Podcast appearances and mentions of shannon liao

Brandon Sheffield subjects well known video game characters who just happen to be attending GDC 2025 to the famous Proust Questionnaire. Yes, we know it's pronounced “proost.” Hosted by Brandon Sheffield, with Matthew Burns, Frank Cifaldi, Naomi Clark, Nikki Grayson, David Hellman, merritt k, Shannon Liao, Laura Michet, Alx Preston, Liz Ryerson, Phil Salvador, and Derek Yu. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Watch episodes with full video on YouTube Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums SHOW NOTES: Luigi, via merritt k (00:14) Rick Taylor, via Derek Yu (07:12) Astarion Ancunín, via Shannon Liao (11:34) Squall Leonhart, via Phil Salvador (13:55) Headcrab, via Laura Michet (17:50) Samus Aran, via Alx Preston (20:53) Miles “Tails” Prower, via Liz Ryerson (25:44) Alan Wake, via Matthew Burns (31:02) Geralt of Rivia, via Naomi Clark (36:08) Django, via Nikki Grayson (41:30) Tim, via David Hellman (45:15) Princess Peach, via Frank Cifaldi (47:37) This week's Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you. Subscribe: RSS, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Brandon Sheffield subjects well known video game characters who just happen to be attending GDC 2025 to the famous Proust Questionnaire. Yes, we know it's pronounced “proost.” Hosted by Brandon Sheffield, with Matthew Burns, Frank Cifaldi, Naomi Clark, Nikki Grayson, David Hellman, merritt k, Shannon Liao, Laura Michet, Alx Preston, Liz Ryerson, Phil Salvador, and Derek Yu. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Watch episodes with full video on YouTube Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums SHOW NOTES: Luigi, via merritt k (00:14) Rick Taylor, via Derek Yu (07:12) Astarion Ancunín, via Shannon Liao (11:34) Squall Leonhart, via Phil Salvador (13:55) Headcrab, via Laura Michet (17:50) Samus Aran, via Alx Preston (20:53) Miles “Tails” Prower, via Liz Ryerson (25:44) Alan Wake, via Matthew Burns (31:02) Geralt of Rivia, via Naomi Clark (36:08) Django, via Nikki Grayson (41:30) Tim, via David Hellman (45:15) Princess Peach, via Frank Cifaldi (47:37) This week's Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you. Subscribe: RSS, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

If you've ever wondered why there are so many annoying people on Twitter, you've got Tumblr to thank for that. Tumblr, the microblogging site that reigned supreme in the 2010s, was like Facebook's cool cousin who has blue hair and goes to art school. It was the cradle of identity formation for lonely teens and adults, and it was also a happy home to lots and lots of porn. Tumblr's NSFW content made it a search-engine-friendly way to consume porn without your mom finding out. But its alternative edge made it an easy victim to much more powerful companies - which is why, in this episode, Hannah and Maia discuss the Tumblr porn ban and its consequences on society. Tangents including but not limited to: the “free nipples for sale” movement, Hannah's Addison Rae addiction, and Maia's misanthropic middle school blog: “Who the Poo Cares”.  Hannah's Tumblr: https://acidrain-e.tumblr.com/ Maia's Tumblr: https://takemybadge.tumblr.com/ Support us on Patreon and get juicy bonus content: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/rehashpodcast⁠ Intro and outro song by our talented friend Ian Mills: ⁠https://linktr.ee/ianmillsmusic Leah Collins, “How Tumblr went from a $1 billion Yahoo payday to a $3 million fire sale.” CNBC (2022). https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/15/how-tumblr-went-from-1-billion-yahoo-payday-to-3-million-fire-sale.html Josh Holiday “David Karp, founder of Tumblr, on realizing his dream” The Guardian (2012). https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jan/29/tumblr-david-karp-interview Michael J. de la Merced, Nick Bilton and Nicole Perlroth “Yahoo to Buy Tumblr for $1.1 Billion.” The New York Times (2013) .https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/technology/yahoo-to-buy-tumblr-for-1-1-billion.html Allison McCrcken, Alexander Cho, Louisa Stein, Indira Neill Hoch “You Must Be New Here: An Introduction” a tumblr book: platform and culture, Chapter 1, (2020). Chris Isidore, “Yahoo buys Tumblr, promises to not ‘screw it up'”, (20/05/13), CNN Buisness. https://money.cnn.com/2013/05/20/technology/yahoo-buys-tumblr/?iid=EL Sarah Perez, “Tumblr's Adult Fare Accounts for 11.4% Of Site's Top 200K Domains, Adult Sites Are Leading Category of Referrals” (20/05/2013), Tech Crunch https://techcrunch.com/2013/05/20/tumblrs-adult-fare-accounts-for-11-4-of-sites-top-200k-domains-tumblrs-adult-fare-accounts-for-11-4-of-sites-top-200k-domains-adults-sites-are-leading-category-of-referrals/ Shannon Liao, “Tumblr will ban all adult content on December 17th” (03/12/2018), The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/3/18123752/tumblr-adult-content-porn-ban-date-explicit-changes-why-safe-mode Shannon Liao, “Tumblr's adult content ban means the death of unique blogs that explore sexuality” (06/12/2018), The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/6/18124260/tumblr-porn-ban-sexuality-blogs-unique  Community Guidelines, Tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/policy/en/community Jason Koelber and Samantha Cole, “Apple Sucked Tumblr Into Its Walled Garden, Where Sex Is Bad” (03/12/2018), Motherboard. https://www.vice.com/en/article/a3mjxg/apple-tumblr-porn-nsfw-adult-content-banned Kyle Chayka, “How Tumblr became popular for being obsolete” The New Yorker (2022). https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/how-tumblr-became-popular-for-being-obsolete  Ned Hepburn, “I'll Tumblr For Ya” Vice (2009) https://www.vice.com/en/article/aeem3a/tumblr-david-karp-interview Allison McCracken, “Tumblr Youth Subcultures and Media Engagement” Cinema Journal, Vol. 57, No. 1 (Fall 2017) https://www.jstor.org/stable/44867867 Danah Boyd, “Am I a Blogger?” Biography, Vol. 38, No. 2, ONLINE LIVES 2.0 (Spring 2015) https://www.jstor.org/stable/24570362 Photomatt (tumblr's CEO), “Why ‘Go Nuts, Show Nuts' Doesn't Work in 2022”, Tumblr (2022) https://www.tumblr.com/photomatt/696629352701493248/why-go-nuts-show-nuts-doesnt-work-in-2022

This week we're joined by Alex's Giant Bomb Summer Game Fest couchmate and Deputy Editor of Inverse.com, Shannon Liao!  We tried out a great few demos, talk about bummer news, and chat about what indie games we're expecting to be part of our 2023 game of the year lists. Join us! Segments Early Adopters - 5:25 News - 19:30 Freebies - 43:45 Backlog Blog - 47:45 One Last Thing - 1:07:25 Don't forget to follow/reach us at: Twitter: @SuperGGRadio Email: SuperGGRadio@gmail.com Wordpress: www.superggradio.wordpress.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperGGRadio Twitch: Twitch.tv/superggradio Youtube: http://tiny.cc/1xr07y Games Discussed: Aureole Wings of Hope Europa Music Credits: Introduction: I Got A Story by DJ Quads Intermission:Chill Jazzy Lofi Hip Hop by DJ Quads End Credits: Show Me by DJ Quads Mixed by Joel DeWitte Edited by Joel DeWitte

