#the VISUALS for this campaign are just???? INCREDIBLE! Beautiful!

[pstelwitchcraft]

Goddamn i already knew Bells Hells animated was going to be AWESOME but after that absolute banger of an intro i am FROTHING at the mouth to see C3 fully animated in like 5-6 years

[fromkenari]

Taylor Zakhar Perez For Lacoste Underwear. The Interview.

This year, American actor Taylor Zakhar Perez, a defining figure of his generation, takes on the role of Lacoste underwear ambassador. The result? An intimate campaign captured in the heart of Paris.

Taylor Zakhar Perez for Lacoste Underwear

Taylor Zakhar Perez was among the prominent guests on the front row of the Lacoste Spring-Summer 2025 fashion show. At 33, the rising film star showcases his versatility by stepping into the role of underwear ambassador. Open-minded and forward-thinking, he embodies values dear to the brand, such as generosity, respect for others, and boldness. Born in Chicago, Taylor Zakhar Perez grew up in Indiana. After competing as a high-level swimmer, he went on to study Spanish and cultural studies, with a focus on television and film. He gradually made a name for himself on both the small and big screens, taking on roles that cemented his charisma and recognition. One standout role was Alex Claremont-Diaz in Red, White & Royal Blue, a film nominated for Emmys and honored with a GLAAD Award*, which celebrate LGBTQIA+ representation. As an ambassador for the 30th SAG Awards, he used his platform to advocate for open-mindedness. *American awards ceremony honoring media and individuals who positively represent the LGBTQIA+ community.

What does Lacoste mean to you?

"I’ve always loved the brand since I was a kid. To me it represents sportsmanship, discipline, and athletic tradition. Means a lot to me to represent it as a global ambassador. I value the brand for its heritage, its iconic logo, and the values it stands for."

How did you react when Lacoste asked you to be an ambassador?

"They’re iconic – it was equally terrifying as it was exciting. My response was something along the lines of, 'Very funny, guys,' followed by an awkward pause when I realized they were serious. In that moment, all I could think was, Who, me? But truly, I was honored to be asked."

What do you think being a crocodile means ?

"To me, it means being determined, resilient, and empowered. But make it French."

Can you tell us about Lacoste Underwear?

"Well…It’s very comfy, these are the kind of underwear you forget you're wearing—in the best way. Whether you’re lounging, running errands, or just going about your day, they move with you and feel super comfortable. Plus, they just fit right."

How did the campaign shoot go?

"After landing in Paris, I went straight into the buzz of their Spring-Summer 2025 show—it was incredible meeting the teams and the creative director for the first time. A few days later, we shot the campaign in the most beautiful Parisian home. Quentin de Briey and Air Afrique absolutely nailed it, and the vibe on set was so epic—collaborative, fun, and full of energy. It felt amazing to be part of the whole creative process, and I’m really proud of what we made together."

Taylor Zakhar Perez for Lacoste Underwear

It was here, in a setting of herringbone parquet floors and an antique fireplace, that Lacoste’s new underwear campaign was brought to life. Behind the lens? Belgian photographer Quentin de Briey, celebrated in the fashion world for his raw, sincere imagery. For Lacoste, he played with light and shadow to create textured, intimate visuals.​ Crafted to feel like stolen moments, the campaign also includes video content produced by Air Afrique, a collective and cultural platform dedicated to the arts. Styled by Jason Bolden, Taylor Zakhar Perez appears as charismatic as he is genuine—an exciting start to a long-term collaboration that will extend across Lacoste’s fashion and sports events.​

Source

[lurkingshan]

Intergenerational Trauma Challenge - 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us

It’s winter and I’m huddled up in my house hiding from the cold weather, so obviously this is the perfect time to tackle another entry on the intergenerational family trauma challenge list. This week I finally watched 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us, a Thai drama about Wang, a young man just coming of age who is desperately seeking answers about his father’s death; Sasiwimol, Wang’s very complicated mother who does not want to dig up the past; Inthawut, his father’s best friend who has been hiding from it for years; and Siam, the black hole at the center of this story.

Before I dig into the trauma themes, let me just say that this show is excellent, if not for everyone. It has a very intentional style that makes it feel like a stage play—the writer is a playwright—and it’s basically eight episodes of very intense conversations. It’s not a romance and there’s an intellectualism in the writing that I found kept me at an emotional remove from the characters even as I marveled at how well crafted the dialogue is. And the dialogue is very important, which is why the translation of this drama is much stronger than we typically get from Thai productions—the words matter. It’s also loaded with visual metaphors and is all around beautiful to look at, and the three main performers are fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes theater, stories about complicated families, or beautiful and talented actors showing their work. And more than anything else, this show does incredibly strong thematic work and its messaging is on point: this is a story about how noble idiocy ruins lives.   

So, with that said, onto the trauma! Spoilers ahead, and I am assuming anyone reading past this point has watched the show. Some themes you’ll see in this one: taboo, denial of queer identity, homophobia, filial piety, and lots of emotional manipulation. Shoutout to @bengiyo and @twig-tea for reading this to make sure I didn’t miss anything in this complex story.

There are two main sources of intergenerational trauma radiating down toward Wang: the absence of his father, Siam, and his intense relationship with his mercurial mother, Sasiwimol. The story is structured around Wang’s determination to seek answers about Siam—both who he was and how he died. He has grown up knowing a certain story: that his parents met and fell in love in college but divorced when he was young, that his father loved him very much despite not staying with his mother, and that his father was an alcoholic who died in a drunk driving accident. Shortly after his father’s death, his mom put him in boarding school so she could focus on her career and became a weekend parent to him—as she was not around to structure his day to day life, their relationship became more about her taking him on fun adventures and spoiling him when she had time off, treating each other as best friends instead of like a mother and son, and never talking about Siam. He has always suspected there was more to the story of his parents that he was not being told, and as he has grown up, come into his own queerness, and picked up on his mother’s casual homophobia and obsessive devotion to compulsory heteronormativity, his suspicions about the secret his mom was holding became sharper. 

Enter Inthawut. Inthawut was Siam’s best friend, and with nothing to go on but a set of old pictures, Wang has an instinctual certainty that he is the key to the secret he’s seeking. And thus he engineers a way for he and his mom to “coincidentally” stumble onto Inthawut’s property and get invited to stay a few days in his isolated home, at which point Wang begins his campaign to figure out what the hell happened between Siam, Sasiwimol, and Inthawut at any cost.

One of the things I find most interesting about this story is how much the plot hinges on Wang going against Asian cultural norms in his pursuit of the truth. He is not respectful to his elders. He does not maintain filial piety and deference to his mother. He refuses to restrain his emotions. Instead, he is pushy and relentless and emotionally manipulative (all tricks we can plainly see he learned from Sasiwimol) and Inthawut doesn’t stand a chance against him. And so, because Wang explicitly acts against these cultural values, the truth comes out and the trauma is no longer suppressed. 

And in the end, it’s a simple, if desperately sad story: Siam and Inthawut were in love, but Inthawut was battling internalized homophobia and deep-seeded fear and so he relentlessly pushed Siam away and toward dating and then marrying their friend Sasiwimol. And when Siam, miserable in this heterosexual relationship he never actually wanted, finally snapped and confessed his true feelings, Inthawut rejected him and ran away to study abroad. Inthawut was running due to his own fear, but he also had noble notions of somehow protecting Siam from his own queerness and told himself that if he was gone, Siam would accept his heterosexual life. Of course, that did not happen, and in the fallout of this rejection Siam sank further into alcoholism and died soon after. Inthawut’s reaction was the exact worst fear of all gay people who work up the courage to confess to a friend they have developed feelings for: outright rejection, abandonment, and destruction of the relationship. And in his mind, he did this to Siam “for his own good,” a fairly textbook execution of the noble idiocy trope. In the aftermath, we see how Inthawut has isolated himself, part in penance, part in self-protection, and intellectualized his way to a romantic construction of his own cowardice that he tries to convince Wang is righteous.

