#Telephone Explosion Records

[bandcampsnoop]

9/15/24.

When I first listened to this, I thought I was listening to a brilliant modern take on 1980s minimalist synth pop. Turns out I was listening to brilliant 1980s synth pop with a 12-year-old as the talented-beyond-her-years lead singer. Chandra Oppenheim was the vocalist in Chandra - a New York based avant-garde band with Fred Maher and Eugenie Diserio.

Chandra was much more serious about her music than some other teen prodigy bands. For example, while Tangled Shoelaces (Australia) was a full teen band, they didn't have the support at the level Chandra did. And while The Stinky Puffs DID have that support, their music is unlistenable.

I can't help but think of Young Marble Giants when hearing the minimalist sound. I also think Chandra's voice reminds me of what Barbara Manning sounded like in her louder/punkier moments.

"Transportation EPs" was reissued by Telephone Explosion Records several years ago.

[trevlad-sounds]

INVISIBLE WAVES 001

Intro 00:00

Onepointwo-Malnor 00:42

Pabellón Sintético-Luz 03:03

Vince Clarke-White Rabbit 06:59

Chapter 2 11:31

Badge Époque Ensemble-Bowls 12:58

Futuregrapher-Emotix 17:11

Joseph Shabason-Jamie Thomas 20:52

iNFO-Dead kingdoms 26:34

Lone Bison-Bonus: Sad Ending 33:28

Skytree-Astral Projector 37:17

Chapter 3 41:34

The Incidental Crack featuring Dolly Dolly-Hair 43:02

preston.outatime-Mirror Radius 46:31

Timothy J. Fairplay-Underwater Struggle 50:34

F.U.S.E., Richie Hawtin-F.U 56:01

Eje Eje-New Roots (Winter) 1:03:29

Karl Marx-Acid Geitarhorn 1:06:20

Chapter 4 1:11:49

Andrew Weatherall-Evidence The Enemy 1:13:35

Pulselovers-In the Grove 1:20:41

Dressel Amorosi-Killing 1:24:17

HDRF-Initiation 1:28:08

Fluffy Inside-pH5 1:32:19

worriedaboutsatan-Say No To Yes 1:37:57

Chapter 5 1:42:42

Sinoia Caves-Run Program- Sentionauts 1:44:28

Anantakara-Forgiven Not Forgotten 1:47:11

Outro 1:52:26

[trevlad]

Wednesday 16 August Mixtape 355 “Sweet Day Revelation”

2023-08-16

Retro Lounge Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays. Support the artists and labels. Don't forget to tip so future shows can bloom.

Kutiman-A Day Off 00:00

Mort Garson-Ode to an African Violet - Alternate Take 05:01

Jonathan Fitoussi-COLORS OF THE FUTURE 08:50

Milieu-Euflorian 16:05

Uncle Fido-They Muse 20:29

Veslemes-Morning Patrol 22:34

Bright & Findlay-Fireflies 27:38

Yan Tregger-The Last Girl 30:34

Uh Huh-Citrus Song 34:39

Sessa-Música 38:20

Yves Malone-Black Trucks Fill the Night, Empty Then Full 40:55

Vulfmon-Harpejji I 44:34

ATA Records-Going Galtactic 46:05

Piero Umiliani-Sweet Revelation 47:54

[newleasemusic]

Song of the Day: Leaving - Lee Paradise

Champion by the likes of Under the Radar Magazine, FLOOD, Exclaim, CBC Radio 3, Toronto’s Dan Lee, aka LEE PARADISE‘s ‘Leaving,’ finds him flipping the shadowy nihilism of his 2020 release, The Fink (supported at Pitchfork, Electronic Sound, FLOOD, Exclaim and more) upward into a sort of cybernetic universality. This is Dan Lee in producer mode, veering away from the pursuit of a singular musical…

