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mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year ago

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The moral injury of having your work enshittified

This Monday (November 27), I'm appearing at the Toronto Metro Reference Library with Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.

On November 29, I'm at NYC's Strand Books with my novel The Lost Cause, a solarpunk tale of hope and danger that Rebecca Solnit called "completely delightful."

This week, I wrote about how the Great Enshittening – in which all the digital services we rely on become unusable, extractive piles of shit – did not result from the decay of the morals of tech company leadership, but rather, from the collapse of the forces that discipline corporate wrongdoing:

https://locusmag.com/2023/11/commentary-by-cory-doctorow-dont-be-evil/

The failure to enforce competition law allowed a few companies to buy out their rivals, or sell goods below cost until their rivals collapsed, or bribe key parts of their supply chain not to allow rivals to participate:

https://www.engadget.com/google-reportedly-pays-apple-36-percent-of-ad-search-revenues-from-safari-191730783.html

The resulting concentration of the tech sector meant that the surviving firms were stupendously wealthy, and cozy enough that they could agree on a common legislative agenda. That regulatory capture has allowed tech companies to violate labor, privacy and consumer protection laws by arguing that the law doesn't apply when you use an app to violate it:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

But the regulatory capture isn't just about preventing regulation: it's also about creating regulation – laws that make it illegal to reverse-engineer, scrape, and otherwise mod, hack or reconfigure existing services to claw back value that has been taken away from users and business customers. This gives rise to Jay Freeman's perfectly named doctrine of "felony contempt of business-model," in which it is illegal to use your own property in ways that anger the shareholders of the company that sold it to you:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/09/lead-me-not-into-temptation/#chamberlain

Undisciplined by the threat of competition, regulation, or unilateral modification by users, companies are free to enshittify their products. But what does that actually look like? I say that enshittification is always precipitated by a lost argument.

It starts when someone around a board-room table proposes doing something that's bad for users but good for the company. If the company faces the discipline of competition, regulation or self-help measures, then the workers who are disgusted by this course of action can say, "I think doing this would be gross, and what's more, it's going to make the company poorer," and so they win the argument.

But when you take away that discipline, the argument gets reduced to, "Don't do this because it would make me ashamed to work here, even though it will make the company richer." Money talks, bullshit walks. Let the enshittification begin!

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/22/who-wins-the-argument/#corporations-are-people-my-friend

But why do workers care at all? That's where phrases like "don't be evil" come into the picture. Until very recently, tech workers participated in one of history's tightest labor markets, in which multiple companies with gigantic war-chests bid on their labor. Even low-level employees routinely fielded calls from recruiters who dangled offers of higher salaries and larger stock grants if they would jump ship for a company's rival.

Employers built "campuses" filled with lavish perks: massages, sports facilities, daycare, gourmet cafeterias. They offered workers generous benefit packages, including exotic health benefits like having your eggs frozen so you could delay fertility while offsetting the risks normally associated with conceiving at a later age.

But all of this was a transparent ruse: the business-case for free meals, gyms, dry-cleaning, catering and massages was to keep workers at their laptops for 10, 12, or even 16 hours per day. That egg-freezing perk wasn't about helping workers plan their families: it was about thumbing the scales in favor of working through your entire twenties and thirties without taking any parental leave.

In other words, tech employers valued their employees as a means to an end: they wanted to get the best geeks on the payroll and then work them like government mules. The perks and pay weren't the result of comradeship between management and labor: they were the result of the discipline of competition for labor.

This wasn't really a secret, of course. Big Tech workers are split into two camps: blue badges (salaried employees) and green badges (contractors). Whenever there is a slack labor market for a specific job or skill, it is converted from a blue badge job to a green badge job. Green badges don't get the food or the massages or the kombucha. They don't get stock or daycare. They don't get to freeze their eggs. They also work long hours, but they are incentivized by the fear of poverty.

Tech giants went to great lengths to shield blue badges from green badges – at some Google campuses, these workforces actually used different entrances and worked in different facilities or on different floors. Sometimes, green badge working hours would be staggered so that the armies of ragged clickworkers would not be lined up to badge in when their social betters swanned off the luxury bus and into their airy adult kindergartens.

But Big Tech worked hard to convince those blue badges that they were truly valued. Companies hosted regular town halls where employees could ask impertinent questions of their CEOs. They maintained freewheeling internal social media sites where techies could rail against corporate foolishness and make Dilbert references.

And they came up with mottoes.

Apple told its employees it was a sound environmental steward that cared about privacy. Apple also deliberately turned old devices into e-waste by shredding them to ensure that they wouldn't be repaired and compete with new devices:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently

And even as they were blocking Facebook's surveillance tools, they quietly built their own nonconsensual mass surveillance program and lied to customers about it:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

Facebook told employees they were on a "mission to connect every person in the world," but instead deliberately sowed discontent among its users and trapped them in silos that meant that anyone who left Facebook lost all their friends:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/facebooks-secret-war-switching-costs

And Google promised its employees that they would not "be evil" if they worked at Google. For many googlers, that mattered. They wanted to do something good with their lives, and they had a choice about who they would work for. What's more, they did make things that were good. At their high points, Google Maps, Google Mail, and of course, Google Search were incredible.

