I know, we've all got too many TV streaming subscriptions already. It's expensive and daunting. There's too much to choose from, too much to catch up on, and it oftens feels like you're paying for multiple iterations of the same thing. Juggling them is a chore, but it's increasingly something we'll have to do as we hop between new seasons of Ted Lasso and Succession.
Far be it from me to suggest yet another subscription is the answer to this modern malaise of plenty - and yet, maybe it is? BritBox, a streaming service put together by the UK's dominant TV networks, BBC and ITV, is something quite different, with limitations that feel like strengths, strong curation and a narrow, culturally specific remit. There's less choice but more flavour. It's a vibe, a nostalgic haven from the legions of polished transatlantic dramedies vying for your attention elsewhere.
Shannon Kerwin, Associate Professor of Sport Management
How do you know if you’re ready to be a mentor? For Shannon Kerwin, Associate Professor of Sport Management, the realization came gradually.
At the next Women in Leadership meeting, Kerwin, who studies organizational behaviour and human resource management in sport, will discuss the literature that points to the need for mentors to advance the movement towards gender equity in academia and sport.
She will also talk about why she hesitated to embrace that role herself, despite knowing the research and seeing elements of mentoring in her own life.
Drawing on personal stories, Kerwin will talk about the journey that finally led her to “overcome feelings of inferiority, to stand up and be an ally, be a champion for change, and take the place of mentor that has been privileged upon me.”
The Women in Leadership meeting will take place Tuesday, Dec. 7, from 11 a.m. to noon, which is a different time from previous sessions. It will be delivered through Microsoft Teams and will be recorded. Click here for details and instructions on how to join.
Details on this and other upcoming sessions, including dates, descriptions and links to join, are available on the Women in Leadership website.
Women in Leadership aims to support women in formal and informal leadership positions and encourage the next generation of potential women leaders. All women and allies are invited to attend. Individuals are welcome to join the WIL channel on Microsoft Teams or to contact Jeannie Mackintosh to be added to the WIL email distribution list.
Per Deadline, Alex Rivera's "Zorro" film, tentatively titled "Zorro 2.0," will see some monumental alterations added to the masked hero's canon. Perhaps the biggest update being implemented is the fact that Rivera's new "Zorro" movie will take place in the modern world. Furthermore, it appears the film will focus on an undocumented immigrant hacker with the username "z0rr0" who battles against secret government organizations and conspiracies involving high-tech. "Zorro 2.0" will also address the border wars, much like Rivera's previous film, 2008's "Sleep Dealer" (via IMDb).
"I've always been interested in films that address real-world issues through genre," Rivera said. "This project is an opportunity to connect Zorro — the original masked avenger — to today's border wars, a conflict in which immigrant families are pitted against regimes of hi-tech surveillance and government control."
Rivera also notes that his take on the Zorro character will be rooted in science fiction, suggesting an even bigger departure from the character that fans have come to know and love. Whether these same fans embrace such a radically different interpretation of the character remains to be seen. There's currently no information about who will be in the film or when such a film could be released, but that will likely change over the coming months.
With Lincoln Riley surprisingly leaving Oklahoma to become USC’s head coach on Sunday, there was one aftershock of the news that hit the NFL.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday night that Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury is one of Oklahoma’s targets to replace Riley.
Arizona was on its bye for Week 12, but now the club is back in the building to prepare for a matchup with the Bears. So that gave reporters an opportunity to ask Kingsbury about the report on Monday.
Kingsbury wasn’t quite as forceful as Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin when issuing a denial of interest in a college job, instead generally declining to discuss the topic.
“I don’t get into those things,” Kingsbury said, via Darren Urban of the Cardinals’ website. “My sole focus the last couple of weeks has been the Chicago Bears.”
Kingsbury was later asked why he didn’t flatly say he has no interest in the job.
With as well as the Cardinals have played this year, it would be bizarre for Kingsbury to have any interest in heading back to college. It also wouldn’t necessarily make much sense for Oklahoma to have a strong interest, given that Kingsbury was fired after going 35-40 at Texas Tech from 2013-2018 — a program in Oklahoma’s conference.
But, as Schefter noted, Kingsbury has just one more year remaining on his Cardinals contract. So it would make sense for Kingsbury’s representation to try and parlay some external interest into a raise and extension, especially considering Arizona’s success so far in 2021. And that, in turn, is why Kingsbury likely wouldn’t go full Tomlin in his Monday response.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In separate meetings with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and French President Emmanuel Macron, Pope Francis expressed his ongoing concern for the political and economic turmoil Lebanon is experiencing and his conviction that Lebanon has a special role to play in the Middle East.
Lebanon is "a message and also a promise that must be fought for," the pope said Nov. 25 during an audience with Mikati, who took office in September, ending a yearlong political stalemate in the country.
After a 20-minute private conversation with the Lebanese leader in the papal library, Pope Francis and Mikati moved into the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace for the presentation of gifts and the introduction of Mikati's large delegation.
The prime minister gave Pope Francis a brick from St. Savior Church, a Melkite Catholic church severely damaged by the massive explosion at the Beirut port in August 2020. The church, originally built in 1890, was about a half mile from the blast site and, like Lebanon as a whole, was left in tatters by the explosion.
The pope told the prime minister and his entourage that Lebanon has endured difficult moments and he assured the Lebanese people of his prayers and his commitment to helping rally support to get the country back on its feet, said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office.
The Gospel story of Jesus raising Jairus' daughter comes to mind, the pope told the delegation. Entering Jairus' house, where people are mourning the girl's death, Jesus takes her by the hand and tells her, "Get up."
"May God take Lebanon by the hand and tell it, 'Get up,'" the pope said.
Meeting Macron the next morning, the Vatican press office said, Lebanon was back on the agenda. The two countries have deep, longstanding ties, and Macron has pledged his government will work to rally the international community to help the nation recover.
A statement from Macron's office said that during their hourlong meeting, he and the pope "spoke at length about the case of Lebanon and the need to continue humanitarian aid while reaffirming the urgency of carrying out the necessary reforms in the country."