[cephalopod-yaoi]

ok so i was braining

octo expansion prequel taking place in the 1980s of the mollusc era at the very start of tartar’s plan. the metro is active but the many stations are under construction. the earliest of tartar’s subjects are run through each chamber to test how easy they are, so it can improve them as well as possible. tartar hasnt made the cq cumbers yet, nor does it have enough primordial ooze to make sanitized octarians en masse yet. it also hasnt even perfected sanitization, so the many stations are puzzle based and offer stuff to do outside of fighting enemies. when there are enemies, theyre borrowed pieces of octarian machinery. you can also do plenty of chores throughout the metro like janitorial duty, organizing metro patrons’ luggage, metro security, et cetera.

seeing as there is no device to regulate what weapons subjects bring into the metro, the current subject uses their octarian ingenuity to modify their weapons with scrap. the various attachments increase fire rate, lower pellet spread, add explosive rounds, and more. speaking of the current subject, that would be subject 80. thats right the 80th EVER subject to enter the deepsea metro. their hair is based off of the trends of the 80s, tentacles styled into a permed mullet tied behind them to keep it out of their eyes. they also don the kamabo co uniform used at the time. a sleeveless jumpsuit with shorts, leg warmers, and heavy duty boots. their ink tank comes with a charging port for a trusty drone.

they may not have cq cumber, but they do have a helpful drone dubbed CQ79. the drone was created by tartar to record data as test subjects run through the many chambers and complete puzzles. the drone also researches the ways memcakes can be utilized. it isnt permitted to assist the player too heavily during the levels but if a gauge is charged or an amount of points is paid, it can act as a grapplink. it can also put up a forcefield similar to a big bubbler, self destruct, and cause an emp to shut down active machinery. speaking of self destructing that is EXACTLY what it will do if you fail your current objective.

cq79 has plenty of odd music saved in its database, human music archived by the creator of tartar to pass down to the next dominant species. subject 80 can listen to music it has no clue is ancient, spoken in languages they can not for the life of them understand. cq79 plays songs previous subjects favored.

each level is labeled with a code. its usually a lengthy string of numbers, and thats FAR too difficult to say, so cq79 has recorded the many, many goofy names previous subjects have given each station. with no cq cumbers to conduct the metro, tartar itself controls the train. you and cq79 will enter the train after each successful level and move to the engine to give the data recorded to tartar. you may notice the telephone has begun speaking in an odd manner, claiming that previous subjects thought the way it spoke was “too boring.”

i have a lot of other stuff in the brain maybe ill add it later but not rn

[noloveforned]

putting together stuff for tonight's no love for ned on wlur at 8pm. you can catch a repeat of last week's show immediately after at 10pm to give you four solid hours of whatever it is i do on the radio. as is the new norm, last week's show is below and streaming on mixcloud for those of you with more exciting friday night plans!

