Posted on Friday, January 10th, 2020 by Fred Topel

Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clements vampire comedy What We Do In the Shadows became a hit FX series last year. Its back for a second season and FX presented a panel for the Television Critics Association to preview it. Cast members Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillen and Mark Proksch were on the panel with Clement and executive producer/writer Stefani Robinson.

They revealed whats coming up for each of the characters, including big guest stars like Mark Hamill and season 1 characters who could no longer appear. What We Do In the Shadows returns April 15 on FX.

What We Do in the Shadows threw down the gauntlet for celebrity guest stars in an episode where the main characters met the vampire council. Clement and Waititi reprised their roles from the movie, and Tilda Swinton, Evan Rachel Wood and Wesley Snipes cameoed.

We have some really good guest stars, and we have one particularly huge one, Clement said. I dont know whether to say. Mark Hamill.

Thats all Clement would say about his role, including whether hes a vampire or a human. No more, Clement said. Its a secret.

The vampire council is still coming after the house vampires too.

In a pretty major way, I would say them escaping the council has consequences throughout the entirety of the season, Proksch said.

Matt Berry plays Laszlo, and Berry revealed he gets kicked out of the house in season two.

I have to leave the house at one point, Berry said. I have to leave the house and I have to change my name because Ive done something despicable. So Im not outwardly a vampire for an episode.

Berry meets another famous character who is also a vampire.

Then theres Elvis, Berry says. He he pops up. He was made into a vampire in the 70s, just before he died, 77. Hes in the basement. That was a lot of fun being with him.

The season finale of What We Do In the Shadows had Nadia (Demetriou) rekindle her eternal affair with her reincarnated human lover (Jake McDorman), who Laszlo always kills throughout the centuries. Seeing Laszlo step in again rekindled their marriage, and that continues in season two.

Nadja and Laszlo are in a very good place, Demetriou said. Theyre very, very in love and so a little more sexually active than ever.

Theyre also making music to celebrate their love.

We have a music room which was a lot of fun where you will hear us performing songs that weve written over the last three, four hundred years, Berry said. And theyre in different sorts of styles. Theres a disco number. Theres a baroque style thing. Singer/songwriter, acoustic.

Demetriou added, Electronic, Ragtime. Scatting, I did some scatting. Theyve done it all. And they wrote a lot of hits, big hits.

Although Clement comes from the musical background of Flight of the Conchords, Berry said he wrote Laszlos songs.

The season finale also revealed that Guillermo (Guillan), the human whos been waiting a decade to become a vampire, is actually related to famed vampire hunter Van Helsing. Season two will explore his conflict.

Guillermo finding out that hes a natural vampire killer, yet he wants to be a vampire is a big part of the season, Clement said. A lot of the episodes are standalone stories as well.

The vampires already pretty much ignored Guillermo, so having a Van Helsing in their midst doesnt really phase them.

A lot of it they dont notice, but then, eventually, yes, Clement said. That all becomes conscious.

Its a juicy evolution of the role for Guillan at least.

Guillermo gets to do a lot of action stuff, Guillen said. And its a conflict for Guillermo to want something and be good at something else. So its a nice crossroad.

In season one, Beanie Feldstein played Jenna, a girl Nadja turned. Since Booksmart, Feldstein became unavailable for season two.

Unfortunately, shes just been too busy, Clement said. Its a little disappointing for me because she was planned to be a big character, but we found other really fun stories and other people to bring on.

Taika Waititi directed some season one episodes, but he is too busy to direct season two. And while Colin got a girlfriend in season 1, the emotional vampire Evie (Vanessa Bayer), but Colin will be single again.

Evie wont be back this season, but I find love interests in other places very comfortably, Proksch said. So Colin gets into some sexcapades. As America wants, America gets.

Read more here:
'What We Do in the Shadows' Season 2 Will Guest Star Mark Hamill [TCA 2020] - /FILM

The renowned Chinese science-fiction writer Cixin Liu is best known as the author of the bestselling, Obama-beloved, Hugo-winning, and truly mind-bending trilogy The Three Body Problem. In 2018, the Brandeis Novel Symposium organized a one-day conference about that work, so we jumped at the chance to speak with Liu when he visited Brandeis. In the booth, John asked the questions (which we had written together) while Pu did simultaneous translation.

John Plotz: Mr. Liu, hello. Let me begin by asking which writers had an influence on you. And were there poets or painters or filmmakers who also had the kind of impact that Jules Verne or H. G. Wells had on you?

Cixin Liu: I would like to divide the influential writers into two categories: mainstream, canonical writers and science-fiction writers. When it comes to the first category, of canonical serious literature, the biggest influence on me was Golden Age Russian literatureespecially Tolstoy.

I once had a misunderstanding about, or misperception of, my fascination with Russian literature. I attributed this fascination to historical conditions, because back in my formative years Russian literature was quite dominant on the Chinese cultural front. And I once believed that my love for the Russian Revolution, for Russian literature, was only a part of this cultural situation.

But, when I think again and look back again, the most intensive literature reading of my life started to take place during my middle-school and high-school years. That was already the beginning of Chinas age of reforms and opening up. A lot of Western literary works were introduced into China at this time, translated into Chinese, including a lot of Western European and North American works, in addition to Russian works. If we take this into consideration, then probably my love for Russian literatureespecially Tolstoys huge influence on meis simply thanks to my personality.

That is so fascinating. Im rereading War and Peace right now. His world-building capacity is astonishing: the war spaces and the peace spaces seem to be disconnectedyet suddenly readers realize the deep connection underneath. Can you talk more about how you compare your own work to Tolstoys?

My favorite Tolstoy is also War and Peace. Thats the biggest influence on me.