The Arizona Cardinals didn’t have to play in Week 12 to make headlines this past weekend, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that Oklahoma is targeting head coach Kliff Kingsbury for its head-coaching vacancy.
It didn’t take long for Kingsbury to sidestep the report on Monday.
“Yeah, I don’t get into those things,” the head coach said. “My sole focus the last couple of weeks has been the Chicago Bears, and after watching them on Thanksgiving, it needs to be, because they’re a really good football team and had a big win. And so that’s where my focus has been.
“We’re in season, we’re 9-2, just not a topic I wanna touch on right now,” Kingsbury added when asked why he didn’t take the opportunity to squash the report.
Kingsbury, currently in his third season of a four-year deal that includes a team option in the 2023, is enjoying his best season at the helm in Arizona, which controls the No. 1 seed in the NFC through 12 weeks.
The prospect of heading back to college, an arena the head coach spent more than a decade in, right when the ship looks to be righted in the desert doesn’t make a ton of sense. Especially when Arizona entered the bye week first in more than a handful of statistical categories on both sides of the football.
And being fully engrained in football 24/7 is something Kingsbury lives for. There’s much more that goes into college beyond the on-the-field production, something he realized on his way to a 35-40 record at Texas Tech.
“I really enjoy just the professionalism that these guys approach the game with each and every day,” Kingsbury said. “They’re highly motivated, take care of their bodies, study the game. It inspires you to be a better coach and step your game up because you better come into that meeting room knowing what you’re talking about with a level of expertise and trust from those guys or you’ll lose them.”
For the head coach, it’s on to Chicago.
“I was in the movie room off the grid pretty much all day yesterday, so the [report] didn’t affect me one bit,” Kingsbury said.
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Pope Francis shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during an audience at the Vatican Nov. 26, 2021. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Vatican City — In separate meetings with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and French President Emmanuel Macron, Pope Francis expressed his ongoing concern for the political and economic turmoil Lebanon is experiencing and his conviction that Lebanon has a special role to play in the Middle East.
Lebanon is "a message and also a promise that must be fought for," the pope said Nov. 25 during an audience with Mikati, who took office in September, ending a yearlong political stalemate in the country.
After a 20-minute private conversation with the Lebanese leader in the papal library, Pope Francis and Mikati moved into the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace for the presentation of gifts and the introduction of Mikati's large delegation.
The prime minister gave Pope Francis a brick from St. Savior Church, a Melkite Catholic church severely damaged by the massive explosion at the Beirut port in August 2020. The church, originally built in 1890, was about a half mile from the blast site and, like Lebanon as a whole, was left in tatters by the explosion.
The pope told the prime minister and his entourage that Lebanon has endured difficult moments and he assured the Lebanese people of his prayers and his commitment to helping rally support to get the country back on its feet, said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office.
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The Gospel story of Jesus raising Jairus' daughter comes to mind, the pope told the delegation. Entering Jairus' house, where people are mourning the girl's death, Jesus takes her by the hand and tells her, "Get up."
"May God take Lebanon by the hand and tell it, 'Get up,'" the pope said.
Meeting Macron the next morning, the Vatican press office said, Lebanon was back on the agenda. The two countries have deep, longstanding ties, and Macron has pledged his government will work to rally the international community to help the nation recover.
A statement from Macron's office said that during their hourlong meeting, he and the pope "spoke at length about the case of Lebanon and the need to continue humanitarian aid while reaffirming the urgency of carrying out the necessary reforms in the country."
Electromagnetic Frequency toxicity is a constant burden to our sensitive energetic systems. We are energy. EMFs from phones and cell towers, from appliances and vehicles, from all broadcast media to our microwaves and video screens are unique and unnatural energy sources. They add to our total toxic burden. Finding ways to reduce exposures is critical to good health. Join us for this live “Ask the Doc” discussion.
In this video, we’re going to be looking at topic-based SEO. We’re going to be discussing what it is and honestly, why you should care.
Video Transcript:
What is the Goal of SEO?
So before we get into concepts and tactics, it’s really important for us to understand what the goal of SEO is.
Now, I know a lot of people have different goals for why they do what they do, but for me, this is the goal. This is the purpose of search. SEO is more than just rankings. Ranking is great, and it’s definitely very important, but ranking in a specific position, doesn’t pay the bills. You don’t get any money for just being there.
SEO is about driving qualified users to our website and specifically users that we want to take in action.
SEO is about driving qualified users to our website and specifically users that we want to take in action. And that action could be maybe read your content and trust you as an expert. That could be to sign up for a resource or a mailing list. So then you can connect them and move them through the funnel. Or maybe it’s to purchase a product or service.
The end goal of SEO is for that user to find our site and then take a specific action. That’s what we’re trying to do. And all the other work around it should really be focusing on that primary goal.
What is Topic-based SEO?
So I define topic-based SEO as the creation/optimization, as well as the grouping of content that is semantically related and interlinked in order to produce better topic or coverage for both users and search engines.
So I know that might sound like a mouthful, but really it’s making sure that we’re covering our bases, that we’re creating content that’s helpful for the user, that we’re creating content that’s easily indexed and read and understood by search engines and optimizing that to the best of our abilities.
Now, there are some other related processes and tactics out there. Those could be something like content hubs, or content clusters, or pillar clusters. All of these kind of have related concepts. The difference between topic-based SEO and the above tactics in my opinion, is that topic-based SEO also incorporates both foundational SEO, as well as semantic SEO into the process.
Why Does This Matter?
So why does this matter? If we go back to the beginning where we talked about the goal, and it’s to drive qualified traffic to our site that are going to take a specific action, then we need to make sure that we match the intent of our users.
People use search engines for a variety of different reasons. To learn, to solve problems, to research ideas, to buy products. There’s so many different things that they do. So we need to understand what they need and then try to position our site as the solution to that query throughout the funnel.
Now, traditional SEO was narrowly focused around specific keywords. Now keywords still matter, but the advancements that have been made within search engines have changed the game drastically. So let’s take a look at how this actually plays out within the search engines themselves.
So I made a number of queries here that are covering the four basic intents that we’ve talked about before on this channel; informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional.
