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Marshall McLuhan, man who ‘saw the internet coming,’ gets his very own Google Doodle

by Loknath Das April 5, 2024

written by Loknath Das

Google’s Doodle have a fondness for celebrating legendary figures, but today’s person of interest feels more appropriate for the venue than most. The company hails Canadian professor, philosopher, and media sage Marshall McLuhan as a man who “saw the internet coming — and predicted just how much impact it would have.”

McLuhan’s philosophies were built on four pillars that theorized society is shaped by technology and the way in which information is shared. He broke history down into different eras tracing the acoustic age, the literary age, the print age, and the electronic age.

Today’s Doodle honors his 106th birthday by animating McLuhan’s division of history into colorful little GIFs.

Along with his many books, McLuhan gave the world a number of wonderful quotes, many of them listed on his Wikipedia page. Perhaps McLuhan’s most famous quote pertains to his belief that the way in which someone receives information is more important than what that information actually is: “The medium is the message.”

[“Source-theverge”]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

Education

Gujarat: RTI activist who took on education mafia found dead in Navsari

by Loknath Das April 5, 2024

written by Loknath Das

Gujarat RTI activist, RTI activist dead, Gujarat RTI activist death, Gujarat education mafia, Navsari

Rajesh Savaliya, 31, had launched a drive to expose the education mafia operating in the city. He had also reportedly complained to the District Education officer about a number of city schools functioning without proper licences.

An RTI activist of Surat, who was found with multiple injuries on his head and shoulder on the National Highway-8 in Navsari on Wednesday, succumbed later in the night in a private hospital.

The victim, 31-year-old Rajesh Savaliya, had launched a drive to expose the education mafia operating in the city. He had also reportedly complained to the District Education officer about a number of schools functioning without proper licences or approval letters. He is also said to have received threat calls allegedly from the education mafia, the last over a month ago.

A resident of Mahalaxmi society in Punagam area in Varachha, Rajesh’s father Vinay Savaliya told the police that his son had left house on Tuesday evening for a friend’s construction site at Pardi in Valsad district. Rajesh was given a ride in a car by one of his friend’s mother and sister who reportedly dropped him on NH-8.

On Wednesday evening, Rajesh’s friend Vijay Patel received a call from city’s Navsari Civil Hospital about him being severely injured.

Police said Vijay, along with five others, reached the hospital and learnt that the 108 ambulance services had received a call about a person found lying by the roadside near Sai Baba temple on NH-8 in Navsari. Vijay shifted Rajesh, who had received severe injuries on his head, left shoulder and stomach, to a private hospital in Surat. Vijay informed Rajesh’s family members who also reached the hospital. On Wednesday night, however, Rajesh was declared dead by doctors.

Rajesh was cremated at Ashwanikumar cremation home in Varachha on Thursday afternoon. Several RTI activists attended his funeral.

The Punagam Police have started a probe after registering a case of accidental death in this regard. “We have called Rajesh Savaliya’s friend who has a construction site at Pardi in Valsad district to record his statements. At present, we have registered a case of accidental death, and not of murder. We will bring out call data records of the victim and call those who had been regularly in touch with him.”

[“Source-indianexpress”]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

News Update

Cowboys’ Down-Roster Battles: Who Will Be The Last Quarterback To Make The Roster?

by Loknath Das April 5, 2024

written by Loknath Das

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The first place to look if you are thinking about Cowboys’ roster battles is our own 2017 Dallas Cowboys Interactive Roster Builder. This handy tool is kept up to date by OCC, and is well worth the visit because it shows that roster battles aren’t always within position groups, but across groups. For example, keeping a third quarterback or a tenth or eleventh defensive lineman means going light somewhere else. We also know that roster churn is a year round business, so there are likely to be some new names by training camp, and potentially even after final cut down day. With that caveat, let’s begin.

Part IV – Quarterback

These are the players currently on the roster. We’ll lead with the locks, followed by the probables, then get to the fight for the last spot.

