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fyeah-bangtan7 · 4 years

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The Boundless Optimism of BTS

IT IS THE MORNING OF CHUSEOK, A KOREAN HARVEST FESTIVAL akin to Thanksgiving, and the members of BTS would normally be spending it with their families, eating tteokguk, a traditional rice-cake soup. Instead, Jin, 28; Suga, 27; J-Hope, 26; RM, 26; Jimin, 25; V, 24; and Jung Kook, 23, are working. Practicing. Honing their choreography. In a few days, the biggest musical act in the world will perform in the live-stream concert that, for now, will have to stand in for the massive tour they spent the first part of this year rehearsing. At this moment, they’re seated inside Big Hit Entertainment headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, the house they built, dressed mostly in black and white, ready to answer my questions. They’re gracious about it. And groggy.

Before I’m done speaking with them for this story, BTS will have the number-one and number-two songs on the BillboardHot 100, a feat that’s been achieved only a handful of times in the sixty-odd years the chart has existed. Their next album, Be, is weeks away from being released, and speculation about the record, the tracklist, the statement, is rampant across the Internet. BTS are, to put it mildly, huge.

There is something about complete world domination that can really cement a friendship. What jumps out at me as I connect with the members of BTS is their level of comfort with one another. Tension has a way of making itself evident—even over Zoom, even through a translator. There’s none to be found here. They are relaxed in the manner of family. Lounging with their arms around each other’s shoulders, tugging on each other’s sleeves, fixing each other’s collars. When they speak about one another, it is with kindness.

“Jimin has a particular passion for the stage and really thinks about performance, and in that sense, there are many things to learn from him,” J-Hope says. “Despite all the things he has accomplished, he still tries his best and brings something new to the table, and I really want to applaud him for that.”

“Thank you for saying all these things about me,” Jimin responds.

Jimin turns his attention to V, explaining that he is “loved by so many” and describing him as one of his best friends. Suga jumps in, sharing that Jimin and V fight the most among the group. V replies, “We haven’t fought in three years!” They tell me this distinction now belongs to Jin and Jung Kook, the oldest and youngest members. “It all starts as a joke, but then it gets serious,” Jimin says.

Jin agrees and recounts what their arguments sound like. “Why did you hit me so hard?” he says, before mimicking Jung Kook’s response: “I didn’t hit you that hard.” And then they start hitting each other. But not that hard.

Since the start of their careers, BTS have shown a certain confidence in their aesthetic, their performances, and their music videos. It’s right there in the name: BTS stands for “Bangtan Sonyeondan,” which translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts,” but as their popularity grew in English-speaking markets, the acronym was retrofitted to mean “Beyond the Scene,” which Big Hit has described as “symbolizing youth who don’t settle for their current reality and instead open the door and go forward to achieve growth.” And their affection with one another, their vulnerability and emotional openness in their lives and in their lyrics, strikes me as more grown-up and masculine than all the frantic and perpetual box-checking and tone-policing that American boys force themselves and their peers to do. It looks like the future.

“There is this culture where masculinity is defined by certain emotions, characteristics. I’m not fond of these expressions,” Suga tells me. “What does being masculine mean? People’s conditions vary day by day. Sometimes you’re in a good condition; sometimes you aren’t. Based on that, you get an idea of your physical health. And that same thing applies mentally. Some days you’re in a good state; sometimes you’re not. Many pretend to be okay, saying that they’re not ‘weak,’ as if that would make you a weak person. I don’t think that’s right. People won’t say you’re a weak person if your physical condition is not that good. It should be the same for the mental condition as well. Society should be more understanding.”

When I hear these words in October 2020, from my house in a country whose leader is actively trying to make the case that only the weak die of COVID-19, well, it sounds like the future, too.

IF YOU ARE JUST NOW CONSIDERING GETTING INTO BTS, IT IS natural to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff. It’s a bit like saying, right this second, “Let’s see what Marvel Comics is all about.” In the streaming age, BTS have sold more than twenty million physical units across fourteen albums. Their multi-album concept cycles, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Love Yourself, and Map of the Soul, have unfolded over multiple records and EPs. There are collaborations with brands, including a BTS smartphone with Samsung. There is a series of short films and music videos, called BU, or BTS Universe, and an animated universe called BT21, in which they’re all represented by gender-neutral avatars. Their fan base, known as ARMY, is a global cultural movement unto itself.

“Dynamite,” their first English-language single and their first American number one, is pure, ecstatic pop. Shiny and joyful. What sets them apart from many of their peers, and many of the pop acts who achieved worldwide fame before them, is what came earlier. Beneath the sheen and the beats has always been an unflinching examination of human emotion. Their lyrics seek to challenge the conventions of society—to question and even denounce them. BTS’s first single, “No More Dream,” unveiled at their debut showcase in June 2013, concerns the intense pressure South Korean schoolchildren face to conform and to succeed. According to Suga, lyrics about the mental health of young people were mostly absent in Korean pop music. “The reason I started making music is because I grew up listening for lyrics that speak about dreams, hopes, and social issues,” he tells me. “It just came naturally to me when making music.”

Suga’s early ambition of making music didn’t involve him being in a group at all. About a decade ago, in his hometown of Daegu, the fourth-largest city in South Korea, he started recording underground rap tracks under the name Gloss, listening to and learning from the early works of songwriter and producer Bang Si-hyuk, known as Hitman Bang. Bang is the founder and CEO of Big Hit Entertainment. In 2010, Suga, a junior in high school, moved to Seoul to join Big Hit as a producer and rapper. Then Bang asked him to become part of a group, envisioning a hip-hop act with fellow new Big Hit recruits RM and J-Hope. The guys call this “season one” of their development.

“At that time, I don’t think our label exactly knew what to do with us,” RM says. “They just basically let us be and we had some lessons, but we also just chilled and made music sometimes.”

It got more intense. The family grew, occasionally by accident.

V accompanied a friend to a Big Hit casting call in Daegu for moral support and ended up being the person chosen from those sessions.

Jung Kook was signed in a feeding frenzy after being dropped from the talent show Superstar K, fielding offers from numerous entertainment companies before settling on Big Hit because he was impressed by RM’s rapping.

Jimin was a dance student and class president for nine years running at his school in Busan; he auditioned at the behest of his teacher.

And then, to hear him tell it, Jin got picked up off the street. “I was just going to school,” he says. “Someone from the company approached me, like, ‘Oh, this is my first time seeing anyone that looked like this.’ He suggested having a meeting with me.”

“Season two is when we officially underwent hard training,” J-Hope says. “We started dancing, and that’s how I would say our team building started.”

School in the daytime, training at night. “We slept during classes,” V says.

“I slept in the practice studio,” J-Hope counters.

Hitman Bang kept the pressure comparatively low. And he encouraged the guys to write and produce their own music, to be honest about their emotions in their lyrics. Suga is on record saying that no BTS album would be complete without a track that scrutinizes society.

And yet for their new album, Be, they’re putting that aside. Even this has a greater purpose that relates to mental wellness: RM, the group’s main rapper, says, “I don’t think this album will have any songs that criticize social issues. Everybody is going through very trying times right now. So I don’t think there will be any songs that will be that aggressive.”

Though the new rules of COVID-19 mean they can’t come here and promote Be, its first single might not have happened in the first place but for the pandemic. “ ‘Dynamite’ wouldn’t be here if there was no COVID-19,” says RM. “For this song, we wanted to go easy and simple and positive. Not some, like, deep vibes or shadows. We just wanted to go easy.”

Jin agrees. “We were trying to convey the message of healing and comfort to our fans.” He pauses. “World domination wasn’t actually our plan when we were releasing ‘Dynamite.’ ” World domination just happens sometimes. You get it.

MAP OF THE SOUL ONE AIRED VIA THEIR ONLINE FAN PLATFORM and attracted almost a million viewers across 191 countries. The guys say they tried not to think about the enormousness. J-Hope adds, “I felt a little bit more nervous knowing that this was being broadcast live. I actually feel less nervous performing live at a stadium.” Jin replies with a smile, “J-Hope, born to perform at a stadium.”