Informational Query
So, as you can see here, if we do how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, this is an informational query. Somebody’s trying to learn how to actually make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And we’ve got a YouTube video here.
We’ve got some people also ask questions. We’ve got another how to post here, as well as recipes. So right off the bat, something we should think about if we’re creating content around here is that Google expects a recipe to be part of how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. People aren’t just looking for steps, they’re looking for the term recipe. So we have to be incorporating concepts around recipe because in the query itself, there’s zero mention of a “recipe”, but is still something that is semantically related. Now, this is a very simple walkthrough of how this concept works, but it’s still very important that we pick up these terms.
Now, as we go down this page, we see obviously a lot of video. We see a lot of recipes here. We see ratings and all the different SERP features that he could also potentially earn here. But let’s go down a little bit further here. We look at images. Images is starting to show us some other related queries. So recipe, flow charts, printable. People might be looking for printable recipes. They might be looking for a book that tells them how to do it.
In the related searches we see things that are similar. So peanut butter or bread, maybe butter, gelatin dessert. All of these things are related to that original query that we made and they make up a larger topic of how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But that query in itself is connected to all of these other different concepts and subtopics that if we’re going to create a piece of content around here, or we’re going to have a hub on our website with content around here, we need to make sure that we’re addressing.
Now, I haven’t even looked at an SEO tool. This is just from looking at the search engines. So Google knows that when you’re looking at this query, how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, that it involves, obviously peanut butter and bread, again, we don’t use bread, but Google knows that in order to make a sandwich, bread must be involved. It’s nowhere in the query here. Right? It also is talking about recipes steps and all of those different things that we also need to incorporate in.
So just creating a piece of content that exact matches that query, or we have X amount of mentions, isn’t going to do us very good. We need to understand that this is a concept as a whole and within this concept there’s other related terminology.
Commercial Query
So how does this work on, let’s say, a commercial query? So if we’re looking at what is the best VPN? Right here at the top, we see a number of entities that Google’s extracted and put for us. Computer, Chromebook, Mac, laptop, iPhone, mobile, Roku, desktop, Fire Stick. All of these can be related to what is the best VPN because we can say, “What’s the best VPN for our computer, or for our Chromebook, or for our Mac, or for our laptop?
So if you’re talking about VPNs and you specifically want to target this informational query, but this is obviously more commercial because they’re looking for specific brands or to purchase something within the category of VPN, we know that all of those concepts at the top are extremely important. We can see down here, the VPN services. We didn’t add services in there, but adding the terminology services and talking about as a service is also important.
We can scroll down here and probably find a number of different instances, but typically I’d like to go to the bottom and look at related searches where you’re going to see brands, specific brands of VPN, as well as the best VPN for Netflix, or app, or other things like that. So we can see, again, that the search engine, even in a commercial query can take the topic like VPN and start to extract all of these other meanings from it that we didn’t necessarily tell it.
Again, this is continually showing the importance of topic-based search because we can’t just target a specific term, we have to target the relations between that term and other terms in order to help give a better picture or a fuller understanding that we know what we’re talking about.
Navigational Query
So what about a navigational query? Here I’m looking for an Apple Store. Right? So Google’s going to give me an Apple Knowledge Panel, but it’s also going to give me the map here with the locations that I can find these Apple stores in. It’s got some news, it says that people might honestly be interested in some of the latest news from Apple if they’re looking to find an Apple Store. Today at apple, what are the things that people are doing? Online store, online store appointment, online store near me, locations, USA, Brooklyn, New York City. It’s going to continue to narrow those down and put these related terms in.
So some of the terminology we need to make sure we add in not necessarily the exact match way, but we need to be talking about how do you make an appointment online, how to find a store near you. All of those do different aspects we need to have within our content. And honestly, when it comes to navigational queries, adding in that extra information within the structured data, like the store location and all of the different contact information, like the support number and all those things that people need when they’re looking to find a specific location.
Now, as we can see, we didn’t tell Google where we were. If you’re looking for a store, you might need an appointment and you might want to set that appointment online. And you probably are going to need to find somewhere that’s near you. So you probably need to look at some different locations.
All of this is being extracted from the simple query ‘Apple Store’. If you’re just trying to rank for that specific query, you may not think about all of these related terminologies and subtopics that fall underneath your main concept.
Transactional Query
And lastly, let’s look at a transactional query. Somebody looking to buy a Peloton bike. Well obviously ads are going to dominate. Look at the ad pack here. You’ve got four ads and then you’ve got this over here on the side, and then you’ve got Peloton itself.
So buy a Peloton bike, shop the original Peloton bike. So buy, shop. Related concepts, right? So if you’re talking about buying a Peloton bike, some of the topics that you need to be adding in are the idea of shopping. You might need to add in some of the other online streaming, especially if it has to do with a Peloton bike or a workout bike that you want people to stream while they’re working out. We can also see that stores and locations might be something that somebody’s looking for.
And you can start to, again, go down to here to the related searches. Elliptical, alternative movements, Bike+, NordicTrack, some related companies that people might be looking for. But as you can see, I have the ability right here to start purchasing things directly from this specific query, as well as some extra information that I didn’t necessarily add in there in terms like shop, or reviews, or other concepts like that, but are all very related to this query itself.
Now this is just looking at the search engines and I really think that this is an important factor and think that you should totally do when you’re looking at trying to build out a topic-based strategy, because you’re going to get some information directly from the search engines about what they expect to see when it comes to a page trying to rank for these topics or these queries as a whole.
Why Does This Matter?
As we can see, the search engines have changed quite a bit.
They not only understand the queries we’re putting in, they understand the relationships between those queries and other concepts and topics. So we can’t just look at variance of our keywords, we have to look at related terms and ideas that are also semantically connected and related to what it is that we’re trying to rank for.
How to Implement Topic-based SEO?
So how would you implement this entire topic-based SEO strategy?
Step 1: Define the Core Topic(s) You Want to be Known for
Well, the first thing you need to do is you need to understand your core topic or your core topics. So for instance, let’s say we are a sandwich maker and we want to be known for the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Our core topic would be peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Right? That’s what we want to be known for. We want to be known as the best. Then we can go and we can research related terms and concepts that make up or help further explain our ideas.