no love for ned on wlur – july 21st, 2023 from 8-10pm

artist // track // album // label the certain someones // sad salvation // murderecords 7" singles 1993-1998 compilation // murderecords the edsel auctioneer // slouch // simmer // decoy cheerbleederz // cute as hell // even in jest // alcopop! guardian singles // pit viper // feed me to the doves // trouble in mind the ape-ettes // hearing protection // simply the ape-ettes // snappy little numbers the dad // 2nd best friends // 7 a.m. 7" // unread snooper // pod // super snõõper // third man dr. sure's unusual practice // carol // remember the future? live from the future // marthouse keel her // boner hit // with me tonight 7" // o genesis uppendix // desire's not the one // bliss is solipsis // discontinuous innovation famous mammals // comets for poets // instant pop expressionism now! // siltbreeze private lives // hit record // hit record // feel it andrew savage // thanksgiving prayer // several songs about fire // rough trade prairiewolf // sage thrasher // prairiewolf // centripetal force matthew sage // tilth dawn rustles // paradise crick // rvng intl. laraaji and kramer // ascension // baptismal // shimmy-disc anton lukoszevieze, alexander hawkins and heather roche // variations vii and ix (excerpt) // jack cooper 'arrival' // astral spirits carlos niño // brooklyn zoom, brooklyn zoom // international anthem at public records volume four, december 10th, 2022 // international anthem mike reed featuring marvin tate // call off tomorrow // flesh and bone // 482 music john coltrane // impressions // evenings at the village gate // impulse! napoleon da legend and giallo point // game plan // coup d'etat // fxck rxp billy woods and kenny segal featuring quelle chris // soundcheck // maps // backwoodz studioz kenny g featuring barry johnson // hi, how ya doin'? // g force // arista wendell harrison // the glamorous life // the carnivorous lady // rebirth snoh aalegra // be my summer // be my summer digital single // atrium bernice // underneath my toe // cruisin' ep // telephone explosion ivy // get out of the city // apartment life demos // bar/none bonne idée // it will be back // a dream of you 7" // cloudberry lily konigsberg // at best a #3 // the best of lily konigsberg right now // wharf cat u.s. highball // see you in hell // no thievery, just cool // lame-o the particles // driving me // 1980s bubblegum // chapter music

[burlveneer-music]

Badge Époque Ensemble - Air, Light & Harmony

On November 3rd, Toronto’s Badge Époque Ensemble return to Telephone Explosion Records with their new album Air, Light & Harmony. The release keeps up the jazz-funk group’s torrid pace of releases for TER; A,L&H being their 6th LP release, and 4th proper album for the label since 2019. The release completes a trilogy of triptych-titled works, following 2019’s Nature, Man & Woman, and 2021’s Future, Past & Present. All 3 of these releases feature compositions which resample loops and stems from prior albums. Air, Light & Harmony takes this gambit further with in-house recycling of snippets from dusty LP copies of their own work (ala Portishead’s famed approach) featured throughout to create warped and ambiguous moodscapes. This emphasis on texture is befitting of BÉE’s only entirely instrumental album. In many ways this latest work is a counterweight to the maximalism of last year’s Polaris long listed Clouds of Joy album. Clouds carries the density of a Discogs rabbit-hole binge, with its nearly 20 contributors; precise arrangements, soaring choir vocals, extended solos and meditations on joy… By contrast, Air, Light & Harmony has a distinct yin energy - a lightness of touch that could be said to resemble a playlist as much as an album (something playfully alluded to by the generic streaming service displayed on an iPhone screen that is the album’s cover). Bandleader Maximilian Turnbull has alluded to the change-up: “I wanted to do an album that was more sketch than painting. No deliberation, just spontaneous movement.” Accordingly, the record was made swiftly in Turnbull’s garage home-studio, and is characterised by an unassuming breeziness. A stylistic tour this broad, yet unassuming is a rare accomplishment befitting such a unique and eclectic group. Like water finding its level, Badge Époque Ensemble have created an album with a free flowing approach, arriving at their plane of sound naturally, a place you would do well to dip into.  BADGE ÉPOQUE ENSEMBLE IS: Jay Anderson - Drums Chris Bezant - Guitar Edwin de Goeij - Rhodes, Piano, Synths Karen Ng - Alto Saxophone Alia O'Brien - Flute Gio Rosati - Bass Ed Squires - Congas, Vibraphone, Percussion Maximilian Turnbull - Production, Guitar, Synths

[sketchbook-magic]

I don't have anything for WIP Wednesday (at least for this blog but my crochet blog Nerdy Stitches has a few projects) but I do have a new hyper fixation that has made me suddenly insanely jealous of my father and oldest sister for witnessing before I was even spawned.