Locks

Dak Prescott. What a difference a year makes! Was Dak Prescott even a “lock” last year at this time? He was technically battling for a third-string role with Jameill Showers, who had spent the previous season on the practice squad. Anyone remember this post from last year, after Kellen Moore got hurt, when there was an actual debate over whether the Cowboys should have Showers or Prescott be the primary backup to Tony Romo? (For the record, Showers got 62% of the vote for the primary backup spot over Prescott’s 38%). From that moment on, Dak Prescott seized his opportunity, and totally transformed the Dallas Cowboys’ prospects going forward.

Here’s my final Dak and Zeke Report from last year. It links to each weekly report, which may be one of the best ways to recount Dak’s amazing season. You can also read my case for why he’s the NFL’s most valuable player.

Kellen Moore. While many have doubts about Mr. Moore as the Cowboys’ primary backup quarterback, it doesn’t appear the people who count – Scott Linehan and Jason Garrett – share those doubts. He’s on a one-year, $775,000 contract, which is actually $140,000 more than Dak Prescott’s contract this year. Together, they make a whopping $1,410,000 this season (though Dak will likely earn an NFL bonus again this year).

It is theoretically possible that Moore could be unseated by one of the two quarterbacks below, but it’s highly unlikely.

Probables

There are no probables, as Moore is really a lock.

Fighting For That Last Spot

Will the Cowboys carry a third quarterback on the 53-man roster? Not likely. These are the two candidates.

Cooper Rush. Our own Tom Ryle has Cooper Rush as his pet cat, so let’s see what Tom has to say about him.

It’s time for the Cowboys to correct the missed opportunity they had last season. I’m referring, of course, to how they tried to find the backup quarterback of the future, but overshot the mark and got their starter in Dak Prescott. Now, UDFA Cooper Rush has a chance to do the nearly impossible: Get Scott Linehan to move on from Kellen Moore as the QB2.

Moore is regularly praised by the staff and Prescott for being like an extra coach or offensive coordinator on the sideline. That’s all great, but the idea of the backup quarterback is for them to play competently on the field. Moore has had limited opportunities, and really hasn’t displayed any particularly convincing ability. And there is no getting around the fact he is listed (perhaps generously) as being 6-0 and 200 lbs, which is just kinda small for a quarterback, especially if they are not exceptionally mobile. Rush has a much more typical size for an NFL passer at 6-3 and 228 lbs. Otherwise, he is described almost exactly like Moore, right down to the suspect arm strength. For a team that probably needs to upgrade at QB2, Rush offers a better version of what they have already. He may be fated for the practice squad, at least his rookie year, but that would be a win for now and allow him to come back and fight for the job next season.

Zac Dysert. Dysert was snapped up by the Cowboys as soon as he was cut by Arizona in June. He’s bounced around practice squads since he was drafted by Denver in the seventh round in 2013. Because he’s been in the NFL for three years, he isn’t eligible for a practice squad spot any more. Likely just a camp arm, but one with more experience.

Analysis

This is one of the easier roster areas to predict. The Cowboys have alternated between keeping three or two quarterbacks the last four years. When they kept three, it was because they were trying to groom a young backup. There’s much less need for that now. Expect the Cowboys to only keep two QBs to spend the roster spot elsewhere.

[“Source-bloggingtheboys”]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

Blogging

The douchebag writer who fat shamed Rihanna was just suspended from blogging

by Loknath Das April 5, 2024

written by Loknath Das

In his piece, Spags tore Rihanna apart for embracing her “high key thiccness.”

He slammed Rihanna for “enjoying that good room service a bit too long” and thus inspiring “all the hottest girls [to] look like the humans in ‘Wall-E.'”

“It’s time to worry if you’re not a guy who fancies himself a chubby chaser,” Spags warned douchebag Barstool readers.

After Spags’ offensive article went viral for being total garbage, Barstool Sports decided to let the blogger go.