Step 2: Research Related Terms and Concepts that Make Up or Further Explain Your Topic(s)
We’d start in the search engines and we’d start to say, “Okay, what are these things that we’re seeing in the search engines, but there’s also other tools that can help you do this? There’s a tool like Frase.io, which allows you to go in and make optimizations and add related terminology and topics. You could use natural language processing, look at the search results and see the different entities that it extracts that you can also work in and really help you understand those topics. You can use tools like SEMrush. They’ve got a topic cluster tool which helps you see that as well.
And as you begin to do this research, you should start to see some patterns and some things that up across all the different tools. And you’ll know that those ones typically are the ones that have more weight and have more authority to the concept itself.
Step 3: Define What Content You Currently Have that Fits into Your Topic(s)
Then you need to define the content that you currently have on your website. What is the content that currently fits into your topics?
Step 4: Make a List of Gaps in Your Content and Plan to Close Those Gaps
And then, find the gaps. Where are you missing content? Where are pages that you need to create or content you need to add to current pages that could help close those gaps?
Step 5: Optimize Your Content Based on Your Research
From there, you want to optimize your content based on your research. You want to make sure that you’re covering your topics. You want to make sure that you’re internally linking these together. Make sure that you’re adding core entities and structured data to your content so that it’s really rich and it’s easy for the search engine to crawl from one piece to the next.
Step 6: Track, Measure, and Adjust
And finally, you want to track, measure and adjust just like we talked about in a previous video to make sure that you’re going in the right direction. Now this isn’t a full plan, you need to work through this.
Now I will mention this as well, a lot of times when people will get into optimizing around topics, they start to fall into the gap of having to have these topics mentioned X amount of times. Now these tools are going to show us some really cool things. Like for instance, phrase, you could go into phrase and says, “Okay, your competitors mentioned this topic X amount of times.” You don’t have to necessarily put it in there five times in order to get better results. You need to start working it in naturally.
Don’t keyword stuff. I’ve seen a lot of people fall into where they start to stuff these terms in where it doesn’t make sense because they’re trying to earn some kind of ranking or better score from a tool. Don’t force it. Work it in naturally. And if you can’t force it into that content, but it’s a really good concept, create a new piece of content that maybe can address that. By doing that, you’re going to create content that’s easy for the user to read.
You’re not going to stuff it with things you don’t need. And search engines are smart. They know when you’re keyword stuffing, and when you have too much just content that doesn’t make sense. They’re getting smarter all the time. They’re understanding language better all the time. So make sure that when you’re optimizing, especially the content side, you don’t fall into that gap.
The Result
So you might be asking yourself, “Does this work? Will this deliver results for my site?” So as an agency, this is what we do. We focus on building topic-based search marketing strategies that help our clients own their topics and grow in their authority and expertise. So here’s some results. And I can show you some sites that are large sites, and sites that are smaller sites and upcoming sites. This top site, we actually grew the impressions of the site by 3 million.
We were also now able to increase the clicks 300,000-400,000 to this site. That’s a big increase on a site. It’s a large site, and this has direct impact on their purchases through their site as well.
If we look at the one below, we saw about 500,000 increase in impressions and about 6,000 increase in clicks to the site. Now we’ve got in the next slide, these sites are a little bit smaller, about 10,000 increase in impressions and a couple hundred increase in clicks. We’re still trending up. And the average position to the site is also going down.
And below, it’s a relatively new site and we’re seeing 15,000 increase in impressions and over about a 500 click increase as well.
So the foundation of a lot of this stuff and where you really begin to get more out of it is using structured data.
It’s not enough today just to optimize your content. It’s not enough just to do the bare minimums. You need to go above and beyond, and you need to help the search engines understand the content that you’re creating within the context that they understand. So using their language, which is schema.org.
Thanks a lot for checking out this video. If you have any questions of what we talked about today, you have any questions on topic-based search strategy or SEO in general, please comment below. We’d love to continue that conversation with you. And until next time, happy marketing.
Ryan's pretty much your average guy, except for the average part. He is the owner and founder of Shelley Media Arts LLC. He is passionate about helping companies make a more personal connection online with their customers and prospects. Ryan is active in influencing and promoting human driven SEO, personalized marketing and empathic…View full profile ›
When 343 Industries launched the first beta for Halo Infinite, many fans came away impressed with the multiplayer experience. While not a complete replica of the earlier games, Infinite’s multiplayer evoked the same feelings and suggested that the developers were on the right track.
Now that the Halo Infinite multiplayer has officially launched (albeit still under a beta label), players have begun to look at the experience more closely. There have already been changes made to the game’s Battle Pass based on criticisms, but there are a few other elements that some players feel need tuning. Grenades, for example, have become a controversial topic as of late.
Halo Infinite and Grenade Usage
While many games tend to use grenades as one-hit-kill options with specific viability, grenades in Halo are almost as essential as weapons and melee attacks. In a way, grenade use is more a part of Halo’s DNA than a lot of other shooters and can be used in a variety of ways. A player can open an engagement with a well-placed grenade to weaken an opponent, and then get some shots to finish them off. At the same time, a skilled player can use a grenade to gain the upper hand in a losing gunfight.
But while that grenade utility in Halo Infinite helps make it unique, it also can be a bit excessive. Some would argue that grenades are overused in Halo Infinite because of how readily available they are. Not only do players start with two grenades without any sort of cooldown, but also the grenade spawns around the map are near-instant. Most Halo Infinite players have likely experienced a ton of grenade spam while playing, if not having thrown a ton themselves.
Newcomers to Halo are those who are most surprised by the experience because so many games teach players to be considerate with their explosives. In Halo Infinite, sometimes the best answer is just to toss both grenades and hope for the best. Obviously more skilled players can do some crazy things with grenades like bouncing them off walls or quickly tossing them at their feet and backing up, but the question is how often that should be an option. Are two grenades too much?
