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	<title>giving &#8211; USA NEWS LIVE</title>
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	<description>All About USA NEWS</description>
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	<title>giving &#8211; USA NEWS LIVE</title>
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		<title>The high cost of weight reduction medications is prompting employers to hunt dietary advice, giving startups a lift</title>
		<link>https://bloggingthree.soflytech.com/2025/01/the-high-cost-of-weight-reduction-medications-is-prompting-employers-to-hunt-dietary-advice-giving-startups-a-lift/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chandankumarsoft]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jan 2025 01:49:54 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boost]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cost]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[employers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[giving]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[high]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nutritional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prompting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seek]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[startups]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[weight]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://bloggingthree.soflytech.com/?p=22572</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[When Virta Health founder and CEO Sami Inkinen approached employers a number of years ago about using the corporate&#39;s nutrition-focused digital diabetes program for obesity-related weight reduction, most firms weren&#39;t willing to take it. More and more employers are actually turning to dietary advice and training as they struggle with rising costs for diabetes and [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p>
<div id="RegularArticle-ArticleBody-5" data-module="ArticleBody" data-test="articleBody-2" data-analytics="RegularArticle-articleBody-5-2"><span class="HighlightShare-hidden" style="top:0;left:0"></span></p>
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<p>When Virta Health founder and CEO Sami Inkinen approached employers a number of years ago about using the corporate&#39;s nutrition-focused digital diabetes program for obesity-related weight reduction, most firms weren&#39;t willing to take it. </p>
<p>More and more employers are actually turning to dietary advice and training as they struggle with rising costs for diabetes and weight reduction medications <span class="QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer" data-test="QuoteInBody" id="RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-1">Novo Nordisks<span class="QuoteInBody-inlineButton"><span class="AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer" id="-WatchlistDropdown" data-analytics-id="-WatchlistDropdown"><button class="AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton" aria-label="Add To Watchlist" data-testid="dropdown-btn"><span class="AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag"></span></button></span></span></span>    Ozempic and Wegovy and <span class="QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer" data-test="QuoteInBody" id="RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-2">Eli Lilly&#39;s<span class="QuoteInBody-inlineButton"><span class="AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer" id="-WatchlistDropdown" data-analytics-id="-WatchlistDropdown"><button class="AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton" aria-label="Add To Watchlist" data-testid="dropdown-btn"><span class="AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag"></span></button></span></span></span>    Mounjaro and Zepbound. </p>
<p>“Our goal is not to drive maximum GLP-1 prescriptions, but we are the telemedicine company of choice for many employers to use these medications responsibly and then also keep members off these medications and maintain weight loss nutritionally.” Inkinen said.</p>
<p>The company released a <a href="https://www.virtahealth.com/press/virta-health-announces-first-of-its-kind-peer-reviewed-study-proving-its-approach-is-an-effective-off-ramp-from-glp-1s-for-sustained-weight-loss" target="_blank">Peer-reviewed study</a> a yr ago, which found that patients who participated in Virta&#39;s dietary counseling programs continued to drop a few pounds even a yr after stopping GLP-1. But Inkinen says fewer than 10% of the corporate&#39;s weight-loss participants take the favored medications &#8211; most opt ​​for dietary counseling alone and still lose a median of 13% of their weight over the course of a yr.  </p>
<p>“Frankly, despite the message that the drug companies may be putting out, no one really wants to take these drugs forever if you have the choice and the tools,” he said.</p>
<p>For Virta, demand for such services led to record revenue growth of 60% in 2024 to over $100 million, in keeping with Inkinen.</p>
