Healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is one which helps to keep and improve people's health and well-being.Many governments and non-governmental organizations have made big efforts in healthy lifestyle and health promotion.
Mental Health
Mental health can be considered a very important factor of physical health for the effects it produces on bodily functions. This type of health concerns emotional and cognitive well-being or an absence of mental disorder.
Public health
Public health can be defined in a variety of ways. It can be presented as "the study of the physical, psychosocial and socio-cultural determinants of population health and actions to improve the health of the population.
Reproductive Health
For the UN, reproductive health is a right, like other human rights. This recent concept evokes the good transmission of the genetic heritage from one generation to the next.
Health
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
lundi 1 janvier 2018
How Did Princess Margaret Die? The Depressing End to an Unconventional Royal Life
Image Source: Getty / ullstein bild Dtl.
The second season of Netflix's hit series The Crown has shed lots of light on Queen Elizabeth II's hapless younger sister, Princess Margaret. From her dramatic love life and nude photo scandal to her penchant for drinking and smoking, it's been made abundantly clear what most royal family aficionados knew all along: Margaret was never meant to blend in. She was always going to stand out.
Margaret was everything you'd expect a spare heir to be; much like Prince Harry and Princess Charlotte after her, she was irresistibly charming, attention-seeking, extroverted, and much more rebellious than her older sister - after all, if you don't bear the direct responsibility of one day taking the throne, you have less pressure put on you to be perfect. Margaret was only 22 when her sister became queen, and while her duties mostly consisted of representing the family on royal tours of Jamaica, Japan, Australia, and the US, she also had a vested interest in welfare charities, music, and the ballet.
After failed engagements, one divorce, two children, and a handful of extramarital affairs, Princess Margaret's royal reputation wasn't one to be desired. Throughout her later life, her health began to severely decline and the glamorous jet-set lifestyle she was known for faded away; a cigarette smoker since 15, Margaret had part of her left lung removed in 1985 (an operation similar to the one her father, King George VI, underwent three decades earlier) - and though she was able to kick the habit some years later, she continued to drink heavily. The '90s brought a bout with pneumonia, a mild stroke, and a bathroom incident - during which her feet were burned from scalding-hot bathwater - that resulted in loss of mobility to her feet.
Image Source: Getty / Tim Graham
By the early 2000s, Margaret needed help walking (and would sometimes use a wheelchair), and in January and March 2001, she suffered more strokes that inhibited her vision and paralyzed her left side. By the end of that year, Margaret would make only two official public appearances; one in August for the 101st birthday party of the Queen Mother and one in December to celebrate her aunt Princess Alice's 100th birthday.
Margaret was everything you'd expect a spare heir to be; she was irresistibly charming, attention-seeking, extroverted, and much more rebellious than her older sister.
On Feb. 9, 2002, Princess Margaret died at the King Edward VII Hospital in London after suffering another stroke. She was 71. Her sister, Queen Elizabeth II, announced the news "with great sadness" in a statement from Buckingham Palace. A private service for family and friends was held six days later, on the 50th anniversary of her beloved father's own funeral. Margaret was cremated - a rarity for royals - and her ashes were placed in the tomb with her parents, King George VI and the Queen Mother (her mother died just seven weeks after Margaret), at Windsor Castle. In April 2002, a state memorial service was held for Margaret at Westminster Abbey. And like the unconventional badass that she was, Margaret even wrote her own epitaph, which was carved on a memorial stone.
We thank thee Lord who by thy spirit doth our faith restore
When we with worldly things commune & prayerless close our door
We lose our precious gift divine to worship and adore
Then thou our Saviour, fill our hearts to love thee evermore
As far as her legacy goes, royal biographers have posited that Margaret paved the way for future members of the family to come out on the other side after divorce. Without her public split from Earl of Snowdon in 1978 - and bearing the brunt of bad press and criticism that came with it - it may not have been as easy for her niece, Princess Anne, and nephews Charles and Andrew to go through with their own divorces (from Captain Mark Phillips, Princess Diana, and Sarah, Duchess of York, respectively).
Behold, Reddit's 10 Most Upvoted Posts of 2017
More than 12 billion upvotes were made on Reddit this year, a figure that almost doubles the total number of living, breathing human beings on planet Earth. In other words, you'd be hard pressed to find a platform that gets quite as much engagement on the stories of the day, every day - and why its annual year in review is essential reading for any reasonable person who spends time on the internet.
So in order to properly bid adieu to 2017, ahead you'll find the top 10 most upvoted posts of 2017. These are the subjects that attracted the most Redditors over the course of the year and are a testament to the power of shared passions and feelings. And, of course, it wouldn't be a Reddit year in review without a couple of posts that left us LOLing for days, too.
Why a Women's March Cofounder Says Every Feminist Should Care About Gun Control
It has been a big year for Tamika Mallory.
A lifelong social justice activist, she also happens to be one of the four women who created the Facebook event which would eventually become the epic Women's March and later evolve into a movement in and of itself. In June, Mallory took the stage at the BET Awards to receive the Shine a Light Award for her fearlessness, and presenter Solange Knowles praised her for all the work that she's done in drawing attention to essential causes and for raising the voices of women of color around the world.
But Mallory is just getting started. Her next project, #NRA2DOJ, will take her to Washington on July 14 to protest the NRA. The effort is a direct response to a viral - and frankly, despicable - marketing campaign from the gun rights advocacy group, but gun control has been an issue close to Mallory's heart for a long time. She's been active in changing the policy and discussion around guns since the death of her son's father by shooting in 2001, and this new project seeks to bring even more national attention to an issue which has reached a crisis point.
Mallory took some time out of her busy schedule on July 7 to speak with POPSUGAR about the new initiative, her history with activism, and why it is that gun control should be front and center for all feminists.
POPSUGAR: Let's talk about #NRA2DOJ and the origins of that, what you see coming after the actual march and how it connects back to Women's March generally.
Tamika Mallory: I think the Women's March has taken the position that we are going to - along with partners and many voices - ensure that in this time people feel that they have a place to go to get organized, to really push back against so many things that are concerning everyone. And we want to sort of be a hub, a space particularly for new activists, people who have not been engaged in the movement in the past and are looking for avenues, sort of ways to get involved. And then we saw the ad.
We believe that we have a moral responsibility to speak out against any threat to people of color and protesters, people who are exercising their First Amendment right to protest. The NRA will be the first to say to cite the Second Amendment as a right of every citizen, but the First Amendment is also a right. They are touting themselves on their website as being one of the oldest civil rights organizations - in the spirit of what it means to be a civil rights organization, we ask the question "What are you doing to protect and defend black and brown lives?"
With women of color really helping to lead and hear the efforts of Women's March, what better group of people to really sound the alarm? We do not believe - and I think that this is really, really, really important - we are in no way claiming to be the group that has the answers or to be the most prominent organization. We are saying that we will add our voices and our resources to organizations that have existed before us, organizations that have come after us. Because we want to work in communities; we want to be unified with the movement in general and what this resistance looks like from a unified standpoint.
There are many gun violence organizations that work to end gun violence and to address the issues of gun violence in urban communities in pockets across this country, and we want to support them. We want this fight that we have taken on with the NRA to be in support of those organizations. I say that because the NRA is directly in the way of getting things like a responsible and sensible gun legislation passed in this country. They have been blocking that.
And therefore the blood of children in Chicago is on their hands, because those guns - that are not being made or manufactured in the Chicago area - are getting into the hands of young people. Because people are purchasing guns without having any necessary background checks in different states, traveling over state lines. And those guns are making it into the hands of people who are living in situations that many of us cannot even understand. This is not just about the advertisements. It is about the fact that the ad represents the war against people of color that exists in this country, and they basically have given license to people to continue to kill us and for us to continue to have the use of weapons to kill ourselves.
"I think that young women need to know that gun violence is not, in any way, isolated to men."
PS: What would you say to the young women who read POPSUGAR to help them understand how important this issue is?
TM: Well, I think what a young woman needs to understand is that our lives are in danger - everything from domestic violence to violence that may be happening in your community. When people have access to guns and they are receiving messaging from the organization that represents them as a gun owner telling them that [people] do not have the right to protest, they don't have the right to speak against any particular views that they don't necessarily agree with, your life will be in danger.
The NRA's rhetoric allows for more incidents to happen. And we cannot sit by and watch that happen. I think that young women need to know that gun violence is not, in any way, isolated to men. It can happen to you - and it has. We've seen domestic violence incidents over the years where people who are mentally troubled are allowed access to guns and have taken the lives of young women and children, families. This is an issue that concerns us all.
PS: I know your parents were founding members of National Action Network and that you started there at an early age. I'd love to hear a little bit about what that was like.