At the same time, the usage of grenades helps eliminate some of the egregious camping that can go on in an objective-based Halo Infinite mode. If a team can simply “turtle” in a specific spot on a map in Oddball, they would normally be able to take a huge lead or even win outright. But the copious number of grenades available allows the opposition to flush that team out and potentially give themselves an advantage when charging in.
343 Industries has already said that it is monitoring feedback from players and it would not be surprising to hear that grenades are near the top of the studio’s list of potential balancing issues. Perhaps setting grenades on a cooldown is the answer, or making it so players only spawn with one grenade could help eliminate some of that excessive use. The hope is that whatever change Halo Infinite makes doesn’t push the game too far from its current identity. Most agree that Halo Infinite is in a good place, gameplay-wise; it just might be worth tuning some elements down a bit.
An owner of every console since Atari, Anthony is willing to try any video game, good or bad, but prefers the ones that involve a deep and involving story. With the Ocarina of Time gladly sitting as his favorite game of all time, Anthony is a sucker for any game that has players wielding a fabled sword, but can still appreciate everything from a solid sports title to a game with a deep multiplayer experience. By eventually combining his love of video games with his skills in film, Anthony hopes to make Game Rant a fun place to explore all facets of pop culture.
Key executives from TECNO, Samsung Electronics, DXOMARK set the expectations for 2022 and beyond through an industry innovation talk held by Counterpoint
November 25, 2021 – During a webinar entitled “Global Mobile Camera Trends 2022: Innovation Talk”, industry experts in optical imaging technology discussed the evolution of camera systems and how they have become the centrepiece of which consumers evaluate smartphones.
The webinar was organized by Counterpoint, an influential technology research firm, with guest speakers from TECNO, a premium smartphone brand focusing on rapid-growth emerging markets, as well as Samsung Electronics, a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies, and DXOMARK, an internationally renowned testing agency specialized in cameras, audio, displays, and batteries for consumer electronics.
Hosted by Counterpoint Research’s Peter Richardson, VP of Research, speakers including Tarun Pathak, Hervé Macudzinski, Pan Xuebao, and Jimmy Hsu shared their understandings and insights on camera innovation, market trends, and the latest developments in imaging technology.
Tarun Pathak, Counterpoint’s Director of SmartphoneResearch, made remarks about smartphone development trends, including megapixels, multi-cam, CIS content per smartphone, etc. He mentioned that driven by burgeoning mid-end smartphones across developed and emerging markets, such as Africa, Latin America, India, etc., quad and above will be the dominant form factor. He said, “the combination of quality image sensors and advanced software algorithms is allowing brands to deliver great imaging experiences across all smartphone price points.”
Hervé Macudzinski, Image Science Director and Product Owner of DXOMARK said that smartphones today help bring DSLR capture quality and pro photographer’s skills into the hands of consumers. When discussing the relations between price and quality trade-offs in segments, he described that low-light imaging is arguably a priority for devices in the highly competitive $400-$600 price segments. In contrast, in other price segments, users must make choices regarding quality trade-offs.
Jimmy Hsu, Senior Product Manager of TECNO Image Technology, began by introducing mobile camera trends in two dimensions, imaging and sensing. He mentioned that with a more diverse and personalized demand from consumers for smartphone images, ToF and DVS could be opportunities for mobile phone cameras to outperform cameras in the future. Then Mr. Hsu highlighted TECNO’s advances in dark complexion imaging and recent achievements and breakthroughs regarding light sensitivity, image and video stabilization, zoom and high-resolution, powered by technologies such as RGBW and G+P, Sensor Shift and telescopic lenses. He promised some of these new technologies are slated for TECNO’s new products in 2022. Mr. Hsu expressed that TECNO always aims to provide an excellent photography and videography experience through constant innovation and a deep understanding of consumer needs.
Media representatives and industry players from Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the US also participated in the webinar, exchanging their perspectives with the speakers on issues that interest tech-savvy mobile users and photo enthusiasts worldwide.
The webinar highlighted future mobile camera imaging technology trends and provided the audience with in-depth insights and descriptions of industry-leading technologies within the sector. In addition, it set expectations of the application of these imaging technologies for global markets and consumers, paving the way for further long-term smartphone imaging developments.
Call Of Duty – there is a lot of them (pic: Activision)
Readers discuss successful video game franchises that they don’t see the appeal of, from Halo to Pokémon.
The subject for this week’s Hot Topic was suggested by reader Focus, who asked what game’s success do you struggle to understand the most and is there anything it could do to change, to get you interested in it?
A lot of sacred cows were mentioned, with Call Of Duty, Pokémon, and FIFA being the most common, with each of them being criticised for their too frequent sequels.
Growing out of it
There are plenty of franchises that aren’t for me, but less that stray into actively dislike territory. There are a couple though.
I don’t like the way Ubisoft pump out pretty much the same Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed games every year; Far Cry has some really cringeworthy dialogue and characters at times also.
I sort of fell out with the Grand Theft Auto series after GTA 4. I just thought it became a bit of a one trick pony where the world building was the only selling point. I appreciate the size of the maps, the music, the satire, and those other elements that give the games so much personality and texture, but the gameplay just feels like an afterthought, which I don’t like. The way Rockstar have handled the series since GTA 5 has soured me further on it.
Lastly, I’m at an age now where I’m coming to not like Call Of Duty very much at all. I used to enjoy playing those games as a student in the noughties and they are great fun in an arcadey way, but I haven’t played any of them seriously for years now and have come to find the way they fetishise warfare at times to not sit very well with me anymore. Charlie
Old problem
I’ve tried so many times to play through the Final Fantasy series and no matter what I do, I can’t enjoy them because of the random battles. I think the most I have played of one was halfway into 6 but for some reason, I didn’t continue past that point. I have also tried to play Final Fantasy 7 and I never even got as far as getting out of Midgar and I’ve also given 8 a bash and it all comes down to the same random battle nonsense that you have to put up with.
I keep looking at Chrono Trigger knowing it’s not quite the same and feeling that I’m probably missing out on tons of great stories by not being able to get over their mechanics.
