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The Sustenance of Job Creation During a Digital Evolution Epoch
Tau Mashigo CTO Group IT, Standard Bank As the future pushes ahead unabated, the set of circumstances emerging spark a lot of imagination. We no longer just rely on linear cognitive capabilities that give rise to incremental change, but rather parallelised, and intertwined capabilities that result in exponential progress. The world is filling up with opportunities waiting to be discovered. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is characterised by the on-setting of new capabilities stemming from exponential developments in a multiplicity of domain technologies including robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnologies, quantum computing, 3D printing, superfast telecommunications, and the internet of things. While these can be leveraged independently of each other, real impact can be exp...
Gene Simmons on His New G² Gibson Collection, Restarting KISS’ Final Tour, and More
KISS singer-bassist Gene Simmons is not only a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame musician, but a merchandizing master. His band set the template for rock branding, and now he’s combining his knowledge of music and merch with a new line of Gibson guitars and basses, dubbed G² (pronounced “G-squared”). The G² collection sees Simmons partnering with Gibson on a new line of right-handed and left-handed guitars and basses, spanning across the company’s owned and operated brands Gibson, Epiphone, and Kramer. The partnership will launch with the G² Thunderbird bass, which Simmons debuted during KISS’ massive New Year’s Eve livestream show in Dubai. Also on tap are Flying V basses and guitars, among other instruments. We had the opportunity to speak with Simmons about the collection, the genesis of the...
Not for Noobs: Here are Kaskade’s Top 5 Gaming Tracks
After Monstercat‘s massive acquisition of Silk Music, the Monstercat Silk label is already off to a stellar start. Now, dance music megastar Kaskade is gearing up for his debut Monstercat Silk release, which is shaping up to be one of 2021’s best EPs. Kaskade’s Reset EP will be out tomorrow, March 5th, and will consist of four tracks that are also featured in the hit video game Rocket League‘s current season, which moonlights as an homage to electronic dance music. The title of the EP, as well as its opening track, “Flip Reset,” is a clever nod to an in-game Rocket League movement mechanic that pros should be well-versed in. Reset will include the yet-to-be released “Miles To Go,” a collaboration with synth-pop star ...
Scammers are Selling Fake COVID-19 Vaccines for up to $1,200
Underground scammers are selling fake COVID-19 vaccines. The majority of sellers originated in France, Germany, the UK, and the USA, and the prices per dose range from $250 to $1,200, with an average cost of about $500. Scammers and buyers usually get in contact via encrypted messaging apps like Wickr and Telegram, while payments are requested in the form of cryptocurrency, primarily Bitcoin. The majority of these underground sellers have made between 100-500 transactions. With the information available to Kaspersky experts, it’s impossible to tell how many doses of the vaccine being advertised online are actual doses (many medical facilities have found themselves with leftover doses) and how many advertisements are a scam. “You can find just about anything on the Darknet, so it’s not surp...
10 Artists Worth Bringing Back VH1 Storytellers For
Kendrick Lamar photo by Amy Price; St. Vincent photo by David Brendan Hall; Janelle Monáe photo by Philip Cosores VH1 Storytellers was such a cool show. It borrowed the idea of MTV Unplugged — a hugely popular act performing a stripped-down set in front of an intimate audience — and took it one step further. Audiences could see and hear artists in a more relaxed setting, dishing on their careers and telling stories about creating the songs we know and love. Storytellers first aired 25 years ago in late February 1996; Kinks mastermind Ray Davies was the first performer. It ran for 97 more episodes, the last starring Ed Sheeran in 2015. In between, there was a veritable Who’s Who of talent, from classic rock gods like David Bowie and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to ‘90s stars like Pearl ...
CERTIFIED FRESH: Atlanta Duo 2 Player Talks ‘Retro South’ LP & Evolving Through Rap
Source: 2 Player / Out Da Trunk Productions Big Sant and Redcoat Da Poet, of the Atlanta-based rap duo 2 Player, are well aware of the fact that there’s nothing new under the sun. One recent afternoon in a North Atlanta studio, Coat explained the concept behind 2 Player’s latest project, Retro South, released through the independent imprint Out Da Trunk Productions. His stance is: if the East Coast can currently enjoy drill via artists like Fivio Foreign as well as that classic boom-bap from the increasingly ubiquitous Griselda family, then the South could have their subgenres co-exist as well in 2021. And why not? There was Southern rap before the trap. It isn’t that rappers Down South aren’t still out here doing what feels right, either. If Sant’s name sounds especially familiar, it’s li...
