MAKINGMUSIC: Liam Samson has been working on material for a new solo album during lockdown

During lockdown, Indie-inspired musician Liam Samson, from Barnard Castle, has been working on material for a new solo album, based on a night out in Barnard Castle. The 20-year-old bass-player was also in the process of recording an EP with his band Metis, made up of artists from County Durham, however lockdown put a halt to this.

How did you get into music and what instruments can you play?I got into music because my older brother plays the drums, although I am not that great at the drums. About the age of 15, I got into playing the guitar. I am self-taught but I learnt a lot from my good friend Martin White, who is also a local musician.I learnt a lot when I studied music at Bishop Auckland college. I play rhythm guitar but primarily play bass in my band, Metis, which is made up of musicians from around County Durham.

What inspires your music and which other artists have influenced your music?I do write my own songs and a lot of the influence comes from Indie bands such as Artic Monkeys, Oasis, The Las and Jamie T. But I also have influences such as Status Quo, Bruce Springsteen and all the 80s bands my mam listened to when I was younger.

What are your favourite music genres?My favourite genres are 90s and early 00s indie rock. But I do have a few guilty pleasures like Abba and The Venga Boys.

The dale has a wealth of musical talent, what do you attribute this to?I think in the local area we are really lucky because we have the TCR Hub, which helps young musicans form bands or solo performers to work on their musical ability. My first gig was at The Hub playing as a support act. We were heavily encouraged by Andrew Yeadon to put ourselves out there. In Teesdale we also have a lot of open mic nights, which are very accommodating to both new and experienced musicians. Also, I took part, along with many other musicians, in the Covid Cutz Barney online Meet, which involved lots of local musicians. The talent on display was unreal.

When and where was your favourite performance?In one of my old bands I played the Sports Bar, in Bishop Auckland. It was a charity night and me and the other guys in the band pushed everyone we knew at college to come to the gig. It was absolutely packed to the point where people were almost standing on the stage. As an 18-year-old lad with barely any gigging experience at the time, seeing the audience singing songs back to you was an experience I will never forget.

Do you have a special place where you write music?There are two places that spring to mind. One is my friend Martins back room. The other, as stupid as it may seem, is the bathroom. Everything just sounds better in the bathroom for some reason.

How have you been keeping busy during lockdown?Ive been writing material for my new solo album. The idea for the album is based on a night out in Barnard Castle. Its going to be quite different to my first album, Walls, as this one is more electric and full-band based whereas Walls was acoustic focussed.

Where can people hear your music?I have a YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe6eiCu6hmqqtyhwy... where I upload my music, but I havent uploaded any videos or music lately as I am trying to write this solo album. Once it is complete Ill be uploading it there.

Continued here:

'We're lucky to have The Hub' - Art & Leisure - Teesdale Mercury

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Snapchat is the biggest multimedia messaging and video-sharing social networking service whose content youve never watched.

Yes, its self-identified by its founders as a camera company. Its that, too. By leveraging the power of one of the most powerful computers/photo-taking devices ever created (aka your phone), the platforms augmented reality offerings are used by over 170 million people every single day and are getting more robust by the quarter. Wouldbe competitors with literal billions in venture funding cant get sticky with consumers. Snapchat makes it looks easy.

And yes, I realize youve seen Snapchat before from vomiting rainbows circa 2015 to both sanctioned and pirated compilations of the apps user-generated ephemera on YouTube. But, unless youre between the ages of 13 to 24, youre more likely to get your daily quota of media consumption from some other source.

Snapchat announced in April its daily active users rose 20% year-over-year to 229 million in Q1 2020. During the companys NewFronts presentation in June, it revealed 100 million of those daily active users are from the U.S. (which is around TikToks same number, but more on TikTok comparisons down below) and its national reach among 13 to 24-year-olds is 90% of the total market. Doing some rough math with 2018 population statistics, that equals out to 47 or so million very-hard-to-reach individuals. The company says thats more users in that demographic than Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook messenger combined.

And those teens, young adults, and the rest of Snapchats userbase are consuming a healthy amount of the platforms original programming. The company says that over half the Gen Z population in the U.S. has tuned in. Breakout hits include Will Smiths quarantine-themed Will From Home (35 million viewers), the YouTube beauty vlogger docuseries Nikita Unfiltered (22 million viewers), mental health-themed Mind Yourself (12 million), and horror series Dead Of Night (15 million).

Those numbers are big, but are they impressive?!? Who knows!!!

They certainly arent when you compare them to YouTubes biggest stars. (MrBeast and Mark Rober, for instance, dont have regular uploads with less than 10 million views a piece.) But they are when you realize the only way you can watch them are on your phone from within the Snapchat app. The public URL for Will Smiths show doesnt even have a trailer. Its just a QR code and accompanying with language on how to download the application.

This is all about change. Taking cues from TikToks content strategy of aggressive user-led ubiquity, Snapchat is reportedly testing a feature where users can share direct links to Snap Originals, videos from its Discover page, and celebrity clips for easy dissemination and consumption on other social networks and around the internet at large.

Couple this with the TikTokification of Snapchats feed and its recent music licensing deals, and you have a multimedia messaging service, video-sharing and social networking site, media company, or whatever you want to call it that has a huge pre-existing userbase in a coveted demographic and is about to do some landscaping on the walled garden thats concealed its content. As Shots CEO John Shahidi said, This is going to be very interesting.

And you can hear me talk about all this and more (including how David Dobrik may or may not acquire Instagram within the next several years) in the latest installment of our shiny new podcast, Planet Upload.

Subscribe to Planet Upload on Apple Podcasts, but were everywhere else, too. Just go to PlanetUploadPod.com. The episode where I talk about all the above is also embedded below. I hope you dig it.

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On The Podcast: Snapchat Is The Biggest Media Company Whose Content Youve Never WatchedBut Thats About To Change - Tubefilter

Asha Gourinath, Grabs lead for digital marketing, CRM and growth markets in South East Asia, who is set to be the chair for The Drums Digital Advertising Awards APAC, discusses how shes led her team through the recent, difficult months of lockdown and recession.

Whats it been like running the digital marketing team at Grab, while dealing with all the sudden changes of recent months?

These are quite challenging times. The business has had to evolve, given changing consumption and demand patterns. There are also always debates about how we go about creating savings and efficiencies; should we cut marketing expenses or something else? Should we go dark or should we continue spending?

Its important to be present for your customers. Its also a good time to be spending on advertising; if your competitors are going dark, you can get premium ad placements and slots they might otherwise have taken. Its a good time to figure out how to get the most from your spend and its a good time to increase your extra share of voice.

By maintaining or increasing advertising budgets as your competitors go dark, I also feel like its a great time for brands everywhere to evaluate how we reframe our messaging. How do we still stay relevant to our customers? Maybe there needs to be more empathy in our communications, given that there are so many negative news stories about theyre the only thing you see while you are gorging on media.

Has empathy featured in Grabs marketing strategy of late?

Its in the small things. For example, our USP has always been ride-hailing or food delivery. Its about how we also adapted and evolved in time, right before the pandemic came into place. I don't think we ever had contactless deliveries or hygiene precautions before but providing your passengers with hand sanitizers or ensuring that your drivers feel safe is important.

Another example was the huge rush for restauranteurs who were, like all of us, forced to work from home in the first weeks of the pandemic, alongside their kids. We tried to marry the two business problems for our consumers, as well as our merchants on the restaurant chain for food delivery.

Thats why we partnered with Google on an AI solution where we got kids to start doodling food items. We had 10,000-plus drawings, which we would then upload to train the AI to come up with a system to recognize the things on our menu. And then we made a campaign out of it, even with the limits on shooting. We selected kids from within the scheme who then came up with our first advertising campaign. It was all done in-house. It was a great way of seeing how we could, via media consumption habits in real-time, solve that problem and come up with one of our most cost-efficient ad campaigns. We got a lot of word of mouth and PR out of it.

We were simply saying: So if your kids could draw anything, you draw this, and we will get it for you. They would then draw and upload it, and then it gets delivered. At the same time, it helped us shape-up demand even for the merchants, who were struggling. Its about trying to marry data insights and at the same time, find a solution to the question: if this was your main brand messaging, how do you reframe it to be relevant at this time?

So where did the insights come from that actually drove that campaign?

The insights for this particular campaign were actually from the partnership that we had with Google. It was a Google AI product that highlighted that this was a business problem after we shared out data with them. We needed a tech partner with whom we could collaborate, and that's how the partnership came up.

Weve seen such a sharp rise in the use of online and e-commerce strategies, what are the longer-term lessons you have learned?

We were looking at our marketing and at our vertical for groceries and item delivery. This was an area which was growing in certain markets, even before the pandemic, but when the pandemic hit, it became even more relevant [to the business]. And that's when we had to speed up our operations and try to see how we could help cater to that particular user base.

Logically, Im sure all of us have been talking about mobile marketing or mobile-first for years now. That's what we talk about. Probably this pandemic has actually become the year where mobile and internet trading finally arrived.

Historically, when people experienced the internet for the first time, it was probably on a desktop. This is probably the first time, because all of us are stuck at home, that we're spending more time on a mobile screen. In the past when users did research on mobile, it was never the place where conversions would happen. Businesses like us nowadays are spending so much screen-time on mobile as people are stuck at home. Its a great alternative.

You have to innovate and adapt. So say, for example, if the restaurant was in one corner [of the city], maybe the customer was always restricted to a three-kilometre radius right? The delivery would only happen there. Right now, even if you were 15 kilometres away, the delivery can still happen from your favourite restaurant, because earlier, you could just drive over or just go. But now, given the restrictions, maybe you can't. So you have to readapt the way you're working and the way you're thinking to reach that last mile. These are more-or-less the changes that all of us have adapted to, in terms of how we're working to be relevant during this.