There are two reasons why I love War and Peace so much. The first one, of course, is the panoramic totality of the historical world that Tolstoy created. That kind of grand narrative is simply powerful for me. But another reason is also the Russianness of this work, so deeply rooted in its Russian spirit.

There is a sense of profundity that overwhelms me. In my more recent work, there are always echoes and shadows of Tolstoys War and Peace. But, for me, these are simply very, very low-level imitations, which cannot even begin to match Tolstoys profundity.

And are there artists who werent writers who affected you like that?

Yes. Kubrick, for one, is my favorite filmmaker. Of course, 2001 is a classic I love. But all of his works have a lot of influence on me.

This year is the 51st anniversary of the making of 2001. For a fan of science fiction like me, this film has the status of the Bible. Last month in Beijing, together with many other science-fiction writers and critics, I saw the digitally repaired version of 2001. And all of us were pilgrims, not just moviegoers. There are many poets and painters that I admire, but, in terms of influence, they cannot compare to what I have just mentioned.

* * *

When you began to be a writer, what sort of things did you write? And when did you begin to write science fiction?

My experience of writing, actually, was quite simple. I only wrote science fiction. I started with science fiction and I ended up being a science-fiction writer. I started as a big fan of science fiction. And in that sense, I might be part of the first generation of Chinese writers who engaged with science fiction self-consciously, which means, we wanted to become science-fiction writers, as such.

Here, I want to further clarify the differences between the fans of science fiction and the writers of science fiction. I was a big fan of science fiction, and that was a new subculture in China. I was part of the first generation of self-conscious fans of science fiction, but science-fiction writers of course existed way before I started my work. But, I think, in terms of a subculture of science fiction, we were the first generation that generated that kind of self-consciousness.

Can you talk about how that subculture existed? Was it connected by magazines, or was there an online cultureor was it books that you read in translation or books by other Chinese writers? What was the material connection that made you a fandom?

I started my fascination with science fiction while I was a primary-school student. That was still in the final years of the Cultural Revolution. There was no cultural landscape of media as we know it today. There was not even the concept of science fiction yet in China. Back then, what I read was translated science fiction from the 50s, the period of early Peoples Republic. The early socialist period was a relatively open era, culturally. At that time, a lot of Western science-fiction works were translated into Chinese.

During the Cultural Revolution, those books were no longer considered politically orthodox enough. My father just put them underneath the bed.

Those first science-fiction books I read belonged to my father. During the Cultural Revolution, those books were no longer considered politically orthodox enough. My father just put them underneath the bed. So, as a young boy, I sneaked under the bed and started to read those words. Among those authors were H. G. Wells and Soviet science-fiction writers.

And who were the other fans of science fiction?

This reading experience of mine was very private, very intimate. Back then, I didnt even want to let others know I was reading this kind of book. Were there any other young boys, young girls doing the same thing? I dont know. Because this kind of reading just made me like an isolated island.

* * *

When it comes to philosophy and spirituality, are there writers or thinkers that have influenced you?

In terms of religion, Im an atheist. So, I dont think any religion has a political bearing on me.

Let me focus on my philosophical influences. Philosophy has a profound impact on me. Thats because, in my view, if we compare science and philosophy, which one is closer to science fiction? Actually, philosophy is closer.

Im with you.

If we take science as a worldview, according to this worldview, theres only one single image of the world. But philosophy is entirely different.

Every philosopher has his or her own worldview. And every worldview is so different from the others. If an alien came from outside this universe, they would be totally puzzled by the debates between our philosophers. This alien would be puzzled because it doesnt seem like the philosophers are talking about the same world.

In this regard, philosophy is closest to science fiction, because different writers of science fiction are striving to create different world images of social formation, of history, of the universe. Of course, the way I am influenced by philosophers might be different from other peoples pursuit of philosophical insight.

For others, they might want to find the truth in a philosophical discourse. But for me, every philosophical discourse will be judged by one standardwhich is, whether its interesting, whether theres a story to tell.

One really curious outcome: some radically opposing philosophical schools have equal influence on me. For example, idealism is, of course, so vastly different from materialism. But, for me, theyre both sources of inspiration.

* * *

There is a Chinese term, ke huan, which is an acronym that means science and fantasy. Science can be a concept or a discourse. It can refer to a discipline of natural sciences, but also a method shared by disciplines. It also means a worldview, a way of thinking and reasoning and of modern enlightenment.

Butand this is important for science fictionscience is sometimes confused with technology, which creates its own kind of world picture. As an engineeras a science-fiction writer living in this post-Einstein technological worldwhat is your definition of science?

This is indeed a very complicated issue, especially when it comes to sciences relationship with technology.

First off, technology precedes science. Way before the rise of modern science, there were so many technologies, so many technological innovations. But today technology is deeply embedded in the development of science. Basically, in our contemporary world, science sets a glass ceiling for technology. The degree of technological development is predetermined by the advances of science.

But there is also a paradoxical interdependence between the two. What is remarkably interesting is how technology becomes so interconnected with science. In the ancient Greek world, science develops out of logic and reason. There is no reliance on technology. The big game changer is Galileos method of doing experiments in order to prove a theory and then putting theory back into experimentation. After Galileo, science had to rely on technology. This kind of reliance becomes stronger and stronger up until our own time.

Today, the frontiers of physics are totally conditioned on the developments of technology. This is unprecedented. Back in China, there has been a huge debate about whether we need to build a new particle accelerator, because the investment for its construction could be as high as 100 billion.

And yet, what information you can obtain from todays technological accelerator is still far, far away from what you need for experiments in the most advanced physics. The difference is 11 zeros. There is a poetic nickname for this difference between technologys capacity and the requirements of the scientific question: a desert of physics.