The graphic layout of the title throws a colon between the final N and E, which makes it look like Map of the Soul On: E, and as I watch it live, as I do in my office at 3:00 a.m. with noise-canceling headphones and a steaming pot of coffee, it feels a lot like I’m watching Map of the Soul on E. It is an explosion of color and fashion and passion, over four gigantic stages, from the boozy swagger of “Dionysus” to the emo-trap introspection of “Black Swan.” Not a step, not a gesture, not a hair is out of place. If there were nerves, they didn’t come through.

There is also, at the end of Map of the Soul One, an intimate version of their 2017 track “Spring Day,” which encapsulates what’s really made BTS stand out. On the surface, it’s about nonspecific love and loss, about yearning for the past. “I think that song really represents me,” says Jin. “I like to look to the past and be lost in it.”

Fair enough, but there is an undeniable allusion, in both the song’s video and its cover concept, to a specific incident in recent South Korean history. “Spring Day” was released just a few years after the sinking of the Sewol ferry, one of the country’s biggest maritime disasters, in which a poorly inspected, overloaded ferry toppled in a sharp right turn. Hundreds of high school students drowned, having obeyed orders to stay in their cabins as the boat was going down. According to some reports, the South Korean government actively tried to silence entertainers who spoke out against it, with the Korean Ministry of Education fully banning the tragedy’s commemorative yellow ribbons in schools. I ask whether it was about a specific sad event, and Jin tells me, “It is about a sad event, as you said, but it is also about longing.” The song kept the disaster front of mind for young Koreans and for the media, indirectly leading to the impeachment and removal of then president Park Geun-hye.

If an overburdened, undermaintained, slow-moving vessel capsizing because of a reckless rightward turn strikes you as somehow symbolic of the country in which BTS are about to explode even further, you won’t hear it from them. “We’re outsiders—we can’t really express what we feel about the United States,” says V. But their actions speak volumes; in the wake of the George Floyd murder and subsequent protests in America, the group made a $1 million donation with Big Hit Entertainment to Black Lives Matter, one that was matched by BTS ARMY.

The fans offer a fascinating inversion of stan culture: Rather than bullying rivals like many other ardent online fan bases do, ARMY have put the positive message of the music into action. Their activism goes deep. Through micro-donations, they’ve regrown rain forests, adopted whales, funded hundreds of hours of dance classes for Rwandan youth, and raised money to feed LGBTQ refugees around the world. Where pop fans a generation ago might have sent teddy bears or cards to their idols for their birthdays, where five years ago they might have promoted a hashtag to get a video’s YouTube viewer count up, for RM’s twenty-sixth birthday in September, international fan collective One in an Army raised more than $20,000 for digital night schools to improve rural children’s access to education during the COVID-19 crisis. ARMY may have even entered the conversation around the 2020 presidential election when hundreds of thousands of Tulsa Trump rally tickets got snapped up online in June. The event’s actual attendance was pathetically low. No particular person or entity claimed credit for this top-notch trolling, but a video urging BTS fans to RSVP to that rally did get hundreds of thousands of views. We have no choice but to stan this fan base.

The relationship is intense. “We and our ARMY are always charging each other’s batteries,” RM says. “When we feel exhausted, when we hear the news all over the world, the tutoring programs, and donations, and every good thing, we feel responsible for all of this.” The music may have inspired the good works, but the good works inspire the music. “We’ve got to be greater; we’ve got to be better,” RM continues. “All those behaviors always influence us to be better people, before all this music and artist stuff.”

Yet for every devoted member of BTS ARMY, there is someone who’s looked right past BTS. Jimmy Fallon, whose Tonight Show hosted the group for a full week this past fall, was one of those people. “Usually if an artist is on the rise, I hear about them ahead of time. With BTS, I knew they had crazy momentum, and I’d never heard of them.”

Here’s a thought that used to be funny to me: There were members of the live audience of The Ed Sullivan Showon February 9, 1964, who weren’t there to see the Beatles. Elvis was in the Army, Buddy Holly was gone, and the three number-one albums in the months before Meet the Beatles! were an Allan Sherman comedy record, the West Side Story original cast recording, and Soeur Sourire: The Singing Nun. America had left rock ’n’ roll behind for the moment, and with the culture aimless and fragmented, it wasn’t quite sure what to pick up in its place. It is possible to imagine that a youngish, reasonably hip, and culturally aware human being might cop a ticket to that week’s show, settle into his seat, and say, “Bring on a medley of numbers from the Broadway musical Oliver! and banjo sensation Tessie O’Shea.”

The instinct is to laugh at that guy, and it’s a good instinct, because what a dope.

And then you become that guy.

Sometimes there is a whole universe alongside your own, bursting with color you’re too stubborn to see, bouncing with joy you think is for someone else, with a beat you thought you were finished dancing to. BTS are the biggest thing on the planet right now, yet the job of introducing them to someone new, particularly in America, seems like it’s never done. Maybe it’s because they are adored by screaming teenagers and we live in a society patriarchal enough to forget that screaming teenagers are nearly always right. Maybe it’s the cultural divide, in a moment when our country is unashamed enough of its own xenophobia to get openly bent out of shape when it has to press 1 for English. Maybe it’s the language barrier, as though we understood a single word Michael Stipe sang before 1989.

Whatever the reason, the result is that you might be missing out on a paradigm shift and a historic moment of pop greatness.

IF BTS SEEM A BIT CAUTIOUS WITH THEIR WORDS PUBLICLY, IT’S because—perhaps more than any other massive pop act in history—they have to be. Shortly after our second meeting, BTS were given the General James A. Van Fleet Award by the U. S.–based Korea Society for their outstanding contributions to advancing relations between the United States and Korea. In his acceptance speech, RM said, “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together, and the sacrifices of countless men and women,” as seemingly diplomatic and innocuous a statement as he could have made. But because he didn’t mention the Chinese soldiers who died in the Korean War, it didn’t go over well. The Samsung BTS smartphone disappeared from Chinese e-commerce platforms, Fila and Hyundai pulled ads in China that featured the group, the nationalistic newspaper Global Times accused them of hurting Chinese citizens’ feelings and negating history, and the hashtags “BTS humiliated China” and “there are no idols that come before my country” began trending on the social-media site Weibo. The pressure is not small.

Even as the number-one pop group in the world, even with their hard work day in and day out, even with tens of millions of adoring fans redefining the concept of “adoring fans” by literally healing the planet in their name, these guys still suffer from impostor syndrome. RM explains, “I’ve heard that there’s this mask complex. Seventy percent of so-called successful people have this, mentally. It’s basically this: There’s this mask on my face. And these people are afraid that someone is going to take off this mask. We have those fears as well. But I said 70 percent, so I think it’s very natural. Sometimes it’s a condition to be successful. Humans are imperfect, and we have these flaws and defects. And one way to deal with all this pressure and weight is to admit the shadows.”

The music helps. “When we write the songs and lyrics, we study these emotions, we are aware of that situation, and we relate to that emotionally,” J-Hope says. “And that’s why when the song is released, we listen to it and get consolation from those songs as well. I think our fans also feel those emotions, maybe even more than us. And I think we are a positive influence on each other.”

If there’s one thing they’re sacrificing, besides free time and the ability to speak freely without the Chinese foreign ministry releasing an official statement, it’s a love life. I ask about dating, broad questions like “Are you?” and “Is there time?” and “Can you?” and the answer to all of them is pretty clear: “No.” “The most important thing for us now is to sleep,” Jung Kook insists. Suga follows right up with “Can you see my dark circles?” I cannot, because there are none, because flawless skin translates even over Zoom when there’s an ocean between us.

So they’re not, at least publicly, having romantic relationships with anyone. If there is a strong relationship that’s guided their journey into adulthood, it’s with Big Hit. “Our company started with twenty to thirty people, but now we have a company with so many employees,” RM says. “We have our fans, and we have our music. So we have a lot of things that we have to be responsible for, to safeguard.” He considers it for a moment. “I think that’s what an adult is.”

