Monthly Archives: July 2021

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State of the Candy Industry: 2021 brings innovation, evolution, uncertainty for candy sector | 2021-07-07 - Candy Industry

A week ago, Bella Hadid arrived in Paris for Haute Couture Week wearing a lace camisole and yoga pants circa 2007. But the most eye-catching part of the ensemble wasnt its throwback nature: it was that her stretchy flared leggings bore two cut-outs that exposed the oft-hidden area around her pelvis. On social media, her hip-baring bottoms, I.AM.GIAs Carrie pants, were swiftly pegged ovary pants, and dubbed the next big thing. Days later, the trend was solidified into the zeitgeist when Kim Kardashian debuted a lace dress by Barragn while visiting the Vatican in Rome. The floor-length frock left her pelvic area exposed, a fact that apparently didnt break the locations strict dress code.

As a result, searches for pelvic and hip cutouts spiked on global fashion shopping platform Lyst, growing respectively by 23% and 19%.

Pelvic pants are but one of many 2021 trends that revolve around peek-a-boo sartorial moments, ranging from subtle side cut-outs to full-on holey. In fact, in the last month alone, Lyst reported a 39% increase in searches for cut-out pieces in general, a number that will likely continue to rise as more and more brands take the Edward Scissorhands approach to their collections in the name of fashion. But why are we all of a sudden so obsessed with showing skin, so much so that wed put our bellies, ovaries, backsides, underboobs, and more on display for the world to see? And who is to blame for driving us to do so?

When spring 21 collections were presented last September, hardly a cut-out was in sight, the closest approximations being an orange spaghetti-like skirt at Salvatore Ferragamo and a purple naked dress at No. 21. Consumers wanted to cover up and hide from both the world and themselves their only company during lockdown doing so with baggy silhouettes and stay-away-from-me shoulders.

Six months later, when designers debuted their fall 21 offerings, everything had changed. Jonathan Simkhais collection featured leather pants with cut-outs beneath the belt loops that left going commando the only viable underwear option. Other pieces in the collection included dresses with rib, shoulder blade, and upper-ab holes. At Cult Gaia, hardly a garment left something to the imagination, with under-arm, hip, and side cut-outs appearing throughout the 39-piece collection.

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The trickle-down effect from Fashion Week led to a stripping-down effect on social media, where apparel that appeared shredded by the Hulk or better yet, a character on Teen Wolf became a mainstay for celebrities like Dua Lipa and Kylie Jenner (both wearing Poster Girl). Brands like Rui Zhou, Merritt Meacham, and Noush also got in on the ubiquitous tearing-at-the-seams look.

From there, we witnessed a whale tail comeback that, unlike the early-aughts version, now included pants with upper-butt cut-outs that only gave off the illusion of an exposed G-string. Next was a rise in visible underboobs on the red carpet, with highlights including Zendaya, Andra Day, and Vanessa Kirby at the Oscars. And finally, there was the introduction of floss fashion, or clothing thats made up of mostly strings that you tie this way and that until something akin to a garment appears.

Essentially, fashion has taken a turn for the naked, with the oversized suits and nap dresses of 2020 being replaced with something a little (or a lot) more revealing now that pandemic restrictions have lessened and lockdowns have been called off in the U.S. Finally, we can go out again, and in the process, show off the bodies we spent the last year-plus of COVID life protecting and learning to love. Cut-outs provide an easy way to do so. They also make showing off varying degrees of skin an option, with wearers being given the option to subtly display their shoulders (a great option for vaccine appointments!) or collarbones, or go all the way, leaving their entire midriffs or ovaries exposed. Pick your poison.

And if todays vast range of cut-outs doesnt show enough skin for your post-quarantine wardrobe, theres always the naked dress.

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

The Curious Case Of The Fashion Cutout

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From Whale Tails To Visible Ovaries: The Evolution Of The 2021 Cut-Out Trend - Yahoo Lifestyle

Choice is good, right?

Surely, we want the most number of options possible whenever we have a decision to make?

Well, the apparently-obvious may not always be the case particularly when it comes to the way in which the world does its collaborating.

Todays menu is certainly extensive.

WhatsApp, Slack, Teams, plus a myriad of other collaboration platforms are all capable of serving us up a feast whenever we want it (and sometimes when we dont).

Whilst all of that choice feels empowering, is it really serving us well?

And, critically, is there a NextGen innovation in the wings just waiting to take flight?

The communications sector is nothing if not evolutionary (add an r too if you wish, obvs!)

But the smartest thinkers are already musing over what the future of UCaaS might (or more importantly SHOULD) look like.