What would you offer as one takeaway as to how you think digital advertising is evolving, especially when it comes to the use of data?

There's a lot of emphasis on data, right, because there will always be this pressure where they want to understand What's the ROI reading? That is huge when there is a surge in demand in some verticals. Maybe in some verticals, it isn't right, depending on the market and the dynamics and the regulations. Data does give you a directional sense, not just from a business perspective, but even from the media ad slots you're buying or in terms of the consumption patterns, or the customers, or what is their interest that they're looking into.

We do have to look at the life cycle journey of the users and at the same time marry that with the data points on how we want to tweak or come up with a particular campaign or business idea to ensure that we are headed in the right direction. When it comes to digital marketing, it's very important to then experiment and test out things to figure out what's working or what doesn't work, because what probably worked earlier may not necessarily work in the current scenario. It's about adding data and having a clear use-case, which is tied on to your business objectives to ultimately see how we are reaching the right mind to then prove your ROI and work.

Do you think the data what was relevant six months ago before the pandemic is still relevant now?

It really depends on the business and the data points you want to use, especially in digital marketing, data points are evolving on an ongoing basis. It's not just about historical data.

A customer has different likes; maybe I was listening to a particular band, which was heavy metal. Last month, I was totally into it, but probably this month I'm only listening to hip hop. That doesn't necessarily mean that I don't listen to heavy metal anymore. It really depends on how we slice-and-dice the data. And ultimately, what is the key takeaway or input or action that you want from me? I'm maybe listening to hip hop, but that doesn't mean that I'm not interested in food. So, it's multiple varieties of options, right? Be-it cuisine-related or entertainment-related because many times we, as marketers, have these assumptions that he-or-she likes this particular cuisine, maybe they're not going to try this, or maybe let's try showing them the same thing.

It also depends on your creative strategy. Maybe you could show multiple options and let the customer decide rather than us zooming by data patterns. Data helps us in coming up with a great manifesto and curating certain testing strategies, but ultimately it's about how great or brilliant your campaign messaging was and how relevant your brand is. And ultimately, if people are loyal to you, if your customers keep coming back, that is a great thing, which stays long term.

As finally, as chair of The Drum Awards for Digital Advertising APAC, what will you be looking for when casting your eye over the entries this year?

First of all, it's an honour to even be part of this jury. Im quite excited because this will be quite challenging and dynamic versus any other year and it'll be really interesting to see what kind of submissions or entries we received from advertisers and brand marketers within the region. How they have innovated, and what have they done differently to still be relevant during those times and all of those amazing results. It's a great forum to learn and share and replicate those ideas with a broader audience. Many people might say; Okay, this has been so challenging. A lot of people might say; we don't want to be associated with any awards, or there's nothing to show, but the ones who do, we should appreciate them. To see those out-of-the-box ideas, what have they done so differently? Why not share it with the rest of the world?

To enter The Drum's Digital Advertising Awards APAC, visit the dedicated website.

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Grab's Asha Gourinath on why it's time for brands to re-evaluate their messaging - The Drum

In case you were worried, yes, John Carmack will be talking live at Facebook Connect in September.

Carmack confirmed as much in a tweet following Connects announcement yesterday. In fact, Carmack suggests his talk will be the only live element of the show which takes place on September 16 adding that everything else will be pre-recorded with nice production values. Production values were never much of a concern in his marathon keynotes, for what its worth.

Two factors had us wondering if the legendary developer would be putting in an appearance at the show. Firstly, Carmack stopped working full-time at Facebook in November of last year. He instead transitioned to a consulting role, while spending more of his own time working on AI. Second, this is the first-ever Facebook Connect; the developer event was previously called Oculus Connect 7, and Facebook says this years show will also have a focus beyond just VR. With that in mind, we had wondered if Carmack would be putting in an appearance at this years show.

Rest assured that Carmack will be giving another of his ridiculously detailed technical overviews at this years digital show, then. At last years talk, he offered a eulogy for the Gear VR. 12 months on, he may well do the same for the Oculus Go, which Facebook will stop selling this year, with no plans for another 3DOF headset. Hopefully we might hear some insights into the next Oculus Quest, too, which is heavily rumored to be revealed at the event.

Well be covering Facebook Connect extensively, so make sure to tune in.

Read more from the original source:

Yes, John Carmack Will Speak Live At Facebook Connect - UploadVR

Online business is a great idea to start in 2020. Nowadays, everyone is trying to build their business online as it is very easy. You can work from home and you dont have to rush here and there for any work, except for a few. The article will help you to find the best online business which will make enough money. Online business is a great start for your career. But, it is important to find out which job you are suitable for. And in which business you can drive through better.

Now, without hard work, no business can bring you success. Therefore, you should follow the guidelines to get success. There are two rules, which are mentioned below. If you follow these two rules you will make greater achievements. These rules will help you drive your business easily, you can be successful and can make enough money.

Rules to give a great start in online business

First rule: The business is all about the customer and not about you:- Starting an online business is not so easy. And you have to think about your customers benefits and not all about yourself. If you always think about yourself like, the business will give me money, I will be my boss, and all i centralized words are not the goal of your business. When you put effort into what your customers want, you will get success. When you look into your customers needs, it will make your dreams come real.

Second rule: Fascination should not be everything in your business:- its a great idea to start a business on your passion but its not everything. Therefore, you have to do something, which will make a profit. Making business your passion will not give you an idea of how to maintain it, will consumers give you money, how to get traffic and how to maintain customers, etc.

These are the rules you have to keep in mind before starting an online business. Now lets look at what are the money-making businesses you can start in 2020.

Promoting other product or affiliate marketing:-

Affiliate marketing means facilitating somebodys product and taking a commission for it. There are two ways you can do it. Knowledge of copywriting and SEO shall help you to start affiliate marketing.

Partner of the online site:-

Many marketers profit from online sites. There are many products to choose from as well.

Informative products:-

Products like sites of membership, electronic book, series of video. The technique can help you to earn more than half of the commission.

Coaching online:-

Online coaching is a great idea to start your business with. You can start your work as soon as possible. You can start your website where you will advertise your online coaching. You have to make an eye-catching website which will help customers to stick to it. You have to give interesting content easy to understand and will make customers join your coaching class.

Write blogs:-

Writing blogs is the easiest way of earning money online. Writing up anything will not give you the money you have to add content that is useful or entertaining for customers. The content should be eye-catching and thrilling. The more people visit your site and stick to it the more your profit increase.

Web Development:-

Web development is also easy but you have to learn coding for it. Learning different computer languages is not any task. But if you already know to code then its a great idea to start your online business with web development. Web development can bring you enough money you have to just put a little effort.

Starting an e-commerce business:-

E-commerce makes your way of earning online easy. You have competitors who are not so familiar with the online e-commerce business. Many people have outdated websites, so all these things make your competition easy. But, it is still a hard thing as you have to confront many online stores. If you start the business in a unique niche and your marketing strategy is good you can be a successful business person.

Publish your book on an online site:-

Are you interested in writing a book? Then do it soon and publish it online on any site. With the help of those sites that publish books, you can earn enough money. If you make more than a hundred sales in a week then the online site will start advertising your book. Take tips from your friends, relative to the topic. These will help you to increase the sale and understand the preference of different people.

Becoming YouTube:-

YouTube videos are nowadays growing popular. If you like cooking or acting or doing creative things then its great. Start doing the things you enjoy, make a video. Then edit the video, put some animation, and then finally upload it to your YouTube channel. The content of your video should be interesting which will increase the number of subscribers to your channel. And one of the advantages is, you dont need an expensive camera. You can make your video on your mobile and edit it there itself. Therefore becoming a YouTuber is very easy but the content should be unique and eye-catching.

Development of new applications:-

AB development is a good idea to start an online business. But it is easy if you know how to develop an app. Learning application development is quite a hard task as well it needs time. If you already know how to develop applications and coding you can start making gaming online, online marketing apps, online clean on-demand apps, etc. The application should be unique and should contain upgraded features which makes your competition easy. You will face a tough competition as almost all types of applications are there to help you out.

Graphic Designing:-

You can see various types of designed pages on different pages. All these sites are designed by a graphic designer. Being a graphic designer you can design various online pages like pages of sales, website, etc. You can be a graphic designer if you have a college degree and you dont need to know how to draw. You simply have to make an idea of how the website will look attractive. Graphics designing is also an interesting job. You have to design pages using different pictures tools and other things needed for designing.

Writing a letter or making a resume:-

Resume is important for all Job seekers. A good resume will help you to get a good job. And if you have an idea about how to make the resume unique and interesting then your business will be successful. Writing an official letter will also help working personnel who dont have fluency in English. If your resume creator or letter writing gets popular and people start visiting your site. You will get more money. Even many companies can hire you to create a different pattern of resume or writing letters for their company. This can also help you to build-up your business.

Writing about the technical product:-

Writing television, refrigerator, air conditioner, or any other product manuals can be an example of technical writing. If you can write and have an interest in writing such things you can apply online for the post. You have to write

SEO learning:-

Search engine optimization is a technique of making your website rank higher in the search engine. Knowing SEO or mastering SEO can help you to make customers stick to your site for a long time. Therefore, you can apply for different online jobs who need people mastered in SEO. You should always try to add new and upgraded features to the content, to make them rank higher.

Conclusion

There is a vast opportunity for you to startup with a new business. You have to work hard and then your dreams will turn to be real. Then, what are you waiting for? Rush towards your dreams. Once you get established in business the next year you can be one of the best business personnel. Working from home online can be very helpful. You dont have to go out for any work. Online business is a great start for your career, just find out the path in which you can fit perfectly.