TM: Being a part of National Action Network when I was a small kid wasn't necessarily something that I considered to be cool at the time. That's the honest truth. You know, I was a young kid and going to protests and having to read all of the books and sort of being around the movement wasn't necessarily bowling and hanging out. (laughter) I'm just laughing because I'm thinking about my mom. If she was on the phone she would say say, "Yeah, you hated it," but you know, I was a young kid who really wanted to just do things that I was thought was sort of like a normal kid's life, and for me growing up in the movement, we were always engaged in some type of community activity. So I was never a kid who didn't have an understanding of how important it was to be a part of uplifting other people and working within my community.
PS: So what led you to join and ultimately work your way up there?
TM: As I got older and other young people were in the same situation that I was in, they had no choice but to be at rallies and to be involved and, you know, there were types of us activists - we found a way to make our work fun. We started to find ways to bring sort of youthfulness to the activism world, and we grew together as a family. But it was still me following in my parents' footsteps, being a part of the movement because they wanted me to be there. And it wasn't until my son's father was killed - when my son was 2 years old and his father was shot and killed - that the movement sort of became my own. I began to own what it meant to be an activist and to be involved in the movement.
PS: Correct me if I'm wrong on this - you left there to work for Joe Biden and Bill de Blasio?
TM: I think it was immediately following the Newtown shooting. The vice president started a task force to look at the nationwide crisis of gun violence, and I served on the task force as a representative for the National Action Network in my role as executive director. Our position at the time, or the perspective that I was bringing at the time, is that gun violence isn't just mass shootings - it is also shootings that are happening every day in communities, particularly in places like Chicago and Brooklyn and other urban markets across the country. So we wanted to bring that perspective to the task force and we did. It wasn't something that we did for long, you know, it was a few meetings that took place to try and talk about all the different factors of the issue and how to address gun violence. Let me put it this way: they were a few meetings to discuss how we have to approach the issue of gun violence from many different perspectives, and that is definitely the part I was involved in.
As it relates to Mayor de Blasio, I served on his transition team, specifically around criminal justice, looking at his appointees for criminal-justice-related departments in the city and also for different law enforcement agencies, the fire department - all of that was covered underneath the committee that I worked on. I have supported Mayor de Blasio - when he was running for office, I was a big supporter for him, raised money for him from young professionals, and had been a doorknocker for him.
PS: I have to ask, on a different topic: is there anything you'd like to say about Linda Sarsour's comments that the protests against Donald Trump should be a sort of jihad against the president?
TM: The only thing I have to say is that if anyone listens to the full speech and reads everything that she said, they would know that there was nothing in her speech that she said that calls for violence or harm, physical harm, to be done to anyone. And that's just the truth.
I think that some people want to say that her words are being taken out of context. I wouldn't say that her words are being taken out of context. I would say that she is purposely being demonized. It was happening before the Women's March, but it really started after the Women's March, that people have been trying to use her words against her. I hope that folks understand that just like the NRA, when the response is to create a new video and to put my face in a new video, these people are trying to expose us, and we could get hurt.
Now, we have decided that we are prepared to lay our lives down for what we believe in. We have decided that. At the same time, the question has to be "Is it worth it to other people, that one of us may be harmed because you are so tied to the idea that the rest of us don't have the right to disagree with you?" Our families also become targets when people expose us in that way. The NRA uses the language that we, as protesters, are violent, yet we are constantly dealing with the violence being inflicted upon us.
2017 Is Looking Much Better Thanks to These New (and Rekindled) Celebrity Couples
Last year was a disastrous year for love in Hollywood, but luckily, 2017 looked a lot better thanks to a select number of celebrity couples who have decided to give love a shot. Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber have not been shy about flaunting their rekindled romance ever since they got back together in January, while Lady Gaga and fiancé Christian Carino have been keeping a low profile. Shay Mitchell and Amy Poehler, on the other hand, both have yet to publicly step out with their new boyfriends, but we're holding out hope that they do so soon.
Selena Gomez Soaks Up the Sun in Mexico - Sans Justin Bieber
Selena Gomez kicked back and relaxed on the beach in Mexico this week. The "Wolves" singer - who is currently back to brunette after a brief stint as a blonde - was spotted wading through the ocean wearing a sleek black one-piece swimsuit and chatting with friends. Selena's pal Raquelle Stevens shared a fun photo of the crew on Instagram, boasting that it was their sixth time ringing in the new year together.
Noticeably absent from Selena's tropical getaway is her on-again boyfriend, Justin Bieber. Selena's trip comes on the heels of multiple reports of friction within her family since she and Justin decided to give things another try; her loved ones are "not happy about them being together at all," and "it is causing them a great deal of stress and pain to watch her give him another chance." It was also reported that Selena's mom, Mandy Teefey, was hospitalized after a heated argument with her daughter. Keep reading to see more photos from Selena's solo Mexico trip.
35 Songs to Turn ALL the Way Up to This New Year's Eve
In spite of all the terrible things that happened, 2017 was filled with some pretty solid music. From the waterfall of Summer jams to all those sexy songs that had your hips moving, it seems the plenitude of bops was actually one of the bright spots of the last 12 months. And what better way to bid farewell to this garbage year than to remember some of the best pop songs it had to offer? This New Year's Eve, turn the volume all the way up, put your worries to bed, and dance. We even made a Spotify playlist for you. (You're welcome.)
The 20 Biggest, Craziest, and Most Inspiring Moments of 2017
Winter came to Westeros on Game of Thrones this year - finally. Meanwhile, we wished for a real-life Jon Snow to rescue us from the insanity of 2017. This year's news cycle has been an emotional roller coaster, but along with heartbreaking headlines and difficult debates, we've witnessed empowering, history-making events and damn good entertainment. #TeamDianaPrince, anyone? This year POPSUGAR followed (and sparked) conversations about the inauguration, award season, the royals, and, of course, the many movies, TV shows, stars, and products that took over our social media feeds. From pop culture to politics, take a look back at some of 2017's biggest cultural moments as the year comes to a close.
- Additional reporting by Brinton Parker, Celia Fernandez, Erin Cullum, Kelsey Garcia, Perri Konecky, and Victoria Messina
18 Healthy Dinners That Are 5 Ingredients or Less
We've all been there - the fridge is almost empty, the cupboard is gathering cobwebs, and that trip to the grocery store just keeps getting pushed back. In times like this, it's easy to reach for that bowl of microwavable mac 'n' cheese or order takeout, ultimately throwing any health-conscious decisions to the wind. But rest assured the following recipes all contain five ingredients or less and the varying contents of your spice cabinet and are as satisfying as they are healthy.
Exclusive: The 5 Trends a Major Agency Says to Look For in 2018
More than any year in recent memory, the last 12 months have redefined what it means to be a citizen of the modern world. The once-impermeable walls of culture have been breached. Politics is no longer the exception; it's the expectation in our everyday lives. As a result, men and women around the world have embraced a new definition of activism, one that proactively seeks to influence the powers that be and to create a new generation of ideals that will extend for decades to come.
Therefore, it's the social economy - the online world in which we exchange our earnest beliefs and deepest desires - that has grown to become one of the most valuable markets on earth. It's here that a single idea can grow to become a movement, a brand can be universally lauded or wrecking crew-style demolished, and a trend can fizzle out or grow to become the new norm. Now more than ever we have the power in our hands to change the world, to rebuild what's broken, one personal preference at a time.
Of course, these monumental shifts did not come without a lasting ripple effect. Below the perceived progressive developments in society, a whole new set of trends were able to flourish in the deepest corners of the internet, rising to the surface as what will most certainly become the true harbingers of cultural change. It's those trends that will ultimately impact the way that we coexist with commerce and brands, how the internet will infiltrate the infrastructure of capitalism in order to improve the consumer experience, and what TBWA's cultural insight studio, Backslash, monitors on a daily basis.
"When we were developing Backslash and developing our strategy on content and how we look at culture, we knew that we look at trends for brands every day and wanted to make those trends actionable," Sarah Rabia, global director of cultural strategy told me by phone in late December. "There's a gap between being able to see what's happening in the future and what's actionable for a brand right now. We bridge that gap in time by thinking about how you apply a trend or cultural insight to something new . . . we don't just want to report on something; we want [to suggest] some sort of output, too."
What ultimately classifies a trend as actionable, though? Well, for starters, they're all things that exist in some capacity in our lives already but have been subject to an evolution of sorts as they quietly percolate in online communities on the basis of shared experiences.
"A good trend is something that's happening already, in some shape or form," Rabia told me. But it's all about what's happening online that really shapes the trends, and increasingly those decisions are being made as a result of the most niche communities on the web coming together to impact change. "All these weird and wonderful subcultures - whether you're talking about sub-Reddits or meme markets - are becoming a lot more mainstream and gaining a lot more popularity."