My own life was totally transformed by Maps: I have very poor spatial sense, need to actually stop and think to tell my right from my left, and I spent more of my life at least a little lost and often very lost. Google Maps is the cognitive prosthesis I needed to become someone who can go anywhere. I'm profoundly grateful to the people who built that service.

There's a name for phenomenon in which you care so much about your job that you endure poor conditions and abuse: it's called "vocational awe," as coined by Fobazi Ettarh:

https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocational-awe/

Ettarh uses the term to apply to traditionally low-waged workers like librarians, teachers and nurses. In our book Chokepoint Capitalism, Rebecca Giblin and I talked about how it applies to artists and other creative workers, too:

https://chokepointcapitalism.com/

But vocational awe is also omnipresent in tech. The grandiose claims to be on a mission to make the world a better place are not just puffery – they're a vital means of motivating workers who can easily quit their jobs and find a new one to put in 16-hour days. The massages and kombucha and egg-freezing are not framed as perks, but as logistical supports, provided so that techies on an important mission can pursue a shared social goal without being distracted by their balky, inconvenient meatsuits.

Steve Jobs was a master of instilling vocational awe. He was full of aphorisms like "we're here to make a dent in the universe, otherwise why even be here?" Or his infamous line to John Sculley, whom he lured away from Pepsi: "Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or come with me and change the world?"

Vocational awe cuts both ways. If your workforce actually believes in all that high-minded stuff, if they actually sacrifice their health, family lives and self-care to further the mission, they will defend it. That brings me back to enshittification, and the argument: "If we do this bad thing to the product I work on, it will make me hate myself."

The decline in market discipline for large tech companies has been accompanied by a decline in labor discipline, as the market for technical work grew less and less competitive. Since the dotcom collapse, the ability of tech giants to starve new entrants of market oxygen has shrunk techies' dreams.

Tech workers once dreamed of working for a big, unwieldy firm for a few years before setting out on their own to topple it with a startup. Then, the dream shrank: work for that big, clumsy firm for a few years, then do a fake startup that makes a fake product that is acquihired by your old employer, as an incredibly inefficient and roundabout way to get a raise and a bonus.

Then the dream shrank again: work for a big, ugly firm for life, but get those perks, the massages and the kombucha and the stock options and the gourmet cafeteria and the egg-freezing. Then it shrank again: work for Google for a while, but then get laid off along with 12,000 co-workers, just months after the company does a stock buyback that would cover all those salaries for the next 27 years:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/10/the-proletarianization-of-tech-workers/

Tech workers' power was fundamentally individual. In a tight labor market, tech workers could personally stand up to their bosses. They got "workplace democracy" by mouthing off at town hall meetings. They didn't have a union, and they thought they didn't need one. Of course, they did need one, because there were limits to individual power, even for the most in-demand workers, especially when it came to ghastly, long-running sexual abuse from high-ranking executives:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/technology/google-sexual-harassment-andy-rubin.html

Today, atomized tech workers who are ordered to enshittify the products they take pride in are losing the argument. Workers who put in long hours, missed funerals and school plays and little league games and anniversaries and family vacations are being ordered to flush that sacrifice down the toilet to grind out a few basis points towards a KPI.

It's a form of moral injury, and it's palpable in the first-person accounts of former workers who've exited these large firms or the entire field. The viral "Reflecting on 18 years at Google," written by Ian Hixie, vibrates with it:

https://ln.hixie.ch/?start=1700627373

Hixie describes the sense of mission he brought to his job, the workplace democracy he experienced as employees' views were both solicited and heeded. He describes the positive contributions he was able to make to a commons of technical standards that rippled out beyond Google – and then, he says, "Google's culture eroded":

Decisions went from being made for the benefit of users, to the benefit of Google, to the benefit of whoever was making the decision.

In other words, techies started losing the argument. Layoffs weakened worker power – not just to defend their own interest, but to defend the users interests. Worker power is always about more than workers – think of how the 2019 LA teachers' strike won greenspace for every school, a ban on immigration sweeps of students' parents at the school gates and other community benefits:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/23/a-collective-bargain/

Hixie attributes the changes to a change in leadership, but I respectfully disagree. Hixie points to the original shareholder letter from the Google founders, in which they informed investors contemplating their IPO that they were retaining a controlling interest in the company's governance so that they could ignore their shareholders' priorities in favor of a vision of Google as a positive force in the world:

https://abc.xyz/investor/founders-letters/ipo-letter/

Hixie says that the leadership that succeeded the founders lost sight of this vision – but the whole point of that letter is that the founders never fully ceded control to subsequent executive teams. Yes, those executive teams were accountable to the shareholders, but the largest block of voting shares were retained by the founders.

