#2015 spring trend | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

amyoffline · 9 months ago

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It's done! The outline for—

—is below the cut. The goal of this project is to explore the following phenomena with as much context and nuance as I can manage, tracing our history over the past 15 years:

What about us, and what about Dan and Phil, drew in and continues to draw in a very specific audience. If they are a ranch metaphor, we are a pizza metaphor 🥗🍕🫶🏻

Why we were Like That™, by which I mean so parasocially invested in them that we became, at times, the most annoying people on the internet. Much of that reputation is undeserved, and the videos on the phandom to date have been strongly negative. So, uh, I guess I'm going to put my face on camera and (mostly) defend us.

Reblog, share in your Discord servers, reply, or send me messages/anon asks with feedback or resources if you have any! Especially if your experience being in this fandom community has been dramatically different from mine. There are TIT spoilers near the end of the outline, but I'm not tagging because certain individuals seem to be lurking over there. Thank you!

Chapters:

Full outline:

introduction

cold open

felt personally attacked by jonathan haidt's last press tour

showed up to the phrenaissance 11 months late

had an unexpectedly strong response to their new content, needed to find out why

what the hell are we doing here?

- phenomenology (academics are professionally insufferable) - research question 1: what drew the audience in? - research question 2: why were we Like That™?

what we're NOT doing here

- a strict content analysis or "wow we sucked" video - providing sources for things best left uncirculated, thank you

reflexivity (personal biases)

- american zillennial in public health - in the youtube audience by spring 2010 - lurking in the phandom on tumblr 2013-2015, back* since 2019 - fan behavior i did and did not engage in

(----): truly necessary background information, i swear

(pop) cultural trends, tech, and their intersection

- nerd/geek identity and the first online weirdos - broadcast tv & the music industry vs the internet - defining "emo" - blogging & vlogging - early internet comedy

broader social/economic trends

- so the U.S. economy collapsed in 2007 - a decade that sucked except for rom-coms and square enix games - the flip/slide phone + digital camera + mp3 player loadout

(05-8): early youtube and early phil

youtube: a great video uploader without a clear purpose

the content on the website

- crossposts, corporations, and creative/social outlets - omg guys it's amazing phil - contemporary youtube-to-legacy success: justin bieber

the audience of "early adopters"

contemporary social media sites and forums

(2009): origin story

a wild dan appears… in the comments

the global constant that is teenagers being messy online

daring my old school district to sue me

- "one town's war on gay teens" (literal rolling stone headline!) - epidemiology 101: rates of… ugh… "unaliving" oneself - ways kids cope when it seems no adults will help them

the earliest days of dan & phil

- hello internet + pinof - a chronically overexamined timeline - file deleted ---* so how big WAS the audience at the time? ---* acceptable funny/edgy language was just different

contemporary youtube-to-legacy success: lucas cruikshank

omg it's meeeeeee

- how amy & friends were using youtube - ways i was just destined to end up here - being in social environments with peers 3-6 years older

(2010): is it "twenty-ten" or "two thousand ten?"

youtube is a platform about to explode in popularity

- the algorithm before it was The Algorithm™, lost site features - let's take a trip through the wayback machine :3c - actual dan & phil content in 2010 - the green brothers found vidcon - contemporary youtube-to-legacy success: darren criss

social media: also about to explode in popularity

- facebook was cool at the time, believe it or not - law of equivalent exchange: 2010 amy cringe compilation - the birth of instagram and pinterest - youtube slash livejournal (the first phanfics… sort of) - shockfic and its place in the overton window

the beginning of "the great rewiring" as haidt calls it

- ways social media is about to dramatically change - third spaces become online spaces - confounding variable: changing expectations of teens

(2011): the end of an era, the start of an age

a very long tangent on fandom and pop culture

cultural exchange

counterculture and teenagers as concepts

the first british invasion: the 1960s

- beatlemania and its descendents - moral panic about the virtue of tween/teen girls - tv/film/fashion trends being imported from the uk - in parallel, star trek births the modern fandom

the second british invasion: the 1980s

- synth/new pop that came out of the punk movement (hi, emo?) - confined mainly to music and fashion - cool britannia

it's harry freakin' potter

- absolute titan of pop culture influence - the rise of online fandom: examining the horrors ---* what is "wank" ---* flaming, sockpuppeting, and general cyberbullying ---* censorship: ffnet purges, boldthrough, & strikethrough ---* other fandom shenanigans of the time (yaoi paddles, anyone?)

harry potter's over. now what?

- for those who needed coming-of-age hero's journeys ---* twilight and YA dystopia waiting in the wings ---* some pretty iconic tv shows start or hit their stride ---* the mcu's phase one ---* takeaway: the rise of "geek culture" generally - for those who just wanted to go to hogwarts ---* doctor who & the wider world of bbc programming ---* british vloggers, you say? where? on youtube? brb--

end tangent, back to your regularly scheduled programming

dan & phil in the first half of 2011

- a continuation of 2010… for now - the videos - british pancakes as a case study of bad fan behavior

streaming and social media

- the birth of snapchat, twitch, and younow - netflix starts developing original programming - multi-channel networks (mcns) - digitour

dan & phil in the second half of 2011

- and they were roommates (omg they were roommates) - fantastic foursome - youtube glitches out - the super amazing project - the first proper baking video + wait, is that the bbc?

~ baking interlude 1: christmas cookies ~

the family sugar cookie (sorry, delia)

amy's 2011

(2012): why is anyone nostalgic for this

the transition from desktop to mobile

- massive growth in smartphone ownership 2011-2015 - things one might do on mobile one might not do on desktop - non-online ways smartphones changed being a youth™

what is tumblr and why is my child using it

- how the site is meant to work - fandom, memes, aesthetics, and SOME public figures - want to be anxious and depressed in peace? come to tumblr - this site seems a little……… gay ---* tumblr's very queer, very neurodiverse userbase ---* legacy media representation in 2012: bad! ---* actual academic research on tumblr users (yes, it exists) - the tumblr experience for non-native english speakers

amy becomes a vibrating mass of panic and paranoia

- in context of the above - additional rant about the american public school system

the growing dan & phil audience

- investigating the origin of the term "phannie" - more collaborations = more viewers - more video uploads = more /invested/ viewers - younow and interacting with fans - watch time replaces clicks in the algorithm

online etiquette, or lack thereof

- mid-transition from the 2000s to the 2010s - "professional internet celebrity" is still basically brand-new - lack of boundaries - various ways to be an asshole online - unsupervised kids simply do not engage in best practices

the end of 2012

- dan and phil move to london - wikipedia vandalism - tiptoeing around a top contender for the phandom's greatest sin - super amazing project DONE, now it's BBC RADIO TIME

(2013): arguably the most important year

- wait. what's that six-second video platform over there--

[amy's curated vine compilation]

- a new wave of internet comedians (read: future youtubers) - the zillennial lexicon - other platforms start emphasizing short-form video content - magcon

emo is BACK - well, sort of

- fob hiatus ends, mcr breaks up. my god. you had to be there - more open ties to nerd/geek culture than in the 2000s - these things once again intersect at dan and phil

dan and phil in the first half of 2013

- siri, what's a "sex symbol?" why are you booing me i'm right-- - d&p are everywhere - radio shows, interviewing, hosting - youtube uploads on their individual channels

rapidly changing cultural attitudes towards queerness

- gay marriage will be legal in places other than canada soon - a lot of assimilationist rhetoric though tbh - parallels to the pop feminism of the decade

hey kids, let's talk about compulsory heterosexuality!!