For an example of how this is already happening, Rabia points to McDonald's, one of TBWA's current clients. After Rick and Morty featured the discontinued product on an episode this Fall, fans lit up the internet with pleas for a rerelease of their favorite menu add-on. And, naturally, it led to an onslaught of viral memes that ultimately filtered upward to the highest echelons of the company.
"McDonald's was pleasantly surprised because they were thinking that the whole meme thing was really quite niche (and such a small group), while they generally look at more of a mass audience," Rabia said. "That really showed them that the things that are happening that may be a bit more weird and wonderful and niche in online subcultures are really impacting mainstream consumers and culture, and they have a business effect."
"Rather than bland, homogenous products that nobody really wants, products can be born out of things that people are passionate about. And that's really exciting," she added.
In other words, the more popular subculture communities get, the more attention the biggest brands must pay to giving our shared opinions and ideas a chance to work in the real world. This, Rabia says, could lead to an unprecedented unity between brands and consumers, with brands ultimately having the power to act as "allies" - and for all of us to wind up with what we really want at the end of the day, as opposed to what a suit in an office somewhere posits that we'd all like to have.
Ultimately, what Backslash reports on is what's making waves right now, and how that will impact the way that marketing works on the most granular level. And for the year to come, it's got a wealth of predictions that are based not just on data and insights but also from a network of 250 spotters around the world who have identified exactly what's hot and what's happening right now.
Below, you'll find the five cultural pre-trends that Backslash believes will lead to "the convergence of unexpected worlds" in 2018. These trends encompass the concepts of genetic technology and activism, memes and currency, digital goods and fashion, creative AI and algorithms, and the cult mentality developing within social media, and they are set to shape the world as we know it, in some capacity, over the coming year.
What we're already seeing, according to Backslash:
"Today, the doctor is no longer the middle man, and patients are in more control than ever. Cheap genetic testing kits are increasingly abundant, and anyone can both decode their DNA and gain insight into potential hazards that may affect themselves or their families. Earlier this year, 23andMe was green-lit to reveal customers' risk of developing 10 diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's."
What the trend means, according to Backslash:
"Access to data has now revealed a mass of 'previvors' - those who have yet to be affected by a disease but know that it's in the cards. Today, communities are arising around gene status, such as BRCA or ApoE4. Rather than wait for a diagnosis, these previvors will use their collective power to find solutions and fight for their voices to be heard by the government and big pharma.
'Wellness is a big cultural conversation, and I'm noticing that people aren't afraid to talk about their illnesses publicly anymore. Genetic tests are binding people together, with the potential to create new tribes,' says Paul Pfleiderer, chief strategy officer at TBWA WorldHealth and one of our culture spotters.
'You might see shifts in communities away from "Patients like Me," for those diagnosed, to something like "We're the band of ApoE4 people; this is who we are." This will galvanize communities to demand industry research on their behalf. They will rally for affordable health care, which is such a contentious industry issue at this time,' Pfleiderer says."
The trend, decoded:
"One of the most tangible examples is Planned Parenthood and what happened with the Trump administration trying to defund critical women's health care. They've really mobilized women to stand up for their rights," Rabia says. "People are going to be much more radical about their health, and genetics is just unlocking the knowledge about what could happen to us in the future. Now, we're going to act on it."
What we're already seeing, according to Backslash:
"Ephemeral accessories are already a thing. Take Snapchat's dog-face, rainbow vomit, and nerd glasses filters, which are cultural staples. And 'Made For Instagram' real-world experiences have been a sell-out sensation this year."
What the trend means, according to Backslash:
"One way into Vaporwear is to make a meme out of your goods. Vetements's iconic DHL t-shirt became a viral sensation and digital product in itself, providing an access point for the millions who couldn't afford the shirt's €245 price tag. By creating a physical product that could spread on social, Vetements armed the masses with an 'asset' that connected them to the brand with each post, share or RT.
Filters and photo ops will be another way into designer brand fandom. Take Gucci's '#ThatFeelingWhenGucci' campaign, in which the brand commissioned @beigecardigan and @youvegotnomale to create memes featuring its new line of wristwatches. The resulting online art gallery was similar to Burberry's Art of the Trench in that the product became the experience.
'The important thing is the convergence between the real and virtual worlds. We'll see more blurring between the two,' says tech futurist Ian Pearson."
The trend, decoded:
"A product may not exist in real life yet, but if you've got an idea, why not just bring it to life on Instagram to see if any kind of buzz or interest arises? It might just be a visual, it might just be a protype, but we can see brands using this as an inspiration, as a kick-starter-y space," Rabia says. "Something might not exist, but why not just test the waters? For your average consumer, having a bit more of a hand in the products and brands that they want to see gives them power in shaping the things they want to buy and be listened to about. It appeals to real people and blurs the lines between fiction and reality."
What we're already seeing, according to Backslash:
"Humans have never been more traced, decoded, and analyzed. With contextual data inputs via Face ID and voice search, algorithms can now cross reference human reactions with creative content. This means that algorithms can better understand and design content that we may not even know we'll enjoy - before we even see it."
What the trend means, according to Backslash:
"'Made by humans' becomes the next 'buy local.' Creative products made by people will become an ethical choice in the same realm as 'fair trade' or 'locally made.' There will be increased pressure on brands to reveal whether content was made by human or machine.
'Human-made will be something you can trade on,' asserts tech futurist Ian Pearson. 'But it will not always be positive. Some people will prefer the AI because it gives them exactly what they want. Some people will want human expertise. Human-made will matter most in crafts, sport, and certain areas of entertainment where we value the human factor. You'll pay more for the human-made.'"
The trend, decoded:
The best example of how things went horribly wrong on this front in 2017 was the backlash Spotify received for creating algorithmic tracks that claimed to be created by real people. "With this shift, although there's positive applications of it, things are going to get worse. And when you don't know if a person or a machine has done something and there's a lack of transparency . . . consumers will start being very vocal about what they're uncomfortable with," Rabia says.
What we're already seeing, according to Backslash:
"The 'memecraft paradox' was front and center last year as popular Instagram accounts @TheFatJewish and @FuckJerry came under fire for profiting off memes pilfered from Reddit. Yet in many cases, there was no telling who had originally created the viral content.
Creative attribution hasn't just been a problem in the meme world. In April 2017, it was revealed that 25 percent of Spotify's catalog was unsourced, resulting in $25 million in penalty payments to the National Music Publishers Association. Spotify argued that it was impossible to determine ownership for every track in their 30 million-strong catalog. To solve this, they bought Mediachain, a company that applies blockchain technology to music as a means of tracking its origin."
What the trend means, according to Backslash:
"We believe blockchain may offer a way for meme artists to maintain a level of ownership over their content. Blockchain is a technology that provides a 'transaction record' between people and ensures everything is legit, replacing the need for a bank or institution. Experts think that this verified list of transactions can connect other forms of media back to a source, proving authenticity. This means that meme creators could use blockchain to prove ownership and sell their work in an instant.
Pepe the Frog is one of the pioneering examples of applying blockchain to memes. The frog meme, which got co-opted by the alt-right due to the problem of ownership, demonstrates how lucrative blockchain can be and the creative integrity it offers meme artists. With a current market cap of $75 million, Pepe has spawned its own currency: Pepe Cash.
Artists can post Pepe-themed cards in the Rare Pepe directory and decide how many copies of their art will exist. For example, only 132 people can own a Melancholia Pepe card, which is digitally signed by the artist and certified by the blockchain. It's the limited-edition Air Force 1 of memes. Creating scarcity and collectibles is a familiar business model in the retail world and could be applied to the internet - a space that promotes mass over scarcity.
'The ability to create "digital scarcity," where you can prove there's a limited number of digital art on a blockchain, will lead to opportunities for artists to monetize digital content and get rewarded in the future,' says Koji Higashi, a cryptocurrency expert based in Japan.
Cryptokitties is another example of digital collectibles powered by blockchain. People can buy the one-of-a-kind digital creatures and ensure that they cannot be replicated, altered, or destroyed. Using Ethereum's blockchain, Cryptokitties has seen $2+ million in purchases."
The trend, decoded:
"When things become popular online and people rally to talk about them, it's very interesting for brands," Rabia notes, pointing to the McDonald's Szechuan sauce as an example of this trend. "People really wanted this product to come back to life, and it inspired McDonald's to rerelease their sauce and it sold out, and it got traded on eBay for hundreds of dollars." In other words, scarcity, integrity, and passion sell.
What we're already seeing, according to Backslash:
"Social influencers have more power than ever, commanding a market worth $1 billion and set to double by 2019, according to Mediakix. They are the role models of our age, with 75 percent of children saying they want to be a YouTuber or vlogger when they grow up, according to a recent study."