I don't think the enshittification of Google was due to a change in leadership – I think it was due to a change in discipline, the discipline imposed by competition, regulation and the threat of self-help measures. Take ads: when Google had to contend with one-click adblocker installation, it had to constantly balance the risk of making users so fed up that they googled "how do I block ads?" and then never saw another ad ever again.

But once Google seized the majority of the mobile market, it was able to funnel users into apps, and reverse-engineering an app is a felony (felony contempt of business-model) under Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. An app is just a web-page wrapped in enough IP to make it a crime to install an ad-blocker.

And as Google acquired control over the browser market, it was likewise able to reduce the self-help measures available to browser users who found ads sufficiently obnoxious to trigger googling "how do I block ads?" The apotheosis of this is the yearslong campaign to block adblockers in Chrome, which the company has sworn it will finally do this coming June:

https://www.tumblr.com/tevruden/734352367416410112/you-have-until-june-to-dump-chrome

My contention here is not that Google's enshittification was precipitated by a change in personnel via the promotion of managers who have shitty ideas. Google's enshittification was precipitated by a change in discipline, as the negative consequences of heeding those shitty ideas were abolished thanks to monopoly.

This is bad news for people like me, who rely on services like Google Maps as cognitive prostheses. Elizabeth Laraki, one of the original Google Maps designers, has published a scorching critique of the latest GMaps design:

https://twitter.com/elizlaraki/status/1727351922254852182

Laraki calls out numerous enshittificatory design-choices that have left Maps screens covered in "crud" – multiple revenue-maximizing elements that come at the expense of usability, shifting value from users to Google.

What Laraki doesn't say is that these UI elements are auctioned off to merchants, which means that the business that gives Google the most money gets the greatest prominence in Maps, even if it's not the best merchant. That's a recurring motif in enshittified tech platforms, most notoriously Amazon, which makes $31b/year auctioning off top search placement to companies whose products aren't relevant enough to your query to command that position on their own:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/25/greedflation/#commissar-bezos

Enshittification begets enshittification. To succeed on Amazon, you must divert funds from product quality to auction placement, which means that the top results are the worst products:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/06/attention-rents/#consumer-welfare-queens

The exception is searches for Apple products: Apple and Amazon have a cozy arrangement that means that searches for Apple products are a timewarp back to the pre-enshittification Amazon, when the company worried enough about losing your business to heed the employees who objected to sacrificing search quality as part of a merchant extortion racket:

https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-gives-apple-special-treatment-while-others-suffer-junk-ads-2023-11

Not every tech worker is a tech bro, in other words. Many workers care deeply about making your life better. But the microeconomics of the boardroom in a monopolized tech sector rewards the worst people and continuously promotes them. Forget the Peter Principle: tech is ruled by the Sam Principle.

As OpenAI went through four CEOs in a single week, lots of commentators remarked on Sam Altman's rise and fall and rise, but I only found one commentator who really had Altman's number. Writing in Today in Tabs, Rusty Foster nailed Altman to the wall:

https://www.todayintabs.com/p/defective-accelerationism

Altman's history goes like this: first, he founded a useless startup that raised $30m, only to be acquired and shuttered. Then Altman got a job running Y Combinator, where he somehow failed at taking huge tranches of equity from "every Stanford dropout with an idea for software to replace something Mommy used to do." After that, he founded OpenAI, a company that he claims to believe presents an existential risk to the entire human risk – which he structured so incompetently that he was then forced out of it.

His reward for this string of farcical, mounting failures? He was put back in charge of the company he mis-structured despite his claimed belief that it will destroy the human race if not properly managed.

Altman's been around for a long time. He founded his startup in 2005. There've always been Sams – of both the Bankman-Fried varietal and the Altman genus – in tech. But they didn't get to run amok. They were disciplined by their competitors, regulators, users and workers. The collapse of competition led to an across-the-board collapse in all of those forms of discipline, revealing the executives for the mediocre sociopaths they always were, and exposing tech workers' vocational awe for the shabby trick it was from the start.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/25/moral-injury/#enshittification

#pluralistic #moral injury #enshittification #worker power #google #dont be evil #monopoly #sam altman #openai #vocational awe #making a dent in the universe

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clubfeast · 1 day ago

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seat-safety-switch · 2 months ago

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"Are you going to finish that?" I ask the person next to me, and then immediately start tucking into their LSG Sky Chefs Catering® ready-to-serve meal. Today, it's beef bourguignon, because while the entire history of capitalist achievement has conspired to prevent me from sitting in first class, it didn't keep the guy who used to occupy this seat from getting up and using the bathroom. And so, here I am.

We make small talk, which is the usual reaction that regular people have when they're trapped with me. Not just in airplanes, of course. Any enclosed space. Elevators. Cable-cars. Ski hill gondolas. And someday, Mord willing, escape pods from an ill-equipped, lowest-bidder orbital space station. They tell me that they are a corporate liability lawyer, all about those class actions. I would respond, but I am too busy plowing through some lukewarm potato-like mash.