But Wang is deeply affected by how the denial of his father’s queerness ruined his life and is absolutely not having any of Inthawut’s self-denying bullshit, and this is where things get messy, as both Wang and Inthuwat seem to start seeing Wang and Siam as interchangeable and they develop an emotional entanglement that is deeply unhealthy, to say the least. Wang wants to understand Siam so badly that he starts to be him, and Inthuwat is so desperate to address his regret and shame that he starts to see Wang as Siam, as well. Wang also uses this attachment as a way to shock his mother and forcefully bring her real feelings about Siam and Inthawut to the surface. Despite Wang’s many loud protestations to the contrary, I don’t believe that he and Inthawut actually love each other. They are using each other to work out their trauma about Siam.

And they’re not the only ones! Sasiwimol seems to have her own psychological confusion about Wang as he relates to Siam, and their dynamic is very strange as a result. She refers to Wang as dua-eeng (and has taught him to do the same with her rather than calling her “mom”), a Thai endearment that literally means “self” but is often used between lovers. They have a very physically affectionate relationship that often had me grimacing in discomfort, and she clearly sees Wang as both a source of pain—because he is so like Siam—and her one source of comfort and happiness. She is a successful woman by any standard, but she’s also desperately lonely, hanging on tight to Wang as her only companion in a way that often veers into overbearing, and deeply wounded by her past with Siam and Inthawut. It was through her own friendship with Inthawut that she pursued Siam in the first place, and she clearly feels betrayed not only by Siam, but by Inthawut, both for getting in the way of her relationship with Siam and for leaving them. Her feelings about both men are complex and the story never fully spells them out, in part because Sasiwimol never does. Determinedly not thinking about what happened between them is a big part of how she copes, along with sublimating her suspicions into homophobia, which she perpetuates quite intentionally in her work via production of heterosexual romance propaganda.

Wang clearly loves his mother even as he is frustrated by her prejudices, her desire to control him, and her tendency toward emotional manipulation. He is a perceptive kid and he has studied her closely; he understands her very well and can often predict exactly how she’ll react to a situation. Which is why his decision to announce baldly to her face that he is in love with Inthawut—not only coming out as gay but declaring his intention to move out of her home and in with a man 20+ years his senior who is deeply entangled with her own trauma—felt very intentional to me. He knew what kind of reaction that would get from her, and he wanted it. And sure enough, Sasiwimol crumbles at this repetition of her trauma and the perceived disloyalty of Wang choosing Inthawut over her just as his father did. The rest of the emotion she’d been holding back comes pouring out, resulting in the three of them finally airing out everything that lies between them and everything they are feeling about the Siam-shaped hole in their lives. And once she breaks down, Wang is able to forgive her for the grievance she’s caused him and ultimately decides to remain filial and continue living with her, because he does not actually want to punish his mother for what happened to his father. 

So, in the end, where did the story leave us with all this trauma? I can’t really say that any of these characters have healed, but I do think Wang kick-started that process, at least for himself. He got what he needed most out of this little scheme: deeper understanding of who his father was and why his life took such a drastic turn. He remains caught in the dysfunctional dynamic with his mother, and I’m not sure he’ll ever fully break out of it, but at least there is more honesty between them now about what they’re dancing around. She now knows he is gay and she has to accept it to keep him with her, and given that he has backed off from asking her to accept something much scarier than that, I do think she will find a way to make her peace with it. Inthawut is the character who seems to have progressed the least, standing firmly in his stasis and remaining determinedly alone with his pain, though the show leaves us with a note of ambiguity that suggests he may someday find the courage to move on.

The messages of this work are clear. Internalized homophobia and denial of your own queerness are poison for your soul. Rejecting a loved one “for their own good” is an act of cowardice and selfishness, not an act of love. Hiding from and sublimating your trauma will never allow you to heal. Refusing to process your pain will only lead to you pushing it down on the next generation. Ultimately, this story told us that bravely looking ourselves and our trauma in the face and confronting our truths head on is the only way to begin to heal, and that running from them only leads to ruin. 

[facet-project]

pre-blog catchup diary

*disclaimer: this is ALL pre-alpha art. these screenshots are BEFORE visual development started. it's ugly. it's supposed to be. i was focused on programming and didn't want aesthetics to get in the way. pretend in your heart that this is all beautiful pixel art

anyway go below the readmore for details!!

i started working on this game in october 2023!! i had been learning gdscript before that, a little bit, but i hadn't fully committed to this project until then. pictured below is. the First build of the game vs the most current build. we've come so far.

the prototype was just a one-week build of the farming sim. so i could test how the time mechanic worked (time only moves when you do an action, you're not on a constant ticking clock)(this makes it much easier to strategize what you'll do in a day and letting the player go at their own pace, making the game feel more relaxed)(you can also... undo actions... which was just me testing out the code in this version but in the full version... will have different Implications)

i am all by my lonesome on this project. mechanically at least. my brother, girlfriend, dad, and my best friends are constantly helping me test things and i bounce ideas off of them all the time. it helps that my brother is a master GM and writer and my girlfriend is a software developer. and i lean very heavily on my dad for music/soundscape assistance. so yes, solodev, but also i am not an island

so the prototype was made when i was still learning gdscript past the phase of "tutorials for babies that produce a single number-go-up game" which is. hard!! since this is a much more complex project. it's easy to make anything in isolation, it's harder to figure out how to make new systems weave into a bigger project! fucking hell i didn't even know about custom resources!!!!

the prototype went off with FLYING COLORS though. girlfriend and brother played it over the weekend i gave it to them and it worked, it made sense, and watching the two of them test out the mechanics gave me some very good ideas for future builds. also nothing crashed and gf couldn't find any crazy exploits! (however pictured below is the incredibly fucked up floating rabbit glitch that i couldn't fix)

i finished it in june and took a break in july. august will be the first proper devlog for this! i'm excited to have a little dev journal around! i probably will only post consistently about once a month, with maybe some little posts here and there about characters or concept art i'm excited for

so what's next?

TIME TO GO BUILD ALPHA, BABY!!!!

which sounds exciting but i'm basically. starting from scratch again. new, fresh godot file. so it feels like i'm not very far in, even though i have an entire working prototype on my desktop.

and.... geez.... gotta actually make the pixel art and implement it into a working file???? so that it doesn't look like dogshit???? that would be nice. i didn't want to do it for prototyping/pre-alpha because i really wanted to make sure i had the capacity to code the game before putting my heart and soul into the art. and now i'm very certain i do?? it's not hard, it just takes time. and the time will pass anyway!!

i have two campaigns planned for the game, one that's smaller and one that's larger. the bigger one is the typical make your own character farming simulator, played straight in the setting. but i'm working on the smaller one first! you play as a specific character for the first year of the story. not all of the game mechanics are turned on for this mode, and it's more story-oriented than the straight Farming Simulator, so i think it's a good place to put development energy into. get it all ironed out. make it make sense before blowing it up on a larger scale. and it's more contained to test in which is a bonus

anyway. i'm going to post build updates on this on the last day of every month. and!! i'm not going to say a Lot about how the game works quite yet but the askbox is open. i don't think anyone will ask anything cause this is still in really early stages but it's there if you want it i guess

[demifiendrsa]

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will launch for PlayStation 5 on October 20, 2023.

Latest details via PlayStation Blog

Everyone at Insomniac Games is thrilled to announce that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will launch on Friday, October 20th, 2023, only on PlayStation 5. After the amazing fan reception for Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018 and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales in 2020, the team has worked tirelessly over the past few years to make this third installment in the franchise the sequel you have been waiting for. Built from the ground up for PlayStation 5 console, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will unlock the power of the console with better visuals, faster web swinging (and web wings!), 3D Audio*, and near-instant character switching. We speak for all our collaborators and friends at PlayStation and Marvel Games, when we say that we cannot wait for you to get your hands on this incredible single-player open-world experience.