Our editor goofed up! Journalist Shannon Liao joined the panel for episode 306, which covered Unity's then-unaddressed increase in fees for developers. The question yielded great discussion, but was missed in editing, so it is being presented here now. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Shannon Liao. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Question this clip: Is Unity over? Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED: Unity has changed its pricing model, and game developers are pissed off Unity announces its revamped pricing model Unreal Engine Myspace LiveJournal Roblox Minecraft ReCore Unreal Tournament series Fortnite: Battle Royale Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Our editor goofed up! Journalist Shannon Liao joined the panel for episode 306, which covered Unity's then-unaddressed increase in fees for developers. The question yielded great discussion, but was missed in editing, so it is being presented here now. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Shannon Liao. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Question this clip: Is Unity over? Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED: Unity has changed its pricing model, and game developers are pissed off Unity announces its revamped pricing model Unreal Engine Myspace LiveJournal Roblox Minecraft ReCore Unreal Tournament series Fortnite: Battle Royale Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

The Xbox FTC trial is wrapping up and Mike and Gary are joined by Shannon Liao who's been reporting on it all! Follow Shannon's newsletter here: https://shannonliao.substack.com/ Time Stamps - 00:00:00 - Start 00:02:00 - Shannon Liao is Here! 00:11:12 - Housekeeping 00:12:04 - Breaking Down the Xbox FTC Trial w/ Shannon Liao 00:36:45 - Ads 00:37:49 - The Conclusion? 00:49:12 - Xbox and Bethesda at Gamescom 00:51:41 - Xbox Game Pass Update for July Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg and Tim breakdown FInal Fantasy XVI getting a patch, Xbox Game Pass getting a price increase, and more! Time Stamps -  00:00:00 - Start 00:05:20 - “Is 2023 going to be this generation's 2007?” - Cameron 00:15:11 - Housekeeping Xcast is live with Shannon Liao from the New York Times! The Roper Report  - 00:19:50 - Final Fantasy 16 Patch Makes You Less Sick 00:28:15 - Xbox Game Pass Is Officially More Expensive 00:32:50 - FC 24 Cover Star Reportedly Leaks 00:37:27 - Ad 00:38:31 - Naraka Bladepoint comes to PS5, Goes FTP 00:44:08 - AC Mirage Will Have ‘History of Baghdad' Mode 00:50:35 - Out Today 00:55:26 - “What's Up with Marvel Snap?” - Marco 00:59:09 - Squad Up: Comedian Aaron Trahan - IRL/IG - @AaronMadeULaugh 01:00:42 - You‘re Wrong Tomorrow's Hosts: Tim & Greg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it mean to be a rebel in a digital age? PEN Award-winning author Mitch Horowitz provides us with three strategies to move forward. Recorded live at Digital Void's Meme in the Moment Festival in New York City on Wednesday, October 26, 2022.

So far in 2023, the likes of Google, Microsoft and others have laid off tens of thousands of employees, with some in the gaming industry. Each day there's new news of layoffs and on this episode of 'Visionaries', Washington Post reporter Shannon Liao joins Jacob to discuss the layoffs and what they mean for the tech, entertainment and gaming industries at large. "A lot of this is due to the pending recession that hasn't happened yet that people are worried about and they're thinking the market is going to contract. To correct for that, as the prices of milk and everything increases, the companies—and a lot of these are public companies—want to keep profitability up and look good for their shareholders, for investors and their next earnings call." You can follow Shannon here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim and Mike go through all the bad and good news of the day. Time Stamps - 00:00:00 - Start 00:01:00 - Housekeeping Game Awards is today The Roper Report  - 00:09:00 - FTC sues to block Microsoft's acquisition of game giant Activision (Cat Zakrzewski and Shannon Liao at The Washington Post) 00:18:39 - ‘Diablo IV' developers work long hours, bracing for impending release:Mismanagement and disturbing script changes contributed to delays, workers say: Shannon Liao at The Washington Post 00:25:55 - IGN part of Ziff Davis layoffs (Brendan Sinclair at Games Industry.biz) 00:29:10 - Ad 00:33:50 - Street Fighter 6 Release Date Potentially Leaked (Wario64), Final Fantasy 16 Release Date Potentially Leaked 00:39:38 - Crash Bandicoot Is Teasing 00:46:38 - Geoff's Final Game Awards Tease 00:53:00 - Out today Tomorrow's Hosts: Tim and Andy

Blessing and special guest Shannon Liao of The Washington Post talk about hints at more Uncharted, Last of Us Remake possibly being 2022, and Sonic Origin's official re-reveal. Time Stamps - 00:00:00 - Start 00:11:26 - Housekeeping Janet and Blessing will be hosting the Skybound Games PAX East Showcase tomorrow at 10am pacific on the PAX Twitch channel twitch.tv/paxeast. There will be exclusive looks at Escape Academy and WrestleQuest, and a brand new documentary celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Walking Dead game's 1st season. Greg and Gary also appear in that, so check it out and support the team. In case you missed it, we reacted to a fun Indie Showcase by our friends at Six One Indie! That's up on youtube.com/kindafunnygames and worth checking out if you want to discover some cool indie games. The Roper Report  - 00:13:17 - Naughty Dog recruiter has seemingly hinted at plans for more Uncharted games 00:20:44 - A PlayStation animator could be hinting at a Last of Us remake for 2022 00:30:30 - Ads  00:01:04 - Length 00:31:36 - We finally have the re-reveal and release date for Sonic Origins 00:42:33 - A lil playstation update 00:43:30 - Ghostbusters VR Announced 00:50:35 - Nintendo of America receives labor complaints for alleged NLRA violations 00:56:29 - Out today 00:57:36 - You‘re Wrong Tomorrow's Hosts: Greg & Tim

Amy Hennig's back in the Star Wars business, Crazy Taxi's back in the headlines, and Greg's back to pissing off the audience. Come watch a happy Gary Whitta! Time Stamps - 00:00:00 - Start 00:03:30 - Housekeeping Episode 3 is live on youtube.com/kindafunnygames! https://youtu.be/wAWGP6nGTf0?t=1216 https://kindafunny.com/platinum Gen and I need you! Charity stream tonight at 8 pm pt! https://www.twitch.tv/kindafunnygames/ Thank you to our Patreon Producers: FargoBrady, Pranksy, & Anonymous The Roper Report  - 00:06:05 - Amy Hennig's NEW Star Wars Game, Michael McWhertor @ polygon 00:15:50 - any possibility that Project Ragtag could be resurrected - Best Friends Q:TheSheepWhisper 00:17:45 - Crazy Taxi (and Jet Set Radio) REBOOT?! Ta-kashi Mochi-zuki @ Bloomberg 00:29:09 - Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Coming SOONER, Jeff Grubb @ GameBeat 00:34:03 - BREAKINg: Avengers Lives 00:35:50 - Ad 00:41:13 - Elden Ring Gets a Major Patch, Joe Skrebbels @ IGN 00:58:06 - VIDEO GAMES GO TO THE MOVIES! 01:00:45 - Out today 01:03:00 - You‘re Wrong Tomorrow's Hosts: Bless and Shannon Liao of Washington Post