“Our love life—twenty-four hours, seven days a week—is with all the ARMYs all over the world,” RM adds.

In a world that is determined to sand down anything that isn’t immediately recognizable to the average pop-music fan, when it comes to acquainting you with Korean culture, BTS very much do not wanna hold your hand. While the first song on night one of their Tonight Show week was a joyous but expected take on “Dynamite” with Fallon and the Roots, they took some chances during their second performance.

As a friend of mine, a thirty-three-year-old BTS fan in Los Angeles, told me, “The second song they performed was ‘IDOL,’ ” from 2018’s Love Yourself: Answer, “and it celebrated their Korean identity. They performed it in Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. They wore clothes inspired by traditional dresses called hanboks;it was almost entirely in Korean, so it felt super subversive. As a fan, I read it as: ‘Dynamite’ was an invitation, and this is who we are and this is our home.”

“I was a little concerned that people might not understand,” Fallon says. “I was like, ‘There’s nothing in English here.’ But what you see is just pure star power. Pure talent. Immediately, I thought, Oh, this is everything. If you’re that powerful, it transcends language.”

American popular music in the twenty-first century is more fragmented than it has been since . . . well, since Allan Sherman, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, and the Singing Nun battled for that number-one spot. The monoculture that the Beatles helped bring on has breathed its last breath. Each of us is the program director for our own private radio station, letting our own past habits and streaming-service algorithms serve up something close to what we want. Which is great, except that huge moments can whiz right past our ears. Each of us, even if we’re more clued in than our parents were when they were our age, can miss some era-defining, excellent shit. Particularly if the radio is our Spotify Discover Weekly, or the Pandora channel based on the band whose T-shirts we wore in college. We can let a moment pass us by if prime time is a Netflix binge, and the Tonight Show hour is spent on one more episode before bed. But we shouldn’t. “Honestly, I think it’s history that we’re living through with BTS,” Fallon says. “It’s the biggest band I’ve seen since I’ve started late night, definitely.”

THERE IS ALSO THE SMALL DETAIL THAT, UNLIKE THE BEATLES AND literally every other worldwide sensation to break in America, BTS don’t particularly need to go to the trouble. They are massive all over the world. Thanks to the recent IPO of Big Hit Entertainment, of which each member is a partner, they are all now incredibly wealthy. (Hitman Bang is the first South Korean entertainment mogul to become a billionaire.) What good is a culture in decline to a pop act this much on the ascent? “When I dreamed of becoming an artist, I listened to pop and watched all the awards shows in the United States. Being successful and being a hit in the U. S. is, of course, such an honor as an artist,” says Suga. “I feel very proud of that.”

They’re breaking out in a country that either worships them or fails to notice them. So do they feel like they’re getting enough respect in America? “How can we win everyone’s respect?” Jin asks. “I think it’s enough to get respect from people who support us. It’s similar everywhere else in the world. You can’t like everyone, and I think it’s enough to be respected by people who really love you.”

Suga agrees. “You can’t always be comfortable, and I think it’s all part of life. Honestly, we are not used to getting a ton of respect from when we first started out. But I think that gradually changes, whether it be in the States or other parts of the world, as we do more and more.”

There is, without a doubt, one colossal, unmistakable sign of respect for a musician: a Grammy. They’ve been nominated only once, and even then it was for best recording package. But their sights are set on a big one next year. RM puts it out there: “We would like to be nominated and possibly get an award.” Dragging the hoary, backward-looking, and Western-focused Grammys into the gorgeous, global world of the present through sheer force of will, talent, and hard work? Stranger things have happened. “I think the Grammys are the last part, like the final part of the whole American journey,” he says with a smile. “So yeah, we’ll see.”

The Recording Academy’s seal of approval is one thing. But BTS have already conquered the world, clowned tyrants, inspired individual fans to perform the small and achievable acts of activism that have collectively begun to save the planet, challenged toxic masculinity by leading with vulnerability, and, along the way, become bajillionaires and international idols. Whether the Grammys are paying attention matters about as much as what an Ed Sullivan audience member expected to see that night in 1964. BTS have already won.

#bangtan #jungkook #jimin #v #suga #jhope #jin #rm #o:esquire #o:interview #201123

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Thunderspy: What it is, why it’s not scary, and what to do about it

There’s a brand new assault that makes use of off-the-shelf tools to take full management of a PC—even when locked—if a hacker will get only a few minutes alone with it. The vector is a well-known one: the Thunderbolt ultrafast interface connects graphics playing cards, storage techniques, and different peripherals to thousands and thousands of computer systems.

The hack, which took years to develop, is elegant. Its adept mixture of cryptanalysis, reverse engineering, and exploit growth punches a serious gap in defenses that Thunderbolt creator Intel spent appreciable time and assets to erect. In the end, although, the approach is an incremental advance in an assault that has existed for greater than a decade. Whereas the weak point it exploits is actual and must be closed, the overwhelming majority of individuals—assume 99 p.c—shouldn’t fear about it. Extra about that later. For now, listed below are the bare-bones particulars.

Accessing Reminiscence Lane

Thunderspy, as its creator Björn Ruytenberg has named the assault, most often requires the attacker to take away the screws from the pc casing. From there, the attacker locates the Thunderbolt chip and connects a clip, which in flip is related to a sequence of commodity parts—priced about $600—which is related to an attacker laptop computer. These units analyze the present Thunderbolt firmware and then reflash it with a model that’s largely the identical besides that it disables any of the Intel-developed security measures which can be turned on.

With the defenses dropped, the hacker has full management over the direct reminiscence entry, a function in lots of trendy computer systems that provides peripheral units entry to the pc’s primary reminiscence. A Thunderspy attacker is then free to join a peripheral that bypasses the Home windows lock display.

The next video exhibits the assault in additional element as it’s used to acquire entry to a Lenovo P1 laptop computer that was purchased final yr:

youtube

Thunderspy PoC demo 1: Unlocking Home windows PC in 5 minutes.

Whereas the bypass within the video takes slightly greater than 5 minutes, an attacker would want extra time to set up persistent and undetectable malware, copy the contents of the exhausting drive, or do different nefarious issues. The assault hasn’t labored towards Apple Macs for greater than three years (so long as they run macOS) and additionally doesn’t work on Home windows or Linux machines which have rather more current updates that implement a safety, referred to as Kernel Direct Reminiscence Entry Safety.

Kernel DMA is the OS technique for implementing the Enter-Output Reminiscence Administration Unit, which is an Intel-developed mechanism that connects to a DMA-capable bus and controls or blocks accesses to reminiscence, together with stopping malicious transfers of reminiscence by related peripherals. The safety is usually abbreviated as IOMMU.

A variation of the assault includes getting entry to a Thunderbolt peripheral that has already acquired permission to entry the weak pc. An attacker can clone the peripheral and use it to acquire entry to the DMA on the focused machine. Right here it is in motion:

youtube

Thunderspy PoC demo 2: Completely disabling all Thunderbolt safety on a Home windows PC.

Safety practitioners have lengthy made clear that an skilled adversary getting bodily entry to a tool—even for a brief period of time—represents a game-over occasion. The one affordable assumption is that the pc, cellphone, or different digital system is compromised. The one significant response on this state of affairs is to discard the system, since it’s conceivable that the compromise includes the undetectable rewriting of firmware in one of many system’s many parts (a hacking group dubbed Equation Group and linked to the US Nationwide Safety Company was doing this as early because the early 2000s).

Regardless of the admonition about bodily entry, some practitioners stay cautious of so-called “evil maid” assaults, through which a housekeeper, co-worker, or authorities official will get fleeting entry alone to a tool. The evil maid menace is exactly the explanation {hardware} and software program builders—Intel included—have poured incalculable quantities of cash into devising hard-drive encryption, chain-of-trust boot-ups, and related protections. Individuals who take Thunderspy critically do so as a result of it reopens such a assault utilizing {hardware} that got here preinstalled on thousands and thousands of units.