What the trend means, according to Backslash:
"Internet star Jake Paul may be following the cult leader playbook. His nation-sized fandom, the 'Jake Paulers,' are over 10 million strong and dedicated to their leader. 'The Jake Paulers are the strongest army out there,' Jake Paul told NPR when neighbors threatened to report him to authorities for disturbing the peace.
Disney parted ways with the star, who fronted one of its shows after it was reported he had turned his neighborhood into a 'war zone,' shooting viral content. Then there's Poppy, an ethereal, Bot-like YouTube star who has already inspired her own religion. Poppy is the subject of several conspiracy theories, including that she is a robot, a member of the Illuminati, or a pawn subjected to mind control. She is a figure of worship for her fan base, known as the 'Poppy Seeds.'
One fan has even invented a religion in her honor, called 'Poppyism.' In one of her videos, Poppy speaks to her status by asking followers to repeat, 'I am not in a cult,' as masked figures hold spiritual icons. At a recent concert, Poppy passed out cups of Kool-Aid and announced, 'Poppy is not responsible for any fatalities.' Creepy? It hasn't stopped Sanrio and Comedy Central from working with her.
Mainstream stars are also displaying signs of cult leadership. Katy Perry stripped naked and used her body as clickbait in order to drive votes for Hillary. Lana Del Rey asked her fans to curse Donald Trump using witchcraft. Even Eminem got in on the action by telling the world that he'd disown any fan of his who also is a Trumpster.
Part of the appeal of the cult-like influencer is the aura of mystery that surrounds them. In an age of 'I'm just like you,' instant-access celebrity, being unknowable and reclaiming the pedestal is refreshingly alluring. But while boasting massive followings, the typical YouTuber lacks a critical ingredient in the cult formation recipe: an ideology for followers to adopt. On the other hand, many niche communities that are ideologically charged are lacking charismatic leaders and centralized action.
With scholars pointing to Donald Trump as wielding both of these traits, we may see this trickle down to younger or more centralized influencer groups."
The trend, decoded:
This is the trend we can all pretty much agree is a sure thing within the next year or two. But what does it mean in tangible terms? "You can create new business models, and fandoms can become real," Rabia says. "That convergence of subculture and big brands is very interesting."
Watch All the Times Square New Year's Eve Festivities - Including the Ball Drop - Right Here
It's New Year's Eve, and no matter where or how you plan to spend the last day of the year, one thing is for certain: it's time to say goodbye to 2017, and hello to everything that 2018 will bring. And there's no better way to celebrate the good things to come than by watching the legendary New York City festivities that take place in Times Square all evening long. So, we've partnered with the Times Square Alliance to bring you the official live stream of everything – from countdowns to musical performances to the epic ball drop itself – right as it goes down, starting at 3:00 p.m. EST. Not sure what's on tap? No problem. The full schedule of events can be found below.
So kick back, grab a glass of champagne, and prepare for all the fun the night is sure to bring – and know that no matter where you are, you can tune in to what's going down in NYC at any time throughout the night, right here.
3:00 p.m.
The Revelers
Revelers start arriving late in the afternoon on New Year's Eve. By approximately 3:00 p.m. EST, the Bow Tie of Times Square (42nd to 47th Sts. between Broadway and 7th Ave.) is fully closed to traffic. Revelers are directed by the NYPD to gather in separate viewing sections. As one section fills up, the revelers are directed by police to the next viewing section. As the evening progresses, revelers continue to fill the Times Square neighborhood along Broadway and Seventh Avenue moving uptown from 43rd Street to as far as Central Park.
6:00 p.m. to 6:03 p.m.
Lighting and Raising the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball
The celebration begins with the lighting and raising of the New Year's Eve Ball atop One Times Square. The representatives of the Philips Lighting Company flip the giant switch, which lights the New Year's Eve Ball and begins its ascent accompanied by special pyrotechnic effects atop One Times Square.
6:04 p.m. to 6:07 p.m.
Intro of Webcast Host
Allison Hagendorf introduces Jonathan Bennett hosting the worldwide webcast live from the Kiss Stage between 44th and 45th Streets.
6:07 p.m. to 6:21 p.m.
SAFA Chinese Cultural Performance
The Sino-American Friendship Association ("SAFA") presents a spectacular Tongliang Athletics Dragon Dance from Chongqing China to begin the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration. The performance is on the Countdown Stage at Duffy Island between 46th and 47th Streets. The Chinese cultural performance will conclude with red and gold pyrotechnic effects atop One Times Square.
The Tongliang Athletics Dragon Dance is the most famous Chinese dragon dance, hailing from the Tongliang District of Chongqing. This year, a 15-meter-long Athletics Dragon – gold and blue in color and undertaken by eight performers - will come to life in Times Square, depicting the characteristics of "high," "fast," and "strong" to thrill onlookers, presented in partnership with the Sino-American Friendship Association. The dance is the same type performed at the Beijing Olympic games, and its movements are relatively large in magnitude, speed, and difficulty. Dragon dances are often performed during the Chinese New Year to scare away evil spirits and bring in peace.
6:25 p.m.
Times Square 2018 Hats, Balloons, and Scarves
Times Square Alliance sanitation crew clad in bright red uniforms begins to distribute tens of thousands of fun handouts to the Times Square revelers for cheering in the New Year. Planet Fitness is providing festive purple and yellow New Year's Eve hats and purple and yellow balloons tied with gold mylar ribbons, and the Sino-American Friendship Association is providing red scarves.
6:58 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Hourly Countdown with Steve Harvey
As we approach the New Year, Steve Harvey will appear at the Countdown Stage to wish the Times Square revelers "Happy New Year" and lead the 10-second countdown to the 7:00 hour accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects atop One Times Square. He will also read several of the Confetti Wishes to be mixed into the confetti release at midnight and share his wish for the New Year.
7:01 p.m. to 7:16 p.m.
FOX New Year's Eve Performance by Andra Day
Andra Day performs two hit songs, including Stand Up For Something, on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.
7:18 p.m. to 7:23 p.m.
Planet Fitness "Judgement Free" with Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy will lead the revelers in a "Judgement Free" moment.
7:57 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Hourly Countdown with Tarana Burke
Tarana Burke will appear at the Countdown Stage to lead the next hourly countdown leading up to the 8:00 hour.
8:02 p.m. to 8:07 p.m.
The USO Show Troupe Performance
The USO Show Troupe performs a Military Salute to honor our Armed Forces on the Countdown Stage.
8:11 p.m. to 8:23 p.m.
Musical Performance by Andy Grammer
Andy Grammer performs Honey, I'm Good, Good to Be Alive, and Smoke Clears on Planet Fitness Center Stage.
8:23 p.m. to 8:26 p.m.
Waterford Crystal Toast
8:33 p.m. to 8:41 p.m.
ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve": Performance by Sugarland
Sugarland performs a medley of their greatest hits on the Countdown Stage.
8:47 p.m. to 8:52 p.m.
Planet Fitness Presents the Kinjaz
The Kinjaz will perform their intricate choreography and creative storytelling through dance on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.
8:52 p.m. to 8:55 p.m.
Toshiba Happy New Year Message
8:55 p.m. to 8:58 p.m.
Getting Ready For the Midnight Kiss!
Jonathan Bennett preps revelers for the midnight kiss at the Kiss Stage and encourages revelers to send their photos to #BallDrop to be displayed on the Toshiba sign below the Times Square Ball.
8:58 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Hourly Countdown with FNC's "All-American New Year"
As we approach the New Year, FNC hosts Kennedy and Jesse Watters will appear at the Countdown Stage to lead this hour's countdown.
9:02 p.m. to 9:14 p.m.
Musical Performance by Lauren Alaina
Lauren Alaina performs her two hit songs Road Less Traveled and What Ifs, plus a cover of Katy Perry's Firework on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.
9:15 p.m. to 9:18 p.m.
Barefoot Bubbly Toast
9:39 p.m. to 9:44 p.m.
ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve": Performance by Camila Cabello
Camila Cabello performs a medley of her hit songs on the Countdown Stage.
9:49 p.m. to 9:52 p.m.
Getting Ready For the Midnight Kiss!
Jonathan Bennett preps revelers for midnight kiss at the Kiss Stage and encourages revelers to send their photos to #BallDrop to be displayed on the Toshiba sign below the Times Square Ball.
9:57 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Hourly Countdown with Planet Fitness
As we approach the New Year, representatives from Planet Fitness will appear at the Countdown Stage to lead the hourly countdown.
10:02 p.m. to 10:10 p.m.
Univision's "¡Feliz 2018!": Performance by Chyno Miranda
Chyno Miranda performs his hit songs on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.
10:11 p.m. to 10:14 p.m.
Good Riddance Day Highlights
Allison Hagendorf will share highlights from Good Riddance Day with the Times Square revelers from the Countdown Stage.