I know we have so much to talk about, but it would be really interesting to think about mathematics in this respect, too. Do you think of mathematics as among the sciences or in a perpendicular relationship to them, because mathematics doesnt need that kind of empiricism?

Its curious to see which side we want them to be on, because some people will say mathematics does not belong to science. But even if we say mathematics is part of science, mathematics is an exceptional case, because it does not rely on technology.

Following up on the sciences reliance on technology, I would like to point to a very paradoxical phenomenon. Right now, we can see technology is based on the advances of science. Meanwhile, science has to rely on technology for verification. If there has ever been a time when this circularity was goodwhen science and technology supported each others developmentthen I would like to say that would have been the early 20th century, the golden age of modern physics.

But what we have today might be, instead, a vicious circle. That is, science and technology are mutually limited by each other.

If we compare science to a fruit tree, those fruits that are within our reach are already picked. The most important, the most pioneering branches, are totally beyond our reach.

What can we do? We turn to the fields of information and communication. Beyond information and communication, however, it seems to me that theres no breakthrough in our near future.

Is there a way to think from the outside about that vicious circle of technology and science? Could science fiction itself have a role to play in changing that locked relationshipperhaps just by offering a different way of thinking about the two?

Youve assigned a mission to science fiction that is too sublime. I continue to see science fiction as simply part of popular culture. If it can help the readers open up their horizon and inspire them to explore even more, that would be a huge success already.

* * *

Lets talk about the second element of the term ke huan, that is, fantasy. The question is about the relationship between fantasy and realism, which is obviously a key part of modern fiction.

Does realism have a role in your literary formation? Do you think of science fiction as a form of realism?

My personal view is that there should not be just one single paradigm for science fiction. There should be various kinds of science fiction.

Of course, some writers will use science fiction, or elements of fantasy, to allegorize realityto be critical of reality and to represent and reflect upon reality. This kind of science fiction gained a particular name in Chinese. Chinese critics like to label it science-fantasy realism.

But, as for me, Im not interested in this approach, tradition, or tendency. Im not interested in allegorizing, criticizing, and representing reality. For me, the most valuablethe most preciouspart of science fiction is that we can build a world entirely based on imagination.

Everything is purely up in the air. That kind of fantastic imagination is the reason why I love science fiction. I remember one historian said that the difference between humans and other species is that we have the ability to use our imaginations to build something. Actually, given the role that imagination has played in our evolution as a species, this creation of the non-actual might be the only ability in which we can surpass artificial intelligence.

And yet, you love Tolstoy. And the realism in Tolstoy is that hes committed to the facts that we already know happened. And then the imagination is inside that factual structure; Tolstoy builds inside the Napoleonic Wars. So, do you see what youre doing as a writer as similar to Tolstoy?

For me, realism is the platform, the takeoff ground for my imagination. But if I have started with realism, then my goal is always to reach the pure realm of the imaginary.

We should not drag science fiction from the level of fantasy down to the level of realism. Rather, I would like to have science fiction up in the air, creating something that is totally non-actual.

Chinese readers like to start with a representation of reality. This is vastly different from the tradition of Western science fiction. Western science fiction sometimes lifts the reader off the ground by the hair and then throws everyone into thin air. But for Chinese readers you need to have a slow build-up of this fantasy. For that, you still need realism.

To further explain the role of realism in my work, we can use the metaphor of a kite. My imagination can be high in the air, but I still have a thin line linking it back to reality. That seems to be a stabilizing force in my work.

So, that would be a distinction from fantasy, is that right?

Yes, I do feel thats what distinguishes my work from fantasy. In Chinese, science fiction can mean science fantasy. From my perspective, science fiction is surreal but never supernatural.

This leads me to my interpretation of mythology. We have a misunderstanding of mythology today. We believe that mythology is fiction. But think of our ancient ancestors who were the recipients of mythologyfor them, mythology was reality.

In our contemporary culture, I think science fiction is the only literary genre that can replace the role of mythology. Because in science fiction, even though its pure fantasy, there is a sense of truthfulness. Whereas the genre of fantasy will never be able to provide that sense of truthfulness.

To switch gears a bit: do you think of yourself as having a message or messages for your audiences?

Ninety percent of my efforts are about telling a creative, compelling story. The focus is always on my striving, as a writer, toward compelling storytelling. If theres some message in my work, its either something I see in hindsight, once the work is finished, or the interpretation of my beloved critics.

Is there a thematic allegorical drive? Is there an allegorical message I want to convey? I dont think so. Im always fascinated and surprised by how rich the interpretation of my work has become. So many rich implications of my work are never in my mind, but they have been produced by the interpreters.

* * *

Can we ask you a question about translation? Your masterpieces are read and interpreted all over the world. Non-Chinese speakers like me come to this work through translation.

How do you feel about being translated? Are you worried about aspects being lost in translation? Or are you excited about translation as a second life, as something gained?

Conventionally speaking, we believe there has to be a certain loss when we do translingual translation. The more the writers roots work deeply into their national cultures, the more loss they face in translation. An example of this is Mo Yan, who received a Nobel Prize less than a decade ago. To translate Mo Yan means, I believe, that you will necessarily lose something that is truly Chinese.

But in this regard, science fiction is a happy exception. Because in China, science fiction is 100 percent a foreign import. Many concepts we use in Chinese science fiction, for example, are originally Western concepts, Western words, Western terms. Therefore, its a little bit easier for our translators to bring them back into Western languages.

More important is the nature of science fiction as a form of fictional storytelling. In the history of science fiction, humanity always appears in its totality rather than in different nations. In light of this, we can say that science fiction poses the questions that are shared by the whole human community.

Science fiction does not simply pose questions that are unique to a single ethnic group, a single community, or a single nation-state. Since science fiction responds to the crises confronting humanity as a whole, science fiction becomes a genre that is particularly suitable for transnational, transcultural communication.

