#Vox are good at adapting to changes in technology and other things

[silencehysterical]

Table of approximate life years of the characters in the Hazbin Hotel

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13P-IBVWjQCxdTBugDELkhP3F_iyFwNqSTmufVLmV__8/edit?usp=drivesdk

Made it because many people don’t seem to realize that a huge part of the characters were alive at the same time

[blue-rose-soul]

Au idea where Alastor is a Shadow kingpin where he isn’t an overlord or a known one and that’s by his design. Rule an empire of sin from the shadows.taking Vox’s deal but actually being the boss of Vees and the silent boss of Canibal town.

My ask what is the

Hotels reaction to finding all this out

The thing is, I can't really see Alastor operating that way unless he was literally forced to. Like, in the Kid Alastor AU the reason he keeps his identity a secret is because he's just not capable of commanding the same sort of respect and fear due to his childlike appearance. Not because he isn't fearsome, but because adults just do not respect kids. Alastor loves being in the spotlight, commanding people's awe and fear. He can't do that while operating from the shadows.

And I frankly can't picture Alastor taking Vox's deal, except maybe to dismantle Vox's tech empire before it can even get off the ground. Alastor's very particular about his hatred of new technology. Not because he's ignorant - we know he knows how to produce a fairly decent television commercial - but more out of... I almost want to call it sentimentality towards the time period he lived through. He's also uncompromising; he doesn't need to adapt or change himself in order to rise to the top of Hell's Overlords, he will reach the top by doing things his way!

But... let's say there were some circumstances that forced Alastor to step back and operate like this. It might be something along the lines of Vox owning Alastor's soul, with Alastor nonetheless manipulating Vox while looking for a way out of the deal. Or maybe he'd suffered a near-fatal injury that left his powers severely limited. In either case, I highly doubt Alastor would be happy about the situation, so his hiding it wouldn't just be out of necessity but pride as well. I think the rest of the hotel residents' reactions would be highly dependent on what his exact circumstances are, but given what a showy dick he is, I'm sure they'd all suspect on some level that he had something bigger going on where they couldn't see. Angel Dust I think would be the least surprised because he grew up in a mob family and could likely see the signs.

As for Cannibal Town... Well, I think that Alastor very likely does have a good deal power and influence in Cannibal Town already. He's on very good terms with Rosie, who is not only willing to drop her customers at a moment's notice to greet Alastor, but actively points him in the direction of a good deal without asking for anything in return. Not that she expects nothing return, more that they have a good enough rapport that she knows he'd repay her without it needing to be discussed. On top of all this, Alastor seems to be both known and liked by the residents of Cannibal Town, so while his position may not be that of a 'silent king,' I would say he does have some pull.

The only way I see Alastor stepping in to a more active role controlling Cannibal Town is if Rose weren't there. Let's say, if it was Rosie who died in the extermination instead of Franklin*. We don't know what Alastor's relationship with Rosie's late business partner was, but given the pattern in his other relationships with men compared to his relationships with women, and the fact that neither he nor Rosie bring Franklin up, we can imagine it wasn't very good. More than likely, he would back Franklin into a corner, ensnare him in a deal, and then 'allow' Franklin to continue running Cannibal Town from the end of Alastor's leash.

I actually wouldn't be too surprised if Alastor controls a good deal of territory this way. I'm not certain of this myself, but I've seen people discussing whether or not Husk still owns and runs the same casino he ruled as an Overlord, and while we've only seen Husk and Niffty, we don't know how many other souls Alastor has under his control. I wouldn't exactly call this a shadow empire though.

(*For those who don't know, in the pilot episode we see Rosie on the balcony of her emporium in the aftermath of an extermination, crossing out the name 'Franklin' on a sign reading 'Franklin and Rosie's Emporium.' Franklin himself is never seen, so his appearance and personality is pure speculation.)

[quazarshark]

All the main Eight Worlds sapients (roughly to scale) in their current states of concept development, which ranges wildly from ones that I’m pretty satisfied with in certain aspects, to the Dathmeerians which are literally just two steps away from the dragon elves they used to be that I made up when I was 12.

Mostly I just wanted them all in one place so that I could squint angrily at all their flaws and try to figure out how to fix them. Worldbuilding development rambles below, mostly just notes for myself:

- Dracoan Drakes & Snakes - I’m very happy with their weird biology and their social symbiosis thing, I’ve done a lot of work on their culture but basically ZERO on their actual planet, oops. It used to be a hypercity Couruscant type place but I’m just not feeling that any more.

- Dathmeerians - Super blah, I like the idea of a species adapted to a desert planet and I like the humour of them and humans being constantly compared to each other by other races, but I need a way to make them not blahblah generic humanoid alien with a flat smooth face

- Humans - It’s a human! We know what that is. I should probably give some thought to what human culture is now and how it intersects with the Eight, but since they are the newcomers and the furthest away, it feels like something that I should work on when I know more about the Eight and their relations with each other first.

- Vox - The science on these guys is real wobbly but I’m very satisfied with how weird they are. I keep developing them constantly in other ways but I should probably sit down and properly figure out how some of the science works on their weird little electrified fogball planet. They also need a name change the most out of all of these because ffffff come on, teenage me

- Pippans - Satisfied with these guys for the most part, I need to figure out their food sources, mainly. also their wings still make no freaking sense.

- Nixians - Ahhh these guys... I’ve gotten so lost in the biology and ecosystem of their planet that I’ve really neglected them as people. I’ve also scratched the taxonomy and bauplan of their ancestors from the ground up at least twice, which has changed everything and man, I should just let that simmer and figure out their damn culture already.

- Covorayl - Pretty sure my old ideas for their planet don’t work, so they need a revamp there desperately. Pretty satisfied with their physical design but it still feels like it could use some tweaks, particularly their wings which don’t make any freaking sense EITHER

- Lulops - Physically I’m pretty satisfied, but an underwater technologically advanced culture raises a LOT of questions I haven’t found good answers for yet, so they may need a severe revamp of their culture and technological level idk.

- Cronians - Im love them. Extremely satisfied with their current design, and constantly having thoughts about their subterranean lifestyle and how radiation would affect the planet as a whole.

[nyxelestia]

Vox article about the infamous wall of tags fic.

tl;dr at the end

What it’s about and why we care / article quotes:

All that, by itself, isn’t enough to make STWW remarkable — not on a website as wild and unpredictable as AO3. Yet the fic has become impossible for many AO3 users to ignore thanks to a unique quirk: Its author has linked it to more than 1,700 site tags (and counting).

Guides to how to block the fic have cropped up. For example, I use a Chrome extension that blocks fics with too many tags (you can specify how many tags is too many — I picked 50); there’s also simple site code that you can add to your custom site “skin” to block the fic completely from search results, as well as other workarounds.

But the usefulness of these options is limited. Site skins only work for logged-in users. Website extensions don’t work on mobile. Many other workarounds aren’t compatible with adaptive technology like screen readers used by disabled people and others — and if you think having to scroll past the tags on a phone is obnoxious, imagining getting stuck on it while a screen reader laboriously recites all 1,700 tags out loud.

(Emphases mine.)

My take on this specific fic:

I was sympathetic when I thought that maybe the author is just unaware of what they’re doing - but they have been made aware, they know exactly the effect they are having on other users and the community at large, and they’re still doing it.

[The author] acknowledged the controversy around their fic but emphasized that they were operating completely within AO3’s rules. “If AO3 has a category or a big red warning checkbox to say ‘click this to read crazy fics’ then I should put my fic in there,” they joked. “People are free to search (my) fic or exclude the fic using tags.”

Virtual1979 also remained steadfast when I pointed out that their fic was breaking the site for disabled users, stressing that the onus should be on AO3 — not them — to make enforceable site changes.

So now my sympathy’s all dried up. I do not remotely believe them when they say they aren’t a troll. Maybe they truly didn’t start out trolling, but they were repeatedly asked to stop, told about the impact they were having, and have themselves admitted on their Twitter account that they are laughing all the way to the bank.

A tweet they have since deleted - I did not think to grab a screenshot. So here is a screenshot of them saying they routinely delete their own Tweets, and their reaction to people who ask them to stop over-tagging their fic:

Maybe they started out as a well-intentioned new poster, unfamiliar with AO3 or how tagging works. And knowing fandom, I’m sure they faced some harassment for it. However, given they’ve been repeatedly asked to stop, and explicitly told how they are negatively affected so many other users’ ability to interact with the fandom and the website as a whole...and do not care, and continue to keep at it?

Freedom of speech gives them the right to be an asshole, but it also gives me the right to call them an asshole.

But, I do understand why AO3 isn’t banning them, and I agree with AO3′s current decision not to remove this fic. There needs to be some deeper changes, but banning this specific author or fic right now would likely cause more problems down the road than it solves right now.

What is the line for “Too Many Tags”? What would it mean for authors of non-anthology works? What impact would banning this over-tagged fics have on other over-tagged-but-not-as-badly fics? What will it mean for our culture of curating your content and experiences if blacklisting tags gets compromised due to such limits?

I’ve been frustrated by over-tagged fics before, and I certainly hope this will make other, well-meaning, good-faith authors reconsider decisions while compiling anthologies of their disconnected works going forward. Neither of these mean fans should expect AO3 to respond to mob rule and ban this fic.

My take on this article beyond this specific fic:

I disagree with the implication from the article that this is related to fandom’s longstanding issues concerning racism (and other -isms and -phobias) in fanfic. After all, the vast majority of fandom’s racism, sexism, misogyny, etc. isn’t tagged. At most, you can expect that certain ships or tags probably mean there will be certain racist tropes.

This does a disservice towards fans of a ship who don’t partake in or propagate those racist tropes - I myself included in that group. I routinely got comments on my fic from people who expected me to use racist tropes and fanons because of the ship tag on my fic, as these tropes were (and really, still are) so strongly associated with the ship. More importantly, there is no reliable way to tell from a fic’s meta-data whether there will be something in the fic the author doesn’t identify.

The fundamental problem with racism in fandom is not “people are making these racist things” but “people refuse to acknowledge these things they are making are racist” - and AO3′s meta-data is entirely self-identifying.

If an author does not think their work is racist, then they will not tag it as such, which means the rest of us will have no way of knowing until after we’ve already read the racism.

“Curate your own reading” is very applicable to things authors are willing to identify and tag in their own works - such as kinks, violence, etc. But if it is something the author did not intend, and does not agree with/identify, then readers who oppose it cannot curate against it.

Which is why I find this paragraph so misleading, specifically the part I bolded:

Throughout 2020, during sustained discussions across social media about structural racism and other toxic elements in fandom, AO3 users repeatedly requested that the site add basic features that could help users avoid involuntarily engaging with fics they found toxic or harmful. For example, currently there’s no real way to officially sanction a writer who includes racist elements in their fanfiction — the site’s abuse policy FAQ doesn’t mention race, and there’s currently no way to “warn” readers about racially charged elements in a fic. (You can warn readers about other controversial fic content, like character deaths, non-consensual scenarios, and underage characters.) And there are many readers who’d like to avoid engagement with fics and authors they deem to be racist.

These are tags an author can add onto their own work...but readers cannot warn other readers about an author’s work! And to be clear, I think that’s a good thing overall - readers being able to add their own tags to someone else’s work leaves way too much room for abuse, which would happen far more than readers warning other readers about things the author refuses to identify or tag. My point here is that apart from “how to deal with works and authors you already know are assholes”, there is no connection between this specific fic and its ensuing mess, and the broader problems of pervasive racism in fandom.

The only thing the wall of tags situation and the fandom racism situation have in common, at least in relation to AO3, is that fans want to block certain authors or works whom you already know are assholes. This, the Vox article got right.

However, there are many, many ways to be an asshole other than racism. There are many reasons to block specific works or authors besides racism. There are many types of abuse and harassment besides racism. Acting as if “blocking toxic works or people” is inherently and automatically about the on-going discussions about race in fandom reduces racism to individual acts and actors, and ignores its nature as a systemic problem.

tl;dr

While there are work-arounds to avoid that fic with 1700+ tags (and others), these workarounds are very limited in their helpfulness.

Author has the right to do this, but freedom of speech also gives the rest of us the right to call them out for their poor behavior. I 100% believe they are now an intentional bad-faith actor / troll, even if they did not necessarily start out as one.

Despite my disdain, I understand and agree with AO3′s decision to not remove the fic or ban the author, however much I hate them both. All of AO3′s decisions have ramifications and implications beyond the immediate situations they are made for. This one fic/author should not get to chip away at AO3′s mission against censorship.

Apart from the very broad nature of blocking toxic people or abusive works, I don’t think this situation has anything to do with racism. Implicating individual behavior and tagging as a related referendum is reductive to the systemic nature of fandom racism.

[kathyprior4200]

Alastor, Autism and an Ace Author

Yesterday, I discovered something mind-blowing about my favorite Hazbin Hotel character. On Twitter, a user by the name of “puppyclown struggle tweets” or “StinkyRatBoy” proposed a theory they had kept for a while. They claim: “Alastor is on the autism spectrum.”

 My first response in my mind? “Nonsense! Alastor is the most extraverted, sociable and manipulative character we’ve seen so far. You can’t just assume he has a neurological disorder out of nowhere! It’s an insult!”

 But then I read their reasons for it…and it slowly clicked into place. As I read them, they began to make sense…it was a reflection of my own personality. Indeed, I am also asexual/aromantic and on the autism spectrum. Whether Vivziepop meant for Alastor to be on the spectrum remains uncertain at the moment.

 What did they say? Here is their first reason:

 “Alastor is often speaking in a very loud voice, something that autistic people do since they have trouble regulating their volume.”

 Reason 2:

“He has little social awareness, telling Charlie to her face that he wants to see people fail and he doesn’t see why that would make her not want to partner with him.”

 Reason 3:

“He also doesn’t see why people constantly run away from him (as shown in the Alastor comic) getting pretty annoyed when people are too sacred to speak with him, despite him knowing of his reputation.”