- what is it and why do people do it - academic, tumblr-level, and anecdotal research - the dannies, the phillies, and the phannies

amy

- the closet™ - mental health stigma - 2013 dnp posts from my main blog

dan and phil in the second half of 2013

- subscriber milestones, vidcon - joint content before the gaming channel - phandom starts having a major presence outside tumblr

(2014): achievement unlocked!

it's time to talk about rpf

- definitions (a chance to be annoyingly pedantic) - academic perspectives and fan discourse on the ethics - when the subjects clearly aren't fine with it - so… we can acknowledge "shipping phan" was different, right? ---* sometimes the subjects are fine* with it, actually ---* how dan and phil started to handle the shipping ---* obvious differences between phan and other rpf ships ---* sharing my favorite passages as a first-time phanfic reader

dan and phil in 2014

- wikipedia vandalism 2: electric boogaloo - bbc request show → internet takeover - the 7 second challenge - youtube content, subscriber milestones, rewind - cons and award shows

tumblr reaches the peak of its influence

- yahoo's attempts to monetize the userbase - buzzfeed and aggregators steal our jokes and bait our clicks - legacy media dangles carrots and uses us for free marketing - the legend of korra breaks TV precedent, almost out of nowhere - the tumblr user experience ---* on mobile, without xkit ---* on desktop, with xkit ---* 2014 dnp posts from my main blog

gamergate and its long shadow

- trolling, renewed and revamped - algorithms push increasingly extreme content - the broad conservative backlash conglomerate - increased normalization of conspiracism in general

my greatest sin [not clickbait] [very funny]

- so, circling back to comphet… - the actual story

anyway, let's talk about danandphilgames

- a star is born: dil howlter - different types of gaming content on youtube at the time - why did 17yo amy not subscribe? well…

~ baking interlude 2: chocolate cupcakes ~

make your own frosting. it freezes well

roasting myself further

(2015): it's not queerbaiting when it's real people

facebook "pivots to video"

- mark zuckerberg lied. water is wet - causes other platforms to REALLY double down on video - the birth of musical.ly - corporate-branded creators (read: future youtubers)

queerbaiting enters mainstream public consciousness

- academic origins - early fannish and acafan writing - johnlock, destiel, and sterek - statistics 101: type i error, type ii error, and queerbait

dan, phil, and the phandom

- bbc, cons, & the brits - danandphilcrafts - phan conspiracies ---* japhan ---* body language experts ---* timeline truthers ---* floor plan investigators ---* no but seriously imagine it - regular youtube uploads ---* solo content ---* joint content ---* subscriber milestones, rewind - tatinof uk and tabinof ---* on "selling out" ---* revisiting the statistics 101 lesson: now with real people! ---* never meet your heroes (unless they're dan and phil)

amy's (temporary) exit from the phandom

- it's legal adulthood with a steel chair!! - growing discomfort with some fans' behavior - 2015 dnp posts from my main blog - the closer: final fantasy vii

(2016): season finale

vine's imminent demise

- content platforms behaving badly - content creators behaving badly

youtube after "the great rewiring" (as haidt calls it)

- version 1.0 of the modern youtube algorithm ---* deep neural networks for dummies ---* what's holding creators accountable, or not - advertising and sponsorships ---* basically every child and youth™ is watching now ---* the battle for our attention ---* regulators start to crack down on undisclosed ads - the rise of drama/tea content (and later, channels) ---* youtubers are now seen as regular celebrities ---* dan and phil as the butt of other youtubers' jokes ---* baiting the phandom for engagement

tatinof us and aus

- a proven new model for live show tours - show & documentary released to youtube red (now premium) - [sigh] the tour bus

sea change in online fandom

- the newer, sometimes queerer media in korra's wake ---* better and more representation in live-action tv shows ---* voltron (i'm sorry!!!) ---* the mystic messenger craze ---* alice oseman & heartstopper - the new dynamics of #discourse ---* proship is to anti as phannie is to phanti ---* the bad behaviors of the 00s get a new coat of paint ---* new, though: fans harassing creators ---* a personal note on ace discourse

dan and phil presence off-tour

- the internet takeover ends - regular content, subscriber milestones

so. uh. current events.

- brexit - sorry the united states is a font of chaos - ripple effects

closing out the year

- amy finally gets an anxiety diagnosis and treatment! hurray! - dapgo, rewind - bbc radio awards & the boncas - gamingmas

(2017): time for a rebrand

tangent - sit down!!! buckle up!!! today's lecture is on PSIs & PSRs!!!

"parasocial" as defined by the current zeitgeist

- summing up youtubers' and laypeople's opinions (not dan's) - an unfairly negative stance overall, imo

older academic literature

- the 1956 paper (yes, 1956) - with traditional celebrities - with fictional characters

current academic literature

- with youtubers and other content creators - positive effects on the audience - negative effects on the audience - broader societal implications

fandom spaces as a parasocial experience

- parasocial and truly social interactions with each other - phandom as a supportive, welcoming space for oddballs - what research i can find about neurospicy folks, + anecdotes - me and everyone else on planet earth move to discord

inherent transactionality

- the nature of celebrity - positive effects on creators - negative effects on creators

reexamining early phandom through a parasocial lens

- the good, the bad, and the ugly - the role audience demographics played in all of this - entering, exiting, and remaining in the phandom

end tangent, back to your regularly scheduled programming

vine is well and truly dead

- some had prepared to become primarily youtubers (smart) - some move to musical.ly, insta, facebook, or snap (less so)

the sun sets on danisnotonfire

- i am very normal about dan's hobbit hair, i swear. - the last dnp content before the rebrand - new apartment, new floor plan investigations

adpocalypse now

- youtube has become the village elder of platforms ---* increased scrutiny, increased responsibility ---* some youtubers had been getting away with !#$!#@% - the scandals ---* pewdiepie + logan paul ---* elsagate and being "family- friendly" (read: ad-friendly) - censorship and monetization ---* adsense revenue goes down as advertisers pull out ---* the glory days of posting whatever and making bank are over

amazingphil and ~daniel howell~

- youtube & younow content - that week in march - vacations and conventions - conjoined baking and the concept of a "soft launch" - daniel & depression → dan as a mental health advocate - truth bombs, ii announcement, rewind

(2018): the phandom vs the hiatus they told us not to worry about

interactive introverts

- "giving the people what they want" - in hindsight… - let's talk about dnp fans from the global south

youtuber burnout

- it wasn't just dan: (more examples than header fits) - the old model was simply not sustainable - newer contributing factors - research on burnout, plus personal anecdotal experience

other dan and phil videos

- phil's solo videos - gay and not proud - hometown showdown - other joint videos - phil's #shorts (sounds normal in american english)

panini updates

- vaccines soon, uwu??? + entrenched misinformation - pros and cons of remote work - pros and cons of remote school - pros and cons of remote socializing

you will get through this night

- younger me really could have used this book too, dan - thoughts as a professional in a related field - reflecting on some of my more unique circumstances

daring my old school district to sue me (again!!)

- updates: racism and transphobia - updates: right-wing freaks take over the school board again - residents vote against improving mental health resources

(2022): dan returns (still not on fire)

hey so politics are um getting worse

- americans lose the right to reproductive freedom ---* the quickest of histories on where these freaks came from ---* this shit kills people. - trans kids become the punching bag of culture war discourse ---* fuck off! (gently) ---* fuck off! (i have a knife) ---* checking in on terf island

we're all doooooooooooooooomed

- dystopia daily my beloved - the style, the substance, the metatextual analysis-- - not everyone loved it, though. why? - the promo - dan on tour + sister daniel

amy's 2022

- i got covid - then i got long covid: brain fog, pots-like symptoms

some more news (i will work on my warmbo impression)

- dan joins tiktok + danisnotinteresting uploads - phil: uploading less, busy doing remote crisis management - twitter is acquired by an idiot jackass - heartstopper on netflix! ---* the show and what it means to people ---* drama (revisiting "real people can't queerbait") ---* why this has anything to do with the phandom

~ baking interlude 4: cinnamon rolls ~

- lovingly, recipe changes and corrections :) - if i have an opinion about anything, it's sweet yeasted breads

(2023): the phrenaissance

phil

- joins tiktok! - youtube uploads through september - what even is phannie tiktok. i've never used this app. help.

dystopia daily b-sides

- dan memes of 2022 - the 2023 dystopia daily episodes

amy: the doctoral candidacy process

- purgatory, privilege, poverty, and free pizza - checking in on what this is like outside the united states

pretending the panini is over

- complaining about post-adpocalypse censorship standards - honest take about "giving up" on covid - who gets the short end of the stick

the youtube algorithm is BAD and UNINTELLIGENT, actually,

- unhinged rant about not hearing about the gaming rephrival - because i was offline from other platforms. like, @amyoffline.