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Tired Of Looking Online? These New Business Ideas Are Mind-Blowing To Start With! - Inventiva

Last year, Google released a simple recorder app on Pixel 4 which could transcribe real-time audio without even using the internet. On similar lines, Otter.ai continues to be a first-pick among professionals for its ability to accurately transcribe audio. So when everyone is offering this sought-after feature, how can Microsoft remain behind? The Redmond-giant has now released an audio transcription feature and its integrated right into Microsoft Word. You can either upload your audio or record directly within MS Word to transcribe audio within minutes. So without any delay, lets go ahead and learn how to record and transcribe audio in Microsoft Word.

Before we get to the steps, there are a few notable points that you should keep in mind:

1. Open office.com on a web browser and sign in with your Microsoft account. After that, create a Word file.

2. Under the Home section, you will find the Dictate option in the far-right corner. Click on the arrow next to it and select Transcribe.

3. A mini pane will open up on the right side. Here, you can either upload an audio file or record directly using Microsoft Word.

4. Now, Microsoft Word will start transcribing the audio file using Azure Cognitive Services which is its AI platform in the cloud.

5. After a while, you will have the transcription on the right pane. The best part is that its AI service is able to distinguish different voices which help in separating the transcription under multiple speakers.

6. Now, you can simply click on Add all to document and the transcription will move to your main Word file. You can also play the audio and edit out anything that is not in place.

So that is how you can record and transcribe audio in Microsoft Word. At present, the service is available only on the web version, but I expect Microsoft to bring this sought-after feature to native apps too. Also, it could have been better if Microsoft offered audio transcription feature to free users with a shorter time limit.

Still the addition of this new feature is welcomed and it puts the Microsoft word a notch above its alternatives. Anyway, that is all from us. If you found the article helpful then do comment down below and let us know.

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How to Record and Transcribe Audio in Microsoft Word - Beebom

There is a chorus of chirping as Emma Christie comes on the line; she laughs and apologises for the noise.

Im sorry, its the parakeets, she says, as if the presence of these colourful birds is perfectly normal.

Their exotic song is a far cry from the piercing call of seagulls in the north-east, where Emma worked as a young journalist at the Press and Journal.

Indeed it was Aberdeenshire which sparked an idea for Emma, a feeling that she had something to say beyond the confines of hard-hitting news stories.

With her 30th birthday approaching, she took the plunge and decided to start a whole new life abroad with a particular goal in mind. It has been a decade since Emma swapped Elgin for Barcelona, and she can at last say mission accomplished.

Her debut thriller, The Silent Daughter, is due to be released next week and Emma is already working on her next book.

She believes lockdown has given her the chance to take time away from her job as a tour guide, and bring her vision to life.

The Silent Daughter tells the story of news reporter Chris Morrison, whose wife ends up in a coma.

As he attempts to reach their daughter, Ruth, who is away travelling, he unravels one secret after another.

From the influence of the world of journalism, to how easy it can be to fake a life online, Emma admits to taking inspiration from her former career.

Now happily settled in Barcelona, her choice of relocation was no accident.

I actually moved to Barcelona for a year and a half after graduating from university, said Emma, who grew up in Ayrshire.

I taught English before returning to Aberdeen where I had studied.

I always had Barcelona in my mind as somewhere I wanted to move to, but life took me in other directions first.

I had Ruths character in my head for years before I actually wrote the book.

When I was still working at the Press and Journal, I went to visit a friend in Huntly. We went for a walk in the woods, and I said I had this notion to write a book. I didnt know what to do with it though, I didnt think I was capable of writing a book. I needed to find a story to put the character in.

Emma initially wanted to set her book in Latin America, before her agent suggested Scotland as a backdrop.

I hadnt even thought of that, the idea grew from there, she said.

The character was the most important part to me, although Ruth isnt based on anyone I ever met.

Having travelled widely, Emma was intrigued by the concept of faking a life online.

I used social media to stay in touch with my family, it was quite new back then, she said.

So Id upload pictures, I could quite easily have just been making it all up.

No one would have questioned it, my mum would ask where on Earth in the world I was and then shed go and get the paper atlas out.

I could have been 20 minutes away, so I found that whole concept quite fascinating.

There is no real way of knowing if the life we present is the life we actually live even when it comes to my life now.

Emmas role as a tour guide is certainly different from life as a journalist, particularly during the pandemic.

I lead American groups, where we educate about the culture and history, said Emma.

I was leading a group just prior to lockdown, we had just arrived in Madrid. I had 48 hours to get 23 people out of the country.

Then I got a train home to Barcelona on Sunday night; we went into lockdown on Monday morning.

All work is cancelled until spring next year; economically it is very bad.

My lockdown was spent working on the edit, I have never been so immersed.

One of the things I loved as a reporter is that you would see your work printed every day. So it can be quite tortuous at times, youre writing for years and you dont know if you will ever be published.

It is such a different mentality.

Obviously Ruths dad is a newspaper reporter; a lot of my experiences are expressed through him and his relationship with his colleague, Sandy.

I was a young journalist, whereas other people had been around for 30 years.

I know what a journalist can and cannot do, and also our ability to get information.

These experiences have been woven into The Silent Daughter, and Emma believes she always knew how the book was going to end.

The whole process took a lot longer, as I was travelling and seeing things, she said.

When I left the Press and Journal, I was beginning to think I wasnt sure I wanted to be a journalist for the rest of my life. I was turning 30, young enough to start again, although you can start at any time.

The Silent Daughter will be published 11 days before my 40th birthday.

Id love for people to like it, although I am aware that some people wont.

Im just so chuffed and excited, and now its on to book number two.

The Silent Daughter is released on September 3, priced 8.99.

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Start with a fresh page: Former Moray journalist on life as a tour guide in Barcelona and her new book - Press and Journal

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a world turned upside down. Nowhere is this more evident than in education where the pressure to reopen schools, for the sake of the students themselves as well as for the economy, is being balanced against the likelihood of further outbreaks.

When Ireland shut up shop in March, technology rushed in to fill the gap: home working became the norm for anyone who could, while schools scrambled to teach online.

As in business, the results in education were mixed. Some schools had the technology and know-how to ensure that disruption was minimised, while others suffered.

I think some schools have been tech savvy and some havent, said Beryl Furlong, director of digital learning specialists Wriggle Learning. In that regard, teachers usage of technology and their level of competence and confidence varies.

Furlong said that this is not necessarily a simple case of age, with younger teachers having more native tech skills. Instead, it is a question of professional development.

The best teachers tend to have been out there teaching for ten or 15 years, and they have a sense of how the technology can enhance teaching and learning, she said.

If there is a silver lining to be found it is that the situation fast-tracked technology adoption in schools.

A couple of principals said to me that they were able to achieve more in terms of professional development in just a few months than had been possible in years, said Furlong.

It forced a change in practice. I think many teachers surprised themselves; they did brilliantly, she said.

Indeed, Wriggles new online learning platform is aimed at training teachers in their use of technology.

Wriggle Connect is a professional development platform, designed by teachers, for teachers. The content library contains over 500 bite-sized videos aimed at helping teachers get to grips with the nuts and bolts of how technology can support learning.

Its self-paced learning on the common technologies being used in schools, like how to use Microsoft Forms for grading in maths, for example. All of our content creators are teachers from around the country who relate their video demonstrations to real world contexts, said Furlong.

Teachers can take ownership over their professional development and engage with the training on their own terms and at their own pace. On completion of the courses they get a certificate and can earn badges as they progress through the platform.

Bridging the gap

Of course, essential as teaching the teachers is, the ultimate goal is to support the educational experience of the students themselves. To this end, Wriggle supplies software and services to schools, as well as devices directly to parents.

Some schools, such as Old Bawn Community School in Tallaght, decided to roll out Windows devices for all teachers and students, with the aim of fostering students independent learning.

This one-to-one package is not the only possible configuration, though it is typically the preferred one.

We work with hundreds of schools and 150 of those are one-to-one, where every student has a device, said Furlong.

Devices are managed in order to provide security and data protection, including GDPR compliance, and, crucially, to ensure students cant install personal apps and social media platforms on the devices.

Parents know that its managed, and its also a secure environment like the classroom itself, she said.

However, while social media is clearly to be avoided, not all sharing is bad.

A lot of sharing takes place, both between teachers and students and peer-to-peer between students themselves, which is particularly important within the new Junior Cycle framework. One of the skills is managing myself, which is about managing my learning. Technology helps to build those skills, she said.

As blended learning comes to the fore and we all hope that few further closures mean entirely remote working will be rare ensuring that technology supports collaboration and learning is key.

Meanwhile, for Wriggle, keeping the educational mission at the centre of the experience is what makes its offering different.

We compete with a lot of companies selling devices, but were not just selling devices, said Furlong.

Were supporting schools with a bespoke service tailored especially for schools, and we have several teachers as well as technology specialists and a customer service team on staff to ensure that schools get the support they need.

Scratching the surface

Other schools, such as Claregalway College in Co Galway and Sacred Heart School in Tullamore, Co Offaly, have also turned to Wriggle to deploy Microsoft-based educational solutions.

Notably, many schools are choosing to work with Surface tablets.

Furlong said that this choice provides not only the interactivity benefits of tablet computing, but also integrates seamlessly with Microsoft software and cloud storage.

Though Microsoft Teams has been front-and-centre in the public mind, with classes delivered using their video-conferencing software, Microsofts other software has more direct relevance in education than people might realise.

We would [all] traditionally know Office 365 as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and e-mail, and many schools may only use it that way, but its a shame, she said. When used as an educational tool, Office 365 brings interactivity to learning.