*3D Audio via built-in TV speakers or analogue/USB stereo headphones.

In Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, players will get to experience Marvel’s New York as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales. As you saw in the PlayStation Showcase last month—the main storyline of the game will have you take control of both Spider-Men at different points of the campaign. In the open world, you will be able to switch nearly instantly between them as you explore Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. Both Spider-Men have stories and missions in the world exclusive to each of them.

As you can see from our box art, Peter and Miles are both key protagonists in our story. The iconic red background returns, but darkness surrounds as fan-favorite villains like Venom, Lizard, and Kraven threaten them and Marvel’s New York. You will also notice that each character’s arm represents their new abilities: Peter with the symbiote, Miles with his evolved bioelectric Venom powers.

In addition to our launch date, we are excited to walk you through your options for experiencing Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Pre-orders will open on June 16th, 2023 at all participating retailers, PlayStation Store, and PlayStation Direct. Pre-Orders will go live at 10:00 AM local time on June 16, 2023. Fans who pre-order any version of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will receive an early unlock Arachknight Suit for Peter with 3 additional color variants, an early unlock Shadow Spider Suit for Miles with 3 additional color variants, an early unlock Web Grabber gadget, and 3 skill points to get you started!

You will see the beautiful box art adorning the standard edition of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for $69.99 / £69.99/ €79.99/ ¥8,980 MSRP. But that is not all! There will be a Digital Deluxe and Collector’s Edition of the game!

The Digital Deluxe edition of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 ($79.99 / £79.99/ €89.99/ ¥9,980 MSRP) will include the game, all the pre-order incentives, as well as 10 unique suits (5 for Peter, 5 for Miles), additional Photo Mode frames and stickers, and 2 additional skill points.

Additionally, we are excited to announce that these 10 suits were designed by guest artists across comics, films, and PlayStation Studios! The featured artists are Kris Anka, Julia Blattman, Sweeney Boo, Anthony Francisco, Raf Grassetti, Jerad Maantz, Joel Mandish, Darren Quach, and Victoria Ying!

For our hardcore Spider-Man fans out there who want an incredible Spider-Man collectible alongside Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we have just the edition for you while supplies last. The Collector’s Edition ($229.99 / £219.99/ €249.99/ ¥31,790 MSRP) includes a voucher for the Digital Deluxe Edition, as well as a Steelbook® case, and an extraordinary, high-quality 19-inch statue featuring our Spider-Men battling fan-favorite Venom. Fans can order the Collector’s Edition on PlayStation Direct in those select markets (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Austria, Spain, Portugal) starting at 10AM local time on June 16th, 2023.

For those countries that do not have PlayStation Direct, be on the lookout for more information on how you can secure a Collector’s Edition in your region.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

I have a feeling you won't really like taehyungs album. From the description it's gonna be a very romantic album 😅

I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. Ngl I was nervous because I feel like a lot of Taehyungs songs are very repetitive, but this one was different to me. Tomorrow's song seems like it's gonna be a very slow song so I might take back what I just said lol but I am excited to hear the rest of the album.

Something that I am really looking forward to is all his mvs. I know you mentioned there wasn't much going on in this one but I feel like the focal point was his outfits. Something I'm really taking notice from the album previews and this mv is that tae is doing an amazing job of being gender fluid. I always thought jimin did it best, but it seems like tae is really pushing the boundaries

I don't think so either, and it's not because of the romance. As long as the lyrics are good, it doesn't matter to me if they are romantic. I ove the Serendipity lyrics because they are so romantic and so incredibly sweet and pure. Don't by eAon and RM is a beautiful love song as well, and the MV is simple but so impactful in my enjoyment of the song. But imo Rainy Days and Love Me Again have pretty generic romantic lyrics which the songs and MVs are too generic to elevate.

Love Me Again is catchier than Rainy Days, and both songs are good but they're also very much run-of-the-mill K-RnB songs. I was very surprised to see that V isn't credited in either of the songs. He loves writing this kind of music but he didn't write his debut songs? I mean, if you're outsourcing, aren't you supposed outsource something better than anything you could've come up with? Isn't that the whole point? Sweet Night is better than this, and so is 4 O'Clock.

What I really don't get is hiring MHJ. Rainy Days is like if Pinterest and IG had a baby video together. It's like a pretentious People Pt. 2. I really don't like these kinds of aesthetics, sorry. I don't understand how anything so far is visually interesting. The trendy, retro pics are not unique at all - and not my style -, the album cover isn't that pretty and the concept of it being delivered to your house is meh, and the pic of Yeontan with the V check mark is honestly so ugly.

The outfits in the MVs aren't enough to interest me personally and I barely noticed them. I don't think V is more genderfluid than Jimin or Jungkook. He's wearing trendy menswear stuff which in recent years has become a lot more genderfluid as a whole, and he definitely likes that kind of clothing, but Jikook to me are still more deliberately genderfluid. Jungkook was more conventionally masculine in Seven but look at his new CK campaign, and so many of his rl looks. Suga has modeled genderfluid looks as well (for example, the infamous LV skirt and the Maire Claire photoshoots).

I don't know, the songs are solid but don't pack a punch or show V in a new light so far, and the promotions and investment on the visual aspect of it aren't paying off for me. I'm even less interested now that I heard V won't be credited in his album. Whatever happened to his millions of song drafts?

Thanks for the ask!

[rmrkbl-marketing]

A/B Testing for E-Commerce Success

Introduction

At RMRKBL Marketing we know that making informed decisions is not ideal; it's necessary. A/B testing, often hailed as the secret weapon of digital marketers, is a great tool that can significantly impact your marketing strategy, boost conversions, and set you apart from the competition. It is incredibly valuable for both seasoned entrepreneurs and e-commerce beginners.

Today, we will delve deep into the essentials, dispel common misconceptions, and provide insights to help you elevate your A/B testing game and drive unparalleled success in the competitive online landscape.

Unpacking A/B Testing: A Strategic Overview

What is A/B Testing?

At its core, A/B testing, also known as split testing, involves the systematic comparison of two versions of a webpage, email, or digital asset to determine which performs better based on user behavior. Far more than a marketing buzzword, A/B testing is a strategic approach to refining your campaigns and gaining a deeper understanding of what resonates with your audience.

How A/B Testing Works

In the realm of marketing, A/B testing involves presenting 50% of visitors with “Version A” (the control) and 50% with “Version B” (the variant). The version with the highest conversion rate emerges victorious, guiding your future strategies. It's a continuous cycle of refinement where the winning variant becomes the new control, prompting the creation of a fresh variant later.

It's important to note that A/B test conversion rates can sometimes be an imperfect measure of success. Strategic tracking, following the value of a conversion through to the final sale, is essential for meaningful insights.

A/B/n Testing: Expanding the Horizon

Taking A/B testing to the next level, A/B/n Testing lets you test multiple variants against the control. This approach enables a more nuanced understanding of user preferences by presenting different versions to distinct segments of your audience.

The Timing Conundrum: How Long Should A/B Tests Run?

For meaningful results, run your A/B test for at least one, preferably two, full business cycles. Don't prematurely conclude the test just because of some statistical significance; meeting the predetermined sample size is key. Run tests in full-week increments to account for variations in traffic sources and day-of-week dynamics.

Understanding the rationale behind the two-business-cycle rule is critical. It allows you to see factors like contemplative buyers, diverse traffic sources, and anomalies.

Unlocking the Power of A/B Testing: Why Should You Bother?

Consider this scenario: you invest $100 in Facebook ads, sending 10 people to your site with an average order value of $25. A/B testing allows you to optimize, turning a potential loss into profit by improving conversion rates. Beyond financial gains, A/B testing reveals invaluable insights that extend beyond individual tests, informing your overall store optimization strategy.

The Maze of Choices: What Should You A/B Test?

While the beauty of A/B testing lies in its adaptability, I cannot tell what you should test. Instead, I encourage a data-informed approach. Base your tests on qualitative and quantitative analyses. Consider factors like technical performance, on-site surveys, customer interviews, analytics, user testing, and session replays.