pov: you are a phannie (not me) on october 15th

- what i was doing on october 15th - saying goodbye forever, spooky week, and november - gamingmas - phil uploads through december

(2024): fifteen years of terrible, terrible influence

hey what the fuck is going on

- dan and phil ---* joint and phil videos ---* jokes they never would've made ten years ago ---* a collection of emotional posts about how far they've come ---* people want fun and silly content again. we'll get to why ---* nostalgia, hope, and other warm and fuzzy feelings - the phandom ---* ancient parasocial attachments, reactivated instantly ---* people are way more normal now. let's discuss why ---* tumblr vs twitter vs tiktok phandom

we're all doomed, youtube version

- my thoughts - thoughts on "dan should/shouldn't" do video essays - i can't objectively evaluate anything he makes bc [gunshots]

terrible influence tour

- legally phlonde - the concept: healing one's inner child / taking it back - we gotta talk about phannies in the global south again - no but seriously imagine it? ---*ogres are like onions, they have LAYERS ---* [placeholder for whatever does(n't) happen]

anglosphere current events once again

- the likely us tiktok ban - the tories get fired - [placeholder for whichever hell americans manifest] - witnessing genocide and feeling powerless

ffx full-circle moment to the intro of this video essay

- the night i found out they came back - why i am doing this, now with context - reflections on a nearly 15-year (parasocial) relationship

whatever youtube uploads we get during fall/december

AMY SEES TIT (nov 14)

- the vibes at the phamily reunion - buying merch to apologize for eternal ublock origin use - how much should i document?? (not during the show) - phanspiracies confirmed - atlanta confessions - favorite bits - the alternate universe where i went to tatinof and/or ii

(2025): the horrors persist, but so do we

whatever 2025 content is out while i'm still working on this

our parasocial social club

- let me be philosophytube for a second ---* every interaction has a parasocial element ---* what are we obligated to do as a phandom, actually? ---* as people who parasocially care about these two dorks? ---* what else should we be doing socially to be at our happiest? - "they're my gay uncles" vs "i'm a little in love, even now" ---* riffing about the boundary/overlap between these camps ---* sibling reads me for filth in a single text (sister daniel...) ---* at least we're all in this together

what's going to continue to draw people in

- grown adults drawing our cat whiskers back on - updates on queer/nd kids - updates on anxiety/depression rates - updates on tech and the broader environment of content - world still feels doomed

tangent - the "hard launch" and why people want it

what are people referring to, exactly

- general definition and other examples - when it comes to dan and phil - maybe they hard launched already and we just missed the memo

the ludonarrative of phandom

- if you got here early on - if you got here in the mid-2010s - if you got here after they came out - if you got here post-hiatus - final fantasy comparison: ffvii's chokehold over first-timers

a rom-com for the ages

- the tropes in play - brief tangent on the evolution of the genre - queer romantic comedies - final fantasy comparison: ffviii's plot and squall/rinoa

phriends… or…

- wholesome influence, slice-of-life - projection - final fantasy comparison: ffxv's gameplay loop, the chocobros

humans don't like ambiguity

- from a media perspective (narrative tension) - research from the hard sciences - final fantasy comparison: fanille ---* the first gay final fantasy characters, actually ---* ffxiii's character development process ---* fang and vanille in the text. brb, clawing at the walls ---* so, if anyone is looking for a phyuri au prompt…

tl;dr: reality is not fiction. make peace with not "knowing"

end tangent, back to your regularly scheduled programming

the phuture

- phil's big solo project when??? - dapg is just the joint channel now - youtube has changed since when dan last "regularly" uploaded - nothing lasts forever, and that's okay

~ baking interlude 5: ranch + pizza ~

- ranch propaganda and ranch metaphors - showing off my dough and sauce skills

conclusions

- a lot has happened in 15 years - [placeholders: don't write your conclusions before you do your research]

Proof this project can only be done in consultation with Tumblr: no other platform we're on could accommodate a post of this length and formatting detail lol

#dan and phil #phan #dnp #daniel howell #amazingphil #this took so long to format oh my god please read it and talk to me #except it's 1am in my time zone so i'm going honk mimimimi soon enough #amy writes

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jeffhirsch · 7 months ago

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Copper’s Rally Gaining Momentum as Historically Bullish Season Arrives

Copper tends to make a major seasonal bottom in November/December and then tends to post major seasonal peaks in April or May. This pattern may be due to the buildup of inventories by miners and manufacturers in anticipation of the construction season that usually begins in late winter to early spring. Auto makers are also preparing for the new car model year that often begins in mid- to late summer. Traders can look to go long a May futures contract on or about December 13 and hold until about February 24.

In this trade’s 52-year history, it has worked 34 times for a success rate of 65.4%. The average gain in all years is 5.4%. After four straight years of declines from 2012 to 2015, this trade has been successful in six of the last eight years with solid theoretical gains. Last year, copper was essentially flat from mid-December until mid-March before ripping higher through mid-May. Strictly following the suggested hold period did result in a minor loss, while holding positions longer (which was done in the Sector Rotation ETF Portfolio last year) resulted in well above average gains.

In the accompanying chart, the front-month copper futures weekly price moves (top pane), and seasonal pattern (bottom pane) are plotted. Typical seasonal strength in copper is depicted by a blue arrow and yellow shading in the lower pane of the chart. Last year’s seasonal period is visible in the top pane of the chart. Since copper’s mid-May peak, its trend has generally been lower with a brief surge in September. Copper’s August low appears to have been retested in November and now appears to be beginning a new trend higher. This new positive trend does align well with copper’s typical seasonal pattern.

#$Copper #$HG_F #$HG #seasonal #seasonal pattern

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judith-orshalimian · 5 months ago

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Spring/Summer 2015 Manicure Trends!

#fashion #style #fashion show #runway #fashion runway #beauty #manicure

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fizzigigsimmer · 1 year ago

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To B With Love: The One With The Honey Moon

I had a lot of fun learning about 19th century San Francisco and thought folks might like to see where Steve & Billy spend their bonding retreat.

If that interests you at all, more beneath the cut.

(Cow Hollow 1870)

Bordering the marina district on the bay, Cow Hollow is still a neighborhood that exists in the city today, and parts of it can be seen in The Princess Diaries, which is irrelevant but dear to me.

When the first settlers arrived with the gold rush it was called Spring Valley, known for the numerous freshwater springs that fed into the fertile lagoon, as well as for grassy meadows and sand hills inhabited by wildlife. All those grassy meadows were great for farming, and the area came to be known as Cow Hollow after its many immigrants took to lucrative dairy farming. The price of milk was high in the city at that time and a local farmer could easily support a family on dairy production.

Cow Hollow (Chinese vegetable farm 1883)

Its main thoroughfare, was until the early 20th century an unpaved road which linked the developing city with the Presidio. As San Francisco rapidly expanded the area prospered and became a fashionable district for Prominent San Franciscans. They came and built their fancy houses and shops and businesses followed them. From about the 1860s to the late 1870s there were your standard gentrification tensions between the farmers and the fashionable set, which ended when the city banned cows in the area in the 1880s, effectively ending farming in the area for good.

Cow Hollow (The Attorney General's private estate ensconced by trees)

Perhaps in defiance people continued to call it Cow Hollow, and good on them for that.

This neighborhood makes a lot of sense to me as a place Steve's cousin would have picked to hide him, as it is "comfortable", but not as congested as the city proper as well as close to the bay if a quick retreat is needed by boat.

