#William Shatner is difficult to draw.

[de-sir-ee]

Men of Tomorrow.

[lichqueenlibrarian]

Captain James T Kirk study

[spirk-my-love]

do you have any tips for drawing Kirk? 🙏 TvT William Shatner’s stupid face is getting every single one of my goats

Ok, so I've never really given drawing tips but! I think one of the hardest things about drawing kirk is his overall face shape. (I am assuming here that we're talking about tos) It is very square as you can see, but the thing is, its also very soft. In many shots he doesn't have a super defined jawline, and in others he does. Also, he also very small eyebrows compared to how most men are portrayed nowadays. He's got hooded eyes so again in various shots they look different depending on how he's holding his face. In some you can see his eyelid, others not so much. I think a lot of people want to draw tos kirk as possibly younger or more defined, but thats not how he looks. He has wrinkles and its part of what really makes his face clearly his.

so here I got rid of the lines of his face, and made it a little less square and a little more sharp. It's still vaguely him but things are clearly missing

Another thing is his hairline. Push that thing farther back than you think it should be. He's got a larger forehead and we love him for it. Obviously the first part is more screen accurate but feel free to play around with your style. I mostly draw realism (unlike my latest piece) so that's where most of this advice is coming from. In my experience his lips stretch out a little longer than what is typical, a little past the middle of his eyes, especially when he's smiling. I will also say, his jaw will always connect pretty high into his ear. Its something I notice in every ref, that connection goes decently high.

He is also very expressive, as we all know, and sometimes that can be a little difficult to capture, this mostly just takes practice and knowing how the face moves.

In conclusion, Id recommend focusing on just the overall shape, and then the lines of his face. Even if the eyes, lips, and nose are a little off, those lines of his face make a huge difference.

I have no idea if this is going to help literally anyone, but hopefully its at least understandable.

[baicalpascal]

I feel I have personal conflicts with William Shatner's face, it is too difficult to draw 😭

[mysticum-draconis]

Mini drawing of Captain James T. Kirk that I drew in the note space of October 1st in my 2023 diary, which is the day that I watched Star Trek: The Motion Picture for the first time.

Despite having watched it a year ago, I only finished the drawing this morning, because, as I’m sure you know by now, I am very slow at getting round to some things sometimes!

It took me a while to get Kirk’s face right, because, as every Trekkie artist knows, William Shatner’s face is frustratingly difficult to get right! I’m still not sure that I’m happy with it, but I was getting so desperate to finish him before the year anniversary of me watching this film that I just called him done after a while. I coloured in the film title based off of the movie’s film poster.

I really want to watch this film again soon, because I usually enjoy films more the second time around and I wasn’t too enamoured with this film when I watched it. There were too many (very) long shots of the Enterprise, I think (I know it’s a beautiful ship, but still). Overall I did enjoy the film though, and I look forward to watching it again.

Drawn with Lyra colouring pencils and B graphite.

Progress photos below cut.

Please don’t use or post on other websites without credit or permission, thanks 🙏

[fungi-funguy]

If you're drawing Kirk, specifically William Shatner TOS Kirk, and you draw him as a skinny twink: you are not drawing the Original Captain Kirk.

If you're drawing Spock, specifically Leonard Nimoy TOS Spock, and you draw him as a hairless twink: you are not drawing the Original Lieutenant Commander Spock.

If you draw Bones, specifically DeForest Kelley TOS Bones, and you draw him looking like a young med-school freshman, you are not drawing the Original Doctor Leonard McCoy.

If you draw Scotty skinny, that isn't TOS Scotty.

I haven't seen anyone do this to many of the women characters of the shows, but I'm sure it's happened there too.

Please I am begging you, all of you, everyone- Learn to draw different body types. It's difficult and it's a challenge but you will become a better artist. I am doing it myself and it is so rewarding.

Please stop drawing fat characters like a stiff breeze could knock them over.

I'm not trying to say you can't mess around with artistic ideas for these characters. But if I have to see one more goddamn drawing where I'm supposed to be looking at Scotty and idk- Chekov talking, and they're the same size?

I'm going to implode.

I will become a strange space anomaly for the next federation ship to analyze.

[rabbitcruiser]

World Elephant Day

These magnificent creatures are among the largest animals on earth, with incredible memories and emotional intelligence that astound researchers and animal lovers alike.

They’re intelligent. They’re family-oriented. They have great memories. They are capable of feeling a wide range of deep emotions, from intense grief to joy bordering on elation, as well as empathy and stunning self-awareness. They create complex, supportive societies much like our own.

Taking into consideration all of that and much, much more, what’s not to love about elephants? Still, countless elephants are brutally killed every year for their ivory by greedy poachers who then leave their carcasses to rot in the sun. As Graydon Carter, Editor of Vanity Fair put it:

We admire elephants in part because they demonstrate what we consider the finest human traits, but the way we treat them puts on display the very worst of human behavior.

World Elephant Day is the perfect time to find out more about these amazing animals and what we can do to preserve and protect them so they do not go the way of the mammoth.

History of World Elephant Day

World Elephant Day was created in 2011 by two Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims and Thailand’s Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and first celebrated on August 12, 2012. The initiative was greatly supported by film star and Star Trek legend William Shatner who narrated the documentary Return to the Forest, a fascinating 30-minute film about the reintroduction of captive Asian elephants to the wild.

The motivation for the first World Elephant Day was to draw attention to the plight of these majestic creatures to populations and cultures all over the world. Due to their pleasant and intelligent nature, the world’s largest land animals are loved worldwide. But, unfortunately, these magnificent creatures face multiple threats to their survival.