You CAN have too much choice, and ironically thats where the opportunity lies, says Scott Bleasdell, Vice President of Product at fast-growing cloud telephony innovator net2phone.

As one of those new, leading thinkers, Bleasdell is constantly looking forward as he plots a route to ever-increasing efficiency for his partners and customers.

He believes true, Artificial Intelligence-powered unification will be the next comms game-changer: tech once again responding to our insatiable demand for better.

Theres no longer a huge technological leap required for smart UCaaS to evolve, adds Bleasdell.

Instead, the future of UCaaS will be shaped by how we leverage AI and how organisations grapple with the many different comms channels at their fingertips.

Simplifying that choice by bringing those channels together will be how we improve efficiency, productivity and user experience.

One thing is for sure, those three criteria on which businesses base their procurement choices are unlikely to change, regardless of what the future delivers.

So how might new-found simplification manifest itself?

At the moment, we might get several different messages about the same thing from several different people via several different channels, says Bleasdell.

AI can help us correlate multiple forms of related communications and will enable people to focus and streamline responses in a more intelligent way

For example, someone sends you an email with an attachment and then follows that up with a text message because its urgent. A smart communication platform will understand these two forms of communication are related and present both together to you so full context is understood without you having to hunt and find the related information.

Its about making the platform smarter and more integrated so that people dont have to work as hard and so they can have smarter conversations.

Barriers to any utopian new state exist, of course.

The software is likely to be the easy bit.

Cost and connectivity always the two factors upon which real transformation most depends are likely to limit the pace of change.

Human behaviours, too, cannot be discounted: the i-phone has remained the most expensive smartphone on the planet since its launch in 2007 but, illogically, its popularity has never waned.

And desk phones are likely to endure in one form or another too their complete demise surely a step way too far even for the most trailblazing of innovators.

But businesses WILL push on and UCaaS vendors WILL evolve rapidly, says Bleasdell.

We are experimenting with NextGen solutions now that I have no doubt will change everything.

Organisations and businesses will respond positively because helping their customers and their workforces to be better at what they do will always be their top priorities

It seems the future is set to simultaneously challenge AND deliver as it leads us further down our evolutionary road.

That means having a smart hand to hold is about as important as it gets.

To learn more about net2phones UCaaS offering, visit http://www.net2phone.com

simon

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The Evolution of UCaaS - UC Today

WHEN Nat Fyfe arrived at Fremantle at the end of 2009 as a skinny, shy but talented draftee, he immediately struck new teammate Matt de Boer as a player with an "anti-authoritarian streak" who was going to challenge the norms.

With a desire to be the best as soon as he could, it was that tendency to push boundaries and question the way things were done that initially rubbed some teammates up the wrong way.

But 12 years and 199 games on, it is a trait that has shaped the champion midfielder's career and allowed him to become a superstar of the competition and a unique leader of a young team.

"He was clearly in a hurry to make a mark," de Boer recalled ahead of Fyfe's 200th game on Saturday.

"He was shy with a bit of anti-authoritarian about him, and he was happy to push boundaries.

"He thinks differently and wants to do things in his own way, whether it was weights or touch, he would have his own take on it. But that was always coupled with a team element and a will to win."

De Boer describes his close friend as "anti-normal" in the way he thinks deeply about why things are done and then takes the actions he believes are needed to improve, rather than falling into line out of habit.

He had a clear plan from an early age to be the game's best player, de Boer said, which would lead him to do his own research and seek out his own specialists when they were needed.

"The fact that he always had a purpose to not just get better but to be the best, that was the difference between him and other players," de Boer said.

"He aimed high and wanted to be the best, which took him to another level."

Michael Barlow is another former teammate who remains close with Fyfe and recognised the anti-authoritarian and challenging side of his personality early on.

"That's exactly the way he is wired," Barlow said. "To challenge normal essentially and do things his own way in the confines of an elite program and team sport."

Barlow believes Fyfe is different to 99 per cent of AFL players in the extent of his professional ambition.

He is motivated by team success but is also acutely aware of the role he can play in that if he reaches the pinnacle individually, as he did twice as a Brownlow medallist in 2015 and 2019.

"This is not to put pressure on him, but he would sit there and think 'I can be the greatest of all time'," Barlow said.

"He would be driven by the team success but also the involvement and significance of his own individual performance.

"He is top one per cent in his field. He's one of the outliers in terms of performance and expectation, and with that comes a fair bit of behaving differently and finding different edges."

Barlow left Fremantle at the end of 2016 before Fyfe was made captain the following season, but he saw the midfielder's leadership style emerging.