<p>He said the 10-year-old startup is on course to be profitable within the second half of this yr.  </p>
</div>
<h2 class="ArticleBody-subtitle"><a id="headline0"></a>More and more employers are demanding commitment to weight reduction</h2>
<div class="group">
<p>From the corporate surveyed <a href="https://www.businessgrouphealth.org/en/newsroom/news-and-press-releases/press-releases/2025-employer-health-care-strategy-survey#:~:text=WASHINGTON%2C%20DC%2C%20August%2020%20%E2%80%94,cancer%20and%20other%20chronic%20conditions" target="_blank">Health Buyer Group</a> said glucagon-like peptide drugs, commonly generally known as GLP-1 drugs, are actually a significant driver of employer plan drug costs, with 96% of respondents expressing concerns in regards to the long-term cost impact.</p>
<p>For this reason, increasingly employers are turning to utilization management strategies comparable to dietary advice and training.</p>
<p>“Most employers want their plan members to have access to weight control medications, such as: B. GLP-1. &#8220;But you also want to ensure that these are clinically appropriate and accompanied by medical tools and lifestyle modification support to ensure long-term safety and effectiveness for the individual,&#8221; said Randa Deaton, vice president of buyer engagement at Purchaser Business Group on Health .</p>
<p>Still, the use of these programs sometimes creates new headwinds when it comes to pricing GLP-1 in their pharmacy benefit plans, Deaton notes.</p>
<p>“We have seen PBMs and drug manufacturers reduce their rebates when employers required a lifestyle management intervention as part of the drug criteria. “It has therefore been challenging for employers to put the right programs in place to support their employees and families,” she said.</p>
<p>One of Virta Health&#39;s competitors, Omada Health, can also be seeing strong demand for its GLP-1 weight reduction program after partnering with Virta Health <span class="QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer" data-test="QuoteInBody" id="RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-5">Cignas<span class="QuoteInBody-inlineButton"><span class="AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer" id="-WatchlistDropdown" data-analytics-id="-WatchlistDropdown"><button class="AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton" aria-label="Add To Watchlist" data-testid="dropdown-btn"><span class="AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag"></span></button></span></span></span>    Evernorth Pharmacy advantages from a program called EncircleRx. Program enrollment increased from 2 million covered lives within the second quarter of 2024 to eight million within the third quarter, in keeping with Cigna CEO David Cordani.</p>
<p>&#8220;The market continues to address the affordability challenges&#8221; of GLP-1 drugs and seek a more value-driven approach, Cordani told analysts on the corporate&#39;s third-quarter earnings call.</p>
<p>“Clients are watching, and physicians are watching, the start-and-stop dynamic that plays out in some patients and also doesn’t produce the desired or intended outcome,” he said.</p>
</div>
<h2 class="ArticleBody-subtitle"><a id="headline1"></a>Speculation in regards to the IPO in 2025</h2>
<div class="group">
<p>For each Virta and Omada, the GLP-1 growth momentum is fueling speculation that the startups, each over a decade old, could go public this yr &#8211; if market conditions are right.</p>
<p>Omada Health reportedly filed a confidential IPO registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission last summer. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-omada-health-confidentially-filed-s1-ipo-public-2024-10" target="_blank">in keeping with Business Insider</a>. The company declined to comment on the report.</p>
<p>Virta Health was valued at $2 billion following its latest funding round in 2021. It is Inkinen&#39;s second startup. He was a co-founder of online real estate company Trulia, which went public in 2012 and was later acquired by a competitor <span class="QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer" data-test="QuoteInBody" id="RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-7">Zillow<span class="QuoteInBody-inlineButton"><span class="AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer" id="-WatchlistDropdown" data-analytics-id="-WatchlistDropdown"><button class="AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton" aria-label="Add To Watchlist" data-testid="dropdown-btn"><span class="AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag"></span></button></span></span></span>.</p>
<p>As for Virta&#39;s IPO plans, Inkinen says he&#39;s focused on growing the corporate for now.</p>
<p>“When you have something that works, it’s a thousand times easier to just scale your thing, your team, your culture,” he said.</p>
</div>
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<p><em>image credit : www.cnbc.com</em></p>
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		<title>Methods to be a boss when giving performance reviews</title>