 Reason 4:

“His discomfort with people touching him probably being a sensory problem, something I myself struggle with, despite not understanding other people’s physical boundaries, constantly dancing with them and pulling them into side hugs without permission.”

 Reason 5:

“Tying back to social problems, he sees Husk as a friend, despite how much Husk wants to make it clear that he doesn’t like being roped into Alastor’s schemes and interests. He reads Husk’s refusal as just him being in a bad mood.”

 Reason 6:

“His hyperfixation with radio, entertainment and old technology being so strong that it causes him to dislike it changing and becoming more modern and foreign to him. Entertainment is his special interest and he doesn’t want someone showing up and making it different.”

 Reason 7:

“Of course, there’s troubles with physical hygiene, something that autistic people are known to have a hard time with for any number of reasons.”

 Reason 8:

“Him constantly smiling could also be his inability to emote the same way neurotypical people around him do, which is why people find it so strange.”

 Reason 9:

“One more thing! Hs little sound effects and song clips he plays are auditory stims. I said what I said.”

 They certainly said it indeed! Despite me having autism as well, myself and the majority of fans didn’t fully pick up on those traits. We knew that the majority of the Hazbin characters were LGBTQ…but so far, there haven’t been any characters with physical or mental disabilities. If what StinkyRatBoy says is true…and if it’s confirmed by Vivziepop herself…it could be revolutionary, both in the show and real life.

 If Alastor has autism, it could add more depth to his backstory and his character. Being a French Creole colored asexual man in the early 1900s wouldn’t be the ideal status to have in the predominantly white straight male society. Many fans speculate that his mother was kind to him and taught him everything he knows about dancing, music, cooking and Voodoo culture. His father is often portrayed by fans as an abusive alcoholic who wanted to shape Alastor into the ideal “macho man,” that was expected at the time. (No “women’s” work, no theater, got to have sex with girls and provide for the family). His abuse toward Alastor and his mother may have laid the groundwork for Alastor’s decent into becoming a serial killer.

 With his expertise with radios, music and entertainment at a young age, it’s no wonder he became such a renowned broadcaster in New Orleans. Along with music being his special interest, it may have been the very thing that kept him sane when he was ruthlessly bullied by his peers, his father, and society in general. It was his escape, a mental state where he felt safe and secure. Entertainment represents the good side of him…the killing part is what got him into Hell. Murdering racist men and criminals may have been both a new special interest and his way of coping with the trauma he faced. In addition, Alastor’s name, means “spirit of vengeance,” thus it was also his way to get revenge on those who wronged him. Alastor’s side hobby of hunting deer and taxidermy may also have been a way to cope.

 Now in Hazbin Hotel, Charlie will have to find a way to redeem Alastor (and like Angel, Husk and Niffty, he can be redeemed, but it will not be easy). Charlie and the others will eventually learn of Alastor’s condition and his asexuality. (Many people on the spectrum also identify as asexual and have trouble with relationships). As demonstrated by the “Day In The Afterlife” comic, Alastor seeks true friendship and belonging, despite his sadistic nature. He has several allies like Mimzy, Rosie, Husk, Niffty and Charlie, yet also misses his mother. Alastor likes seeing others fail as it reminds him of his powerful status…but when he helps the other Hazbins (and betrays them), he may very well learn that he too, is a “lost cause.” More than ever, he wants to see his mother in Heaven…but he’ll have to develop for the better, first. Not to mention villains like Vox and maybe the angels might try to take advantage of his condition. (Does Heaven discriminate against those deemed “abnormal”?)

 Charlie will likely learn of his condition and help him better express his feelings without feeling vulnerable. “You’re never fully dressed without a smile” is a motto he’s lived by in both his lives. His smile is a mask he wears to hide his true feelings of loneliness and leftover trauma. (World War One, the Great Depression, the Spanish Flu, his death etc. is a new level of trauma!) Niffty will likely help out Alastor with his hygiene…even demons need to bathe, eat and sleep. (His yellow teeth, bags under his eyes, thin body and raggedy nails don’t help matters). Husk will teach Alastor about personal space…and hopefully, Alastor will free Husk and Niffty from working under him in the future. And Charlie of course, will help him get in touch with his feelings, creating a relationship of friendship, mentoring, and hints of romance.  

 Embracing change and expressing feelings is very hard for those on the spectrum…but with therapy, effort and practice, it can be achieved by many. It will take a long time for Alastor to redeem himself, let alone allow himself to cry or fall in love. But the journey, rather than the Heaven destination, is what matters most. After overcoming his evil nature, Alastor will learn to embrace his feelings and condition…even if it means adapting to a moderate amount of change. (There are other ways to seek out justice and entertainment.) I bet his mother will be very proud of him once Alastor is able to make friends and truly be happy.

 Proper representation in media, matters, and Vivziepop has already gone above and beyond. A majority of her characters are LGBTQ or are in LGBTQ relationships. Representing someone with a disability will make the show all the more intriguing, and the characters more relatable. Her show deals with a variety of issues that young adults face in real life: sex, drugs, slavery, rebellion etc. With Alastor supposedly being both LGBTQ + and having a neurological disorder, it is a portrayal not often seen in many cartoons.

 Hopefully in a few years, we’ll get to see more of our deerly beloved radio host in the first season of Hazbin Hotel; we wish him all the best on his journey of redemption and friendship formations!

[inscapeblog]

Is there significance in Subcultures in Design? - Sahriel Nicole Sicat

1. Introduction 

I have chosen Subculture in Design; this essay will contain arguments on why sub-culture in design is important and the influences that sub-culture has on design. The way I will achieve this is to define subculture and provide examples from research resources. This essay will also contain information on how subculture has influenced design over the years and how it affects design solutions today. Examples will also be provided to explain further and give proof of sub-culture within the design field, with brief descriptions on how it has changed the design and how it has either improved or not improved from the before and after processes. This essay will be concluded by summarising the information and what sub-culture is defined as in my own words

2. Defining Subculture in Design Subculture is defined as number of cultures that has derived from one main culture. 

There individuals share characteristics and interests within these subcultures that have been influenced from its origin. According to YourDictionary.com, subculture is described to be a group of people that have created a culture that contains different beliefs and values from the consensus; something that does not typically align with its wider culture. (Yourdictionary.com, n.a). Bashin (2020) defines subculture as groups that hold values and norms that deal with politics, cultural and sexual matters; he goes on to say that subcultures are an integral part of society as they give balance to certain issues or situations. Bashin (2020) states that characteristics of subcultures cannot ideally be defined or made into list form because the definition of subcultures itself are changing all the time. Although it is known that subcultures are not particularly easy-going when it comes to who represents them and who are suitable for these groups; their overall identity and who embodies it is important. Grimell College’s (n.a) piece on Subcultures and Sociology: Characteristic of Subcultures, covers the general overview of the characteristics of subculture, other points that would define subculture characteristics would be: - Share different meanings. This means that although the identities or values of a subculture are different from another subculture, their practices could be similar or done for similar meanings. - Shared identity. This pertains to the feelings of members within these cultures; Grimmel College (n.a) mentions that people would feel some disconnect but having or being part of a particular subculture, even without physical interaction, made them feel more at ease and like they had more to their individual identities. - Resistance. This mentions three dimensions in which subcultures can take place or engage in. The first dimension can be active or passive, in the sense that it will take the intentions of the subcultures into account. The second dimension or micro level depends on the direction that the subculture is taking their perspectives. The third dimension or macro level happens when issues are being directed to those within political positions or dealing with political issues that are aimed towards the subcultures. - Marginalization. Marginalization happens to subcultures because of their unique traits and personalities that do not exactly fit in with those in the dominant or origin cultures. All these points briefly explain the characteristics of subcultures; it gives a vague overview of how these groups get categorized into subcultures.

3. The significance of Subculture in Design in identifying and solving a design problem 

Subcultures in design shows major significance because the community of designers can be said to be or contain its own subcultures, for example you get graphic designers, fashion designers, architects and so much more. If you had to think of it in this way, subcultures can create communities for individuals to feel more comfortable in their interests, as they are able to share it with others who share those interests or values. “We can therefore conclude that graphic design is a communication form that utilizes the visual aspect of communication to transmit certain ideals or to stimulate particular feelings and emotions from its audience.” (UK Essays, 2018) Good Therapy (n.a) speaks about how subcultures can affect mental health; although this is a broader topic, it can still apply to the field of design. I say this because designers are put under a lot of pressure, this can be due to deadlines, time constraints, any mishaps that may occur during the planning and the execution processes. All these factors can aid to stress and can cause further issues that deal with mental health or health in general. Good Therapy (n.a) continues to say that within subcultures, communities are formed and people use this as an outlet or a place to feel more comfortable with themselves. This gives them reassurance in their interests, making it known that they are not alone and there is a place for them within society. If you had to put subculture in design within the context of how it has affected design over the years, then I would say that its significance still applies. I say this because design is influenced by traditional and culture, the styles and colours take a lot of inspiration from what is occurring around us. If dominant culture can influence our way of design and visual imprints on the world then so can subcultures; design can evolve and cater to any demographic it chooses, if done correctly and with the right message and/or intentions. Batagoda (2019) writes about the importance of looking at cultures and subcultures when designing. Some of these points are: - Understand which countries you are doing work for and where the clients live in. - How do graphic design trends change in the countries that your focus groups are? - How the visual language change from country to country? - What is the cultural impact of the country on its design? - What are the most common colours used in the designs? - Understand common font faces, native fonts and how the visual hierarchy is present in the design. These questions are good to ask when you are designing for a client; taking into consideration things such as, the demographic within the area you are planning to design for, their age, ethnicities, needs within that area or community and more. Thinking about the overall personality of a country and how they represent themselves within design projects is important because this is a form of communication to the public, it needs to have a clear message but still appeal to the interests and values of subcultures.

4. Examples of successful application of Subculture in Design in spatial design 

How the Great Recession influenced a decade of design 

Figure 1: Sarah Lawrence for Vox (2018). Photograph. Vox. This image contains two sets, one of minimalistic style and white being the staple colour, the other half shows a more renaissance scene with duller colours, heavier furniture and very elegant design finishes. 

Brooke (2018) wrote an article for Vox on the influences the Great Recession has had on design over the years. She specifically points out minimalistic design and states that the concept of minimalism is to purchase less but better things. I believe that this can be seen in the image comparing two different styles but they still share characteristics in the fact that furniture pieces, lighting, colour and finishes play a significant role in achieving a simple yet put together spatial design. The term to buy less but better things came from a brand called Cuyana, they wanted to encourage their customers with this phrase and with the recession in mind this was an action that become an impulse during the aftermath of the recession. (Brooke, 2018) Within this image you can see the similarities that have been applied when you think of the “buy less but better” phrase. Each space has their own colour palette but they both stay true to its main choice of colour, this makes the space look cleaner and open. The styles of design are true to the era they fall part of but you can easily distinguish that fact the modern-day minimalism holds a crisper style; the edges are clean and everything looks very bright; modern minimalistic design relies a lot on natural light and also using pieces within the space that won’t distract from the overall harmony of the area. If we look at what it is being compared to, the older design style has more rounded furniture pieces and finishes; they also contain a lot more detail but is focused on statement pieces of the room, such as the fireplace, it has intricate designs carved onto it which makes it stand out but it does not take away from the overall aesthetic. Design experts weigh in on the changing face of retail design 

Figure 2: Shweta Parida (2018). Design experts weigh in on the changing face of retail design. Image. Commercialinteriordesign. This image is of as store, it contains a flight of stairs which leads to a section of display areas for products. 

When we take into consideration of the changes within the economic and how it functions now and how it did in the past, the wants of customers have changed drastically and is still changing. To change the space of retail stores to accommodate customer needs and wants again, Parida (2018) writes about Architectual guidelines and the inclusion of technology when it comes to shopping. Parida (2018) continues to say that buildings would have to change their structure to allow more space or passageway for customers to feel more comfortable when trying to adhere to guidelines of current situations. If we look at modern adaptions and compare it to methods from the past, technology is a large step into change and how shopping can be achieved, whether it be from physically going to the mall or doing it online. Technological advances for retail spaces can also be applied to actual stores within shopping malls. Design aspects on buildings would look at aspects like spacing, lighting, audio and other visual elements that would be the most effective on creating impact on customers. (Parida, 2018).

5. Conclusion 

Based on the evidence provided in the previous section of this essay, I would say that the significance of subculture in design is important and still applies to how and what we design today. I say this because, it is evidence that characteristics or styles of design that we call modern, can easily be spotted in designs from the past. We are able to identify that they have been influenced by art movements, clothing trends, economic changes, the people within certain communities and so much more. Taking this information into account, the evolution of design can be considered a subculture itself.

[segersgia]

Looking back: Part 4 - Primaris Space Marines - Vanguard Infantry

When the Reiver was introduced at the beginning of 8th edition, it was only a small taste of what we were getting. The Vanguard Space Marines were revealed during the Vigilus storyline alongside a new Chaos Space Marine release. 

I remember there being a big divide upon their inclusion. For some they were way too “Tacti-cool” and didn’t really fit the Warrior Monk aesthetic of the rest of the range. Others welcomed them with open arms as they were an embodiment of what Space Marines should be in the first place.

But what are Vanguard Space Marines?

The Vanguard Astartes:

Vanguard Space Marines encompass the different Primaris Space Marine units that are trained in reconnaissance and covert missions. They usually are deployed behind enemy lines and operate as assassins or saboteurs. Most of their units wear Phobos Armour; a more light pattern of gear that allows their servos and machinery to run almost silent. This does mean that they are way less armoured, so they can’t charge willy-nilly into enemy fire. 

What makes these units interesting is the fact that they train in the arts of survival and self sufficiency. Vanguard Astartes don’t have the luxury of a swift strike. Their missions order them to be deployed for very long amounts of time without any form of backup. No orbital strikes. No supply drops. No swift extraction when things get tough. They only get what they’ve brought with them. 