It's strange how in our society, it's your job that defines you. Oh, I'm a teacher. I'm an astronaut. I'm a lumberjack. Without this pretext, nobody else has any way to relate to you. It's understandable to a certain extent. Your innermost soul is often unknowable even to yourself, much less to some rando in the 35 minutes left before this baby lands at Newark. What would I even tell this guy, that I'm a degenerate who builds poorly considered nightmare machines and turns them loose on a populace too afraid to stop me?

Luckily for me, I don't have to answer. I see that the dude who is supposed to be sitting in this seat is returning from his trip to the gender-neutral Boeing-manufactured toilet. For a moment, I wonder if the first-class shitter is nicer than the one we have back in coach, but I slip out quickly before he can become irate.

As I pass my temporary seat-donor in the aisle, I whisper into his ear: the law-talking dude sitting next to you fucking knows what you did last quarter. Tell him nothing. I hear a short gasp, but I am already halfway through business class before he can turn in the tight space and ask me more questions.

No liability lawyer is going to get a free case out of me, not if he eats the peach cobbler first and leaves me with the wrinkled freeze-dried arugula. That's just rude.

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eleanor-bradstreet · 2 years ago

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The Field: Dandelions (Benedict Bridgerton x Reader)

Benedict Bridgerton x fem!Reader Modern AU Rated: G - mild suggestiveness, fluff and romance Word count: 2.7k

Part 2: Lavender Forever Masterpost

Summary: When you visit Aubrey Hall to celebrate an important day in your career, Benedict offers some new experiences.

Author's Note: The first in a four-part series based on songs about fields/nature that I associate with Benedict. This part is based on the song Dandelions by Ruth B

Today was the day. The day you were announced as Creative Director for Bridgerton House Enterprises. The day your life took a turn for the extraordinary. Even though you had known you would reach this tier and even though the man doing the announcing was one of your oldest friends, the enormity of the milestone still toyed with your nerves. The announcement was being rolled into the company’s first corporate outing at the CEO’s family home, Aubrey Hall. An embarrassingly large ancestral estate with sprawling grounds, it was a picturesque retreat for you and your colleagues to be feted while celebrating your successes and paving a roadmap for your future.

You had been there before of course, several times. It had actually been your idea to move the company outing to the spot. You found something reassuring in the calm grandeur of the place. Maybe it was the grounds themselves or maybe it was just your relationship with Anthony. Friends since uni, you had joined him and his innumerable siblings there for a few shooting weekends and holidays over the years. After chatty meals and some raucous nights that involved climbing out of windows, the latter of which you hoped his mother would never learn about, being there filled you with happy memories.

You and the Viscount had stumbled upon one another in your first year, headed home from late night parties arm-in-arm, singing and shouting with that unfiltered, instantaneous friendship that can only be formed by two people who just met and are both obliterated with drink. After an extremely messy mashing of tongues and unsuccessful attempt to bed each other, you both woke with embarrassment, headaches and quick realizations that your personalities were not romantically compatible. You would either have ended up murdering or driving one another off cliffs with your shared obstinance, but it was exactly that challenging streak that bound you tightly as sardonic friends and academic rivals. You cheered one another through school and then cheered one another through life as he took his rightful place within his father’s company, and you carved out a career in marketing and design. When his former Creative Director had left, you were the first person he called. Even though your preexisting relationship was no secret, you had still wanted to prove yourself and learn the culture before being handed departmental reins, so for the past year you had worked in a lower level role, getting to know the team and the company’s needs until you had told Anthony you were ready to step up.

As excited as you were, several factors were amping your anxiety. The concern that you would be seen as little more than a nepotism hire. But you supposed there was nothing you could do about that. The details of the event had fallen under your purview too, and you had been juggling caterers and florists and groundskeepers until your head spun. And then there was the brother. Benedict Bridgerton. As a show of support the Bridgerton clan were in attendance at the outing too. It was their home after all. But that left you in constant danger of bumping into Benedict and experiencing the unavoidable effect he had on you.

The first time you saw him when Anthony invited you to Aubrey Hall years ago, it felt like an engine kicked on somewhere in your chest. A new, secondary energy source powering you through life simply by knowing he existed. It drove you to spend as much time as you could in his presence, roared with electricity whenever he was near and sputtered whenever you saw him with a paramour du jour. It was problematic how often he visited you in dreams and how you would flush with heat whenever Anthony mentioned him offhand at work. Benedict was mischievous, funny, and too charming for his own good, with all of the heart and soul to make up for Anthony’s acerbicism. Over the years of your acquaintance you had become friendly if not exactly friends, but you admittedly had never known anybody like him. You knew he did something artistic for a living but not exactly what. You knew he had his own place in London but not exactly where. You knew you had caught him looking at you at recent gatherings but weren’t sure exactly why. What you did know was that your eyes were incapable of looking at anything other than him when you were in the same room, and he was only making it worse by wearing a canary yellow button down to the outing.