In a classroom, a teacher can use a Microsoft Surface stylus to write and record themselves solving a problem and when the student returns home it is there, saved for them, and they can go over it. They can also hear it in any language, which is useful for non-native speakers.

Theres a very powerful combination between Office 365 and Surface.

The objective is not to replace traditional teaching methods. Rather, it is to bring new ways of working to the classroom, all squarely aimed at supporting education rather than technology per se.

The student may or may not have a traditional textbook. More and more teachers are using technology to supplement traditional teaching methodologies.

Teachers can upload content and students can, likewise, upload their work. Marking can then be performed on-screen, including leaving audio comments for the student which, again, can be translated into other languages.

Furlong is not suggesting that the future will be easy. It will require a lot of flexibility, but it also offers the opportunity to support educators and students as they travel down this new road as long as we all keep an open mind.

Were not going back to a normal situation. We all use this term the new normal, but we dont even know what it is yet. We know what it is for going to the shops or going to a restaurant, but when it comes to schools, no one yet knows, she said.

For details visit http://www.wrigglelearning.ie

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Using tech to define the 'new normal' in classrooms | Business Post - Business Post

The NBA season restarted with 22 teams convening at Disney World in Orlando. The league implemented strict protocols to keep COVID-19 at bay. Some rules shocked NBA players. But they arent the only ones who must adjust virtually every aspect of their lives to stay safe. The bubble also contains a small group of sports journalists. Lets look at life in the Orlando bubble for reporters and other staff.

RELATED: Carmelo Anthony Looks Like a New Man After the NBA Restart

Only a small number of the NBA journalists received approval to enter the Orlando bubble around 15, according to The Miami Herald. Before those reporters could get to work talking to players and watching games, however, they had to go through a strict preparation process. First, they had to quarantine for seven days before arriving at the campus.

Then they had to quarantine for another seven days on-site. During that time, the journalists remained strictly confined to their hotel rooms. Staff would drop food outside the door each day, and medical personnel would administer a daily COVID-19 test. Only after a week of negative results were reporters allowed to leave their rooms.

Even then, journalists do not have complete access to the campus or the players. Theyre prohibited from approaching coaches or athletes for interviews in the hotels or on the grounds. That can prove tricky since the hotel lobbies where the players and journalists stay are conjoined. Reporters find themselves frequently bumping into players.

RELATED: Athletes Will Need to Rethink These Sports Habits After COVID-19

Journalists and non-player staff are expected to conform to a number of other protocols as well. Theyre required to wear a proximity sensor, a special device that beeps if two people with sensors come within six feet of one another. For players, those proximity sensors are optional. From reports so far, few players are choosing to wear them.

One of the first things reporters do each day is self-administer a basic health screening, measuring their body temperature and oxygen saturation levels. In order to pass through checkpoints, they must upload this info to a special app. At 9 a.m., they must also submit to a coronavirus test consisting of three throat swabs and two nasal swabs.

Youd think that with the many rules journalists face in the bubble not to mention being away from their families for months they wouldnt be optimistic about the assignment. That isnt the case, however. Most reporters seem grateful to be on-site. The Athletics Joe Vardon described it as possibly the last, great American sportswriting assignment.

Ask anyone in the NBA how they feel about the success of the bubble, and theyll likely give you a cautious reply. Thats because they know full well that things could go wrong at any moment. A single outbreak of the virus could be enough to bring the entire playoffs to a grinding halt.

Yet if you zoom out, it becomes clear that the NBAs model has been a success. Through the first five weeks and counting, reports CBS Sports, not a single player has tested positive for COVID-19. To understand how impressive that is, just compare it to problems faced by MLB. Baseball failed to even make it to the two-week mark before outbreaks crippled entire teams.

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A Day in the Life: NBA Journalists Living Inside the Orlando Bubble - Sportscasting

MIAMI, Aug. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --LINKS Demand Marketing formally introduces a new business model that will allow companies of any size to access on-demand marketing and public relations services virtually 24/7. Headquartered in Miami, LINKS' methodology and specialized network will serve a global clientele to reach markets as the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Argentina, Brazil and Pan-Europe.

Arising from a need for versatility in times of volatility, LINKS Demand Marketing seeks to consolidate traditional and evolving marketing practices. The agency's online portal will enable users to request services on project-based needs and without the long-term commitment of retainer fees, allowing clients more control and justified marketing investments.

The traditional agency model is outdated, which has kept small businesses from competing or generating awareness for their product. We help users develop their ideas, concepts and/or help them create a product that's ready to market. More importantly, LINKS gets them to the 'promote' stage of business, which is a client's main goal," stated CEO & Managing Partner Edward De Valle.

A tech-oriented marketing firm, LINKS's structure is designed to make starting a project a seamless process. Whether in doubt or with a defined project in mind, users can access the platform to schedule a call with an account manager or simply select the services needed, choose to bid or quote, specify delivery time, provide details and upload related files. Once received, LINKS' professional marketers will execute under the agreed parameters.

The agency's capabilities will encompass every step of brand development, from concept to market. Services will range from brand identity and campaign development to public relations, event coordination, content creation, digital marketing, video production, presentation and web design.

Led by Edward De Valle, Owner of Grupo De Valle, LINKS Demand Marketing's team is represented by bilingual and diverse professionals and creators. With over two decades of experience in the traditional marketing and public relations sectors, Mr. De Valle, FORBES Latin America and the Caribbean former license holder, introduces a revolutionary business strategy in an ever-changing industry.

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ABOUT:LINKS Demand Marketing is a US-based agency led by a team of multicultural minds with dynamic, creative everyday marketing solutions. LINKS' on-demand business model empowers clients to set ideas in motion while our hub-and-spoke methodology creates opportunities to move beyond borders.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/links-demand-marketing-trailblazes-the-bi-lingual-on-demand-marketing-experience-301112037.html

SOURCE LINKS Demand Marketing

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LINKS Demand Marketing Trailblazes The Bi-lingual On-demand Marketing Experience - Yahoo Finance

By Mary Forgione

Design and illustrations by Micah Fluellen

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Your newest neighbors are the type that would happily eat dinner in your backyard without inviting you. Take no offense.

These Southern Californians, with feathers and tails, have been learning new habits and adapting to city life over the last few decades. In a new study, a team of researchers at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and UCLA found more than 50 wild bird species now nest and thrive in some of our most built-up areas. They call them urban success stories.

The more species that persist and thrive in ... these human areas, the better off biodiversity and wildlife will be, said Allison Shultz, one of the studys co-authors and assistant curator of ornithology at the museum.

Case in point: the Coopers hawk, a large, sturdy, blue-gray raptor that feeds mainly on other birds. The now common urbanite was absent from L.A. neighborhoods in the 1980s. Goldfinches, woodpeckers, orioles, juncos, kingbirds and three types of hummingbirds now live here too, offering a connection to nature that can begin outside your door. (Heres a guide on how to start birding.)

When you see one or two, snap a photo. Thats how researchers discovered which birds have moved in. The study used two different L.A. data sets created by citizen scientists from different time periods. Anyone can upload their wild finds and add to our understanding of the city as habitat. Two popular places to start: iNaturalist, run by the Natural History Museum, and ebird.

Sturtevant Camp in the San Gabriel Mountains.

(Kelcie Pegher / Los Angeles Times; illustration by Micah Fluellen / Los Angeles Times)

1. Spend a night at a hike-in camp in the San Gabriel Mountains. Sturtevant Camp has been part of the mountains north of Sierra Madre since 1893. The only way to get there is on foot. The only way to get your gear there (unless you want to carry it) is by loading it onto L.A. Countys last remaining mule train, which charges $1 a pound. Cabin prices are $90 to $320 a night.

Kelcie Pegher, L.A. Times editor for off-platform engagement, wasnt big on camping. The four-mile hike up the canyon was hard, with stream crossings and some steep stretches. Still, she found the camp to be an ideal pandemic hideaway. In a time period of deep uncertainty, where renting an Airbnb or going to a hotel room feels unsafe, a cabin in the woods was enough, she wrote. Read about her journey here.

Star-gazers watch shooting stars above Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

(Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

2. Look for shooting stars during the Perseid meteor showers. Stargazers love the Perseids in mid-August because theyre fast and bright. You may get lucky and see fireballs, which NASA describes as larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak. For best viewing, find a dark spot away from city lights and look for streaks of light across the sky. The meteor showers are peaking now and should be visible for the next week. The catch: Theyre best seen between midnight and dawn, so set your clock or pull an all-nighter.

3. Kayak in a salt marsh in Newport Beach. Social distancing and gliding on the water what more can you ask for? The Newport Aquatic Center rents kayaks for those who want to paddle around the Upper Newport Back Bay, a salt marsh where youll find herons, egrets and other shore birds. Usually, the Newport Bay Conservancy leads guided kayak tours on weekends, but those are on hold because of the coronavirus. Still, you can explore on your own. Rentals from $15 an hour. Info: bit.ly/newportbackbay

Elyse Walker at Mt. Washington on the Appalachian Trail

(Courtesy of Elyse Walker)

In my never mind how many decades as a journalist, Ive always valued what readers share with me. Laura Galvan sent an email to remind me that "[w]hen it comes to hiking and outdoor pursuits, please bring in women and BIPOC folks into your newsletter.

She had specific athletes in mind, such as Liz Snorkel Thomas, former speed holder for the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail and author of a book about long-distance backpacking adventures called Long Trails, which won a 2017 National Outdoor Book Award. Thomas also completed the Triple Crown of thru-hikes, which includes the Appalachian Trail (2,190 miles), the Pacific Crest Trail (2,650 miles) and the Continental Divide Trail (3,100 miles).