*Bonus view of the Golden Gate strait from the Crissy field shoreline 1870

The same view in 2015

The house Billy & Steve stay in is described as an octagon shaped cottage, with a cross gabled roof and wrap around porch. Octagon shaped houses were a hot fad for "forward thinking individuals" in the 19th century that started with this doctor who published a bunch of papers, detailing his research into the human body and how the enlightened individual could use their environment to live their best life. Apparently, the flow and function of the octagon shape was superior in his book. Anyway, thanks to him and the trend setters we now have a nice collection of historical houses with this quirky, not all that functional shape. There's a full list online but I'll just include a few that were built around the 1860s

(McElroy House - San Francisco)

(New Jersey: super cute but I can imagine the tiny, weirdly cornered rooms just by looking at it)

(San Francisco: some modern updates obviously but I love the roof work)

(Not sure where these are)

And the one I used a direct reference for Steve & Billy's little retreat.

I love the gables, the porch, just everything. I can picture it on a hill with a view down to the bay, and I loved the idea of them being able to just follow a road to the sea.

That was the first image that came to my mind when I was outlining - the boys hand in hand on their way to the beach. Disheveled, not quite 'done up' all the way but no one to see them if they did. Just being young and starry eyed for each other. Frankly they deserve it after all I put them through lol.

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #fic related things #to b with love #visual post #the honey moon spot

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aquaburst3 · 6 months ago

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Since today is the day that TikTok "went dark" in the US and the weird display talking about "being in talks with Trump to save it", I think it's about time to post this. I'm a witch, and dabble in psychic readings. I'm not practically skilled in this area and my spirituality is private, which is why I rarely ever discuss it on here. I also watched a fair amount of TikTok users who are psychics make predictions about this situation, especially since this affects them.

To make a long story short, we predicted that the ban would happen for a short time (like a month or two), but then the app would be "saved". However, it won't ever be the same again. Whether that means the algorithm changing, it becoming more right-winged or both, I have no idea.

The way things are playing out, this seems more and more accurate by the minute. To the point it's eerie as my "Disney will have another slump era in 5 to 10 years and will have new competition" comment on a YouTube video back in 2015.

If the Oompa Loompa "saves TikTok", don't give him the credit. He was the one who wanted this in the first place. He's just changing his tune because his buddy has a majority stake in the company and wants to look like a savior.

Regardless, things are changing. Users are already flocking to RedNote and having positive experiences there—something the US government likely didn’t anticipate. There are also talks of a new app, Neptune, a western version of TikTok, launching this Spring, which might be the new "TikTok". People from other countries are even joining RedNote in solidarity. If TikTok returns, it will likely become the new Instagram—once a cool app that lost its edge after Zuckerberg bought it. Once the genie is out of the bottle, you can’t put it back.

If you're celebrating this because you dislike TikTok, you might want to reconsider. Allowing this kind of censorship to take root only opens the door for them to target things you care about next—especially if it’s something made in China. There are already discussions about going after Tencent, which has stakes in major gaming companies and even Discord. While I don’t think this will happen, or if it does, it won’t be as impactful as we fear (since Tencent holds minority stakes in many companies), it’s still a concerning trend. The fact that gaming companies are on their radar should be especially alarming.

#aqua rambles #tiktok ban

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droughtofapathy · 2 years ago

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The Gilded Age's Broadway Divas: Aurora Fane (Kelli O'Hara)

Beloved by all, Aurora Fane enjoys a powerful position in Mrs. Astor's New York. Having suitably recovered from impending financial ruin last season, this season, Aurora has done some ill-fated matchmaking, worn some fantastic hats, and provided beautiful window dressing to scenes where she just sits there and looks pretty.

One of Broadway's (few) leading sopranos, Kelli O'Hara is a dying breed. As trends shift towards a more pop/rock sound, and classical musical theatre becomes a thing of the past, Kelli nevertheless finds her niche. A seven-time Tony nominee, Kelli has won Best Leading Actress in a Musical for the 2015 revival of The King and I. You'll recall another Gilded Age Diva who won for that same role some years prior. A proshot of the NT Live production can be found online. It is a gorgeous shoot, even if I take issue with that show as a whole.

She has also been nominated for Kiss Me, Kate (2019), The Bridges of Madison County (2014), and The Light in the Piazza (2005). Ironically, though Aurora Fane supports The Academy, Kelli is a classically trained opera singer who has appeared on the Met Opera stage three times, and will play Laura Brown in an encore run of The Hours this spring. (See my breakdown post over costumes here.)

However, prior to her opera appearance, Kelli will be starring in the new Broadway musical Days of Wine and Roses for a limited 16-week run, opening on January 28th. Kelli has been nominated for every role she has played since 2005, and this will almost certainly be no different. Booked and busy.

#1: "Shall We Dance?" The King and I (2015)

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Kelli's voice is otherworldly angelic. That much we already know very well. The King and I opened in 2015 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center, the third musical Kelli has starred in at that venue. The Beaumont is, of course, right next to The Met Opera, and the only Broadway theater outside the theatre district in Midtown.

As Anna Leonowens, Kelli travels to Siam to teach the children and wives of the king how to speak English. Orientalism aside, the show is a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein, and the score is divine in Kelli's mouth. Fun fact: Kelli's replacement was Marin Mazzie in one of her last onstage roles. Marin was the Passion co-star and dear friend to Donna Murphy, our Mrs. Astor.

This video is from the 2015 Tony performance and showcases the incredible quick change Kelli makes between singing "Getting to Know You" and "Shall We Dance?" aided by a team of unbelievable dressers. It is a marvel to witness. As is Ruthie Ann Miles, Kelli's co-star who recently performed in the Encores! production of Light in the Piazza.

#2: "What More Do I Need?" Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration (2020)

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In 2020, despite a global pandemic, the theatre community still found a way to honor Stephen Sondheim's milestone 90th birthday with an online concert. Kelli performed a song from Saturday Night, Sondheim's first professional musical that was slated for Broadway in 1955, but was scrapped. It only got its New York premiere in 2000. This particular number is a cabaret favorite, and Kelli is an absolute delight with just a camera and digital accompaniment.

Fun fact: it wasn't until this particular performance that I truly started to appreciate the wonder that is Kelli O'Hara. I had previously seen her in concert just that March, and loved her, of course, but I have a complex relationships with sopranos. I now recognize that I love mature sopranos, but it's the ingenues I can't listen to without wincing.

#3: "They Don't Let You In the Opera" (2016)

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Lest we think Kelli is limited in her range and style, this song was written especially for her to showcase her vast talent and comedic timing. Kelli, an Oklahoma farmgirl, isn't the sort of person you'd expect to be both classically trained and country literate.

Kelli, who has been typecast as refined and often repressed characters who go through harrowing emotional experiences, much like Aurora Fane, is more than capable of bringing a rollicking comedy to the mix.

This number is a favorite in Kelli's concert repertoire. There isn't much more to say, except that you need to witness its hilarity for yourself.

#4: “Heaven? Somebody else’s heaven?” The Hours (2023)

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Speaking of opera, here is an excerpt from a scene in Act II where Laura Brown has fled to a hotel room to contemplate some very serious courses of action. Kelli, alongside soprano Renee Fleming and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, makes up a trio of phenomenal women in Kevin Putts' adaptation of the book and movie.

The Met Opera theatre seats nearly 4,000 people across six levels. The performers do not use body mics or amplification of any kind, but rather rely on intense vocal training to be heard across the theater. For this reason, alongside the vastly different vocal techniques and styles, musical theatre actors rarely cross over into opera, and vice versa. Notable exceptions include Renee Fleming, Kelli's Light in the Piazza co-star Victoria Clark, and Mary Beth Peil, who made her musical theatre debut in The King and I as yet another Miss Anna, hers in 1985.

#5: "So in Love," Kiss Me, Kate (2019)

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Starring in yet another Golden Age musical revival, Kelli brings a different take on Lilli Vanessi, a glamorous movie star in a turbulent relationship. Kelli's vocal talent, of course, speaks for itself. For Kelli, this role was a tribute to her dear friend, the late Marin Mazzie, who had passed away some months before the show opened. Marin, who replaced Kelli in The King and I, had played this same role in the 1999 Broadway revival to great acclaim. In her first entrance of the show, Kelli wore a costume that featured the very same hat Marin wore in her show.

Though this video is beloved, my personal favorite rendition can be heard below. It was taken at a concert Kelli put on at the 92Y in New York last February. In it, Kelli sings for and to Marin, and the entire theatre wept.