		<link>https://bloggingthree.soflytech.com/2024/10/methods-to-be-a-boss-when-giving-performance-reviews/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chandankumarsoft]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Oct 2024 04:17:17 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[giving]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reviews]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://bloggingthree.soflytech.com/?p=17452</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[As a manager, giving feedback can feel like a balancing act. Whether you&#39;re praising an worker&#39;s accomplishments or addressing a deficiency, the way in which you communicate can have a big effect on how your words are received and acted upon. As Business School ProfessorsWe checked out how we could make the assessment process as [&#8230;]]]></description>
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<p>As a manager, giving feedback can feel like a balancing act. Whether you&#39;re praising an worker&#39;s accomplishments or addressing a deficiency, the way in which you communicate can have a big effect on how your words are received and acted upon.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://business.wvu.edu/faculty-and-staff/directory/profile?pid=229">Business</a> <a href="https://www.uvu.edu/directory/employee/?id=cStXK3h2bGF4ejgwRDhyeHVHWTdiUT09">School</a> <a href="https://business.unl.edu/people/tthornock">Professors</a>We checked out how we could make the assessment process as painless as possible. And we&#39;ve found three essential strategies for giving feedback that&#8217;s each effective and constructive. </p>
<p>Using these strategies will aid you improve the feedback process and promote a more positive and productive work environment:</p>
<h2>1. Keep your feelings out of it</h2>
<p>Have you ever noticed that statements like “I&#39;m disappointed” or “I&#39;m proud of you” can completely change a feedback conversation? That&#39;s since the language you employ &#8211; especially emotionally charged words &#8211; can change <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aos.2021.101329">how employees interpret the feedback</a>. </p>
<p>Perhaps unsurprisingly, our research shows that using negative emotional language – like “I&#39;m disappointed” – can reduce worker motivation and engagement. This is because employees shift their focus away from their performance and towards the way you, as a manager, view them as an individual.</p>
<p>At the identical time, using positive emotional language like “I’m happy” can sometimes backfire. That&#39;s because it may well make employees feel complacent. </p>
<p>The key takeaway here is that using emotionally neutral language, especially when coping with negative feedback, helps employees give attention to their tasks without being distracted by what the feedback says about them personally. </p>
<p>Instead of claiming, &#8220;I&#39;m disappointed with your sales numbers,&#8221; try a more neutral approach, resembling, &#8220;Sales numbers are below our goal.&#8221; Let&#39;s discuss some strategies for improvement.&#8221;</p>
<p>By keeping emotions in check in your language, you&#8217;ll keep the conversation focused on performance. This helps employees higher understand what they should work on without additional emotional stress. </p>
<h2>2. Allow employees to customize their experience</h2>
<p>Not all employees want the identical sort of feedback, and that&#39;s completely okay. Giving employees the chance to decide on the sort and frequency of reviews can result in improved performance. </p>
<p>Workers who&#8217;ve a say in how often they&#8217;re evaluated usually tend to use the method productively and productively <a href="https://doi.org/10.2308/jmar-52504">Feel less micromanaged</a>our investigations have shown.</p>
<p>Consider making a feedback menu where employees can select areas to judge, resembling: E.g. communication skills, leadership development or project management. Another strategy is to provide employees the chance to set the frequency of feedback sessions, whether weekly check-ins or more comprehensive quarterly reviews. </p>
<p>When employees have ownership over the evaluation they receive, they&#8217;re more open to it, perceive it as more beneficial, and are more willing to act on it.</p>
<h2>3. Choose the fitting messenger</h2>
<p>Who gives the feedback might be just as necessary as the data itself. Our research has shown this <a href="https://doi.org/10.2308/jmar-51538">Some employees respond higher</a> to feedback from their colleagues, while others respond higher when it comes from a manager. </p>