A/B Testing Tools: Navigating the Landscape

Explore the variety of A/B testing tools to optimize your digital strategies. Here are some popular tools:

1. Google Optimize:

A versatile platform seamlessly integrated with Google Analytics, offering easy setup and in-depth insights into user behavior.

2. Optimizely:

Known for its user-friendly interface, Optimizely provides a solution for A/B testing and experimentation across various digital channels.

3. VWO (Visual Website Optimizer):

VWO offers a range of features, including split URL testing and multivariate testing, making it a robust choice for comprehensive optimization.

4. Unbounce:

Focused on landing page optimization, Unbounce simplifies the A/B testing process for marketers, enabling quick and effective experiments.

5. Crazy Egg:

With heatmap and user behavior analysis, Crazy Egg provides valuable insights to enhance your A/B testing strategy and improve overall user experience.

6. Split.io:

Perfect for feature flagging and experimentation, Split.io allows teams to implement A/B tests effortlessly and measure the impact of new features.

7. Convert:

A user-friendly platform offering A/B testing, multivariate testing, and personalization, Convert simplifies the optimization process for marketers.

As you navigate through these tools, consider your specific needs, budget, and the depth of insights needed. Choose wisely, and let your A/B testing endeavors lead to data-driven success.

Navigating the Sea of Ideas: Prioritizing A/B Test Ideas

With a plethora of A/B test ideas, prioritization is key. Consider frameworks like ICE (Impact, Confidence, Ease), PIE (Potential, Importance, Ease), or PXL (CXL's prioritization framework). These frameworks guide you in evaluating factors such as impact, confidence, ease of implementation, potential reach, and importance.

Conclusion

Mastering A/B testing is not just about following best practices but tailoring them to your business. Embrace a data-centric approach, refine your strategies, and elevate your e-commerce success through the power of A/B testing!

It's not just a tool; it's your path to unlocking the full potential of your online store.

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

Thirty-five things I noted about CR2E141 “Fond Farewells” :

SEVEN. HOURS. LONG. EPISODE.

Ok, fair. The Mighty Nein did deserve that.

Veth multi-classed ! She has one level in wizard !! I love it !!

Oh yeah Essek kinda abandoned his post up in Aeor, huh... what will he do

Caleb : "Thank you, Jester." Jester : "For what ?" Caleb : "Oh, the last couple years... Thank you for being such a good friend."

Jester, to Fjord who is nearly asleep : "Hey, Fjord ? ... I love you. (panicked) Don't say anything ! I'm just going to bury my head in his arms." Fjord, befuddled : "What ??" Jester, regretting everything : "Don't say it, just shut up, go to sleep !"

I will miss Jester's Sendings

Ah, an insight check against a PC, this truly feels like early CR2 episodes !

Ah, there he is. The Irish-accent bastard of a purple tiefling. Kingsley. A person different from Mollymauk, for sure, but still with the accent, the attitude (kinda), and the immediate attraction to Caleb 'magic man' Widowgast.

THE PARENT TRAP WORK ! LOVE IS REAL ! JESTER'S MOM HAS GOT IT GOIN ON !

oh yeah that's right, the Mighty Nein left Aeor : with a robot whose plan was to wake others up, and with a functioning inter-planar portal that seemed to pass right through the Divine Gate (according to Matt's description of their return). I'm sure this is fine

THE BITCH IS HERE - and by 'the bitch' (NOT affectionate) I mean Trent

immediate Sam reaction : "I just got my family here" oh my god is it cruel of me that I kinda laughed, thinking it may very well go like the Fire Plane all over again ?

I'm excited to see what plan Caleb, Beau and Veth had obviously been cooking in the eventuality of Trent Ikithon, because they seem to have a very clear intent

Yes !!!! CHAINED COUNTERSPELL HERE WE GO I love it.

Eodwulf attacked Caleb, and the words exchange had kind of a sexy undertone to them ! I support Liam when he said "Is it hot in here ? or..." just after that. Even Fjord going up to Eadwulf and attacking him right after had some powerful homoeroticism, really enjoyed it

I love Travis' expression of "he's double-bagging it" about Trent having at least 2 shields of invulnerability cast around him, because I now pictured Trent with 2 bags over his head, like he was hostage

oh, I'm sad Laura missed Matt's 'you both have him cornered right there' about Eaodwulf, Caleb and Fjord. She would have snickered like I have snickered !

The Veth and Beau plan was incredible. It has multiples steps, it took a little bit of time (two rounds) but man, the visuals !!!!! Beau pulling out the collar, Veth and Beau hiding behind a tree, Veth gluing the collar, Beau escalading a tree while Veth was pulling out the magic fan, Beau jumping in the air towards Trent and ALMOST MISSING... if it weren’t for the fan !! Like Travis said last episode, I want to see this shit animated, and I will, because the world is good actually.

Oh man, Trent's end... Liam was crying and so did I, when Sam once again flexed his "I'm going to make a simple action so moving you will cry" muscles

How beautiful that Astrid was the one to do it, and help Caleb silence Trent forever

Caleb, to Trent : "You know, for the longest time, I thought this would be impossible. But I still dreamed about it, of taking your life. But death is too good for you. You are to be exposed, humbled, and brought low. Settle into that idea."

Oh, I'm so glad I've seen Beau and Caleb appear in Campaign 3, still fighting and trying to stop Ludinus' plans, because when Beau said this will take time, she was right : this will be a horribly long road for then, and the Cerberus Assembly's machination would prove to run deeper than they, right here in the Blooming Grove, know... But they're still here fighting the good fight !

Awwwwww Fjord said "I love you too" !!! Under the rain he created, like the romantic that he is !!

Caduceus is pissed. Using magic to force empathy on Trent is COLD. Love that Matt basically said "this man can feel no empathy and no magic can make him that's how rotten he is"

Astrid and Eodwulf came back ! They're helping for Trent's case (but not naming the other mages at the Assembly... maybe that's why, decades later, Beau and Caleb are still pursuing Ludinus).

From Caduceus' goodbyes to the end, just imagine me crying the whole time.

Essek : "What have you done ?... This world was so much easier when it was black and white." Beau : "But it's so much more beautiful in all the shades of colors."

Kingsley heard the Mighty Nein had a ship and immediately wants to be a pirate, I love him

ARE YOU KIDDING ME IS THIS THE SIPHYLIS BANDITS ????!!

Oh shit ! Ludinus offered a position within the Cerberus Assembly to Caleb, who respectfully declined (the power !!)

Vandren ! at last

Beau : "Are you wanting to be my housewife, Yasha ?" Yasha : "I mean... I think I would look pretty good in an apron." Beau : "I think you would look fantastic in an apron, especially if you weren't wearing anything under it."

Caleb's time-travel plan was pretty tight. He must have seen hundred of episodes of Doctor Who to avoid time paradoxes and such. But what a powerful image that he ultimately chose to destroy the thing he wanted most at the beginning of the campaign : "I drag some dust up my arm, and disintegrate everything in the room, and burn what's left."

THARIZDUN ??!! (me like the Beyonce ??!! meme)

"A tale of seven friends, who became eight, then nine."

Liam : "Thanks for a good story, Matt." Sam : "It was pretty good." Travis : "Let's do it again." (the callback the callback from Campaign 1 finale ok i'm gonna go cry for 3 hours now goodbye)

[klave-the-dragon]

watching Suzume and D&D on back to back nights is an utterly fascinating experience.

I'm not very familiar with the rest of Makoto Shinkai's work but i want to be now: suzume was a visually impressive, well-told story. like a good song, it has a lot of points with resolution in it, but goddamn, when the movie hits that final climax the emotions hit so damn hard. utterly devastating and beautiful.