When it comes to my own work, Im particularly lucky. In fact, Im luckier than most science-fiction writers. I have two really wonderful translators. When my work is in their hands, I can assure you that my work is not lost in translation. My work gains a lot in translation. Its no exaggeration on my part to say that the literary quality of my English translation is better than my original.

I dont believe that.

If you can read in English, then please, just buy the English translation of my work.

* * *

I have a question about virtual reality. The first volume of your wonderful Three Body Problem trilogy begins both with real history, and, of course, with the idea of virtual reality: the online game The Three Body Problem. The setting of this VR game is a narrative strategy, which enables a representation of something that is by nature unrepresentable.

How do you think about virtual reality and the new frontier of the virtual universe, which is created both in the inward-looking individual and in the community by all kinds of innovative new mediasocial media, videogames, online communication?

A simpler form of the question: are you a big fan of videogames or virtual-reality devices or apps or social media platforms? Have you been really interested in and immersed in that kind of subculture?

Im totally open to the media immersion, the age of media-related innovations, although I have to admit that my screen time has become limited. Its now reserved, generally, for work-related matters. Im actually quite interested in spending more time in this way but cant, because Im just too busy.

For a short period of time, I was really passionate about videogames. But that was the videogame before the internet. That was the time when Windows was not yet out there. How did that fascination disappear? Looking back, I would say that its because I got super busy with my work, with my family. The love for videogames started to take a back seat.

For me, I think we need to pay attention to one important trend in information technology: the advance of information technologies creates a new situation, whereby many of our desires and needs can be met by virtual reality or the world of the internet.

As of now, as were talking, I think that the needs that can be fulfilled through virtual reality and the internet only account for a small fraction of human desires.

But I have no doubts that in the futuremaybe the near futurealmost all human desires will be able to be fulfilled in the worlds created by VR, AI, and the internet. For me, the immediate outcome of this is a change in humanity. Human civilization will be changed from an outward-looking to an inward-looking civilization.

How do I differentiate these two types of human civilization? For me, an outward-looking civilization is defined by the age of the great ocean navigations, the discovery of new continents. Thats a desire for discovering new grounds of human development. Whereas in our probable inward-looking civilization of the future, this desire would be nonfunctional.

In the short term, an inward-looking civilization is a civilization of happiness. But in the long term theres no visionary prospects for an inward-looking civilization.

Within that supercomputer, there are 10 billion human beings. And these 10 billion human beings are happy. For me, this happiness is horrible.

I have a solid beliefthis might just be methat we might have a really prosperous future in store for us. But if in that future theres no interstellar travel, then, for me, that is not a good future for humans.

So, I have a horrible dystopia in my mind. In that future of our inward-looking civilization, the ecology of the earth will be restored. You will have reforestation and the best ecological surface of the world. But across this world, you will not be able to see any single human individual. Instead, there will only be a huge cave, in which you have a supercomputer. Within that supercomputer, there are 10 billion human beings. And these 10 billion human beings are happy. For me, this happiness is horrible.

We already have some signs of that kind of life. Take any big metropolitan city. If you live in Beijing or New York, for example, from your birth certificate to your death certificate, you do not need to leave a room that has wi-fi. You can spend all your life in an internet environment.

Wow. That is a dark vision for technology and for science. It reminds me of The Machine Stops, by E. M. Forster. Do you know the story?

Oh, yes. I see what you mean.

Everyone lives underground inside a hexagonal chamber, like bees in a honeycomb.

Thinking about E. M. Forster: his work was, I believe, from the early 20th century.

Yes.

Do you see? The kind of dystopia I describe is already predicted.

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To Reach the Pure Realm of the Imaginary: A Conversation with Cixin Liu - JSTOR Daily

I actually bled for this article. Turns out the comfy-chic white leather sneaks I wore to the worlds largest technology conference might not have been the best choice. Racking up to15km a day on foot, the only respite for my skinned heels was that battling with 175,000 other people there to see tomorrow today makes for an average top speed of 0.25mph.

On the other hand, the technology and brands present are in hyperdrive.

By now, youll have read (or perhaps savantly avoided) umpteen articles covering the Lenovo Yoga 5G laptop, LGs eye-melting 8K displays, and of course artificial intelligence (AI) powered everything. But the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is about so much more than announcements. Its about humans and the way were living life. So while it would be easy to rattle off a list of individual innovations worth column inches, lets instead zoom out from the fact Samsungs Gen Z-geared vertical television is going to launch outside of Asia this year, away from Fords glorious Mustang Mach-E Tesla contender, and focus on what we actually all do for a living: understanding people. Here are the five things you need to know from CES 2020.

1: Tech makers are finally evolving past gadgets

Or trying at least. Countless products were on show that went beyond core technologies to propose actual solutions to human needs, marking a departure from the razzmatazz ofmaking shiny boxes because we can.

A prime example is Boschs latest smart fridge offering, which now goes a step further than simply seeing whats in your fridge to query arecipe database and make dinner suggestions that help to reduce food waste and save consumers time and money.

CookingPals Julia smart cooking system picks up where the fridge leaves off: recipe suggestions are turned into foolproof step-by-step instructions for budding chefs, tired professionals and busy parents to pop into the Julia, a gigantic bowl that kneads, chops, cooks, steams and more. This sharpened focus on human-centred product design uncovers potential for brands to enter these technology driven value-add ecosystems, to become an ally for a better life.

2: Smart materials will help us do more, with less

With the world quite literally on fire, considered consumerism has never been higher in our collective consciousness. Gen Z now outnumber millennials in the UK, and thanks totheir influence on a family spending budget of 268bn, conscious consumption is going nowhere but up. When each purchase has to mean more and do more, multi-functionalityis key.