To be fair, it’s not just a problem with Final Fantasy but Japanese role-playing games in general and I can quite happily get along with computer role-playing mechanics just fine. Sven
GC: It’s been years since most Japanese role-players, including Final Fantasy, have had random battles. It’s now very uncommon.
The long wait
With the games listed. I used to be a big Pokémon fan in the Game Boy Color days. I bought Red, Blue, and Yellow. I completed each version many times. Back then I always imagined how the game would look on a console. When I saw Pokémon Snap on N64 I thought it was near reality to have a fully 3D adventure, but it did not happen.
Then I was banking the GameCube would provide the ultimate Pokémon adventure but that never materialised. By the time Wii came out it was quite evident that sort of game would not be a priority. Even now that dynamic open world Pokémon adventure still eludes me. My own expectation has put me off the games.
I was big on GTA on PS1, GTA 3 and San Andreas being my favourite. I was super hyped for GTA 4 and was majorly underwhelmed. Poor characters, dialogue, dull city, and mission structure put me off the franchise forever. I am now over fetch quest games where you go to a location, get the order, and then travel to the mission. I prefer a linear style that gets straight to the point to focus on story, gameplay, and design.
I played Fortnite once and was underwhelmed by the gameplay but I do like how they incorporate all different franchises in their game. League Of Legends I’ve never played and do not know how it even plays.
I would like of liked for Team Ico franchises or Japan Studio games such as Puppeteer to be popular, to ensure those sort of games would still be developed, but unfortunately that is not what happened. ‘Titan’ Bobby LashLee
Big in college
I’ve always been bemused by people’s love of Pokémon. When I was at college I heard about this mysterious game that was big in Japan and was going to make the Game Boy relevant again. It sounded so good.
Then all the cartoons came over and kids were going crazy over Pokémon cards. I really wanted to play it. Then I played it and it was awful. I tried several iterations up to the 3DS and they were all awful.
Also, GTA Online. Yeah, it would be a reasonably good game with all its modes and freedom, but you spend 75% of the time sitting in lobbies and another 20% in loading screens. EvilMoomin
No choice
One game that is not my cup of tea is the FIFA games, because although I am not into football in the real world I have enjoyed the various arcade football games over the years on Amiga, Mega Drive, SNES, and Saturn.
I’ve enjoyed Sensible Soccer (which has a spiritual sequel on consoles next year called Sociable Soccer), Kick Off, Sega Worldwide Soccer on the Saturn and I am sure there is at least one or two more games that I have not thought of from that era that aren’t coming to mind, as I write this email. I find the current FIFA games too serious and prefer the arcade experience of said games I have played. There used to be loads of choice for football games, now there is just one or two.
I miss the days of having simulations and arcade games. I think I did play FIFA possibly on the Mega Drive or SNES but they are quite different to the games of today because of the hardware they are running on and the technological advances.
In the past few years I did try Call Of Duty Modern Warfare Remastered, which was included with Infinite Warfare at £10, as I had never played a Call Of Duty game beyond a couple of brief goes on demos years ago. First person shooters are not my favourite type of games, although I have enjoyed games like Half-life 1 and 2, Bioshock 1 and Infinite, System Shock 2, MachineGames’ Wolfenstein games and Deus Ex 1, Human Revolution, and Mankind Divided.
I did like the campaign for Modern Warfare but I didn’t want to go on to other Call Of Duty games as it was not my thing. I do plan to try Infinite Warfare at some point as that is quite different to other Call Of Duties. I didn’t play online multiplayer on Call Of Duty as I first played online 20 years ago on PC on other non-Call Of Duty games and found that the text chat or audio could be quite toxic and I have heard in the past 10 years or so that is still a problem with online gaming to an extent. Andrew J.
Trying something new
I have never played Minecraft, Fortnite or any MOBA.
MOBAs and battle royale games hold absolute no interest to me. I did try Apex Legends briefly but could not understand the appeal. Both genres seem utterly impenetrable to me and as someone that generally prefers solo experiences I doubt I will ever try them.
Minecraft is a little different as I am fairly certain I would have loved it as a child. As a middle-aged adult though I know that my ambition to build something epic would far outstrip both my skill and my patience. Playing Minecraft would therefore just make me miserable as I fail to achieve anything worthwhile.
For example, I had grand ideas for a pirate themed level in LittleBigPlanet, where platforms and the water level would need to be altered multiple times to allow a ship to be freed from a cavern and would be required to reach the exit. I spent hours on that over many months and just could not get it to work.
There are other popular games like FIFA, Far Cry, Call Of Duty, and Assassin’s Creed that I am increasingly indifferent to. I used to love these series in the past but now only play a new entry every three to five years. The last games I played were still good, but I have not touched any this year. Instead, I have played more inventive titles such as To the Moon, Unpacking, Mini Metro, Slay The Spire, John Wick Hex, Deathloop, The Witness, New Pokémon Snap, and Disco Elysium.
Not everything I have played this year has been great, with a fair few missteps like A Hat in Time, Bugsnax, Blossom Tales, Haven Park, Solitaire Conspiracy, Island Farmer, and Gris which range from poor to good but not really for me. Yet I would rather play a broad range of games I might not like, than the same thing over and over. I can understand wanting a sure fire thing that you know you will at least like though, high profile games are expensive (which is also why most of those previous games I listed were picked up in sales or were on PlayStation Plus).
I am not completely stuck in my ways or against big franchises. Despite only playing 15 minutes of Forza Motorsport 3 (which I did not really like) and generally having very little interest in racing games, I still want to try Forza Horizon 5, it looks fun. Not having an Xbox Series X is a bit of an issue though. I am hopeful that Games Pass will encourage people to try new types of games but equally fear it will just lead to people being more forgiving of high profile flawed games. PazJohnMItch PS: Can GC please run Xbox Series X stock update stories too in addition to all the PlayStation 5 ones? Yes, Series S are available but X, although not as limited as PlayStation 5s, are still a long way from easily available.
GC: We would if we could but, unlike the PlayStation 5, there never seems to be any advance warning of Xbox Series X restocks. If there ever is we’ll report on it.