D&D was the complete opposite in a lot of ways - instead of really good animation, D&D has some really tasty use of CGI mixed with what i think are practical effects. really captured the spirit of a fun d&d campaign - basic, but strong characters that have a lot of chemistry between each other, tons of "it's so crazy it just might work" plans, and an emotional throughline juuuust strong enough to pull through. not to mention the acting fully embracing the inherent silliness of a d&d campaign down to Rules As Written and everything. NOT TO MENTION the incredible approach to the action scenes where it only cuts where it needs to. sightly dumb but in a fun way.

[aspiringsophrosyne]

Episode 12: The Darkness Within

Ooh, no intro? 

This episode not having an intro was an interesting choice; very attention-getting. 

Get in your seats folks, the lights are going down. And don't mind that smell of smoke in the air. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.

The Good

Right off the bat, I have to give kudos to whoever came up with those black veins crawling up Keyleth's face and body; they provide a visual cue for how bad she's doing and whether it's getting better or worse. 

While they were still growing, we knew the potion in the last episode didn't work, and when they started fading away, even though Keyleth wasn't up yet, we knew that Vax and Scanlan's druid magic helped; this was another beautiful example of show-not-tell. 

~~~

It's hard to talk about this now, but Vax helping Keyleth with her druid magic earlier and using it to heal her now with Scanlan's help is a brilliant little nod to....well, something that's coming up down the road. So it was lovely to see it....even if what it's setting up is probably going to break my heart.

~~~

Percy being so dismissive of Keyleth was a nice touch, as when he pointed the gun at Vax, it showed that his vengeance curse was not just going to hurt the names on his list; it had potential to do collateral damage to the people around him. 

I'll also give points to Vex for calling him out on that and Cass for dragging Delilah out by her hair. 

~~~

That smile on Percy's face as he pulls down the mask is incredible. I said it before, but there's something deeply cathartic about Orthax not being subtle anymore. This line: "And we are better for it." is dreadful, but now VM knows what's up and can do something about it. Even though they've taken what went down in the original campaign and made it even more dramatic, I still got that same satisfaction out of Percy merely stopping and starting to ask questions in the stream.  

Because, yes, please acknowledge how fucked up this is!! 

~~~

"Darling, take off the mask."

And oh, god bless Laura Bailey. 

In the original, this line came a little earlier, leaving those of us who watched it wondering when it was coming in. 

But watching this for the first time and seeing Vex walk up to him, my brain suddenly went: oh, is this where they're putting it; is this where she says it!?

Needless to say, that choice was flawless. 

~~~

I will forever adore the contrast between Percy's terrible smile when the mask went on, the mask's impassive stare, and the absolutely broken crying Vex reveals when she removes it: God, it's devastating. 

(There's also the fact that until this, we didn't get any indication that Percy was fighting this thing or that he was even capable of trying, and there's some fridge horror here; every time Percy was in the mask before now, could he have been fighting Orthax, and both VM and the audience had no way to know?) 

The teleport spam adds a nail-biter of an attribute to this fight; while the rest of Vox Machina is fighting with a handicap in not wanting to hurt Percy, the demon not only isn't but has a lot of extra tricks up its sleeves.

The multiple new names popping up on the gun was another stunning use of show-don't-tell storytelling. Matt revealed in the campaign wrap up that if Percy had killed everyone on the list and hung on to the pepperbox, more names would've shown up on the barrels. And it just would've kept going like that forever.

This was a fantastic portrayal of that; and using only seconds of animation.

~~~

Perhaps I'm just slow, but it wasn't until now that I understood why Orthax was a smoke monster; Orthax's design was delightfully ephemeral and bird-like, and in incorporating smoke and fire, it brings to mind the pepperbox, hellfire and the deal Percy made with a devil. 

The design pulls it all together, is what I'm saying. 

There really is no end to the good I could espouse about the visuals of this episode: the hallucination sequence is a hundred different kinds of haunting and beautiful, Neal's score is, as always, fantastic, and while everyone does well, Taliesin's and Matt's performances stand out in particular here; the two are sublime. There's absolutely no hesitancy; no holding back. And I love it.

~~~

Small note: in the stream, before the squad set off for Whitestone, they spoke with poor Desmond: he told them about the Briarwoods, what Percy's home had become, and various bits of information. After this, Vox Machina took pity on the guy and had Pike eventually heal his hand; she rolled a natural twenty on it too! This is, so far, not how things go down in the animated series, so Percy shooting out his own hand provides a satisfying symmetry. 

~~~

Vague spoilers for the end of the first campaign and likely the end of this series, but I appreciated how thick they poured it on with Delilah's demands to be ended because if you know where this story is going, you know that she has a reason to goad them with such insistence. 

~~~

Scanlan throwing the gun away was more of a tense moment than a funny one in the stream, but I liked how they did it here. He's acting as the audience, and it's great to see a character thinking what we're thinking.

~~~

Keyleth's moment with each of the twins here is sweet. She leaves Vax in a good, if awkward, place, and Vex finally allows herself to acknowledge that she likes Keyleth, which makes things better for both of them. 

And then....dragons. 

The Bad (or at least not great)

I know that ending the season with the entry of the Chroma Conclave was something they probably had to do; that it's a fine hook for the next season, and Vox Machina really had to prove themselves these first two seasons, because if they didn't, they might not have gotten a third. 

Still...I'm a little bummed VM, the audience, and Exandria didn't get more time to breathe; it would've been nice to see maybe an episode or two of fucking around before the dragons attacked.  