Enter Solar Paper, a million-dollar Kickstarter phenomenon that built a paper-thin solar panel to charge devices, and is actively looking for new partners. Or take flexible-screen specialist Royole, which showed off with its RoTree made of 1,000 soft screen leaves also embedded into fashion items, allowing clothing or homewares to be programmable at the touch of a button. Hong Kong based KnitWarm showed off its silver-conductive 3D-knit accessories that heat in 30 seconds when plugged into a portable battery pack but are otherwise indiscernible from regular knits.

Applications could include cold environment clothing, sports gear, elderly and baby care, automotive textiles, home furnishing, bedding and more. Weve got the job of figuring out how brands can use these technologies to delight and deliver value in more than one context, challenging the one-dimensionality of products to build a more sustainable future.

3: The shift from healthcare to wellbeing has happened

CES was jam-packed with technologies and ideas to help us manage our holistic wellbeing in a more prophylactic way. This isnt news, as trends like microbiomes and meditation have been sweeping Western society for the past few years, but we have now hit an inflexion point where more than just calorie counters are available to help people take active management of their well state as well as their diseased one.

We saw anevolution from the myriad fingerpick blood tests I discussed in December towards pee-stick-based diagnostics, morefitness trackers than any sane person could handle (the Withings ScanWatch stole the show thanks to its apnea and atrial fibrillation detection), bloodless glucose monitors,systolic and diastolic measurement blood pressure wristbands, ECG sportswear, and even a smart belt that helps prevent hard falls in the elderly by analysing gait patterns and otherdata points and alerting them to danger.

Sex tech finally made an all-out appearance, mainly concentrating on the female pleasure conversation.

Great, thats a lot of sophisticated gadgets. But the point is the market is driving enough speculation that people will buy into new active management tactics. Brands in health, wellbeing, fitness, FMCG and even travel can tap into this evolution of consumer behaviour by helping design moments and ways to use these new devices to greater effect.

The single biggest wellness facet well see explode in 2020 is sleep: its easy to track and there are manymethods to correct poor sleep habits. Food and drink, homewares, apparel, lighting, music and health brands can all help consumers try to get better kip with smart mattresses, sleep trackers, headbands and lamps to optimise their slumber. Well see a rise in the conversation around sleep for performance, which will fuel adoption of tactics by seriously motivated early-adopters, driving mass interest by Christmas 2020.

4: 5G isnt just about bandwidth

Its going to be really easy to talk about loading speeds of video content or streaming capability for brands on their first forays into gaming. But while both of those symptoms of 5G are true, downloading a movie a bit faster or waiting less for our fave streaming show to start isnt reason enough to run out for new 5G-enabled phones.

Brands that win at 5G will understand that its power is infrastructural in nature, such as the ability to support a sprawling Internet of Things with no latency between myriad devices, relay information from remote places such as drone footage, and even components that can charge themselves not from the grid but off millimetre waves instead. In 2020, focusing on applications that redefine what cellular network connection can do rather than streaming speeds will give you a longer-term competitive advantage.

5: Privacy shouldnt be a luxury

With the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) coming into action, the collective conversation around ownership of personal data is going nowhere. Largely heralded the American GDPR, it is hoped to fuel a wider federal conversation around how consumers can access and have their personal information deleted from companies databases.

The conversation raged on at CES, most notably in the form of a panel discussion between Facebook, Apple, P&G and the Federal Trade Commission. Beyond the obvious steps we should take with our customers data to protect and respect them, we need to shift from doing whats required to doing what is right. Transparent and easy ways to engage people on the topic and provision of tools for them to see what data brands hold on them and revoke whichever they desire will become a competitive advantage for those brave enough to lead the change.

With CES behind us, the horizon of big announcements is now clear until Google, Facebook and Apples developer conferences roll around in May and June respectively.

More than enough time for us to get stuck into our collective year of making great experiences. And for me to buy a new pair of shoes.

Gracie Page is emerging technology director at VMLY&R

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Who cares about 8K TVs; here's what you need to know about CES 2020 - CampaignLive

Lifestyle The disused terminal at Galway Airport is being transformed for Sruth na Teanga, an immersive journey through centuries of Irish language and culture. Created by theatre company Branar, it was commissioned by Galway 2020 and will use puppetry, music, video and live performance to give audiences a fresh insight into the oldest vernacular language in Western Europe. Its creator and director, Marc Mac Lochlainn talks to JUDYMURPHY.

Entering the terminal of Galway Airport is like visiting the place that time forgot.

The desks for Avis and Budget Travel are still in place, exactly as they were when the facility closed nine years ago. So too are signs saying Departures and Garda and Customs only, while the yellow pay-machines for the empty car-park stand abandoned by the main door and wind howls through the deserted building.

At the reception desk, a dog-eared copy of Dan Browns novel, Deception, is a lonesome reminder of the days when people thronged through this airport, carrying reading material for their flights.

Its a bit like the Mary Celeste, says Marc Mac Lochlainn, the director of Branar Tatar do Phist with a mischievous grin. Hes referring to the American shipwreck that was found abandoned off the Azores in 1872, with everything perfectly intact but its crew missing.

At the height of Storm Brendan, with the rain lashing and wind howling, the space does feel eerie, but from March 2-29, thanks to Branar, it will become home to magical forests, streams and islands for one of the main events of Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture.

Branars new show, Sruth na Teanga, was commissioned by 2020 as one of its flagship productions. Now the theatre company has just over a month to transform the abandoned terminal building into a space for an immersive journey capturing the evolution of Western Europes oldest written, and still spoken, language. That language is Irish a subject which caused so many people so much angst at school.

