professionally managing the platform. Presently, the platform is not very professional due to financial and resource constraints. However, I have plans to revamp it, he added.

Read the rest here:

A platform from Kerala is kindling secular and progressive perspectives about matrimony - Mathrubhumi English

Its been a nerve-wracking but exhilarating day for 33 talented chefs. Couriers have been delivering personalised CCS (Continental Chef Supplies) chef jackets and Churchill goody boxes to homes or restaurants across the UK. This exciting package is confirmation that the individual has made it through to the next stage of the prestigious National Chef of the Year (NCOTY) competition. Throughout the day, chefs have been uploading pictures of their jackets on to their own social media channels using the hashtag #NCOTY.

After impressing the panel of judges with their three course menus, which tell their personal story of the pandemic, the following chefs have made it through to round two:

This years NCOTY competition focuses on sustainability and food heroes with the pandemic and its impact in mind. For the next round, these 33 chefs will be invited to present a small signature dish of their choice via video. The chefs have been asked to sum up their pandemic year of 2020-2021 in two to three bites. Judges will be looking for a dish which reflects each chefs personality and tells a story. Dishes may be a personal or family memory or a reflection of the wider industry that has had an impact on an individual. It could explore a style of cuisine, a nostalgic dish, a recipe that reflects heritage or the use of hero ingredients that a chef is passionate about.

Chair of judges and Michelin starred restaurateur, Paul Ainsworth said: All the judges were really impressed with the standard of entries we received this year. This is still a challenging time for chefs with staff shortages, restrictions and isolation, but you could see the thought and effort that had gone into each of their menus. To enter such a tough competition in these circumstances shows ambition and a true determination to succeed. With the list of chefs, we have in this round, I know its going to be an incredible top ten.

Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs and organiser of the competition, David Mulcahy, added: We had chefs such as Phil Howard, Alyn Williams and Russell Bateman joining Paul in judging this first stage and every one of the panel commented about the standard of entry this year. The resilience of these chefs is something to be truly celebrated and it shows that when times are hard you can still achieve incredible things when you set your mind to it. We have been so determined and proud to keep this competition going throughout the pandemic and have a thrilling final in-store later this year. Look out for the big reveal of our top ten on Friday, 13th August, 2021.

NCOTY is run in partnership with KNORR and supported by CCS, Churchill, Rational UK and Le Cordon Bleu.

View original post here:

Craft Guild of chefs reveals the names of chefs through to next stage of The National Chef of the Year competition - Premier Construction Magazine

Link is patiently standing still. He is waiting, steadfast in a single spot, as the rain continues to pour on top of him. Surely he could move, get out of the rain, and dry off. But returning to the main path, or some shelter, or even teleporting might break the path of his journey through The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And that would break the rules of Snake.

Everest Pipkin is a drawing, games, and software artist who produces small work with large data sets, and who also happens to likeBreath of the Wild. And back when the Master Trials DLC launched and added the Heros Path mode, allowing the player to see the route they took through the game as one long trail behind them, Pipkin had an idea: what if you played it like a game of Snake?

In an interview with Destructoid, Pipkin says they were inspired by other runs, what you might call non-standard methods, of playing through a video game with some meta-textual goals or constraints in mind. They reference the San Andreas Deer Cam, and playthroughs of Minecraft where a player sought to find the edge of the procedurally generated world, seeing the landscape turn surreal and crumble around them as they went.

After wanting to do the run for years, Pipkin set out for adventure on November 11, 2020, with the goal to solve what they called The Traveling Swordsman Problem. They sought to journey across Hyrule, without ever crossing their own trail.

As it turns out, thats a bit of a challenge.

Once I started, I ran into some problems right away, because I think I was originally like, Oh, Ill just save scum,' Pipkin told me. And like, itll all be about finding a path through the world that lets me do the Divine Beasts, and I can try over and over again until I get it right.

It quickly became apparent that it wasnt going to be so easy, however. Breath of the Wild is fairly open in how it lets the player glide, clamber, and journey across the open world of Hyrule, but that also means more aspects to account for. That means planning for possible vertical overlaps, for example. Knowing where certain scenes had to happen, and what was critical to progression and how it triggered, was all important in laying out a 2D path through this 3D world.