10:18 p.m. to 10:21 p.m.
FOX New Year's Eve Performance by Antonique Smith
Antonique Smithh performs Here Comes the Sun on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.
10:26 p.m. to 10:32 p.m.
FOX New Year's Eve Wedding
Steve Harvey officiates a special Times Square wedding ceremony on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.
10:38 p.m. to 10:46 p.m.
ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve": Performance by Nick Jonas
Nick Jonas performs medley of his hit songs on the Countdown Stage.
10:46 p.m. to 10:49 p.m.
ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve": American Idol Video
Ryan Seacrest introduces American Idol video on the Countdown Stage accompanied by blue and white streamers filling the sky above Times Square.
10:57 p.m. to 11:01 p.m.
Hourly Countdown with Raúl de Molina
As we approach the 11:00 hour, Raúl de Molina will lead the hourly countdown.
11:01 p.m. to 11:09 p.m.
Univision's ¡Feliz 2018!: Performance by Leslie Grace with Play-N-Skillz
Leslie Grace performs with Play-N-Skillz on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.
11:10 p.m. to 11:13 p.m.
The Associated Press Presents 2017 Year-End Video Highlights
The Associated Press, the world's oldest and largest news-gathering organization, presents a news reel highlighting some of the most memorable events of 2017.
11:17 p.m. to 11:22 p.m.
FOX New Year's Eve Sing-Along Performance by Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond performs his hit song "Sweet Caroline" on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.
11:38 p.m. to 11:46 p.m.
ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve": Performance by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey performs a medley of her hit songs on the Countdown Stage.
11:51 p.m. to 11:58 p.m.
Special Musical Performance by Andy Grammer
Andy Grammer performs Fresh Eyes and John Lennon's Imagine on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.
11:59 p.m.
The 60-Second Countdown
The Mayor of New York City and Tarana Burke push the Waterford crystal button that signals the descent of the New Year's Eve Ball, and lead the final 60-second countdown to the New Year on the Countdown Stage.
The Times Square New Year's Eve Ball
The lighted ball descends 70 feet in 60 seconds. The ball is a geodesic sphere, 12 feet in diameter, weighing 11,875 pounds. The ball is covered with 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles and lit by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs.
12:00 a.m. - New Year's Day
2018 Sign
At the stroke of midnight, the lights on the New Year's Eve Ball are turned off as the numerals of the New Year "2018" burst to life.
Times Square Confetti Release and Pyrotechnic Effects
The world-famous New Year's Eve confetti is released from the rooftops of buildings throughout Times Square, creating a blizzard of colorful confetti as revelers welcome the New Year accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects. The 3,000 pounds of confetti includes tens of thousands of wishes from revelers around the world hoping for peace, love, good health, and a better future in the new year.
Should We Freeze Our Jeans? (Asking For a Friend)
As a lifelong lover of jeans, there has been one question that's come up over and over again: should you freeze your jeans? Or, just wash them? Many people have claimed that freezing your jeans kills the bacteria that creates odor and it can help preserve the shape of the denim too. To answer this question once and for all, we turned to DSTLD's design director, Paul Roughley, to ask for his expert advice.
"If your jeans aren't raw denim (unwashed) then there's no reason to not give them a warm wash after a few wears. To preserve the color, turn them inside out and wash on cold with a gentle detergent. You can also spray them with some Febreze and hang them on a clothesline outdoors if you're inclined to be a little unorthodox about jean care."
But one thing you should never do to your jeans? Bleach them. "Bleaching will ultimately corrode the fibers, and the jeans will then rip and tear but, to be honest, denim is such a hardwearing fabric that you can push it to its limits through heavy wear," says Paul. With these hacks in your back pocket, you don't have to worry about ruining the color or feel of your favorite baby blues, and you can get the most of your jeans for years to come.
Why a Women's March Cofounder Says Every Feminist Should Care About Gun Control
It has been a big year for Tamika Mallory.
A lifelong social justice activist, she also happens to be one of the four women who created the Facebook event which would eventually become the epic Women's March and later evolve into a movement in and of itself. In June, Mallory took the stage at the BET Awards to receive the Shine a Light Award for her fearlessness, and presenter Solange Knowles praised her for all the work that she's done in drawing attention to essential causes and for raising the voices of women of color around the world.
But Mallory is just getting started. Her next project, #NRA2DOJ, will take her to Washington on July 14 to protest the NRA. The effort is a direct response to a viral - and frankly, despicable - marketing campaign from the gun rights advocacy group, but gun control has been an issue close to Mallory's heart for a long time. She's been active in changing the policy and discussion around guns since the death of her son's father by shooting in 2001, and this new project seeks to bring even more national attention to an issue which has reached a crisis point.
Mallory took some time out of her busy schedule on July 7 to speak with POPSUGAR about the new initiative, her history with activism, and why it is that gun control should be front and center for all feminists.
POPSUGAR: Let's talk about #NRA2DOJ and the origins of that, what you see coming after the actual march and how it connects back to Women's March generally.
Tamika Mallory: I think the Women's March has taken the position that we are going to - along with partners and many voices - ensure that in this time people feel that they have a place to go to get organized, to really push back against so many things that are concerning everyone. And we want to sort of be a hub, a space particularly for new activists, people who have not been engaged in the movement in the past and are looking for avenues, sort of ways to get involved. And then we saw the ad.
We believe that we have a moral responsibility to speak out against any threat to people of color and protesters, people who are exercising their First Amendment right to protest. The NRA will be the first to say to cite the Second Amendment as a right of every citizen, but the First Amendment is also a right. They are touting themselves on their website as being one of the oldest civil rights organizations - in the spirit of what it means to be a civil rights organization, we ask the question "What are you doing to protect and defend black and brown lives?"
With women of color really helping to lead and hear the efforts of Women's March, what better group of people to really sound the alarm? We do not believe - and I think that this is really, really, really important - we are in no way claiming to be the group that has the answers or to be the most prominent organization. We are saying that we will add our voices and our resources to organizations that have existed before us, organizations that have come after us. Because we want to work in communities; we want to be unified with the movement in general and what this resistance looks like from a unified standpoint.
There are many gun violence organizations that work to end gun violence and to address the issues of gun violence in urban communities in pockets across this country, and we want to support them. We want this fight that we have taken on with the NRA to be in support of those organizations. I say that because the NRA is directly in the way of getting things like a responsible and sensible gun legislation passed in this country. They have been blocking that.
And therefore the blood of children in Chicago is on their hands, because those guns - that are not being made or manufactured in the Chicago area - are getting into the hands of young people. Because people are purchasing guns without having any necessary background checks in different states, traveling over state lines. And those guns are making it into the hands of people who are living in situations that many of us cannot even understand. This is not just about the advertisements. It is about the fact that the ad represents the war against people of color that exists in this country, and they basically have given license to people to continue to kill us and for us to continue to have the use of weapons to kill ourselves.
"I think that young women need to know that gun violence is not, in any way, isolated to men."
PS: What would you say to the young women who read POPSUGAR to help them understand how important this issue is?
TM: Well, I think what a young woman needs to understand is that our lives are in danger - everything from domestic violence to violence that may be happening in your community. When people have access to guns and they are receiving messaging from the organization that represents them as a gun owner telling them that [people] do not have the right to protest, they don't have the right to speak against any particular views that they don't necessarily agree with, your life will be in danger.
The NRA's rhetoric allows for more incidents to happen. And we cannot sit by and watch that happen. I think that young women need to know that gun violence is not, in any way, isolated to men. It can happen to you - and it has. We've seen domestic violence incidents over the years where people who are mentally troubled are allowed access to guns and have taken the lives of young women and children, families. This is an issue that concerns us all.
PS: I know your parents were founding members of National Action Network and that you started there at an early age. I'd love to hear a little bit about what that was like.
TM: Being a part of National Action Network when I was a small kid wasn't necessarily something that I considered to be cool at the time. That's the honest truth. You know, I was a young kid and going to protests and having to read all of the books and sort of being around the movement wasn't necessarily bowling and hanging out. (laughter) I'm just laughing because I'm thinking about my mom. If she was on the phone she would say say, "Yeah, you hated it," but you know, I was a young kid who really wanted to just do things that I was thought was sort of like a normal kid's life, and for me growing up in the movement, we were always engaged in some type of community activity. So I was never a kid who didn't have an understanding of how important it was to be a part of uplifting other people and working within my community.
PS: So what led you to join and ultimately work your way up there?