Chief complaint
Topical perhaps but I have never understood the appeal of Halo. This is despite generally being an Xbox gamer, so I have played quite a few of them, but the boring art style, even more boring level design, and same old enemies and weapons has always put me off.
I have an Xbox Series X so will give Halo Infinite a go on Game Pass, but I’m not excited about it and having played the multiplayer already expect it to be more of the same, again. Oli
Too regular
I have always understood why franchises are good in the eyes of some and not in the eyes of others. If football or Formula One, or party games like Mario, aren’t your cup of tea, then don’t get them. I see MMOs as something I would not touch with a bargepole but perfectly see the addictive fascination of them without having to have any kind of deep thought process.
What I kind of don’t understand is every year’s release of sport franchises like Madden and FIFA and probably other sporting games. Assassin’s Creed could be a contender but at least it shows obvious reasons making it different from the last title.
The sporting franchises are good games, no doubt about it, even if I would not buy them personally, but I feel that buying every release, making the previous one redundant, is a bit sad for the previous game. Maybe to download an update with the same game would be better than buying a whole new game! Currently you have to get the new release that year to keep in sync with your online friends and the gaming world in general.
I like sequels maybe once every two to three years for something fundamental new and exciting, like the Final Fantasy series and the recent Resident Evil series, and of course FromSoftware’s releases. You can then get something which quite possibly will be new and exciting but in the familiar game world you have been a part of for years. Alucard
The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.
P.E.I. farmers are five days into a suspension of trade for their potatoes into the U.S. market and it is five days of sales lost for large farms and family farms alike.
Farmers had little heads up on the suspension. It was put in place on Monday by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said that was done to prevent the Americans from doing the same thing, a move that might be more difficult to reverse.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is concerned about the discovery of potato wart in two P.E.I. fields in October. Farmers heard from the CFIA last Friday evening it could be coming.
Deanna Gaudet had been planning a 60th birthday celebration for her father — who grows potatoes in eastern P.E.I. — on that day, but it turned into a very different activity around the table.
"Him and my two brothers, who farm with him, were all sitting around the kitchen table on a conference call, listening to the news that was to come," said Gaudet.
Potato wart poses no risk to humans or food safety. It disfigures potatoes and makes them unmarketable. (CFIA)
"We still semi-celebrated, but it was just with heavier hearts."
The P.E.I. Potato Board estimates the value of the U.S. fresh potato market, the target of this suspension, at $120 million a year.
Layoffs coming
This is a busy time of year for potato sales, with American Thanksgiving this week and Christmas on the way.
Keisha Rose Topic, who also grows potatoes in eastern P.E.I., as well as operating a potato packer that her family co-owns with the Gaudet family, said every day the border is closed is costly.
"As things are shut we're losing money day by day," said Rose Topic.
Deanna Gaudet likes to make sure her kids are around the farm. Here, they are learning about potato packing on the job. (Submitted by Deanna Gaudet)
"It's not a week or month thing that we want to see this go on."
Rose Topic said her own farm serves a lot of Canadian markets, though her American markets are growing. Her more immediate concern is for the packing facility, which serves about two dozen farms and employs 33. It currently runs two shifts, but she said it seems likely one of those shifts will have to be dropped if the border is not opened within a week.
Potato wart disfigures potatoes and reduces yields, but it is not a threat to human health. The fungus that causes it is listed as a serious concern by the USDA.
'The sacrifice is just normal'
Gaudet is no longer active on her family farm, but remains close to it.
"I always have my kids around the farm because I really want to instill the farm life in them," she said.
"It's really important for us."
She does this, despite knowing the toll farm life can take.
"It was just normal for us to see Dad going back out to the farm after supper or to not be at the rink or at the soccer field to watch us playing sports because he was working, because the farm was the priority," she said.
"The sacrifice is just normal, and it remains normal. So there's a lot of passion there and that's what makes this so difficult."
Trapped by unknown circumstances
This is not the first time Rose Topic's family has gone through this.
Potato wart was first discovered on P.E.I. in 2000, and that also prompted a border closure. She remembers, as a 12-year-old, helping her father send faxes to lobby MPs all across Canada.
"I remember doing that and thinking it was really important," she said.
Gaudet's boys in the harvester. (Submitted by Deanna Gaudet)
The frustration then is much as it is now. No one is able to say what needs to change in order to get the border reopened.
Twenty years ago, P.E.I., the Canadian government and the USDA developed a management plan to control the spread of potato wart. Despite sporadic discoveries since then the border has remained open. There is so far no clear answer to the question of what is different this time.
"It's like someone's locked in a room and no one is telling them how to get out. That's the frustrating part," said Rose Topic.
"Some more clarification on that would be great."
Bibeau and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have both said that the suspension is not based on science.
In a statement to CBC News Thursday evening, the CFIA said it has confidence in the protocols currently in place to mitigate the risk of the spread of potato wart.
'Why are we doing this?'
The border closure is also coming in a year where the harvest has been called the best in generations. And it follows difficult, muddy harvests in 2018 and 2019, and a drought last year.
"To finally get a great year and you're expecting these really good prices and the demand is there and then that all comes to a halt," said Gaudet.
"You kind of have the attitude of, 'Why bother. Why are we doing this?'"
Rose Topic in a potato field with her daughter, Mae. (Submitted by Keisha Rose Topic)
But while there may be moments like that, Gaudet will continue to take her children to farm, not only because she wants it to be part of them, but because it is part of her.
"I don't think you can take the farm out of anyone," she said.
"If you are raised on a farm you are proud to come from there. I have two sons and another baby on the way and I want them to be present on the farm as much as possible. If they want to be farmers that would be great. I know my father would try to steer them another way, but if it's in you, it's in you."
From Mad Max, to The Road, to The Walking Dead, there’s been no shortage of films, books and television shows predicting just how quickly humanity would devolve into chaos and violence in the event of a disaster – whether it were to come upon us suddenly in an apocalyptic blast of radiation and light, creep up slowly with warming temperatures and the resulting violent storms or, you know, zombies.
OK, that last one’s a bit of a stretch, but a virus of some description – more Contagion than World War Z, I suppose.