There were also unforeseen obstacles. Breath of the Wilds save management system, as well as its cutscenes and other actions outside of Pipkins control, could sometimes teleport Link to other areas, dropping him in a new spot, and inconveniently drawing a line from A to B, causing potential unintended intersections.

Pipkin described a situation with Hestu, the cheerful Korok musician who can expand Links inventory. His questto steal back his maracasrequires speaking to him twice. A normal task for any other player, but through Pipkins ruleset, required some careful negotiation of cliffs and approach vectors. And, as it turns out, the dialogue can warp Link back over the path they took in. That, along with issues like resting, or loading from an autosave, can cause all kinds of straight-line paths that would directly conflict with Pipkins goal. The Travelling Swordsman Problem wasnt just about navigating Hyrule, but also navigating Breath of the Wilds unwritten rules about what it does and doesnt write to the Heros Path trail.

So when I asked Pipkin why they kept at it, and what kept them going, I chuckled a bit when their initial reply was to call it a sunk-cost fallacy situation. Though really, it does take someone determined to pull this off; and even though it got tough at times, it never took a turn into being clearly impossible.

It felt like I had made this bet that I could see it done, said Pipkin. And if there was ever a point where there was a hard exit, right, where it was like, okay, you know, this cutscene is essential. And there is no way to do it without drawing a loop in the map. Like, its just impossible. Then maybe that would have been a failed state, maybe I would have been like, Okay, I guess this is impossible, goodbye. But because I never hit that, it was really just a matter of doing it right next time.

So Pipkin carried on. And whats more, they were chronicling their journey the whole way. Their whole playthrough is available on YouTube: every new step forward, every annoying restart, and plenty of time just hanging out, waiting for some NPC cycles to finish or rain to stop pouring.

This also means the process of slowly solving what can even be done using this type of run. Pipkin said they didnt want to just run to Hyrule Castle right after leaving the Great Plateau; if youre going to do this Snake-style run, then you kind of have to move through the whole world.

Clearly, some areas were more doable than others. Shrines, thankfully, dont record movement inside them to the Heros Path, and so Pipkin found some freedom inside those challenges. But segments like teaming up with Prince Sidon to board the Divine Beast, for example, involved both cutscenes (potential teleports) and a gameplay segment where the pair would be constantly moving in loops.

So, clearly, Divine Beasts were off the table. At several points, Pipkin attempted to route in Eventide Island, the infamous challenge area. And though they never found a solution, Pipkin still highlights it as a great microcosm of what the Travelling Swordsman Problem is all about: analyzing, carefully traversing, and figuring out how to deal with the chaos of Breath of the Wilds many, many overlapping systems. At any point, something youve never seen before could knock you off your intended route, so learning to mitigate disaster is a helpful skill.

Eventually, Pipkin decided their win condition was to get every tower in Breath of the Wild, then head for Hyrule Castle. It was an important distinction to make, that this wasnt just about a test of their ability to play the game, but to also understand the game.

I felt like it was important to have something else that wasnt just like, the pure capacity of my skill to not get hit by enemies, said Pipkin. But rather, the capacity of infinite patience. To like, be in the world, and go on the worst walk ever.

That walk would require a fundamentally different approach than you might expect, too. It meant fighting in a different way, since doing the side-step dance with an enemy and flurry-rushing them would be too unpredictable, movement-wise. They described doing a lot of moving forward and hitting, or standing still and waiting for enemies to approach. And if anything died behind you, none of those resources could be obtained.

Surprisingly, resources werent too much of an issue. Shrines could offer some bounties, and as it turns out, Breath of the Wild is fairly generous in providing the player with resources. There were periods where its like, I dont have any arrows, or I dont have a single shield, Pipkin recounts. But for the most part, you know, I had enough to keep my very few weapon slots stocked.

Fairies were an especially precious resource, as they could act as a preventative against death, and deaths werent just trouble for moving forward, but also for keeping the path going as Pipkin wanted it to go. So a planned excursion to a Fairy Fountain resulted in some patient waiting for fairies to flit by, eventually coming close enough for Link to grab some and stock up.

Rain, of course, was a big factor. Travelling off the beaten path means cliffs, mountains, and possibly unintended routes through different regions, and that means climbing. Traversing those slopes in the rain, as any Breath of the Wild player will tell you, is precarious at best. So then, its a short bout of waiting on a cliffside for the rain to stop, hanging out in chat as the in-game hours pass by.