But this is just a personal preference that I wanted to get off my chest.  I don't consider it a mark against the series, considering everything it had to do. 

~~~

Looking back on this episode, I think the one thing that bugs me in everything that was good about it is the lack of nuance; the series plays Percy's journey out as one of rage and revenge, and while it's true that Stream!Percy was full of rage (there's a reason titmouse kept some lines verbatim from the original) to make that the whole story was to mistakenly take the original at face value. 

Percy was horrifically traumatized as a teenager; what he went through would've been bad enough even with a support system, but not only was he tortured and barely escaped with his life, he also lost anything that could have eased his recovery: Percy couldn't go back to the city that he grew up in, his entire family (as far as Percy knew) was gone, and if the Briarwoods were hunting him, he couldn't be sure anywhere was safe. 

I would also posit that there was some survivor's guilt there. Percy said he wasn't the kid who was meant to rule; that was Julius, one of his deceased siblings. He was never going to be really important; why did he survive?

Trauma is, among other things, the terrifying loss of control. It's being put in a position where you can't protect yourself. Percy needed something to latch on to. Something that could make him feel in control: something that could allow him to earn the survival he felt he didn't deserve and thus his safety.

And Orthax obliged. 

Percy was angry, as he had a right to be. But he also chose anger because anger was power, and with power, there was less fear and less feeling out of control. Anger is only the first layer; underneath was confusion, terror in general, survivor's guilt, and the terror that he would never escape being that helpless teenager who could do nothing to defend himself or his family from the Briarwoods, Ripley, and their co-conspirators. 

And it would've been nice to see some of that. 

Now look, the show didn't have the time to go into all that, but it didn't have to. It's a question of framing. Even if you don't have time to spend on every element I listed, you can still frame Percy's state of mind as being fueled by more than mere rage and vengeance. Just the people in his dream posing questions like: "Was it really rage that pushed you? Or the certainty that no matter how hard you tried, you'd never be anything more than that scared little boy who couldn't do anything? Who should've been the one to die instead of all the others: the more worthy de Rolos?" could've done wonders.

Nitpick

I would've liked to see the hallucination bring in Cassandra around the same time she starts talking to him, so she could break through it and reach him without Vex telling her to in the real world, surprising both Percy and the audience. Have that scene at the dinner table with his family, and have young!Cassandra make eye contact and tell him: "Percy, you've got to stop. Whatever you're seeing isn't real. I'm alive. I'm okay. I'm free. Because of you. And you have to stop." could've been pretty effective.

Whoo! So that's it. That's the post mortem and season one! For those who are reading, wasn't that fun?

..On to Season Two.

[dronetours]

Drone Photography in Bangalore and Delhi: Capturing Cities from the Sky

Drone photography has revolutionized the way we capture landscapes, cityscapes, and special events. Offering unique aerial perspectives, drones are now an essential tool for photographers, filmmakers, and businesses. Two bustling cities where drone photography has gained immense popularity are Bangalore and Delhi. Each city boasts a unique blend of modern architecture, cultural landmarks, and natural beauty that looks breathtaking from above.

In this guide, we’ll explore the growing demand for drone photography in Bangalore and drone photography in Delhi, along with tips for using drones effectively and responsibly in these iconic locations.

Drone Photography in Bangalore: A City of Innovation

Bangalore, often called the “Silicon Valley of India,” is known for its innovative spirit, lush greenery, and vibrant cityscapes. Drone photography in Bangalore captures the essence of this dynamic city, offering aerial views of tech parks, iconic landmarks, and serene lakes.

Top Locations for Drone Photography in Bangalore

Cubbon Park: This sprawling green space in the heart of the city is a favorite for aerial shots of lush canopies and walking trails.

Nandi Hills: Just outside Bangalore, this popular spot offers stunning sunrise views that look magical from above.

Ulsoor Lake: Perfect for capturing tranquil waters and reflections, especially during golden hours.

Bangalore Palace: The grandeur of this historic palace looks even more majestic from a bird’s-eye view.

Tech Parks: Modern office complexes like Electronics City and Whitefield showcase Bangalore’s tech-driven infrastructure.

Applications of Drone Photography in Bangalore

Real Estate: Aerial views of properties and neighborhoods are in high demand for marketing purposes.

Events: From weddings to corporate gatherings, drones add a cinematic touch to event photography.

Tourism and Promotions: Travel companies use drone footage to highlight Bangalore’s scenic spots.

Drone Photography in Bangalore Drone

Drone Photography in Delhi: A City of Heritage

Delhi, the capital of India, is a city steeped in history and culture. Its iconic monuments, bustling markets, and sprawling urban areas make it a dream destination for aerial photography. Drone photography in Delhi provides a fresh perspective on its timeless landmarks and vibrant streets.

Top Locations for Drone Photography in Delhi

India Gate: The iconic war memorial surrounded by manicured lawns makes for stunning aerial shots.

Red Fort: The majestic Mughal architecture looks incredible from above, especially during festivals or events.

Lotus Temple: The unique design of this architectural marvel is a favorite subject for drone photographers.

Qutub Minar: This towering structure and its surrounding ruins offer a mix of history and beauty.

Rajpath: The ceremonial boulevard leading to Rashtrapati Bhavan is perfect for capturing symmetry and grandeur.

Applications of Drone Photography in Delhi

Tourism Campaigns: Highlighting Delhi’s heritage sites with stunning aerial visuals.

Weddings and Celebrations: Capturing large-scale events with unique perspectives.

Urban Planning: Drones are used to survey infrastructure projects and urban development.

Benefits of Drone Photography in Bangalore and Delhi

Unique Perspectives: Drones offer angles and views that traditional photography cannot achieve.

Time Efficiency: Capturing large areas in a short time is ideal for events and real estate.

Cost-Effective: Compared to hiring helicopters for aerial shots, drones are more affordable and accessible.

Enhanced Creativity: The ability to experiment with height, angles, and motion adds a cinematic touch to any project.

Tips for Successful Drone Photography

Whether you’re working in Bangalore or Delhi, follow these tips for optimal drone photography:

1. Follow Local Drone Regulations

Register your drone with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Obtain the necessary permissions for flying drones in restricted areas.

Avoid no-fly zones, including near airports, military bases, and sensitive government locations.

2. Plan Your Shots

Scout locations and check for optimal lighting conditions. Early mornings and late afternoons (golden hours) are best for capturing vibrant colors and shadows.

3. Regular Cleaning and Maintenance

Drones require regular cleaning to ensure the camera lens and propellers remain dust-free. This improves image quality and ensures smooth flights.

4. Avoid Harsh Weather

Windy or rainy weather can affect flight stability and image quality. Check weather forecasts before planning a shoot.

5. Store Properly

Store your drone in a secure, dry place when not in use. Invest in a protective case to prevent damage during transportation.

Challenges and Solutions

1. Crowded Areas

Flying drones in densely populated areas can be challenging. Opt for early hours to avoid crowds and ensure safety.

2. Battery Life

Drones have limited battery life. Carry extra batteries and plan your shots efficiently to maximize flight time.

3. Permissions and Approvals

Some landmarks and locations may require prior approvals for drone photography. Research and secure permissions in advance.

Conclusion: Elevate Your Photography with Drones

Drone photography in Bangalore and Delhi offers endless opportunities to capture breathtaking views of these iconic cities. From Bangalore’s modern skyline to Delhi’s historic landmarks, drones bring a fresh perspective to every frame.

To make the most of your drone photography experience, follow best practices like regular cleaning, avoiding harsh weather, and proper storage. With attention to detail and creativity, you can transform ordinary shots into extraordinary visuals.

Whether you’re a professional photographer or an enthusiast, drone photography opens up a world of possibilities to showcase the beauty and diversity of Bangalore and Delhi like never before.

[tzpnet]

Taylor Zakhar Perez for Lacoste Underwear. The interview.

This year, American actor Taylor Zakhar Perez, a defining figure of his generation, takes on the role of Lacoste underwear ambassador. The result? An intimate campaign captured in the heart of Paris.

WHAT DOES LACOSTE MEAN TO YOU?

"I’ve always loved the brand since I was a kid. To me it represents sportsmanship, discipline, and athletic tradition. Means a lot to me to represent it as a global ambassador. I value the brand for its heritage, its iconic logo, and the values it stands for."

HOW DID YOU REACT WHEN LACOSTE ASKED YOU TO BE AN AMBASSADOR?

"They’re iconic – it was equally terrifying as it was exciting. My response was something along the lines of, 'Very funny, guys,' followed by an awkward pause when I realized they were serious. In that moment, all I could think was, Who, me? But truly, I was honored to be asked."

WHAT DO YOU THINK BEING A CROCODILE MEANS?

"To me, it means being determined, resilient, and empowered. But make it French."

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT LACOSTE UNDERWEAR?

"Well…It’s very comfy, these are the kind of underwear you forget you're wearing—in the best way. Whether you’re lounging, running errands, or just going about your day, they move with you and feel super comfortable. Plus, they just fit right."