Marc is aware of this difficult legacy, but points out that Irish language and its culture far predates what has happened to it in the 20th Century at the hands of the Irish education system.

And thats what Sruth na Teanga based on the metaphor of a river is all about. With puppetry, music, video mapping and live performance, its for children and adults and Marc hopes it will give people a fresh appreciation for Irish and its ongoing role in shaping us as a nation, through our place-names, our stories, our songs and the way we view the world.

Transforming the deserted airport terminal for this production will be no small feat but then Branar have never been short of ambition, as anyone who has seen their magical productions, such as How to Catch a Star and Woollys Quest, will be aware.

Sruth na Teanga has been evolving since 2015 when Galway first sought the European Capital of Culture designation and invited people such as Marc to dream big.

For more, read this weeks Connacht Tribune.

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Local brewery kicks off New Year with launch of new range of canned beers - Connacht Tribune Group

LONG BEACH, Calif., Jan. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 4M Institute has become the #1 Destination for Full Arch and Teeth-in-a Day training for dentists. The area's first post-graduate advanced dental training institution offers transformational education to dentists and their teams. Training combines clinical instruction with timely marketing, customer service, team building and leadership education to attract and close large ticket cases. All training is designed to instill the skills and confidence dentists and their teams need to immediately implement what they have learned. It is 4M Institute's mission to transform the lives of dentists, their teams, and their patients in ways they might not have thought possible prior to training at 4M Institute.

Full Arch Course at 4M Institute in Long Beach, CA

Dr. Sean Mohtashami, founder of the Institute and owner of 4M Dental Implant Centers, is dedicated to continued strategic growth of the course line-up at 4M Institute and has partnered with doctors who bring tremendous expertise, leadership and proven clinical excellence to 4M Institute.Included in the faculty line-up is Dr. Kayvon Javid, who has just been inducted in 2020 World's Top 100 Doctors in Dentistry by The Global Summit Institute. Other faculty members at 4M Institute include leading experts in the areas of dental practice management, the business of dentistry and more. Marketing and business instructors at 4M Institute are highly regarded professionals and coaches with high accolades including TEDx and NSA speakers, published authors and others with extensive proven experience.

Upcoming live surgery, full-arch course dates (including optional cadaver courses) are: January 24-26, April 24-26, July 31 August 2, and October 9-11, 2020. 4M Institute's next course on Sales Process and Marketing for Dentists will be held February 8, 2020 and is taught by an extraordinary team of proven experts in the fields of dental marketing and the business of dentistry. 4M Institute's complete course line-up can be found at https://4minstitute.com/courses/.

The training space at 4M Institute is available for rent on select days and is fully equipped with the highest end work spaces, training equipment, cameras, operatories, dedicated break room and more. Anyone interested in renting the space for supplier meetings, sales training, study club events, etc. should inquire at info@4Minstitute.comFor an online tour of 4M Institute, visithttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHW1X2-4nH0.

For more information about 4M Institute or to tour the facility, please email 4M Institute at info@4Minstitute.comor visit http://www.4MInstitute.com.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4m-institute-becomes-the-1-destination-for-full-arch-dental-courses-in-the-us-300988968.html

SOURCE 4M Institute

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4M Institute becomes the #1 Destination for Full-Arch Dental Courses in the US - Yahoo Finance

Jan. 21 Sales Training Boot Camp

Find out others secrets to networking well and share yours at the Upstate Business Journals first casual business networking experience of 2020! Hosted in a fun and relaxing atmosphere. No pressure, no presentations. Bring your friends and coworkers, grab those business cards, and spend an evening with the Upstate Business Journal and Upstate professionals at Genevieves, the Peace Centers theater lounge!

Presenting Sponsor: Intelli-NET of SC Venue Sponsor: Peace Center

Jan. 1 Leads Group What: For anyone looking for business leads. When:Noon-1 p.m. Where:Mauldin Cultural

Jan. 7 Basic Small Business Start-up Greenville What:This meeting is for people thinking of starting

Dec. 3 Upstate Senior Issues Workshop What: The topic of this workshop is Aging in

Nov. 4 Policy Breakfast What: This breakfast event will feature political analyst Bakari Sellers as

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Planner: The latest networking and events in the Upstate - Upstate Business Journal

MIAMI, Jan. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Sitel Group, a leading global customer experience management provider that delivers more than 3.5 million customer experiences every day, announced today it has been named a finalist in three categories in the 14th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

Sitel Group was named a finalist in Contact Center or Customer Service Outsourcing Provider of the Year for its submission of How Sitel is MAX-ing Out the Associate Experience. Sitel Group's learning and talent services expert group, Learning Tribes, has been named a finalist in two categories: Customer Service Training Product of the Year for What's in your wallet? | The power video training and Customer Service Training Team of the Year - External - All Other Industries for The Academia | Turning MyAcademy into a Learning Experience University.

"We're honored to be named a finalist in these three Stevie Awards categories and be recognized for how we engage with and invest in our people," said Martin Wilkinson-Brown, Chief Marketing Officer at Sitel Group. "With programs like Sitel MAX and Learning Tribes' training programs, our commitment to and investment in our associates further align with our belief that the employee experience is the customer experience. We are proud of our accomplishments in 2019 and look forward to an even more rewarding 2020 for our employees, clients and clients' customers."

The honors are presented by the Stevie Awards, which organizes several of the world's leading business awards shows, including the prestigious International Business Awards and the Stevie Awards for Great Employers.

The Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie placements from among the finalists will be revealed during a gala banquet on Friday, February 28th at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. More than 600 professionals from across the globe are expected to attend.

Maggie Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards, commented, "Every finalist nominee should be proud of the work they did over the past 18 months to be recognized by the judges. They should also be proud of how well they effectively communicated those achievements to the judges. We look forward to recognizing them all with Gold Stevie Award trophies and Silver and Bronze Stevie medals in Las Vegas on February 28."