Chat, at least, was helpful. Pipkin started their run with pre-recorded videos, but soon flipped to live-streaming the run and uploading VODs later. Passing the time gets a lot easier when you have a small group of viewers to chat with about the weather, pets, or whatever else has been going on as Link stands patiently resolute, holding out for the clouds to break.

After eight months, and six restarts, Pipkin accomplished their goal. Culminating in a Hyrule Castle run that, due to it having its own map that logged to the main map, meant having to navigate the final dungeon from memory, they toppled Calamity Ganon and finished their goal. The Snake run had been achieved.

But as Pipkin had gone on such a journey through Hyrule, altering how they thought about the game and its landscape, it was all doable. Though they say they had a couple versions of a map that looked like a conspiracy theorist-like pinboard, Pipkin used those tools less and less over time. They were becoming familiar with the world and its systems in the context of this Snake run, and anticipating how to deal with chaos had become a little second-nature by the runs end.

They tell me they enjoy speedruns, but their own approach is a little different; they like the process of seeing those runs come together. I am always interested in watching people who play games that way, playing them freely, said Pipkin. Where theyre like, fucking around in the world, trying to find a better route, trying to like perform some sort of weird save system [trick], trying to duplicate a wall clip that somebody else did, and getting it wrong 100 times before they get it exactly right.

And after eight months, Pipkin did get it exactly right. They have solved the Traveling Swordsmans Problem. To answer the most obvious follow-up: no, they have not done it again.

I took it out, said Pipkin. I took the game out of my Switch. I put it away. Im tempted to play Skyward Sword but I dont even know if I want to do that.

While they still truly love Breath of the Wild, and how satisfying it is to mess around in its world with so many ways to play, they say theyve seen enough of Hyrule for a while. Some mention of other games came up, like a shipless run of Outer Wilds, but it would need to have that same mix of interesting meta-textual, house-rules approach and existing attachment to the game. But while it may be a while, Pipkin isnt done with Hyrule forever.

By the time Breath of the Wild 2 comes out, jokes Pipkin. Ill be there.

Excerpt from:

Beating Breath of the Wild like its Snake took careful planning and infinite patience - Destructoid

Nigerian politics and politicians, are indeed, a bunch of fun to follow. Very often, they command our attention, not for any patriotic or altruistic reasons. Unselfish or selfless service is not their forte. They are poor candidates to stand for change and democratic ideals. Neither do they have open mind, no conviction or scruples. They seek only the aggrandizement of their own, and that of their families. Theres no limit to how low the present members of the 9th National Assembly can go. As a matter of fact, they dont mind being caught dead in a strip club if that is what it takes to satisfy their personal, cynical political ambitions . Its all about the protection of the status quo, the existing state of affairs. It stinks. Nothing else matters. Thats why our politics heaves with hysteria. Its about the fear of defeat, the panic of the unknown.

Although most Nigerian lawmakers hardly stand for anything ennobling apart from their own selfish interests, few things rankle and offend as last weeks passage of the much-anticipated Electoral Amendment Bill by both Houses of the National Assembly the Senate and House of Representatives. Perhaps most offensive clause in the amendment Bill is the insertion of Section 52(2) which disapproves the electronic transmission of election results. Prior to the passage of the amended bill, reports were rife that there was a grand plan to surreptitiously remove electronic transmission of results in the original draft of the Electoral Act( Amendment) Bill 2021. Both houses stoutly denied any such attempt. As sincere deceivers who never keep to their words, even in the face of reality, the APC- controlled parliament has finally achieved their sinister, ulterior motives.

This calls for serious concern. Last Thursday and Friday should go down in infamy as the moment that democracy was decapitated in Nigeria, if it is allowed to stand or sign into law by President Muhammadu Buhari. No more guarantee that elections in Nigeria will be credible, fair and transparent. According to the contentious provision , voting at an election under this Bill shall be in accordance with the procedures determined by the Independent Electoral Commission, which may include electronic voting provided that the Commission shall not transmit results of the elections by electronic means. Could this be alleged plans to rig the next elections in 2023? As THISDAY newspaper stated last Friday, the action of the Senate and the House of Representatives was driven by fear of defeat in the next elections. Many believe that deep-seated fear is real, but foreboding for Nigerias democracy.