Greg shows up for the first time this week to talk about Kojima, Halo maps, and Cyberpunk 2077 with Tim! Time Stamps - 00:00:00 - Start 00:05:00 - Housekeeping The Lost World: JP youtube.com/kindafunnygames Thank you to our Patreon Producers: FargoBrady, Pranksy, & Anonymous The Roper Report - 00:07:20 - PlayStation isn't buying Kojima 00:26:11 - CYBERPUNK POSTULATING 00:38:15 - Ad 00:40:25 - 343 Shows off Halo Infinite Maps 00:51:48 - The Mini Indie Showcase PAX East Edition Announced 00:54:05 - Out today 00:59:00 - You‘re Wrong Next Week's Hosts: Mon: Bless and Shannon Liao of Washington Post Tues: Greg and Gary Wed: Bless and Janet Thur: Greg and Tim FRI: Greg and Bless

The Dr. Disrespect vs Twitch saga ends just as abruptly as it began and with even fewer words than before. Why should we all have expected just such an outcome? Well represented parties know when to stay quiet...in Virtual Legality. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/NnAZLOV0Mow #Twitch #Bans #DrDisrespect *** WANT TO SUPPORT THE CHANNEL? PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/VirtualLegality STREAMLABS - https://streamlabs.com/richardhoeg STORE - https://teespring.com/stores/hoeg-law-store *** Discussed in this episode: HOEG LAW VIDEOS AND PLAYLISTS https://youtu.be/wfgiEiefZ2E https://youtu.be/I8FJcevnzqo https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zDCgJzZUy98pOuP1cC8o7nraoJEcmuG TWEETS https://twitter.com/DrDisrespect/status/1502004274993131525 https://twitter.com/Shannon_Liao/status/1276617617730568195 https://twitter.com/Slasher/status/1276742960286183424 https://twitter.com/drdisrespect/status/1277060051744591872 https://twitter.com/Slasher/status/1277395730219573253 https://twitter.com/GameFuel/status/1501981665270321155 ARTICLES https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/drdisrespect-settles-his-lawsuit-with-twitch/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/dr-disrespect-signs-multi-year-deal-stay-twitch-1283878/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2020/06/28/statement-respond-why-dr-disrespect-banned-from-twitch-for-mysterious-reasons/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2020/06/30/dr-disrespect-finally-breaks-his-silence-on-twitch-ban-raises-more-questions-than-answers/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2020/08/08/dr-disrespect-gives-statement-on-twitch-ban-during-his-youtube-return-stream/ https://www.gamerevolution.com/game-culture/651326-dr-disrespect-twitch-ban-sponsors https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/22/21298963/ninja-shroud-mixer-facebook-gaming-twitch TWITCH TERMS OF SERVICE https://www.twitch.tv/p/en/legal/terms-of-service/ JAMS RULES https://www.jamsadr.com/rules-comprehensive-arbitration/ https://www.jamsadr.com/rules-comprehensive-arbitration/#Rule-26 https://www.jamsadr.com/rules-comprehensive-arbitration/#Rule-28 *** "Virtual Legality" is a continuing series discussing the law, video games, software, and everything digital, hosted by Richard Hoeg, of the Hoeg Law Business Law Firm (Hoeg Law). CHECK OUT THE REST OF VIRTUAL LEGALITY HERE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zDCgJzZUy9YAU61GoW-00K0TJOGnPCo DISCUSSION IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN THE LEGAL TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR OWN COUNSEL. *** Twitter: @hoeglaw Web: hoeglaw.com

Activision Blizzard's year of news appearances is almost unbelievable, but perhaps none more so than the announcement that Microsoft and Xbox is purchasing them for just under $70 BILLION in cash. But with unionization efforts ongoing across ABK, what was likely to happen in the shadow of the transaction, and why have so many outlets jumped the gun on reporting the events at Raven. Quoth the Gaming Journalists, 'nevermore'...in Virtual Legality. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/GzU6oe4N69E #Activision #Raven #Unions *** WANT TO SUPPORT THE CHANNEL PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/VirtualLegality STREAMLABS - https://streamlabs.com/richardhoeg STORE - https://teespring.com/stores/hoeg-law-store *** Discussed in this episode: "Microsoft x Activision" Hoeg Law Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zDCgJzZUy_vBs7Qt9-ROfumOtIrSdP8 Tweets https://twitter.com/sweetpotatoes/status/1484556503621189638 https://twitter.com/Shannon_Liao/status/1468961296678748172 https://twitter.com/P_Betar/status/1484565189680939015 https://twitter.com/A_droSegovia/status/1484569470207242245 https://twitter.com/wcselfridge/status/1484564861518503942 Statutes https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/157 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/159 NLRB Sites/Decisions https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/the-law/employees/your-right-to-form-a-union https://www.natlawreview.com/article/nlrb-adds-new-three-part-test-to-standard-evaluating-appropriateness-bargaining https://www.nlrb.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/basic-page/node-3024/basicguide.pdf Articles https://www.polygon.com/22894041/call-of-duty-warzone-raven-software-union-activision-blizzard https://kotaku.com/call-of-duty-union-raven-software-activision-blizzard-s-1848399505 https://www.vice.com/en/article/88g5za/qa-testers-at-activision-blizzards-studio-raven-software-are-unionizing https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-21/activision-employee-group-forms-union-a-first-in-video-games https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-01-21-call-of-duty-qa-workers-vote-to-unionize "A More Pixelated Union: A Look at the Path to Unionization in the Video Game Industry under Trump's National Labor Relations Board" Will Selfridge - University of Miami Business Law Review https://repository.law.miami.edu/umblr/vol29/iss1/9/ *** "Virtual Legality" is a continuing series discussing the law, video games, software, and everything digital, hosted by Richard Hoeg, of the Hoeg Law Business Law Firm (Hoeg Law). CHECK OUT THE REST OF VIRTUAL LEGALITY HERE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zDCgJzZUy9YAU61GoW-00K0TJOGnPCo DISCUSSION IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN THE LEGAL TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR OWN COUNSEL. *** Twitter: @hoeglaw Web: hoeglaw.com