One major issue is the ivory trade. Currently, the demand for ivory is the biggest in China, with the price of ivory often exceeding the price of gold, something that makes elephants bigger targets than ever. The economics here work firmly against the humble elephant. Extreme levels of poverty in Africa mean that people can often make a month’s wages or more from the ivory of a single animal, selling it on the international market.

Furthermore, the parts of the world that demand ivory, such as China, are becoming increasingly wealthy, meaning that they can pay more for tusks. These dual factors are combining to make elephant poaching one of the most lucrative activities on the plant.

Habitation loss is also a danger to the world’s elephant population as it deprives elephants of the hundreds of pounds of food they need every day, making it more difficult for them to breed and making it easier for poachers to track them down. Unfortunately, researchers believe that loss of habitat is the primary driver for the loss of elephants in the wild. A century ago, they numbered more than 12 million in the wild. Today, that figure may be as low as 400,000, with as many as 20,000 per year killed by poachers.

Data suggest that the geographic range of elephants fell by around 30 percent between 2002 and 2011, with a similar loss of savannah for them to roam. The introduction of large parks throughout Africa has allowed habitat destruction to stabilize, but illegal poaching remains a dire threat. Circuses and tourism are also serious problems for the animals’ well-being.

World Elephant Day is an opportunity for everyone to get together to find ways to reduce conflict between humans and elephants. The solution probably lies in a combination of strategies. These could include land development that minimizes habitat destruction, electric fences to keep elephants away from farms, and changes in local attitudes.

Luckily, an increasing number of both celebrities and politicians have become interested in the cause, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Ashley Judd, and President Barack Obama.

World Elephant Day Timeline

50 million BC Elephants roam Africa

The elephant species is believed to have originated in Africa and then eventually spread across land bridges to Asia and Europe.

2012 World Elephant Day is founded

Canadian Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand, which is a royal initiative in Thailand. The day continues to be led by Patricia Sims.

19th-20th Centuries Elephant populations are reduced

The number of elephants decreases, even with international efforts to protect them.

1976 African Elephants are placed on the Endangered Species list

The growing popularity of ivory leads to a severe decrease in populations and elephants are considered endangered as poachers continue to kill them for their tusks.

2015 World Elephant Society is started

Founded as a charitable organization, World Elephant Society was created to help support the World Elephant Day campaign.

How to Celebrate World Elephant Day

The best way to celebrate this day is to take the opportunity to educate yourself about these magnificent mammals and share your knowledge with others. As ever, simply spreading the word about the dangers these magnificent mammals face via social media can actually make a real change.

Thanks to your sharing a few of World Elephant Day’s Facebook posts, that old high school acquaintance of yours who is traveling to Thailand on her honeymoon this year may just decide to skip the elephant ride when she realizes that “training” elephants often involves tying and beating them daily for months on end.

Watching the aforementioned documentary will only take half an hour of your time but is sure to be a real eye-opener, not to mention the absolutely stunning landscapes shown in it. If you want to get a bit more involved, you could choose to make a donation to a foundation dedicated to protecting elephants from poachers or relocating them to locations better suited to their needs.

The organizers of World Elephant Day also provide plenty of ideas they encourage for helping these incredible creatures in the wild.

The first thing you can do is sign the World Elephant Day pledge. This document allows you to join with countless other people around the world to put pressure on governments to change their policies.

Organizers also want people to promote ethical elephant hashtags on their social media accounts, raising awareness of the abuse of animals worldwide, including in the tourism industry.

Clearly, buying any products containing ivory is a big no-no and should be avoided wherever possible. When buying pianos, antiques, or other products, always check to ensure that the manufacturer has not used elephant tusks in the production process.

You can also support organizations working hard to protect natural elephant habitats. Many of these areas are under threat right now because of population pressures in sub-Saharan African countries as well as India, where cities are sprawling and booming.

Finally, you can invest in projects that seek to provide sustainable and lucrative livelihoods to people who live alongside elephants. These programs improve economic circumstances so that locals don’t feel that they need to poach to make ends meet.

Whichever way suits you best, make sure that you spend this day in a way that helps elephants the world over so we, in turn, can continue to marvel at them and their uniquely fascinating way of life. By playing your part, you can make a big difference.

World Elephant Day FAQs

When is World Elephant Day?

World Elephant Day takes place on August 12 of each year. Other celebration days for elephants include Save the Elephant Day on April 16 and National Elephant Appreciation Day on September 22.

How is World Elephant Day celebrated?

One of the best ways to celebrate World Elephant Day is to help elephants by raising awareness, learning more about elephants, or signing the World Elephant Day Pledge.

Are elephants endangered?

The elephant species is classified as endangered, with only 40,000-50,000 left in the wild.

Why is World Elephant Day celebrated?

World Elephant Day is observed to bring attention to the plight of Asian and African elephants, conserving and protecting them from the numerous threats they face.

How much does an elephant weigh?

As the largest land animals on earth, a large male elephant can weigh up to 15,000 pounds.

Source

[postguiltypleasures]

The Magicians Finale - (over a year later)

I didn’t watch the first season of The Magicians as it aired in late 2015- 2016. I was already watching the roughly estimated maximum amount of television I could watch. I didn’t have the time to make for a new show. It debuted at the same time as The Expanse, and that looks like the “better” show. But I would soon realize that I liked The Magicians more.

While I was watching the first season, I attempted to go back and look at the writing from while it aired. This experience profoundly influenced how I felt about the controversial ending to the fourth season, and the fall out in the fandom.