The reasons given by the NASS for its action is laughable, asinine, reprehensible , antithetical to the ideals of democracy, and unconstitional. No law that contradicts the Constitution should stand. The lawmakers want to be a referee in a game which they are players. What a shame! What a scam! Wisdom requires that you cannot be a judge in your own court. Clearly, manual transmission of election results belongs to the medieval times, completely outdated. A year ago, the INEC Chairman Prof. Manhood Yakubu, had decried it. He said it was cumbersome and too expensive.

Just a few days ago , the electoral umpire reassured its preparedness to transmit elections results electronically. It did that successfully in Edo and Ondo gubernatorial elections. Mr. Festus Okoye, the National Commissioner for Voter Education and Information, said INEC was irrevocably committed to uploading election results nationwide, electronically. He said it will help deepen our democracy and make our elections credible and transparent, adding that INEC has the capacity to do that across the country, from every polling unit, to the Registration Area collation centres, to the local Government Collation centres, states and national collation centres.

And you begin to ask : what more assurance than this can you get from the umpire itself? But it is clear that interest of Nigerians and a credible election dont matter to the National Assembly members who voted against electronic transmission of results. More laughable was the claim that most part of the country lack internet connectivity. And the Nigerian Communication Commission(NCC) was used to drive the big lie, to the effect that 3G coverage in the country is only 50 percen. Remember that the same NCC had on March 9, 2018, at the joint Technical Committee constituted by INEC, stated categorically that 3G in the country was almost 80 percent. Just recently, Mtn Nigeria one of the network providers ,said that 3G coverage in the country has reached 88.9 percent?

All that the NASS has done in the Electoral Amendment Bill, is inconsistent with the Constitution. And until the constitution is amended, all the insertions, are a nulity. To subject INEC to the dictates of NCC and the NASS, amounts to a coup detat. The Bill that was passed says NCC will determine whether INEC could transmit results electronically. This is contrary to the Electoral Act 2010, Clause 52(2) and Section 78 of the 1999 Constitution( as amended). Section 78 specifically states that the registration of voters and the conduct of the elections shall be subject to the direction and supervision of INEC. Also, in the Third schedule, Part 1, F, section 15, INEC has inherent powers to organise undertake and supervise all elections. The Constitution further provides that INEC operations shall not be subject to to the direction of any other authority. The role of the NASS stops at strengthening the legal framework of the commission, and not to put hurdles in the operations of the electoral umpire. It must not contradict the constitution which is the grundnorm to get things work in a democracy.

What all of this means is that the NASS is after their own personal agenda, not the collective interests of the country and the citizens. Imagine how, the Chairman of the Committeee that amended the Electoral Act, Senator Kabiru Gaya, voted against the very document he, and other members, recommended. These are not people to be trusted. They are what Jean Kipman-Blumen calls The Allure of Toxic Leaders(Oxford University Press, 2004). She explains why we follow destructive and corrupt politicians -and how we can survive them. Her analysis fits in what Nigeria is going through in the hands of politicians. To paraphrase the author, bad leaders are like 17-year locusts. When they show up en masse, the public greets them with fascination and revulsion. Look around, our politicians provoke a sort of frothing at the mouth.

Why they do what to do, is personal, selfish, inhumane. Nothing lofty and ennobling. In the fullness of time, history will judge them harshly, not kindly. Why our legislators, indeed, politicians are doing what they are doing without minding the consequences, is a sad lesson in power.You know why? As historian Robert A. Caro wrote, no one can lead who does not first acquire power, and no leader can be great who does not know how to use power. But the combination of the two skills is rare.

Our politicians know how to acquire power, by any means, but they lack the talent to know that power is transient, and there must be life about politics. The trouble of how we got to this messy situation in the country is that, what leaders do while they are trying to get power is not necessarily what they do after they have it. What they have done with the manipulation of the Electoral Bill tells it all. Its not you that matters. Its using raw power to accomplish their cynical agenda.