Before Activision, California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) successfully stopped a private class action brought against Riot Games (League of Legends), from settling for a "mere" $10M. Now, the DFEH and California's Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) have realized a great victory from such efforts, as the game maker has agreed to settle instead for 10x that amount (as well as three years of additional agency scrutiny). But what may be even more interesting is that it all takes place in the shadow of a pending federal settlement for Activision Blizzard. They may be different cases, but they are not "leagues" apart...in Virtual Legality. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/fCfayMcQJUI #Riot #California #Activision *** SUPPORT THE CHANNEL PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/VirtualLegality STREAMLABS - https://streamlabs.com/richardhoeg STORE - https://teespring.com/stores/hoeg-law-store *** CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 02:22 The Kotaku Article 06:53 A Private Action 09:11 California Intervenes 15:24 Riot's $100M Settlement (Washington Post) 24:10 Settlement Terms (Echoes of Activision) 31:53 Conclusion *** Discussed in this episode: "BREAKING NEWS..." Twitter Thread - December 27, 2021 - Shannon Liao https://twitter.com/Shannon_Liao/status/1475663471530455044 "Activision Under Fire: A Legal View" YouTube Playlist - Hoeg Law https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zDCgJzZUy9PBxr5dNcoQLh2erIt2XrZ "Inside The Culture Of Sexism At Riot Games" Kotaku - August 7, 2018 https://kotaku.com/inside-the-culture-of-sexism-at-riot-games-1828165483 "THE LABOR CODE PRIVATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL ACT OF 2004" https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&division=2.&title=&part=13.&chapter=&article= "Women suing Riot Games may deserve $400 million, not $10 million, state regulator says" LA Times - January 21, 2020 https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2020-01-21/riot-games-gender-discrimination-settlement "DFEH Files Request for Enforcement of Court Order Compelling Riot Games, Inc. to Send Notice to Workers about their Right to Speak with the Government" https://www.dfeh.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2021/08/Riot_PR2021-08-16.pdf DFEH Notices https://www.dfeh.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2021/08/Notice-of-Worker-Rights-DFEH-v.-Riot-Games-Inc..pdf https://www.dfeh.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2021/02/RIOTGamesNotice.pdf "Riot Games Gets Go-Ahead to Talk Settlement in Gender Bias Suit" Bloomberg Law - October 1, 2021 https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/riot-games-gets-go-ahead-to-talk-settlement-in-gender-bias-suit "Riot Games agrees to pay $100 million in settlement of class-action gender discrimination lawsuit" Washington Post - December 27, 2021 https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/12/27/riot-discrimination-100-million-settlement/ "Riot Games, Inc. Agrees to $100 Million Settlement and Systemic Reforms to Resolve Allegations of Workplace Sex Discrimination and Harassment" DFEH Press Release - December 27. 2021 https://www.dfeh.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2021/12/RiotGamesPR12.27.21.pdf *** "Virtual Legality" is a continuing series discussing the law, video games, software, and everything digital, hosted by Richard Hoeg, of the Hoeg Law Business Law Firm (Hoeg Law). CHECK OUT THE REST OF VIRTUAL LEGALITY HERE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zDCgJzZUy9YAU61GoW-00K0TJOGnPCo DISCUSSION IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN THE LEGAL TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR OWN COUNSEL. *** Twitter: @hoeglaw Web: hoeglaw.com

Activision Blizzard's 2021 is about to get more fraught as the ABK Workers Alliance (ABetterABK) calls for a strike, starts a fundraiser to support that strike, and, perhaps most importantly, distributes union authorization cards in the midst of one of the most tumultuous times in the company's history. Do they have the 30% support necessary to really put the pressure on Activision here? And what does that mean anyway? There's no question this activity is "concerted", the question is whether the employees are with them...in Virtual Legality. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/L95umv9-h2w #Activision #Union #Strike *** SUPPORT THE CHANNEL PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/VirtualLegality STREAMLABS - https://streamlabs.com/richardhoeg STORE - https://teespring.com/stores/hoeg-law-store *** CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:54 A Better ABK Calls for Strike 10:07 A Risky Proposition 17:27 Authorizing a Union 25:20 Conclusion *** Discussed in this episode: "Activision Under Fire: A Legal View" YouTube Playlist - Hoeg Law https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zDCgJzZUy9PBxr5dNcoQLh2erIt2XrZ "Today, the ABK Worker's Alliance announces the initiation of its strike." Tweet - December 9, 2021 - ABetterABK https://twitter.com/ABetterABK/status/1468943518248980486 "ABK Strike Fund" GoFundMe Page https://www.gofundme.com/f/abk-strike-fund "Right of employees as to organization, collective bargaining, etc." 29 USC 157 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/157 "Unfair labor practices" 29 USC 158 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/158 "Right to strike preserved" 29 USC 163 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/163 Walmart v Our Walmart NLRB Decision (Page 50 of 137) https://www.employmentlawinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/01/wal-mart-decision.pdf "Definitions" 29 USC 152 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/152#8 "The Right to Strike" National Labor Relations Board Webpage https://www.nlrb.gov/strikes "Activision Blizzard employees are taking one more step towards unionization today..." Twitter Thread - December 9, 2021 https://twitter.com/Shannon_Liao/status/1468963095091372046 "All I want for christmas is an ABK union" Tweet - December 9, 2021 - Jessica Gonzalez https://twitter.com/BlizzJess/status/1468943519486124038 "Your Right to Form a Union" National Labor Relations Board Webpage https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/the-law/employees/your-right-to-form-a-union "Representatives and elections" 29 USC 159 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/159 Basic Guide to the National Labor Relations Act NLRB Document https://www.nlrb.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/basic-page/node-3024/basicguide.pdf *** "Virtual Legality" is a continuing series discussing the law, video games, software, and everything digital, hosted by Richard Hoeg, of the Hoeg Law Business Law Firm (Hoeg Law). CHECK OUT THE REST OF VIRTUAL LEGALITY HERE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zDCgJzZUy9YAU61GoW-00K0TJOGnPCo DISCUSSION IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN THE LEGAL TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR OWN COUNSEL. *** Twitter: @hoeglaw Web: hoeglaw.com

Logan and Trevor discuss how Geoff Keighley can use his platform to advocate for a better industry. Main Story: "The Game Awards Won't Take Sides On Activision Fallout To Focus On Reveals," by Ethan Gach, Kotaku https://kotaku.com/the-game-awards-wont-take-sides-on-activision-fallout-t-1848158706 "What to expect at the 2021 Game Awards," by Shannon Liao, The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/12/03/game-awards-announcements/ Shoutouts: "Activision's Call of Duty Game Testers Plan Walkout Over Job Cuts," by Jason Schreier, Bloomberg News https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-06/activision-s-call-of-duty-warzone-qa-team-to-strike-at-raven-software Follow the Nerds: Logan: @LeftyLoggy Trevor: @TrevorJStarkey That Nerdy Site: @thatnerdysite

On Nov. 16, Kirsten Grind, Ben Fritz and Sarah Needleman of The Wall Street Journal put out a bombshell report regarding Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. Earlier this year, California's Department of Fair Housing and Employment sued Activision Blizzard over multiple allegations of employee harassment and abuse. The company has been since been combative, fighting back at the allegations and appealing to the public that it is a safe place to work that's inclusive of all types of people. Kotick himself made a similar statement, and reportedly downplayed the severity of the multiple situations to the board of directors, and wasn't aware of others. The report said that Kotick was aware of a rape that occurred between a female employee and her male supervisor in 2016 and 2017 at Sledgehammer Games. Kotick reportedly did not inform the board regarding the assault. This week, Imad is joined by Shannon Liao of The Washington Post for more insight into the latest chapter in an already exhausting saga.

The Activision Blizzard saga rumbles on, with the ramifications of the DFEH lawsuit of earlier this year and the other controversies surrounding the company in 2021 finally affecting the company's games themselves. Activision Blizzard announced last week that Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 were delayed even further back than before. This week, The Washington Post's Shannon Liao, who has done extensive reporting on the entirety of the ActiBlizz going-on over the last few months, joins Imad on the show to catch us up on the latest developments in the odyssey, as well as the impacts on the company's IP's.