The fourth season ended after Quentin Coldwater, ostensibly the show’s central character, dying while saving the world. In his orientation to the afterlife there is discussion about was this actually heroic or was it a manifestation of his depression and suicidal identification. The show doesn’t answer this directly, it just has Quentin experience how his friends are mourning him and feel how loved it was. People felt really betrayed by this. It was considered deeply irresponsible. I have already written about it here. In the aftermath, part of me thought back to those recaps and reviews of the first season and wondered “how did we get to place where we could feel so betrayed?” Because reviews from the then seemed certain that it was more problematic than it was. Take for example this recap from Vulture season one, where the writer, Hillary Kelly, wonders who this show is actually for? Or this AV Club recap of the first season finale where the writer Lisa Weidenfeld erroneously thinks that The Beast and Julia, both rape victims, are being set up to be the show’s main villains? And that Eliot’s forced marriage to Fen was potentially a straight washing.

The fact that the worries Weidenfeld put into writing didn’t pan out is probably part of the reason that the show’s reputation improved. It would also have characters within the show call out others’s sexism, racism, etc. which could feel like something of a corrective to a lot of pop culture out there. You might also have noticed that in Weidenfeld’s recap she makes a comparison between Julia and Willow-gets-addicted-to-magic-plot season six of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Ads for the first season even looked like they wanted viewers to draw that comparison.

I remember from around the second season coming across a several articles declaring The Magicians a worthy successor to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Emily VanDerWerff discussed it in her review of the second season. As one point she makes the statement that “The Magicians isn’t as politically subversive as Buffy”, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say that might be less true than she assumed at the time. In an era of backlash against Buffy’s creator Joss Whedon, The Magicians could be comparatively more empathetic to its characters and had some pretty subversive plot points. But I haven’t watched an episode of Buffy since the early aughts, or The Magicians since it wrapped.

(VanDerWerff’s writing heavily influenced my own thoughts about thee show, which I previously wrote about here. I am also including links to her old podcast, I Think You’re Interesting and the interviews she did with novelist Lev Grossman and show runner Sera Gamble, though I should note those are from before she transitioned and under her dead name. Also I wanted to include that she included it in her best television of the 2010s article.)

In the articles I just linked to, you might also notice frequent comparisons to Game of Thrones. While the comparisons focus on the the vast difference in budget and how ubiquitous GoT was at the same time The Magicians aired, it is worth noting that both series are postmodern, deconstruction takes on their respective sub-genres. While GoT could use that to point out why surprising and awful things happened to their characters, The Magicians mostly had fewer horrible things happen to its characters. But the comparison might have influenced how post Quentin’s death people made a litany of those events/plot points to prove that any faith in the show was misplaced and it was a betrayer better left behind.

The after the fourth season I pulled back from discussing The Magicians online. I just couldn’t deal with other people’s anger. I was never really active in the fandom, but I did write about it here more than probably any other series since I started this blog. This may have given me a false impression about how the media ended up covering the show. While writing this I was planning an arc that would go something like, “at the start of the fourth season the media loved it and articles this one by Kathryn Van Arendonk at Vulture came out saying that they regretted stopping the show part way through season one. But the fan backlash to the finale was so harsh that even the show’s frequent champion, Emily VanDerWerff didn’t write about it at all for the fifth season.” She did write a positive review at the start of the fifth season. I even read it at the time. She didn’t write about the finale, and that disappointed me, which may have led me to mis-remember the earlier. (I did remember this round table discussion about the ascendency of fandom in which she discusses the show’s situation, and it might have also contributed to my misremembering.)

The AVClub had Weidenfeld write a review of the first episodes, but she no longer recapped the episodes as she had for the first four seasons. (Her review is generally about what is missing from the Quentin-less series) While preparing to write this I found out that Decider’s Anna Menta recapped through the third episode, despite being amongst those who felt betrayed by Quentin’s death and the lack of opportunity for Quentin and Eliot to explore their romance.

(I just want to take a moment to say a couple of things here. Firstly, I really believed the show runners when they said Quentin was dead and not coming back so I didn’t see the first couple of episodes as a tease that he might come back. When my grandfather who I was very close to died I would regularly have dreams that his death was incorrectly called and he’d come back. I saw those episodes as a version of that.)

This has been show I’ve written about the most in recent years. But as I was mostly ignoring both professional and fan writing about it for its final season, I only really got around to reading these now. I’m going to start with this post-finale interview with the producers, Sera Gamble, Henry Alonso Myers John McNamara, written by Vlada Gelman at TVLine. It isn’t really a lot of new information. It’s interesting to read about how being renewed or not affected their editing decisions in post production. They seem happy with it. At Entertainment Weekly, Chancellor Agard interviewed Gamble and McNamara. There is more talk about the connection between the final season of the tv show and the finale book of the trilogy, The Magicians Land. (As a viewer I was always pleased when they somehow brought in details from the books late in the season, whether it was big things for the arc like the World Seed page or details that only mattered for an episode like whales being magicians.) In the interview, they also talk about some of the wildest plot points. Gamble and McNamara also gave and interview to Adam Chitwood at Collider. Chitwood is the most enthusiastic about the show. The interview also confirms for those who want to know that Jason Ralph asked to be let go from the show, and that Julia’s pregnancy probably wouldn’t have happened if her actress Stella Maeve hadn’t gotten pregnant. Finally, in an I can’t believe I missed it example, at the New York Times, Jennifer Vineyard also interviewed Gamble and McNamera. This one starts pretty politically with how trying to save the citizens of Fillory unintentionally works as a metaphor for quarantine and how we don’t get through difficult periods of times because of individuals, instead it’s more of a collective. Then it somehow turns into a a thing about being in a mutual admiration society with William Shatner. I truly didn’t see this one coming.