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E-transmission: The allure of toxic leaders - Daily Sun

ClairoPhoto: Adrian Nieto

Claire Cottrill made bedroom pop before bedroom pop became as generic a term as indie or alternative. As a teen, she made beats and recorded tracks at home, uploading them to Bandcamp and Soundcloud under the names DJ Baby Benz and Clairo. In 2017, she catapulted to internet stardom following her webcam-recorded video for the lo-fi track Pretty Girl. In front of a headboard and a wall plastered with maps and a Shins poster, a bare-faced Cotrill mouths along to lyrics about feeling the need to change herself in order to fit into a relationship, swapping sweaters and bringing on a special guest: her Gizmo Funko Pop. The video quickly amassed views on YouTube, and currently sits at more than 75 million. Cotrill next signed to the FADER Label and released her PC-pop EP diary 001, with features from rapper Rejjie Snow and composer Danny L. Harle.

Cottrills critically acclaimed debut album Immunity arrived in 2019, with standout singles Bags and Sofia (about her pop culture crushes like Sofia Coppola) cementing her place as a talented newcomer in genre-bending pop. Former Vampire Weekend multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Rostam Batmanglij lent his production skills to Immunity, with clean percussive melodies, hip-hop-style trap beats, and distorted synths creating an air that contrasted with the somber topics covered throughout the album: Cottrills experiences in her queer relationships, depression, and her relationship with herself.

Now, Cottrill delivers her most innately beautiful and well-orchestrated album yet, co-producing Sling with one of contemporary pops most prominent producers, Jack Antonoff. With simply stated lyrics, the songwriter ponders how she got to where she is, and how she wishes to move forward. On a vastly different route, Cottrill winds her way through chamber-folk with swelling brass and strings that underline the work and bring life to the story of the singer finding her way back to herself and home.

The opening track, Bambi, sways with robust, jazzy saxophones, and the rise and fall of a tingling flute, setting the stage for an artist who feels no closer to finding herself in fame. On Amoeba, Cottrill sings about the lack of care she offered herself in the years before, so busy with touring shed forget to call her friends and family and return from the road with her hair falling out. Antonoff brings what he does best to the song, with a perky piano melody that builds to a moment where the clouds part and the sun shines through, offering a moment of clarity on previous wrongdoings.

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Cottrill yearns for domesticity throughout Sling, and the comfort and security of however someone defines home. In Zinnias she croons, Sure sounds nice to settle down for a while. The track keeps listeners on their toes, culminating in a groovy, quick-paced breakdown and a guitar line reminiscent of early Mac DeMarco. The layered vocals of Immunity are turned up to a 10 on Sling, with the help of fellow Gen-Z musician Lorde, who sings backup on Blouse and Reaper. Cottrill harnesses Americana influences from the Laurel Canyon scene of the 60s and 70s, opening the door to heightened intimacy and a bright state of mind.

Cottrills stated museher Chow Chow/Great Pyrenees pup named Joaniereceives an instrumental tribute on the album. The playful yet pensive tune captures the feelings of joy expressed when bonding and starting a life with a new creature. Joanie falls into a steady and calming melody, evoking a certain peace of mind. Its simple, and precious.

As much as Sling conveys the the beautiful and youthful innocence Cottrill finds in Joanie, the album also touches on the sexualization of young women by the music industry. In a recent interview with The Guardian, she shared the crushing reality that what this industry does a lot is drain young women of everything until theyre not youthful any more, a sentiment echoed in the final words of final track Management: Im old with resentment.

The first delicate offering from Sling, Blouse, brought listeners into what would be a sonically tender era for Clairo, but the lyrics provide a perfect example of the degrading behavior men exhibit against women, even in professional settings. In a newsletter to fans, Cottrill explained the inspiration behind Blouse: youve hung your coat, scarf, combed your stray hairs back, and sat down. The table is set, you are equipped and prepared for a professional conversation, and all of a suddenyou see a male colleague staring down your shirt while youre halfway through a sentence. On Management, she imagines a life for herself filled with friends and men who dont speak over her, as she balances the grief and guilt she feels for what shes endured so far. The message is exemplified by her emphasizing her own youth, where she asks, Mom, would you give me a ring? / One for the ride, and one for the magazine? / Shes only 22.

Cottrill says the track is about wanting so badly to have a home and really feel capable on my own, but not knowing when or how I can do that. Despite these lingering regrets and grudges, she concludes Sling with a triumph, as she prioritizes herself and her peace of mind, knowing one day shes gonna step away from it all, and it will just be her and Joanie.