<p>Specifically, we found that individuals with a greater sense of entitlement respond higher to feedback from a manager, while less entitled individuals respond higher to feedback from colleagues. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<div class="placeholder-container" style="--aspect-ratio-percent:66.66666666666666%;--background-color:#534834"><img decoding="async" alt="Four colleagues sit at an office table, drink coffee and talk." class="lazyload" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/625702/original/file-20241014-15-1o0nfg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=237&#038;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/625702/original/file-20241014-15-1o0nfg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=400&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/625702/original/file-20241014-15-1o0nfg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=30&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=400&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/625702/original/file-20241014-15-1o0nfg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=15&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=400&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/625702/original/file-20241014-15-1o0nfg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=503&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/625702/original/file-20241014-15-1o0nfg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=30&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=503&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/625702/original/file-20241014-15-1o0nfg.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=15&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=503&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></div><figcaption>
              <span class="caption">Some employees respond best to their colleagues&#39; reviews, research shows.</span><br />
              <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/four-colleagues-sitting-at-the-table-in-the-office-royalty-free-image/2167962265">Fiordaliso/Getty Images</a></span><br />
            </figcaption></figure>
<p>It can subsequently make sense to make use of personality profiles to find out the most effective messenger for feedback. For example, consider situations through which feedback might reasonably be given by a colleague and by whom, resembling a peer mentor or a team leader. </p>
<p>By tailoring the feedback source to the content and context, you be certain that the feedback resonates more deeply and is perceived as constructive fairly than critical.</p>
<h2>Applying the principles in real life</h2>
<p>Managers may find that using these three strategies may require an adjustment to their current feedback approach, but the advantages are value it. Here is a fast example of the best way to apply these strategies:</p>
<p>Imagine you&#8217;ve got an worker, Mark, whose performance has recently declined. In your feedback conversation, you may start with a neutral statement like, &#8220;Mark, I&#39;ve noticed that your recent projects have been meeting deadlines.&#8221; Let&#39;s discuss why this is likely to be happening.&#8221; This language will help Mark give attention to to give attention to the issue without viewing it as a private attack. </p>
<p>Next, offer Mark the chance to establish regular bi-weekly check-ins or monthly reviews to search out what works best for him. Finally, if Mark has a great relationship with a team member who excels at time management, consider organizing a peer feedback session where he can share suggestions and methods.</p>
<p>The result? Mark feels supported fairly than tested, and the feedback is seen as a chance for development fairly than reprimand.</p>
<p>As researchers who&#8217;ve studied management communication and feedback strategies for years, we all know that these approaches can transform the way in which people interact with their teams. By intentionally providing feedback, managers can create an environment through which employees feel respected, valued, and motivated to succeed.</p>
</p></div>
<p><em>image credit : theconversation.com</em></p>
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		<title>Giving my love affair with vinyl a spiritual twist</title>
		<link>https://bloggingthree.soflytech.com/2024/09/giving-my-love-affair-with-vinyl-a-spiritual-twist/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chandankumarsoft]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Sep 2024 11:41:37 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[affair]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[giving]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spiritual]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vinyl]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://bloggingthree.soflytech.com/?p=14815</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m a vinyl record fanatic. My father, also a musician, recently gave me his vinyl collection and it got me considering: despite having limited use of my arms as a result of a disability, why do I still make an effort to play vinyl albums each day, whether old or recent? The Historian in me [&#8230;]]]></description>
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<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p>I&#8217;m a vinyl record fanatic. My father, also a musician, recently gave me his vinyl collection and it got me considering: despite having limited use of my arms as a result of a disability, why do I still make an effort to play vinyl albums each day, whether old or recent?</p>