Guilliman apparently liked these units so much that he adapted the Codex Astartes so that they could accommodate the Vanguard Marines into the rest of their ranks. Now, the 10th Company, instead of only being consisted of Scout Marines, counts around 100 Vanguard Space Marines, proving once again that the Codex Astartes’ “1000 men per Chapter”-limit is filled with loopholes.

This doesn’t mean that all Vanguard Marines come from the 10th Company. All Primaris Marines have, at some point in their career, trained to use the full arsenal of the Vanguard force. It may also happen that when Marines of a Reserve Company are needed to assist the Battle Companies, they will don Phobos Armour. This means you can most certainly find Vanguard Marines in any Company. 

Obviously, Chapters differ, so some might not have any Vanguard Marines at all, while some might have completely turned into a “Vanguard Chapter”. They are your army, and you can do whatever you want with them.

Let’s look at their infantry units.

Infiltrators: 

Infiltrators are the Battleline unit of the Vanguard Marines, tasked with the disruption of enemy communications and the sabotage of certain targets. To help them in their duties, they have something called Omni-Scramblers strapped to their back; devices that can intercept enemy communications and scramble their frequencies. 

When they eventually do strike a target, they do so under the volley of the Bolt Carbines and an absolutely ridiculous amount of Smoke Grenades. 

Because of their prolonged time behind enemy lines, they need someone to tend their wounds. For this, they have the Helix Adept (depicted on the right). These are Space Marines who are trained by the Chapter’s Apothecarion, yet aren’t full Apothecaries. They can only perform general Medical duties in combat and the extraction of Space Marine gene-seed.  This is necessary since the lack of outside support means that the loss of gene-seed is an even more likely scenario. 

FINALLY! Good looking helmets!!! And they resemble the helmets of their Firstborn brethren. I really wished these were the helmets that all of the Primaris would’ve gotten. I love these units just because of this alone.

I do admit that they have flaws. Their carbines are way too cluttered with scopes and their armour looks a little too plain without the smoke grenades and extra pouches. The Start Collecting box is therefore a way better kit in my opinion to get. 

But I really like a lot of what I’m seeing. The extra gear like the pouches, grenades and the Vox-Scramblers adds a lot to their design and it fits with their “self-sufficient” background. They are very well posed; with options for both a battle ready or a stationary stance. They actually hold pistols with two hands. The Helix Adept I specifically like because they still have their Narthecium, something that the new Primaris Apothecaries sadly lack. I do find it weird that you can’t have the Helix Adept outside of the Start Collecting box, being replaced by an Infiltrator with a Comms Array. Maybe we will see a Helix Adept come up in a different kit. I would welcome a kit of Vanguard Specialists and HQs. 

8/10

Eliminators

Eliminators are your classic sniper unit. Dedicated marksmen tasked with the “elimination” of high value targets. They do have a variety of roles depending in which Company they serve. When they are part of a Vanguard Force, they act as protectors of their brethren, making sure that they remain safe by eliminating targets that could endanger the rest of their force, such as enemy snipers or artillery emplacements. When they are part of a normal strike force, they are deployed as assassins, scouting ahead of the main line and murdering enemy HQ.

Eliminators wear an even more stripped down version of Phobos Armour, meaning they are even more sneakier than the rest. The Camo-Cloaks they wear are coated with something called Cameleoline (very cool name). This substance allows the fabric to take on the overal colour of their surroundings. Their main form of weapon is a Shrike Pattern Bolt Sniper Rifle, but they may also replace these with a Las-Fusil or an Instigator Bolt Carbine. Depending on their target, they can switch and choose between different forms of amunition. Finally, to help them find hiding targets, they have a variety of visors and Auspexes that allow stuff like heat-vision and the ability to see through meter-thick walls. They can perform Wall-hacks.   

These are such an ace looking unit. There is absolutely nothing bad to say about them. They blow the rest of the vanguard range out of the water. The Cameleoline Cloaks work so well and I wished that these came standard with Phobos Armour. It would certainly help stick a better identity to the Vanguard Marines. Their poses make them look very menacing and professional. What I like the most out of these is the amount of customization. They have so many different heads and weapons that makes them all very unique.

10/10

Suppressors:

Suppressors are tasked with supporting the rest of their army through the means of covering fire. They wear Omnis Armour; a pattern of armour that mixes Indomitus Armour with the boots of Gravis Armour. 

How they work is that they can leap at great speeds and jump great heights thanks to the Grav-Chutes and Jump Packs they carry on their backs. They use this to quickly and aggressively take a position over the enemy and providing covering fire. This allows them to quickly change positions on a whim and prevent the enemy of adapting to their assaults. 

Once they have a favourable position, they will engage and open fire with their Accelerator Autocannon. Their Jump Packs allow them to fire them without too many problems and the guns are capable of penetrating armoured infantry and light vehicles.

This one was seemingly a very decisive unit and I must admit that this is a guilty pleasure of mine. I really like the concept of the unit; it sounds like something the T’au would come up with. They have a very “Gundam” design and that is definitely not a bad thing. The Autocannon looks intimidating and this version of their armour is a nice mix between the different patterns. I love the design of the helmet and I don’t even have a problem with the Boot-Plates; they look way better on this unit than on the Inceptors.

I have two main problems with this unit; the Jump Pack and the pose. For one, the design of this model and the lore that describes it doesn’t justify in any way a flying stand. If this model was just posed on the ground, it would work so much better. Second, I don’t like the design of the Jump Pack, at least not for something that is supposed to fly. I would rather see the original Jump Pack on this model. 

So what this unit needs is to either stay on the ground, or be equipped with a different Jump Pack. Either or both would work.

7/10 

Incursors:

Incursors are a Primaris unit that is focused on close-quarters gun-fighting. It seems that they are a mixture between a Reiver and an Infiltrator; seemingly performing the same roles as the latter, but with a much more straightforward approach. They attack strategic enemy positions and destroy their most important assets, such as generators or communication devices. The Haywire Mines they carry help them in destroying enemy armour.

What makes them special is their war-gear. They arm themselves with Occulus Bolt Carbines and are equipped with Divinator Auspexes, both of which feed information directly into their combat visors. This technology allows them to see just about everything. They can see through walls, smoke and can work in the dark. 

But wait! There’s more. The Auspexes can predict the trajectory of incoming drop troops, and the emergence of tunneling troops like Genestealer Cults. It can spot energy signatures within the area were teleporting units will appear. It can even during combat, predict the way enemies will attack. 

Also, apparently, this is not a Vanguard unit. It is not very clear what they are, similarly to the Reiver, which is somewhat of a “Schrodingers Vanguard Marine”. It might just be the case that not every Marine in Phobos Armour is a Vanguard Marine.

I hate this unit...

I hate absolutely everything about this unit. I hate its lore. I hate its weapons, I hate its poses. I hate its dumb visor and its Auspexes. I hate everything it stands for. It is such an unnecessary unit that feels so overpowered and without any actual purpose. You would expect with a unit specialized in the neutralization of strategic assets, that it would be more focused on explosives or sapping and be geared towards that. The Haywire Mines are the only thing that would suggest such a role.

3/10

——–

That’s it. Outside of the Incursor, the Vanguard range is in my opinion a very fine addition to the range, at least when it comes to their design. Now that we are seeing Space Marines getting a new codex in October, I’m hoping that their lore becomes a little bit more streamlined. I don’t need to read three codices to figure out if Reivers are part of the Vanguard or not. 

Next up, I’m tackling the Infantry units of the Chaos Space Marines. It feels balanced to divide the overviews like this: Imperium/Chaos/Xenos. 

Afterwards, I’m tackling the new miniatures that the Drukhari got. 

‘Till next time.

previous posts: Primaris Mainline Infantry, Death Guard Infantry, Craftworld Aeldari

[warninggraphiccontent]

24 April 2020

Trace! Trace!

Outbreaks and pandemics often focus attention on the conditions that helped them to spread. In the past, this has put sanitary conditions – overcrowding, water supply – under the spotlight, and that is happening again in the case of washing hands, wild animal markets and wearing masks. But in countries with well-developed public health systems, might subsequent scrutiny fall on disease surveillance? Could better use of data have helped us to track, and stop, the spread of coronavirus, especially since much of the technology now exists?... Will we look back on an absence of contact tracking or health apps which record population health in the same way we now regard cramped tenements and poor sewage systems – or will the mere suggestion that this might be the retrospective view lead to changes that are far too sweeping?

A lot has happened when since Monday, when I wrote that  for the Institute for Government website. The Ada Lovelace Institute had just published an extremely helpful guide to contact tracing, and various pilots are now underway. Much, much more on the various other studies and reports below.

In other coronavirus news, I've started a timeline of significant data-related moments in the UK government's handling of the crisis on Google Sheets, which will hopefully help us all understand how things have unfolded. It's quite London-centric and missing a lot at the moment; some people have already added useful links (thank you!), so please do join in and add some things yourself.

A couple of Data Bites-related items:

Invitations will be going live shortly for our next event at 6pm on Wednesday, 6 May. Some excellent presenters lined up already, so put it in your diary

Remember Kirsten's presentation at the last Data Bites, about what the Social Investment Business are trying to do with social economy data during the coronavirus crisis? Here's how they've been getting on since.

And it was National Tea Day this week. Here's George Orwell on how to make the perfect cup of tea. Let the violent disputes ensue.

Have a good weekend

Gavin

Today's links:

Tips and tech, etc

Coronavirus: living alone and working from home in lockdown (Defra Digital)

The reason Zoom calls drain your energy (BBC, via Tim)

All the things that Zoom needs to fix right now (Wired)

13 ways of looking at a Zoom background (Vox)

Easy Tips for Improving your On-Camera Communication (West Wing Writers)

This is our plan for covering the coronavirus crisis (Wired)

Connection Coalition

Graphic content

Viral content: cases

Coronavirus tracked: the latest figures as the pandemic spreads (FT - more here)

UK coronavirus deaths more than double official figure, according to FT study (FT)

How coronavirus spreads through a population and how we can beat it (The Guardian)

Hidden Outbreaks Spread Through U.S. Cities Far Earlier Than Americans Knew, Estimates Say* (New York Times)

The South is likely to have America’s highest death rate from covid-19* (The Economist)

Ethnic minorities dying of Covid-19 at higher rate, analysis shows (The Guardian)

How coronavirus hitched a ride through China (Reuters)

36,000 Missing Deaths: Tracking the True Toll of the Coronavirus Crisis* (New York Times)

Coronavirus: Am I helping to protect the NHS? (BBC News)

Ventilators: a bridge between life and death? (Reuters)

What 5 Coronavirus Models Say the Next Month Will Look Like* (The Upshot)

Five Ways to Follow the Coronavirus Outbreak for Any Metro Area in the U.S.* (The Upshot)

Covid-19 in NZ - Tuesday’s numbers charted (Newsroom)

Viral content: consequences

How coronavirus brought aerospace down to earth* (FT)

A sustainable exit strategy: Managing uncertainty, minimising harm (Institute for Global Change, via Alex)

Britain’s open borders make it a global outlier in coronavirus fight* (FT)

Coronavirus: This is how much traffic congestion has dropped in your city during lockdown (Sky News)

Launching an economic lifeboat: The impact of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (Resolution Foundation)

Corona shock* (Tortoise)

COVID-19 and Communities: Sales Data Deep Dive (Social Economy Data Lab)

Are covid-19 lockdowns distorting inflation?* (The Economist)

Domestic violence has increased during coronavirus lockdowns* (The Economist)

Navigating the ‘infodemic’: how people in six countries access and rate news and information about coronavirus (Reuters Institute)

CORONAVIRUS GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TRACKER (Blavatnik School of Government, via Alex)

COVID and forced experiments (Benedict Evans)

The public say coronavirus is the most important issue facing Britain since unemployment in the 1980s (Ipsos MORI)

We need to figure out how we will reopen the economy. But not like this.* (FT)

COVID-19 lockdown: public want gradual exit that prioritises economy (YouGov)

How will the 'Zoom Parliament' actually work? (Melissa and Alice for IfG)

Last year, we searched Google for how to tie a tie. Now we’re using it to find toilet paper.* (Washington Post)

Viral content: #dataviz

One Chart Isn’t Going To Tell You When The Pandemic Peaked (FiveThirtyEight)

How to read coronavirus graphs* (The Spectator)

This exercise plan for your lock-down work-out is inspired by Venn (Junk Charts)

Anti-viral content: environment

UK net zero target (Marcus for IfG)

The Best Way to Slow Global Warming? You Decide in This Climate Simulator* (Bloomberg)

Carbon in Context (Duncan Geere, via quantum of sollazzo)

The Logpile Chart (Duncan Geere)

Anti-viral content: everything else

A new n-grams viewer for EU Law (Giuseppe)

Ministerial directions (Oliver for IfG)

A possible DfID/FCO merger? (me/Tim for IfG)

2020 WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX (Reporters Without Borders)

Industry Voices: Helen Atkinson | Visual Data Journalist | The Economist (PPA, via Alex)

The Beauty of Maps (BBC FOUR)

Meta data

Viral content: tracing papers

Tech on the frontline - how NHSX & partners are delivering at pace (NHSX)

Government use of personal data in the coronavirus response requires public debate and support (me for IfG)

COVID-19 Rapid Evidence Review: Exit through the App Store? (Ada Lovelace Institute)

Starting with SOAP: rapid deployment of contact tracing technologies in a pandemic (Australian National University)

SOAP and hand washing (via Ellen Broad)

The Challenge of Proximity Apps For COVID-19 Contact Tracing (Electronic Frontier Foundation)

Mind the app - considerations on the ethical risks of COVID-19 apps (Luciano Floridi)

A thread of useful resources on #privacy and the proposals for a #Covid19 #ContactTracingApp (Ellen Judson)

The ethics of instantaneous contract tracing using mobile phone apps in the control of the COVID-19 pandemic (Wellcome Centre for Ethics and the Humanities and Ethox Centre; Big Data Institute, University of Oxford; Oxford University NHS Trust; Wellcome Centre for Human Genomics, via Alex)