So, my new hyper fixation this month is old animatronics, specifically the ones from the pizza chain Showbiz Pizza that is honestly scarier than FNAF in my opinion (Billy Bob haunts my dreams rent free) and my favorite animatronic out of the whole cast of characters to choose from is the first human character and also the first character produced after the launch of Showbiz named Uncle Klunk the Abomination: The Funniest Robot Science Has Ever Made. I just love watching old archived training tapes featuring him and seeing how these old animatronics worked. They worked through hydraulics which is a very misleading name for the technology because it was controlled by air pressure and not water. There would be a huge panel connected to several hoses installed behind the animatronic and under the stage that was accessed through a trap door and the animatronics would move based on these hoses creating and reducing air pressure and these hoses on the panels would be connected to a metal box that would respond to music tapes that were programed to not only play music but move the animatronics in sync with the track. And these tracks took months to program due to how specific you had to be with the air systems. And the character Uncle Klunk is my favorite character to study because he had the most range of movement out of the whole cast and his selling point was the fact he could pick up a telephone and a banana. And how this was done was four movements that would bring his arm to the side, lower the arm, lower the hand, and his thumb and middle finger would clamp onto the object like a claw in a claw machine would. And these objects had to be very specifically placed so he wouldn't accidentally knock them over or miss them entirely.

And what's even more special about the Uncle Klunk character is that there were only 50 of these animatronics because his whole gimmick and act was to be a traveling talk show host and would provide a humourous break in between songs in the main show. His talk show was called the Uncle Klunk Abomination Show where he'd have a cuckoo clock bird name Maurice make fun of him, his mom would call, and sometimes people would call him and have a wrong number (my favorite from old show recordings on YouTube was an argument hotline that called Klunk and started an argument with him so Klunk started agreeing with the man on the other line so he'd get flustered and try harder to continue the argument) so they only had a limited amount of these animatronics in circulation so he could travel to other locations to sell this gimmick. The only problem is he didn't attract as much revenue as was predicted for a traveling character because he only had one commercial and when people did see him in person he produced the effect known as the uncanny valley were something was so human like it was terrifying. (He was based on his voice actor who was a background singer in the Rockafire Explosion Band who was the main band of Showbiz Pizza but he didn't have his own character so they produced Uncle Klunk which is why he was human and looked so realistic minus the cartoonish stylization of the real person he's based on.) If they had advertised him more he would've had a strong fan base like he does now nearly forty years later.

Due to how badly this character performed he was scrapped pretty quickly and repurposed to be used as Santa Claus for Christmas shows, Uncle Pappy who would sit in the arcade and give life advice between folk songs, and an interactive attraction where customers could press buttons and control him over in the arcade and teach kids how animatronics worked and in order to do that they literally split him in half or skinned him entirely which is why a full skinned Uncle Klunk is extremely rare for collectors (I've only seen two on YouTube) and have a selling price close to a half million (his body parts that were skinned or replaced in his repurposing go for several thousand in today's market). So yeah, this character has gone through hell.

And why am I jealous of my dad and oldest sister because of this hyper fixation on Uncle Klunk you may be asking or completely glossed over that in my first paragraph? Because they saw him when he first came out. My sister was from my dad's first marriage and they lived in Richmond, Virginia that had a Showbiz Pizza location and was one of those restaurants that was so saturated with customers they try out all new products at that location and when Uncle Klunk came out my dad happened to be home from the military that weekend and my sister convinced him to take her to Showbiz Pizza because she was also obsessed with Uncle Klunk and they got to see some of his first performances. My dad says they were a 3/10 for him because he didn't particularly like the restaurant in general. And now I'm sad that they got to see such a cool animatronic and that I wasn't spawned in time to also witness the greatness that was Uncle Klunk the Abomination: The Funniest Robot Science Has Ever Made. 😢

[stradarecords]