The Werribee VFL coach has also remained in touch with the 29-year-old, sharing ideas on leadership, where Fyfe again brings a unique style.

"He's tapped into a little bit more about personal relationships and finding a little niche with every player," Barlow said.

"He might do a gun club with Brett Bewley once a week, and then he'll do surfing with James Aish, but each individual is different, and it might be 15 minutes a week where he invests in each individual in different ways.

"He has genuine care in people and he is very direct and invested in your life. It's a pretty special element of his character."

Former Docker Brady Grey has become a regular training partner for Fyfe in the off-season after the pair struck up a close friendship during their recoveries from injury in 2016.

He has watched Fyfe grow as a captain and believes his desire to be the best player is now matched with his desire to be the best possible leader of a young Fremantle team.

"It's starting to reflect in the way Freo are playing and how everyone accepts him for who he is and how he leads," Grey said.

"He's worked out who he wants to be a leader and he is bring the young guys along with him and really embracing that everyone is their own individual.

"His ability to connect with different generations and different players has made him a better player and a better leader."

Grey, who will join Fyfe up and down the WA coast for training stints, or in-land at the star's Lake Grace home, can still see the three-time All Australian's desire burning to be the best player in the competition.

Goalkicking issues have prevented him reaching those heights in an otherwise excellent season, but there have been performances in 2021 that show the champion Docker still has that level in him.

"Something that has been a constant is that he is not complacent about being good or great he wants to be the best and I don't think that's changed," Gray said.

"There's a reason why he's played 200 games and had the success he's had as an individual, but he always comes back to how can we win a premiership?

"He knows that if he's in that position where he's the best player in the comp then Freo can achieve something special."

Link:

The evolution of Fyfe: From 'anti-authoritarian' kid to inspirational leader - AFL

Jul 10th 2021

IMAGINE A WORLD without bird song. Yet this might have come about if it had not been for a genetic change that happened some 30m years ago, at the beginning of the evolution of the Passeri, to give songbirds their proper name.

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Birds evolved from carnivorous dinosaurs called theropods. Meat eaters need not detect sugar in the way that, say, fruit eaters do, and genetic analyses of modern birds suggest their theropod ancestor had lost the ability to taste sweetness. Today, however, many birds have sugar-rich diets of nectar or fruit, so perceiving things as sweet is a useful attribute. And research just published in Science by Toda Yasuka of Tokyo University and Maude Baldwin of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen, Germany, suggests songbirds can indeed perceive sweetness. This re-evolved ability may have been instrumental in their success. Since almost half the bird species now alive are Passeri, that is no small matter.

Vertebrates taste-receptor genes normally include three that encode proteins called T1R1, T1R2 and T1R3. The taste receptors themselves are formed from pairs of these proteins. Receptors for sweetness are a combination of T1R2 and T1R3. Birds, however, lack the gene for T1R2. Presumably, it was lost by their theropod ancestors, which did not need it. Dr Todas and Dr Baldwins experiments have shown how this loss was reversed.

The pairs first study, published in 2014, was on hummingbirds, which feed on nectar from flowers. It found that hummingbirds regained the ability to taste sugars via mutations in the genes for T1R1 and T1R3. The receptor formed by combining T1R1 and T1R3 normally detects umami, a savoury flavour typical of meat. In hummingbirds, these mutations allow this receptor to detect sugars, too. Dr Toda and Dr Baldwin therefore wondered whether that was also the case for songbirds.

To find out, they cloned T1R1-T1R3 receptors from a variety of songbirds and tested their responses to sugar. All the receptors they testedfrom birds with sugar-rich and sugar-poor diets alikeinteracted strongly with sugar molecules. This confirmed that, as with hummingbirds, songbirds regained perception of sweetness via mutations of the gene for T1R1 and T1R3. By contrast, umami receptors cloned from the Tyranni, a sister group to the Passeri, did not interact with sugars, though they did so strongly with amino acids typical of meat. The mutations in the songbird lineage must thus have happened after the Passeri and Tyranni lines diverged, but before the Passeri themselves began proliferating into their current variety.

Intriguingly, when Dr Toda and Dr Baldwin looked at the molecular modifications which allowed the T1R1-T1R3 receptors of hummingbirds and Passeri to detect sweetness, they found them to be completely different. Both, though, involved numerous changes to the underlying DNA, suggesting a strong evolutionary pressure to optimise them. This pressure was probably a consequence of competition to fill the new ecological niches opened up by an ability to recognise sweet things as both edible and nutritious. And it was that which resulted in the Passeris current diversity. How all this ties up with the mellifluous songs sung by many members of the group is unclear. It may just be a coincidence. But if so, for those who enjoy bird song, it is a fortunate one.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline "The sweet taste of success"

Original post:

Songbirds can taste sugar. That may explain their ubiquity - The Economist

(The Morning Watch is a recurring feature that highlights a handful of noteworthy videos from around the web. They could be video essays, fan-made productions, featurettes, short films, hilarious sketches, or just anything that has to do with our favorite movies and TV shows.)