Coronavirus: NHS contact-tracing app is tested at RAF base (BBC News)

Thousands of households to take part in DHSC and ONS coronavirus tracking study (Civil Service World)

Coronavirus: An EU approach for efficient contact tracing apps to support gradual lifting of confinement measures (European Commission)

How the coronavirus pandemic has put the UK healthtech sector centre stage (Tech Nation)

A Price Worth Paying: Tech, Privacy and the Fight Against Covid-19 (Institute for Global Change)

Ministers plan to give more UK public bodies power to hack phones (The Guardian)

Viral content: without a trace

Improbable’s simulation tech could help us build better pandemic models (Wired)

How an electronic health record became a real-world research resource: comparison between London’s Whole Systems Integrated Care database and the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making)

COVID-19: what happens next? (Social Investment Business)

Covid-19 index of articles (Significance)

RSS launches new Covid-19 Task Force (RSS)

India’s digital response to COVID-19 risks inefficacy, exclusion and discrimination (The Caravan)

Inside the troubled, glitchy birth of parliament’s online voting app (Wired)

Digital Policy for a Lockdown: How Tech Can Help Us Adapt to a Radically Altered World (Institute for Global Change)

Need help to share data to tackle the coronavirus crisis? Get in touch (ODI)

How can charities use data to help communities during Covid-19? (Charity Comms)

How open contracting approaches help Ukraine to tackle COVID-19 (Open Contracting Partnership)

Open Response, Open Recovery (Open Government Partnership)

Public opinion and trust in government during a public health crisis: Transparency and open communication will be important in overcoming coronavirus (Policy Institute at King's)

Viral content: counting the cost

COVID-19 surveillance and registered deaths data review (UK Statistics Authority)

Why is Belgium’s death toll so high? (Politico)

Coronavirus statistics: what can we trust and what should we ignore? (The Observer)

Coronavirus: Why are international comparisons difficult? (BBC News)

Counting rare things is hard (Stats Chat)

More BAME people are dying from coronavirus. We have to know why (Sadiq Khan for The Guardian)

Viral misinformation

How a 5G coronavirus conspiracy spread across Europe (FT)

There is no evidence supporting claims about a government-run network of fake NHS Twitter accounts (Full Fact)

Anti-viral content

People person: an interview with Clare Moriarty as she leaves the civil service (Civil Service World)

CIO interview: Theo Blackwell, CDO for London (Computer Weekly)

Open Data Policy Lab

YouTube at 15: how the world’s biggest broadcaster broke the media* (New Statesman)

Why is change discovery important for open data? (Leigh Dodds)

What the RHI Inquiry tells us about the ‘chilling effect’ of freedom of information laws (Ben Worthy)

Ministers plan to give more UK public bodies power to hack phones (The Guardian)

Book referencing and sourcing (Thomas Rid)

Opportunities

JOB: Head of Public Policy (ODI)

JOBS (Global Open Data Barometer)

JOB: Content Designer (ONS)

JOB: Operations Manager (Part-Time) (Digital Action)

EVENT: ODI Fridays: About data about us – talking to people about data rights (ODI)

EVENT: Corruption and coronavirus: transparency’s role in ensuring an effective response and recovery (Open Ownership)

And finally...

Viral content

Searches for “logarithmic scale”... (Andrew van Dam)

Excellent and unprecedented work here (The Times via Gary Lineker, via Tim)

The Singapore government's Covid-19-busting superhero team... (via Jeni)

An artist visualized what your smartphone can 'see' using Bluetooth — and it shows one of the biggest challenges faced by coronavirus tracking technology (Business Insider)

5G masts and the Japanese cholera epidemic of 1890 (Mainichi Shimbun via James)

Anti-viral content

US Presidents ranked across 20 dimensions by 157 Presidential scholars (via Randy Olson)

the comprehensive chart of men you will briefly date in your 20s (@ellegist)

everyone had a lot of thoughts on this one, huh (@ellegist)

Chart flop: VisitBritain sorry for literary map ignoring Wales and Scotland (The Guardian)

The Faces of Bureaucracy (enjoy an insight into IfG data training)

Google Scholar has parsed this cafeteria lunch menu as an author list, and it's delightful (Alex Klotz, via Tim)

"Data is the new oil"... (Mat Velloso)

Another day another stupid Excel chart (@_daviant, via Alice)

This is the most important graph I've been sent at work today (Rachel Tilghman)

Grafica a torta (via Giuseppe)

[corneliusreignallen]

In the age of online shopping, where do IRL salespeople fit in?

Today, there are more avenues than ever for shoppers to interact with a brand, either virtually or in person. | Getty Images/Hero Images

Customers want help. They also want to be left alone.

The introverts of the world recently rallied around a viral photo on Twitter of a Europe-based Sephora store. The photo was of two shopping basket options: a red basket to convey the customer needs assistance or a black one to show that they’re fine being left alone.

There is a fellow introvert on the Sephora customer experience team who deserves A RAISE RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/4Aan7lUyVD

— Cami Williams (@cwillycs) November 4, 2019

The replies were flooded with shoppers who thought the baskets were an ingenious customer service idea and the solution to awkward encounters with salespeople. “I hope this person is the CEO now,” one Twitter user said. Others tagged companies like Lush Cosmetics and Victoria’s Secret, which they felt had trained employees to be overly gregarious or even intrusive.

Sephora declined to be interviewed for this story, but a spokeswoman said the basket initiative is only available in Europe (sorry Americans!).

The idea that there are two distinct types of real-world retail customers — those who do and those who emphatically do not want to interact with salespeople — seems to be heightened by the age of online shopping.

When most things can be bought from home with the push of a button, the reason shoppers bother to come into stores becomes all the more important for brands to understand and accommodate. Retail workers, who are also contending with top-down mandates about greeting customers and the desire to make commission, need to determine if their assistance is unwelcome or expressly desired.

According to JRNI’s 2019 Modern Consumer report, which surveyed 2,000 shoppers from the US and UK, 67 percent of modern shoppers still enjoy the in-store experience. Yet, only 44 percent of customers feel as though a store can satisfactorily explain its products and services; a majority of shoppers prefer online shopping because of access to detailed product information.

The retail world is scrambling to adapt to these changing desires by revamping store models to be more experiential and engaging as mall foot traffic declines. Still, human interaction in brick-and-mortar stores can be shockingly limited, thanks to technology like self-checkout machines and in-store pickup.

The enthusiasm behind Sephora’s basket initiative pinpoints another aspect of traditional retail customers are now shirking: human service, and whether it still meaningfully suits their needs.

“Amazon has changed our world and how we like to shop,” said Annette Franz, the CEO of customer experience consulting firm CX Journey. “Customers expect to grab what they need and check out, so when they’re approached multiple times by a sales rep, it’s uncomfortable for some.”

Of course, not all modern customers are uncomfortable with human interaction. There are more avenues than ever for shoppers to interact with a brand, either virtually or in person. For a brand like Sephora, a percentage of loyal shoppers crave that in-store help.

“Amazon has changed our world and how we like to shop”

“It’s not a shopping experience everyone wants, but some people enter a Sephora to get help finding a new foundation or an eyeshadow palette,” Franz said. “Some customers need that nudge. Maybe they were shopping for one item but are open to walking out with four other things.”

Franz believes stores succeed when they can anticipate consumer needs and wants, and in 2019, that sometimes includes wanting to be left alone.

@LushLtd please, please consider something like this. Sincerely, a customer with anxiety who uses your products to calm my mind but can’t shop in store because it’s an accessibility nightmare ‍♀️

— Amy Barrett (@amybarrett31) November 5, 2019

Amy Barrett had tagged Lush Cosmetics in her response to the Sephora basket photo, asking them to consider a solution like this. “Sincerely, a customer with anxiety who uses your products to calm my mind, but can’t shop in store because it’s an accessibility nightmare,” she wrote in a tweet that received more than 1,000 likes.

Barrett, an editorial assistant based in England, told me via Twitter message that retailers should always have in mind accessibility for customers with physical or mental illnesses. “Lots of the replies to my tweet have shown that people with anxiety struggle to go into Lush stores,” she added.

It’s a delicate balance for retailers. “Sales reps should approach customers, but even with experiential stores, there are boundaries they have to recognize,” Franz said. That’s a customer service development tied to stores’ business strategy as they look to better understand modern-day customers.

Nowadays, shoppers prefer intentional interactions, she added, not just sporadic check-ins. (JRNI’s report found that 57 percent of customers would want to schedule appointments with in-store staff if there was an option to do so.)

Some point to Apple as the pioneer of experiential retail, with its uncluttered design and Genius Bar tech experts that even CEO Steve Jobs was originally skeptical of. As Henry Grabar wrote in Slate, the Genius Bar created “this sense that company employees are trying to help you, not sell you something,” placing the “emphasis on empathy and vibes in the service of sales.”

Glossier

In Glossier’s New York flagship store, salespeople are “editors” equipped with iPads.

This concept is emulated in beauty brand Glossier’s New York flagship store, where sales reps are called “editors” who walk around the “showroom” carrying iPads and offering personal product recommendations. Similarly, customer interaction at women’s clothing store Reformation is limited yet intentional: Guests use in-store iPads to select items and reserve a dressing room.

At Sephora, associates still linger on the floor, introducing shoppers to an array of products that fit their skin type or beauty routine. It’s unclear why Sephora chose to launch this basket initiative in European stores rather than in North America, but it isn’t the first beauty brand to do so.

South Korean beauty brand Innisfree similarly offers a two-basket option in its Korea-based stores. The idea was first implemented by staff in September 2016 in one of its independently owned stores.

View post on imgur.com

“The customers loved the idea, and they were getting the help they needed without explaining their needs,” marketing director Wonny Han wrote to me in an email. “This really boosted up the sales, customer efficiency, and productivity.”

By December of that year, Innisfree decided to formally introduce the baskets to its franchise stores nationwide and saw positive feedback from customers who felt that it was “not pushing sales but respecting customers,” Han added.

It’s much easier, however, for smaller stores like Innisfree to pivot their customer experience strategy. Bigger, traditional chain stores have been hit hardest by the retail apocalypse, with once-successful stores like Sears, Toys R Us, and Barney’s filing for bankruptcy.

“Retailers were only starting to realize these changes within the past five years, working to develop strategies to compete with Amazon and online shopping,” Franz said.

What customers expect from a tech store worker will be different than what they need from a beauty employee, but regardless, their interaction should always be valuable and effective, said Kate Leggett, a principal analyst at Forrester Research who specializes in customer service and relations.

“It’s less about product, especially when you’ve got a lot of products that aren’t very different,” she said. “It’s about engaging a customer to a brand and anticipating, as well as addressing any problems they might have.”

People, even the introverts, haven’t evolved to dislike human contact while shopping. They simply want to make the most of their time and energy, and a badgering sales rep presents quite the opposite experience.

Not all retailers can have a direct-to-consumer brand aesthetic like Glossier or develop a reverent user fanbase like Apple, but Sephora’s basket initiative suggests that maybe stores don’t always have to come up with a wildly innovative idea. The solution for better service could be as simple as giving customers a choice.

Sign up for The Goods’ newsletter. Twice a week, we’ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2O5g6Zw

[shanedakotamuir]

In the age of online shopping, where do IRL salespeople fit in?

Today, there are more avenues than ever for shoppers to interact with a brand, either virtually or in person. | Getty Images/Hero Images

Customers want help. They also want to be left alone.

The introverts of the world recently rallied around a viral photo on Twitter of a Europe-based Sephora store. The photo was of two shopping basket options: a red basket to convey the customer needs assistance or a black one to show that they’re fine being left alone.

There is a fellow introvert on the Sephora customer experience team who deserves A RAISE RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/4Aan7lUyVD

— Cami Williams (@cwillycs) November 4, 2019

The replies were flooded with shoppers who thought the baskets were an ingenious customer service idea and the solution to awkward encounters with salespeople. “I hope this person is the CEO now,” one Twitter user said. Others tagged companies like Lush Cosmetics and Victoria’s Secret, which they felt had trained employees to be overly gregarious or even intrusive.

Sephora declined to be interviewed for this story, but a spokeswoman said the basket initiative is only available in Europe (sorry Americans!).

The idea that there are two distinct types of real-world retail customers — those who do and those who emphatically do not want to interact with salespeople — seems to be heightened by the age of online shopping.

When most things can be bought from home with the push of a button, the reason shoppers bother to come into stores becomes all the more important for brands to understand and accommodate. Retail workers, who are also contending with top-down mandates about greeting customers and the desire to make commission, need to determine if their assistance is unwelcome or expressly desired.

According to JRNI’s 2019 Modern Consumer report, which surveyed 2,000 shoppers from the US and UK, 67 percent of modern shoppers still enjoy the in-store experience. Yet, only 44 percent of customers feel as though a store can satisfactorily explain its products and services; a majority of shoppers prefer online shopping because of access to detailed product information.

The retail world is scrambling to adapt to these changing desires by revamping store models to be more experiential and engaging as mall foot traffic declines. Still, human interaction in brick-and-mortar stores can be shockingly limited, thanks to technology like self-checkout machines and in-store pickup.

The enthusiasm behind Sephora’s basket initiative pinpoints another aspect of traditional retail customers are now shirking: human service, and whether it still meaningfully suits their needs.

“Amazon has changed our world and how we like to shop,” said Annette Franz, the CEO of customer experience consulting firm CX Journey. “Customers expect to grab what they need and check out, so when they’re approached multiple times by a sales rep, it’s uncomfortable for some.”

Of course, not all modern customers are uncomfortable with human interaction. There are more avenues than ever for shoppers to interact with a brand, either virtually or in person. For a brand like Sephora, a percentage of loyal shoppers crave that in-store help.

“Amazon has changed our world and how we like to shop”

“It’s not a shopping experience everyone wants, but some people enter a Sephora to get help finding a new foundation or an eyeshadow palette,” Franz said. “Some customers need that nudge. Maybe they were shopping for one item but are open to walking out with four other things.”