MASAHIRO TAKAHASHI / HUMID SUN : TELEPHONE EXPLOSION (LP) 現在はカナダのトロントで活動している日本人プロデューサーMasahiro Takahashiが同地の人気レーベルTelephone Explosionからアルバムをリリース！そのタイトルと夕焼け色のジャケットにふさわしい、万華鏡のようでどことなくトロピカルな穏やかさを10曲にわたって贅沢に展開した心地良い作品！ #MasahiroTakahashi #TelephoneExplosion #ambient #drone #LP #strdambient #strdlp #vinyl#record#stradarecords#dj#vinyljunkies#kobe#motomachi#strada#recordshop#recordstore#神戸レコード#元町レコード#レコード店#レコード#アナログ https://www.stradarecords.com/shop/item/28506/index.php (at Strada Records) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpuZmxxP94I/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 11.10 (after 1950)

1951 – With the rollout of the North American Numbering Plan, direct-dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins in the United States. 1954 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicates the USMC War Memorial (Iwo Jima memorial) in Arlington Ridge Park in Arlington County, Virginia. 1958 – The Hope Diamond is donated to the Smithsonian Institution by New York diamond merchant Harry Winston. 1969 – National Educational Television (the predecessor to the Public Broadcasting Service) in the United States debuts Sesame Street. 1970 – Vietnam War: Vietnamization: For the first time in five years, an entire week ends with no reports of American combat fatalities in Southeast Asia. 1970 – Luna 17: uncrewed space mission launched by the Soviet Union. 1971 – In Cambodia, Khmer Rouge forces attack the city of Phnom Penh and its airport, killing 44, wounding at least 30 and damaging nine aircraft. 1971 – A Merpati Nusantara Airlines Vickers Viscount crashes into the Indian Ocean near Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, killing all 69 people on board. 1972 – Southern Airways Flight 49 from Birmingham, Alabama is hijacked and, at one point, is threatened with crashing into the nuclear installation at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After two days, the plane lands in Havana, Cuba, where the hijackers are jailed by Fidel Castro. 1975 – The 729-foot-long freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks during a storm on Lake Superior, killing all 29 crew on board. 1975 – Israeli-Palestinian conflict: the United Nations General Assembly passes Resolution 3379, determining that Zionism is a form of racism. 1979 – A 106-car Canadian Pacific freight train carrying explosive and poisonous chemicals from Windsor, Ontario, Canada derails in Mississauga, Ontario. 1983 – Bill Gates introduces Windows 1.0. 1985 – A Dassault Falcon 50 and a Piper PA-28 Cherokee collide in mid-air over Fairview, New Jersey, killing six people and injuring eight. 1989 – Longtime Bulgarian leader Todor Zhivkov is removed from office and replaced by Petar Mladenov. 1989 – Germans begin to tear down the Berlin Wall. 1995 – In Nigeria, playwright and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, along with eight others from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (Mosop), are hanged by government forces. 1997 – WorldCom and MCI Communications announce a $37 billion merger (the largest merger in US history at the time). 1999 – World Anti-Doping Agency is formed in Lausanne. 2002 – Veteran's Day Weekend Tornado Outbreak: A tornado outbreak stretching from Northern Ohio to the Gulf Coast, one of the largest outbreaks recorded in November. 2006 – Sri Lankan Tamil politician Nadarajah Raviraj is assassinated in Colombo. 2006 – The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia is opened and dedicated by U.S. President George W. Bush, who announces that Marine Corporal Jason Dunham will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor. 2008 – Over five months after landing on Mars, NASA declares the Phoenix mission concluded after communications with the lander were lost. 2009 – Ships of the South and North Korean navies skirmish off Daecheong Island in the Yellow Sea. 2019 – President of Bolivia Evo Morales and several of his government resign after 19 days of civil protests and a recommendation from the military. 2020 – Armenia and Azerbaijan sign a ceasefire agreement, ending the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, and prompting protests in Armenia.

[pomaikaisblog]

The Eight Signs of Terrorism

1. Surveillance

Someone recording or monitoring activities. This may include the use of cameras, note taking, drawing diagrams, annotating on maps, or using binoculars or other vision-enhancing devices.