More than 2,600 nominations from organizations of all sizes, representing virtually every industry, across 48 nations, were evaluated in this year's competition. Finalists were determined by the average scores of more than 180 professionals worldwide, working within seven specialized judging committees. Entries were considered in more than 90 categories for customer service and contact center achievements, including Contact Center of the Year, Award for Innovation in Customer Service and Customer Service Department of the Year; more than 60 categories for sales and business development achievements, ranging from Senior Sales Executive of the Year to Sales Training or Business Development Executive of the Year to Sales Department of the Year; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers.

About Sitel Group

Sitel Group's 80,000 people across the globe connect many of the world's best-known brands with their customers - 3.5 million times every day. As a global customer experience ("CX") management leader, we apply our 30+ years of industry-leading experience, and the entrepreneurial spirit of our group's founders, to deliver omnichannel experiences through voice, chat, social media and more to customers of our 400+ clients across all verticals from Fortune 500 companies to local startups.

Our group's breadth of capabilities powered by our ecosystem of experts including innso, Learning Tribes, Sitel, Sitel Insights and TSC go beyond business process outsourcing ("BPO") to support each and every stage of the customer journey. We are redefining the contact center ecosystem and improving business results by pairing innovative solutions - such as self-care and automation - with the human touch, emotion, and empathy of our people.

As a CX platform, we are powered by experts to deliver tailored CX solutions to fit our clients' needs through our consultative, customer-centric approach, adding value at every touchpoint - regardless of location, channel, or time of day.

Learn more atwww.sitel.comand connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

About The Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 nominations each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

Sponsors of the 14th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include HCL Technologies, Sales Partnerships, Inc. and ValueSelling Associates, Inc.

Media Contact: media@sitel.com

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Sitel Group and Learning Tribes Named Finalists In Three 2020 Stevie Awards - Benzinga

SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB) January 16, 2020

Vengreso announced today that Kadant Johnson LLC, a manufacturer of high-value, critical components and engineered systems used in process industries worldwide, has selected two of its services. Vengreso has delivered its Selling with LinkedIn Training for Teams and LinkedIn Profile Makeovers for the sales team and executives. Kadant Johnson recognizes the power of these services in modernizing its sales process to find, engage, and connect with the modern buyer.

The Vengreso LinkedIn Profile Makeover for Sales Teams is a highly collaborative process that transforms each sellers LinkedIn profile to improve personal branding, boost confidence, and enable sales professionals to create more qualified sales conversations.

Selling with LinkedIn for Teams is a virtual-instructor-led (VLT) program that blends on-demand self-guided learning with live training and live coaching support sessions. It ultimately improves a sales teams modern selling skills and builds their confidence to consistently grow their network enabling them to have more conversations with qualified buyers. During the training, 86% of the participants learned how to connect and engage with prospective buyers and/or clients, 79% learned how to prospect using LinkedIn, and 100% responded that the training made them more effective at their job.

We chose to partner with Vengreso to deliver LinkedIn Profile Makeovers and Selling with LinkedIn training because of their expertise in digital selling, said Carl Howe, Vice President Sales, Kadant Johnson. Our buyer is changing, and we need to adapt to our buyers behavior. Vengresos approach to digital selling training provides our team with the behavior change needed to develop our digital selling cadence. Paired with their LinkedIn Profile Makeover service, Im confident in our sales teams ability to engage more effectively with current and prospective customers.

Kadant Johnson is a global leader in delivering smart and efficient solutions to process industries, said Mario Martinez, Jr., CEO and Founder at Vengreso. It is an honor that they chose Vengreso to modernize their sales team to engage their modern buyers. Our award-winning training services equips Kadant Johnsons sales engineers with the mindset and skills to become effective modern sellers to ultimately increase their sales conversations and grow their pipeline.

About Vengreso Vengreso enables B2B sales professionals to start more conversations with qualified buyers. Companies engage Vengreso to transform their sales team into modern sellers by equipping them with the right content, transforming their LinkedIn profile with buyer-centric messaging and delivering digital sales training and coaching. Training is delivered through a learning-as-a-platform model for individuals as well as through live instruction and coaching for sales teams to maximize behavior change and results. Progressive companies such as Woodruff-Sawyer, Vistage, Miller Heiman Group, CenturyLink, and others work with Vengreso to empower their sellers to create more conversations with qualified buyers. Learn more at https://vengreso.com.

About Kadant Johnson Kadant Johnson LLC, based in Three Rivers, Michigan, is a leading provider of rotary joints, precision unions, and fluid handling systems and equipment used to optimize the transfer of power, fluid, and data in rotary sealing applications found in process industries. The Companys systems division specializes in the engineering, design, and supply of steam systems, controls, and related equipment used to manage steam and condensate flow. It also provides project management and remote monitoring to optimize steam energy utilization. For more information, visit http://www.kadant.com.

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Kadant Johnson Selects Vengreso for LinkedIn Profile Makeovers and Selling With LinkedIn Training for Teams - PR Web

Location: New York, New York Function: Sales & Business Development Specialty: Business Development, Sales Level: Manager (Supervisor) Duration: Full Time Salary Description: competitive

NBCUniversal is looking for a Manager, Cross Platform Ad Sales Insights & Measurement to support the NBCU Cable Entertainment & Lifestyle Groups (Bravo, E!, Oxygen, UKids, USA, Syfy, CNBC Prime & WWE) cross platform assets utilizing and developing research-driven solutions which identify the value proposition of our partnership for advertisers. This role supports the Ad Sales and Marketing teams by providing audience measurement, consumer insights, marketplace positioning and strategic research development. This role will be responsible for reporting and performance evaluation of advertiser campaigns, in addition to contributing towards greater ad sales research initiatives for the NBCU portfolio. Candidates must be highly skilled in using research and analytics to develop actionable insights and effective storytelling.