Franz believes stores succeed when they can anticipate consumer needs and wants, and in 2019, that sometimes includes wanting to be left alone.

@LushLtd please, please consider something like this. Sincerely, a customer with anxiety who uses your products to calm my mind but can’t shop in store because it’s an accessibility nightmare ‍♀️

— Amy Barrett (@amybarrett31) November 5, 2019

Amy Barrett had tagged Lush Cosmetics in her response to the Sephora basket photo, asking them to consider a solution like this. “Sincerely, a customer with anxiety who uses your products to calm my mind, but can’t shop in store because it’s an accessibility nightmare,” she wrote in a tweet that received more than 1,000 likes.

Barrett, an editorial assistant based in England, told me via Twitter message that retailers should always have in mind accessibility for customers with physical or mental illnesses. “Lots of the replies to my tweet have shown that people with anxiety struggle to go into Lush stores,” she added.

It’s a delicate balance for retailers. “Sales reps should approach customers, but even with experiential stores, there are boundaries they have to recognize,” Franz said. That’s a customer service development tied to stores’ business strategy as they look to better understand modern-day customers.

Nowadays, shoppers prefer intentional interactions, she added, not just sporadic check-ins. (JRNI’s report found that 57 percent of customers would want to schedule appointments with in-store staff if there was an option to do so.)

Some point to Apple as the pioneer of experiential retail, with its uncluttered design and Genius Bar tech experts that even CEO Steve Jobs was originally skeptical of. As Henry Grabar wrote in Slate, the Genius Bar created “this sense that company employees are trying to help you, not sell you something,” placing the “emphasis on empathy and vibes in the service of sales.”

Glossier

In Glossier’s New York flagship store, salespeople are “editors” equipped with iPads.

This concept is emulated in beauty brand Glossier’s New York flagship store, where sales reps are called “editors” who walk around the “showroom” carrying iPads and offering personal product recommendations. Similarly, customer interaction at women’s clothing store Reformation is limited yet intentional: Guests use in-store iPads to select items and reserve a dressing room.

At Sephora, associates still linger on the floor, introducing shoppers to an array of products that fit their skin type or beauty routine. It’s unclear why Sephora chose to launch this basket initiative in European stores rather than in North America, but it isn’t the first beauty brand to do so.

South Korean beauty brand Innisfree similarly offers a two-basket option in its Korea-based stores. The idea was first implemented by staff in September 2016 in one of its independently owned stores.

View post on imgur.com

“The customers loved the idea, and they were getting the help they needed without explaining their needs,” marketing director Wonny Han wrote to me in an email. “This really boosted up the sales, customer efficiency, and productivity.”

By December of that year, Innisfree decided to formally introduce the baskets to its franchise stores nationwide and saw positive feedback from customers who felt that it was “not pushing sales but respecting customers,” Han added.

It’s much easier, however, for smaller stores like Innisfree to pivot their customer experience strategy. Bigger, traditional chain stores have been hit hardest by the retail apocalypse, with once-successful stores like Sears, Toys R Us, and Barney’s filing for bankruptcy.

“Retailers were only starting to realize these changes within the past five years, working to develop strategies to compete with Amazon and online shopping,” Franz said.

What customers expect from a tech store worker will be different than what they need from a beauty employee, but regardless, their interaction should always be valuable and effective, said Kate Leggett, a principal analyst at Forrester Research who specializes in customer service and relations.

“It’s less about product, especially when you’ve got a lot of products that aren’t very different,” she said. “It’s about engaging a customer to a brand and anticipating, as well as addressing any problems they might have.”

People, even the introverts, haven’t evolved to dislike human contact while shopping. They simply want to make the most of their time and energy, and a badgering sales rep presents quite the opposite experience.

Not all retailers can have a direct-to-consumer brand aesthetic like Glossier or develop a reverent user fanbase like Apple, but Sephora’s basket initiative suggests that maybe stores don’t always have to come up with a wildly innovative idea. The solution for better service could be as simple as giving customers a choice.

Sign up for The Goods’ newsletter. Twice a week, we’ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2O5g6Zw

[gracieyvonnehunter]

In the age of online shopping, where do IRL salespeople fit in?

Today, there are more avenues than ever for shoppers to interact with a brand, either virtually or in person. | Getty Images/Hero Images

Customers want help. They also want to be left alone.

The introverts of the world recently rallied around a viral photo on Twitter of a Europe-based Sephora store. The photo was of two shopping basket options: a red basket to convey the customer needs assistance or a black one to show that they’re fine being left alone.

There is a fellow introvert on the Sephora customer experience team who deserves A RAISE RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/4Aan7lUyVD

— Cami Williams (@cwillycs) November 4, 2019

The replies were flooded with shoppers who thought the baskets were an ingenious customer service idea and the solution to awkward encounters with salespeople. “I hope this person is the CEO now,” one Twitter user said. Others tagged companies like Lush Cosmetics and Victoria’s Secret, which they felt had trained employees to be overly gregarious or even intrusive.

Sephora declined to be interviewed for this story, but a spokeswoman said the basket initiative is only available in Europe (sorry Americans!).

The idea that there are two distinct types of real-world retail customers — those who do and those who emphatically do not want to interact with salespeople — seems to be heightened by the age of online shopping.

When most things can be bought from home with the push of a button, the reason shoppers bother to come into stores becomes all the more important for brands to understand and accommodate. Retail workers, who are also contending with top-down mandates about greeting customers and the desire to make commission, need to determine if their assistance is unwelcome or expressly desired.

According to JRNI’s 2019 Modern Consumer report, which surveyed 2,000 shoppers from the US and UK, 67 percent of modern shoppers still enjoy the in-store experience. Yet, only 44 percent of customers feel as though a store can satisfactorily explain its products and services; a majority of shoppers prefer online shopping because of access to detailed product information.

The retail world is scrambling to adapt to these changing desires by revamping store models to be more experiential and engaging as mall foot traffic declines. Still, human interaction in brick-and-mortar stores can be shockingly limited, thanks to technology like self-checkout machines and in-store pickup.

The enthusiasm behind Sephora’s basket initiative pinpoints another aspect of traditional retail customers are now shirking: human service, and whether it still meaningfully suits their needs.

“Amazon has changed our world and how we like to shop,” said Annette Franz, the CEO of customer experience consulting firm CX Journey. “Customers expect to grab what they need and check out, so when they’re approached multiple times by a sales rep, it’s uncomfortable for some.”

Of course, not all modern customers are uncomfortable with human interaction. There are more avenues than ever for shoppers to interact with a brand, either virtually or in person. For a brand like Sephora, a percentage of loyal shoppers crave that in-store help.

“Amazon has changed our world and how we like to shop”

“It’s not a shopping experience everyone wants, but some people enter a Sephora to get help finding a new foundation or an eyeshadow palette,” Franz said. “Some customers need that nudge. Maybe they were shopping for one item but are open to walking out with four other things.”

Franz believes stores succeed when they can anticipate consumer needs and wants, and in 2019, that sometimes includes wanting to be left alone.

@LushLtd please, please consider something like this. Sincerely, a customer with anxiety who uses your products to calm my mind but can’t shop in store because it’s an accessibility nightmare ‍♀️

— Amy Barrett (@amybarrett31) November 5, 2019

Amy Barrett had tagged Lush Cosmetics in her response to the Sephora basket photo, asking them to consider a solution like this. “Sincerely, a customer with anxiety who uses your products to calm my mind, but can’t shop in store because it’s an accessibility nightmare,” she wrote in a tweet that received more than 1,000 likes.

Barrett, an editorial assistant based in England, told me via Twitter message that retailers should always have in mind accessibility for customers with physical or mental illnesses. “Lots of the replies to my tweet have shown that people with anxiety struggle to go into Lush stores,” she added.

It’s a delicate balance for retailers. “Sales reps should approach customers, but even with experiential stores, there are boundaries they have to recognize,” Franz said. That’s a customer service development tied to stores’ business strategy as they look to better understand modern-day customers.

Nowadays, shoppers prefer intentional interactions, she added, not just sporadic check-ins. (JRNI’s report found that 57 percent of customers would want to schedule appointments with in-store staff if there was an option to do so.)

Some point to Apple as the pioneer of experiential retail, with its uncluttered design and Genius Bar tech experts that even CEO Steve Jobs was originally skeptical of. As Henry Grabar wrote in Slate, the Genius Bar created “this sense that company employees are trying to help you, not sell you something,” placing the “emphasis on empathy and vibes in the service of sales.”

Glossier

In Glossier’s New York flagship store, salespeople are “editors” equipped with iPads.

This concept is emulated in beauty brand Glossier’s New York flagship store, where sales reps are called “editors” who walk around the “showroom” carrying iPads and offering personal product recommendations. Similarly, customer interaction at women’s clothing store Reformation is limited yet intentional: Guests use in-store iPads to select items and reserve a dressing room.

At Sephora, associates still linger on the floor, introducing shoppers to an array of products that fit their skin type or beauty routine. It’s unclear why Sephora chose to launch this basket initiative in European stores rather than in North America, but it isn’t the first beauty brand to do so.

South Korean beauty brand Innisfree similarly offers a two-basket option in its Korea-based stores. The idea was first implemented by staff in September 2016 in one of its independently owned stores.

View post on imgur.com

“The customers loved the idea, and they were getting the help they needed without explaining their needs,” marketing director Wonny Han wrote to me in an email. “This really boosted up the sales, customer efficiency, and productivity.”

By December of that year, Innisfree decided to formally introduce the baskets to its franchise stores nationwide and saw positive feedback from customers who felt that it was “not pushing sales but respecting customers,” Han added.

It’s much easier, however, for smaller stores like Innisfree to pivot their customer experience strategy. Bigger, traditional chain stores have been hit hardest by the retail apocalypse, with once-successful stores like Sears, Toys R Us, and Barney’s filing for bankruptcy.

“Retailers were only starting to realize these changes within the past five years, working to develop strategies to compete with Amazon and online shopping,” Franz said.

What customers expect from a tech store worker will be different than what they need from a beauty employee, but regardless, their interaction should always be valuable and effective, said Kate Leggett, a principal analyst at Forrester Research who specializes in customer service and relations.

“It’s less about product, especially when you’ve got a lot of products that aren’t very different,” she said. “It’s about engaging a customer to a brand and anticipating, as well as addressing any problems they might have.”

People, even the introverts, haven’t evolved to dislike human contact while shopping. They simply want to make the most of their time and energy, and a badgering sales rep presents quite the opposite experience.

Not all retailers can have a direct-to-consumer brand aesthetic like Glossier or develop a reverent user fanbase like Apple, but Sephora’s basket initiative suggests that maybe stores don’t always have to come up with a wildly innovative idea. The solution for better service could be as simple as giving customers a choice.

Sign up for The Goods’ newsletter. Twice a week, we’ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2O5g6Zw

[timalexanderdollery]

In the age of online shopping, where do IRL salespeople fit in?

Today, there are more avenues than ever for shoppers to interact with a brand, either virtually or in person. | Getty Images/Hero Images

Customers want help. They also want to be left alone.

The introverts of the world recently rallied around a viral photo on Twitter of a Europe-based Sephora store. The photo was of two shopping basket options: a red basket to convey the customer needs assistance or a black one to show that they’re fine being left alone.

There is a fellow introvert on the Sephora customer experience team who deserves A RAISE RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/4Aan7lUyVD

— Cami Williams (@cwillycs) November 4, 2019

The replies were flooded with shoppers who thought the baskets were an ingenious customer service idea and the solution to awkward encounters with salespeople. “I hope this person is the CEO now,” one Twitter user said. Others tagged companies like Lush Cosmetics and Victoria’s Secret, which they felt had trained employees to be overly gregarious or even intrusive.

Sephora declined to be interviewed for this story, but a spokeswoman said the basket initiative is only available in Europe (sorry Americans!).

The idea that there are two distinct types of real-world retail customers — those who do and those who emphatically do not want to interact with salespeople — seems to be heightened by the age of online shopping.

When most things can be bought from home with the push of a button, the reason shoppers bother to come into stores becomes all the more important for brands to understand and accommodate. Retail workers, who are also contending with top-down mandates about greeting customers and the desire to make commission, need to determine if their assistance is unwelcome or expressly desired.

According to JRNI’s 2019 Modern Consumer report, which surveyed 2,000 shoppers from the US and UK, 67 percent of modern shoppers still enjoy the in-store experience. Yet, only 44 percent of customers feel as though a store can satisfactorily explain its products and services; a majority of shoppers prefer online shopping because of access to detailed product information.

The retail world is scrambling to adapt to these changing desires by revamping store models to be more experiential and engaging as mall foot traffic declines. Still, human interaction in brick-and-mortar stores can be shockingly limited, thanks to technology like self-checkout machines and in-store pickup.

The enthusiasm behind Sephora’s basket initiative pinpoints another aspect of traditional retail customers are now shirking: human service, and whether it still meaningfully suits their needs.

“Amazon has changed our world and how we like to shop,” said Annette Franz, the CEO of customer experience consulting firm CX Journey. “Customers expect to grab what they need and check out, so when they’re approached multiple times by a sales rep, it’s uncomfortable for some.”

Of course, not all modern customers are uncomfortable with human interaction. There are more avenues than ever for shoppers to interact with a brand, either virtually or in person. For a brand like Sephora, a percentage of loyal shoppers crave that in-store help.

“Amazon has changed our world and how we like to shop”

“It’s not a shopping experience everyone wants, but some people enter a Sephora to get help finding a new foundation or an eyeshadow palette,” Franz said. “Some customers need that nudge. Maybe they were shopping for one item but are open to walking out with four other things.”

Franz believes stores succeed when they can anticipate consumer needs and wants, and in 2019, that sometimes includes wanting to be left alone.

@LushLtd please, please consider something like this. Sincerely, a customer with anxiety who uses your products to calm my mind but can’t shop in store because it’s an accessibility nightmare ‍♀️

— Amy Barrett (@amybarrett31) November 5, 2019

Amy Barrett had tagged Lush Cosmetics in her response to the Sephora basket photo, asking them to consider a solution like this. “Sincerely, a customer with anxiety who uses your products to calm my mind, but can’t shop in store because it’s an accessibility nightmare,” she wrote in a tweet that received more than 1,000 likes.