Sabotage ain’t hacking

Even amongst those that purchase into the evil maid menace, many are dismissing Thunderspy as a hack that stands out from different viable assaults on this class. Loads of different firmware-driven pc parts have related entry to extremely delicate pc assets. The chip that runs the BIOS—or the firmware that initializes {hardware} in the course of the booting course of—is a first-rate goal for hackers who’ve bodily entry and the flexibility to take away case screws.

One other doubtlessly less complicated different is to take away the exhausting drive and backdoor the OS. If a pc has Trusted Platform Module or an identical safety that cryptographically ensures the integrity of pc {hardware} earlier than loading the OS, the attacker can sniff the crypto key off the low-pin depend bus, assuming a person hasn’t enabled a preboot password. Some Embedded Controllers that deal with keyboard and energy administration are one other goal, as are different controllers (Thunderbolt or in any other case) if they’ve DMA entry (e.g. Ethernet and USB3 controllers).

“There are seriously tons and tons of things you can do to a PC once you open the case,” says Hector Martin, an impartial safety researcher with intensive expertise in hacking or reverse-engineering the Nintendo Wii, a number of generations of the Sony PlayStation, and different units with sturdy defenses towards bodily assaults. “The evil maid threat model is interesting when you restrict it to plugging things into ports, because that can be done very quickly when e.g. the target is just looking away.”

Alfredo Ortega, a safety advisor who makes a speciality of vulnerability analysis and cryptography, instructed me largely the identical factor.

He stated:

I do not assume this can be a important assault, as a result of it requires bodily entry to the pocket book, and in case you have bodily entry to the pc, there are a lot less complicated assaults that will have the identical impact (for instance, inserting a key-logger within the keyboard, hiding a mic contained in the pocket book, putting in a malicious motherboard, and so on.)

Particularly, I do not agree with the primary declare of their paper “Inadequate firmware verification schemes” as a result of the firmware is certainly verified adequately at flash time. In the event you can bodily flash the chip, arguably you could possibly flash another chip within the pocket book and take away all protections and even utterly exchange the pocket book with a malicious one.

There are a lot of pseudo-attacks like this one which are also not actually very harmful as a result of they require bodily entry, for instance, many so-called car-hacking assaults really need to set up dongles in connectors contained in the vehicles. In the event you get contained in the automotive, you could possibly additionally reduce the brake strains: a a lot less complicated assault, with the identical impact. This is identical idea.

That is actually a type of sabotage, not hacking.

If they’ll discover a manner to remotely flash a malicious firmware, then sure, this might make this assault harmful. However they could not do that for the time being, and they require disassembling the pocket book.

Whereas evil maid assaults that do not require disassembly are exhausting, they’re not inconceivable. In 2015, safety researcher Trammell Hudson created a tool that, when plugged in to the Thunderbolt port of a totally up to date Mac, covertly changed its firmware. The feat, which required solely fleeting entry to the focused machine, did not require any disassembly or any entry to an already trusted Thunderbolt system. Apple promptly mounted the flaw.

Ortega stated Thunderspy does establish a number of weaknesses that characterize actual flaws within the Thunderbolt system, however he doesn’t contemplate the weaknesses important. He famous that underneath the Widespread Vulnerability Scoring System, the weaknesses are rated a comparatively low 7, a sign, he stated, that others don’t imagine the failings are extreme, both.

Critics additionally notice that over the previous decade there have been a number of assaults that concentrate on weaknesses in Thunderbolt to obtain largely the identical outcome. Examples embrace this one and this one. One of many newer ones is named Thunderclap.

The reception to Thunderspy on social media has been much more scathing. A small sampling consists of pretty much every tweet made over the past 48 hours from Pedro Vilaça, among the many best-known macOS reverse engineers and hackers.

Whereas the refrain of criticism has been nothing in need of excessive, loads of safety professionals say Thunderspy is a crucial assault that must be taken critically.

Intel assurances torn asunder

“People arguing that physical access to a computer means you’ve lost: why do you think laptops should not be at least as resistant to physical attack as an iPhone?” Matthew Garrett wrote on Twitter. In the identical thread, fellow safety researcher Saleem Rashid added: “ignoring the “physical access = game over” crowd, a practical concern is that you can open a laptop and make drastic hardware changes in a way you can’t with a smartphone.”

ignoring the “physical access = game over” crowd, a sensible concern is that you could open a laptop computer and make drastic {hardware} modifications in a manner you possibly can’t with a smartphone..

— Saleem Rashid

(@saleemrash1d) May 11, 2020

One other researcher who has given Thunderspy his certified approval is safety researcher Kenn White. He was clear that the assault represents solely an “incremental advance” in earlier Thunderbolt evil maid assaults, however he stated it’s nonetheless essential. He summarized his evaluation of the findings this manner:

It is attention-grabbing to many in the neighborhood as a result of it bypasses Intel’s most up-to-date mitigations and is evident proof that the bodily safety mannequin for Thunderbolt, for thousands and thousands of units, is damaged.

Individuals who say “there are much easier ways to compromise a device” are appropriate, however that is not the purpose. Ignoring for the second any undue exaggeration of influence, that is an incremental enchancment in our understanding of complicated interdependencies. Perhaps not sudden in precept by practitioners on this specialised area, however an incremental analysis advance nonetheless.

If a sufficiently resourced attacker can tamper with bodily {hardware} of the sufferer, significantly for commodity x86 Home windows techniques, generally, sure, that system might be compromised. Particularly although with Thunderbolt, Intel makes particular anti-tampering safety ensures of their most up-to-date firmware/software program which have been bypassed right here.

In the meantime, White stated, each Apple and Google have managed to implement settings that block many Thunderspy sort bodily DMA assaults, together with USB-C, from working towards Macs and Pixelbooks, respectively. “Apple and Google device engineers seem to have anticipated this issue and have stronger IOMMU defaults and therefore expose their users to less risk.”

For its half, Intel has printed an announcement that factors out what Ruytenberg had already made clear—that Thunderspy is defeated by Kernel DMA protections, which have been launched final yr for Home windows (Home windows 10 1803 RS4 and later) and Linux (kernel 5.x and later), and in early 2017 for macOS (macOS 10.12.4 and later, which got here greater than two years forward of the Home windows and Linux fixes). The assertion additionally characterised Thunderspy as a brand new bodily assault vector for an previous vulnerability.

Neglected of the put up is one thing Intel has but to acknowledge: that thousands and thousands of computer systems stay caught with an inadequate safety Intel as soon as promised used cryptographic authentication to “prevent unauthorized Thunderbolt PCIe-based devices from connecting without user authorization.”

What’s a person to do?

Readers who’re left questioning how large a menace Thunderspy poses ought to keep in mind that the excessive bar of this assault makes it extremely unlikely it will ever be actively utilized in real-world settings, besides, maybe, for the highest-value targets coveted by secretive spy businesses. Whichever camp has a greater case, nothing will change that actuality.

The really paranoid can run instruments right here and right here to test if their computer systems are inclined. Customers of computer systems that stay unprotected towards this esoteric assault can then use their BIOS to disable Thunderbolt altogether. Customers also needs to guarantee full disk encryption is enabled and flip computer systems off, as opposed to placing them to sleep, when leaving a PC unattended.

The larger influence of this analysis is the rift it has uncovered amongst safety researchers and the pc customers who look to them for steering in assessing hacking dangers.

“I actually made one put up simply quoting [Wired’s earlier] story [on Thunderspy] and some man despatched me 65 replies/tags for six hours final evening,” White stated. “There’s a lot of hostility out there.”

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behringerisabully · 5 years

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Behringer Bullying Music Technology Journalists: What can we do?

Behringer has a documented history of abusive lawsuits with the goal of silencing journalists and individuals. In this page, we take look at the latest instance of abusive behaviour and bullying from this multinational corporation. This is not about Behringer’s products or customers. It’s about Behringer’s public behaviour as a corporation towards individuals and the press.