In her newsletter about Blouse, Cottrill says that when Joanie entered her life, all I wanted to do was create an environment that was safe, inviting, secure, with the realization that she had yet to give that same care to herself. Sling builds out the walls of a safe home. The album offers a space where Cottrill freely expresses herself and her wishes for her life, and she holds no reservations. The last few moments of Sling carry Cottrill away, in an ildyllic walking off into the sunset scene as flutes and strings wisp above. As the songwriter looks forward to to her new home in a tiny Massachusetts town nestled near the Catskills, shes done a lot of the work in Sling to create a little feeling of home already.

Read more:

Clairos Sling paves a brilliantly inspired and elegantly orchestrated road to comfort - The A.V. Club

As we roll into the hottest part of the year, everyone's looking for fresh new ways to quench their thirst. And one of the fastest-growing segments of the beverage business lately has been CBD infused drinks.

But what are CBD infused drinks? What are the benefits? What do they taste like? Is it better to buy them or make your own? Read on to find the answers to all of those questions, and learn about cbdMD's upcoming line of CBD drink mixes!

CBD infused drinks can be any drinks that have cannabidiol, or CBD, in them. But the methods of infusion are not always the same.

Most CBD products that you encounter on the market are made with CBD oil, in which the CBD is in a medium of some kind of plant-based oil. cbdMD's CBD tincturesuse MCT oil, for instance. That's because, in its pure form, CBD extract is a fat-soluble crystal, so dissolving it in fat makes it viable for human consumption.

However, there are some obvious drawbacks to using oil in drinks. If you've got a drink that involves a fatty substance already, like a caffe latteor a pina colada, then adding a few drops of oil is no problem. But in a water-based drink like juice, soda pop, seltzer, wine, and so on, the oil will end up floating on top of the liquid.

Fortunately, scientific ingenuity has been hard at work on the problem.

Making a form of CBD that's water-soluble is tough because CBD is not water-soluble in its natural state. But there are ways around it. cbdMD uses nano-encapsulation technology, in which every CBD molecule is encased in a food-grade shell whose inner surface is friendly to fat-soluble materials (like CBD). And the outer surface allows the whole thing to dissolve in water.

Where does this high-tech substance come from exactly? The soapbarktree of South America, Quillaja saponaria. If you think about it, it makes sense - soap is a substance that breaks down oils and is also water-soluble. If soap in your drink sounds weird, though, be assured that it's not the same stuff that most commercial soaps are made out of, and it's often used as a foaming agent in drinks.

The benefits of CBD drinks are similar to CBD benefitsin general, at least when taken internally. Ingesting CBD can support whole-body wellness in various ways that depend on individual responses and needs, but some of the most common reasons people take it include:

Taking CBD in drink form instead of tinctures, capsules, or gummies is largely a matter of preference. In fact, they don't really have to be opposed - you can have a regular regimen of tinctures or capsules going and add on drinks or gummies for flavor, or vary the delivery method by the day for the sake of variety.

Conversely, a CBD drink might be most helpful if it's part of your daily routine. If you religiously nurse a cup of coffee every morning, you can make it a CBD coffee. Or, if you always unwind with a cup of tea in the evening, you can make CBD teatoo. It all depends on what works for you.

The main thing you want to keep in mind is that you maintain a consistent daily baseline of CBD intake. CBD can stay in your system for days or even weeks, so you may not know precisely how a given amount is going to affect you until you've been taking it for some time. If you're still not getting the results you desire, you can gradually adjust your intake.

CBD by itself doesn't have much flavor. Any other flavoring in a CBD product winds up overwhelming it. So you don't have to worry about a CBD drink having some 'hempy' taste unless it's actually advertised as such. The distinct smell and flavor of whole cannabis come from a range of substances in the plant.

Again, that's a matter of preference. Making your own CBD drinks gives you more control over the ingredients, which is important if you have food allergies or just a picky palate. But it's also true that unless you've mastered nano-encapsulation technology in your home lab, you're stuck using some form of CBD oil in your home recipes.

This gives you flexibility in that you can get CBD oils with almost no flavor of their own, but you still have the oil-and-water problem. Some people don't really mind because they've only got maybe half a teaspoon of oil floating around, but if it bothers you, you might prefer a different way to include CBD in your favorite beverages.