Bonus: "Back to Before," Ragtime Reunion Concert (2023)

The role of Mother was originally workshopped by Donna Murphy in Toronto in the early 90s, but she left to do King and I, which worked out well for her. In came dear friend Marin Mazzie, who originated the role on Broadway, and established a precedent no other has been able to top. Also in that cast? Audra McDonald as Sarah, for which she won a Tony, of course.

In 2023, after years of pandemic-related delays, they staged a one-night reunion concert of this special show. And who better to take on Marin's iconic role than Kelli O'Hara? Listen to her "Back to Before" here, and then do yourself a favor and run, don't walk, to listen to Marin's.

#the gilded age #aurora fane #kelli o'hara #met opera #sondheim #ragtime #marin mazzie #kiss me kate #the hours #the king and i

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disarmarchive · 2 years ago

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Is Balenciaga a Social Experiment?

Balenciaga is a recognisable name, and a brand that recently has been the centre of many controversies. Even before that however, Balenciaga has been, and continues to be, publicly criticised, ever since the introduction of Demna Gvasalia as creative director. Their abstract designs, along with a hiked-up price tag, create a lot of buzz within the fashion realm. Before I begin to discuss Demna-era Balenciaga however, I believe it is important to know a brief history of the brand, and a brief history of Demna himself.

Balenciaga is a luxury fashion house founded by Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga in 1919. The brand quickly gained recognition for its innovative designs and unique approach to silhouette and structure. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Balenciaga was known as a leader in the world of haute couture and was favoured by high society women and royalty. In 1968, Balenciaga closed its doors due to the death of its founder and changing fashion trends, but the brand was later resurrected in 1986, but struggled to regain its former glory. However, since the brand appointed Demna Gvasalia as creative director in 2015, it has once again solidified itself as a prominent luxury fashion house.

Demna Gvasalia is a Georgian fashion designer and creative director, born in 1981. He grew up in the Republic of Georgia and later moved to Germany to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts is a prestigious school that has produced many notable names such as Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester and Dries van Noten (members of the group the Antwerp Six). After completing his studies, he worked as a designer at various fashion houses, including Maison Martin Margiela, Louis Vuitton, and his own brand, Vetements. In 2014, Demna co-founded the avant-garde fashion label Vetements, which quickly gained recognition for its unconventional designs and streetwear inspired aesthetic. Under Demna's creative direction, Vetements became known for its oversized silhouettes, bold graphics, and deconstructed pieces that challenged traditional fashion norms.

The belief that Balenicaga’s recent designs are ‘trolls’ is a highly popular one, generally throughout the general public, who are not very informed on Demna and his designs. Balenciaga has released a number of products that received great amounts of criticism under Demna, namely the $1,790 ‘trash’ bag, or the Balenciaga Crocs, many models which retailed above $1,000. Putting myself in a fashion outsider's shoes, I can see how these items could be seen as jokes, as if Balenciaga is playing a prank on the consumers, especially with the outrageous price tags on many of their items. However if one does their research into Demna, they will find that he has stayed true to his original philosophy of tearing down any preconceived notions surrounding fashion, and rebuilding the public’s perceptions.

The Balenciaga NYC Show Spring 23 Collection, is known for its bold and thought-provoking designs that often carry symbolic meaning. In this particular collection, Demna sought to explore themes of consumerism, environmental degradation, the impact of technology on society, and the fetishism of finance. The collection features exaggerated silhouettes, oversized and distorted shapes, and a colour palette inspired by environmental waste and pollution. These elements symbolise the negative impact of consumerism and modern society on the environment. The use of bright, eye-catching colours serves to draw attention to these issues, while the distorted shapes represent the damage that has already been done. In addition, the collection incorporates elements of technology and digital culture, such as computer-generated prints, circuit board patterns, and internet-inspired graphics. These elements symbolise the all-encompassing presence of technology in our lives and its impact on the way we see and experience the world. The show takes place in the New York stock exchange, and it provokes thoughts about the fetishism of finance, which is also shown through the exorbitant price of the garments themselves.

However, to counter my argument, Balenciaga is owned by the Kering Group, a group that owns Gucci, and many other luxury fashion brands. This means that Balenciaga is a primarily profit-driven company, and could mean that Demna’s outrageous, and polarising designs are simply publicity stunts, used only to bring profit to the Kering Group. While this completely counters my argument, I believe that this was an important point to bring up, as I want to open myself up to the idea that the general public’s opinion on Balenciaga is in fact correct.

Balenciaga’s recent controversies and collaborations also point to this fact, such as their recent collaboration with Kanye West, an undeniable polarising public figure. This, along with their collaborations with the video game ‘Fortnite’, or with ‘The Simpsons’, drum up large amounts of chat within the fashion space, and while deeply criticised, generally help in creating buzz around a brand, and as they say, any publicity is good publicity. I think that their creative ways of creating buzz, or shocking the consumer, is also what they attempted to do in their recent campaign that received a very large amount of backlash. The campaign advertisements contained old court cases surrounding child sexual abuse, and one ad was even of a young girl holding a toy bear that had many BDSM style accessories on it. I believe that while this was absolutely inappropriate from Balenciaga, their intentions remained the same as with their older campaigns, which was to shock the viewer.

In conclusion, Balenciaga, a luxury fashion house with a rich history, has been the centre of many controversies and public criticism since the appointment of Demna Gvasalia as creative director in 2015. Demna's unconventional designs have been met with mixed reactions, with some viewing them as artistic and innovative, while others see them as outrageous and simply publicity stunts. Despite the polarising opinions, Balenciaga has solidified itself as a prominent fashion house with thought-provoking designs that challenge traditional fashion norms. Balenciaga's designs and controversies will continue to spark discussion and debate within the fashion industry and the public eye, and continue to feel like a joke to those less informed.

#essays #essay #balenciaga #demna #demna gvasalia #gvasalia #vetements #satire #avant garde

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mysticwiki · 3 months ago

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um, hi! i'm OP of this original money cat post!

in my d&d server on discord, the conversation of old childhood pets came up and i started talking about Oreo, my childhood cat. she's displayed here in the original post and was one of the many money cats of tumblr who blew up in popularity during the 2014-2015 era of the site at the time when this trend was going around. it was then my friend (hi @oh-hey-its-marc) brought up the fact that she was one of those money cats, a post i nearly forgot about even though it blew up 😭

it blew up so much, in fact, that i remember being extremely overwhelmed by all the notifications of likes and reblogs that i ended up deleting the post entirely! but with the way this website works, where posts still exist from deactivated blogs or posts that have been deleted but reblogged by thousands are still visible, Oreo remains eternal it seems. it's like she never left! my other friend @jamboreeguy sent me this version of the post after some digging around and i nearly cried. i figured i would kind of "reclaim" the post again since it's been nearly 10 years since the original post (wtf!!)

Oreo passed away about 2 years after the original money cat post (in the spring of 2017). i mentioned she was my childhood cat. we literally grew up together - i had her from the ages of 7 up until 20. she went through a lot with me as well: adolescence, high school graduation, early college years - and was generally such a comforting presence that i'll never forget her. so even if i'm like 6 years late to the party, and i'm so sorry for reblogging your old reblog/addition, thank you, @badspooky for this drawing of her, for immortalizing her like this in all her glory :')

i've also included some of my favorite photos of her i had on my phone (a lot of the kitten ones are physical photos from the early 2000s LOL).

thanks for reading 💜

This is the money cat, reblog in the next 24 hours and money will come your way!