You had moved through the event spaces trying to avoid him, not needing anything to fluster you more. That was why you were somewhat hiding in a distant hall of the house, one of your favorites where the family displayed a portion of their considerable art collection. Pieces were always changed out and you found yourself drawn to a new one, a landscape. It was a field on a spring day, windswept with rolling hills in the distance. The lush grass was dotted with flowers - yellow, white, and blue. You felt as if you were standing inside of it, a cool breeze tickling your skin and rustling through the bordering treeline.

You were lost inside the painting when someone spoke next to you, startling you out of your reverie.

“Ah! Dreams in Kent. Like what you see?”

It was Benedict. Of course it was. Beaming at you with that grin that you thought should be criminalized, but which always made you feel better somehow. Your evasion efforts had failed and your heart was now racing somewhere in the vicinity of your throat.

“Yes,” you smiled, trying to act casual. You turned back to the painting - the only safe place to set your eyes. “It’s beautiful. Your family has quite the collection. I’m sure it took generations of curation.”

His eyes followed yours to the canvas. “Oh, we didn’t find this one. We know the artist.”

“Lucky for you. They’re talented.”

You could hear the smile in his voice. “Mmm. And he does commissions, if you’re interested.” He shuffled to stand closer at your side, both of you keeping your eyes on the gallery wall. You tried to school your breathing, focusing on the weight of the champagne flute in your hand, something solid unlike your legs.

“About how much for something this size, do you think?” You gestured to the painting mostly to humor him and keep the conversation light. You weren’t sure you were in the market for commissioned landscapes.

“For you? No charge.”

It took your reeling brain a moment to process what he said. Then you realized he was facing you and smiling broadly. “You didn’t paint this?” you gasped. The cheeky devil. He lowered his head and blushed. Something inside you ached. As if he weren’t beautiful enough on his own, now you were forced to witness the multiplicative beauty wrought by his talented hands. You most certainly wanted to commission a piece now. “Oh my god, I had no idea,” you marveled. “You’re a real artist.”

“Real?” As soon as his brow knotted you wanted to kick yourself.

You sputtered, hoping he wouldn’t take offense. “Oh, I just mean…I knew you were an artist but I didn’t know what kind of work you did. I was thinking more pop art or abstract…”

“Like sculptures made out of cotton balls?” His grin widened, creasing the most delightful lines around his bright eyes.

You breathed a sigh of relief. You should have known he would be good humored. “Exactly.”

“Is that what Anthony says about me?” He arched a brow.

“No,” you said firmly, and it was the truth. “He’s obviously proud of you. He just left out the classical landscape bit.”

The warmth that radiated out of his smile finally put you at ease. Yes, you had a crush on him but you were a grown woman. You could hold yourself together during some friendly banter. You didn’t know why Benedict alone seemed to reduce you to a babbling schoolgirl. Interactions with him felt more poignant, more significant somehow. Whenever he looked at you, even though it was hard to breathe, paradoxically you felt alive, free. You felt happy. You’d probably be in closer proximity to him once you stepped into Anthony’s C suite, so it was time to relax and get to know him better.

You turned back to the painting. “So was this plein air?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “A field on the edge of the property. It’s a quiet spot which is…hard to find with my family.” He shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans then his voice dropped to a register you had never heard before. “Speaking of, you’ve been here before but you haven’t seen this spot. Do you want an extended tour? To survey for a vista you may want to commission?”

His eyes leveled on you, glinting. There went any attempt at keeping your composure. This was blatant flirtation. An invitation to…something. A private tour to a secluded spot? Your heart was doing its best to make itself heard again, thrumming to the point you worried it was visible. The evening’s scheduled events wouldn’t begin for another two hours, and you reasoned that some exercise may help settle your nerves. Was there any way you could decline this offer?

“Alright.”

True to his word, Benedict showed you features of the Bridgerton property that you had never seen before. A far flung rose garden filled with statuary, agricultural outbuildings that had fallen into picturesque stages of disrepair, and the looming stone orangery that you had always observed from a distance but never approached. Unlike the goat barns it was still in use, housing an array of palms and warm weather plants in rows across the chess-tiled floor. Even though you had known the Bridgerton family for years, the trappings of their old money lives still gave you pause sometimes. You had hobnobbed with the higher classes your entire life but your middle class roots still caused you to gawp at and ridicule certain things. You each plucked an orange and ate them as you hiked past the lake in which you had swum before, crossed a fallow field and rounded a copse of trees.

Then you saw it. Benedict had captured the field so perfectly, you knew you had arrived before he even spoke. The idyllic fantasy his painting had conjured in your mind was now fully realized, grass tickling at your ankles and breeze brushing through the nearby treeline. Fields rolled out before you to the horizon, beyond the Bridgerton property line but unbroken by any structures or barriers. Just a sea of peaceful green dotted spectacularly with the bright yellow of countless dandelions. It almost felt as if you had stepped out of time into some pocket dimension that only Benedict knew how to access.

“It’s stunning.” You suddenly realized that he was dressed perfectly to match the surroundings, looking like an overgrown dandelion himself in his yellow shirt. It was adorable and endearing. You smiled. “Have you ever made dandelion wine?”