TM: As I got older and other young people were in the same situation that I was in, they had no choice but to be at rallies and to be involved and, you know, there were types of us activists - we found a way to make our work fun. We started to find ways to bring sort of youthfulness to the activism world, and we grew together as a family. But it was still me following in my parents' footsteps, being a part of the movement because they wanted me to be there. And it wasn't until my son's father was killed - when my son was 2 years old and his father was shot and killed - that the movement sort of became my own. I began to own what it meant to be an activist and to be involved in the movement.
PS: Correct me if I'm wrong on this - you left there to work for Joe Biden and Bill de Blasio?
TM: I think it was immediately following the Newtown shooting. The vice president started a task force to look at the nationwide crisis of gun violence, and I served on the task force as a representative for the National Action Network in my role as executive director. Our position at the time, or the perspective that I was bringing at the time, is that gun violence isn't just mass shootings - it is also shootings that are happening every day in communities, particularly in places like Chicago and Brooklyn and other urban markets across the country. So we wanted to bring that perspective to the task force and we did. It wasn't something that we did for long, you know, it was a few meetings that took place to try and talk about all the different factors of the issue and how to address gun violence. Let me put it this way: they were a few meetings to discuss how we have to approach the issue of gun violence from many different perspectives, and that is definitely the part I was involved in.
As it relates to Mayor de Blasio, I served on his transition team, specifically around criminal justice, looking at his appointees for criminal-justice-related departments in the city and also for different law enforcement agencies, the fire department - all of that was covered underneath the committee that I worked on. I have supported Mayor de Blasio - when he was running for office, I was a big supporter for him, raised money for him from young professionals, and had been a doorknocker for him.
PS: I have to ask, on a different topic: is there anything you'd like to say about Linda Sarsour's comments that the protests against Donald Trump should be a sort of jihad against the president?
TM: The only thing I have to say is that if anyone listens to the full speech and reads everything that she said, they would know that there was nothing in her speech that she said that calls for violence or harm, physical harm, to be done to anyone. And that's just the truth.
I think that some people want to say that her words are being taken out of context. I wouldn't say that her words are being taken out of context. I would say that she is purposely being demonized. It was happening before the Women's March, but it really started after the Women's March, that people have been trying to use her words against her. I hope that folks understand that just like the NRA, when the response is to create a new video and to put my face in a new video, these people are trying to expose us, and we could get hurt.
Now, we have decided that we are prepared to lay our lives down for what we believe in. We have decided that. At the same time, the question has to be "Is it worth it to other people, that one of us may be harmed because you are so tied to the idea that the rest of us don't have the right to disagree with you?" Our families also become targets when people expose us in that way. The NRA uses the language that we, as protesters, are violent, yet we are constantly dealing with the violence being inflicted upon us.
An Improbable Friendship Between a Dog and a Duck Is the Good News Story We All Need Right Now
Sick and tired of only hearing about the bad things going on in the world? We're right there with you - and, thankfully, we've got the cure for exactly what ails you.
Meet the unlikely pair of Max, a 12-year-old Husky, and Quackers, a 4-year-old duck. Against all odds, the two animals - both owned by Patrick and Kirsten Riley - are inseparable best friends, and they're the pride and joy of the teeny-tiny town of Strout, MN. The town boasts a population of just 25 people, so Max and Quackers are well-known to all the residents and can frequently be seen out patrolling their domain. "Sometimes on my way home, I actually hope they're out there because they're just too precious to look at," Strout resident Alisa Godejahn told CBS affiliate WCCO-TV.
In the interview below, the Rileys describe how they adopted Max when he was 5 and he became fast pals with the couple's other dog, Sasha, and after she died, he was left without a friend. "He was without any friends, and Max would sit next to his pen all the time, and I think they just bonded that way," Patrick Riley says, adding, "after we let him out, they just never left each others' side." Kirsten Riley goes on to say that "they sleep together, they eat together, they drink together, they go for walks together down the road . . . everything is together."
The improbable friendship between a dog and a duck provides a poignant reminder that kindness and compassion transcends all that which may traditionally divide us and that it's not impossible to buck tradition and create a bond with someone who may not be exactly the same as you. As such, the pair is often used as a symbol of how to "put aside differences" among the residents of the town in which they reside.
Symbolism aside, it's hard not to have your heart melt at the sight of these delightful animals trotting along in unison. And you can bet that we'll be bookmarking this video of Max and Quackers and be watching it all year long, because it's exactly the kind of thing that we need a little more of in our lives right now.
I Was a Smart-Home Skeptic - Until I Fell Head Over Heels For This 1 Smart Lamp
When I was growing up, I really loved this one Ray Bradbury short story called "There Will Come Soft Rains." It's set around a futuristic (at the time) smart home, that outlives the humans that once inhabited it and continues to function long beyond the end of the human race. While that may sound slightly morbid, it's hard to explain just how beautiful the story really is - or the lasting impact it's had on me as an adult, most notably in the aversion I've had in giving in to having my very own smart home. I've always been one of those people that needs to be on top of every single tech trend, spending thousands of dollars on things I absolutely must have at that moment in time and will spend more time looking at in awe than actually using. But thanks to that one short story, as far as I was concerned, the closest thing to giving my home the power to exist without me was investing in The Clapper to turn the lights on and off when I was feeling exceptionally lazy.
Here's the thing: I finally found the one thing that convinced me that yes, a smart home actually is something that makes my life easier, regardless of what future a 20th-century author once predicted. And that thing happens to be one very smart lamp.
The C by GE Sol not only made me a believer in voice assistants and smart home technology; it also opened the floodgates for a tricked-out home that communicates with itself in ways that actually wind up saving me money, skipping potential headaches, and helping me to enjoy the devices I already own even more. But don't just take my top-level word for it; here are a few very good specific reasons why this one lamp might just be the best starter product for anyone looking to dabble in making their home more intelligent, too.
First and foremost: it's the ultimate upgrade from The Clapper
The Sol isn't just a tech product - it's a damn good lamp. I've used it next to my bed for a calming, warm glow I can turn off once I'm drifting off to sleep. . . but also in my kitchen, where I need the harshest white light imaginable in order to see what I'm slicing and dicing. It's awesome to be able to control the level of light in a room without having to fiddle with a dimmer or stop what I'm doing, and thanks to the Alexa integration (which gets smarter each and every day I use it), it's easier than ever to do just that. Goodbye Clapper, hello Sol.
That Alexa integration also means I can control my Sonos
Yes, you read that correctly! Thanks to the recent Alexa on Sonos update, my lamp can literally control what music I'm playing on the Sonos speakers throughout my home. I can't even begin to describe how much of a game-changer that has been for me (and, honestly, has led to me buying a few more devices to be able to do it in other rooms, too), but being able to get incredible sound when I'm cleaning or hanging out with my friends by just saying a few words is truly the ultimate luxury.
My Sol is the center of my new smart-home ecosystem
Being able to easily link together my devices through my phone is amazing. It means that I can get smart light bulbs and other doodads and link those up with Sol - and basically have a whole room that turns on and off when I want it too without having to be concerned that I've left something on. In other words, the lamp has become the perfect centerpiece of my newly smart living room ecosystem - and the perfect centerpiece of any conversation about why the smart home setup is, in fact, totally worthy of the hype.
A New Shave Club Called Billie Is Here to Free Us From the Pink Tax Forever
If you're anything like me, you've spent the last couple years wondering why nobody had ever attempted to launch a Dollar Shave Club for women. Think about it: the so-called "pink tax" makes everything slightly more expensive for women, and there's no possible way to deny the straight-up racket that is the razor industry - so why not tap into that already-captive audience? Thankfully, there's now a brand that's willing to step up and take on the existential challenge - and it goes by the name of Billie.
Like Harry's and the aforementioned Dollar Shave Club, >Billie is a "female-first body brand built on providing premium-quality shaving and body care products through a convenient subscription model at affordable prices." And when they say affordable prices, that's really what they are - we're talking a mere $9 for the first order of two razor blades, a handle, and a holder. All of your subsequent refills (which come with four razor blades a piece) remain at that lovely price, as well - though it's totally up to you how often you get them sent right to your door.
Billie isn't just limited to razors, though. You can also add in additional products like shaving cream and body wash at an additional cost, based on how much you're willing to shell out. Given the prices listed on the website, it's probably safe to say that you're going to get a better deal on toiletries in your subscription than you would from your local drugstore, but you don't have to make a firm commitment up front, and the service is practically built for dabbling.
"We created Billie because women deserve to have a great shave experience at a fair price," cofounder Georgina Gooley told POPSUGAR. "Most shaving companies are created for men, and, unfortunately, women are an afterthought in this category. We're still overpaying for pink razors and subjected to the "pink tax." Our goal is to provide a shave experience that puts women first - we're delivering razors and bodycare products that are designed for the way women shave and pricing them at half the price of the competition and definitely without the pink tax."