#mari speaks #god this was such a journey #it's nearly her death anniversary actually #i do miss her even tho i got my current cats #one of which she got to spend time with when juni was a kitten!#but yeah thank you so much again i love this drawing a lot 😭#what else do i tag this as anyway help #oh i know #money cat

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cleverhottubmiracle · 2 days ago

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As designer Matthieu Blazy gears up for his debut as Chanel’s new creative director, it’s no stretch to say he’s got big shoes to fill. He’s taking over for Virginie Viard, who worked closely with Karl Lagerfeld during his 36-year tenure—a time that cemented the French label as a creative powerhouse not seen since Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel launched her brand in 1910. Now, Lagerfeld’s designers are relevant as ever, just six years after his death.From red carpets to the big screen, archival Chanel has been everywhere lately. Keke Palmer modeled a spring 1993 couture look at the BET Awards in June, while Margot Robbie’s 2023 Barbie press tour was studded with iconic Lagerfeld-era pieces; Kylie Jenner recently flaunted her spangled spring ’95 bikini on Instagram (to the tune of over three million likes), and Sofia Richie Grainge wedded Elliot Grainge in a minidress evoking Claudia Schiffer’s fall ‘93 couture bride.Keke Palmer at the BET Awards 2025Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty ImagesOf course, the nostalgia factor is a potent reason for this resurgence in ’90s Chanel. One needn’t scroll through TikTok to find that Millennials and Gen Z are obsessed with 1990s fashion, and in particular, recreating looks from that era. Influencer Veronika Molnar pioneered the viral “How to Dress Like a Chanel Model From the ’90s” trend, and designer vintage dealers like Erika Tsuverkalova have seen a higher demand for Chanel pieces from this time period.“Many of my clients grew up seeing those runway looks—or discovering them later through social media and editorials—and there’s an emotional pull,” explains Tsuverkalova, who is the owner of Vintage Heritage. “The clothes are instantly recognizable but still rare. They hold value not just as fashion, but as cultural artifacts.”Kylie Jenner wearing a vintage black Chanel bikini@kyliejennerTsuverkalova can relate: although she began collecting archival Chanel pieces (mostly from the 1990s) back in 2015, her love for Lagerfeld’s designs began in childhood.“I remember trading magazines with other kids for toys and candy,” she says. “Imagine being four years old and seeing Claudia Schiffer in that pink Chanel suit from 1995. It’s a moment you never forget. I tried to recreate her outfits on my dolls, searching for the right materials, even cutting up pieces of fabric from my mom’s clothes.”Claudia Schiffer on the runway for Chanel’s Spring/Summer 1995 Pret-A-Porter collectionPhoto by Pierre Vauthey/Sygma/Sygma via Getty ImagesTsuverkalova hesitates to call Vintage Heritage a business—she considers it a passion project—though her sourcing has caught the attention of celebrities including Palmer, Kim Kardashian, and Ariana Greenblatt, who have all been spotted in ’90s Chanel clothing from her catalog.Kim Kardashian at the Chanel and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards DinnerPhoto by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty ImagesEven the house itself seems to understand the appeal of recreating iconic fashion moments.Months after Lagerfeld’s passing in 2019, Chanel sent second-generation muse Lily-Rose Depp down the Met Gala red carpet in a 1992 spring couture dress first modeled by Christy Turlington. Fellow spokesmodel Penélope Cruz wore the same chain-draped look in Pedro Almodóvar’s Broken Embraces (2009) and more recently, Chanel reworked it into a crystallized bodysuit for another brand ambassador, Dua Lipa, for her Radical Optimism tour.Lily Rose Depp at the Met Gala; Christy Turlington during Chanel’s Spring/Summer 1992 couture runwayGetty ImagesA representative from Chanel confirms that the house has increasingly poured resources into reviving its archives: Lupita Nyong’o, Cruz and Depp all sported ’90s-inspired recreations at the Oscars this year rather than fresh-off-the-runway frocks.Lupita Nyong’o, Penelope Cruz, and Lily-Rose Depp on the Oscars 2025 red carpet wearing vintage-inspired Chanel dressesGetty ImagesPlus, there’s a viral element that’s undeniably beneficial—Taylor Russell and Lipa generated tons of press for the brand by wearing Chanel gowns affiliated with one of Lagerfeld’s favorite Supers, Schiffer. When Robbie revived a Cindy Crawford runway look at the 2023 Met Gala (which paid homage to Lagerfeld), even the model’s response made headlines.Taylor Russell during the 81st Venice International Film Festival Photo by Maria Moratti/Getty ImagesThe 1990s were known as a decade of experimentation within fashion. Designs that were considered unconventional and quirky by industry standards went mainstream thanks to up-and-comers such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen, and John Galliano. Lagerfeld, although already well-known by this time, broke the mold by tapping into unexpected sources of inspiration. His fall 1991 ready-to-wear collection riffed on rappers and hip-hop street style; he incorporated trendy textiles that Chanel wasn’t typically associated with, including PVC, velour, and spandex.Karen Mulder walks the runway at the Chanel Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 1991 showPhoto by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesThis period also ushered in the Supermodels, marking the first time that catwalkers like Schiffer, Turlington, Crawford, and Naomi Campbell became household names. Their emergence coincided with third-wave feminism, a movement that emphasized empowerment through individuality, principles that these Supers—and Lagerfeld himself—personified. Naomi Campbell, Karl Lagerfeld, and Christy Turlington backstage at the Chanel Ready-to-Wear show Spring/Summer 1992Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty ImagesHis spring 1995 collection famously liberated the Chanel skirt suit, transforming the once-stuffy staple into a modern must-have courtesy of candy-coated hues, crops, and shorter hemlines.Photo by Daniel SIMON/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesRita Watnick, who has sold vintage luxury fashion for over 40 years through her boutique Lily et Cie, believes the recent admiration for archival Chanel has less to do with the 1990s and more to do with Lagerfeld’s legacy as a whole.“They have a quality, they have a style, they have an identity,” Watnick says of Lagerfeld’s designs. “There are few people who are really driving forces that totally define what young people want from high-quality fashion.”It’s true that his creations from different decades have reemerged, too: Palmer and Ariana Grande selected 1980s Chanel looks for events this year, while Rihanna showed up to the Smurfs premiere in Belgium wearing a customized version of a 2003 couture skirt set (which Kate Hudson also wore while heavily pregnant).Photo by Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images for Paramount PicturesPalmer and Grande are just two customers who purchased vintage Chanel from Watnick in recent months, though she verifies that her clientele’s interest in Lagerfeld pieces has generally increased since his death.The German-born couturier spared no time reinventing Chanel when he joined in the 1980s. He revived the brand after it struggled financially, turning into a cash cow and putting a youthful spin on classics like quilted flap bags and double “Cs” in the process. Grande’s 1986 couture number, for example, was Lagerfeld’s prom-ready take on Coco’s little black dress.“The way Karl was designing through the lens of Chanel has made it timeless,” Ryan McMahon, owner of the Instagram account @chanel_archives, tells W. “He took the elegant way of dressing, the house codes, and minced them up with a kitschy edge.”Since launching his virtual catalog in 2014, McMahon has amassed over 150,000 followers, including star stylists like Andrew Mukamal and Jahleel Weaver, who have collaborated with Chanel on retro recreations for their clients Robbie, Rihanna, and Russell.Perhaps more than anything, Karl’s clothes evoke something intangible.“In terms of the 1996 Chanel couture look…I knew she felt good in that dress,” stylist Law Roach told British Vogue of Campbell’s 2024 Cannes gown. “I knew she felt beautiful. And I knew that dress would make her feel joyful again.”Naomi Campbell at the 77th Cannes Film FestivalMichael Buckner/Variety/Getty ImagesWatnick agrees: “Keke said something that I really loved about that dress that she bought,” she says, referencing Palmer’s BET Awards shift. “She said it made her feel like Keke.” Source link

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norajworld · 2 days ago

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kirkgarden · 21 days ago

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Hi guys my message today:

Climate change:

The Changing Seasons: Are We Entering a New Climate Era?

Since 1985, our seasons have begun shifting in subtle but powerful ways. Back then, hurricane seasons were unpredictable, and heatwaves were rare. In 1988, Hurricane Gilbert marked a turning point for Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, introducing what would become a yearly cycle of powerful storms. By 1992, hurricane season had taken on a consistent pattern. Nature was no longer unpredictable—it was warning us. So guys we now have a new season. The hurricane season.

Then came 2015. That year began a new trend: intense heatwaves, growing stronger each summer. What was once an occasional event is now part of our climate calendar. But over time heatwaves become the norm, this additional seasonal change has add a new season. The heatwwave. As of 2020 and additional season slowly taken root, the fire season. Today, in 2025, hurricanes are forming earlier, and spring arrives almost overnight. Our traditional seasons are fading, replaced by sudden climate flips.