“What?” He chuckled. “What on earth is that?”

“Ah, of course not. Someone whose family has an orangery wouldn’t have tried such a peasant recipe.” You smirked, unable to resist the jab. The field was invoking memories from your childhood. Hazy summers at your grandparents’ cottage in Cornwall where they taught you to gather and ferment the blooms into a sweet concoction. With their ample supply, you couldn’t help but feel that the Bridgertons were missing out.

“I’m not classist toward anything that can take the edge off.” Benedict slowly moved deeper into the field, dragging his feet through the grass.

“Why is there an edge?”

He huffed a sigh, staring out at the horizon. “The usual. Quarter life crisis. Searching for a direction. Posh boy twat who dreams of being a starving artist.”

His crooked grin didn’t mask the plaintive look in his eyes. Blessed as he was with good looks, wealth and talent, the idea that Benedict may have anything less than a perfect life had never occurred to you.

“From what I’ve seen you’ve more than accomplished the artist bit. And consider it a blessing that you don’t have to starve. It appears to me that you have everything you need.”

“Some things perhaps, but not everything.”

His tone was so uncharacteristically serious, his gaze so weighted, you worried he had found your comment dismissive. Now you had to make him smile again. Scanning the ground you quickly found a flower that had tufted into a perfect white orb. You picked it and held it out to him. “Then wish for what you want.”

He brightened and walked back toward you with a playful air. “Do you think it will come true?”

You shrugged. “Can’t hurt to try.”

He bent and picked another tufted stem. “Only if you wish too.”

Something lodged in your throat. The last thing you had expected on this already monumental day was to be cozying up with your friend and boss’s younger brother for whom you had carried a candle for years. The heady excitement coupled with the beautiful backdrop was making everything feel surreal. The event at the house could have been taking place in another world entirely. All of your focus was here.

Smirking at each other, you stepped close and simultaneously blew on the flower held in the other’s hand. The gauzy seeds rose and swirled around you both, heightening the strange magic of the moment. You fought not to react to his proximity and the warm gust of his breath over your hand. Closing your eyes you made your silent wish - that this flirtation would continue; that Benedict perhaps saw you as you saw him; that you could call him your own, even if just for a short while. When you reopened them he was smiling at you.

“What did you wish for?”

You backed up a step, laughing. “No, that’s not how this works. If I tell you, it definitely won’t come true.”

“How do you know?” he lilted, closing the space between you again. “What if I’m the person who can deliver what you want?”

Oh god, was your wish that obvious? Was it so easy to read how much you wanted him? You supposed it was a common occurrence for a man like him but wanted to chastise yourself nonetheless. You would have if your mind wasn’t already paralyzed by the knowing look on his face.

You somehow managed to find your voice, deflecting meagerly. “You first. What did you wish for?” “Ah, I see how it is,” he chuckled. Then everything about his demeanor grew soft and intent. His blue-grey eyes searched yours and you were transfixed by their depth, as if within them you could see forever. “I wished for something just out of reach. Something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. Or someone I should say.”

“Someone?” You asked, your voice tremulous. Your heart was pounding. There was no mistaking where this was going but you could scarcely believe that it was actually happening. Everything around you started to fall away, scattering like the dandelion tufts. Everything but his eyes, his lips, and the tender words that escaped them.

“I suppose my wish was to know if they thought of me too.” He peered up through his dark lashes, a calculated move that you knew was designed to devastate you.

“How funny,” you croaked, your voice barely above a whisper as you swayed toward him. “I wished the same thing.”

His eyes lit up and the engine within your chest roared. “Well look at that,” he leaned in, looping an arm around your waist. “My wish came true.”

You moved with equal enthusiasm, pressing your lips together in a moment that was soft but fervent, carrying the weight of hidden feelings and the desire to explore further. He tasted of oranges and comfort; he felt so correct. You wound your arms around each other, warmed by the sun that shone bright across the field. You had been kissed many times in your life, but nothing compared to the breathless wonder of this one. This felt like once in a lifetime. A distant corner of your mind remembered that you needed to get back to the house soon but you were finding it difficult to care. Benedict began to hum happily as he kissed you over and over, winding a hand into your hair as he playfully nipped and sucked at your lips. Pulling back, he smiled and twirled the dandelion stem between his fingers. “These things do work.”