So now I have to get to the actual reviews of the finale, with the caveat that I haven’t watched any of the series in over a year so it’s definitely not fresh in my mind. Over at The AVClub, re-capper Weidfeld is mostly mournful for the series, but also makes the point that when the characters grew up and stopped being so hurtful towards each other and themselves, it was less compelling. It kind of ties back to my “how did people think this was a show that wouldn’t hurt them” question from earlier, but with less interest in fans. I don’t remember if my feelings as it went on would have agreed with it, but it is partially why it was in good place to end the series. At io9, Beth Elderkin seemed to think the finale was rushed and the show deserved better. I don’t remember if I felt like the episode was rushed. But as I read through her recap, I realize that I’ve also forgotten a lot of the episode’s plot points. Over at The Mary Sue, Jessica Mason wrote a positive review highlighting aspects that pleased her as a fan who wanted good things for these characters.

Shortly after the finale Sarah Stankorb at The Atlantic recommend the series to COVID bound bingers. I was shocked to see this. I didn’t think anyone would be recommending it post season for backlash. (Earlier on an episode of Our Opinions Are Correct the hosts walked back what could have been a recommendation for the series, which disappointed me. I don’t remember which episode this was.) It’s a lovely overview of the whole series. I especially like how Stackorb addresses the way the show dealt with Julia’s assault (greatly improving on the source material). It made me wonder if the show will have a legacy, one worthy of celebration. I don’t hope for a revival, but if I had time to re-watch it, I might. And I am happy to read comicbooks building on the source material.

[jenniferfaye34]

#Giveaway + Excerpt ~ The Gate to Eden by Cathy McDavid... #historical #western #books

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Audiobook Tour Grand Finale for

The Gate to Eden

By Cathy McDavid

We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops

you'll find snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:

Launch - Note from the Author

...I thought for this launch post I’d tell you about why THE GATE TO EDEN is such a favorite of mine. To start with, it’s a historical western, a genre I loved writing but, unfortunately, has a limited market. Come on now, aren’t cowboys one of the best romance book heroes? I agree, which is probably why I started preening contemporary westerns, a genre I also love 🙂. THE GATE TO EDEN print book was also an Amazon top 100 bestseller with an average 4.3 star rating and has won several awards. Lastly, I wrote the book during a difficult time in my life, and it became a testament to my courage during adversity. I hope you’ll come along with me on this blog tour. I’ll be sharing not only excerpts from the book but also some the interesting and fun process of turning a print book into an audiobook. — Cathy

Becky on Books - Review

"Ms. McDavid, a new-to-me author, did a great job of ratcheting up the tension and conflict in this story. Maddie and Scott are both very sympathetic characters, and though they have some solid chemistry, it’s hard to imagine for much of the book that they could really end up together in the end. . . . Fortunately Ms. McDavid succeeded, giving us an ending that put a smile on my face. I enjoyed the narrator–he had a great voice that really helped to transport the reader to the old west setting."

It's All About the Romance - Excerpt

Wearing only his long underwear, he walked to the door of his sleeping quarters and knocked. “Are you all right, my dear?” His only answer was a soft scuffling sound. “Hello.” He knocked again, and the brass knob twisted. Thaddeus smiled and moved away from the opening door. “There you are.” “So, I am.” The door swung wide, and the smile on Thaddeus’s face died as the end of a Colt revolver was jammed into his protruding gut.

Hallie Reads - Review

"Take a trip to the Old West with Cathy McDavid’s new audiobook The Gate to Eden. With a female Robin-Hood-like character falling for the man trying to put her behind bars, it’s a story full of drama, danger, and excitement. . . . The Gate to Eden is a fun story, and the audiobook is well done."

Beck Valley Books - Guest Post

The Long and Winding Road I’m absolutely delighted to be here and talking about my western historical book, THE GATE TO EDEN. It’s one of my favorites for many reasons, so I thought I’d share the somewhat involved history of this book and how it eventually became my first audio book...

E-Romance News - Excerpt

He was disappointed not to see Maddie by the canned goods on his way out. When had she left? But then he spotted her standing by the door, dusting a display. Once again, their gazes connected. Scott's reaction was more sudden than before and every bit as intense. Surprising himself, he paused and held out the paper sack. "Here. Take this home to your daughter." Her chin lifted ever so slightly. "Thank you kindly, but I can't." She spoke with a hint of Southern accent. "Please. It's only a rope of licorice." "I know what it is."

Wishful Endings - Guest Post

From Print to Audiobook Next to seeing one of my books turned into a movie, having an audio version was my biggest dream. Let me start out by saying I love, love, love my traditional publisher Harlequin and hope to remain with them until the very distant day that I choose to stop writing. But, being a realist, I know it’s unlikely one of my series books with them will ever become an audiobook. If my dream had a chance of becoming gaining wings, it would be up to me...

Nicole's Book Musings - Excerpt

Scott didn't so much as blink, yet Maddie sensed his rising excitement. Her plan was working, and she nearly went limp with gratitude. Maybe he would even go so far as to travel to the Vista Linda Mine and check out this fictitious Rory O'Shea. That would buy the council several days in which to plan their next move. But then, assuming he did visit the Vista Linda Mine, what would he do when the wild goose chase she'd sent him on didn't pan out? Would he return and confront her for lying to him? She could always claim a faulty memory, she supposed. Miners did come and go with regular frequency.