On Monday, Epic Games and Apple will present their opening arguments in what is set to be one of the biggest tech antitrust lawsuits of the past decade. To break down the players, the stakes, and the possible outcomes, Imad welcomes on Dot Esports chief reporter and investigative lead Jacob Wolf and Washington Post video game reporter Shannon Liao.

Si les utilisateurs de Facebook, Google ou Uber sont souvent victimes d'arnaques, qu'en est-il de ces entreprises elles-mêmes ? Toutes ces sociétés valorisées à plusieurs milliards de dollars sont-elles mieux équipées que nous face aux bandits du web ? On va revenir dans cet épsiode sur plusieurs personnes qui ont réussi à jouer un tour aux GAFA et autres géants du web, en retournant leurs algorithmes contre eux ou en leur jouant des bons vieux tours de passe-passe.S'abonner à ma newsletter La Ruée : https://bit.ly/2PgzhCGRetrouvez Crapules sur Twitter : https://twitter.com/CrapulesStudioEt sur Medium : https://crapules.medium.com/ Sources : Vulfpeck ... the band who made $20,000 from their 'silent' Spotify album, Tim Jonze, The Guardian, 2014The great big Spotify scam: did a Bulgarian playlister swindle their way to a fortune on streaming service?, Tim Ingham, Music Business Worldwide, 2018I Sold Microwave Meals On Deliveroo, Josh Pieters, 2019Could Uber, Lyft drivers trick the apps to increase surge pricing? Experts say 'probably', Dalvin Brown, USA Today, 2019How Four Brothers Allegedly Fleeced $19 Million From Amazon, Louise Matsakis, Wired, 2020He Tried to Bilk Google and Facebook Out of $100 Million With Fake Invoices, Jacey Fortin, The NY Times, 2019A 24-Year-Old Man Stole $309,768 From Apple With An Unbelievably Simple Scam, Janhoi McGregor, Forbes, 2014College students allegedly scammed Apple out of nearly $1M in iPhone replacements, Shannon Liao, The Verge, 2019 Musiques :Par Kevin MacLeod : Desert City, Tango de Manzana, Loopster, No Frills ComparsaPar Chad Crouch : Shipping Lanes, Negentropy Voir Acast.com/privacy pour les informations sur la vie privée et l'opt-out.

Si les utilisateurs de Facebook, Google ou Uber sont souvent victimes d'arnaques, qu'en est-il de ces entreprises elles-mêmes ? Toutes ces sociétés valorisées à plusieurs milliards de dollars sont-elles mieux équipées que nous face aux bandits du web ?  On va revenir dans cet épsiode sur plusieurs personnes qui ont réussi à jouer un tour aux GAFA et autres géants du web, en retournant leurs algorithmes contre eux ou en leur jouant des bons vieux tours de passe-passe. S'abonner à ma newsletter La Ruée :  https://bit.ly/2PgzhCG Retrouvez Crapules sur Twitter : https://twitter.com/CrapulesStudio Et sur Medium : https://crapules.medium.com/   Sources :  Vulfpeck ... the band who made $20,000 from their 'silent' Spotify album, Tim Jonze, The Guardian, 2014 The great big Spotify scam: did a Bulgarian playlister swindle their way to a fortune on streaming service?, Tim Ingham, Music Business Worldwide, 2018 I Sold Microwave Meals On Deliveroo, Josh Pieters, 2019 Could Uber, Lyft drivers trick the apps to increase surge pricing? Experts say 'probably', Dalvin Brown, USA Today, 2019 How Four Brothers Allegedly Fleeced $19 Million From Amazon, Louise Matsakis, Wired, 2020 He Tried to Bilk Google and Facebook Out of $100 Million With Fake Invoices, Jacey Fortin, The NY Times, 2019 A 24-Year-Old Man Stole $309,768 From Apple With An Unbelievably Simple Scam, Janhoi McGregor, Forbes, 2014 College students allegedly scammed Apple out of nearly $1M in iPhone replacements, Shannon Liao, The Verge, 2019   Musiques : Par Kevin MacLeod : Desert City, Tango de Manzana, Loopster, No Frills Comparsa Par Chad Crouch : Shipping Lanes, Negentropy

Melissa Zeloof is joined by Ric Cowley, Editor of PocketGamer.biz, and Shannon Liao, reporter at CNN Business, to discuss the key happenings and trends in the gaming industry and in the gametech ecosystem behind it. As journalists covering gaming, they have a special inside-outside view of the industry, which made this a fascinating discussion. We cover gaming’s role in the entertainment world, how it adapted so well to COVID-19, Apple vs Epic Games, the importance of gametech, and much more.

Melissa Zeloof is joined by Ric Cowley, Editor of PocketGamer.biz, and Shannon Liao, reporter at CNN Business, to discuss the key happenings and trends in the gaming industry and in the gametech ecosystem behind it. As journalists covering gaming, they have a special inside-outside view of the industry, which made this a fascinating discussion. We cover gaming’s role in the entertainment world, how it adapted so well to COVID-19, Apple vs Epic Games, the importance of gametech, and much more.

Melissa Zeloof is joined by Ric Cowley, Editor of PocketGamer.biz, and Shannon Liao, reporter at CNN Business, to discuss the key happenings and trends in the gaming industry and in the gametech ecosystem behind it. As journalists covering gaming, they have a special inside-outside view of the industry, which made this a fascinating discussion. We cover gaming's role in the entertainment world, how it adapted so well to COVID-19, Apple vs Epic Games, the importance of gametech, and much more.