Tagging: @angels17324 @bridgertontess @broooookiecrisp @secretagentbucky

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saintmeghanmarkle · 9 months ago

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Moochers Par ExcellenceA Deep Dive into the Carparkles' Visit to Costa Rica in December 2023. by u/BuildtheHerd

Moochers Par Excellence…A Deep Dive into the Carparkles' Visit to Costa Rica in December 2023. Photos and video of H&M and their rarely-seen child Lilibet on a family holiday in Costa Rica started appearing in the media on December 21, 2023 …just in time to compete for media attention with the Princess of Wales, whose Royal Carols: Together at Christmas was scheduled to air on Christmas Eve.Given that the Carparkles are known to regularly take advantage of the generosity of others by wrangling free stays at mansions and transportation on private jets, I've been curious about who financed this family trip to Costa Rica. After some internet sleuthing, I've figured out where the Carparkles stayed and who provided them with free accommodations and possibly private jet transportation, too.The resort where they stayed is Zapotal Golf and Beach Club, located in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. The company's website provides the following description of the resort, "Spanning miles of untouched coastline and thousands of acres of pristine tropical forest, Zapotal is a true retreat with 240 residences on the edge of one of the world’s five National Geographic Blue Zones where residents are quantifiably happy, healthy and enjoy an increased lifespan. Enjoy adventures on sea and land or a leisurely round on the 18-hole Tom Fazio golf course. Delight in a tasty locally sourced organic meal. Indulge in a spa treatment or a heart pounding workout. Ground yourself in the lush rainforest for an escape from the day-to-day. At Zapotal, your days are yours- and only yours." "Zapotal is one of Discovery Land Company’s more than 35 exclusive, members-only international communities. Discovery properties are uniquely designed to capture the spirit of the land and local culture, providing members with endless opportunities to curate their most authentic lifestyle." (It sounds like Meg might have advised the resort's marketing team on their word choice, doesn't it!) Here's the link to the website where you'll find photos, videos, and additional descriptions of the resort: https://ift.tt/HoU1M9b might recognize the name of Zapotal Golf and Beach Club's parent company: "Discovery Land Company." It's Jack Brooksbank's employer (Jack Brooksbank is Princess Eugenie's husband). BTW, the Harkles visited another Discovery Land Company property in Portugal called CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club after attending the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf in September 2023. Here's an article from the Daily Mail about that visit (archived and unarchived): https://ift.tt/1sqNIQm Founder of "Discovery Land Company" is Michael Meldman, who also was partners with George Clooney and Rande Gerber in Casamigos, the tequila company that they sold for approximately $1billion. Sinners might remember that Casamigos tequila was served at the H&M's wedding after party and that Jack Brooksbanks was previously a Brand Ambassador for Casamigos.Perhaps Michael Meldman even flew the Carparkles down to Liberia Airport in Costa Rica on the corporate jet, a 2001 Dassault Falcon 2000 (tail number N250DL). On the tail of the jet is the Discovery Land Company logo and on the side is the Casamigos logo (see attached photo).***The Carparkles MUST have planned to be photographed at this resort.**\* Zapotal Beach Club is a very private property that caters to uber wealthy people, so you can imagine that security is tight. Tourism is the main source of income in Costa Rica (Source: Embassy of Costa Rica in Washington, D.C. website); therefore, keeping tourists safe is taken extremely seriously. I've stayed at a similar resort on nearby Papagayo Peninsula, which required passing through two security checkpoints to enter…I would expect that Zapotal Beach Club is similar. It is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that paparazzi just sneaked onto this property. This all fits the Carparkles' modus operandi.Discovery Land Company - Casamigos Corporate Jet post link: https://ift.tt/4pHB7lg author: BuildtheHerd submitted: March 04, 2024 at 07:06AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

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thesapphire123 · 2 months ago

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How much does Indian outdoor catering cost in Sydney?

Indian outdoor catering services in Sydney are increasingly popular for weddings, corporate events, and festive celebrations. With diverse culinary offerings and the vibrant charm of Indian decor, these services create an unforgettable experience for hosts and guests alike. However, planning your budget is essential to make the most of what these services offer. So, how much does Indian outdoor catering cost in Sydney?

Factors Influencing the Cost

Several factors affect the pricing of Indian outdoor catering services. Here are the main considerations:

Number of Guests: The cost will depend largely on the guest count. Most caterers charge per person, with the price ranging from $30 to $100 per guest for standard packages. The more guests you invite, the higher your overall budget.

Menu Selection: Traditional Indian catering offers an array of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, ranging from classic curries to regional specialties. Opting for premium dishes like seafood or lamb can increase the price per person.

Type of Service: Catering services can range from buffet-style to full-service sit-down meals. In Indian outdoor catering Sydney A buffet is usually more cost-effective, while plated meals, which require additional staff and setup, can significantly increase the costs.

Venue and Setup: The location and specific requirements for an outdoor setup can influence the price. If the venue The Indian outdoor catering in Sydney requires permits or extra facilities like portable kitchens, tents, or weather-proofing, the costs can go up.

Additional Services: Many caterers offer more than just food. Services like live cooking stations, bartending, event coordination, and traditional Indian decor can be part of the package, adding to the total cost.

Average Price Breakdown

Basic Package: $30 to $50 per person – includes standard vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes with basic setup.

Mid-Tier Package: $50 to $80 per person – includes premium dishes, live cooking stations, or themed decor.

Premium Package: $80 to $100+ per person – offers a luxury dining experience with personalized menus, top-tier service, and elaborate decorations.

Ways to Optimize Your Budget

Choose Off-Peak Seasons: Hiring catering services during less busy times can lead to lower prices.

Simplify the Menu: Focus on a few key dishes that can be executed well, rather than an extensive menu.