David Gilmour Transformed Pink Floyd into the Most Beloved Progressive Rock Band of All Time
There’s little left that needs to be said about Pink Floyd’s astronomical run in the 1970s. Undeniably, the creative, commercial, and critical prosperity achieved by their final four LPs of the decade — The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), and The Wall (1979) — have rarely, if ever, been matched by any other rock band. Likewise, their musical and cultural influence were just as expansive and enduring, so it’s no wonder they remain almost as prevalent and adored today. (Of course, their output in the 1980s and beyond is also worthwhile, but those ’70s LPs are easily their most significant.) However, the process of getting to that point was far from quick or easy, as their earliest years were filled with crises of artistic identity and potential. Due m...
Nifty Gateway Founders on Why Musicians Should Embrace Digital Art: “EDM Artists Are Just the Perfect Fit for NFTs”
As the latest Bitcoin and cryptocurrency hype cycle has gripped investors and driven a whole new wave of adoption to the space, Duncan and Griffin Cock Foster find themselves at the epicenter. The twin brothers and entrepreneurs have helped spearhead a meteoric trend in the digital asset space with their company Nifty Gateway, a marketplace for digital art and collectibles called NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, which are collectible assets authenticated and secured by blockchain technology. A few years ago, the idea of collectors purchasing digitally minted art pieces to the tune of thousands and sometimes even millions of dollars would have seemed ludicrous. However, as public comfort and interest in blockchain technology has only continued to rise, cultural influencers—especially musicians...
How to Go Live with 3 People on Instagram
Image sourced from Time Instagram has introduced Live Rooms, a new feature that gives users the ability to go live with up to three people. “Previously, you could go live with only one other person in a stream, but we’re now letting you “double-up” on your live broadcast,” says the social platform in a statement. Facebook-owned Instagram hopes that Live Room’s will open up more creative opportunities for users – for instance, start a talk show, host a jam session or co-create with other artists, host more engaging Q&As or tutorials, or just hang out. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_dd6.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_dd6.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Live Rooms also gives creators even more ways to build a business and earn money. “With Live Rooms, viewers can buy badges for ...
How an EDM Sea Shanty Got Signed to a Major Record Label
In some sort of dystopian social media twilight zone, sea shanties exploded in popularity in early 2021. Toe-tapping hymns in the style of 19th century drunken sailors and rum-swilling pirates found new life in—you guessed it—TikTok, a platform ironically dominated by prepubescent teens. After a Scottish musician named Nathan Evans shared his renditions of “The Scotsman” and “The Wellerman” on TikTok, the sea shanties went viral. Why? Who knows. This is TikTok, a Wild West of beautiful stupidity where people challenge each other to remove moles and insert pennies into live electrical sockets. When Evans’ sea shanties erupted on the platform, they inspired a new trend, which eventually mutated into its own native culture called ShantyTok. EDM ultimate...
3 Reasons Data Management can Unlock the Value of Healthcare Data
Data in the healthcare sector is heavily regulated, with numerous laws and regulations governing how data needs to be processed, protected and retained. This has become more important than ever in light of the COVID-19 crisis, which has made healthcare data an increasingly attractive target for cybercrime. However, the pandemic has also highlighted the need to be able to analyse and share data effectively, as the world strives for improved treatment protocols and ideally an effective and safe vaccination. Data management has become a critical tool to unlocking the value of healthcare data, during the pandemic and beyond. Here are three ways effective data management can provide value: /* custom css */ .tdi_3_0c4.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_0c4.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0...
Song of the Week: Jay Som and Palehound Choose the Bachelor’s Life and Debut “Anything at All”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, two longtime friends form a new band and find a new sound. The past year of our lives has taught us that loneliness comes in several shades of blue. It can feel like total isolation, separation from dear friends, or even the tedium of seeing the same faces every single day. Those among us who have fared best have either found ways to beat the loneliness (a little Zoom went a long way there for a while, didn’t it?) or embrace it as a chance to remain in the moment and accomplish something. Jay Som (Melina Duterte) and Palehound voc...