Since I was old enough to watch or read such bleak works of dystopian fiction without then having to sleep with all the lights on, I just assumed that whoever wrote them had taken a very dim and, more to the point, unrealistic view of humanity.
To suggest that society would collapse the moment supplies ran short or communications were cut off seemed, frankly, ludicrous. While these authors’ prognostications of anarchy might be extreme, unfortunately, it appears they’re not entirely off the mark.
During the past 20 months, we’ve seen random, violent attacks on Canadians of Asian descent (often elderly) who were simply doing their job or going about their day. Store and airline employees have been punched and spat on for enforcing rules that were put in place to help keep the rest of us a little safer. And a loud minority have taken to the streets to scream about how citizens’ rights – specifically theirs – are being trampled.
More recently, with the Lower Mainland and several smaller B.C. communities cut off by flood waters, the panic-buying of gas and groceries left some store shelves and fuel storage tanks temporarily empty. This was despite regular reassurances from the province – and the president of a major local grocery chain – that everything is going to get where it needs to go. There might be a little less of it, and it may take longer to get there, but that’s all the more reason to take only what you need at any given time.
Some folks, it appears, learned nothing from the great TP crisis of 2020.
It would be easy to give in to despair if this were all that was happening.
Luckily, though, there are far more good people out there doing many good things.
From the moment news started trickling in early last week about just how serious the situation had become, heroic relief efforts kicked into high gear.
Getting people and animals out of harm’s way, wherever possible, was, of course, top priority, as well as doing everything humanly possible to keep the disaster from widening in its scope.
These jobs fell largely to emergency services, government agencies and the military. But from the outset, neighbours stepped up to help one another. And almost immediately, we in the media were being asked by everyday British Columbians how they, too, could help.
We’ve seen donated meals prepared here and airlifted into an isolated Hope, while every road in or out of that community was closed by a washout or mudslide; volunteer pilots have taken to the air to deliver tonnes of relief supplies; local businesses are collecting cash and non-perishable items; and animal rescue agencies are offering food and boarding for displaced pets and livestock. None of this includes private online fundraising efforts set up for those who have lost homes and property.
Stories of devastation on the scale we witnessed during last summer’s fires and again this month, all set against the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, can be hard to take. We’re told British Columbians’ mental health is taking a collective beating.
Why wouldn’t it be?
I find it helps to stop and remind myself that while, yes, there are definitely a few who are filling carts and cars, thinking only of themselves, there is a far greater number people out there doing everything they can to help others, be they friends, neighbours or total strangers. Check out any Black Press publication this week and you’ll find accounts of their efforts.
These are the stories we all like to read – the ones that help us sleep a little better at night.
Online Advantages Offers a Number of Effective SEO Core Services Including Organic Search, On-Page SEO,Local SEO, Keyword Research and More
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Matt Maglodi, founder of the full service internet marketing company Online Advantages, is pleased to announce that search engine optimization (SEO) will be his company's main focus for 2022.
As Maglodi noted, he knows first hand that when it comes to modern life, everything begins and ends with the Internet. He also understands that the top businesses in the world are those who have harnessed the amazing power of the Internet—specifically by effectively handling and employing SEO techniques.
When done correctly, SEO will help businesses to expand their visibility, brand awareness and client base, and to be found when potential customers conduct a search on a major search engine.
To help his clients to be as successful as possible, Maglodi was inspired to re-focus his company's efforts on providing effective SEO services in 2022 and beyond. The SEO services that Online Advantages offeres include organic search, on-page SEO, local search optimization and keyword research/strategy and activity reports.
"Our seasoned staff of experienced marketing strategists, content creators, writers, and web designers has the skill, knowledge, experience, and passion to help you effectively advertise and grow your company's online footprint without forcing you to learn the basics of an entire brand-new skill set, elements of which may be obsolete before you're even finished with the course," Maglodi said, adding that this is especially true of the category of broad whitepapers, seminars, and webinars selling SEO training, which claim to transform rank amateurs and beginners into brand new search engine optimization "experts."
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A program meant to help address downtown safety and security spurred by a review of "unwanted guests" is the lone topic of Thursday's special meeting of Regina city council.
The Community Support Program is spearheaded by the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District (RDBID) and launched in June on a pilot basis.
The ask before council is to approve a $200,000 one-time grant to support the program into 2022 with a larger discussion on its funding future also expected during the meeting.
A submission to council from RDBID Executive Director Judith Veresuk said this program is the answer to a previous "piecemeal approach" to safety issues downtown like giving input to the Regina Police Service (RPS) on the Unwanted Guests bylaw, providing training and advocating for better lighting in Victoria Park.
"Each effort we made was important, however each effort seemed disconnected from the next," Veresuk said in her submission.
The submission goes on to detail how the program is modelled after a similar one in Saskatoon and a list of some of the early success it's seen, including:
Picking up more than 200 needles.
Distributing water and snacks to those in need.
Deescalating multiple altercations in Victoria Park, reducing the need for a police response.
"We are pleased with the progress the team has made over the past summer," Veresuk writes. "Heading into a very cold winter, our team will continue to be present and available for our most vulnerable populations."
WHAT IS 'THE UNWANTED GUESTS BYLAW'?
According to the administration report before council Thursday, the Unwanted Guests Bylaw refers to an initiative implemented in 2015 by RPS to address "disruptive conduct" happening at businesses. Under this, tickets can be issued to people who repeatedly go back to a business after being issued a ban.
Council instructed administration in 2020 to put the initiative under review, leading to the development of the Community Support Team.
The report said through consultations with various groups including RDBID, the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry and more, concerns were raised the policy "contributes to criminalizing homelessness and addictions and reinforces stigma and discrimination already faced by the predominantly racialized and poor individuals who received a ban or tickets."
RPS was also involved in the process that administration said has resulted in changes to the way police respond to trespassing issues.
"Recent changes made to the enforcement of the initiative are showing a decline in the number of calls to police," reads the administration report. "Ongoing commitment to increasing support for alternative approaches for response can lessen the potential negative implications of this initiative on vulnerable populations within Regina."
The items before council during the special meeting starting at 1 p.m. have been recommended for approval.