This August, I believe a major heatwave will break records between the 10th and 12th. As it's possibly by the the 5th. Ocean temperatures are already high, and the jet stream is unstable. These are signs of extreme heat building.

We may be entering a new kind of season, one defined not by flowers or snowfall, but by earthquakes, wildfires, floods, and violent storms. Between now and 2033, Earth could face its most dramatic changes yet. In Earth's history. signs are all around us.

The question is not whether the climate is changing, but whether we’re ready for what’s coming next.

With the melting of the ice caps, this can cause earth crust displacement.

So 20 30 to 20 33,

This planet will be dancing but not in a good way.

Keep safe guys

This message is for all of us to be aware.

God bless guys

One love ❤

#climate change #global warming

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fromdevcom · 1 month ago

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Technology is the fastest-moving industry in the business world today. A company that may not have existed a decade ago can release a product so ingenious that it not only invents but also corners an entirely new market. Google, TiVo, and Roku are all modern examples of revolutionary concepts that have quickly become a key part of modern living. Many startups are creating amazing internet of things products that will astonish you. Here are six tech trends that will become similarly ubiquitous in the coming year. 3D Printing The ability to construct useful items in the convenience of one's own home is mind-boggling. The potential of this field is limitless. Already, imaginative people have employed 3D printing for products as wide-ranging as foods, automotive parts, and medical supplies. Something that makes your dinner, fixes your brakes, and replaces your artificial limb is the breathing definition of revolutionary. Alas, widespread adoption of 3D printing has been slow thus far. In 2015, the situation is poised to change, as low-end models are about to be released. Once 3D printers become a daily part of living, they will quickly become as natural and important as the microwave or Netflix. Tablet-Like Smartphones Fifty-eight percent of Americans own a smartphone, while 42 percent own a tablet computer. Incredible mobile devices such as Samsung's Galaxy S6 are poised to blur the line between these concepts. The next iteration of the second best-selling smartphone in the world will feature a giant, curved screen that will maintain the tactile feeling of a regular phone while providing a much larger viewing area. Samsung has been a constant innovator in screen size, and that trend will continue in 2015. Smart Wearables Healthier living and digital omnipresence are merging in this nascent market that is poised to explode. Fitbit led the charge with its high-tech pedometer, but titans of industry are now prepared to take over this field. 2014 witnessed the debut of the Samsung Gear™ 2, and its marketing campaign was predicated upon past science fiction entertainment. Movies and television series of the 1950s and 1960s predicted a future where mankind could learn everything they need to know from a glance at their watch. That technology now exists, and the impending release of several high-profile wearables should transform society's digital habits. All eyes are focused on Apple as the Apple Watch is poised to debut. When the company introduced iTunes, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad, all of those industries evolved from niche to financial heavyweights. The same should be true of the wearables market. Amazon Echo Another Apple invention that revolutionized technology was Siri, the digital personal assistant that provides ready answers for curious minds. Siri has since been mimicked by several other companies, most notably Microsoft with Cortana. As brilliant as devices like these are, they represent only a portion of the future. The Amazon Echo is the first in-home device specifically designed to employ big data to answer user queries. Unlike Siri, you do not have to be in reach of the Echo to utilize it. Simply by uttering the trigger word, Alexa, the Echo will spring to life and respond to a question. It is also capable of performing daily functions such as to-do lists. If you realize that you are out of ketchup, you can instruct the Echo to add ketchup to your grocery list and then access the information from the Amazon app while at the store. Home Integration The seamless integration of home electronics such as lights, air conditioning, and heating are already being performed by intuitive devices that learn, such as Google's Nest. It is a home automation system that automatically adjusts your thermostat depending upon your user behavior. The Nest was the first major device introduced into the home of the future's Internet of Things to create a local network of smart units that operate individually and as a unit. This field of smart devices is poised to explode in coming years.

Sling TV The days of cable bundling are almost at an end. Dish Network announced a new Internet television service that will include packaging such as ESPN, TBS, and HGTV for a modest $19.95 per month. Similarly, HBO Go will become a standalone service in 2015. As more companies cater to cord cutters, cable television will go the way of print media. The future of technology that has been predicted for 50 years now is finally at hand. This is an exciting time to be a tech geek.