2. Elicitation

People or organizations attempting to gain information about military operations, capabilities, or people. Elicitation attempts may be made by mail, email, telephone, or in person. This could also include eavesdropping or friendly conversation.

3. Tests of Security

Any attempts to measure reaction times to security breaches, attempts to penetrate physical security barriers, or monitor procedures in order to assess strengths and weaknesses.

4. Funding

Suspicious transactions involving large cash payments, deposits, or withdrawals are common signs of terrorist funding. Collections for donations, the solicitation for money and criminal activity are also warning signs.

5. Supplies

Purchasing or stealing explosives, weapons, ammunition, etc. This also includes acquiring military uniforms, decals, flight manuals, passes or badges (or the equipment to manufacture such items) and any other controlled items.

6. Impersonation

People who don’t seem to belong in the workplace, neighborhood, business establishment, or anywhere else. This includes suspicious border crossings, the impersonation of law enforcement, military personnel, or company employees is also a sign.

7. Rehearsal

Putting people in position and moving them around according to their plan without actually committing the terrorist act. An element of this activity could also include mapping out routes and determining the timing of traffic lights and flow.

8. Deployment

People and supplies getting into position to commit the act. This is the person’s last chance to alert authorities before the terrorist act occurs.

[today-in-the-past]

The NSA Surveillance Leak: Unveiling a New Era of Privacy Concerns

On June 7, 2013, a revelation shook the foundations of the American public's perception of privacy and government surveillance. A leaked document exposed that the United States' National Security Agency (NSA) had been systematically collecting telephone records of millions of Americans. This unprecedented disclosure not only sparked widespread debates but also cast a long-lasting shadow over the balance between national security and individual privacy.

The Leak and Its Immediate Impact

The explosive information came to light through the efforts of Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor, who provided classified documents to journalists from The Guardian and The Washington Post. The leaked document detailed how the NSA, under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), had compelled telecom giant Verizon to hand over phone records, including call duration, time, location, and the participating numbers.

The immediate reaction was one of shock and outrage. Americans were confronted with the realization that their government was conducting mass surveillance on its own citizens without their knowledge. The disclosure ignited a fierce public debate over the scope and legality of such surveillance programs.

Legal and Ethical Controversies

At the heart of the controversy was the delicate balance between national security and the right to privacy. The government defended the program by arguing that it was essential for preventing terrorist attacks and protecting national security. Officials cited the Patriot Act, specifically Section 215, as the legal basis for their actions.

Legislative and Judicial Responses

The backlash prompted a series of legislative and judicial responses aimed at curbing the NSA's surveillance capabilities. In 2015, Congress passed the USA Freedom Act, which ended the bulk collection of telephone metadata by the NSA. The new legislation required the agency to obtain a targeted warrant from the FISA court to access specific records from telecom companies.

Judicially, the issue saw various rulings. In May 2015, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the NSA’s bulk collection of phone records was illegal, stating that the Patriot Act did not authorize such sweeping surveillance.

The Global Impact and Ongoing Debate

The NSA leak had ramifications far beyond the United States. It revealed the extent of global surveillance efforts, showing that the NSA had been monitoring the communications of world leaders, international organizations, and foreign nationals. This disclosure strained diplomatic relations and fueled a worldwide debate on privacy and surveillance.

A decade after the leak, the conversation about privacy in the digital age continues to evolve. The rise of social media, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence has introduced new dimensions to the debate. Governments and tech companies are continually grappling with how to protect user privacy while addressing security concerns.

Conclusion

The 2013 NSA leak was a watershed moment in the history of privacy and surveillance. It highlighted the tension between national security imperatives and the fundamental right to privacy. While significant strides have been made to regulate surveillance practices, the debate remains highly relevant in an increasingly digital world. The legacy of the leak serves as a constant reminder of the need for vigilance in protecting civil liberties in the face of evolving technological capabilities.