Barrett, an editorial assistant based in England, told me via Twitter message that retailers should always have in mind accessibility for customers with physical or mental illnesses. “Lots of the replies to my tweet have shown that people with anxiety struggle to go into Lush stores,” she added.

It’s a delicate balance for retailers. “Sales reps should approach customers, but even with experiential stores, there are boundaries they have to recognize,” Franz said. That’s a customer service development tied to stores’ business strategy as they look to better understand modern-day customers.

Nowadays, shoppers prefer intentional interactions, she added, not just sporadic check-ins. (JRNI’s report found that 57 percent of customers would want to schedule appointments with in-store staff if there was an option to do so.)

Some point to Apple as the pioneer of experiential retail, with its uncluttered design and Genius Bar tech experts that even CEO Steve Jobs was originally skeptical of. As Henry Grabar wrote in Slate, the Genius Bar created “this sense that company employees are trying to help you, not sell you something,” placing the “emphasis on empathy and vibes in the service of sales.”

Glossier

In Glossier’s New York flagship store, salespeople are “editors” equipped with iPads.

This concept is emulated in beauty brand Glossier’s New York flagship store, where sales reps are called “editors” who walk around the “showroom” carrying iPads and offering personal product recommendations. Similarly, customer interaction at women’s clothing store Reformation is limited yet intentional: Guests use in-store iPads to select items and reserve a dressing room.

At Sephora, associates still linger on the floor, introducing shoppers to an array of products that fit their skin type or beauty routine. It’s unclear why Sephora chose to launch this basket initiative in European stores rather than in North America, but it isn’t the first beauty brand to do so.

South Korean beauty brand Innisfree similarly offers a two-basket option in its Korea-based stores. The idea was first implemented by staff in September 2016 in one of its independently owned stores.

View post on imgur.com

“The customers loved the idea, and they were getting the help they needed without explaining their needs,” marketing director Wonny Han wrote to me in an email. “This really boosted up the sales, customer efficiency, and productivity.”

By December of that year, Innisfree decided to formally introduce the baskets to its franchise stores nationwide and saw positive feedback from customers who felt that it was “not pushing sales but respecting customers,” Han added.

It’s much easier, however, for smaller stores like Innisfree to pivot their customer experience strategy. Bigger, traditional chain stores have been hit hardest by the retail apocalypse, with once-successful stores like Sears, Toys R Us, and Barney’s filing for bankruptcy.

“Retailers were only starting to realize these changes within the past five years, working to develop strategies to compete with Amazon and online shopping,” Franz said.

What customers expect from a tech store worker will be different than what they need from a beauty employee, but regardless, their interaction should always be valuable and effective, said Kate Leggett, a principal analyst at Forrester Research who specializes in customer service and relations.

“It’s less about product, especially when you’ve got a lot of products that aren’t very different,” she said. “It’s about engaging a customer to a brand and anticipating, as well as addressing any problems they might have.”

People, even the introverts, haven’t evolved to dislike human contact while shopping. They simply want to make the most of their time and energy, and a badgering sales rep presents quite the opposite experience.

Not all retailers can have a direct-to-consumer brand aesthetic like Glossier or develop a reverent user fanbase like Apple, but Sephora’s basket initiative suggests that maybe stores don’t always have to come up with a wildly innovative idea. The solution for better service could be as simple as giving customers a choice.

Sign up for The Goods’ newsletter. Twice a week, we’ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2O5g6Zw

[laurelkrugerr]

The Millennial Takeover: How the Generation is Shaking up the Workplace

July 21, 2020 7 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In the next five years, the U.S. workplace is poised to experience a changing of the guard.

The majority of Baby Boomers, now in their upper 50s, 60s, and lower 70s, will be well into retirement age. Their vacated executive positions and managerial roles will most likely be filled by up-and-coming Gen Xers and Millennials, if they haven’t already.

Currently the largest living generation in the U.S., by 2025 Millennials will account for 75 percent of the American workforce. While their habits as consumers often get maligned in the media for bringing about decline in industries and products as wide-ranging as napkins, cable TV, soda, razors, golf, mayonnaise, traditional weddings, department stores, starter homes, and “breastaurants,” what they bring to the table—rather than take off it—deserves more of the limelight.

Love them or hate them, here are major cultural shifts you can expect to see in the workplace as more Millennials take charge.

Mission-driven brands

While the jury is still out on whether Millennials are more or less brand loyal than preceding generations (some studies say they are, some say they aren’t, and some say it depends on the product category), one thing is for certain: Millennials value brands that demonstrate authenticity, and that authenticity is shown by remaining true to a cause.

This is the case for both patronage and workplace preference. Millennials want to buy from and work for businesses that have a purpose at their core. A job is no longer just about a paycheck and putting food on the family table; for Millennials, it’s very much about purpose, with 75 percent saying they want their personal values to align with their company’s values and are even willing to take a pay cut to work for a value-aligned company.

Co-authors John Izzo and Jeff Vanderweilen call it the forthcoming “Purpose Revolution.” Employees, customers and investors are increasingly looking beyond a company’s bottom line to ask how it’s making the world a better place. In the age of social good, the line between for-profit and not-for-profit becomes less rigid, and brands like TOMS, Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia and Warby Parker are all lead actors, as they put their social corporate responsibility front and center, a scorecard against which the world can judge their success. Expect Millennials to continue wearing their social causes on their sleeves as they move up the ranks and have a greater say in shaping their own company’s mission.

Another area in which you can expect to see Millennials making change is in leadership style. Fading are the days of the corporate strongman, whose word becomes instant workplace policy, and whose authority is derived solely by title or position.

It could be the result of growing up in a postmodern era, but many Millennials are very aware, and skeptical, of power dynamics, and tend to see legitimate authority as earned rather than assumed. Consequently, Millennials respond better to leaders who inspire by example and embody the mission of the company. A big part of authentic leadership is the willingness to solicit feedback and hear out ideas, not just from one’s own C-suite peers, but from all levels of an organization.

That ability to understand and share the feelings of others is what we call empathy, and it’s a huge component of emotional intelligence. Empathy is especially important for leaders, as they need to understand what truly motivates their team in order to build a successful, thriving culture on that foundation. Moreover, empathy is especially important today, as Daniel Goleman writes in Harvard Business Review, for three main reasons:

Work is increasingly team-based

The world is increasingly globalized, requiring coordination among diverse persons

Success is often dependent on retaining the best talent

As they step into leadership roles, expect Millennials to perform like the kind of leaders they most respect—the charismatic, caring, and listening kind.

Flattened hierarchy

Ever noticed how suits, once a staple of corporate America (Mad Men, anyone?), are slowly losing their prominence among the office dress code?

You could blame it on Silicon Valley. Tech execs like Steve Jobs, Jack Dorsey, and Mark Zuckerberg have for years  evinced a dressed-down style that’s more Tony Hawk than Tom Ford. The trend is so prevalent that Vox declared suits are now mostly reserved for “powerful men when they’re in trouble” (aka Zuckerberg at a Congressional hearing).

But the waning popularity of suits is symptomatic of something bigger than just workplace fashion trends. It’s about corporate structure. Along with open offices, corporate town halls, employee stock ownership, and rotating team leaders, casual attire is part of a larger Millennial-driven trend toward a flattened hierarchy in the workplace.

Sometimes described as a “flat organization” or a “holacracy,” a flattened hierarchy reduces bureaucracy overall and aims to eliminate the mid-management levels between executives and entry-level employees. Shrinking that gap has a number of advantages. Besides reducing unnecessary labor costs, it stresses individual responsibility and encourages each team member’s personal investment in the company; facilitates a freer flow of communication; allows for quicker, more nimble decision-making; and empowers team members to be proactive in leading and offering solutions rather than placing that burden entirely on the shoulders of the CEO.

And a flattened hierarchy is more in line with the type of leadership Millennials most resonate with—the kind that’s on their level rather than in some aloof, top-floor corner office.

At home with disruption

Born between 1981 and 1996, Millennials have grown up witnessing tremendous technological change, from the introduction of computers in the home, to dial-up internet, the dot-com boom, broadband, nearly ubiquitous Wi-Fi, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, self-driving vehicles, smartphones, smart houses, smart everything.

Nobody knows more experientially than Millennials the evidence for Moore’s Law—that computer chip-based technology seems to double every one-and-a-half to two years. Needless to say, for them, disruption has become cliché, a buzzword that’s lost its buzz.

While “digital natives” may gloss over the fact that Millennials come from diverse upbringings with unequal access to technology, the gist remains: as a generation accustomed to constant software updates and the breakneck pace of change, Millennials understand that successful businesses need to be ready to adapt or die.

Consider Apple’s goal to roll out a new iPhone every year and Facebook’s frequent overhauls. The generation that’s brought us Airbnb, Lyft, Groupon, Spotify, Tinder, Oculus RV, Stripe and nearly every social media platform imaginable will make it a key operational philosophy for the companies under their watch to remain relevant or risk fading into obscurity.

Flexible work/life

That same saturation with communication technologies that earns Millennials the label of digital natives has also taught them how hard it can be to “turn off.” When your mobile phone is your work phone and an office email can appear on your smartwatch at any time, the traditional nine-to-five schedule can take on the dreamlike aura of a bygone time in which it was once possible to keep work life enjoyably distinct from personal life.

In reaction, many Millennials have pushed back against the “always-on” expectations at their jobs and advocated for better work/life balance in their careers, which makes sense. Burn out is real, and it’s no secret that happier people are more productive employees, and more likely to stick around.

The irony is that the very technologies that make us accessible around the clock and thus the potential victim of 24/7 work demands are the same technologies that can deliver better work/life balance. For many skill-based creative professions, digital technologies allow for flexible work hours, telecommuting, location independence and a number of other benefits that boost individual control over one’s own work life.

As we reach a generational tipping point that sees more Millennials in leadership positions, expect them to introduce more workplace policies that contribute to employee happiness, particularly ones that increase self-autonomy and protect work/life balance.

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source http://www.scpie.org/the-millennial-takeover-how-the-generation-is-shaking-up-the-workplace/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-millennial-takeover-how-generation.html

[thelmasirby32]

Why these three content types are winning quarantine season

30-second summary:

In-home media consumption during the quarantine of March 2020, worldwide, shows that 35% are reading more books/listening to more audiobooks, and 44% are spending more time on social media.

People are looking for education without getting slumped with an information overload. For example, LinkedIn professionals are going “live” to share data-driven and real insight with their audiences.

On the other hand, people are looking to stay entertained and keep their minds in a good place during this time of change and are resorting to TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and other social media platforms.

How can your brand support your audience and employees? How can you test different methods to motivate and encourage, showing that we’re all in this together?

Lead digital PR strategist at Directive, Ashton Newell helps businesses create content types that can reach their people through.

Observations, tips, and personal examples of content types and how her organization has performed in quarantimes.

No one planned for a global pandemic. How could you?

However, the performance marketers who were able to adjust quickly and provide support to their audience (in various ways) are reaping the benefits.

As you know, social media is a tool for people to connect and can be used to empower your brand. Now, it’s one of the few ways to stay connected virtually and build genuine relationships with your audience.

So, what are the winners doing? Here’s a look at the content types that are winning in “quarantimes”:

1. Educating

Think virtual marketing conferences, free online training courses, TikTok dances, business leaders live on LinkedIn, etc.

For those who are interested, continued education has become a way to keep productive and sane during this extra time at home.

According to Statista, in-home media consumption during the quarantine of March 2020, worldwide, shows that 35% are reading more books/listening to more audiobooks, and 44% are spending more time on social media.

Wait, social media….learning? It’s true. Gone are the days of social media just to mindlessly scroll.

For example, LinkedIn professionals are going “live” to share data-driven and real insight with their audiences. This gives them a platform to address what’s happening, share how they’re adjusting, and be vulnerable with their followers.

For example, Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs, Ann Handley, puts together “a pop-up twice-weekly video show about coping with COVID-19, business, and life” on her LinkedIn profile.

Source: Screenshot from Ann Handley on LinkedIn

Additionally, sharing helpful content is important. However, people may not be as open to read a long whitepaper right now.

How can you provide support and empathy, without being too focused on quarantine that it bums out your reader?

Give them a game plan to succeed during this time.

Source: Screenshot from @thefuturishere on Instagram

The Instagram post above shares 10 quality design slides, actionable tips with real tools the audience can use to add to their WFH set-up, and a strong call-to-action for the reader to leave their favourite tools, so others continue to learn.

A different route

For others, they might not be looking to learn new business skills during this time. Instead, people are looking to stay entertained and keep their minds in a good place during this time of change.

According to Vox, people are turning to Instagram and TikTok to learn how to make Dalgona coffee (whipped coffee) and baking bread. The word “bread” even hit an “all-time high” on Google searches, according to Eater.

Additionally, TikTok videos are now a way that families can learn dances and bond together, according to CNN.

According to the article, TikTok offers various COVID-19 resources for families to engage in positive ways. A nightly series called #HappyAtHome features top creators who share advice, motivation, and more. Educational live streams are also available throughout the popular app.

So, as marketers, why do we care?

Key point

As you’re crafting content for social media, what can you share that is educational in some way?

How can you share easily digestible content that leaves the audience taking something new away from it?

Remember:

The whipped coffee recipe has three ingredients, and it went viral.

You don’t need professional equipment to create TikTok videos.

To go live on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook, you don’t need any equipment. Simply hit “Go Live”.

You can create free infographics with impressive data using Canva.

Overall, listen to your audience. Find what they need during this time.

Give them something they can learn.

2. Motivating

Think mental health advocates going live, empathetic stories shared by brands, support for hospitals, charity work.

While your audience may be open to learning, many people are feeling low right now.

Job security may be lost, kids may be home from school, the weather may be depressing, a family member may be sick – this may not be the time your audience wants to pick up a new business book or create something new.