Colorimetry - Guest Post

The Appeal of the Cowboy Hero Cowboys have long been a popular hero for genre fiction. I’ve given workshops in the past on the appeal of the cowboy hero and would ask the participants to call out words that describe him. I always hears ones like: strong, capable, loyal, protective, resourceful, determined, moral, honorable, brave, trustworthy, and, of course, handsome...

Andi's Book Reviews - Audio Excerpt

Listen to an excerpt here.

What's Beyond Forks? - Review

"...they did have some good chemistry. The characters and their world were well built. I could envision it easily. This was an entertaining story. The narrator's style reminded me of William Shatner at times which added a bit of fun as well."

Locks, Hooks and Books - Review

"I give The Gate of Eden a well deserved five stars. I recommend to readers who enjoy fun and romantic historical fiction. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future. "

Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of this post, if you haven't already...

The Gate to Eden By Cathy McDavid Historical Romance, Western Audiobook, 10 Hours and 33 Minutes (also in Paperback and ebook) January 12th 2019 Expert crackshot Maddie Campbell will do whatever it takes to survive in this female Robin-Hood-of-the-Old-West story - including evading bounty-hunter-for-hire Scott McSween who's intent on bringing her in. Not your ordinary thief, widow and mother Maddie Campbell likes to think her wealthy victims are merely "donating" to herself and the hundreds of other widows and children left abandoned by the mining company after a devastating accident took the lives of their menfolk. Maddie's secret excursions are quite successful...until ruggedly handsome former lawman Scott McSween arrives in Eden to investigate the recent string of crimes. Despite her efforts to throw him off track, they can't resist each other. He knows she's somehow involved and is determined to draw out all her secrets in the most exquisite ways - with soft caresses and passionate kisses. But when finally confronted with the truth - that Maddie is actually the thief he's been hired to hunt down and bring in - will Scott choose the woman he loves or his duty to the law?

Goodreads│Audible│Kobo│Amazon│Barnes & Noble

About the Author

As a sophomore in high school, NY Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling author Cathy McDavid won a local writing competition with her self-illustrated children’s book. Who knew that small triumph would eventually lead to a career writing contemporary romances with over 1.3 million books sold? With forty-seven titles to date, Cathy is also a member of the prestigious Romance Writers of America’s Honor Roll. This “almost” Arizona native and mother of grown twins recently married her own real-life sweetheart. After leaving the corporate world four years ago, she now spends her days penning stories about good looking men who ride the range or fight fires or hunt creatures all while sweeping the girl off her feet. It’s a tough job but she’s willing to make the sacrifice.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Instagram│BookBub│Amazon

Tour Giveaway Western-themed basket with goodies, including a $25 Amazon Gift Card US only Ends March 27, 2019 a Rafflecopter giveaway

[eldritchsurveys]

923.

5k Survey XLI

2101. Are you an optimist? >> No. I don’t think I’m really any of the “-ists”, not in any consistent sense. 2102. If you were in the Breakfast Club, which character would you be? >> I don’t know enough about the Breakfast Club to have an answer for this. 2103. Who do you have no respect for? >> I don’t know. I haven’t encountered anyone that I can’t even muster the most bare-bones amount of respect for. Even if I don’t agree with them or think their behaviour is deplorable, I’m still going to do my best to treat them like a human being -- just a human being I don’t necessarily want to be around. 2104. Is the plural form of cactus cactuses or cacti? >> I’m under the impression that it’s “cactuses” but “cacti” is acceptable. Kind of like “octopuses” and “octopi” (although I am also under the impression that another acceptable plural of octopus is “octopodes”??) Is the plural form of penis penises or peni? >> I have never heard “peni” offered as a true plural for penis.