<p>The <a href="https://search.asu.edu/profile/234861">Historian in me</a> reveals a bit nostalgia and fascination for vintage audio processes, while the <a href="https://scapularwinging.bandcamp.com/">Musician in me</a> prefers the open sound of analog vinyl to the compromised, “flat” sound of low-resolution streaming.  </p>
<p>But nostalgia and audiophilia don&#8217;t fully explain the depth of meaning ascribed to those objects. Putting a record on the turntable is a ritual, and the albums themselves elevate me and plenty of others beyond the mere sound experience. </p>
<p>As I learned from my partner Jennifer, who&#8217;s a <a href="https://search.asu.edu/profile/666402">Background in Religious Studies</a>The vinyl experience has parallels to other types of the sacred in on a regular basis life.</p>
<h2>Vinyl was once the measure of all things</h2>
<p>The vinyl experience, including the mandatory ritual of interacting with the physical medium, has existed for over a century, despite <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/visualized-the-rise-and-fall-of-music-sales-by-format/#google_vignette">Rise and fall of various formats of recorded music</a>.</p>
<p>The recording industry emerged within the early twentieth century to satisfy what historians <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/n79065337/daniel-j-boorstin-1914-2004/">Daniel Boorstin</a> described as “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/16071/the-americans-the-democratic-experience-by-daniel-j-boorstin/">repeatable experience</a>.” In the early twentieth century, technology made it possible to relive a moment in time by  a photograph, watching a movie, or listening to a recording. People wanted to listen to a song they liked over and all over again. Advances in tape recording and the mass production of records made this repeatable experience possible.</p>
<p>The phonograph or record player quickly became a preferred staple in lots of households. In 1948, long-playing records or LPs got here onto the market as <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/16071/the-americans-the-democratic-experience-by-daniel-j-boorstin/">Upgrade to acetate records</a>And <a href="https://www.riaa.com/u-s-sales-database/">Vinyl dominated the music industry until the Eighties</a>.</p>
<p>In the Nineteen Seventies, when the record industry <a href="https://www.riaa.com/u-s-sales-database/">began tracking annual sales</a> By format, listeners bought 74 to 82 percent of recorded music on vinyl. Cassettes and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8-track_cartridge">8-track tapes</a> a small share of vinyl sales, but in 1982 the production of 8-track records was discontinued. <a href="https://www.riaa.com/u-s-sales-database/">The variety of cassettes sold exceeded the variety of vinyl records sold</a> and continued to grow until 1993, when CD sales overtook cassettes.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<div class="placeholder-container" style="--aspect-ratio-percent:66.3129973474801%;--background-color:#434343"><img decoding="async" alt="A young black woman and three children smile while listening to music on a record player." class="lazyload" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/617049/original/file-20240903-20-f1kkzw.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/617049/original/file-20240903-20-f1kkzw.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=398&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/617049/original/file-20240903-20-f1kkzw.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=30&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=398&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/617049/original/file-20240903-20-f1kkzw.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=15&#038;auto=format&#038;w=600&#038;h=398&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/617049/original/file-20240903-20-f1kkzw.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=500&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/617049/original/file-20240903-20-f1kkzw.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=30&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=500&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/617049/original/file-20240903-20-f1kkzw.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;q=15&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;h=500&#038;fit=crop&#038;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></div><figcaption>
              <span class="caption">The excitement of listening to recorded music on vinyl within the Fifties.</span><br />
              <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/an-ethnic-mix-of-arab-somali-west-african-west-indian-and-news-photo/3267735?adppopup=true">Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images</a></span><br />
            </figcaption></figure>