Opt for Buffet-Style Catering: This can be more budget-friendly than a plated meal option.

Ask About Package Deals: Many caterers offer discounts for bundled services, such as combining food with decor or event planning.

Indian outdoor catering in Sydney can transform your event into a memorable celebration filled with flavor and culture. By understanding the various cost factors, you can create an experience that fits your budget and exceeds expectations.

#corporate venue in sydney #artists on tumblr #indian wedding #sydney

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urvaanspoonminirestro · 1 year ago

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Urvaan Spoon @ Hi -tech Opening Soon.

A mini restro with variety of Veg & Non veg foods both indian , tandoor and Chinese u will feel lucky in every bite.

We even provide pizzas, burgers, sandwich etc. and variety of mocktails to freshen and refresh yourself @ hospital premises .

Variety of food is available according to your tastebuds @ hitech.

We believe Food SAFETY &Urvaan Spoon SANITATION for Healthier nation.

Urvaan Spoon is based @ hi-tech , BBSR. also.

Food Delivery Service is available at your Door step.

So reach us @ hitech hospital.

For more Details About Urvaan Spoon please visit :

Facebook Page - www.facebook.com/urvaanspoonbbsr

Instagram Page - www.instagram.com/urvaanspoon/

Tweeter Page – www.twitter.com/SpoonUrvaan/

Linkedin Page – www.linkedin.com/company/90366526/

Youtube Channel – www.youtube.com/@urvaanspoon-restro

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thebamboobae01 · 2 months ago

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Bamboo vs. Plastic: Why Bamboo is the Superior Eco-Friendly Choice

Choosing Better for a Greener Tomorrow

In today's world, the impact of our daily choices on the environment is really important. One simple way to help is by choosing the right products. Bamboo items are becoming popular because they're better for the environment than plastic.

Let's explore the reasons why bamboo products are better choice for the environment -

1. Eco-Friendly Production:

Bamboo is a plant that grows super fast. It can grow up to three feet in just one day! This makes bamboo a renewable resource. On the other hand, plastic is made from things like oil, which will eventually run out. By using bamboo, we can reduce how much we depend on these limited resources.

2. Biodegradable and Compostable:

Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down. This leads to pollution in our oceans and landfills. But bamboo is different. When you throw away bamboo products, they break down naturally over time. This means less waste and less harm to the environment.

3. Reduced Carbon Footprint:

Bamboo forests are great at absorbing carbon dioxide, which is a gas that contributes to climate change. They also release more oxygen than regular trees. This helps to make our air cleaner and healthier. Plus, making bamboo products uses less energy compared to making plastic items, which helps reduce pollution.

4. Versatility and Durability:

Bamboo is a versatile material that can be used to make a wide range of products, from utensils to furniture. It's also strong and durable, making it a long-lasting choice compared to single-use plastic items.

Read: What Things in a Stationery Kit?

5. Chemical-Free and Safe:

Bamboo products are often chemical-free and safe for use, making them a healthier option for you and the environment. Plastic, on the other hand, can leach harmful chemicals into food and the environment.

6. Support for Sustainable Practices:

By choosing bamboo products, you're supporting sustainable practices and industries that prioritize the health of the planet. This can help drive positive change towards a more sustainable future.

Check Out some of our Bamboo Products 2024:

1. Bamboo Cutlery Set: Say goodbye to plastic utensils with our eco-friendly bamboo cutlery set. Perfect for picnics, lunches, and on-the-go meals.

Read: Are You Using the Right Toothbrush for Your Teeth?

3. Bamboo Drinking Straws: Ditch single-use plastic straws for our reusable bamboo drinking straws. They're perfect for smoothies, juices, and cocktails.

4. Bamboo Fiber Lunchbox: Pack your meals in our durable and stylish bamboo fiber lunchbox. It's microwave-safe and great for the environment.

5. Bamboo Soap Dispenser: Add a touch of eco-friendliness to your bathroom with our bamboo soap dispenser. It's refillable and helps reduce plastic waste.

6. Bamboo Hair Brush: Treat your hair and the environment right with our bamboo hair brush. It's gentle on your hair and the planet, making it a sustainable choice.

At The Bamboo Bae, we take pride in offering a diverse range of bamboo products to cater to your needs. Our collection includes personal care items such as bamboo skincare products, eco-friendly stationery, and candles. We also have a selection of home decor items, kitchen essentials, and gift options made from bamboo and other sustainable materials. Whether you're looking for something for yourself or searching for the perfect corporate gift or hotel amenity, we have something for everyone.

Explore our collection today at thebamboobae.ae and make a sustainable choice for a greener future!

By choosing bamboo products over plastic, we can make a positive impact on the environment. Whether it's using bamboo utensils instead of plastic ones, every small change adds up to make a big difference. Together, we can help protect our planet for future generations.

#Bamboo #Eco-Friendly #Sustainable Living #Plastic Alternatives #Environmental Impact #Green Products #Renewable Resources #Zero Waste

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