Paris, 18th arrondissement. It was here, in a setting of herringbone parquet floors and an antique fireplace, that Lacoste’s new underwear campaign was brought to life. Behind the lens? Belgian photographer Quentin de Briey, celebrated in the fashion world for his raw, sincere imagery. For Lacoste, he played with light and shadow to create textured, intimate visuals.​

Crafted to feel like stolen moments, the campaign also includes video content produced by Air Afrique, a collective and cultural platform dedicated to the arts. Styled by Jason Bolden, Taylor Zakhar Perez appears as charismatic as he is genuine—an exciting start to a long-term collaboration that will extend across Lacoste’s fashion and sports events.​

HOW DID THE CAMPAIGN SHOOT GO?

"After landing in Paris, I went straight into the buzz of their Spring-Summer 2025 show—it was incredible meeting the teams and the creative director for the first time. A few days later, we shot the campaign in the most beautiful Parisian home. Quentin de Briey and Air Afrique absolutely nailed it, and the vibe on set was so epic—collaborative, fun, and full of energy. It felt amazing to be part of the whole creative process, and I’m really proud of what we made together."

[nmenvs3000w25]

Unit 2 Blog Post: My Ideal Role As An Environmental Interpreter

I thought this week’s blog prompt was very interesting! I am excited to hear everyone’s thought’s and opinions regarding it!

An environmental interpreter is a professional crucial to helping others understand the natural world through sharing their knowledge of ecosystems, wildlife, conservation actions and current environmental issues. This role goes much further than just education, as it engages individuals emotionally and helps them to foster a deeper relationship with nature. 

Important Assets to Have as an Interpreter:

As an interpreter, strong communication and social skills are essential, as they are the main tools used to convey information, engage audiences, and motivate action on environmental issues. Effective communication skills help strengthen the meaningful connections between nature and your audience, fostering motivation for positive change.

The natural world, with its complex processes, can often seem like a mundane topic, but with the right approach, it can become a source of inspiration and action. As a nature interpreter, it’s your role to take your knowledge and transform it into engaging, creative, and impactful ways to share with your audience. Understanding how to make complex concepts accessible and exciting is key to sparking curiosity and connection. Knowing how to connect with people through auditory, visual and hands on education is an essential skill for a nature interpreter. Since you're likely to have a diverse audience with varying learning styles, understanding these differences and knowing how to apply this knowledge is incredibly valuable. It will help ensure that your audience has an engaging experience and walks away feeling impacted by the information you've shared.

My Ideal Role in Environmental Interpretation:

My ideal environmental interpreter role would be in sustainability consultation and eco-tourism. I have a deep love for teaching and would be thrilled to have the opportunity to share my passion and inspire future generations, while educating businesses to hopefully make more sustainable decisions. Working in the environmental interpretation industry as a sustainability consultant is very valuable, as they help organizations, businesses and communities understand the importance of sustainable practices and how to implement them. Through business proposals, public presentations, interactive demonstrations and media campaigns, there are many approaches to starting engaging conversations. Sustainability has been something I was always passionate about, as I have always engaged in events such as tree planting. I am a very social and patient person, and I believe those qualities combined with my passion would help me excel as an environmental interpreter. 

My ideal role would be based in the Florida mangroves, a place I've always been fascinated by due to my deep interest in marine life. I’d love the opportunity to expand my own knowledge while sharing it with others. During a recent trip to Florida, I had the chance to take an 8-hour kayak tour through the mangroves, where we encountered marine life ranging from starfish and crabs to pufferfish. It was an incredible experience, and my dream job would be to lead similar tours, educating others while showcasing the stunning beauty of the ecosystem. Attached are a few images of the beautiful wildlife I got to encounter!

[musicvalla]

The Music Industry’s Connection to Culture and Technology

Music is a reflection of culture, constantly influenced by technological advancements and social shifts. As we embrace the digital era, the music industry has transformed into a dynamic ecosystem where trends emerge at lightning speed, reshaping how artists connect with their audiences. From iconic albums to digital branding strategies, this article explores the cultural and technological forces shaping the music world today.

1. Best-Selling Albums: Cultural Landmarks

Some albums transcend entertainment, becoming cultural landmarks that capture the essence of their times. Best selling albums such as Adele’s 25 or Beyoncé’s Lemonade are more than collections of songs; they’re statements of artistry, storytelling, and innovation.

These albums resonate globally because they speak to universal emotions while reflecting the unique perspectives of their creators. For example, Adele’s heartfelt ballads about love and loss create a deep emotional connection, while Beyoncé’s visual album format redefined how music could be consumed as a multi-sensory experience.

Today, social media amplifies the reach of such albums. Viral campaigns, TikTok challenges, and YouTube premieres have replaced traditional marketing methods, ensuring that these records make an even greater cultural impact.

2. Maybach Music: Bridging Luxury and Creativity

Music has always been intertwined with lifestyle, and Maybach music exemplifies this fusion of sound and luxury. Rick Ross’s Maybach Music Group has become synonymous with high-end branding, reflecting themes of success, power, and ambition through both lyrics and visuals.

The label’s music videos often feature luxury cars, designer clothes, and opulent mansions, aligning their sound with an aspirational lifestyle. This branding is not just about aesthetics—it creates a unique identity that resonates with fans seeking to emulate that success.

Maybach Music has inspired countless other artists to elevate their brand beyond music. Rihanna’s ventures into fashion and beauty with Fenty or Jay-Z’s expansion into the business world are prime examples of how music can act as a launchpad for building an empire.

3. The Instagram Strike and the Need for Platform Independence

Social media has revolutionized music promotion, allowing artists to reach millions with the tap of a button. However, the Instagram strike served as a wake-up call for the industry. Creators protested against algorithm changes that limited their visibility, highlighting the challenges of relying solely on these platforms.

For musicians, this disruption underscored the risks of over-dependence on social media for audience engagement. While platforms like Instagram and TikTok offer incredible reach, they also hold significant power over how content is distributed.

This has sparked a growing interest in alternative methods of engagement, such as building personal websites, email lists, and exclusive fan communities. Artists like Billie Eilish and Tyler, the Creator have embraced these strategies, ensuring they maintain control over their connection with fans.

4. Taylor Swift’s Lover Audio: A Perfect Blend of Emotion and Strategy

Taylor Swift has mastered the art of combining heartfelt storytelling with innovative promotion. The Taylor Swift Lover audio exemplifies this, blending personal emotion with broad appeal.

The song “Lover,” a standout track from the album, captures themes of love and commitment in a way that feels deeply personal yet universally relatable. Beyond its lyrical beauty, the audio’s production quality enhances its timeless feel, blending acoustic elements with modern pop influences.

Swift’s marketing strategy for Lover was equally impactful. Through exclusive merchandise bundles, behind-the-scenes videos, and intimate social media posts, she created a narrative that resonated with her fanbase. Her success shows how combining authentic content with smart marketing can amplify a song’s reach and cultural impact.

5. Global Radio: A Constant in a Changing Industry

Despite the rise of digital platforms, global radio remains a powerful force in the music industry. It plays a crucial role in discovering new talent and connecting artists with diverse audiences.

Radio stations like BBC Radio 1 and KEXP continue to shape music trends by offering curated playlists and live sessions. These platforms provide artists with a unique opportunity to reach audiences that streaming algorithms may overlook.

In addition to traditional formats, the rise of internet radio and podcasts has further expanded radio’s reach. Platforms like SiriusXM and Pandora blend the curation of traditional radio with the flexibility of digital technology, ensuring that listeners can access a wide variety of music anytime, anywhere.

Conclusion

The music industry stands at the intersection of culture and technology, constantly evolving to meet the demands of its audience. Best selling albums continue to act as cultural milestones, while movements like Maybach music redefine what it means to blend sound with luxury. At the same time, disruptions like the Instagram strike remind us of the importance of platform independence in the digital age.

Artists like Taylor Swift show that authenticity and strategic marketing can go hand in hand, while global radio proves that traditional formats still have a place in this rapidly changing landscape. As fans, we are fortunate to witness these transformations and to engage with music in more ways than ever before.

[blondefornightcities]

SEPTEMBER, 2024. — GLAMOUR & STYLE MAGAZINE: The New Fall/Winter Collection by Gold Digger Denim.

This season, Gold Digger Denim dazzles us with a stunning collection that perfectly blends sophistication and comfort for the autumn/winter months. Featuring the talented model Ella Mitchell as the star, the campaign is a true spectacle of style. Directed by renowned photographer Luca Ferrara and styled impeccably by Alessandro Chelazzi, this collection is sure to captivate fashion lovers everywhere. The delicate makeup by Mariella Tortora beautifully complements each look, adding a touch of glamour to every image.