Others who went the distance include Elyse Chardonnay Walker, the first African American woman to hike the Triple Crown, and Will Akuna Robinson, a military veteran, the first African American man to notch all three trails.

Please bring some fresh voices to the table so that everyone can get inspired to get outdoors, Galvan wrote. Well, Laura, you just helped do that. Thank you.

I recently tired of eating the same old bars on the hiking trail. Instead, I loaded my backpack with chips, popcorn and pork rinds and it was heavenly. OK, the snacks werent exactly the bad stuff. I was sent some de-junked junk food items to try out, all made from plant-based ingredients that are vegan and gluten-free. For example, Pigless Pork Rinds (you heard right) are made with pea protein and spices instead of pork. I liked the crunchy spiciness of the Original and Texas BBQ flavors. Forager Project makes worthy chips from brown rice, kale, spinach and other ingredients all to keep the guilt factor low. The most addictive snack? I call it dessert popcorn. Safe + Fairs kettle corn is coated with sweetness in flavors such as Key Lime Pie, Birthday Cake and Dark Chocolatey. Warning: Dont open a bag at home; therell be nothing left to put in your pack. Info: Pigless Pork Rinds, outstandingfoods.com; Forager Project, foragerproject.com; and Drizzled Popcorn, safeandfair.com.

(Micah Fluellen / Los Angeles Times)

Mo Jackson of Portland, Ore., loves camping and wanted to share that passion with other people of color. Jackson got started with a few call-outs on Instagram in May for anyone who needed gear. By August, about 600 kits called BIPOC Camping Kits, with a tent, two sleeping bags and a cooler had been shipped to people around the country. Jackson connected with some virtually to show them how to pitch a tent. One recipient said camping provided a re-centering in the midst of social and political chaos. Its a moment to catch your breath. Read the full story here.

What do you think? Keep the comments coming. Share anything thats on your mind. The Wild is written for you and delivered to your inbox for free. Drop us a line at TheWild@latimes.com.

Click here to view the web version of this newsletter and share with others. Im Mary Forgione and I write The Wild. Ive been exploring trails and open spaces in Southern California for four decades.

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Ease anxiety with the sounds of bees - Los Angeles Times

Yesterday, Survios announced the long-anticipated release date for The Walking Dead Onslaught. The zombie survival game touches down on September 29 on PC and PS4 with support for VR headsets. But youll also be able to play the game on the upcoming PS5.

In a press release announcing the release date, Suvios noted that The Walking Dead Onslaughts PlayStation 4 version will also be compatible with the next-gen PlayStation 5.

To our mind, that makes Onslaught the first PSVR game to be confirmed as backward compatible on PS5. Note that this wording makes it clear that were not talking about a native version of the game on PS5, but instead the PS4 version running on the console.

Why is that news? Well, simply put, we dont know how far backward compatibility on PS5 will extend. Sony initially suggested that most of the PS4s most-played games would work on the console, before later specifying that the vast majority of the older consoles entire library would run on the device. Onslaught seems to be the first PSVR game we can count among them.

Last week Sony also confirmed that all your existing PSVR peripherals will work with PS5 to play PS4 games. The PlayStation Camera will need a special adapter to work (which Sony says it will ship out for free), but the DualShock 4, Move controllers and Aim controller can all still be used.

Wide-ranging backward compatibility support will be crucial for PSVR on PS5, but were also wondering if new PS5 games will support the headset. Last week IO Interactive announced that Hitman 3 would support PSVR, but is yet to clarify if thats on PS4, PS5 or both. Well be keeping a close eye on the situation as we lead up to PS5s holiday 2020 launch. Onslaught, meanwhile, is available to pre-order on Steam and Oculus now, with PSVR pre-orders coming soon.

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The Walking Dead Onslaught Will Be Forward Compatible With PS5 For PSVR - UploadVR

Lucy Mackillop, chief medical officer, Sensyne Health, discusses the key challenges in implementing remote patient monitoring technologies, and their role in helping to continue to look after the most vulnerable.

The pandemic has led to huge spikes in digital technology adoption as doctors and patients have complied with social distancing guidelines. In fact, according to the Royal College of General Practitioners, 71% of routine consultations were remote in the four weeks leading up to April 12th, compared to 25% in the same period last year. This is a tremendous shift.

COVID-19 has sharpened the mind. We all understood the need for social distancing and minimising footfall to our GP surgeries and hospitals as lockdown came into effect in March, in order to manage infection rates effectively and ensure healthcare systems were not overwhelmed. Having the technological capability to offer remote consultations, where appropriate, is beneficial for general practice, the wider NHS and patients alike. However, although adopting a remote monitoring system to complement usual care may improve user satisfaction and potentially have some benefits on outcome, it doesnt necessarily reduce demand on the healthcare system in fact, often, quite the reverse.

As we move into phase three of controlling the virus and start easing lockdown measures across the country, we need to learn how to continue to support our healthcare system moving forward to manage an ever-increasing demand.

There is a real imperative for remote patient monitoring (RPM) and management to support patients and help healthcare systems become more efficient. RPM has allowed us to take more control of our own health whilst reducing footfall to our healthcare facilities, allowing resources to be focused on where it is needed most. As demand for healthcare continues to grow, RPM can, when implemented intelligently, play a key role in assisting healthcare staff manage increasing demand without over-stretching already strained clinic and staff resources.

Key challenges of RPM adoption

While were well aware of the benefits of RPM, the implementation of these technologies does not come without its challenges.

Firstly, a thorough understanding of how a remote patient monitoring system is anticipated to support, for example, earlier interventions or improve operational efficiency, are essential to any implementation. And indeed, the anticipated benefits need to be clearly identified and measured before and after implementation.

Secondly, prior to the pandemic, Deloittes Shaping the future of UK healthcare: Closing the digital gap report found that many digital health innovations failed as clinicians were reluctant to engage with them. Key reasons included the amount of change required to familiar processes, the time taken to implement, and a lack of education and training. Therefore, it is imperative that a proper change management process is followed. This is preferable, and likely to be much more impactful, than the lazy alternative of adding the technology to existing care-pathways.

Third, but of equal importance, is ease-of-use. New technologies must be simple and intuitive for both clinicians and patients if they are to bridge, rather than reinforce, the digital divide.

Finally, digital health technology providers need to understand the regulatory and technical environment the technology will inhabit. It is very likely that the technology may be deployed in hardware that is not high spec; therefore, what is developed in a high-tech company might not work seamlessly in an NHS hospital with older, less powerful infrastructure.

The role of RPM in easing lockdown

As strict lockdown measures were introduced in March 2020, the government, Public Health England and the NHS, encouraged those with milder COVID-19 symptoms to use applications to help self-manage their health and help manage the strain on local healthcare services. This allowed clinicians to focus more time on the patients that need emergency care. The result was a tremendous rise in deployment and use of digital health technologies in just days and weeks instead of months and years.

RPM also has the power to improve access to healthcare services for vulnerable groups advised to shield during the COVID pandemic. For example, Sensynes GDm-Health digital therapeutic app helps pregnant women and their care teams proactively monitor and manage diabetes remotely. The risks to mother and child associated with this condition are significant if not treated, and include an increased rate of caesarean section, pre-eclampsia and premature birth. Clinicians use the system to remotely monitor blood glucose levels, and prioritise care to women needing it most. Mums-to-be upload their blood glucose readings from home, and communicate with their care teams through the app. The need for face-to-face appointments is reduced, administrative time is saved, and quality of care is improved. GDm-Health is an exemplar of how RPM can enhance the existing care pathway, improve operational efficiency and help deliver better outcomes for patients.

Despite lockdown measures easing, the threat from COVID-19 is far from over and its important that we continue to look after vulnerable patient groups. RPM can help us achieve this, by giving providers the option to deliver care to patients in their homes, reducing the risk of infection spread and freeing up capacity for those who need it the most. It may even allow some patients to be discharged earlier because follow-up care can be delivered remotely. If a patient's condition deteriorates, RPM software can alert clinicians in real-time, enabling them to take the appropriate course of action quicker than might otherwise be the case.

Equipping scientists with data for drug discovery

The fundamental role of RPM is to improve the quality of data and information flow to deliver timely, effective and safe care. Data from RPM applications can be uploaded to Electronic Patient Records (EPR), which can be used to provide a complete medical history and real-time information resource. Furthermore, this data can be anonymised, aggregated and used to analyse patterns within a disease and inform clinical research aimed at drug discovery and disease prevention. Gaining insights from anonymised patient data may, for example, allow for faster vaccine development and new treatments, not just for COVID-19, but also for other diseases.

As we continue to fight coronavirus, we must recognise the great potential of technology to help us. It is important that RPM solutions are implemented swiftly but with a clear pathway to deliver operational efficiency and improved clinical care in a tightly controlled ethical, information governance and regulatory framework. The hope is that by doing so, healthcare providers can manage future peaks, continue to improve health outcomes, free up time for clinicians to treat more patients and drive scientific research into disease prevention and treatment.

COVID-19 may have provided the motivation for both patients and clinicians to embrace new technologies - something that was difficult to achieve before and this change is likely to be a common feature of routine clinical practice going forward. Demand on our healthcare systems will continue to rise, yet this demand can be better managed with technology that is aimed at earlier detection and intervention, preventing more costly treatments and providing the catalyst for transformative change in medical practice, helping to move from reactive to preventative models of care.

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The role of remote monitoring post-lockdown - Med-Tech Innovation

Livestreaming platform DLive has officially added emotes to their platform, with affiliates and partners now able to give their loyal fans even more options to enhance their viewing and chatting experience.