With controversy raging around the game streaming platform, just why did Twitch silently ban one of its most popular streamers in Dr. Disrespect? While no one is talking, there's a lot we can glean from both the current situation and what the statements made by both Twitch and Dr. Disrespect say (and don't say). We may never get a solid answer to this one...in Virtual Legality. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO AT: https://youtu.be/wfgiEiefZ2E #Twitch #Ban #DrDisrespect *** Discussed in this episode: "Lawsuit! Is Twitch REQUIRED to Enforce Its Terms of Service? (VL253)" YouTube Video - June 26, 2020 - Hoeg Law https://youtu.be/zxAQWPqjp-4 "Dr. Disrespect Banned From Twitch: Doc’s Statement And What We Know" Forbes - June 28, 2020 - Dave Thier https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2020/06/28/statement-respond-why-dr-disrespect-banned-from-twitch-for-mysterious-reasons/#2f9151d12c0e "look: for several hours now I have been told from credible sources the reason DrDisrespect has been banned." Tweet - June 27, 2020 - Rod Breslau (@Slasher) https://twitter.com/Slasher/status/1276742960286183424 "Twitch's statement on [Dr. Disrespect] ban..." Tweet - June 26, 2020 - Shannon Liao (@Shannon_Liao) https://twitter.com/Shannon_Liao/status/1276617617730568195 "Champions Club, Twitch has not notified me on the specific reason behind their decision..." Tweet - June 27, 2020 - Dr Disrespect (@drdisrespect) https://twitter.com/drdisrespect/status/1277060051744591872 "Streamer Dr Disrespect Signs Multiyear Deal to Stay on Twitch" The Hollywood Reporter - March 12, 2020 - Patrick Shanley https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dr-disrespect-signs-multi-year-deal-stay-twitch-1283878 "What Is Brime, The Latest Streaming Conspiracy Involving Ninja, Shroud And Doc?" Forbes - June 28, 2020 - Paul Tassi https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2020/06/28/what-is-brime-the-latest-streaming-conspiracy-involving-ninja-shroud-and-doc/#1c2cf97c2028 "Emails from [Twitch] have began arriving in [Dr Disrespect] subscribers inboxes." Tweet - June 26, 2020 - ModernWarzone (@ModernWarzone) https://twitter.com/ModernWarzone/status/1276693332975108096 "Dr Disrespect sponsors reinstate ad campaigns despite Twitch ban" GameRevolution - June 27, 2020 - Paul Tamburro https://www.gamerevolution.com/game-culture/651326-dr-disrespect-twitch-ban-sponsors "MTN Dew Game Fuel" Twitter Profile https://twitter.com/GameFuel "‘TWITCH BLACKOUT’ SPOTLIGHTS CLAIMS OF HARASSMENT, DISCRIMINATION AMONG STREAMERS" SYFY Wire - June 24, 2020 - Benjamin Bullard https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/twitch-blackout-spotlights-harassment-claims-among-streamers "Dr Disrespect Streams Inside An E3 Bathroom, Gets Banned From Twitch [Update: E3 Badge Revoked]" Kotaku - June 11, 2019 - Nathan Grayson https://kotaku.com/dr-disrespect-streams-inside-an-e3-bathroom-gets-banne-1835428982 "Ninja, Shroud, and other top Mixer streamers are now free to stream on Twitch again" The Verge - June 22, 2020 - Bijan Stephen https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/22/21298963/ninja-shroud-mixer-facebook-gaming-twitch "Terms of Service" Twitch Legal Page (Updated May 29, 2020) https://www.twitch.tv/p/legal/terms-of-service/ "Community Guidelines" Twitch Legal Page (Updated April 28, 2020) https://www.twitch.tv/p/legal/community-guidelines/ *** "Virtual Legality" is a continuing series discussing the law, video games, software, and everything digital, hosted by Richard Hoeg, of the Hoeg Law Business Law Firm (Hoeg Law). CHECK OUT THE REST OF VIRTUAL LEGALITY HERE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1zDCgJzZUy9YAU61GoW-00K0TJOGnPCo DISCUSSION IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN THE LEGAL TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR OWN COUNSEL. *** Twitter: @hoeglaw Web: hoeglaw.com Blog: hoeglaw.wordpress.com

Jimmy Buffi was recently working with the Dodgers pitchers to help them find their peak performance.. He discusses how biomechanics and coaching go hand in hand in modern training and talks about his newest venture, Reboot Motion. Will Anderson explains how his company FanFood hopes to end the need to wait in a stadium concession line. Shannon Liao from CNN talks about the exploding contracts of the best eSports athletes.. 

Sunil Pai is a Software Engineer at Facebook, React team member, and the creator of Glamor. He joins us on The Undefined to talk about the state of the web, the past, present, and future of text editors and IDEs, how he learned to code, and how our community needs to evolve to survive.FeaturingSunil Pai – Twitter, GitHubKen Wheeler – Twitter, GitHub, WebsiteJared Palmer – Twitter, GitHub, WebsiteLinksStop writing code - Sunil's talk at React Europe 2018The “Something” Statements - Sunil's talk at React Rally 2018Visual BasicNeopetsAdobe FlashAtom EditorVisual Studio CodeList of mergers and acquisitions by MicrosoftTypeScriptPrettier - Opinionated Code FormatterVSCode IntelliCode Extension - AI-assisted productivity features for Python, TypeScript/JavaScript and Java developersVSCode Color Picker Extension (aka "Fady Gradient "F**ker)Framer XGlamor - Sunil's CSS-in-JS library for react et alJSSAtlaskit by Atlassian - Atlassian's official component librarySalesforce's Commerce Cloud (formerly Demandware)Sketch SymbolsGlamor's CSS selectors (e.g. ":hover")JSX specVue-loader Scoped CSSReact Hooks - They let you use state and other React features without writing a class."My Coding Journey" - Revel Carlberg West @ ReactNYCReact createClassCreate React App - Set up a modern React web app by running one command.Codesandbox.io - CodeSandbox is an online editor that helps you create web applications, from prototype to deployment.AWS Cloud9 - A cloud IDE for writing, running, and debugging codeWeb Audio APIAndroid Studio/SDKService Worker APIWeb Components API"Tumblr will ban all adult content on December 17th" by Shannon Liao, The Verge, Dec 3, 2018Codepen.io - A front end web development playground.Sunil's Gist on CSS-in-JS: "How does writing CSS in JS make it any more maintainable?" - (Hacker News Thread, Original Tweet)Addy Osmani, Sarah Drasner, and Dan Abramov (blessed be he)Mozilla Firebug Editor Extension for Firefox"What is a JavaBean exactly?" - Stack OverflowArray.prototype API on MDNKen Wheeler on Spotifykenwheeler/cash - Ken's absurdly small jQuery alternative for modern browsersFormidableLabs/react-music - Make beats with React!Rust Programming Language TutorialPicksTical by Method ManTile appCalifornia by Blink 182birkir/prime - Open Source GraphQL CMS