2105. What does your favorite coffee mug look like? >> It’s white on the outside, yellow on the inside, and it has a little cactus drawing on it. 2106. Have you ever gotten hurt at a concert? >> Mildly. I was a little banged up in the neck/head area after Taste of Chaos, because of crowdsurfers kicking me in the back of the head and landing on me while trying to dismount. Nothing any more intense than that, though. 2107. What age do you think it is most difficult to be? >> --- 2108. Do you like to be considered weird or different? >> I’m indifferent. I know I’m weird, I don’t need external confirmation on that front. 2109. Do you think you could handle a day in jail? >> I suppose I’d make it through somehow. But it would be very harrowing, and I certainly couldn’t push through for much more time than that without breaking down in some way. 2110. Is your body an amusement park? >> It isn’t. 2111. Are dj’s obsolete? >> My last encounter with a DJ was in January of this year, so I imagine they’re not obsolete. 2112. What is the best liquid in existence? >> I mean, water. All other earthly liquid (well, that I can think of...) is based on it in some fashion, anyway. 2113. What is turning out better than expected? >> I’m not sure. 2114. Who is the most overbearing person you know? >> I don’t think I know any especially overbearing people. 2115. Who does it surprise you that you are close to? >> Being close to anyone outside of Inworld would surprise me. 2116. Apparently Eminem got booed at the MTV music video awards because he was making fun of Moby onstage. What do you think of this? >> I don’t even remember this. 2117. Close your eyes. What do you see? >> Mostly blackness. 2118. What’s the best Van Halen song? >> I don’t know. I do like Running with the Devil, but mostly I just... don’t remember what songs they put out. 2119. What do you picture when you hear the word “Puritans?” >> Some vague eighteenth or nineteenth-century imagery of New England mostly cobbled together from movies. 2120. Have you ever been on a trampoline? >> I have, I used to love trampolines. I don’t have the same stamina for them now, but I’d still probably get one if we moved into a house with a backyard. 2121. What do you use batteries for the most often? >> The only things I’ve put batteries in lately are my toothbrush and... yeah, no, I think that’s it. My computer peripherals are wired, I haven’t had to replace the TV remote’s batteries yet, and every other electronic I have plugs in to be charged. 2122. What do you find thrilling? >> I’m not sure. 2123. Porch swing. Sunrise. What else could you ask for? >> A nice beverage, I guess, otherwise I agree -- that just sounds perfect. 2124. Do you like William Shatner’s cover of Mr Tambourine Man? >> I’ve never heard it. 2125. Where’s the sexiest place to have a piercing? >> --- 2126. Do you get panic attacks? >> Occasionally. 2127. How long does getting dressed to go to a club take you? >> --- 2128. What is Adam Ant’s best song? >> I don’t know his (their?) music. 2129. Does your body need improvement or is it just fine? >> I’m inclined to believe that it needs improvement, but I’d also just love to accept it the way it is while allowing room for improvement (in terms of health and fitness, I mean). That’s the hard part. 2130. Does watching MTV or reading beauty magazines make you feel bad about yourself? >> Those are not the things that make me feel bad about myself... 2132. What is the most romantic movie ever? >> The Shape of Water. 2133. Do you think that woman are treated as second class citizens of this world? >> What world? Every culture / nation has its own way of treating women. 2134. What would you do if you were at a dance club with your significant other and he or she got into a fistfight with someone? >> If Sparrow got into a fistfight with someone, I’d like to see that play out. She’s always talkin about fighting people anyway, lmao. There’s her chance. I, on the other hand, am disinterested in getting beaten up, so. (If it gets bad, I’ll just call the EMTs.) 2135. Has anyplace ever asked you to leave? >> Yeah. 2136. Have you ever been openly kicked out? >> As opposed to politely being asked to leave, you mean? Yeah, actually, this is a better descriptor of what happened. 2137. Are you permanently banned from anywhere? >> I don’t know if the bans were permanent, per se. I didn’t go back to find out. 2138. Who is your favorite movie director? >> Darren Aronofsky. 2139. What topic do you hate to talk about? >> I hate talking about music sometimes because it often turns into a “x genre/song/artist is better than y genre/song/artist” sort of thing. I don’t care about all that, I just like talking about music I enjoy and hearing what kinds of music other people enjoy (and maybe listening to that music to see if I also enjoy it, because common ground is nice to have). 2140. Are you looking forward to the remake of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory or do you think it could never be as good as the original? >> Oh, is this the one with Johnny Depp? I saw it, but considering I am unfamiliar with the original, I have no comparisons to make. It was... all right, I suppose. Like most JD movies. 2141. Do you enjoy the band Ministry? >> I think I’ve heard them a few times but they didn’t make a lasting impression or anything. 2142. What is your coziest article of clothing? >> I find my hoodies to be cozy. Also, pjs. 2143. What is your favorite word to say? >> I don’t know. 2144. Does your name and your significant other’s name feel like one word to you? >> No... 2145. Do you like the band the Buzzcocks? >> I’ve never listened to them. 2146. Can you tell when other people are lying? >> I don’t know, I don’t bother trying to guess. 2147. Do you like to wear glitter? >> No. 2148. Would you prefer to wrap your own presents or have them all gift-wrapped? >> --- 2149. Where do you go when you want to meet new people? >> I have no idea where one goes to meet new people. 2150. What is the best first sentence to a book, in your opinion? >> I don’t have an opinion about this.

[lindyhunt]

The Bandwagon Effect: 5 Ways to Use the Power of the Crowd to Supercharge Your Conversions

Does the name Dan Rice ring a bell?

Probably not. There’s a reason he’s called “the most famous man you’ve never heard of.” Rice was a popular clown during the 19th century. An household name at the time, Rice was so popular that many terms he coined, such as “one horse show” and “greatest show,” quickly slipped into popular usage and are still in use today.

At the height of Rice’s popularity, he decided to travel the country campaigning for then-presidential candidate Zachary Taylor. During the campaign, he made his bandwagon a key part of his campaign and urged people at campaign events to “jump on the bandwagon” to show their support for Zachary Taylor.

The campaign was a massive success, and Zachary Taylor would later end up being the 12th president of the United States.

Dan Rice’s “bandwagon” wouldn’t end with Zachary Taylor’s campaign, however. Seeing the success of Rice’s campaign for Taylor, contemporary politicians started to use bandwagons in their campaigns, and the term “jump on the bandwagon” was coined to ask people to show their support for a cause.

The success of Dan Rice’s campaign for Zachary Taylor as well as subsequent attempts by other politicians to copy his approach led to the coining of the term, the “bandwagon effect.”

What is the Bandwagon Effect?

The bandwagon effect refers to people’s propensity to do something primarily because other people -- especially a lot of other people -- are doing it. This is regardless of whether what is being done aligns with their original beliefs.

The bandwagon effect has been shown to be so powerful that its effect has been observed in politics, public policy, and marketing. Studies have shown that the bandwagon effect influences people’s willingness to not only use an item but to also pay more fore it. Studies have also shown that the bandwagon effect influences people’s choice of movies to watch, particularly in instances where they are uncertain of the quality of movies. Studies have also found that the bandwagon effect can strongly influence undecided voters to vote in favor of the person “expected to win.”

How do you leverage the bandwagon effect to boost your conversions? Here are some ideas:

1. Feature Customer Testimonials, and Take it Up a Notch by Accompanying the Testimonials With the Customer Logo

We’ve established that people care a lot about what other people like them think; that’s the whole point of the bandwagon effect. So it goes without saying that featuring customer testimonials on your landing pages can go a long way to boost conversions.