“A Celebration of Style"

Gold Digger Denim's new collection is more than just clothing; it’s a true celebration of personal style. Each piece has been thoughtfully crafted to offer versatility and elegance, empowering every woman to feel confident and chic.

Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with the stunning Ella Mitchell, who shines in Gold Digger Denim's new fall/winter collection. Ella, how do you feel about being the star of this campaign?

I’m so excited! The collection is amazing, and I’m sure people will love it. Working with such a talented team like Luca, Alessandro, and Mariella adds a special glamour to the project.

Absolutely! What can you tell us about the looks you wore during the shoot?

Each look is a perfect combination of style and comfort. Gold Digger Denim truly captured the essence of fall/winter with warm fabrics and modern cuts. The details are simply stunning!

The images captured by Luca Ferrara transport viewers into a realm where fashion meets art. Each shot is a masterpiece, showcasing not only the garments but also the vibrant personality of Ella Mitchell.

"Impressive Styling"

Alessandro Chelazzi brought his unique vision to the styling of the collection, transforming each look into a fashion statement. His attention to detail and careful selection of accessories further highlight the collection's key pieces.

And what about the creative process? How was it working with Alessandro Chelazzi on styling?

Alessandro has an incredible eye for fashion. He knows exactly how to highlight each piece and create a visual narrative. It was a wonderful experience to see how he brought the vision of the collection to life.

Photographer Luca Ferrara is also known for his artistic eye. How was it working with him?

Luca is a true genius! He captures the essence of every moment and makes you feel so confident in front of the camera. The photos are absolutely spectacular!

Mariella Tortora once again proved herself as a makeup artist, creating looks that enhance Ella's natural beauty without sacrificing the desired glamour for the campaign. The subtlety of the color choices brings a fresh and contemporary air to the visuals.

And we can’t forget about the makeup by Mariella Tortora. How did that complement your look?

Mariella did a wonderful job! The makeup is sophisticated yet natural, enhancing my beauty without being overdone. She really knows how to create a look that perfectly matches each style.

To wrap up, what message would you like to share with Gold Digger Denim fans?

I’d tell everyone to dive into the new collection! It’s a celebration of style and confidence. Wear what makes you feel good and don’t be afraid to shine!

Ella's message about self-expression and confidence resonates deeply throughout this new collection. Gold Digger Denim invites us all to embrace our unique style and shine in any occasion.

The new Gold Digger Denim collection is not just a line of clothing; it’s a statement of style and confidence. With pieces designed to highlight the unique beauty of everyone, this collection is perfect for those who want to express themselves through fashion.

For more information and to check out the full collection, visit Gold Digger Denim.

[korshubudemycoursesblog]

Learn Midjourney, Gemini, Chat GPT: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

In today’s fast-paced world, cutting-edge technologies are reshaping how we live and work. If you’ve been curious about creative AI tools or advanced language models, Midjourney, Gemini, and Chat GPT are three powerhouses that are creating waves. Whether you're interested in enhancing your creativity, automating tasks, or simplifying complex information, learning these tools can open up exciting possibilities.

In this blog, we’ll guide you through everything you need to know to Learn Midjourney, Gemini, Chat GPT—explaining what they are, why they’re useful, and how you can start mastering them.

What is Midjourney?

Midjourney is an AI-powered tool designed for creative exploration. It enables users to generate stunning visual art and imagery based on simple prompts. Think of it as a digital artist that interprets your ideas and transforms them into beautiful visuals.

Unlike traditional design software where you manually create every element, Midjourney leverages AI to understand your input and produce visually appealing designs, artwork, or even concept art for projects. Whether you’re a designer, a content creator, or someone just looking to dabble in digital art, Midjourney provides an intuitive and engaging platform for creativity.

Why Learn Midjourney?

With the rise of digital marketing, graphic design, and visual storytelling, mastering Midjourney can give you a competitive edge. It’s perfect for:

Designers who want to speed up their creative process.

Marketers looking to create eye-catching visuals for social media or ad campaigns.

Content creators who want to bring their ideas to life in a visually appealing way.

By learning Midjourney, you'll unlock a new level of creativity, giving you the ability to create unique designs in a matter of seconds.

Introduction to Gemini: Google’s Latest AI Model

Next, we move to Gemini, Google's latest AI innovation. Gemini is not just another AI tool; it is a large-scale model that competes directly with some of the best AI systems like Chat GPT. With advanced natural language processing (NLP) capabilities, Gemini can generate highly accurate and context-aware responses, making it perfect for businesses and individuals looking for advanced automation.

What sets Gemini apart is its ability to understand and process multiple forms of data—text, images, and more—making it versatile for a wide range of applications, from customer service automation to complex data analysis.

Why Learn Gemini?

If you want to stay ahead of the curve in the AI landscape, learning Gemini is a must. Here’s why:

Improved Accuracy: Gemini excels at understanding context and nuances, making it ideal for tasks that require a deeper level of interpretation.

Versatility: Whether you're in business, education, or content creation, Gemini can automate tasks, making your workflow more efficient.

Future-Proofing: As more industries turn to AI, knowing how to use Gemini can help you future-proof your career by giving you an edge in areas like marketing, tech support, and data analysis.

Chat GPT: Revolutionizing Conversations and Content Creation

And then, there’s Chat GPT, one of the most popular AI language models today. If you've ever engaged in an automated conversation or had an AI help you write content, you've probably experienced Chat GPT in action. Developed by OpenAI, Chat GPT uses machine learning to generate human-like text based on input.

What makes Chat GPT stand out is its ability to understand the context of a conversation, making it incredibly versatile for a variety of applications, from generating blog posts to providing customer support.

Why Learn Chat GPT?

Chat GPT is changing how we interact with AI. Its applications are endless:

Content Creation: You can generate articles, reports, or social media posts effortlessly.

Customer Support Automation: Many companies are using Chat GPT for instant customer service, reducing the workload of human agents.

Learning and Development: Chat GPT can help with everything from answering student queries to providing tutoring.

With the growing popularity of AI in almost every sector, mastering Chat GPT is a surefire way to enhance your productivity and open up new opportunities in both your personal and professional life.

How to Get Started: Learn Midjourney, Gemini, Chat GPT

Now that you know what Midjourney, Gemini, and Chat GPT are, let's dive into how you can start learning these tools.

1. Learn Midjourney for Creative Exploration

To start with Midjourney, follow these steps:

Sign Up: Begin by creating an account on the Midjourney website.

Explore the Features: Familiarize yourself with the interface and different design tools.

Start Creating: Input your creative ideas, and let Midjourney turn them into stunning visuals.

Join Communities: There are many online communities where Midjourney users share tips, tricks, and tutorials. Engaging with them can accelerate your learning curve.

2. Mastering Gemini: Google’s Advanced AI Tool

Google has made Gemini accessible for businesses and developers. Here’s how you can start learning it:

Google Cloud Console: Access Gemini through Google’s Cloud services.

API Integration: Learn how to integrate Gemini into your workflows, whether it's for business automation or personal projects.

Experiment: Test out different use cases. From automated customer service to data processing, Gemini’s capabilities are vast.

3. Learn Chat GPT for Effortless Conversations

If you're looking to get started with Chat GPT, here’s what you should do:

OpenAI Website: Create an account on OpenAI’s website and start exploring the tool.

API Access: You can integrate Chat GPT into apps or websites to offer automated conversational support.

Experiment with Prompts: The key to getting great results from Chat GPT is understanding how to craft effective prompts. Test different queries and see how the AI responds.

Join Online Forums: Platforms like Reddit or specialized AI forums are filled with Chat GPT users who share real-world use cases, tips, and strategies.

Benefits of Learning Midjourney, Gemini, Chat GPT Together

By mastering all three tools—Midjourney, Gemini, and Chat GPT—you open up countless possibilities:

Enhance Creativity: Midjourney empowers you to visualize your ideas, while Gemini and Chat GPT handle the heavy lifting of understanding and generating complex data or content.

Automate Tasks: Using Gemini and Chat GPT can save hours in tasks like writing, responding to customer queries, or analyzing data.

Future-Proof Skills: The demand for AI skills is skyrocketing. By learning these tools now, you’ll stay ahead of the curve and open up new career opportunities.

Final Thoughts: Why You Should Learn Midjourney, Gemini, Chat GPT Today

As AI continues to evolve, learning to use tools like Midjourney, Gemini, and Chat GPT is more important than ever. Not only will they help you automate tasks and streamline processes, but they also unlock new levels of creativity and efficiency.

So why wait? Start your journey today and discover how these tools can transform your life and work. Learn Midjourney, Gemini, Chat GPT—because the future of creativity and automation is already here!