In 1873 a Methodist missionary in New York City heard rumors of a little girl who was kept locked in a tenement and regularly whipped. She uncovered a shocking case of neglect and abuse that made headlines around the world. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell how one girl's ordeal led to a new era in child welfare. We'll also outsource Harry Potter and puzzle over Wayne Gretzky's accomplishments. Intro: By a 1976 resolution, George Washington forever outranks every other officer in the U.S. Army. Humorist Robert Benchley invented some creative excuses for missing deadlines. Sources for our feature on Mary Ellen Wilson: Eric A. Shelman and Stephen Lazoritz, The Mary Ellen Wilson Child Abuse Case and the Beginning of Children's Rights in 19th Century America, 2005. Susan J. Pearson, The Rights of the Defenseless: Protecting Animals and Children in Gilded Age America, 2011. Frank R. Ascione, Children and Animals: Exploring the Roots of Kindness and Cruelty, 2005. John E.B. Myers, Child Protection in America: Past, Present, and Future, 2006. Karel Kurst-Swanger and Jacqueline L. Petcosky, Violence in the Home: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 2003. Mary Renck Jalongo, "The Story of Mary Ellen Wilson: Tracing the Origins of Child Protection in America," Early Childhood Education Journal 34:1 (August 2006), 1-4. Lela B. Costin, "Unraveling the Mary Ellen Legend: Origins of the 'Cruelty' Movement," Social Service Review 65:2 (June 1991), 203-223. Sallie A. Watkins, "The Mary Ellen Myth: Correcting Child Welfare History," Social Work 35:6 (November 1990), 500-503. Jini L. Roby, "Child Welfare Workers in the Legal Arena: What Works, What Doesn't," Child & Youth Care Forum 30:5 (October 2001), 305-319. John E.B. Myers, "A Short History of Child Protection in America," Family Law Quarterly 42:3 (Fall 2008), 449-463. Susan Vivian Mangold, "Protection, Privatization, and Profit in the Foster Care System," Ohio State Law Journal 60 (1999), 1295. Natan Sznaider, "Compassion and Control: Children in Civil Society," Childhood 4:2 (1997). Marian Eide, "The First Chapter of Children's Rights," American Heritage 41:5 (July/August 1990). Wanda Mohr, Richard J. Gelles, Ira M. Schwartz, "Shackled in the Land of Liberty: No Rights for Children," Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 564:1 (July 1999), 37-55. Gerald P. Mallon, "From the Editor: The Legend of Mary Ellen Wilson and Etta Wheeler: Child Maltreatment and Protection Today," Child Welfare 92:2 (March/April 2013), 9-11. Amy D. Ronner, "Dostoevsky as Juvenile Justice Advocate and Progenitor of Therapeutic Jurisprudence," St. Thomas Law Review 30:1 (Fall 2017), 5-41. "Mary Ellen Wilson: Fact and Fiction," [Wooster, Ohio] Daily Record, April 29, 2017, 7. Howard Markel, "Case Shined First Light on Abuse of Children," New York Times, Dec. 14, 2009. Daniel Bergner, "The Case of Marie and Her Sons," New York Times Magazine, July 23, 2006. Al Baker, "Plan to Hasten Abuse Inquiries Came Up Short," New York Times, Jan. 21, 2006. "Mary Ellen Wilson," New York Times, June 14, 1874. "Mary Ellen Wilson," New York Times, June 2, 1874. "The Custody of Mary Ellen Wilson," New York Times, May 1, 1874. "Mary Ellen Wilson," New York Times, April 22, 1874. "Mary Ellen Wilson; Further Testimony in the Case Two Indictments Found Against Mrs. Connolly by the Grand Jury," New York Times, April 14, 1874. "Mary Ellen Wilson; Further Testimony as to the Child's Ill Treatment by Her Guardians," New York Times, April 12, 1874. "The Mission of Humanity; Continuation of the Proceedings Instituted by Mr. Bergh on Behalf of the Child, Mary Ellen Wilson," New York Times, April 11, 1874. "Mr. Bergh Enlarging His Sphere of Usefulness," New York Times, April 10, 1874. Listener mail: Mary Ilyushina and Lianne Kolirin, "Russia Reopens Investigation Into 60-Year-Old Dyatlov Pass Mystery," CNN, Feb. 4, 2019. "Russia's Reopening the Investigation of the Spooky Dyatlov Pass Incident," The Chive, Feb. 8, 2019 (warning: contains some potentially disturbing photos and one strong expletive). Emma Friedlander, "Russian Investigators Are Reopening the Dyatlov Pass Case. But What Is It?" Moscow Times, Feb. 14, 2019. Wikipedia, "Tiddles" (accessed Feb. 12, 2019). Rob Baker, "Tiddles, a rather fat cat that lived in the public lavatories at Paddington Station - 1978 - photo by Chris Moorhouse," Twitter, Jan. 22, 2019. Anna Menta, "Absurd New 'Harry Potter' Book Written By Predictive Text Already Has Fan Art," Newsweek, Dec. 14, 2017. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, "Harry Potter Chapter Written by Bots Is Magically Terrible," CNET, Dec. 12, 2017. Charles Pulliam-Moore, "This New Harry Potter Chapter, Written With Predictive Keyboards, Is Magically Unhinged," io9, Dec. 12, 2017. Shannon Liao, "This Harry Potter AI-Generated Fanfiction Is Remarkably Good," The Verge, Dec 12, 2017. Evan Narcisse, "That Freaky Bot-Written Harry Potter Chapter Got Turned into a Freaky Cartoon," io9, Feb. 13, 2018. Botnik. Harry Potter and the Portrait of What Looked Like a Large Pile of Ash. This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Mandie Bauer. Here's a corroborating link (warning -- this spoils the puzzle). You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on Google Podcasts, on Apple Podcasts, or via the RSS feed at https://futilitycloset.libsyn.com/rss. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- you can choose the amount you want to pledge, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation on the Support Us page of the Futility Closet website. Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

The biggest Bitcoin crash in over 2 years has come and gone—and we still don't totally understand what happened. We talk hodling, panic selling, and why each successive crash in your own crypto history is easier (and funnier?) than the last with professional poker player and actor Doug Kim. @SweetJustice Just Doug on Facebook Watch 6:54 @Matthew_D_Green 27:27 Zoin (ZOI) 28:34 "A Theory About the Recent Crypto Price Plunge" (Matthew C. Klein, FT Alphaville) 36:11 Storm (Storm) & BLOCKv (VEE) 40:50 "Just Doug is one of the few good Facebook Watch series in a sea of clickbait" (Shannon Liao, The Verge)

On this week's episode, our hosts discover Ikea's new line of products - pregnancy tests. Also, GoPro is more like "oh no".  This week's Five Favorites:  1. Kodak announces its own cryptocurrency and watches stock price skyrocket [Verge - story by Shannon Liao] 2. Viacom snaps up influencer platform Whosay as it looks to bulk up branded content offering [The Drum - story by Rebecca Stewart] 3. Ikea Releases Ad That Doubles As A Pregnancy Test and Reveals Crib Discount [Independent - Story by Chelsea Ritschel] 4. GoPro cuts 200-300 jobs, largely impacting its drone division [Techcrunch - story by Matt Burns & Brian Heater] 5. Hot Topic: Hot Topic: News Feed FYI: Bringing People Together [Facebook Blog - Post by Adam Mosseri] Honorable Mention Stranger Things' David Harbour just made these yearbook pictures [Twitter Moments]  DISHonorable Mention  False Alarm in Hawaii [The Verge] Five Favorites' Tweet(s) of The Week  @kenyatta Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).