<p>In the meantime, <a href="https://www.riaa.com/u-s-sales-database/">Vinyl sales have almost completely disappeared</a> within the Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s and accounted for lower than 1% of all annual music industry revenues. Only independent labels with no industrial interests kept the vinyl format alive, sometimes luring their fans with additional titles that were only available on vinyl. </p>
<p>But step by step a small but significant group of music listeners closed the circle of the format – from records to cassettes, CDs, digital downloads and streaming – and <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/visualized-the-rise-and-fall-of-music-sales-by-format/">began to return to vinyl</a>.</p>
<p>In an era of low-cost and quick access to streaming music, vinyl record sales have nevertheless accounted for a better share of all recorded music revenues within the <a href="https://www.riaa.com/u-s-sales-database/">United States than at some other time since 1988</a>which now accounts for 8% of all music revenues and 17.4% of all non-streaming music sold, and is due to this fact second only to downloads.</p>
<h2>Vinyl records as sacred objects</h2>
<p>The resurgence of vinyl records might be attributed to several aspects &#8211; one among which is definitely the nostalgia and love for analogue sound that I and others feel. However, for a lot of music fans, these vinyl records are sacred objects. </p>
<p>Religious scholar <a href="https://www.religion.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/ann-taves/">Ann-Kathrin Taves</a> notes that “<a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691140889/religious-experience-reconsidered">The tendency to separate some things from each other is a deeply rooted human trait.</a>“When we separate things and provides them value and meaning, we could also be practicing an on a regular basis religion, whether we comprehend it or not.</p>
<p>The separation reminds us of the importance of the article being unique and not only a part of a set. <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691127767/between-heaven-and-earth?srsltid=AfmBOoozBKiS3z0fSAcRPP4SMKLLui4ETn7U4MdcEncrjnwXyEADW08p">Relationship between this object and something meaningful</a> Going beyond ourselves takes us into spiritual territory.</p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/nkCMSrvOTAo?si=Qm-805iQHv1CMRna">Vinyl enthusiasts who exhibit these tendencies abound</a> on platforms comparable to YouTube. They speak in a reverent tone about their rare or significant finds and exhibit a careful and ritualized handling of the artifacts. </p>
<p>Most enthusiasts perform ritual cleansing processes, purchase special archival sleeves to store their records, and maintain a private collection database. They dedicate entire rooms of their home to fastidiously curated record archives and create listening rooms. Both are shrines to a repeatable vinyl listening experience that elevates the records to unique places of deep meaning. They are artifacts of connection to the past and have the flexibility to move the listener beyond themselves.</p>
<p>To experience music on vinyl, the listener must pull the record off the shelf, fastidiously remove it from the sleeve, clean it, place it on the turntable and begin spinning it. The needle drops and the familiar magical crackle begins for just a few seconds before the great thing about analogue music is transferred from the vinyl record to the listener&#39;s ears.</p>
<p>When streaming or downloading music, there isn&#8217;t any physical relationship or interaction with the song. The sound of the music should be special, but the article has been removed. There is nothing to place aside. We cannot fastidiously clean, store, protect, admire or display a digital version of a song. The song could also be beautiful, but the article that creates a deeper connection is gone.</p>
<p>Former singer and spoken word artist of Black Flag <a href="https://youtu.be/2geQZTfJbfY?si=G3uYcYhFqDE6eiQJ&#038;t=345">Henry Rollins explains</a> that today you &#8220;hear something that is served to you from a cloud, something out there in the ether, but you can&#39;t touch it. So what remains the same is analogue. It always sounds good to the ear. And it is what is left of humanity&#39;s encounter with music.&#8221;</p>
<h2>Finding the sacred</h2>
<p>My father&#39;s records &#8211; and people I even have added and can pass on &#8211; are amongst probably the most sacred objects in my household: I hold them dear to my heart and consider them a part of a musical and familial heritage with a shared, repeatable meaning. </p>
<p>Not all listeners would describe their return to vinyl as a spiritual experience or a non secular journey. But they&#8217;re nonetheless drawn to the repeatability and great thing about the record &#8211; something that&#8217;s made, kept, passed on and cherished. Space and time are reserved for the ritual of listening. We take a look at an album with reverence because, in turn, it represents a spot of meaning and connection, something special and special.</p>
<p><em>Jennifer Wilken, associate vice provost at Arizona State University, contributed significantly to this text.</em></p>
</p></div>