Further down, you will be able to find suggestions as to how Behringer could be encouraged to make better choices moving forward.

What did Behringer do now?

On January 24, 2020 Behringer announced (1) that they had trademarked the word KIRN (2)

(Note: Music Tribe is the holding company for Behringer and its many brands and that’s why they are mentioned in the trademark documents (9).

Peter Kirn is a music technology journalist who has been running the website Create Digital Music (3) for the past 15 years in addition to writing for press outlets like Keyboard, MacWorld and Popular Science.

On February 16 2020, Behringer began publicly posting on their official company Facebook account the following material about fictional music technology products (4) encouraging their social media followers to riff on and mock the word KIRN:

- Source for both images Music Tech (5) -

The MeeGroove in the caption from the picture above is relevant because Peter Kirn is the cofounder of Blipsonic(6) a small company that has developed a compact kit-based and assembled open source synth called Meeblip. Their company website (6) states:

“blipsonic Inc. was founded in 2015 to create and market unique electronic products. We’re based in Calgary, Canada, in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. MeeBlip is a line of musical instrument hardware from CDM (createdigitalmusic.com) and blipsonic inc. engineer James Grahame. We build ready-to-play, friendly, fully open source hardware for anyone.”

Here is a picture of Peter Kirn for reference:

- Source: in-sonora.org (7) -

On March 2 2020, Behringer published a video on their official company YouTube channel and subsequently re-shared it on their verified Behringer Facebook page announcing what looks like a product mockup for a synth module (8).

- Source: Behringer via MusicRadar (8) -

The video and social media posts seem to have been taken down by Behringer from all their official accounts and channels a day later. But not before musicians and journalists had seen, responded and reported on them.

Although, prior to its removal, Behringer insisted that its CorkSniffer video was nothing more than them “Just having a bit of post Karnival fun here, with Pinnochio and Wine :),” few were convinced. — Music Radar (8)

Behringer’s video seemingly aimed to undermine the credibility of journalist Peter Kirn, founder of respected music tech blog CDM and co-creator of MeeBlip synths. After public backlash, Behringer pulled the video, made a public apology (below) and then deleted both. — MusicTech (4)

Aside from MusicTech and Music Radar, many other major synthesizer and music technology websites reported on Behringer’s bullying tactics:

Behringer today used its official channels today to launch a ‘bizarre‘ personal attack on journalist Peter Kirn, who runs the well-respected electronic media site Create Digital Music.

Behringer shared a video that used name-calling and ridicule to bully Kirn. The professionally-produced video features a new product, the ‘Kirn Cork Sniffer’. — Synthtopia (10)

On top of the bullying and harassment, many press outlets and musicians picked up on potentially anti-semitic overtones in the caricature (It’s worth noting that anti-semitic cartoons and propaganda often resort to depicting jewish people as dishonest, overly intellectual and elitist to drive a message of hate and prejudice further), further on the topic from Synthtopia:

The mockup of the synthesizer includes a caricature of Peter Kirn that many have interpreted an anti-Semitic hate attack.

As Magnetic Magazine’s Ryan Middleton states, “Not-withstanding the poor taste and bad execution, this is filled with anti-Semitic tropes.”

That perspective is shared by others.

Red Means Recordings’ Jeremy Blake writes, “Today Behringer decided to create a personal attack parody product with strong anti-Semitic overtones, because the subject of the parody wrote an article about them.” — Synthtopia (10)

Uli Behringer, the company owner and founder, responded in an official capacity to the immediate aftermath with a hasty non-apology (Note the “anyone who felt offended” cop out) which later was itself taken down from the official company page but was saved as a screenshot for posterity by a multitude of netizens.

This supposed apology reveals several key elements because Uli Behringer, owner and founder of the company that carries his last name(!), recognises that “our marketing department” was directly involved and he names Peter Kirn in the second sentence, which puts to rest any doubts about the true intentions, involvement and resources devoted with regards to the disgusting stunt.

Why did Behringer go after Peter Kirn?

Peter Kirn’s may have caught the company’s eye when reporting on Behringer’s use of abusive lawsuits to silence 20 forum members on a US-based music technology forum as well as a separate instance involving a Chinese blog that criticised the company.

Other issues that have garnered unwanted attention for the company include labour disputes involving the company’s labour force and factory complex in Zanghou, China.

See here for reporting from Peter Kirn’s Create Digital Music website and other sources on these issues and more:

Behringer sued Dave Smith Instruments, forum posters, and lost https://cdm.link/2018/06/behringer-have-sued-dave-smith-instruments-forum-posters-for-defamation

Behringer threatens legal action against a site that called it a copycat https://cdm.link/2018/06/behringer-threatens-legal-action-against-a-site-that-called-it-a-copycat

Factory workers in Zhongshan protest dangerous working conditions https://clb.org.hk/content/factory-workers-zhongshan-protest-dangerous-working-conditions

Behringer, Midifan and the MUSIC Tribe City factory strike: Uli takes to Facebook https://www.gearnews.com/behringer-midifan-and-the-music-tribe-city-factory-strike-uli-takes-to-facebook

Why Behringer’s bullying and intimidation tactics are wrong

Trademarking an individual’s last name without their permission or knowledge.

Using official company social accounts and YouTube channel to attack, ridicule and single out an individual by name and caricaturing his likeness with malicious intent because they may not have liked some of his reporting.

Issuing and then withdrawing a half-apology.

Resorting to bullying and intimidation as official company policy (however brief) after underhand legal tactics had failed in silencing other critics who expressed opinions on an internet forum or blog.

Setting a bad example in what is after all a relatively small market and community.

Should I throw away, sell or stop buying Behringer products?

In short, no.

In my opinion, the issues presented on this page have nothing to do with Behringer products themselves, customers or even the engineers who involved in their development.

I take issue solely with Uli Behringer, his management team and the decision-makers who put into action all the underhand tactics described on this page.

I think you should continue to enjoy the products and have fun making music. I would go even further and say that if you are planning on buying a Behringer product, you should.

But if you feel really strongly that the issues explained here impact your purchasing decisions, then you may want to consider buying second hand.

If you are in a position where you can and want to get rid of Behringer products from your studio, please do not damage them or throw them away. Look into donating them to local schools, libraries or nonprofit organisations. Alternatively, you could sell them on the second hand market at a discount.

What can we do to make Behringer reconsider its bullying tactics in the future?

I believe that arguing with people on the internet who may not share your concerns does not make a difference in the long term when it comes to addressing those concerns in a meaningful way (even though it may feel good in the short term).

Behringer operates in a relatively small market when compared to other technology sectors (such as mobile phones or computers). I could be wrong but I think that the amount of potential customers for the products that Behringer releases number in the thousands and not in the millions.

Uli Behringer and his leadership team show no regard for collegiality, professionalism or a modicum of common decency. They seem to only understand the financial bottom line and their ability to distribute their products.

So … a boycott? No, not necessarily.

The music technology customer base is made up of musicians, professionals and deeply informed enthusiasts — not passive consumers.

Let’s reach out respectfully to retailers and distributors who carry Behringer products or any of their other brands under the Music Tribe umbrella.

They are the ones who can move and amplify our concerns up the supply chain.

Ask them respectfully about the business justification for this behaviour:

Are they aware of Behringer using marketing resources to personally attack a single music journalist?

Do the bullying tactics that Behringer uses align with your company values and brand? Is Behringer setting a positive example?

How do you plan to address this? What do you think the solution is?

Can you pass on my concerns as your customer to relevant people who deal with Behringer and its brands?

If enough of us reach out to retailers and distributors that work with Behringer, they will pass on those concerns and hopefully that results in Behringer being dissuaded from acting abusively, even if only for pure financial interest, towards those that do not automatically play ball with the music technology giant.

Let’s put the ball in their court. Thanks for reading.