The feature is now available across all platforms, with DLive revealing who exactly can create emotes and how many they can have in their stream.

DLive did already have stickers, and one sticker can be sent as a message, but the new emote feature will allow viewers to better communicate with their favorite streamers in text chat.

Affiliates, Verified Partners and Global Partners now have the option to upload their very own channel emotes which can be used by their subscribers in any channel on DLive.

Follow these simple steps to use emotes on DLive right now:

Its worth noting, too, that each different channel will have a different number of emotes, as well as emotes that theyve made completely unique to them.

Heres how many emotes streamers can have, based on their status on the platform:

Now, if youre a streamer looking to create emotes on DLive, the process is really simple, but bear in mind youll be limited by your partnership status, as laid out above.

Heres what youve got to do to add emotes to your stream once you achieve affiliate:

So, whether youre a streamer or a viewer, DLives new emotes are a great way to interact in the broadcast and theyre available, at your disposal, right now.

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DLive add new emote feature - here's how to use it - Dexerto

As the pandemic forced shutdowns worldwide, no aspect of the film industry faced a more immediate existential threat than the festival circuit. While mainstays from Cannes to Telluride chose not to hold events at all, others did the once-unthinkable: They migrated online. Now, the race is on to provide digital services that support the unexpected era of the virtual film festival.

Enter Shift72, which counts Toronto, New York, and Sundance among its upcoming clients. The New Zealand-based company has provided secure press and industry screening platforms since 2008 and has now emerged as a leading company poised to tackle the challenge of creating online festivals. However, its hardly alone in an industry that has just gotten started and could be here for good.

In conversations with IndieWire, festival organizers discussed the frantic process of shopping for cost-effective platforms that could meet their needs on a tight schedule especially when the market is evolving in real time. There are new people coming online very day, from event platforms to OTT apps bubbling up, said SXSWs Jarod Neece, who facilitated the festivals relationship to Shift72. Its really hard to make decisions at this point because every month theres another solution we didnt know about.

RelatedRelated

Many sites proclaim high-caliber privacy standards. However, with 12 years as an end-to-end online video platform, Shift72 is equipped to act fast. When Copenhagens documentary festival CPH: DOX was forced to cancel physical screenings for its mid-March festival, Shift72 created a front-end platform and uploaded more than 140 films in less than 24 hours. SXSW, which has used the platform to power its press and industry library for years, uploaded several films from its program to a press and industry platform that same month.

No matter which platform enables an online festival, it cant possibly replicate the experience of standing ovations, bidding wars, or after parties. However, they are essential for organizations eager to salvage sponsorships and deliver the programs they assembled for months. The demands are myriad: geo-blocking, privacy concerns, Zoom integration for Q&As. And even after physical festivals return, leaders say they intend to retain a robust virtual presence that can bring in new audiences. The post-pandemic festival scene will find the circuit redefining its relationship to audiences worldwide.

As more festivals recognized the looming pressure to cancel their physical editions, Shift72 found itself at the center of a booming business. The company has launched more than 100 virtual festivals since March, and signed several others. Its founders, distribution and marketing veteran David White and Whale Rider producer John Barnett, recently reported a 400 percent growth in business.

We were really well positioned for this, because weve been primarily focused on building out a very strong transactional VOD solution, White said in an interview. Weve been doing a lot of work with cinemas around reporting and all the nuances of transactional for 10 years. We had a platform we could rapidly deploy. The companys name references Buffalo, New Yorks 72-seat Vitascope Theatre, which Thomas Edison opened in 1896.

Festivals are realizing they can become year-round events, he said. Pre-COVID, they were strong, curated brands that brought new content into the market that might not otherwise make it there. But after a couple of weeks, theyre gone and you have to wait another year. Were really excited about supporting their move into year-round entertainment brands.

Many other companies, previously invested in other aspects of the festival relations business, are making steady progress in this emerging field.The five-year-old Cinesend first developed its relationship with festivals as a reliable source for DRM technology, which was used to replace the need for the physical shipping of festival submissions and awards screeners alike.

We were in a very good position to pivot quickly to meet a virtual festival solution, said Cinesend vice president Eric Rosset. Patrons have been really happy. Festivals are tapping into a new type of audience that might not go to a cinema but are interested in this type of movie experience. Were seeing a lot of hybrid models.

Arthur Mola/Invision/AP

Cinesends first pandemic-era client was the Cleveland International Film Festival, which went virtual in April. Since then, it has signed over 100 festivals, largely regional entities drawn to the user-friendly display setup. One of its biggest clients is Torontos Hot Docs, which used the service for its festival, an industry-only event, and year-round online programming. Upcoming clients include the Hamptons and Mill Valley festivals.

Over the summer,the Nantucket Film Festival settled on Cinesend based on the layout it could provide. We had to look at the most turnkey option for our audience, which is on the older side, said artistic director Basil Tsiokos. We didnt want to throw a lot of complicated technical things. Its supposed to be a light summer festival, not a chore. It was like creating a Netflix landing page for us, which was pretty easy overall for our audience to navigate.

The audience was fairly similar to the one that turns out for Nantucket each year. Our engagement was still pretty much from our loyal base, Tsikokos said. We would do it differently if we went online next year, with more options to allow more people. Were the numbers what they wouldve been with a live festival? No, but we were happy that people were engaging with the films.

However, no service may have closer ties to the needs of the festival galaxy than Eventive. Memphis-based filmmaker Iddo Patt, a board member of the Indie Memphis Film Festival, started the service five years ago with his teenage son Theo to improve its festival ticketing. Streamlining the process of buying passes and browsing the festival schedule attracted other festivals as clients. By the start of 2020, Eventive signed more than 250 festivals; since March, theyve added about 10 festivals per week. Its been a really intense period, Iddo Patt said. For me, its all about accessibility and being able to connect people and audiences with films.

Its also one of the most cost-effective options, with a $975 activation fee that enables any festival to upload 10 features. More films, and the cost climbs. Bigger entities that want more advanced layouts, apps, and customer service may be more inclined to shell out for Shift72, where costs can range from $4,000 to over $100,000, depending on client needs. But Eventive, which has a 10-person staff out of Memphis, may be ideal for festivals that want someone whos very familiar with the festival experience.

Were looking at ourselves as a technology company thats creating delightful independent film experiences, Patt said. Denver Film Society director of marketing and partnerships Kevin Smith said his organization went with Eventive because the company understood the festivals needs without running the show. The upfront costs were minimal, and we knew we had the right staff internally to help customize the system, Smith said.

The virtual festival concept is still gaining traction. Some sales agents are wary of making films online for any open-ended period; distributors express concerns that an online premiere can impinge on VOD returns. They also know that the industry continues to evolve.

This has fundamentally changed how we do business, said Cinetic sales rep Jason Ishikawa. However, we cant just go to the festival and assume on certain buyers just showing up to the screening on the basis of the sheer presence of the movie. We do a lot of that work on the sales side to clear out a lane. Now we have to go to every buyer and come up with a sales strategy to screen it for them.

Meanwhile, programmers are wary of asking audiences to tune into streams at a specific time, and the platforms have helped them push back on distributors preferences for narrow windows. We have to keep in mind that how we view in the home is not the same as being at the screening, White said. People want to be able to pause. If we take too many of those elements away, there will be backlash from usability perspective.

Platforms are also learning about the range of security and geographical demands. Apple requires a different forensic watermark than Neon, while TIFF has been engaged in negotiations to make its film premieres available in Ontario even as an international group of press and industry attendees access most of the program online. There is also the challenge of virtual crowds and the need to limit attendance. In a traditional streaming environment, youd never want to limit the number of people who watch a film, said Shift72 marketing manager Mathew Joubert.

While its one thing to marvel at a crowded room or cringe at a half-empty house, virtual festival platforms allow their clients to see much more complex data, including how long someone watched a film before turning it off. It brings a whole new anxiety to the idea of the walkout, but also it lets festivals track their most engaged audiences. I think its a big opportunity to bring loyalty into the festival space. How do you reward that in the home? White said. A lot of people think itll dilute the market but it actually improves both sides, the physical and the digital.

No major festival is seeking exclusively online solutions, but White said Shift72 has already been meeting with many of the major festivals about 2021 strategies. Ive been really impressed with how nimble and prepared to adapt these large organizations are, he said. Theyve done a great job of embracing this. The feedback was it was always on their radar to have a digital component to their festivals.

For now, their clients just want to get the films out there. This year round itll be a nice streaming experience, White said. Itll be exciting to see where they take it next year. Asked about the other players in the field, he demurred. Weve been too busy to look at the competition, he said. Well look back in a couple of months.

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In Sarah Pinskers debut novel, A Song for a New Day (Head of Zeus, 18.99), liberty and creative endeavour are compromised by political and socioeconomic reality. Pinsker presents a frighteningly real near-future US in which social gatherings have been proscribed due to terrorist attacks and viral plagues. Corporation StageHoloLive transmits virtual music events for the masses, while musician Luce retains some semblance of artistic integrity by playing at illegal underground venues. Meanwhile, Rosemary is a naive recluse, cocooned in virtual reality: when she is offered a job as a talent scout for StageHoloLive, she must leave her comfort zone. Pinsker movingly charts Rosemarys coming of age story as her world and Luces collide.

Adrian Tchaikovsky follows his successful Children of Time duology with the standalone The Doors of Eden (Tor, 18.99). The novel draws the reader into a story that expands and deepens the many-worlds theory: on a series of parallel Earths, life has undergone very different evolutions. There is one world where the dominant species is fish who upload identities into computers, another where dinosaurs rule, and even a reality in which rat-like creatures are dominant. The book begins as an intriguing tale of two young women, lovers Lee and Mal, investigating sightings of the Birdman of Bodmin Moor, but quickly escalates into a dizzyingly inventive techno-thriller which explores issues of evolutionary biology and contemporary politics. Emotionally complex and intellectually satisfying, The Doors of Eden will enhance Tchaikovskys already considerable reputation.