But if you thought that the senior editors at Barstool Sports fired Spags because they were appalled that he brutally body shamed a woman he doesn’t even know, think again.

It turns out Barstool Sports only fired Spags because he was “unfunny.”

In an effort to deal with the backlash, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy quickly issued a statement to announce that he planned to delete Spags’ post — but his “apology” was a bigger joke than the original article.

In short, Portnoy said he only found issue with the article was the fact that Spags wasn’t funny — not because the piece was offensive and misogynistic.

To further explain their decision, the team at Barstool Sports quickly through together an impromptu “press conference” held at the office water cooler.

Portnoy felt compelled to address the “moron Stoolies” — the endearing nickname Portnoy gave to the readers of his site — who still don’t seem to understand why he decided to suspend Spags.

“I don’t want [Spags’] name on the website,” Portnoy yelled at the camera. “I don’t want Spags to be the face of fucking Barstool … This was actually the easiest decision of all fucking time.”

“It was an unfunny blog [and] this wasn’t the fight I wanted to fight.”

“Go fuck yourself,” he closed his speech, signaling the end to the emergency press conference.

Even though Barstool Sports failed to take ownership for the shitty content that was published on their site, most people were still happy to see the blogger go.

April 5, 2024 0 comment

Blogging

Meet the man who made £1.5MILLION by blogging his way around every country on the planet

by Loknath Das April 5, 2024

written by Loknath Das

A globetrotting traveller has made over a million pounds from blogging all over the world.

Johnny Ward, 33, went from backpacker to big money media boss all the while ticking off every country on the planet thanks to advertising on his first blog.

The on-the-go millionaire says he has been living the dream since quitting his job and travelling to every country in the world, all while earning £1,500,000 from blogging.

Johnny Ward, 33, went from backpacker to big money media boss all the while ticking off every country on the planet thanks to advertising on his first blog. He’s pictured here in Kabul, Afghanistan

The on-the-go millionaire says he has been living the dream since quitting his job and travelling to every country in the world, all while earning £1,500,000 from blogging. He’s pictured here at Leptis Magna in Libya

Johnny was born in Galway, Ireland, but moved to County Down in Northern Ireland as a child where he grew up not being able to afford a family holiday. He’s pictured here in Yemen

Johnny originally dreamed of becoming a footballer – but knew at 13 that he’d never cut it. So he focussed on becoming a success in the business world instead. He’s pictured here in Afghanistan

Johnny said: ‘I had just quit my one and only real job in Sydney, Australia, in a blaze of glory to travel the world and be a blogger.

‘When an advertiser finally contacted me six months in, I thought it was my friends joking with me but thankfully the advertiser wasn’t scared off by my weird reply and we closed the deal.

‘My sleep pattern is all over the place from working and partying late to waking up at weird times for flights and business calls so I never really have a pattern.’

Johnny was born in Galway, Ireland, but moved to County Down in Northern Ireland as a child where he grew up not being able to afford a family holiday.

Johnny got the idea for his million-pound business when working full time in Sydney and with the money he made from that he booked a one-way ticket to Zimbabwe and started blogging more seriously

The first version of Johnny’s website was made by a man in the Philippines for £100. Johnny is pictured here in that country, in Palawan

Johnny’s travels have taken him to every corner of the globe, including unstable parts such as Somalia, pictured

Speaking about how he made his fortune, Johnny said: ‘I started my travel blog, started making around $7,000 per month from that site, so I started a few more blogs, and hired a couple of writers, before long I was making $50,000 per month’. Here he is at Darvaza Crater Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan

Without the bank of mum and dad to support a ‘gap yah’ Johnny offered his body to a medical trial to afford flights out East where he earned more by teaching English after graduation.

He said: ‘The medical trial was my only way to generate a decent amount of funds in a short period of time!

‘I had worked on American summer camps with disabled kids and disadvantaged kids each summer, which whetted my travel appetite.