Buying pre-made beverages means that you can get CBD drinks with zero fat, as well as other ingredients that might not be readily available. And they can't be beat for convenience. But of course, you have less flexibility to customize ingredients.

An in-between option is to get a water-soluble CBD drink mix, which brings us an opportunity for some shameless self-promotion.

This August, cbdMD will be launching a new line of CBD drink mixes with 25 mg of our Superior Broad Spectrum CBD in every serving. The mixes have other benefits, including:

You can make a nice fruit-flavored beverage simply by pouring the mix in 8 ounces of water and shaking it thoroughly. But you can also get creative and combine the mixes with any water-based beverage: juice, tea, soda pop; you name it. Because of the shaking, you'll want to make carbonated drinks in a similar way to a highball cocktail: shake the mix with a small amount of some non-carbonated liquid and stir the fizzy drink gently into that.

CBD drink mixes provide a fun way to not only get your own CBD but to share it with friends. If you know people who are CBD-curious, sharing a punch bowl of CBD infused drinks can be an easy and delicious way for them to try it for themselves.

Check out our new CBD recipe portal, which includes recipes for many CBD beverages and where we will keep uploading more. We're also constantly posting recipes for drinks and other CBD goodies on our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitterfeeds, so be sure to give us a follow!

Disclaimer

cbdMD Inc. published this content on 20 July 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 20 July 2021 16:07:05 UTC.

Original post:

CBD Infused Drinks: Everything You Need to Know... - Marketscreener.com

Announcing himself in style while being on the grids of the social media world, Simone Ferretti enthrals all with his multi-tasking abilities.

The fast-paced life of our current times has forced us to play many different roles. The situation demands not only our sheer presence but expects us to excel and give our best. The uprising of many industries has pushed the current generation of youngsters to the core and made them create a special niche and name for themselves. One of the industries that has tremendously changed the demographics of the economy has been the social media sector. Observing multiple changes and trends, it has become mandatory for the social media professionals to keep changing their gears regularly and be on the top of their A game. Simone Ferretti has been that social media star who has been on the top of his game proving his skills in different sectors and rising high as an ace entrepreneur.

This talented individual has shown to be a top figure in many roles: Model, Trainer, Social media consultant, Photographer/Videographer, and Content creator. With the goal of fulfilling his dreams of becoming one of the most successful entrepreneurs of the social media industry, Simone has worked his heart out to create a unique identity for himself and today he is in a league of its own. Offering the best-in-class services in each role that he plays, Simone provides loads of value to his clients assuring organic growth through specific be-spoke strategies. Driven by its energy and values rather than pure business, Simone has quickly become the numberone choice for the majority of his customers across the world. He has been able to develop and cater to a discrete list of clients which have now given to him full control of their digital strategies. With global aspirations in mind, Simone is working extremely hard to succeed at the highest level. His stellar work ethic and professionalism has been recognized and appreciated by not only his industry peers but also by many competitors.

Wearing multiple hats on his head, Simone started as a model, trainer and further deep dived into the digital realm by uploading short videos on social media apps. Gaining initial success and momentum, Simone took amends to develop his photography and videography skills. Moving to London to study business and master his photography skills, Simone is creating a system where he can help and guide many upcoming budding photographers and videographers to stand out from the crowd and garner much work and money for themselves.

Simone continues to flourish as an all-rounder entrepreneur by hovering over 500k+ followers on TikTokand 110k+ followers on Instagram. For more info, do follow him on Instagram @sferro21.

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Meet Simone Ferretti, an astute name and personality climbing his way to the top in the social media industry. - The American Reporter

Destiny 2

We have just a month left in Season of the Splicer in Destiny 2, and while at least one more story beat is to come, the bulk of the season is definitely over. As such, I thought it was time to reflect a bit and offer feedback about what I thought worked and didnt in this season. I definitely think its in the upper end of Destiny 2 seasons overall, but still, always room to make things better.

So, here are my points as I go through this past season in my mind.

1. Six Person Activities Need Six Peoples Worth of Enemies

I actually like Overrides quite a bit, but while yes, this is answering the communitys desire for six person activities, it falls a bit short because it quite simply doesnt feel like it needs six people in any capacity. Unlike Battlegrounds, which jammed in a zillion enemies for just a three person activity, Override constantly feels like it doesnt have enough enemies spawning for six people to deal with, often resulting in less frenetic fighting and more running around trying to find things that arent dead. Keep up the density stuff we saw in Season of the Chosen.