There’s a catch, however: customer testimonials should be accompanied by customer logos.

Internet analytics company comScore wasn’t satisfied with conversions coming from their software product pages. The initial page featured vertically-aligned customer testimonials but didn’t include customer logos. comScore decided to create three variations of the original page and measure its results; variation one retained the vertically-aligned customer testimonial but added a logo, variation two used an horizontally-aligned testimonial format but included no logo, and variation three used an horizontally-aligned testimonial format with a logo:

The result of the test:

Variation one, that used a vertically-aligned testimonial accompanied by customer logo outperformed the original landing page (that had no logo) by 69 percent. Variation three, that used a horizontally-aligned testimonial accompanied by customer logo outperformed the original by 30.5 percent, while variation two that used a horizontally-aligned testimonial without customer logo was the least performing of all the variations.

As evidenced by the results of this experiment, using customer testimonials is most effective when the testimonials are accompanied by the logo of the customer.

2. Highlight Your Numbers, Especially if You Have Huge Numbers

One of the most effective ways to leverage the bandwagon effect to boost your conversions is by showcasing your numbers.

When you highlight the fact that a certain number of people use your product, you are tacitly establishing that that number of people endorse your product.

This is my favorite approach: for my project that has helped over 250,000 people create a website, by highlighting how many people have created a website by using my guide, I’m able to get significantly more people to trust me and follow my tutorials:

When a reader sees that 250,000 have launched a website using my tutorials, they instantly think, “I have to listen to this guy. 250,000 people can’t be wrong!”

3. Incorporate Customer Reviews into Key Pages

In a case study, Brian Kyed, the co-founder of Airtame -- a product that successfully raised $1.3 million on Indiegogo in 2015 and won the “Best of CES” award -- revealed that they were able to increase their monthly revenues by sixfold in just nine months, as indicated in the below chart, by focusing on reviews:

We can go on and on about the power of customer reviews, but I’d let the statistics do the talking:

Displaying reviews can boost conversions by up to 270 percent.

Displaying at least five reviews increases the likelihood of customers purchasing by up to four times.

For high ticket products, displaying reviews can boost conversions by up to 380 percent.

As established by the above statistics, you can also leverage the power of the crowd by incorporating customer reviews into your sales page; we are social creatures by default and are very curious about what other people think. This extends to their thoughts about products we want to purchase; what do they really think about it? If they were to rate their experience, what will they rate it? Make this information available on your sales page and watch your conversions go through the roof.

4. Leverage Association With a Celebrity or Industry Thought Leader

One of the earliest examples of the power of celebrity endorsement comes from the 1760s: English potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood created a cream-colored tea set for Queen Charlotte. News about the elegance and sophistication of the tea set Wedgwood created for the queen quickly spread. Wedgwood was quickly appointed “potter to her majesty.”

Not only did Wedgwood make sure everybody knew that he was the queen’s potter, but he also convinced the queen to allow him brand his line of creamware “Queensware,” in order to leverage association with the queen to enhance the perception of his creamware. With more orders from the highest levels of British nobility, Wedgwood began to promote the association his pottery has with royalty in his marketing materials. By the time of his death, thanks to the success of his wares, he had accumulated a fortune worth about £500 million in today’s terms.

Having a celebrity directly endorse you is a difficult feat -- but if you are able to pull it off, it can do wonders for your brand.

A notable example of a brand that directly leveraged the power of celebrity endorsement is Priceline: they leveraged association with Star Trek star William Shatner to enhance their brand. Shatner was paid in stocks, and many have speculated that at the height of Priceline’s success Shatner’s stock was worth as much as $600 million.

Another high-profile example of the power of celebrity endorsement that comes to mind is Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of the T-Fal actifry:

By simply posting on social media that she uses the T-Fal actifry, T-Fal’s stock value increased so much that Oprah’s endorsement was said to be worth $150 million.

Celebrity endorsement doesn’t just impact businesses. It can also impact politics, too. According to a particular study, Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential elections was responsible for Obama gaining an additional 1 million votes.

Even if you can’t get a celebrity to directly endorse you, you can still leverage association with a celebrity or industry thought leader to draw the crowd to you. There are numerous ways to do this: you can highlight the fact that a celebrity uses your product, or you can highlight any other form of connection with a respected figure.

5. Showcase Real-Time Customer Activity

You can also leverage the bandwagon effect by showing people real-time customer activity on your site; this can be particularly effective if you run an ecommerce site that gets quite a lot of sales. You can show users a notification whenever new users make a purchase.

An example of an ecommerce site that does this really well is Treegear:

As shown in the above screenshot, Treegear displays regular notifications in the footer of pages on their showing visitors which products other people are buying on the site. This kind of notification not only draws attention to the products being sold, but it lets users know that there is activity on the site.

[rabbitcruiser]

World Elephant Day

These magnificent creatures are among the largest animals on earth, with incredible memories and emotional intelligence that astound researchers and animal lovers alike.

They’re intelligent. They’re family-oriented. They have great memories. They are capable of feeling a wide range of deep emotions, from intense grief to joy bordering on elation, as well as empathy and stunning self-awareness. They create complex, supportive societies much like our own.

Taking into consideration all of that and much, much more, what’s not to love about elephants? Still, countless elephants are brutally killed every year for their ivory by greedy poachers who then leave their carcasses to rot in the sun. As Graydon Carter, Editor of Vanity Fair put it:

We admire elephants in part because they demonstrate what we consider the finest human traits, but the way we treat them puts on display the very worst of human behavior.

World Elephant Day is the perfect time to find out more about these amazing animals and what we can do to preserve and protect them so they do not go the way of the mammoth.