Sources:

(1) https://www.facebook.com/behringer/posts/10158051624498914

(2) https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmcase/page/Results/4/EU018163140

https://bases-marques.inpi.fr/Typo3_INPI_Marques/marques_fiche_resultats.html?index=1&refId=18163140_201950_ctmark&y=36

(3) https://cdm.link

(4) https://www.musictech.net/news/11-things-need-know-history-behringer-peter-kirn/

(5)https://www.musictech.net/news/is-this-how-behringer-responds-to-criticism

(6) https://meeblip.com/pages/support

(7) https://in-sonora.org/ficha-artista/peter-kirn

(8) https://www.musicradar.com/news/behringer-forced-to-apologise-after-bullying-row

(9) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_Tribe

(10) https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2020/03/02/behringer-dismisses-critics-as-haters-launches-hate-attack-on-journalist/

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creativesage · 5 years

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(via Intrapreneurship at Pernod-Ricard: Test and Learn in Action – Innovation Excellence)

By Nicolas Bry

Astrid Froment created Kangaroo Fund, an open innovation Fund for the 18,000 Pernod Ricard Employees, and an intrapreneurship program adopting experimentation & lean Start Up. In 2 seasons, it generated more than 250 ideas, 20 finalists, and 10 ideas incubated… she shares with us this exciting story.

Following my article on “Dare to be difference makers”, I have seen a lot of interest in my experience building from scratch an “Intrapreneurship” program. Boosting entrepreneurship in the corporate world, I have run a structure to accelerate the development of new ideas and people behind it for 4 years. Along the journey, I have learnt there is no “true” recipe, but you can apply few principles to increase chances of success…

Revive your entrepreneurial spirit

Getting Entrepreneurship as part of its DNA, Pernod Ricard embarked quite early in this journey in comparison with other CAC 40 companies. In March 2012, my top management gave me the challenge to give life to an Innovation Fund called “Kangaroo Fund”, such a challenging name! My first move has been to transform this constraint into a strength. I discovered that this is an animal not capable of moving backwards, and of course it nurtures its little ones for a while, and moves forward in leaps. It’s a good analogy when it comes to Innovation ways of working, made of a strong ambition with step-by-step progress. I had three months to launch the fund among our 18 000+ employees from any functions and any affiliates around the world.

The program has been launched just before summer with a strong internal communication campaign. I have used my marketing background to build K Fund, it’s nick name, as a brand by establishing an emotional connection with employees across different cultures. With a design agency, we created a character looking like the “shaddocks” to embody the fund main motto: “Everyone Kan-Do”! It was very powerful, lowering the barriers for people in my company to participate.

To enter the fund, people just had to send a 1-minute video. The call for ideas was very simple, it was all about any new offers with a real added value to our consumers: new products, services, or experiences. We received 147 projects from all over the world, engaging employees from very different backgrounds. 66% of the ideas came from Marketing, but also many ideas came from Finance, Legal, R&D, Commercial, HR… Season 1 kick off released a lot of positive energy: “Entrepreneurship is alive and kicking in Pernod Ricard!”

Not being aware of the full challenge at that stage, I built K Fund step-by-step. No need to build big machinery not knowing where we would end up, plus I was the only resource behind it. Developing this initiative from scratch, I have realized the true meaning of Entrepreneurial Spirit: a mindset that embraces critical questioning, followed by quick actions, and continuous improvements. It’s an approach to actively seeking positive change rather than waiting to adapt to change.

Unlock ideas’ value with several leaps

Getting an idea is a great eureka moment but it quickly needs to be tested against reality and to resonate with consumers on the field. People behind the ideas must test usage at a very early stage. Inspired by Lean Startup from Eric Ries and with the precious advice from @Tobias Rooney, an external partner, I wrote a methodology adapted to Pernod Ricard culture. It’s made of several leaps to select ideas and project owners behind it with most potential. Let’s see how it works…

An idea on its own is difficult to assess. That is why K Fund went for a call for ideas limited in time. It mobilizes energies on a regular basis, and it enables the capture of small signals from the field, highlighting emerging consumer’s needs. After the call for ideas, a jury made of internal and external people, selects the top 50 ideas addressing Pernod Ricard strategic vision at the time, and chooses also a balanced portfolio of ideas with a different level of disruption.

Leap 1 / “Why people would love my idea?” This phase enables the participants to understand where the value comes from, the pains and the gains for consumers, the Unique Value Proposition. What’s new & different? What’s the real benefit for people? The idea owners share their new offer already with few colleagues, friends and family, talk with experts to enrich it and understand their idea’s full potential. It takes one month and a couple of hundred euros to come up with an initial unique value proposition.

Leap 2 / “Why people would buy my idea?” It is all about validating a usage, Consumer Traction. This phase digs into understanding who the early adopters are, people buying first the idea, when and where these people would buy the offer. The top 10 ideas selected at this stage get access to a workshop to meet up with some startups, to embrace a build/measure/learn mindset! Project owners work on it alongside their day to day job. Leap 2 lasts three months to focus only on what truly matters. It gives enough time to build a minimum viable offer (product or service), a first realistic version of their idea using a couple of thousand euros, to experiment in market.

Leap 3 / “How to make money with my idea long term?” The top 3 ideas enter a phase to dig into the offer/market fit, and to understand how to build new revenue streams. It’s all about Business Stickiness…. The project owners must break silos to get access to expertise they do not have yet. They put together a team made of internal experts from other business units and external partners to explore a new value chain: everything from procurement to new production techniques, from exploring new route to markets to engaging with customer/consumers in a different way… also considering all legal and fiscal implications. Developing a new business is challenging! This phase starts with a boot camp to acquire new capabilities such as Business Models Experimentation. It lasts 6 to 9 months to get enough time to understand repurchase, key for a sustainable new business. At this stage, a burn rate is agreed every 3 months, and official time from business unit is allocated project by project.

In September 14, we launched K Fund Season 2, receiving again around 150 ideas. As I gathered an enormous amount of learning from Season 1, I made K Fund Season 2 evolve accordingly. The K Fund methodology has been iterated along the journey and has become the foundation of Pernod Ricard Innovation ways of working. It has also accelerated the adoption of agile capabilities within the group.

After the 3rd leap begins the real challenge! In 2015 I built an internal Start Up to incubate the top ideas in market at a small scale…

Selecting ideas with potential is not the most important

What makes a difference is identifying and accompanying people with the qualities to make it happen. Anyone can have good ideas, many new ideas are surrounding us, the strength comes from transforming those ideas into sustainable business value.

As you do not become an innovator overnight… project owners need support to enrich their expertise, to learn about business model canvas tools, and to boost their leaderships skills. Like a start up CEO, they need to pitch and to prepare their ideas for business investment. Coaching is critical. Time and money behind it should not be underestimated. Training organized at different stages of the idea development are highly valuable. These gatherings are in a way a first official recognition from the corporate entity. It also enables evaluation of the project owner’s qualities, to challenge their thinking, and maintain the right level of energy at every step of the idea development.

Mobilizing a community to accelerate the idea’s development is key at every phase. Every K Fund event has been filmed to transmit stories to the core business on their journey. It gives visibility and credit to the participants. It has also been a good way to mobilize people with expertise in the group, to tap into our collective intelligence, a strong corporate unfair competitive advantage. In 2016, our Innovation community reached 1,000 employees on our Enterprise Social Network, and became a real asset.

Identifying people with entrepreneurship qualities is unfortunately not enough… I have underestimated the difficulty to assess new disruptive ideas, the temptation to judge it through the lens of the core business when it should be challenged with a new business model in mind. Some Corporate Leaders need to be coached to become Corporate Business Angels to facilitate decision making, to agree on burn rates, to lower the barriers in the core business when necessary.

To conclude, many questions remain open on THE recipe for success of an entrepreneurship program in the corporate world. If I had an opportunity to do it again, I would keep the entrepreneurial mindset and key methodology principles of the KFund journey, but there are a few things I would do differently.