And that sentiment isn't just a talking point. Billie's Nov. 14 launch is being celebrated with a very special "Pink Tax Rebate" program, which lets you earn credit that you can use toward a purchase simply by sharing a referral code with your friends and family. And like the service itself, there's no nonsense built into the way it works: for every 5, 10, or 20 people you get to sign up for the rebate, you get a $5, $10, or $20 credit added to your account.
Ultimately, it's hard not to be excited that there's finally a service like Billie that recognizes the disparity in pricing and the severe gap that's opened up between men and women's products. You can bet that I'll be signing up for the service starting today - and here's hoping that Billie is the first in a long, successful line of companies that help us banish the pink tax for good.
Cory Booker Has a Plan For Making Weed Legal in the US - Here's Why It Just Might Work
The United States has an incredibly complicated relationship with marijuana. More than half of all drug-related arrests in the US are related to cannabis, and we're not talking about a small number of people. Between 2001 and 2010, there were a staggering 8.2 million marijuana-related arrests, and almost all of them were for mere possession of the drug. This would be understandable if we took a common stand or had a national policy in place, but instead the rules and regulations vary from state to state, from full-on legalization to complete criminalization. As a result, we've got a patchwork of laws across the country that are often murky and always inconsistent. It's a recipe for disaster, and it should come as no surprise that there are millions who have suffered overzealous punishment in the hands of our nation's criminal justice system.
The Plan to Finally Fix Our Pot Problem
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, however, has a strategy. On Aug. 1, he announced a long-teased piece of legislation: the Marijuana Justice Act.
"Our country's drug laws are badly broken and need to be fixed," Booker said in a statement. "They don't make our communities any safer - instead, they divert critical resources from fighting violent crimes, tear families apart, unfairly impact low-income communities and communities of color, and waste billions in taxpayer dollars each year." The best way to deal with this systemic pattern of damage, therefore, is to stop doing what we're currently doing - and try something else.
How This Law Could Fix Our Broken Drug Policies
What this new act proposes is to completely legalize marijuana on a federal level. This would enable the fair trade and regulation of the drug on the open market. It would also work retroactively, giving individuals who are currently serving prison terms for pot-related crimes the ability to petition a court for a resentencing. Booker emphasizes the particular strain current marijuana laws have put on minority communities. "Descheduling marijuana and applying that change retroactively to people currently serving time for marijuana offenses is a necessary step in correcting this unjust system," he says. "States have so far led the way in reforming our criminal justice system and it's about time the federal government catches up and begins to assert leadership."
The bill doesn't purport to be the answer to all the problems facing America right now. It does not address harder drugs like opiates - which are fueling a nationwide health crisis - but it does look to fix some things we have the ability to change. It also isn't blind to the fact that we need to invest not in the War on Drugs, but in rebuilding the communities most damaged by the failed policies of the past. The bill would hold back criminal justice funding from any state that failed to bring down its incarceration and arrest rate. That funding would then be funneled into a larger national program supporting job training, reentry programs, community center investment and other programs targeting minority communities hardest hit by an unprecedented rise in pot-related criminal arrests.
Why This Particular Bill Matters So Much
Booker isn't the first to concoct radical legislation aimed at turning drug statistics around, but he is certainly the most hopeful. In a Facebook Live video announcing the bill, he spoke to how well the states that have legalized weed are doing, which is a far cry from the current state of affairs on a national level. The senator is well aware that he will face skepticism, pushback, and legal hurdles from those who aren't as sold on the possibilities as he is - including from the extraordinarily marijuana-averse attorney general, Jeff Sessions. But that hasn't deterred Booker, who stated thoughtfully in his video announcement, "I believe the federal government should get out of the illegal marijuana business." And if anyone can do it, it's Cory Booker.
Milana Vayntrub Opens Up About What It's Like to Star in an Interactive TV Show
Milana Vayntrub is probably best known as the amazingly quirky and oh-so-lovable Lily from those AT&T commercials, though you've also probably caught her as Sloane Sandburg in This Is Us or when she guest starred as Gilfoyle's girlfriend Tara in Silicon Valley. This year, however, she plays the lead role in That Moment When, a completely innovative and fascinating interactive TV show from streaming site Eko. "Jill is a hot mess. It's up to YOU to navigate through a series of awkward moments that either leave her somewhat dignified or even hot-messier," the series description reads, but what's amazing about the series is that it really is up to you to choose what happens - it's the very first of its kind to offer viewers the chance to decide what happens to the characters on the screen.
Vayntrub's Jill is, as advertised, a hot mess. But she's one hell of a relatable mess, and by the time you've chosen your own adventure throughout the series, it starts to feel like she's someone you know in real life - and that's a definite indicator of just how wonderful an actress she truly is. I spoke with Vayntrub by phone in early December to talk about her role in the show and the groundbreaking technology that drives the series from beginning to end.
POPSUGAR: How would you describe Eko as a platform?
Milana Vayntrub: Eko is an interactive platform, so they make shows that you can play. [laughter] Our show is a sitcom where you get to choose if a character marries the guy or breaks up with the guy. I mean, maybe not those exact examples, but you get to take initiative in the lives of your favorite characters.
POPSUGAR: And how did you first get involved with it?
MV: Sandeep [Parikh], who created the show, is one of my best friends. We used to be roommates. We perform together. So he's definitely one of my creative soulmates, and when he asked me, I was like, "Yeah, I would do anything that you wanted to do."
POPSUGAR: Tell me, in your own words, what That Moment When is.
MV: First of all, I'd say insane comedy. And insane because the situations are totally grounded and real. They're going to a party and not remembering somebody's name, or getting dumped at a restaurant (which has happened to me), or asking their parents for money. And then, ultimately, the whole thing leads to this big high school reunion, which is also something that we've all had to deal with or opted out of dealing with. I think if Jill was a little bit smarter, she probably would have also opted out because she was definitely setting herself up for disaster. But sometimes we learn the most from the most disastrous situation. So that was definitely Jill's calling. But ultimately, Jill's character - I think that she's somewhat of a version of me. She's maybe a little braver and a little louder, but I think the thing that makes her relatable is that she's in all of these situations that we've been in. She's not always the best person; she gets lonely and leans to the selfish. And I think that's what makes her appealing, because she's someone we all know.
There's one situation in the roommate episode where, if you play it a certain way - sidebar: that's also the most fun part of the show, that you can play it a different way and get a different set of jokes and situations every time - but in this one, the roommate character asks her if she thinks she's pretty, and because Jill can't lie, she just kind of nods uncomfortably . . . and I love that. I love that Jill is so blatantly obvious, and it's interesting to be on the side of Jill because you know when she's manipulating and you know what her tactics are, and it's kind of situations that you - like me, as a person, I would not be brave enough to explore, but it's nice doing it through this platform where everything is really playful, truly.
POPSUGAR: How much of what happens in the show is scripted and how much is improv? It's all so tight, it's hard to tell.
MV: Most of it is scripted, and then we improvise on top. There's always a script - and it was always stellar and totally carried itself - but because Sandeep and I are both improvisers and I have a problem where I can't not improvise, they cast other improvisers in the show so there were also a bunch of extra lines, too. But it doesn't feel like a mumblecore movie where it feels really improvised because they only have a loose outline. We had a much tighter script, and then we more improvised jokes rather than scenarios or full character pieces.
Finding and hiring improvisers was key, though. When you have people who are actively creating their own content, they know the dimensions to which they can improvise. They know when you've added so much content that now it's not editable. Knowing your outs and understanding, for example, not talking over other actors - that's a very basic improv tool that you get through practice, and you get also through watching and making your own stuff. Because a lot of the actors were also writers and creators, it was mostly really seamless to kind of support other people's jokes or to set them up. Also, I can't give enough credit to the editor, because that's really what makes improv work.
POPSUGAR: Do you feel like you created another level to Jill's character by doing improv on top of the script?
MV: I think I get closer to these characters when I can improvise. As an actor, you don't step into other people's words, but you get to add your own words, so you need to speak as a person because it gives the role character. It does become easier to understand them or to imagine over time. Especially when it worked. When the writers or the director laughs at your improv, that's just a sign to me as the actor that I'm hitting on the notes that they want for that character. That's the goal that I have. I like adding the improv because I'm also adding more to the project. I feel like I'm contributing and carrying my weight.
POPSUGAR: There are so many paths in the show. Did you have scripts for each and every potential path? Or was it all written and shot in pieces?
MV: For every six-minute episode, there's about 30 pages of script. It's usually there's a page per minute. So there's about 30 minutes of content for every episode even though you only see six. We would shoot multiple setups and different lines and different opportunities every time. And that's also a huge credit to our producer and director, who were able to organize all of those shots in their heads in ways that it's probably not easy.
POPSUGAR: Did you have favorite outcomes or did you just kind of approach it as completely separate scenes?