History of World Elephant Day

World Elephant Day was created in 2011 by two Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims and Thailand’s Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and first celebrated on August 12, 2012. The initiative was greatly supported by film star and Star Trek legend William Shatner who narrated the documentary Return to the Forest, a fascinating 30-minute film about the reintroduction of captive Asian elephants to the wild.

The motivation for the first World Elephant Day was to draw attention to the plight of these majestic creatures to populations and cultures all over the world. Due to their pleasant and intelligent nature, the world’s largest land animals are loved worldwide. But, unfortunately, these magnificent creatures face multiple threats to their survival.

One major issue is the ivory trade. Currently, the demand for ivory is the biggest in China, with the price of ivory often exceeding the price of gold, something that makes elephants bigger targets than ever. The economics here work firmly against the humble elephant. Extreme levels of poverty in Africa mean that people can often make a month’s wages or more from the ivory of a single animal, selling it on the international market.

Furthermore, the parts of the world that demand ivory, such as China, are becoming increasingly wealthy, meaning that they can pay more for tusks. These dual factors are combining to make elephant poaching one of the most lucrative activities on the plant.

Habitation loss is also a danger to the world’s elephant population as it deprives elephants of the hundreds of pounds of food they need every day, making it more difficult for them to breed and making it easier for poachers to track them down. Unfortunately, researchers believe that loss of habitat is the primary driver for the loss of elephants in the wild. A century ago, they numbered more than 12 million in the wild. Today, that figure may be as low as 400,000, with as many as 20,000 per year killed by poachers.

Data suggest that the geographic range of elephants fell by around 30 percent between 2002 and 2011, with a similar loss of savannah for them to roam. The introduction of large parks throughout Africa has allowed habitat destruction to stabilize, but illegal poaching remains a dire threat. Circuses and tourism are also serious problems for the animals’ well-being.

World Elephant Day is an opportunity for everyone to get together to find ways to reduce conflict between humans and elephants. The solution probably lies in a combination of strategies. These could include land development that minimizes habitat destruction, electric fences to keep elephants away from farms, and changes in local attitudes.

Luckily, an increasing number of both celebrities and politicians have become interested in the cause, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Ashley Judd, and President Barack Obama.

World Elephant Day Timeline

50 million BC Elephants roam Africa

The elephant species is believed to have originated in Africa and then eventually spread across land bridges to Asia and Europe.

2012 World Elephant Day is founded

Canadian Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand, which is a royal initiative in Thailand. The day continues to be led by Patricia Sims.

19th-20th Centuries Elephant populations are reduced

The number of elephants decreases, even with international efforts to protect them.

1976 African Elephants are placed on the Endangered Species list

The growing popularity of ivory leads to a severe decrease in populations and elephants are considered endangered as poachers continue to kill them for their tusks.

2015 World Elephant Society is started

Founded as a charitable organization, World Elephant Society was created to help support the World Elephant Day campaign.

How to Celebrate World Elephant Day

The best way to celebrate this day is to take the opportunity to educate yourself about these magnificent mammals and share your knowledge with others. As ever, simply spreading the word about the dangers these magnificent mammals face via social media can actually make a real change.

Thanks to your sharing a few of World Elephant Day’s Facebook posts, that old high school acquaintance of yours who is traveling to Thailand on her honeymoon this year may just decide to skip the elephant ride when she realizes that “training” elephants often involves tying and beating them daily for months on end.

Watching the aforementioned documentary will only take half an hour of your time but is sure to be a real eye-opener, not to mention the absolutely stunning landscapes shown in it. If you want to get a bit more involved, you could choose to make a donation to a foundation dedicated to protecting elephants from poachers or relocating them to locations better suited to their needs.

The organizers of World Elephant Day also provide plenty of ideas they encourage for helping these incredible creatures in the wild.

The first thing you can do is sign the World Elephant Day pledge. This document allows you to join with countless other people around the world to put pressure on governments to change their policies.

Organizers also want people to promote ethical elephant hashtags on their social media accounts, raising awareness of the abuse of animals worldwide, including in the tourism industry.

Clearly, buying any products containing ivory is a big no-no and should be avoided wherever possible. When buying pianos, antiques, or other products, always check to ensure that the manufacturer has not used elephant tusks in the production process.

You can also support organizations working hard to protect natural elephant habitats. Many of these areas are under threat right now because of population pressures in sub-Saharan African countries as well as India, where cities are sprawling and booming.

Finally, you can invest in projects that seek to provide sustainable and lucrative livelihoods to people who live alongside elephants. These programs improve economic circumstances so that locals don’t feel that they need to poach to make ends meet.

Whichever way suits you best, make sure that you spend this day in a way that helps elephants the world over so we, in turn, can continue to marvel at them and their uniquely fascinating way of life. By playing your part, you can make a big difference.

World Elephant Day FAQs

When is World Elephant Day?

World Elephant Day takes place on August 12 of each year. Other celebration days for elephants include Save the Elephant Day on April 16 and National Elephant Appreciation Day on September 22.

How is World Elephant Day celebrated?

One of the best ways to celebrate World Elephant Day is to help elephants by raising awareness, learning more about elephants, or signing the World Elephant Day Pledge.

Are elephants endangered?

The elephant species is classified as endangered, with only 40,000-50,000 left in the wild.

Why is World Elephant Day celebrated?

World Elephant Day is observed to bring attention to the plight of Asian and African elephants, conserving and protecting them from the numerous threats they face.

How much does an elephant weigh?

As the largest land animals on earth, a large male elephant can weigh up to 15,000 pounds.

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