<p><em>image credit : theconversation.com</em></p>
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		<title>Open AI&#039;s Sam Altman pledges to provide away his fortune in Giving Pledge</title>
		<link>https://bloggingthree.soflytech.com/2024/05/open-ais-sam-altman-pledges-to-provide-away-his-fortune-in-giving-pledge/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chandankumarsoft]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 May 2024 17:01:57 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AI39s]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://bloggingthree.soflytech.com/?p=4735</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[New York (CNN) — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and his husband are the most recent billionaires to sign the Giving Pledge, a charity that encourages the super-rich to donate their wealth to charity. &#8220;All we can do is express our deep gratitude, commit to paying it forward, and do everything we can to build the [&#8230;]]]></description>
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<p><b>New York (CNN) — </b>OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and his husband are the most recent billionaires to sign the Giving Pledge, a charity that encourages the super-rich to donate their wealth to charity.</p>
<p>&#8220;All we can do is express our deep gratitude, commit to paying it forward, and do everything we can to build the scaffolding a little higher,&#8221; they said.</p>
<p>Bloomberg reports that Altman, 39, is value no less than $2 billion. Much of his wealth comes from investments in startups, including a large investment in Reddit. He owns no shares in OpenAI, the technology company that leads the sector of artificial intelligence.</p>
<p>Altman and Mulherin live in San Francisco and reportedly also own homes in Napa Valley and Hawaii. They married in January.</p>
<p><a href="https://money.cnn.com/2015/06/01/news/companies/giving-pledge-billionaires/index.html">The Giving Pledge</a> was launched in 2010 by billionaires Warren Buffett and former couple Bill and Melinda French Gates to encourage the world&#39;s richest people to commit to donating no less than half of their wealth to charitable and philanthropic causes either during their lifetime or of their will.</p>
<p>The pledge isn&#8217;t a legally binding contract, but somewhat an ethical commitment. The intention of the campaign is to “stimulate conversations, discussions and actions, not only about how much [to give] but also for what purposes and with what aim,” said <a href="http://givingpledge.org/index.html">website</a>.</p>
<p>Currently, over 245 couples and individuals from 30 countries have registered.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, French Gates, one in all the richest and most famous philanthropists on this planet, announced that she <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/28/investing/melinda-french-gates-women/index.html">Donate $1 billion by 2026</a> to work along with her organization Pivotal Ventures to advertise women’s rights worldwide.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, she resigned from the Bill &#038; Melinda Gates Foundation following her divorce from Bill. As a part of her <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/02/tech/bill-melinda-gates-divorce-finalized/index.html">Divorce agreement</a>After her resignation, she received $12.5 billion from the Gates Foundation for her work.</p>
<p>The-CNN-Wire<br /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2122.png" alt="™" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> &#038; © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery company. All rights reserved.</p>
</div>
<p><em>image credit : www.mercurynews.com</em></p>
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		<title>Rick Carlisle was furious after the loss to Celtics, but he just isn&#8217;t giving up</title>
		<link>https://bloggingthree.soflytech.com/2024/05/rick-carlisle-was-furious-after-the-loss-to-celtics-but-he-just-isnt-giving-up/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chandankumarsoft]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 May 2024 14:09:51 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carlisle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Celtics]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://bloggingthree.soflytech.com/?p=4657</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Celts INDIANAPOLIS – It didn’t take long for the anger in Rick Carlisle’s voice to point out during his postgame press conference. The Pacers blew a late fourth-quarter lead for the second time in three games, and just the mention of Indiana losing Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals after leading by 8 points [&#8230;]]]></description>
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<p>INDIANAPOLIS – It didn’t take long for the anger in Rick Carlisle’s voice to point out during his postgame press conference.</p>