‘This time university had finished so I had to do something drastic to allow me to start a new travel lifestyle.

‘I come from a poor, single parent home and we grew up on benefits so my mum couldn’t fund my “gap year”, therefore medical research and then teaching English in Thailand were my route to a new, adventurous lifestyle.’

Johnny got the idea for his million-pound business when working full time in Sydney and with the money he made from that he booked a one-way ticket to Zimbabwe and started blogging more seriously.

The Irishman claims advertising has allowed him to blog around the world and make £1.5million in the process thanks to the first website he paid a man in the Philippines £100 to make.

He said: ‘I started my travel blog, started making around $7,000 per month from that site, so I started a few more blogs, and hired a couple of writers, before long I was making $50,000 per month.

Johnny’s advice to aspiring bloggers is ‘to have a story to tell’

‘I invest my money, mostly in property, and I’m careful with my revenue.

‘I haven’t met the guy who set up my first website since he did it but we’re still friends on Facebook.

‘As soon as I started making money online from blogging I decided to visit every country in the world, and it’s been the most amazing journey imaginable.

‘Other than being a footballer, which at about age 13 I knew was clearly not going to happen, I wanted to be a businessman.

‘I’m still only a small part through my own personal journey, onwards and upwards I hope.

‘I’m really close to my mum and sister, so I talk to them a lot and now I have some money I see them a lot more, but those first five broke years of travel were tough in terms of that.

‘When I was 24 or 25 it was easier to get my friends to come and visit me, then hitting 30 they all had mortgages, engagements and kids so it became progressively more difficult for me to convince them to join me.’

Having travelled to every country in the world at least once, Johnny certainly has seen a few shocking sights, none more so than a murder right before his eyes.

He said: ‘Mauritania, West Africa, has a bad reputation but it was amazing, the people were so warm and welcoming not to mention the landscapes and stuff to do there, which was mind blowing.

‘The friendliest people I came across were probably in Algeria or Iran, maybe the Philippines too.

‘My most frightening experience was definitely watching a guy get shot twice right in front of me, 20 minutes after landing in Angola.’

JOHNNY WARD’S TOP TIPS FOR RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL TRAVEL BLOG… AND MAKING MONEY FROM IT

What top tips do you have for running a travel blog?

Be different. A four-month gap year in South East Asia and Australia will be an awesome experience, so much fun and you’ll meet friends for life but no one wants to read the same stories about Sydney, Bangkok and Singapore, they’ve heard it all before.

So why should people read your stuff? What’s your angle? How are you different? Every man and his dog has a blog now, but if you want it to gain traction you have to have a story to tell, and a gap year in Thailand won’t cut it.

What tips do you have for gaining followers?

You have to love social media, interacting with people. Some people love it, some don’t.

For me, it gives me energy to help inspire strangers to travel the world, it picks me up when I’m weary from the road. But if you find it a chore, then it’ll never fly. So be honest, be regular and be committed.

How do you make money from the blog and how much have you managed to get from blogging since it started?

When I first started my blog in 2010, I didn’t understand anything about SEO, online marketing, internet advertising etc but after six months or so in Africa a company contacted me and asked for a advert, they paid about £40 and it was a huge turning point in my life – I finally believed it was possible to work for myself, make money online and be truly free.

From there it increased month on month, until it was about £4,000 a month.

After partying a bit too hard in Thailand, it dawned on me that if I can monetize one website, why not three or five or 50! So then I expanded my portfolio of websites.

Then in the past few years I’ve made over $1m (I use $ because clients generally negotiate and pay in USD).

Do you have any tips for securing flight upgrades or discounted stays?

If your travel blog is popular, you honestly, honestly will never have to pay for another hotel again in your life – madness, but true.

Do you have any other source of income?

When things started going ok for me I contacted a wealth manager so I have a stock portfolio, and I try to invest in property too, but I’m clueless about it so it’s a big learning curve for me!

[“source-dailymail”]

April 5, 2024 0 comment