In Micaiah Johnsons entertaining first novel, The Space Between Worlds (Hodder & Stoughton, 14.99), the Eldridge Institute has not only discovered the multiverse, with 380-plus planet Earths alongside Earth Zero, but the means to travel between worlds. Only traversers, individuals whose doppelgangers are dead on another Earth, can make a crossing to collect scientific data for the benefit of the Institute. Enter strong-willed but vulnerable Cara, a young black woman plucked from the hostile wastelands to work for the Institute: her doppelgangers are dead on all but eight parallel Earths, allowing her almost unlimited movement. Having lived a hand-to-mouth existence fighting poverty and abuse, Cara relishes the freedom of interworld travel, but what she discovers on Earth 175 threatens to uncover not only her own terrible secret but that of the enigmatic Institute. Johnson excels at contrasting lives of privilege and poverty, and at drip-feeding information that gradually reveals Caras complex character.

An ambitious wide-screen space opera debut, The Vanished Birds (Titan, 8.99) by Simon Jimenez tells the story of a diverse cast of characters spanning eons and light years in an emotionally gripping narrative redolent of Samuel R Delany and Cordwainer Smith. In an exotic far-future universe teeming with life, great bird-like starships journey between worlds in the employ of the vast, heartless Umbai Company. When the captain of a starship lands on an agricultural world, she is persuaded to give passage to a boy who inexplicably fell from the stars. Young Ahro has a nascent talent that will change everything, the ability to transport himself from world to world by the power of his mind alone; this is a talent that the ruthless Umbai Company wish to exploit. Part thriller, part coming-of-age story, encompassing romance, planetary escapades and poignant meditations on the passage of time, The Vanished Birds is a moving epic that is much more than the sum of its parts.

Billed as a feminist space opera, Seven Devils (Gollancz, 18.99) is the first collaboration between Elizabeth May and Laura Lam. Its the far future, and an evil empire has the galaxy in its grip. Thec crushes dissent, is perennially at war, and forever expanding. Heroine Eris was once heir to the throne, but turned against the brutal regime and now, with a team of four other women, works to bring the empire, led by her villainous brother Prince Damocles, to its knees. With its well drawn cast of LGBTQ characters, Seven Devils is a curious mixture of the old-fashioned novels of rebellion against an evil empire are ten-a-penny and the up-to-the-minute: think Star Wars recast for the modern age. Despite some scientific implausibilities, the novel moves at a cracking pace and, with neat plot twists and cliffhangers, is page-turning fun.

Eric Browns latest novel is The Martian Menace (Titan).

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Luna has returned to take players on the ride of their dreams! Heres how to earn Dream Bell Exchange Tickets in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

The Swimming Summer update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons wasnt the only big present Nintendo had cooking up for players. Another wonderful update has just been released, adding a ton of collectibles, clothes and activities. The update has also added new weekly events for players to partake in.

Related:Why Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Summer Update Is Disappointing

Along with the fun for players, some old characters have returned to the island. Luna is a Tapir who appeared in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Luna has a lot of tricks to show players, but first they need to get their hands on some Dream Bell Exchange Tickets. Heres how to earn Dream Bell Exchange Tickets in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Luna was a character that was introduced in New Leaf. She worked in the Dream Suite and was in charge of leading players to new towns in their dreams. In New Horizons her role is mostly the same. While she no longer runs the Dream Suite, she will appear to players whenever they go to sleep in any bed. Sleeping has previously held no purpose to the game, or benefit for players. When she appears, players will have access to islands that have been uploaded to the Library of Dreams. In order to access the library, players will need Dream Bell Exchange Tickets.

The first ticket that can be gained will come after the player has uploaded their first island to the system. This will allow other players to come to their island in a dream state. Bare in mind that the island can not be permanently changed in any way. Players dont have to worry about someone showing up and making changes to their space. The other tickets will come from making updates to existing islands in the system. Players can currently do this once a day.

When a player puts their island online for others to come visit, they will get mail from Luna about the process. Players should check their mailbox for their first Dream Bell Exchange Ticket. Players will want to make frequent updates to their island on the system if they want to keep earning tickets. This means that players should make sure they update their island every day, in order to receive a new ticket each day after.

If a player doesnt have any interest in exploring dream islands in their sleep, they can sell the tickets to the Nook Twins. Head on down the Nooks Cranny and ask them to take the tickets. They will buy them for 5,000 bells. Players who arent interested in travelling may still want to go ahead and upload their island every day because this can be a lucrative method of making a bit of money each day.

More:How to Find (& Catch) The Arowana in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available on Nintendo Switch.

Ghost of Tsushima's Charms Are The Game's Worst Feature

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What is The Dream Bell Exchange Ticket in Animal Crossing (& How to Get Them) - Screen Rant

With TikToks future uncertain, Instagram is hoping to lure some creators away with the rollout of a direct competitor, Reels, which is launching in more than 50 countries today, including the US, UK, Japan, and Australia, on both iOS and Android.

Similar to TikTok, Reels lets people create short-form videos set to music that can be shared with friends and followers and discovered while browsing the app. Its the newest opportunity for Instagram to bring in users, increase the amount of time people spend in the app every day, and establish itself as a video entertainment platform.

Reels allows people to record videos up to 15 seconds long and add popular music, as well as an array of filters and effects, over top of them. For creators looking to use Instagram Reels as a new way to build a following, Instagram has revamped its Explore page to create a specific landing spot for Reels at the top of the screen that people can vertically scroll through similar to TikToks For You Page.

Both private and public options are available. If you want to become the next Charli DAmelio, having a public profile will allow your Reels to be widely discovered. For people who want to share with friends, Reels created under private accounts will only post to a persons Feed and Stories. The feature lives entirely inside of Instagram; its not a new app.

The launch of Reels comes as TikTok faces a potential ban in the United States by President Donald Trump or a possible partial acquisition by Microsoft. ByteDance also said Sunday that Facebook was among the troubles in its path, accusing the company of plagiarizing its product with Instagram Reels. Robby Stein, Instagrams product director, said that while TikTok popularized the short video format, the two products are different.

I think TikTok deserves a ton of credit for popularizing formats in this space, and its just great work, Stein told The Verge. But at the end of the day, no two products are exactly alike, and ours are not either.

Thats a familiar line to people who remember when Instagram first launched Stories in 2016, and the company was accused of creating a Snapchat clone. Stein said that his team received very similar feedback when we launched Stories. But Instagram Stories quickly surpassed Snapchat in daily users and has continued to be a massively successful product. That history of success is one of the strongest reasons for Instagrams team to think it can pull Reels off. TikTok did it first, but maybe Instagram can do it better.

Part of that strategy is focusing on what Stein believes Instagram does best: creating easy-to-use technology for whoever wants to make a video. When opening Instagram to make a Reel, people will be able to slide to a new section of the camera that comes with an assortment of tools. Reels can be recorded either all at once or as a series of clips, or people can upload videos from their photo gallery. The cameras new features are similar to TikToks, with options to mess with the speed, apply special effects, set a timer, and add audio.

Instagrams product team is really positioning Instagram camera around a few core formats, according to Stein. Stories is designed as more of a social feature quick little snippets people want to share with their followers. Reels is designed with entertainment in mind, an area that Instagram wants to really focus on. Part of that focus includes the redesign of Instagrams Explore page. More than 50 percent of people use Instagrams Explore page in a month, Stein said, and now therell be a dedicated hub for Reels. This is essentially Reels equivalent of the For You Page on TikTok, a place for creators to possibly go viral or find new followers.

Were going big with entertainment and [making Explore] the permanent place for you to go lean back, relax, and be inspired every day, Stein said. Its our hope that with this format we have a new chapter of entertainment on Instagram.

Reels biggest difference from TikTok is its tie-ins to the overarching Instagram ecosystem, Stein says. People can send Reels to their friends directly on Instagram and they can use Instagram-specific AR filters and tools everything that people want to do is part of an existing network.

TikTok and Instagram are more than camera products, though. Theyre communities for established and burgeoning creators. Stein said the companys main goal is to support the entire creator ecosystem, including giving creators the ability to scale their reach on the platform and adding new tools to make their videos pop. For now, though, Instagram wont be paying popular creators for their videos, as TikTok has started to offer.

Instagram already allows for influencers and creators to earn revenue through brand deals and sponsored posts, but Instagram doesnt directly pay people for content. TikTok didnt either until very recently. The company announced last month that its starting a $200 million fund in the US to pay top creators for their videos. TikTok is hoping to expand that fund north of $1 billion. The message is simple: we want you to stay on TikTok and create for TikTok, and were going to pay you to do it. Stein had nothing to share for now about direct payments to creators, but he stressed that allowing people to monetize is important.

There are a few other features that Reels will not have at launch. People wont be able to duet with each other a core TikTok feature that lets people interact with, build upon, and remix videos. Instagram also wont allow people to upload songs directly into the apps system. Musicians looking to use the app as a place to make a song go viral can add original audio by just recording and that can live on later, Stein said, adding that other people could use it and remix it, but the actual song cant be uploaded directly.

Reels isnt its own world like TikTok is or Vine was. Its another thing to do on Instagram and another way to find entertainment beyond scrolling through Stories and our Feeds. That lack of focus might seem like a weakness, but Stein sees it differently. I think one of the really fun parts of this, he says, is its just another format on Instagram.