Sources:

The Guardian - The Washington Post - ACLU - EFF

[trevlad-sounds]

Save the date.

My first show where I'll be presenting the artists, tracks and labels.

[xtruss]

Visualizing The Explosive Growth Of AI-Powered Fraud

— By Tyler Durden | ZeroHedge | Sunday 17 March 2024

Former U.S. president Donald Trump posing with Black voters, President Joe Biden discouraging people from voting via telephone or the Pope in a puffy white jacket: Deepfakes of videos, photos and audio recordings have become widespread on various internet platforms, aided by the technological advances of large language models like Midjourney, Google's Gemini or OpenAI's ChatGPT.

As Statista's Florian Zandt details below, with the right prompt fine-tuning, everyone can create seemingly real images or make the voices of prominent political or economic figures and entertainers say anything they want. While creating a deepfake is not a criminal offense on its own, many governments are nevertheless moving towards stronger regulation when using artificial intelligence to prevent harm to the parties involved.

Apart from the main avenue of deepfakes, creating non-consensual pornographic content involving mostly female celebrities, this technology can also be used to commit identity fraud by manufacturing fake IDs or impersonating others over the phone. As Statista's chart based on the most recent annual report of identity verification provider Sumsub shows, deepfake-related identity fraud cases have skyrocketed between 2022 and 2023 in many countries around the world.

For example, the number of fraud attempts in the Philippines rose by 4,500 percent year over year, followed by nations like Vietnam, the United States and Belgium. With the capabilities of so-called artificial intelligence potentially increasing even further, as is evidenced by products like AI video generator Sora, deepfake fraud attempts could also spill over into other areas.

"We’ve seen deepfakes become more and more convincing in recent years and this will only continue and branch out into new types of fraud, as seen with voice deepfakes", says Pavel Goldman-Kalaydin, Sumsub's Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, in the aforementioned report.

"Both consumers and companies need to remain hyper-vigilant to synthetic fraud and look to multi-layered anti-fraud solutions, not only deepfake detection."

These assessments are shared by many cybersecurity experts. For example, a survey among 199 cybersecurity leaders attending the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity in 2023 showed 46 percent of respondents being most concerned about the "advance of adversarial capabilities – phishing, malware development, deepfakes" in terms of the risks artificial intelligence poses for cybersecurity in the future.

— Tyler Durden (Pseudonym) is thelead writer at ZeroHedge. Tyler represents the idea that a return to truly efficient markets is a possibility and a necessity.

[smartzinc]

The History of Property Management: From Ancient Renting Practices to Modern Tech-Driven Solutions

Imagine a world before rent apps, digital leases, and automated maintenance requests. It wasn't all sunshine and daisies, but it was the reality of property management for millennia. Let's embark on a historical journey, tracing the evolution of this profession from its humble beginnings to its tech-driven present.

Ancient Origins: As far back as ancient Mesopotamia, landlords managed vast agricultural estates, relying on clay tablets and meticulous record-keeping to track rents and harvests. In Roman times, wealthy citizens rented out entire apartments within larger complexes called insulae, with slaves or appointed stewards overseeing upkeep and collecting payments.

Medieval Transformations: During the Middle Ages, feudalism reshaped property ownership, with serfs working land owned by lords. While not technically "property management," the relationship between lord and serf laid the groundwork for future landlord-tenant interactions. Meanwhile, bustling cities, especially in Europe, saw the rise of guilds, which often managed shared properties and provided basic communal services.

The Rise of Capitalism and Modern Management: The Industrial Revolution ushered in a new era of urbanization and multi-family dwellings. Landlords, often businessmen or investors, hired individuals to manage their growing portfolios. These early "agents" collected rent, coordinated repairs, and resolved tenant disputes. The 19th century saw the formalization of property management as a profession, with specialized companies emerging to handle the complexities of managing large apartment buildings.