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chilimili212 · 3 months ago

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During her time as a member of the Spice Girls, Victoria Beckham’s style was, understandably, very, very ’90s. It was the era of bandanas, boot-cut jeans, and brown lipstick, and no one embraced the aesthetic more than she did. As Posh Spice, Beckham became something of a style icon in the United Kingdom and beyond as she managed to successfully update her look with each passing year, surpassing the trends and all the while setting them at the same time. Whether she was matching with her husband, soccer star David Beckham, or doing her own thing in Roberto Cavalli or Dolce & Gabbana, Beckham turned heads every time she stepped out for an appearance.It was no surprise, then, that when Beckham launched her eponymous label in 2008, she was quickly recognized for her work, winning Designer Brand of the Year at the 2011 British Fashion Awards. Since then, Posh has been dressing almost exclusively in her own line, and we don’t blame her. The designer produces the perfect cool girl clothes, and these days, Beckham never runs out of sleek dresses and perfectly-tailored suits to wear on the big stage. Here, we’re looking back at two and a half decades of Posh style, from her girl group days all the way up until now.2024: BoF 500 EventDarren Gerrish/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty ImagesBeckham wore a white pantsuit of her own design without a shirt underneath.2024: Lola PremiereLISA O'CONNOR/AFP/Getty ImagesVictoria looked sleek and chic for the directorial debut of her daughter-in-law, Nicola Peltz Beckham. VB sported a simple double-breasted suit that she paired with black stilettos for the premiere of Lola.2023: Beckham PremiereKarwai Tang/WireImage/Getty ImagesWhile David looked great in his Loro Piana suit, Victoria is the one who really stood out in a white suit from her line featuring an oversized jacket and cropped pants. 2022: Today ShowJose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty ImagesThe designer wore a one-shoulder top and knee-length skirt from her own line with her favorite Saint Laurent pumps for an appearance on the Today show. 2020: British Vogue and Tiffany & Co. Fashion and Film PartyDavid M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty ImagesOver the years, Beckham has completely mastered the art of suiting. Here she wears a look of her own creation, featuring her signature pants pooled on the floor. 2019: GQ Men of the Year AwardsDave Benett/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty ImagesThe GQ Men of the Year Awards was a family affair for the Beckhams, and they all arrived in power suits. While David wore a classic Tom Ford tuxedo, Victoria wore a look from her resort 2020 collection, an oversized suit featuring a double-breasted jacket. 2019: The Portrait GalaDave Benett/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty ImagesBeckham attended the 2019 Portrait Gala in a look straight off the fall 2019 runway, wearing it almost exactly as it was styled when it walked in her show, though she did ditch a belt and scarf seen on the original model. 2018: The Fashion AwardsKarwai Tang/WireImage/Getty ImagesNot only did Beckham where this long, black dress with a geometric neckline from her spring/summer 2019 collection to the Fashion Awards, but she also wore it while on vacation with Elton John. 2018: People’s Choice AwardsSteve Granitz/WireImage/Getty ImagesAnother red carpet, another suit. Beckham attended the 2018 People’s Choice Awards in an all-white look from her spring 2019 collection. 2018: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Wedding WPA Pool/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty ImagesVictoria spiced up her Victoria Beckham dress with a pair of orange pumps when attending the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. 2016: Cannes Film FestivalSamir Hussein/WireImage/Getty ImagesBeckham has had a big hand in redefining women’s red carpet style. While everyone else wears larger-than-life gowns on the Cannes red carpet, the designer showed up to the 2016 opening gala in a tuxedo-inspired look from her fall 2016 collection. 2015: British Fashion Awards Rune Hellestad - Corbis/Corbis Entertainment/Getty ImagesThe Beckhams matched in black suits at the 2015 British Fashion Awards. Victoria, who was nominated for Best Womenswear Designer, wore a suit from her own label, of course, featuring cigarette-style pants. 2015: Glamour's Women Of The Year AwardsGilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic/Getty ImagesWhile Beckham usually sticks to more neutral colors on the red carpet, she attended Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards in a bright red gown from her own collection. 2015: CFDA Fashion AwardsLars Niki/Corbis Entertainment/Getty ImagesBeckham kept things simple at the 2015 CFDA Fashion Awards, wearing a black Victoria Beckham dress with Jacob & Co. jewels. 2014: British Fashion AwardsPascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty ImagesThe 2014 British Fashion Awards were a big night for Victoria, who took home the award for Brand of the Year while wearing a design from her fall 2014 collection. 2014: London Evening Standard Theatre AwardsKarwai Tang/WireImage/Getty ImagesThe designer wore a black strapless dress of her own design to the 2014 awards. 2014: Met GalaAxelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty ImagesIf Beckham’s white strapless dress at the 2014 Met Gala looks familiar, that’s because she wore it in black just months later to the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards.2013: Glamour Women of the Year AwardsAlan Chapman/FilmMagic/Getty ImagesBeckham actually opted to wear another designer’s creation to the 2013 Glamour Awards, walking the red carpet in a top and pants from Maison Margiela spring 2013. 2012: Olympic Games Closing Ceremony Andrew Milligan - PA Images/PA Images/Getty ImagesOf course, Beckham went all out for her return to performing when she took the stage with the rest of the Spice Girls at the Olympic closing ceremony in London. Posh rode a blinged-out taxi in a Giles Deacon strapless dress, inspired by a look from the designer’s fall 2012 collection. 2012: Vanity Fair Oscar PartyChris Farina/Corbis Entertainment/Getty ImagesAt the 2012 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Victoria was back in her own design, attending in a clay-colored, belted dress. 2011: British Fashion AwardsMike Marsland/WireImage/Getty ImagesThe 2011 British Fashion Awards were a big year for Beckham as it was the first time she took home the honor of Brand of the Year, and she did so in a black, halter neck dress. 2011: Prince William and Kate Middleton’s WeddingDanny Martindale/FilmMagic/Getty ImagesVictoria wore a navy blue dress of her own design with Louboutin pumps to the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. 2010: British Fashion AwardsDave M. Benett/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty ImagesThe designer showed off a lot of leg at the 2010 British Fashion Awards with the help of a Victoria Beckham dress. 2010: Vanity Fair Oscar PartyPatrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan/Getty ImagesBeckham brought out another neutral dress (this one with an abstract print on the skirt) for the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2010. 2009: British Fashion AwardsEamonn McCormack/WireImage/Getty ImagesThe designer wore a black, long sleeved dress from her spring/summer 2010 collection to the Fashion Awards in 2009. 2009: Met GalaPatrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan/Getty ImagesBeckham wore a polka-dotted Marc Jacobs mini dress with an attached bustle and train to the 2009 Met Gala. 2008: ESPY AwardsJohn Shearer/WireImage/Getty ImagesVictoria brought some color to the red carpet when supporting her husband at the ESPY Awards, wearing a butter yellow Roland Mouret dress with large, round sunglasses. 2008: CFDA Fashion AwardsJamie McCarthy/WireImage/Getty ImagesOne wouldn’t normally describe Beckham’s style as whimsical, but she definitely embraced that aesthetic when she wore this heart-covered Marc Jacobs mini dress to the CFDA Awards in 2008. 2008: Met GalaPatrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan/Getty ImagesThe Beckhams looked especially chic at the 2008 Met Gala, which Victoria attended in a fall 1989 Giorgio Armani sheer, beaded dress. 2007: Glamour Women of the Year AwardsMark Cuthbert/UK Press/Getty ImagesBeckham embraced her pop star past in Roberto Cavalli at the 2007 Glamour Awards where she was honored as Woman of the Year. 2007: MTV Movie AwardsJon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty ImagesPosh went for a very different look at the MTV Movie Awards in 2007, showing up to the pink carpet in a zebra print mini dress with a hot pink bra poking out. 2007: Vanity Fair Oscar PartyJon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty ImagesThe former pop star mastered the chic, simple aesthetic even before she packaged it into a brand. In 2007, she attended the Vanity Fair Oscar party in a classic white gown. 2006: Bambi AwardsSean Gallup/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty ImagesBeckham attended the Bambi Awards alongside Karl Lagerfeld in an ornate, black and gold Roberto Cavalli dress. 2006: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ WeddingSalvatore Laporta/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty ImagesThe singer attended the wedding of her friends, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, in a black midi dress by Giambattista Valli along with a Philip Treacy hat. 2006: Met GalaPatrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan/Getty ImagesBeckham went for a more classic, old-Hollywood style at the 2006 Met Gala, attending the event in a red, strapless Roland Mouret dress. 2005: Fashion Rocks for the Prince's Trust EventThe Prince's Trust/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty ImagesThroughout the years, Beckham has cycled through many different style “eras” but her Roberto Cavalli era might be our favorite.2005: The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain AwardsPA Images/PA Images/Getty ImagesBeckham wore a simple, black Roland Mouret dress to the Pride of Britain Awards in 2005. 2003: David Beckham Receives His OBEVictoria was right by David’s side in a black lace dress and jacket when he received his OBE honor from Queen Elizabeth. 2003: Lycra British Style AwardsDave Benett/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty ImagesBeckham showed off some leg in a ruby red, halter top mini dress. 2003: MTV Movie AwardsJon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty ImagesVictoria and David matched in white at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards, with Victoria wearing a lace-up Dolce & Gabbana dress. 2003: Met GalaEvan Agostini/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty ImagesSince Beckham was in her Dolce & Gabbana era in 2003, it makes sense that she also wore the label to the Met Gala that year. 2002: Pride of Britain AwardsJustin Goff/UK Press/Getty ImagesThe singer spiced up a white pantsuit with a colorful necklace and pink heels at the 2002 Pride of Britain Awards. 2001: Elton John's AIDS Foundation White Tie and Tiara BallKMazur/WireImage/Getty ImagesThe Beckhams once again coordinated looks for Elton John’s White Tie and Tiara Ball. 2001: NRJ Music AwardsAlain BENAINOUS/Gamma-Rapho/Getty ImagesAnother event, another coordinating look. This time, the couple matched in all black. 2000: MTV European Music AwardsAnthony Harvey - PA Images/PA Images/Getty ImagesBeckham stood out from her group mates in a red-hot leather set. 2000: VH1 Vogue Fashion AwardsKMazur/WireImage/Getty ImagesBack in the beginning of the century, Beckham wasn’t scared to wear some color on the red carpet, and she attended the VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards in a pink and orange lingerie-inspired set. 2000: British Fashion AwardsJustin Goff/UK Press/Getty ImagesAlmost a decade before Beckham launched her brand, she was already attending the Fashion Awards in head-turning looks. 1998: Brit AwardsDave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesBeckham (then Victoria Adams) attended the Brit Awards in a vertigo-inducing, yellow and black mini dress. 1997: Spiceworld: The Movie PremiereTim Graham/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesAll the Spice Girls matched in old school, pin stripe suits at the premiere of their film, Spiceworld. 1997: Billboard Music AwardsFrank Trapper/Corbis Entertainment/Getty ImagesPosh stood out in her gold mini dress when attending the Billboard Music Awards with the rest of the Spice Girls. 1997: Meeting With Prince Harry and Prince Charles in South AfricaMark Cuthbert/UK Press/Getty ImagesWhen meeting Prince Harry and Prince Charles in South Africa, Beckham opted for a more professional look and wore a white suit (though she still had her stomach showing thanks to her crop top).1997: MTV Video Music AwardsJeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, IncPosh went for a slightly edgier look and wore a black mini dress to the MTV VMAs in 1997. 1997: Cannes Film FestivalRon Davis/Archive Photos/Getty ImagesThe Spice Girls all showed off their style at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. This article was originally published on April 17, 2019 Source link

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