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Instagram launches Reels, its attempt to keep you off TikTok - The Verge

Fabiola Pepe, Maida Kopet, Chuck Medcraft, Melissa Schwartz, Edna Tello, and Gineth Yibirin. (photo was taken before Covid-19)

By Jaime Vining

Running is not cancelled this year. However, while the pandemic continues through 2020, all of the World Marathon Majors in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City have been cancelled or gone virtual.

The same is true for the local races in Parkland and the rest of Broward County.

Everything all the 5K races, half marathons, and marathon races are going virtual, at least through November, said Maida Kopet, president of the Northwest Broward Road Runners Club (NWBRRC).

A virtual race is like a traditional race, in that it includes a starting line, running as a group, and a finish line, however, in a virtual race, runners can run, walk or treadmill their miles on their own schedule and safely at the location they choose.

Upon completion of the race, participants can upload their time and route online or through popular apps like Strava and Racejoy.

A virtual race is a healthy, body-strengthening activity and a great way to practice race day nutrition and hydration without the crowds or poor weather.

Virtual options allow participants to be a part of the race together, but run separately in different locations, said Kopet. Signing up for a virtual race motivates me to train, run on a particular day and support a great charitable cause.

Organizers for the Parkland Dash just announced that the October 5K and 5-mile races would be held virtually this year. Registration opens this Friday, August 14. The Run 4 Beigel 5K, scheduled for February 6, 2021, is also tentatively planning for a virtual option, if necessary.

The CDC recommends staying physically active as one of the best ways to keep your mind and body healthy.

There are so many members of the community outside running, walking, and biking these days, even in this heat, said Fabiola Pepe, Vice-President of NWBRRC. Pepe, who has participated in various virtual runs this year, similarly stressed the importance of following CDC guidelines while exercising.

Runners should stay at least six feet apart and wear a neck gaiter in populated areas. Plus, stay hydrated with your water bottle. Neck gaiters, running water bottles, and other necessities for virtual runs are available from Runners Depot in Coral Springs.

The NWBRRC hosts weekly club runs for both new and experienced runners and walkers in Parkland, Coral Springs and Tamarac at the Parkland Starbucks (at the corner of Coral Ridge Drive and Holmberg Road). For more information about upcoming local virtual run options and club membership, please visit the NWBRRC website.

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45,000 vouchers, worth more than 90m, issued to help cover the costs of delivering gigabit speeds directly to peoples homes and businesses

New taskforce launched today to encourage further take-up of gigabit broadband services

Almost 500,000 premises across the UK have been connected to gigabit-capable broadband since summer 2018. This is part of a 1 billion government funding commitment until the end of 2021, with a further 5 billion for the hardest-to-reach areas to be earmarked soon.

It means that, alongside commercial investment, more than 7.5 million premises can now access gigabit capable broadband, compared to around 1.4 million premises two years ago.

Nearly 45,000 vouchers, worth more than 90 million, have been issued to subsidise the cost of building faster, gigabit-capable broadband infrastructure to homes and businesses.

The figures are released as the government calls on companies and residents in rural towns and villages to apply for more than 70 million on offer immediately to take them out of the digital slow lane.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman is today urging people to take advantage of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme which is open until March next year and aims to future proof peoples internet connections for a generation.

The scheme is being targeted at rural, hard-to-reach areas that arent likely to be connected through the commercial rollout of gigabit networks soon.

Minister Warman is also today launching a new taskforce, led by consumer and business groups including Which?, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and Confederation of British Industry (CBI) to drive consumer take-up of gigabit speed internet connections.

'Its fantastic to see so many people getting access to gigabit speed broadband. This is thanks to our investment alongside the sterling work of industry.

Today I urge people in rural communities in the digital slow lane to apply for the immediate financial help available so they can seize the benefits of better connectivity - from making work easier to catching up with family and friends.

I am also launching a new drive with business and consumer champions to make more people aware of just how beneficial better, faster broadband can be.

Gigabit broadband carries speeds of a thousand megabits per second. These connections will not only underpin the use of smarter devices such as intelligent heating systems and internet-connected fridges, but they will allow people to download HD movies in seconds and stream TV and gaming content at 4K picture quality on multiple devices at the same time.

The speeds will pave the way for new and unexpected social benefits alongside jobs and economic growth, and revolutionise rural communities by giving people the freedom to live and work more flexibly.

To date, through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, more than 3,500 vouchers have been issued to rural homes and businesses in Somerset, nearly 2,000 in Cumbria, and more than a thousand going to Kent, Lancashire, Hampshire, West Yorkshire and Surrey.

The vouchers are worth up to 1,500 for rural homes and up to 3,500 for rural small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) provided they come together as a collective of two or more properties.

Its really important that people across the UK, including those who are vulnerable or in hard to reach locations, have a quality broadband connection that meets their needs not just for entertainment and to stay in touch with loved ones, but also to be able to work, shop and bank.

By bringing together industry, the regulator, government as well as groups representing both consumers and businesses, this new advisory group will be able to provide recommendations on the best way to ensure everyone can take advantage of faster, more reliable internet connections as they are rolled out.

Small businesses require reliable, fast, and futureproof connectivity to operate with confidence. Gigabit-capable broadband will enable firms to connect with customers nationally and internationally with ease, develop new ways of using technology to improve their performance, and conduct more business online than ever before.

This year has forced small firms to overhaul their business models, and digital connectivity has proved to be a lifeline during this time. However, many have struggled with poor internet connections, and would be better served with a step-change in connectivity.

Thats why this task force could not have come at a more pressing time. FSB is delighted to work with the Government, along with consumer and business representatives, to accelerate the take-up of gigabit-capable broadband.

Going for gigabit on digital connectivity is more important than ever as the UK responds to the Covid crisis. Its great to be part of the Governments new advisory group ensuring that the business view is heard. Bringing in expertise from across the board will spur more households and businesses to take up faster, more reliable broadband and help put tech and innovation at the centre of our economic recovery.

Gavin Keeble and his wife Belinda, who live in Grisedale, Cumbria, run a corporate training business. They were paying 115 a month for an unreliable service which would drop out every time low-flying RAF planes went overhead. They had their broadband upgraded by using one of the governments vouchers, which contributed to the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband.

Gavin and Belinda saw their speeds, as well as those of 121 homes and 56 businesses in the surrounding area, rocket from 8 Mbps to 1000 Mbps, which means they can successfully run their business.

Gavin said: The difference that the new service has made is completely cosmic. It has given us total peace of mind connecting to the outside world and running an international business from a beautiful and remote part of the UK and dramatically improved our businesses professionalism and capability as well as transforming our family life.

Dominic Fairman, a local councillor who runs a farm and campsite on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, has recently benefited from the scheme. He can now run digital promotion for the campsite and do his online tax returns hassle-free.

Dominic said: The difference that this has made to our lives and our neighbours lives has been incredible. My tax returns are seamless, I can upload photos and videos for the campsite to social media and I wont ever have to lose data again.

Of the 5,000 people who work for Cornwall Council, around 4,000 have been working from home during the pandemic so it has really brought it home to us how important it is to have reliable connectivity these days. I will certainly be recommending this scheme to other communities in my parishes.

Currently gigabit broadband is available to about 26 per cent of residential and business premises across the UK, but estimates show only 30 per cent of premises are taking up these services where they are available.

The new Gigabit Take-Up Advisory Group (GigaTAG) has been set up to lead a strategic review into boosting take-up as gigabit connections among consumers and businesses become more widely available.

It will be led by Which?, the FSB and CBI, with membership including Ofcom and industry representatives, to look at encouraging more consumers to engage with this new technology and to take advantage of the benefits that they will bring.

It will specifically explore increasing business take-up by promoting the benefits that gigabit broadband has brought to companies that already have it, and the role firms can play in incentivising their employees to upgrade too.

ENDS

The UK Government committed more than 1 billion on gigabit-capable broadband to the end of the financial year 20/21:

400 million through the Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund

279 million through the Local Full Fibre Networks Programme, which funded the first wave of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme

200 million through the Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme, which is funding the second wave of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme

At least 200 million from the existing Superfast Broadband Programme is being transitioned to specify gigabit-capable connections for all remaining procurements / change requests

There have been 44,792 vouchers issued so far through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, and of these 29,142 have resulted in a live connection. And as of Q4 19/20, 464,458 premises now have access to a gigabit-capable connection through the redirected Superfast Broadband Programme. Therefore almost half a million (493,600) premises now have access to or are connected to gigabit capable broadband.

Independent figures from ThinkBroadband released this week reveal 1 in 4 premises now have access to a gigabit broadband option.

What is the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme?

The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme is a UK-wide, supplier-led scheme offering vouchers to offset the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband to premises, i.e., homes and businesses. Vouchers can only be used when part of a group project. Gigabit-capable broadband can provide speeds of over 1,000 Mbps or 1 Gbps but beneficiaries only pay for the speed they want to use, provided it is at least double the speed they had before and more than 30 Mbps.

Businesses and communities are encouraged to check whether they are eligible through a postcode checker on the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme website: https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/. If they are eligible they can approach any of the suppliers who are active in their area to apply for a voucher. Registered suppliers can only use the vouchers when they are part of a group scheme that can consist of homes and businesses.

In June, the UK and Welsh governments teamed up to boost the amount available in certain areas, due the difficulty and expense of rolling out broadband infrastructure in rural Wales. This boost doubled the vouchers worth so that homes in rural Wales can now receive 3000 and SMEs 7000. In England, similar voucher top-ups are also available in Cumbria, Kent, Northumberland, Hampshire, Dorset, Warwickshire and West Sussex, to help connect some of the hardest-to-reach places.

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