The 20th Century Boom: Technology began to infiltrate property management in the 20th century. Typewriters replaced inkwells, ledgers gave way to spreadsheets, and telephones streamlined communication. The post-war housing boom spurred further innovations, with companies like AppFolio and Yardi pioneering software solutions for rent collection, maintenance tracking, and tenant communication.

The Digital Revolution and Beyond: The 21st century has witnessed a true explosion of tech in property management. Today, AI-powered platforms optimize rent pricing, predictive maintenance tools prevent problems before they arise, and resident portals offer 24/7 access to information and services. Smart locks, thermostats, and even appliances seamlessly integrate with property management systems, creating a level of automation and convenience unimaginable just a generation ago.

What's Next? As technology continues to evolve, the future of property management promises even more exciting possibilities. From virtual reality tours to blockchain-based rent payments, the lines between physical and digital will continue to blur. The focus will shift towards hyper-personalized experiences, data-driven decision-making, and sustainability initiatives.

Lessons from the Past: As we look back, we see how property management has always adapted to changing social and technological landscapes. The core principles, however, remain constant: providing quality housing, maintaining positive relationships with tenants, and ensuring the smooth operation of the property. By understanding our history, we can embrace the future with a greater sense of purpose and ensure that this age-old profession continues to evolve in ways that benefit both landlords and residents for generations to come.

[newwayastrology]

What To Expect From A Consultation

What to Expect from a Consultation How defeating it is to begin a consultation with a client who expects a fortune-telling extravaganza -to retell it to the guys at the office or the ladies at the luncheon. This frame of reference will not allow client involvement; the astrologer is expected to perform entertainingly, is set up for judgement, and is treated as a servant to egoistic orientations. This is ourfault, I think, rather than our client's; i.e., we don't often tell our clients what to expect. We still have to defeat Hollywooditis about astrology, ignorance about how serious it is and what its uses are. I think we must let the public know at all times that astrology is not entertainment. Many people do think that they can come to your office, plug in a tape recorder, sit back, and be thrilled with hearing about themselves. We must tell the person who phones for an appointment -in response to a telephone book ad, to a website listing, to distributed business cards, etc.- that the consultation will not be a "performance" by you, but "a rich discussion between the two of us about major issues of your life development and projections into time ahead." This statement says a lot concisely: we make it clear that response and cooperation are expected; that the past is the base for the future; and that the consultation is serious business. In the process of this appointment orientation, you can learn so much about your client: conversational strength, word choice, educational level, probable sociometric strengths, and more. You are adding dimension to deduction by careful attention to introduction. -And your client learns a lot about you: you are a learned person who cares, is experienced, and trustworthy. At the end of the telephone conversation, I always say, "Thank you for your faith" or "I appreciate your trust." --Now, that's my way, my style, of alerting the client to the bond between us for what will transpire in the consultation to come. You should find your way of doing just that. -If you neglect to form this level of mutual resonance and respect, you lose out on preparation that can support your consultation another three or four levels up above your norm! [I know that clients coming to me for a consultation are fully aware that something important and special is going to happen. I need for them to feel that way. -What are you doing in your first discussion with your client to ensure that that kind of dignity and cooperation will be there?] I make sure that the client will be punctual, by phone or in person. That tightens things up further professionally. -You naturally react with great frustration to a client who is late, who insists on too much small talk, who delays getting to the point (often defensively). As consultation time approaches, I feel like a race horse about to be released from a starting gate, and anything that impedes that explosion of prepared thought is dysfunctional for the consultation process. Also helpful in establishing the tone of the consultation to come is connected with recording the birth time information. Whenever a client gives me his or her birth time, I always say, "How do you know?" --Some of the answers you get are amazing, but the point here is that as you tune in on the time you are showing your client how important exactness and detail are. This feel will eventually spread out through the entire consultation discussion; your client will prepare his or her mind to be sharp and keen before keeping the appointment. Noel Tyl