Duties and Responsibilities

Work closely with the VP of Ad Sales Insights & Measurement to create effective sales positioning that differentiates NBCU portfolio in the marketplace Analyze user behavior, create and maintain key reports, dashboards and analyses utilizing web analytics tools. Provide planned and proactive campaign specific insights to drive business decisions and strategy. Work with Sales and Marketing teams to respond to stakeholders RFIs, RFPs & Measurement inquiries. Support sales with the development of strong positioning stories to highlight the value of our cross portfolio, cross platform audience and sponsorship opportunities to the advertising community. Collaborate with the larger Insights & Measurement team to position NBCUs portfolio and Partnerships. Development of agency, client, category, content insights and positioning Utilize primary and syndicated research to demonstrate the effectiveness of sponsorships and NBCUs value for partners Quantify the impact of TV, Digital, Social and emerging media. To provide proactive performance and success stories across NBCU Cable Entertainment and Lifestyle brands and aide in sales efforts Ability to train team members in efficient and effective analytics reporting techniques.

Qualifications

Bachelors degree required 3-5 years experience in TV, Digital and Social media research and/or emerging media Knowledge of media metrics & landscape; including television, digital, social and cross-media At least one year of management experience. Seeking an individual to collaborate and oversee the day-to-day business of delivering insights on client RFIs, RFPs, measurement requests, etc. Candidate should have a proven track record of successfully project managing various measurement and analytics opportunities from ideation to final deliverable Strong computer skills; Excel, Word and PowerPoint a must Strong communication, presentation and interpersonal skills required

Eligibility Requirements

Interested candidate must submit a resume/CV through http://www.nbcunicareers.com to be considered Must be willing to work in New York, NY Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States Must be 18 years or older

Desired Characteristics

Linear, digital & social experience Management/training experience with lower level analysts Strong communication, presentation and interpersonal skills Ideal candidate will have strong hands-on working knowledge and experience with a variety of TV, digital & social syndicated reporting databases and software such as Nielsen NPower, Nielsen Social Content Ratings, Lake5, comScore/Rentrak, Adobe, ListenFirst, Canvs, Shareablee, Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, Snapchat Analytics, MRI, YouGov, GWI, TVBE, Marketplace Insight Tools (Mintel, eMarketer, Statista) Knowledge of digital measurement metrics (impressions, CTR, VCR) and application Understanding of tagging (SDK implementation, attribution and effectiveness studies) to help measurement strategies for internal and external clients. Ability to apply multiple data sets for positioning and storytelling Solutions driven, proactive and able to work independently Knowledge of campaign effectiveness, primary research methodologies and approaches a plus Knowledge of data visualization tools i.e. DOMO, Tableau a plus

At NBCUniversal, we believe in the talent of our people. Its our passion and commitment to excellence that drives NBCUs vast portfolio of brands to succeed. From broadcast and cable networks, news and sports platforms, to film, world-renowned theme parks and a diverse suite of digital properties, we take pride in all that we do and all that we represent. Its what makes us uniquely NBCU. Here you can create the extraordinary. Join us.

NBCUniversals policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law. NBCUniversal will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with relevant legal requirements, including the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative For Hiring Ordinance, where applicable.

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Manager, Ad Sales Insights & Measurement job with NBCUniversal, Inc. | 409515 - mediabistro.com

Did you make any New Years resolutions this year? If you didnt, why not consider a few new approaches in your selling instead of making resolutions? Here are a few sales ideas to consider so you can start the year off right.

A recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that clinical articles involving a male first or last author were more likely to present research findings positively in titles and abstracts compared with articles in which both the first and last author were women. As a result, the studies authored by men received about 10% more citations than the studies authored by women.

Did you know that citations are used for hiring and promotion decisions? Women scientists are not promoting themselves as well as men and suffer as a result.

I would imagine that business and sales are no different than the medical arena with men also making more sweeping claims about their work and women doing so less often.

However, theres one very obvious area I notice a discrepancy between men and women taking credit: when they receive compliments. Ive observed that women tend to minimize the compliments they get. They will say, Its nothing or No problem.

Ladies: You work just as hard as men do. Please acknowledge compliments with a Thanks for noticing or It was my pleasure. By graciously accepting the compliment you strengthen the compliment by acknowledging you did something special. Refuting a compliment hurts you because you are disputing what the speaker says. Dont do that!

I believe its much easier to criticize than it is to be complimentary. After all, isnt it easier to spot whats going wrong instead of seeing all that is going right? Part of what youre selling is your attitude. Who would prefer to buy from a complaining, negative know-it-all? While thats an extreme description, think about how you are perceived by others. Are you known for your positive attitude? Or are you known for your Debbie Downer persona?

This year, why not hold your tongue instead of complaining? Remember that criticism is a complaint whether you perceive it that way or not. Catch yourself when all you have to contribute is something negative. And even if you start offering a negative critique, its not too late to pull back. You can stop yourself with Oh, never mind.

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Im not saying to ignore all faults. What I am saying is you need to think about an attitude adjustment if all your comments are about small, insignificant items that only you have noticed that need improvement.

Ill never forget a sales call I made with a newly hired salesperson. The customer was engaged in the sales conversation, and I thought the salesperson was doing a good job answering questions. But there were a few questions the customer asked that made me curious about why he was asking them. At this point, my colleague should have asked, in a non-threatening way, why the customer was asking those specific questions, but he didnt. However, that wasnt his biggest error.

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Start the Year Off Right: New Sales Ideas to Try This Quarter - AllBusiness.com