<p>The Pacers blew a late fourth-quarter lead for the second time in three games, and just the mention of Indiana losing Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals after leading by 8 points with lower than three minutes left irked him.</p>
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<p>Carlisle waved his hand and stopped the primary query after his opening statement before it was finished.</p>
<p>&#8220;I just watched the ending,&#8221; Carlisle said. &#8220;So, you don&#39;t have to remind me. I saw everything that happened. Everything. Everything. Everything that happened, yes. Anyone else?&#8221;</p>
<p>The Pacers haven&#8217;t any selection but to go even harder against the Celtics in Game 4, Carlisle said. They find themselves ready that no team in NBA history has recovered from: They are down 3-0 to Boston.</p>
<p>Carlisle was asked why he believes his group could make a comeback.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have to look at what&#39;s in front of us,&#8221; Carlisle said. &#8220;We have the best fans in the NBA here, we have the greatest basketball building in the world and we have one more game to go to attack these guys and believe me when I tell you we&#39;re going to attack them.&#8221;</p>
<p>Even though the Pacers are one game away from elimination and will be without star guard Tyrese Haliburton again on Monday night, Carlisle didn&#39;t seem to be a person ready to offer up. He was offended but determined to do things in another way.</p>
<p>Guard TJ McConnell said the team goes into Game 4 with the identical mindset.</p>
<p>&#8220;This obviously hurts,&#8221; McConnell said. &#8220;But there&#39;s not a guy in this locker room who&#39;s given up. We&#39;re going to try to get another one here and extend the streak and then go back to Boston and try to make it tough. There&#39;s not a guy in this locker room who&#39;s going to give up, I can tell you that much.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jayson Tatum missed a layup in the ultimate seconds, giving Indiana one last likelihood to attain. Andrew Nembhard grabbed the miss with slightly below 10 seconds left and ran down the court, where it was eventually intercepted by Jrue Holiday.</p>
<p>Holiday, who was putting Nembhard under pressure from the whole court, lost his footing on the three-point line, but was capable of hold on to the bottom with one hand and thus avoid falling. He recovered in time, slid in front of Nembhard and shot the ball away.</p>
<p>&#8220;I wanted to take a shot and he was in front of me. I lost the ball, slipped and lost possession,&#8221; said Nembhard.</p>
<p>Carlisle was asked why he didn&#39;t call a timeout in that situation. He decided to let the Pacers play without organising a planned play, and Holiday made Indiana pay for it.</p>
<p>&#8220;Eight or nine seconds left and you&#39;re in transition after a missed shot,&#8221; Carlisle said. &#8220;I trust our players to make a better shot than if they took a timeout and set up their defense and ran their endgame stuff on video and showed their players. It&#39;s more of a basketball type of situation and we&#39;ve done well this year by trusting our players.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Celtics ended Indiana&#39;s 11-game home winning streak, including six wins within the postseason. Beating the Celtics 4 in a row could be a tall order. Pascal Siakam said he&#39;s taking it one game at a time, starting Monday night.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have to win. We have to give it everything we have,&#8221; Siakam said. &#8220;Obviously we&#39;ve had an incredible season so far and nobody wants it to end, so we&#39;re going to fight until the end. And then it&#39;s a matter of the guys: Let&#39;s win a game. We can&#39;t look ahead. Whatever is ahead of us doesn&#39;t matter. We have to focus on the next game and give everything we have to win that game.&#8221;</p>
<p>With Haliburton out, Indiana focused on winning the within battle, outscoring Boston 68-40 in points from the penalty box and 43-36 in rebounds. Siakam and Myles Turner each scored 22 points.</p>
<p>Nembhard and TJ McConnell played significantly more minutes than their postseason average, combining for 55 points with 15 assists as they attempted to fill the void left by Haliburton&#39;s absence.</p>
<p>Indiana had a 12-point lead at halftime and even led by 18 before Boston was capable of adjust and slow the Pacers within the second half.</p>
<p>&#8220;We had a lot of guys playing more minutes in Tyrese&#39;s absence,&#8221; Carlisle said. &#8220;And so it slowed down a little bit in the home stretch, and that&#39;s the time of the game where we were now properly set up and able to keep the tempo of the game.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#39;s something we have to do. We missed a couple of shots and there were a couple of plays where things could have gone differently. That&#39;s the best thing I can say about it. I&#39;m just very disappointed, but this group, the way they&#39;re fighting, we&#39;re going to compete harder against these guys on Monday.&#8221;</p>
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