In this edition, the VFX artists from Corridor Crew bring in Industrial Light and Magics visual effect art director Alex Laurant for a closer look at The Mummy starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. Plus, see how outer space in movies has evolved across the 120-year history of motion pictures, from A Trip to the Moon to Gravity. And finally, watch as The Flight Attendant star Kaley Cuoco and WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen interview each other.

First up, the gang at Corridor Crew brings Alex Laurant in to talk about beingIndustrial Light and Magics visual effects art director and all the work that he did on the 1999 remake of The Mummy. Get a look at amazing concept art, find out the secrets of several memorable sequences, and see how ILM brought The Mummy to life over 20 years ago.

Next, Movies Insider reveals how the depiction of outer space in movies has evolved across 120 years of movie magic. Space on film relied on practical effects and camera tricks with the likes of A Trip to the Moon in 1902 and Destination Moon in 1950. But the biggest innovations would come from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Apollo 13, and Gravity.

Finally, Kaley Cuoco and Elizabeth Olsen have received plenty of acclaim for their performances in The Flight Attendant and WandaVision, respectively. Both are in the running for Emmys later this year, and Variety had them sit down for their Actors on Actors series to discuss each of their shows, how they approached their characters, and more.

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The Morning Watch: VFX Artists React to 'The Mummy', The Evolution of Outer Space in Movies & More - /FILM

From Handcrafted Stone to 3D Printing: The Technological and Material Evolution of Gaud's Sagrada Familia

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A masterpiece is often defined as the most remarkable work in an artist's career, one which highlights the height of their techniques and ideals. The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci; Michelangelo's Piet; the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. There are many examples, which are not always unanimously agreed upon. But what if what many consider to be the masterpiece was started by someone else, the credited creator didn't live to see its completion, and almost all of its documentation was destroyed? Catalan architect Antoni Gaud and his world-famous Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Famlia are examples of these complications. From a highly crafted stone construction to the most modern 3D printing techniques and high strength concrete, numerous technologies were and continue to be incorporated in the project's construction.

In 1882, architect Francisco de Paula del Villar began the project for the Church following the guidelines of the time, and thus employed standard neo-Gothic elements: five longitudinal naves, ogival windows, buttresses, and a pointed bell tower. Due to differences with the Catholic Church, however, Villar resigned from the work and Antoni Gaud, a 31-year-old architect, was appointed responsible in 1883, as shown in the work's chronology. While the cruciform plan of the original project was maintained, Gaudi brought numerous significant changes to the building such as angular columns and hyperboloid vaults, eliminating the need for buttresses. By removing these important structural pieces that could withstand the horizontal thrusts of the heavy roof, the architect proposed the building's iconic branched and angled columns instead.

Since then, the project has consistently been under construction, and is expected to be completed in 2026, the centenary of Antoni Gaud's death. But one can imagine that a work in progress for over 130 years, with some stoppages, experienced several changes in construction methods and materials. The first period of construction, the one that had Gaud as the architect responsible for the work, goes from 1883 to 1936. At that time, traditional materials of the time were used, especially stone masonry with lime mortar as a binder. [1] Between 1914 and 1926 Gaud lived on the church's construction site, dedicating himself exclusively to the work and building numerous plaster models of the pillars, naves, facades, and other construction elements, with the aim of conveying his ideas to employees.

Shortly before that, in 1901, the first cement plant in Catalonia was founded by Eusebi Gell, Gaud's friend, supporter and patron. Researchers [3] point out that one of the reasons why reinforced concrete took a long time to reach Catalonia was because of the region's optimized traditional Catalan techniques, such as masonry arches (Catalan vaults) supported by metal beams, which had a good cost-benefit ratio for construction and reduced the need for other solutions.

From there, Gaud began experimenting with the material, which was used in the construction of Parc Gell, Casa Mil and the Colnia Gell church. In the construction of the Sagrada Familia, reinforced concrete was used for the first time on the spiers of the faade of the Natividade, built between 1915 and 1934.

Ten years after Gaud's death, who was run over by a tram near the construction site, a fire destroyed most of the plans and drawings in the office. Luckily, some models were saved, which allowed for the redoing of much of the project's documentation according to the architect's ideas.