So, how can your brand support them? How can you test different methods to motivate and encourage, showing that we’re all in this together?

It might sound crazy, but you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars and make a brand new campaign to reach your people.

Check out this Instagram post from Hubspot that received incredible engagement (their highest of the week) by sharing motivational words that resonate with their audience of marketers and sales specialists looking to grow their businesses.

View this post on Instagram

#RemoteWork

A post shared by HubSpot (@hubspot) on Apr 25, 2020 at 8:01am PDT

  Screenshot from Hubspot’s Instagram

Additionally, companies are doing big things to support mental health.

According to an article on CNN, the Disaster Distress Helpline, a federal crisis hotline operated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, calls in March have gone up by more than 300%, compared to February. Compared to March of last year, the hotline has seen 891% more calls, according to the article.

At Directive, we wanted to support our team and clients during this time by providing “motivation through movement”. As an E-RYT certified yoga instructor, through YouTube Live, I was able to teach a class for our people to get moving, focus on their breath, and keep their wellness a priority through these challenging times.

It was incredibly encouraging to hear feedback that both parties enjoyed the class and felt better, and I was thankful to share my love of the yoga practice with them all.

We highlighted this on social media to encourage other companies to try something similar, as well.

Screenshot from Directive on Instagram

Additionally, companies like Salesforce are utilizing social media to build a schedule around guided meditation, conversations with health and wellness experts, and being present.

Screenshot from Salesforce on LinkedIn

Additionally, companies like Headspace provide motivational (and educational) content on Instagram on how followers can make “no-sew masks from home”. This can help motivate people to stay healthy, even if they don’t have new income coming in.

Source: @headspace on Instagram

Key point

While bringing in new income is essential to your business, right now, it’s imperative to put your brand and culture first. People will remember how you made them feel.

Show sentiment to your audience, and make sure it’s authentic. Your actions should be more powerful than your words.

After you find a rhythm that works for your social content, make sure that what you’re sharing is resonating with your audience. We are marketers, and our audience shows us what they like and don’t like through the data.

According to Janet Balis’s article on Harvard Business Review:

“Frequent tracking of human behavioural trends will help marketers gain better insights in real-time. Marketers will want to measure sentiment and consumption trends on a regular basis to better adapt messaging, closely observing the conversation across social media platforms, community sites, and e-commerce product pages to look for opportunities and identify looming crises more quickly.”

Be there for your audience. Mean it. Track it.

3. Building a virtual community

Think Zoom happy hours, live Instagram workouts, Instagram challenges, community support, real images from working from home.

Without your community, life can seem a little duller. Luckily, technology has your back and helps you see your colleagues and loved ones as much as you’d like to.

For some, this has been the key to working remotely and showing up every day.

From experience, the Directive team has all Zoom meetings with the cameras on, to see teammates’ faces, and to have “real” conversations and connections.

Source: Image from Directive

Sharing a real image (like the one above) on social media shows your team coming together and the power of your community.

Additionally, Directive was excited to participate in a #ShowUsYourWorkspace social media challenge. It was encouraging to see the team share their spaces, show their furry friends, and how they’re adapting into their everyday work lives.

They also tagged other companies to “share their spaces” to carry on the challenge as well.

Here is one of the examples

Source: Image from @directiveconsulting on Instagram

Key point

Building community with your audience, adjusting to working from home, and showing how you’re sticking together behind the scenes is impactful.

Show your followers how you are doing it and continue to do it. Also, find creative ways to keep your followers engaged.

We’re all in this together

While the world continues to feel a little different, you can educate, motivate, and build your community to encourage your audience to push through and stay on their feet.

You have the tools you need, it’s your time to create winning content for your audience.

Ashton Newell is the lead digital PR strategist at Directive, a performance marketing agency specialized in the software space. When Ashton is away from her day job, she spends her time teaching yoga, cheering on the ASU Sun Devils, and drinking numerous cups of coffee. She can be found on Twitter @ashtonmeisner.

The post Why these three content types are winning quarantine season appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

from Digital Marketing News https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2020/05/04/why-these-three-content-types-are-winning-quarantine-season/

[aion-rsa]

Aquaman: Complete DC Comics Easter Eggs and DCEU Reference Guide

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Ready to see what DC Comics and DCEU goodness is hidden in the seaweed of the Aquaman movie? We've got you covered!

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Mike Cecchini

Aquaman

Dec 20, 2018

DC Entertainment

This article contains nothing but Aquaman spoilers.

After years of development, the Aquaman movie is finally here. For a little perspective, we first glimpsed Jason Momoa as Aquaman in a brief cameo in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but he had been cast in the role as early as 2014. That's...quite a long time to wait for the king of Atlantis to ascend (or descend) to his throne, even when you take his starring role in last year's Justice League movie into account.

And just as we've seen in every DCEU movie, Aquaman is absolutely packed to the gills (sorry) with DC Universe easter eggs. With a tremendous amount of reverence for Aquaman comic book history, and a few subtle nods to the wider DC Comics world, there's a lot to unpack here.

So here's how this works. I've spotted everything I can from my first viewing. If you see anything I missed, let me know, either in the comments or yell at me on Twitter, and if it checks out, I'll update this.

Let's get our lines in the water, shall we?

The Origin Story

Let's talk about Arthur Curry for a minute. Do you know this character has been around nearly as long as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman? Aquaman first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in 1941, where he was created by Mort Weisinger (who later went on to be a legendary...and legendarily difficult...editor on the Superman titles) and Paul Norris. 

Arthur has had a ton of different origins through the years, but this movie primarily pulls from comics published in the last decade. It's far less confusing that way.

read more: Aquaman Comics Reading Order

- Just a quick note about Aquaman's look before we dive back into the rest of the fun stuff in the origin story. While he ultimately ends up in a very faithful version of his comic book costume (and seriously, it looks amazing, doesn't it?), the long-haired, bearded, tough guy Aquaman look was really popularized when Peter David was writing the character in the 1990s, and was further cemented in pop culture consciousness by the excellent Justice League animated series in the early part of the 21st century. In fact...

- The gladiator gear Arthur wears during his first fight with Orm is reminiscent of the Peter David era of the character.

OK, back to work...

- The underwater WB logo reminds me a little of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman movie. That was the first time I could remember the WB logo being presented against something less traditional than the bright blue sky. There, the sky darkened to night before panning down for the opening credits. Here it's more intricate (with the barnacles, etc) but it's still very cool.

- The opening narration by Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry includes a quote from Jules Verne, one of the fathers of science fiction. Here’s the full quote:

"Put two ships in the open sea, without wind or tide, and, at last, they will come together. Throw two planets into space, and they will fall one on the other. Place two enemies in the midst of a crowd, and they will inevitably meet; it is a fatality, a question of time; that is all."

While the first part of that quote certainly refers to Tom Curry and Atlanna (and perhaps Arthur and Mera), the rest of it could surely encompass the rest of the movie. The “two planets in space” is the surface world and Atlantis, and the “two enemies in a crowd” is Arthur’s dual nature as an Atlantean/human, his relationship with his half-brother, but ultimately I feel like it best sums up the enmity between Aquaman and Black Manta.

read more: Creating the World of Aquaman

- Right out of the gate, the influence of Geoff Johns on the Aquaman character is felt in this movie. The first time we ever heard of Amnesty Bay as his hometown was in the Johns-penned Blackest Night series (something that would make a fine basis for a Green Lantern movie or Justice League sequel down the road, by the way).

- On the TV during that intro sequence is the intro to Stingray, a 1964 puppet animation underwater series. Interestingly enough, the very first episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 from back in its public access days was "Invaders From the Deep," a feature length compilation of Stingray episodes. 

- In the Curry household you can spot a Fender bass and a Vox amplifier (is that a Pathfinder, amp?). While neither Tom nor Arthur Curry are particularly renowned for their musical skills, Jason Momoa does play a mean bass.

- The adorable golden retriever is most likely a reference to “Salty" (no, his name isn't Aquadog) from the Geoff Johns New 52 run. The difference there is that the doggie wasn't Tom Curry's, but adopted by Arthur and Mera after his owner had been killed by the trench.

- As an early nod to director James Wan’s horror roots during the otherwise Amblin-esque prologuge, there’s a copy of HP Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror visible on a table. That story also deals with a “half-breed” main character, although one whose mysterious origins are far less noble than Arthur’s. Its New England setting also connects with the Amnesty Bay opening sequence here.

- The scene with Atlanna swallowing the goldfish is a play on classic “fish out of water” tropes. Older fans may remember Daryl Hannah and Tom Hanks in Splash, where Hannah's mermaid eats a lobster, shell and all. 

We definitely get a distinctive “vuu-vuu-vuu” sound when young Arthur talks to the fish, reminiscent of what would be heard when Aquaman would use his powers on various incarnations of the Super Friends cartoon.

Later on in the movie we also get the famed "circles" effect that would be visible when Aquaman would use his powers in assorted animation series. It's really cool to see it represented on screen.

Aquaman Villains

Let's talk about this movie's baddies, shall we?

BLACK MANTA

- The Black Manta origin story we see on screen is basically an adaptation of his most recent one (he has had...a bunch...we detailed them all here). There are some changes here, though. In the comics origin (this one concocted by Geoff Johns), Arthur killed Manta's father by mistake, as he believed he was responsible for the death of Tom Curry. Here, it's used to illustrate how Arthur needs to learn mercy for later in the film, but it's still close enough to the comics version of events.

- When we finally see Black Manta in his full costume, there’s a great vocal effect. One of the most striking things about the character when he was a regular on Challenge of the Super Friends was his voice. Unforgettable, and a nice nod here.

read more - Aquaman and the Secrets of Black Manta

- When building his technology, Manta says "I think I'm gonna need a bigger helmet," a clear nod to the famous "we're gonna need a bigger boat" line from the greatest seafaring blockbuster of all time, Jaws.

- It's interesting that they lean so hard into how well-established Aquaman is as a superhero with the Aquaman-fights-pirates scene. It helps place this movie even more firmly within the DCEU (which is not being rebooted any time soon). We already knew Arthur had been operating more or less out in the open before Justice League, but clearly the events of that movie have made him more of a household name. It's not clear how long after the end of Justice League this movie takes place, but let's just say it has been roughly a year, which gives Arthur's fame a little more time to grow.

Orm

- Orm has been around since Aquaman #29 in 1966, where he was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy. Like Black Manta, Orm has had several variations of his origin story through the decades, but also like Black Manta, the version we see on screen here is most similar to the New 52 version of the character introduced by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, and Paul Pelletier.

read more - Aquaman Villains Explained: Who is Orm, the Ocean Master?

- Once nice touch here is that they made Ocean Master a title, not a codename.

Orm's father, King Orvax is from the Geoff Johns comics, as well. Orvax was a Captain in the Atlantean army who became king by marrying Atlanna. The idea is to make sure that the royal family is always bound to military leaders. Needless to say it didn't work out well for anyone involved.

- The visual of the tidal wave coming to shore is very much like how Orm first launched his attack on the surface world during the Throne of Atlantis comics story, which this movie certainly owes a tremendous debt to. There, however, Orm actually did wage all out war on the surface world, rather than merely threaten it, and it took the full Justice League to stop him. It's too bad they seem to have used up this story here, because this story is certainly big enough, and would have made for an interesting Justice League 2.

Also, it might be a coincidence because it looks cool, but the final throwdown taking place in the pouring rain feels like it comes out of , too. It was always raining in that story.

- It takes him a while to get there, but Ocean Master does eventually wear his classic comics costume, right down to the famous helmet.

- One other random thing about Patrick Wilson as Orm. His clean-shaven, blond haired, classical good looks make him appear far more like traditional comic book depictions of Aquaman.

ATLANTIS

- The flashbacks to the dawn of Atlantis is reminiscent of the worldbuilding we saw in Wonder Woman and Man of Steel. This is a highlight of nearly every DCEU movie. I love seeing the ancient history of these societies represented on screen.

I don't believe that this particular origin of Atlantis lines up with any of the ones from the comics. One thing to keep in mind is that for years, DC had multiple/competing versions of Atlantis in their continuity, before they were finally all unified in the excellent Atlantis Chronicles limited series. You can read that on DC Universe right now, and it's definitely worth your time.

- One of the nice little touches throughout the movie is that there is a subtle but cool underwater vocal effect.

- King Nereus first appeared in Aquaman #19 (2013) and was created by Geoff Johns and Paul Pelletier. He’s played here by the beloved, awesome Dolph Lundgren. He’s a fairly different character in the comics, though, where he isn’t a king, but a soldier of Xebel. And he isn’t Mera’s father, but a competitor for her romantic interests. Instead, they made Orm into Mera's betrothed...who she ditches for Arthur. Comic book Nereus and movie Orm should go out for a beer and have a good cry together.

read more - Explaining the Seven Kingdoms of Atlantis

- Murk (played here by Ludi Lin, who we loved in the Power Rangers movie) first appeared in Aquaman #17 (2013), and like Nereus, he was created by Geoff Johns and Paul Pelletier. Later in the movie (during that amazing Sicily fight/chase sequence) he loses a hand, which is a nod to his comic book look, where he is a far more grizzled soldier with a harpoon for a hand.

The octopus playing the drums during the Orm/Arthur battle is none other than Topo! And yes, he was known to dabble in music from time to time... 

Topo was created by Ramona Fradon (a giant among Aquaman creators) in the pages of Adventure Comics #229 in 1956.

However, the New 52 version of Topo is a giant kaiju-type monster, one who looks far more like the beast Arthur brings to everyone's aid at the climax of this movie.

- So much of this movie's visual flair is reminiscent of Mike Hodges' brilliant Flash Gordon movie from 1980, and I feel like some of the underwater laser sound effects sound like nods to those.

Mera

Mera has been around since Aquaman #11 in 1963, where she was created by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy. In the comics, Xebel isn't another kingdom of Atlantis, it's an entirely different dimension. And again, it should be noted, Nereus is NOT her Dad in the comics. Because...that would be weird.