MV: You know when you are planning an important meeting or you're about to hang out with someone you want to impress? There are situations you play out in your head, if you're like, "If I get it this way, this might happen. If I get it this way, this might happen," and that's kind of - we got to play out all the situations. In a way, it was an acting exercise in not making a choice, which a lot of acting normally is figuring out what your character would do, and in this one, it's "Well, if this character could do it all." It's actually very freeing. But at the same time, I didn't fully understand how it comes together until the very end, and I'm so impressed with how it has, but now that I've seen it, I definitely have these routes that I hope people will take because I'd love to see - I want them to experience one take over another, but that's the past, man. [laughter]
POPSUGAR: Do you think you can experience the full story in just one viewing? Or do you need multiple variants?
MV: I hope that people watch it more than once and take entirely different experiences every time. Because all the jokes are worthwhile, and I think you'll also get to experience different sides of the characters depending on what choices you make, so I think it's worth it to go back more than once.
POPSUGAR: Which scene did you think was the most awkward scene you shot?
MV: There's a moment in episode seven where you have to dodge a creepy teacher from hitting on you at the reunion and that's - how many times have we tried to dodge an older man putting his hands on you when you don't want that? That is really relatable. In a way, I kind of hope there's a teaching moment there for the men that play, like, "Hey, this happens." You have to step into this woman's shoes and protect yourself from unwanted touching. It was an awkward thing to shoot, but also really professional, and then I got to have a conversation with that actor and we got to figure out where all of my boundaries are and where all of his boundaries are. That's not always what life is. But even when I play it now, I'm like, "Oh, f*ck, don't touch her. Don't touch her."
POPSUGAR: How would you compare the experience of doing the AT&T commercials to doing That Moment When?
MV: This was far more challenging because there's so many more lines. This was, like I said, 30 pages of dialogue a day - whereas the AT&T spots were one page of dialogue a day, and often, camera didn't have to move too much on the AT&T spot, so we kind of had a day of just shooting new 30-second spots in every different iteration. Like, I wish that in the AT&T spots, they showed all of the improvised versions that we came up with, but they're dead now and you'll never get to see that. The beauty of this is that you do get to explore all of the other improvised versions that we came up with. That's why movies have deleted scenes, and that's the beauty of digital reels that are dug up on the internet.
POPSUGAR: What did you like best about doing the show overall?
MV: One of the things that I think is really fun about this character, and something that I see coming up more in TV and film, is dynamic female characters who are not about being sexy and are not about being attractive or liked by men, and in fact, they may be downright unlikeable, just like human beings are in actuality, and I capitalize human beings. With shows like this, get to be this multidimensional mess of a human and experience this difficult and hilarious situation. So I'm really proud of how likable this - maybe not likable [laughter] but watchable - this otherwise mess of a person is. And we didn't ever have to worry about making her digestible. But, in fact, you get to play these situations for fun. Do you know what I mean? I think I kind of rambled there. It is totally liberating as an actor, and I think really fun to see as a viewer.
The 10 Most Popular Reddit AMAs of 2017
One of the best things about Reddit is the amount of exposure you can get to strong, important voices that perhaps don't have the proper platforms to get themselves heard. As a result, Reddit AMAs make for some of the most fascinating reading material available on the internet today – and, of course, finally give Redditors the chance to turn the tables on those who do have a platform to speak on and ask the questions that they may not have otherwise answered in a public setting.
Luckily for us, Reddit's gone ahead and pulled together the 10 most popular AMAs of this year as part of its annual year in review, and it makes for the best kind of after-the-fact reading when you're traveling or looking for something to lazily read as you relax on your time off. Ahead, from Bill Gates to a local weatherman to the man who played Goofy at Walt Disney World for more than 25 years, you'll find the best AMAs that Reddit had to offer in 2017.
The 5 Features That Make Upgrading to iPhone 8 Totally Worth It
Agonizing over whether or not to upgrade your iPhone has become a ritual of Fall. At first, it was all about timing your two-year contract period to end right at the moment the new one came out. Now that we've (generally) moved past that in phone plan land, however it's all about whether or not you think the newest features are worth shelling out for. As a result, scrolling through endless reviews with your Autumn-flavored latte in hand is just about as common as apple picking or being caught off guard by the sun setting far too early for you to catch any rays on your way home from work. So let's just cut to the chase: I've spent a whole lot of time with the iPhone 8 over the past few weeks, and I can absolutely, unequivocally say that it's totally worth it to make the switch.
My iPhone 6s has treated me well - we've spent a full two years together, after all - and while it's definitely on its last legs, the perfect case-and-screen-protector combo (found after years of intense trial and regrettable error) enabled me to skip last year's upgrade cycle. Full disclosure: I wasn't completely sold by the 7 and hadn't really been able to muster the enthusiasm needed to drag myself to the store to get a device that was eerily similar to the one that I had spent hours Candy Crushing on as I waited in line. But the 8, however. . . the 8 is worth that waiting and that line. Don't just take my (evidence free) word for it, though. Below, I've pulled together the five features that truly swayed me after getting the iPhone 8 into my hands - and, bonus, I promise you won't encounter any of that overly technical reviewspeak that tends to hijack even the most helpful of guides.
The Price
First, some real talk: anyone who says that they're totally OK with throwing down hundreds of dollars for something they don't actually love is probably lying. Second, with a starting price of $699, the iPhone 8 definitely still costs a lot - but it doesn't cross into that over-a-thousand-what-am-I-doing territory. The biggest selling point for me was being able to more effectively use the features that were introduced with iOS 11, like augmented reality (see below), but didn't quite run right on my older-model phone. In other words: you can get a whole hell of a lot more memory and a stronger processor with the 8, and it actually feels like an upgrade - so that makes the price tag worth it. And again, as much as we all desperately want the gorgeous beauty that is the X . . . the 8 feels like a different enough phone to make you feel pretty good about not spending all your savings in one fell swoop.
Augmented Reality
As I mentioned, as soon as iOS 11 rolled out, I was ON IT. But with my 6s, I wasn't able to get the sort of magic that I was expecting. With the 8, it actually makes AR feel natural and part of your everyday life - something I've never quite felt with VR. From games to home design to the most incredible photo and video editing that makes you feel like you're living in the future, the iPhone 8 has the processor that makes it feel like something that truly could be the future technology (at long last!) To get a sense of what I'm talking about, check out this rundown of my favorite apps and games that I dug into with my trusty iPhone 8.
Wireless Charging
I'll be honest: I was one of those people who figured that there was a good reason behind why wireless charging took so long to roll out and had kind of accepted that it was not an essential feature. Consider me schooled, though. Saying goodbye to annoyingly rooting behind my couch, beside my bed, and in drawers full of cords to find the right one that hadn't frayed and fit the current model - that has been one of the most cathartic things about the whole experience. Being able to calmly place my phone on a delightfully space-aged disc to bring it back to life has made me a much calmer person on a daily basis - and means that I'm not always fighting with my boyfriend for custody of the one Lightning cable in our living room. Bonus: being able to choose to charge things manually is great, too.
True Tone
I have no clue how it is that Apple was able to get this feature to be so damn perfect, but my eyes are eternally grateful for the fact that looking at my phone is now so much more pleasant. True Tone at first is somewhat disorienting - it looks totally different than what you're used to, and you keep wanting to change it back - but it means that I'm finally looking at a Retina screen with the level of brightness that it's supposed to have (and not just guessing based on some Yahoo! Answers response I read like four years ago). Reading has never been so pleasant on a mobile device - full stop.
The Camera
As someone who has always had relatively jittery hands, it's always been a bit of a challenge to get the perfect shot on the first try. As a result, I'm constantly having to go back and delete the 249 other versions of the photo that are slightly blurry before I'm able to isolate the perfect photo. No longer! The image stabilization definitely comes in handy (especially when I'm on the run, or want to take video) and let's be honest: every iPhone camera is successively better. The colors are brighter, the light is handled better, and frankly, I'm using a whole hell of a lot less memory. This is the one point on which I knew I'd be sold (I always am!), but it was still a pleasant surprise that I was as impressed with this latest camera upgrade as I was.
The Top 10 YouTube Videos of 2017
Every year, YouTube releases a list of the top trending videos from across the platform. The reason why I love it so much? It doesn't just capture the obvious moments of the year that was; instead, it shows the things that people around the world loved so much that they couldn't help but watch again, things we may have never known about, things that transcend the current events and popular culture that we know oh so well.
In 2017, the list was no exception. Ahead, click through the top 10 videos - all of which went viral, due to the astronomical number of views each one got - and journey from Britain to Thailand to an animated wonderland. All of these videos represent the passion with which the internet consumes its content and the unique cultural touchstones that reached a level of virality this year that earned them a permanent position in the YouTube hall of fame.
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