Some periods of stoppage due to World War II and the Spanish Civil War delayed the work. Many of the finishing decisions, some structural solutions, and some detailing and connections between different materials had to be defined by subsequent generations of architects and engineers working on the building, who sought as much fidelity as possible to Gaud's original ideas.

From 1944 onwards, the buildings for which concrete was already one of the most important materials resumed construction. During these years, they used, above all, cyclopean concrete in the filling of the walls and reinforced concrete in the structural elements [2]. From the 60's onwards, reinforced concrete began to be widely used in construction, but in the 90's, a new stage begins at the most famous construction site in the world. It is at this time that public interest in the Sagrada Familia greatly increases, causing visits and revenue to accelerate. As a result, the work began to incorporate many new advances in the construction process, including several cranes and the beginning of experiments in computer modeling of complex geometries. Two events symbolize the changes that have taken place since then: the increase in revenue that has allowed us to accelerate the pace of construction, and the introduction of new technologies in terms of materials, design, and construction processes. The main objective in recent years has been the construction of the naves. This resulted in the lifting of the perimeter walls (completed in 1999), the columns and interior vaults, and the curves of the main body, which are now finished; they are currently operating on the transept and apse [2].

Almost all the building elements are currently built in concrete in the Sagrada Familia Church, often covered in natural stone. Concrete appears in various forms: precast elements, reinforced concrete, solid concrete, and parts with special concrete of very high structural strength, such as in the apse and transept columns, where microsilica was introduced in the concrete mixture, reaching a resistance of 80 MPa. In other portions of the structure, because of Gaud's complicated geometry, the fittings, and the impossibility of increasing cross sections, concrete features had to be developed with high fluidity and strength.

In addition, in recent decades, the Sagrada Familia has embraced contemporary digital design and construction technologies. Architects and artisans use programs like Rhinoceros, Cadds5, Catia, and CAM to understand complex geometries and visualize the building as a whole. The process uses stereolithographic 3D printers that build the prototypes layer by layer, resulting in a plaster-like material, a method that allows builders to manually alter the prototypes to meet specific building demands.

The construction of the Sagrada Familia has taken so long that building technologies and materials have changed significantly from beginning to end. Many researchers wonder if it could have actually been built with the materials at the time it was designed while stillfollowing every form imagined by the genius of Catalan modernism. Wouldthe project have been adapted by Gaud if he had lived to resolve all of the design issues? Or is his genius, as some researchers have pointed out, that he has developed a project that allows for the incorporation of new technologies and materials over time?

Notes

[1] Rosa Grima Lpez. El Hormign en el Templo de la Sagrada Familia. Available at this link[2] R. Espel, J. Gmez, R. Grima, A. Aguado. La evolucin de la construccin del Templo de la Sagrada Familia. Informes de la Construccin 61(516). December 2009. Available at this link[3] Rosa Grima Lpez, Antonio Aguado de Cea & Josep Gmez Serrano. Gaud and Reinforced Concrete in Construction. Available at this link

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From Handcrafted Stone to 3D Printing: The Technological and Material Evolution of Gaud's Sagrada Familia - ArchDaily

Eva Marie credits Total Divas with the evolution of womens wrestling. She claimed that the show helped bring in more women as fans of wrestling.

Eva Marie has had a lot to say since shes returned to the WWE. While most of them are meant to elicit a negative reaction from the crowd due to her alignment as a heel on the show, her latest comments appear to be a sentiment she genuinely believes to be true.

Also read: New Champions crowned at WWE NXT Great American Bash

Eva Marie, who used to be a notable part of the reality show Total Divas during her first WWE run, claimed that show led to more women becoming fans of wrestling. In a statement that will surely raise some eyebrows, Eva Marie also told TVInsider that the evolution of womens wrestling, or the womens revolution, started with Total Divas.

Im super fortunate and happy that I had that opportunity. In hindsight, it is kind of crazy I was doing everything for the first time on camera as well. Whether it was in the company filming a reality show, being in a relationship, getting married. It helped me grow so much.

It opened so many eyes to more women becoming fans of WWE. Total Divas was on the E! Network, so youre opening up the demographic to so many women to watch that show and channel. Total Divas came around, and now all of a sudden they are watching RAW and SmackDown. It was really where the whole evolution of women and womens wrestling really started and got talked about.

Eva Marie is currently on RAW with Doudrop as her lackey, although the two are having a bit of a hard time keeping it together. The angle has had mixed reactions from the audience so far but it seems that Vince McMahon is quite impressed and loves the endgoal of this storyline.

Click here for more Wrestling News

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It was where the whole evolution of womens wrestling really started Eva Marie credits Total... - The Sportsrush