Bio Brian Woolfolk (@brianpwoolfolk) is the Founding Executive Director of Full Color Future--a new think tank and advocacy organization committed to changing the narrative about people of color in media, tech and innovation. He has been passionate about inclusive tech, telecom and media policy for more than 20 years, since he got his start on Capitol Hill. Brian served as Democratic Counsel on the US House Judiciary Committee and advised Committee Members on the Telecommunications Act, media ownership diversity, and free speech issues. He also advised members and staff on constitutional, civil rights, antitrust, criminal justice and investigative issues. Prior to his Committee work, Brian served as legislative counsel to Congressman Robert C. (Bobby) Scott of Virginia, currently the Ranking Member of the House Education and Workforce Committee. Since leaving the Hill, Brian Woolfolk has worked in private practice, representing a broad array of clients with matters before Congress, federal agencies, and state and local governments. Brian also counsels clients involved in high profile Congressional Investigations. Mr. Woolfolk has extensive technology and media policy experience. His advocacy on tech policy issues began when he ran a pro bono project that provided government relations services to minority media companies challenging anti-competitive practices in the cable marketplace. Over the years, Brian has worked on surveillance, artificial intelligence, net neutrality, mergers, set top boxes, and a host of other issues related to the fight to ensure diverse tech and media interests are protected. Brian has a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland and a J.D. from the William & Mary Law School. Brian currently serves as a Member of the William and Mary Board of Visitors (Trustees). Resources Full Color Future Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard On You?: A Memoir by George Clinton (Atria Books, 2014) News Roundup Net neutrality and media ownership caps: next steps Of course you've heard by now that the Republican-led FCC voted to repeal the 2015 net neutrality rules which classified ISPs as "common carriers". This classification brought them directly within the scope of the Commission's so-called "Title II" authority, which is the section of the Communications Act that deals with common carriers. The net neutrality rules banned ISPs from blocking, slowing down, or prioritizing speeds for content creators who can afford to pay for higher speeds, while keeping everyone else's in the slow lane. Those rules are gone now. However, the FCC did keep the so-called "transparency rule", which continues to require ISPs to be transparent about their network management practices. Still, the definition of "transparency" is subject to broad interpretation since there is no longer any underlying rules that say what ISPs are supposed to be transparent about. The FCC and FTC have said that they intended to pursue a Memorandum of Understanding which would define how the two agencies would work together to enforce net neutrality principles. But until that's done--there are no net neutrality rules--only unenforceable principles of net neutrality. So what are the next steps? Well, first off, the FCC is likely to get sued. The most obvious basis for any lawsuit would be the way in which the FCC considered public comments in this proceeding, or, should I say--did NOT consider public comments. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said last week that he would be suing the FCC for illegally rolling back the net neutrality rules. He points to the fact that there were millions of fake or fraudulent comments in the record. He also says that the Commission failed to hold public hearings. Schniederman says that repealing the rules "rewards the very perpetrators who scammed the system to advance their own agenda." Other states that are planning to sue include Washington, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Delaware, Vermont, DC and Massachusetts. Advocacy organizations, like Free Press, have also expressed their intention to sue. The other route is legislation. Verge reporter Jacob Kastrenakes reports that Senate Commerce Committee Chair John Thune called on Congress last week to pass a new net neutrality law. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that he would force a vote under he Congressional Review Act to preserve the net neutrality rules. Shannon Liao has excellent coverage of how all of this could play out in The Verge. The FCC also passed a notice of proposed rulemaking, in which it is exploring how the FCC might reduce the broadcast ownership cap. Currently, it is illegal for a single broadcast owner to reach more than 39% of the national market. This standard was set by Congress, and it was legislation that current Republican FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly worked on when he was a Legislative Assistant for former Republican New Hampshire Senator John Sununu. O'Rielly opposes raising the cap because he says the Commission doesn't have the authority to do so. However, he says that it is appropriate for the FCC to consider raising the cap, since it is unlikely that Congress will do so. John Eggerton explains in Broadcasting & Cable. We should also note that David Shepardson of Reuters reports that the FCC has voted behind closed doors to fine Sinclair Broadcasting $13.3 million for failing to disclose that it ran paid programming on some of its stations that was sponsored by a cancer institute. Sinclair's proposed acquisition of Tribune Media is still pending. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal calls for Comcast-NBC merger investigation U.S. Senator Richard Blumental wants the DOJ to revisit the Comcast/NBCU merger that closed back in 2011. The merger conditions Comcast committed to in exchange for the merger being approved are set to expire next fall. So Blumenthal is concerned that the market harms that some have already pointed to will get worse. He wrote a letter last week to U.S. Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim asking him to consider breaking up Comcast/NBCU or, at a minimum, to extend the merger conditions. Ted Johnson reports for Variety. NASA discovers 8th planet orbiting distant star With the help of Google's artificial intelligence neural network, NASA has identified an 8th planet orbiting a distant star called Kepler 90, which is about 2,500 light years away from us. The planet, which is called Kepler 90i, has a 14-day orbit and is rocky and hot, with a surface temperature of 800 degrees Farenheit. It is within the first solar system humans have discovered with as many planets as our own. Maya Wei-Haas has the story in Smithsonian. Twitter cracks down on hate speech Twitter began enforcing a new policy to crack down on white nationalist hate speech on Monday, suspending accounts linked to white nationalists. The new policy prohibits users from advocating violence against civilians. Harper Neidig reports in the Hill. Former Uber lawyer alleges thatUber hacked and surveilled its competitors As you know, Uber, and Google parent company Alphabet's self driving car unit Waymo, have been embroiled in litigation. Waymo charges that a former employee took secrets back to Uber to help Uber develop its competing self-driving car. Well,  a new letter came to light last week, and it says that Uber hacked and surveilled its competitors to gain competitive insights in a way that went far beyond industry norms.  For example, the 37-page letter--dubbed Jacob's letter-- written by a former attorney to Uber's head of global intelligence, says that Uber collected the license, name and contact information of 35,000  drivers and used that information to entice them to work for Uber instead. The letter also states that Uber engaged in other less-than-savory practices as it spied on competitors. The letter was made public just days ahead of the trial that's set to commence in days. Jake Nicas reports in the Wall Street Journal. House releases answer to the Senate's Sex Trafficking bill The House of Representatives released its answer to the Senate's Stop Enabling Sex Trafficking Act last week. The House version, which is entitled the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, or FOSTA, would make it so that companies can no longer claim immunity from *state* laws for third-party content that promotes sex trafficking. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act only prevents such immunity from federal law. The House bill also prohibits ads that solicit prostitution. Jack Corrigan reports in Next.gov. Democrats push back on Disney/21st Century Fox merger Democratic lawmakers are calling for hearings on Disney's $52 billion bid for 21st Century Fox. Senator Amy Klobuchar is concerned about the merger's potential competitive harms. Representatives David Cicilline and Emanuel Cleaver want hearings as well. Tony Romm reports for Recode. Senator Brian Schatz warns about a lack of diversity in AI Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz--the top ranking internet subcommittee Democrat--scolded the tech sector for its lack of diversity at an artificial intelligence hearing last week. Schatz was particularly concerned about the lack of diversity among artificial intelligence development teams. He said that these teams are predominantly white and male and pointed to the potential for bias in setting up AI algorithms.  Ali Breland reports in The Hill. YouTube takes down Ajit Pai's 'Harlem Shake' video for 7 hours FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's video of himself doing the Harlem Shake to ease minds about repealing net neutrality didn't go over so well with DJ Baauer, who created the track. Bauer filed a copyright claim and YouTube took the video down for  7 hours.      In any case the video's back up but the ratio of dislikes to likes is some 24 to 1. with just 9,000 likes and 217, 000 dislikes. Sarah Jeong reports in the Verge.                 

On this week's episode, Amazon and Google have less beef. It's kind of like a sequel in the way The Last Jedi is a sequel to The Force Awakens. Also, we don't spoil The Last Jedi - in case that was some sort of a concern of yours.  This week's Five Favorites:  1.  Apple's iMac Pro arrives December 14, starting at $4,999 [TechCrunch - story by Brian Heater] 2. Storify Is Shutting Down [The Verge - story by Shannon Liao] 3. Feds reportedly spent 22 million on Mysterious UFO Program [CNET - story by Steven Musil] 4. Amazon to start selling Apple TV and Google Chromecast [CNET - story by Ben Fox Rubin]  5. (Hot Topic) Here are the films and TV shows Disney would get from Fox [Polygon - story by Samit Sarkar]  Honorable Mention(s) Anheuser-Busch Orders 40 Electric Self-Driving Semi-Trucks from Tesla [Adweek] DISHonorable Mention(s)  #Netneutality (not Neutrality) trends on Twitter [Tweet sharing story by CNET]  Five Favorites' Tweet(s) of The Week  @Monte_Colorman Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).