1 / Be specific on the call for ideas / I would start first to clarify the scope. I would deep dive into the Pernod Ricard Value Chain, to understand where there are frictions, and find out how we could generate new revenue streams. I would then make a call for ideas around these areas. Entrepreneurial initiatives are a way to create value, to build potential growth options for the future…

2 / Get Operational Sponsors / Then I would only experiment on new business model ideas addressing critical challenges for our Business Units to obtain sponsorship from the field from day one. I would then make sure we have some corporate business angels to facilitate decisions making and agree on burn rates on a regular basis to keep momentum…

3 / Recognize Talents / I would go further than freeing intrapreneurs’ time from the core business. I would try to find ways to better value these people with HR departments, as it is a real pool of talent for corporate entities. Entrepreneurial capabilities shall be valued in their carrier’s path. It is such an asset for corporate to get skilled people that can quickly adapt to the change our industries go through, with capabilities to transform ideas into new business value while consuming the least time & fewest resources…

You need to be passionate to move ideas forward, passion drives engagement and actions. Passion also makes it an emotional journey… Several sponsors are necessary to accompany corporate entrepreneurs during this bumpy road, to show empathy and to support people through the unavoidable periods of trial, doubt, and struggle.

Go for it, make your own experience…

[Entire post, click on the title link to read it at Innovation Excellence.]

***

Speaking of Innovation and Innovators...

We are proud and honored to have had our @CreativeSage company Twitter account chosen for the seventh year in a row now (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018), for the Top 50 Innovation Twitter Sharers List! We want to thank Innovation Excellence and everyone in our community who voted for our account again this past year.

Additionally, Founder/CEO/Chief Imagination Officer Cathryn Hrudicka maintains a multidisciplinary artist account at @CathrynHrudicka that some of you may want to follow, too. She has served as an Artist-in-Residence, and can recommend other Artists-in-Residence in all artistic disciplines, for companies and organizations.

At Creative Sage™, we love to work with clients on social innovation, educational innovation, healthcare innovation, civic and government innovation projects, as well as corporate innovation projects. Our core capabilities include creativity training and coaching, and the design and facilitation of innovation programs, including in the areas of design thinking, arts-based processes, applications of science and neuroscience tools when appropriate, change management, and business model innovation.

We have been very effective in helping organizational leaders and employees move through transitions and cultural changes. We work with for-profit, nonprofit, B-corps, trade associations, and other types of organizations.

In addition to offering our services in creativity and innovation program design, consulting, leadership coaching, and training, we may be able to help your organization define and choose a Chief Innovation Officer (or another innovation management role) — or our founder, Cathryn Hrudicka, may be able to serve in an innovation project management role for your organization, on a contract, part-time or limited full-time basis.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to discuss your situation and how we can help your organization move forward to a more innovative and profitable future. You can also call us at 1-510-845-5510 in San Francisco / Silicon Valley.

We look forward to helping you find the path to luminous creativity and continuous innovation!

***

#innovation #innovationmanagement #innovationprocess #intrapreneurship #entrepreneurship #businessmodels #businessmodel #valuepropositions #valueproposition #pernodricard #ideas #ideation #incubator #accelerator #kangaroofund #AstridFroment #NicolasBry

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spoorti1509-blog · 6 years

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How Can A Mobile App Help My Business?

This is a mobile era and day by day the number of mobile users is increasing. Over 60% to 70% of time spent by users on mobile devices is spent using apps. Therefore, we can say apps are becoming the dominant form of digital interaction. It’s not that all websites or businesses should hire mobile app Development Company to build their desired apps or websites, especially not to those who has less interaction with their customers.

So I recommend that all businesses should consider the cost of app development, conversion metrics and mainly their audience behaviour etc. before getting to go for a mobile app to their business. The problem is people try to imitate or get clone apps if any existing business is already running successfully by owing apps, not saying that should not imitate other related apps but before getting clone or same kind of apps, should think of cost estimation, suppose i want to get an app like Snapchat or Swiggy then we should research what might be the Cost Of Mobile App Like Snapchat , So doing this we get some rough idea before developing our business app.

So Businesses with big wallets can afford to employ both mobile web and mobile apps too, but some mid-level or start up companies might have to choose any one of the option. Of course like I said the choice between mobile apps and websites entirely depends on their usability, price, features required for business and finally the audience they going to serve. But this is not enough, as we are living in competitive world that is the reason we see many small and mid-level businesses in your day to day life have their own dedicated mobile app to serve themselves and as well as their customers- Be it a small coffee shop or the fast food centre.

Well, If you are still confused why anyone would want to build their own mobile app rather than having websites to their businesses, then go through the below mentioned top seven benefits of going down this path which is sooner rather than later.

1) Mobile App Provide Better Branding

Mobile applications can enable to unlock your brand awareness which is the key to success. It's simple and straightforward, when your organization's or company or business has name or logo on your customer’s mobile screen, then it will hard to forget or neglect it as that is what the power of branding is.

In addition, mobile applications equipped and highlighted with different features, for example, push notices. You can help your customers to remember an uncommon offer to pull in their consideration. Or on the other hand you can get increasingly close to home with notices like I think you forgot to have your Spicy Chicken Biryani, open the app to order now'. Be that as it may, such close to personal branding will work just on the off chance that if you have the correct subtleties or good understanding with your loved customers.

2) Increased Customer Engagement

Applications are a simple method to interact with your customers. They can enable you to do everything from taking proposals, suggestions and negative criticism as a feedback to having full discussions. Individuals go through near 30 hour out of every month on mobile apps. They help take a few choices including 'what to see', 'what to select' and even 'what to eat' in view of application. This gives organizations an incredible chance to connect with customers and get the ideal result.

Since clients are as of now utilizing their Mobile, the engagement rate is higher on applications. They should simply open the application and you get the ideal outcome inside a couple of moments. A simple method to expand commitment is by permitting web based life sharing’s like social media sharing like Facebook, twitter etc., which will empower clients to share your contents via social platforms, bringing you more traffic to your business

3) Attract More Customers

The mobile application which is right and right match for your business is capable to get more business. Be that as it may, for this to happen you should get designed and developed your business app by choosing the best mobile app development companies and also it is very important to showcase and market you’re the application as well. So when you get an application for business, and dreaming to take it to next level then you should advance it by promoting on different social platforms ,including your officially authority site.

Be that as it may, how does an application encourage your business on the off chance that you are promoting it? In all actuality you are losing on various potential customers by not having a mobile application for your business. Since 20% of Internet it is recorded that users just utilize cell phones to browse the web, you are losing on an extensive segment of this 20% since this huge number of users or call it as your customers will never order from you unless you own your own business app.

4) Stand Out From Your Competitors

As we know that Now a day’s apps development companies are common and hence mobile apps at the small business level are common too but that doesn’t mean you are successful unless your app is well designed with better user friendly UI and secured for payments. Yes this is where you going to can take a big leap ahead of your rivals so called your competitors. Always think of satisfying your customer rather than just getting business app and definitely your competitors will be astonished by your next level thinking approach!

5) Finally Customers With Better Experience

Always build apps for your customers not for only business. These kind of mobile applications enable our customers save their valuable time and energy. No one will have such patience to order their food from website when he or she is in hunger state. They need everything with a single click. Experts believe that this tactic will greatly aid to increase business sales since it is all about offering more to our beloved customers.

Moreover, mobile applications can enable you to serve your customers better. Literally you can utilize mobile applications as the most grounded weapon to defeat your competitors as well as to get successful in your business. It is good to have an application which will place you and your businesses to next level enabling professionalism. Besides, your beloved customers will consider your business as genuine and appreciate what you bring to the table when you have a Mobile application.

Conclusion

So I guess you are looking to take your business to next level and looking for a mobile apps development company- Right? Well Fusion Informatics handles the whole lifecycle of your item from Planning and Strategy, UX/UI Design, App Development, QA/User Acceptance Testing, to Technical Delivery. There are many things to give importance when it comes to achieve a tag as best mobile application Development Company. Feel free to connect with us and to get succeed by avoiding typical mistakes like other have done.