2. We Still Need Better Umbral Management

While I have enjoyed the focused Umbral system, and I thought that this one was better than the Chosen hammer charge one, its very clear that even with reduced Umbral drop rates, continuing to jam them into the same slot with Primes and Bright engrams is clumsy, and when thats full, you cant even pick up many legendaries or exotics. There has to be a less clunky way to do this.

Destiny 2

3. Make Sure Reissued Weapons Are Not Being Hamstrung

I will say up front I think Bungie did a great job with the new Override weapons and bringing back most of the VoG weapons, and the new perks and rolls on most of those are great. Hell, I even think a lot of the reprised FWC weapons are fantastic. But the exception here is the reissuing of a dozen moon and Dreaming City weapons which we dont just have to re-earn now, but the past god rolls we have no longer even exist for many of the weapons, and were replaced with much worse rolls, even if they now had new perks. This makes me concerns about potential reissues of beloved weapons, like if Sundial or Black Armory weapons return but without the perks that made people like them in the first place. Id just be careful continuing to do this, as I dont want Wellspring and Adrenaline Junkie replacing Rampage and Demolitionist on everything going forward.

Destiny 2

4. This Is The Right Path For Storytelling

A combination of in-game lore, dialogue featuring multiple characters, cutscenes and in-game conversations has made both this and Chosen some of the best seasons in terms of storytelling and delivery weve seen. How the story is being told is finally as good as both the content of the story being told and the lore supporting it. More of this.

5. Prevent The API From Spoiling Lore

I understand that datamines and leaks are one thing, but Bungie does need to do something on its end that prevents the API from uploading an entire lore book thats meant to be uncovered week to week from appearing all at once on sites like Ishtar. That results in significant story spoilers that really should be preventable, as its not even anything being mined, it just pops into existence and you have to choose not to read it.

Osiris

6. Iron Banner Remains 5,000 Miles Behind Every Other Activity

I dont know why Iron Banner is such a low priority for Bungie, but we are currently in no ETA mode on when changes are coming to it, and it remains the one place where it is literally impossible to target farm gear, and you can turn in thousands of tokens for zero drops of a specific weapon. Its getting old, and I maintain that Iron Banner should be prioritized even over Trials at this point, as more people play it.

7. We Gotta Figure Out Stasis Weapons

I know Bungie is going to have Stasis be a full element type in the game at some point, but the first two Stasis exotics are two of the worst in the game, Salvations Grip, which may actually be the most useless exotic in Destiny history, and now Cryothesia, the worst-feeling sidearm in the game and not worth its occasional freezes. Something has to change here and I know Bungie is afraid of breaking PvP, but this current design philosophy for Stasis weapons is not working.

Destiny 2

8. The Artifact Needs Updating

Ive written articles, Ive filmed videos, but let me say again that the Artifact system needs quality of life adjustments, namely that it should either costs less or nothing to reset it, or that we should simply be able to unlock all nodes over time, as the current system is highly discouraging build diversity and experimentation. The mods themselves are interesting and fun, the system they are trapped inside is not.

9. Updated Vault of Glass Is Good, And We Want More

I think the grand experiment of bringing Vault of Glass back as a standalone raid worked in the end. They updated it in a way that didnt make the raid a cakewalk, yet still felt true to the original, and I think the end result of this is that yes, players certainly want to see other old raids return like Kings Fall or Wrath of the Machine, even if theyre coming back with no impact on the story. The activity and gear alone is worth it.

Destiny 2

10. Master Mode Needs Adjustment

The idea of bringing Hard Mode back to raids is a good one, but rotating a single weapon tied to a single challenge a week seems weird, as does the idea that you feel the need to grind an absurd amount of XP for artifact power to better your chances. This needs some fine tuning, that seems pretty clear.

Bonus: The Transmog Grind is Bad

How could I forget this? Just reference the whole article I wrote about this last week.

Those are my ten picks for now, I may have more to come later, and feel free to tell me your own

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See the article here:

10 Lessons Bungie Should Learn From Destiny 2s Season Of The Splicer - Forbes