- The same way Aquaman draws moisture from Aquaman's body to activate that piece of Atlantean tech, she also can use that kind of power offensively. There's an issue of the New 52 series where she straight up dehydrates a guy to bring him down...as in, makes him feel the effects of nearly 2 full days without water. In other words, just in case this movie didn't clue you in, under no circumstances should you mess with Mera, because she will mess your life up.

Mera references the events of Justice League, and that’s about as much inter-movie continuity as we get in the movie (or need, for that matter).

- King Atlan, first appeared in the excellent Atlantis Chronicles mini-series, but like nearly everything else in this movie, what we see here is primarily from what was introduced during Geoff Johns' New 52 run on the character. His look here, and how he just kind of hung out mummified on his old throne, is reminiscent of those comics. And yes, New 52 Aquaman wields his scepter.

However, it wasn't his trident that was the ultimate "holy relic" you see in this movie, but rather a magical scepter, one far more powerful than the trident. In any case, that scepter was responsible for the sinking of Atlantis in the comics, not the misuse of technology shown in the movie.

Vulko

- Vulko's full name is Nuidis Vulko (but I don't think we ever actually hear it in the movie). The character has been around since 1967's The Brave and the Bold #73, where he was created by Bob Haney and Howard Purcell. But the character as we see him here, a loyalist to Atlanna who takes it upon himself to train young Arthur is far more in line with the New 52 version of the character as written by Geoff Johns.

- I am kind of imagining this, but the blue "deep ocean camoflauge" suit that Vulko wears while training young Arthur reminds me of a briefly used, but incredibly cool, Aquaman costume design from the 1980s...

The Trench

Honestly, if Warner Bros. decides that they want to do a smaller, more horror-focused Aquaman sequel, you could do worse than adapting the first story from Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, and Paul Pelletier's first volume of the New 52 series, which introduced the Trench. In that story, they basically invade Amnesty Bay before Aquaman tracks them back to their undersea lair and seals them in. 

But there's one ability of the Trench that we don't see in the movie. They secrete this substance that basically shuts down their prey's nervous system, making them easier to eat. So yeah, that's terrifying. Imagine what James Wan could do with a story like this, one far less ambitious than this crazy Aquaman movie, but one more akin to The Walking Dead with horrifying fish monsters.

Miscellaneous Cool DC Stuff (and More!)

- While Aquaman is taking out the pirates on the submarine, there’s a funny moment where he holds an unconscious guy up to a porthole in the door, in order to fool one of the other pirates into opening it. I don’t know if this was intentional or not (I’d like to think it was), but in Jason Momoa’s ill-fated Conan the Barbarian reboot, there’s a scene where he does something similar...only it’s with a severed head. I...I actually really enjoy that Conan scene, even though the rest of the movie isn’t really up to it.

This isn't the only Conan reference in the movie. Later on, when Arthur is confronting the Karathen and making his case as to why he should be allowed to take the lost trident of Atlan, he tells it (her? It's a her. That's Julie Andrews, after all. I had better show some damn respect) "if that's not good enough, then screw you!" It's like a modern version of Arnold Schwarzenegger's classic prayer to Crom in John Milius' brilliant 1982 Conan the Barbarian, where he ends with a rather pragmatic, "and if you don't listen, then the hell with you!"

- Speaking of the Karathen, while that isn't from the comics, there is a similar giant kaiju from Jeff Parker and Paul Pelletier's "Sea of Storms" story, called the Karaqan, and I don't think this is a coincidence. The Karaqan is less friendly (and dignified) than the Karathen, but let's say they're roughly of the same family.

And also, the image of the "forge" for the trident seems to be inspired by a panel from "Sea of Storms" which looks almost identical, although the context is very, very different there.

- Everyone is watching WGBS in the bar. Galaxy Broadcasting System is the most famous fictional network in the DC Universe, at one point owning The Daily Planet in addition to its other enterprises. The TV arm, WGBS, employed Clark Kent as a news anchor during the 1970s and early 1980s. And the head of WGBS? That would be Morgan Edge, someone we haven’t yet seen in the DCEU, but who certainly could make an impact if they decide to do anything with him down the line.

read more: Full Upcoming DCEU Movies Schedule

- Apparently, you can spot the creepy Annabelle doll from The Conjuring stashed underwater in one scene, but I didn't see her myself on the first viewing. I'm willing to take everyone's word for it, though!

- All through Atlantis we see Atlanteans riding seahorses. But...badass seahorses. But this is especially significant during the final battle when Arthur is charing into war on the back of one, wearing his classic comic book costume. This is a nod to what has generally been the most prominent picture of Aquaman in the pop culture consciousness: a dude who rides a seahorse.

- There are two moments in this movie that remind me of a mostly forgotten chapter in Aquaman history. Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming, and the great Curt Swan had a limited series called The Legend of Aquaman in the 1980s. The vast majority of this story has been consigned to the continuity dustbin of history (which is too bad, because it's really cool). But in it, Aquaman is first brought to Atlantis as a prisoner, which feels kind of reminiscent of his first encounter with his brother in this movie.

But the other is his first large scale use of his ability to communicate with undersea life comes during a massive final battle to repel invaders, where he basically gets alllll the fishies to come and kick some ass for the glory of Atlantis. There's an element of that here.

- Back to more current Aquaman continuity, though...the sequence with Arthur and Mera in the desert isn't from any particular Aquaman comics, BUT it does seem inspired by something that came at the tail end of the first volume of the New 52 series by (you guessed it) Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. There's certainly a visual homage to it, as Arthur makes a hard landing in the sand at the start of it, and he's following the directions of a piece of Atlantean tech that needs to be immersed in water to be properly activated.

- The idea of Atlanna being alive was first brought forth in Jeff Parker and Paul Pelletier's "Maelstrom" which sees Aquaman and Mera travel through a kind of dimensional barrier (similar to what they have to do to evade the Trench in this movie), to a tropical world where Atlanna still lives. There, however, she's a little less friendly. But whatever.

Aquaman Post Credits Scene

- Throughout the movie we see noted scientific crackpot Stephen Shin talking about Atlantis on TV. Shin was created by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis early in the New 52 Aquaman period. What we don't get in this movie, but that could potentially be explored in sequels, is his history with Arthur, which explains why he is so certain that Atlantis exists.

- In Shin's beat-up old lab, full of newspaper clippings about Atlantis, one stands out: The Coast City Ledger! This might be the first reference to Coast City in the DCEU (please correct me if I'm wrong). Coast City is home to Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern who we’ll (presumably...eventually) see again in a new Green Lantern Corps movie, whenever that finally gets made.

Spot anything we missed? Let us know in the comments!

Mike Cecchini is the Editor in Chief of Den of Geek. You can read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @wayoutstuff.

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[cashcounts]

Meet the Extreme Geoengineers of Ancient Times

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in an edition of NOVA’s email newsletter, NOVA Lens, and has now been repurposed for NOVA Next. Sign up for NOVA Lens here (select “NOVA Newsletters”).

This might look like an otherworldly video game, but it’s not. What you’re looking at is the outline of an ancient Mayan megalopolis.

This is no simulation.

“We found five new cities,” said Francisco Estrada-Belli, a research assistant professor at Tulane University.

Estrada-Belli and 29 other scientists discovered 60,000 previously unknown Mayan buildings, homes, ceremonial structures, agricultural adaptations, and pyramids using LIDAR—a technology that uses pulsed laser light to reveal the shape of objects, including those obscured by dense forest canopies. “This is the largest archaeological survey done by LIDAR in the whole world,” he said.

Thick Central American jungles conceal many remnants of ancient Mayan cities from view. People—including looters—have stumbled across these sites over the years, though more recently LIDAR has allowed professionals to rapidly analyze the landscape without harming it. What’s different about this survey, in particular, is its enormous scale. “There’s more of everything than we would have predicted,” said Marcello Canuto, a professor of anthropology at Tulane University, who was also part of the research team.

Researchers have always assumed that Mayan cities were not dense. But the new LIDAR data suggests that they developed huge populations in urban settings similar to the early metropolises of China and Rome. A complex, humming urban landscape is “no longer seen as impossible for the Maya,” Estrada-Belli said.

The team mapped a total of 810 square miles (not all of which was contiguous). It paints an entirely different picture of the way Mayans used their land. One could say that Mayans were extreme geoengineers—they drained wetlands and built terraces on hillsides and dug irrigation channels almost everywhere.

“They were not only good mathematicians and astronomers, but they were also very good engineers of their environment,” Estrada-Belli said. “Everything was done with a purpose, and every inch of the ground has been manipulated in some form. The amount of investment is unprecedented.”

And that, maybe more so than the knowledge of the Mayan civilization’s scale, could be a radical shift in our sense of history. Through these techniques, the Maya were able to preserve soils and control the flow of water in a way that maintained the soil’s richness. They withstood droughts and other natural disasters as a result. Could it be that we might rule out climate disaster as the culprit in Mayan cities’ mysterious decline?

“We’re going to have to rethink our ideas about how they were not good stewards of the environment and therefore they might have caused their own collapse,” Estrada-Belli said.

Canuto says all civilizations share one trait: that they eventually decline and crumble. What we could be seeing in this new data, then, are lessons—evidence of infrastructural blunders, say. “Perhaps all of this manipulation and intensification was in an attempt to extend, expand, and maintain something that was, in the long-term, not sustainable,” Canuto said.

Estrada-Belli noted one theory that hasn’t received much traction, but which could become more plausible with this new data: These robust changes in the northern part of Mayan territory—trade routes, canals, and so on—may have starved the southern cities of resources. Ultimately, they were the first to die.

“It could have made the south irrelevant,” he said.

***

Psychiatry’s biggest breakthrough in decades might come from machines that don’t need to understand the mind at all. Our friends at NEO.LIFE reported a story on the potentially groundbreaking new field of computational psychiatry. Don’t miss it.

Also, if you like NOVA Lens, you might want to subscribe to NEO.LIFE, a new online magazine about the neobiological revolution. Started by one of the founders of WIRED, NEO.LIFE explores the most groundbreaking developments in brain mapping, genome sequencing, microbiome decoding, and more. Subscribe to their email newsletter here.

***

On Tuesday, SpaceX successfully launched the world’s most powerful rocket. PBS NewsHour science correspondent Miles O’Brien talked with NewsHour’s John Yang about this historic moment in an interview, which you can listen to here. NOVA’s own senior producer, Chris Schmidt, wrote a piece on the mission. Here’s an excerpt:

It’s worth noting that three years ago, when SpaceX attempted a similar landing on a drone ship, the world still hailed the near-miraculous near miss. Yesterday’s failed attempted drone ship landing was far more difficult.

The Falcon Heavy could usher in a new era in space exploration—and a new space race. While NASA explores like no other agency, in the 50 years since the first moon landing, it has not matched that singular achievement. The Falcon Heavy not only spurs NASA to complete SLS, but it also gives the agency another option to send humans to the Moon and beyond.

For now, though, consider the firsts that today’s launch embodies. Just a few years ago, SpaceX was the first to fly a reusable, tail-landing rocket that can deliver a satellite or replenish the space station. Now they have successfully flown a rocket capable of taking humans beyond Earth orbit, a system that is totally reusable. In fact, SpaceX is the first to attempt such a thing.

—Chris Schmidt, NOVA senior producer

WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND

In response to our post last week of the NOVA Lens newsletter on Cape Town’s water crisis, Gary Clatt wrote:

Thanks, Gary! You’re smart to think of overpopulation as a concern. This issue is a bit nuanced! Certainly increased urbanization is hard on cities that have limitations when it comes to water and other resources. However, population growth as a whole plays only a small role in the climate situation altogether. Here’s an article from Vox that might interest you.

WHAT’S ON OUR MIND

NOVA’s Education and Outreach Manager, Ralph Bouquet, offers this salute to Black History Month:

Last year, I created a Twitter thread of 28 black scientists who made contributions to a variety of scientific disciplines—from designing the first moon-based space observatory to creating treatments for leprosy. There were common themes in many of their stories. Many of the scientists were barred from attending top university and research institutions, forced to take entry-level jobs despite their education and experience, and many died without their contributions to science being fully acknowledged and celebrated.

Despite the narrative that we often hear of brave individuals successfully overcoming racism and segregation, the reality is that they accomplished what they did despite the combination of systemic and social barriers that hampered every aspect of their work and personal lives.

Alice Ball’s treatment for leprosy was credited to a white chemist for over 80 years, Charles Drew organized the first large-scale blood bank and then resigned when he was told that black people were excluded from donating blood, and Percy Julian had to go overseas to complete his PhD in chemistry after Harvard would not allow him to teach white students. And for every one of these success stories, there were so many others with similar talents and passion who never even got a chance to begin their scholarly pursuits.

Where would we be now if there were more Patricia Baths, and Jane C. Wrights, and William Hintons? Black History Month is an opportunity to reflect on the stories and achievements that are often left uncelebrated in science, but it should also remind us that many of the traditional narratives of who “does” science were largely shaped by the deliberate and systemic exclusion of many groups of people.

—Ralph Bouquet, NOVA Education and Outreach Manager

Patricia Bath helped pioneer the use of lasers to treat cataracts. Follow us on Instagram @novapbs to learn about more black scientists who made a difference.

***

We’ve got bitcoin on the brain at NOVA. If you’re as confused about it as I’ve been, this explainer video (plus its follow-up on blockchains) might help:

Like this? Check out this fascinating article in The New York Times about cryptocurrencies in Puerto Rico.

An asteroid plans on passing between the Earth and the Moon today at around 5:30 pm Eastern. You don’t really have to worry, but do note that this chunk of rock will come five times closer to us than the Moon, and it might be larger than the asteroid that entered the atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia five years ago. Here’s a visual:

Here’s what the asteroid’s path looks like.

By the way, if you got the link to this newsletter elsewhere, subscribe here (select “NOVA Newsletters”) and check out last week’s edition.

See you next week,

Allison and the NOVA team

Read the original article.