#best mobile app development companies #Business app #app development companies #app development company #apps development companies #apps development company

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jennielim · 4 years

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gordonwilliamsweb · 5 years

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Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes

The Friday Breeze

Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes, who reads everything on health care to compile our daily Morning Briefing, offers the best and most provocative stories for the weekend.

Happy Friday! The gloves came off and the knives came out at the debate this week, so let’s jump right into the fray.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) came out swinging on Wednesday night in an all-around livelier debate than most we’ve seen this primary season. When it came to health care, few were safe from Warren’s jabs — South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s plan was deemed “paper-thin,” Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s was so short it could fit on a Post-it note. Even Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (whose plan Warren supports) was criticized as not being realistic or a team player.

Warren wasn’t the only one on the attack. Former Vice President Joe Biden hit at new-comer and billionaire Mike Bloomberg for once upon a time labeling the Affordable Care Act “a disgrace.” But Biden left out some context in that particular attack — such as the fact that Bloomberg was commenting that the law wasn’t enough to fix the deeply flawed health system.

Meanwhile, Midwestern Nice was put to the test as tensions between Buttigieg and Klobuchar boiled over. “You voted to confirm the head of Customs and Border Protection under Trump, who was one of the architects of the family-separation policy,” Buttigieg pointed out. At one point, Klobuchar shot out: “Are you trying to say that I’m dumb? Or are you mocking me here, Pete?”

The Washington Post: A Guide to the Most Biting Brawls of the Contentious Las Vegas Presidential Debate

The Washington Post: Fact-Checking the Ninth Democratic Debate

Buttigieg also tried to get Sanders to take some responsibility for his supporters’ social media behavior. The issue was top of mind this week after a powerful culinary union in Nevada condemned the “vicious attacks” its members were receiving following the union’s criticism of Sanders’ “Medicare for All” plan.

The Wall Street Journal: Democratic Debate in Nevada: The Moments That Mattered

The incident between the union and Sanders’ supporters is the tip of the iceberg of a larger Medicare for All civil war roiling organized labor. On one side, you have liberal unions who argue a government-run plan would free them up to refocus and allow them to concentrate on other important matters. The other side of the coin says there’s no way the health care provided under such a system would be as good as the hard-earned plans they have now.

Politico: Labor’s Civil War Over ‘Medicare For All’ Threatens Its 2020 Clout

The Friday Breeze

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I was overly optimistic last week in everyone’s desire to adopt an official name for the coronavirus outbreak. Sorry scientists, “COVID-19” does not seem to have taken off, and, at least colloquially, you might be stuck with “coronavirus.” But no matter what it’s called, it is still demanding the world’s attention. Here’s a look at some of the more noteworthy and interesting stories from the week:

— The number of cases in China keeps dropping, in a sign that the outbreak might be stabilizing, at least in the epicenter. But that doesn’t mean anyone should be optimistic (heaven forbid!), because it’s likely cases outside China are on the cusp of blooming into a pandemic.

The New York Times: Coronavirus Epidemic Keeps Growing, But Spread in China Slows

— The Washington Post peels back the curtain on a fight between the State Department and the CDC over whether infected cruise ship passengers should be flown back to America without telling the other people on the plane. Guess who won …

The Washington Post: Diamond Princess: State Department Flew Coronavirus-Infected Americans to the US Against CDC Advice

— Who in our cast of characters holds the responsibility of steering the world through this crisis? (All I keep thinking is: “Responders…Assemble!” Anyone else? Or only your resident Marvel geek here?)

Stat: The Responders: Who Is Leading the Charge in the Coronavirus Outbreak

— Why is a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, making news? Because in the early 2000s a group of doctors and scientists came up with the idea of creating a biocontainment unit there. Not everyone was on board at the time, calling it “overkill.” But nearly two decades of epidemics have proved the skeptics wrong.

The Associated Press: Why Treat People Exposed to Virus in Omaha? Why Not?

The New York Times: First Ebola, Now Coronavirus. Why an Omaha Hospital Gets the Toughest Cases.

— Are computers better at spotting an outbreak before humans’ puny minds can? Well, they’re quicker, certainly, but they lack our finesse. AI is more like an overly anxious car alarm, and disease fighters are still needed to come in and tease out the complexities of the situation.

The Associated Press: Can AI Flag Disease Outbreaks Faster Than Humans? Not Quite

— More men than women are falling victim to the coronavirus, and that might have something to do with smoking rates.

The New York Times: Why the Coronavirus Seems to Hit Men Harder Than Women

— The prejudice that tagged along with this outbreak is nothing new. Experts warn that there’s a long history of this kind of reaction, and that if we don’t heed warnings about the consequences of such behavior we’ll just be repeating mistakes of the past again.

Undark: Coronavirus Spurs Prejudice. History Suggests That’s No Surprise.

— The vast majority of coronavirus cases are mild. But in 2% of cases, it’s brutally lethal. So what’s happening?

The Washington Post: How the New Coronavirus Can Kill People or Sicken Them

— Is COVID-19 here to stay or will it disappear like its coronavirus brethren?

Los Angeles Times: SARS Killed Hundreds and Then Disappeared. Could This Coronavirus Die Out?

— And, something I had not considered, but with the Olympics coming up, experts say the world needs to have a better grip on the virus before countries should think about attending.

The Associated Press: Virologist: Tokyo Olympics Probably Couldn’t Be Held Now

As the Trump administration pushes to increase patients’ access to their electronic health records, tech companies wait hungrily in the wings for the data to slip out from under the protection of HIPAA. Supporters of the administration’s moves say that Big Tech will be mindful of their own brands and reputations and treat the potential of (lucrative, sweeping) health data responsibly. Critics are a little less sure about that rose-colored-glasses view of an industry mired in data-privacy scandals.

Politico: Trump’s Next Health Care Move: Giving Silicon Valley Your Medical Data

Covered California enrollment numbers gave health law supporters something to be smug about this week: Thanks to a state-level individual mandate and more subsidies, the marketplace saw a 41% jump in new sign-ups. Covered California officials were pretty much, like, “See what can be done when you support this model?”

Sacramento Bee: Covered California Health Insurance Sign-Ups Rise in 2020

Speaking of California, Gov. Gavin Newsom made a big statement by devoting the entirety of his State of the State address to the homelessness crisis. “Let’s call it what it is. It’s a disgrace,” he said. A main focus for Newsom was the intersection of mental health and homelessness, and what the state can be doing to better help those who need it.

Los Angeles Times: California Homelessness Crisis ‘A Disgrace,’ Newsom Says in State of the State

In the miscellaneous file for the week:

— Pharma used to rule the roost on Capitol Hill. But those days are looking more and more like a thing of the past. The WSJ dissects the once-ironclad relationship between the industry and Republicans, and what went wrong for the drugmakers.

The Wall Street Journal: How the Drug Lobby Lost Its Mojo in Washington

— These days we’re used to courts demanding scientific evidence, to jurors being presented with experts in the field when having to make a decision about the medical ramifications of something like a pesticide or other chemical. But that wasn’t always the case. Undark looks back on when that changed, and the family that’s cited so often in court cases their name has become a verb.

Undark: For Science in the Courts, the Daubert Name Looms Large

— Ever wonder why things are priced to the 99 cents? That’s because of the way people perceive numbers and the greater likelihood you’ll buy something priced at $4.99 versus $5.00. When it comes to pennies, that might seem inconsequential. But it turns out the same kind of thinking can be applied to age — and, thus, decisions about where the cutoff should be on procedures like open-heart surgery.

Stat: How Psychology of a $4.99 Price Tag May Affect Doctors’ Decisions

— Everyone went into the opioid lawsuits with high hopes, buzzing about the possibility of the reckoning (and settlement) being akin to that of Big Tobacco’s in the 1990s. But the reality is likely to be a letdown.

The New York Times: Payout From a National Opioids Settlement Won’t Be As Big As Hoped

And that’s it from me! Have a great weekend.

Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

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stephenmccull · 5 years