There is a strange parallel between successful sporting teams and businesses, in that decline is almost inevitable if the best people leave.

Maintaining the quality of those staff that drive a business forward is critical to the momentum of a company, and that simultaneously relates to both recruitment and retention of the most talented people.

If you dont believe us, then consider how many times youve read a business story about someone unknown who left a successful company to start their own, and ultimately eclipse the business they started at.

For smaller businesses, this is less of an issue, but in Enterprises knowing who the sharpest knives in the drawer are, and how inclined they are to stay is worth time and money to manage.

Here are some of the best talent management tools, for those that dont want to find that theyre now competing with previously ignored ex-staff.

(Image credit: Oracle)

A comprehensive offering with built-in metrics dashboards

Cloud-based solution

Finding, hiring and onboarding in one tool

Easy to use

Expensive

Steep learning curve

Any talent management tool needs to help recruiters find the best people while also helping retain the ones that already work for you. And, Oracle Taleo Cloud Service was designed precisely to deliver those two requirements.

Taleo is a cloud-based solution, allowing HR people to access applicants and exist staff profiles from any computer, at any time.

To enhance the quality of the information available, Oracle Taleo Cloud Service includes a mechanism to track Twitter and Facebook, allowing a better understanding of what employees are like when theyre not working.

But the key product strength of this tool is how it streamlines the process of filling posts. You can find the applicants, recruit them, bring them into the company and then develop them to make the best of their abilities.

Oracles pitch here is all about being efficient, getting the right people and keeping them from heading to a competitor.

The caveat to having such a powerful Cloud-based tool with the ability to manage hundreds or more employees comes at a high price when it has Oracle in its name.

And, it also comes with a steep learning curve for those wanting to get the most out of it.

(Image credit: Saba)

A suite of HR supporting tools

Cloud-based

Great Saba community support

Innovative social media use

Mobile apps need improving

Pre-built reports dont offer detail

Instead of putting all its abilities in one tool, Saba has a suite of service that handles the finding, recruitment, onboarding, personal development, coaching and workforce planning.

This segmentation allows companies to cherry-pick those services that they need, and not bother with other functions already provided through another mechanism.

In its marketing material, the phrase Candidate Relationship Management is used, even if that has an already accepted acronym.

What theyre refereeing to is the ability to make the best impression with a candidate from the outset, build a brand identity that would interest them, and then make an offer that seals the deal.

Once talented staff are on board, a whole new process can take over and enhance the employee with a tailored development plan.

Much of what Saba offers is a classic HR platform that utilises analytics to identify those talented people that might be overlooked or underdeveloped and allows them to achieve more strategic goals and deliver better performance.

And, product the right learning experience for each person to succeed.

Many companies are using Saba solely to produce and distribute learning content and find that it provides them with an effective closed-loop of education and involvement for staff.

Part of this process encourages staff to create social media groups, hold webinars, events and meetings all initiated within Saba.

The only complaints weve seen about Saba is that the mobile applications lack the refinements of the web interface and platform.

(Image credit: Bamboo HR)

Neat design and bags of functionality

Open API provides extensibility

Lacks benefits administration

Expensive

Where the likes of Saba break up their features into bite-sized chunks, Bamboo HR bundles all its features into a single platform that does a huge number of tasks.

Despite the functionality overload that comes with this choice, Bamboo HR is considered one, if not the best online HR software service for providing a complete pathway from recruitment to retention.

At the heart of this offering is the HR Bamboo ATS or Applicant Tracking System, a tool that organises candidate information from first contact, through to an offer and ultimately recruitment.

Its designed to enable recruiters to capture the right data to determine the perfect recruit for a role and deliver the right type of experience for the candidate.

As HR tools should be, this one is unashamedly people-centric.

Where other solutions are purely for enterprise-class operations, this is made with small and medium scale businesses in mind. HR staff can easily collect and maintain staff data, and then analyse it to improve hiring processes, onboarding and manage cost-effective compensation.

Getting talented people onboard is only part of the story, and Bamboo HR also has the tools to measure employee performance, how they feel about their job, and how they fit into the company culture. And, should staff need support or development, you can use this tool to create a plan of action and manage the execution of that.

(Image credit: Recruitee)

A fresh approach to talent sourcing

Easy to use

Simple pricing model

Less scope for customisation than rivals

Recruitee has a very modern website, and its product also has a very clean and elegant look.

The software breaks down the recruitment process into three phases that are called Attract, Automate and Predict.

The Attract phase is a multi-pronged approach to locating candidates that includes creating a careers site, seeding LinkedIn, using social media and free job boards. And, then effectively filtering candidates and acquiring data about them without implicitly entering it all by hand.

Automate then further processes this data to remove duplicates and process the applications to distil the top contenders for a position.

And finally Predict helps a company refine its hiring process, determine the best methods for sourcing talented people, avoid employing the wrong people and predict the likelihood that the prime candidate will accept an offer.

All this activity takes place on secure cloud servers, where candidate data is protected by a GDPR compliant system. The software can handle multiple companies, a range of languages that includes Dutch, English, French and German.

And, this system includes mobile apps for Apple iOS and Android.

Features aside, what it is attracting many to Recruitee is the flat pricing model. There are only three tiers; Professional, Expert and Corporate. These are priced $79, $149 and $299 per month, all with unlimited users.

And, these options differ only in the number of job openings and talent pools that are supported.

(Image credit: Zoho Recruit)

Zoho integrations

Affordable

Made for agencies

Lacks out-of-office hours support

If Zoho hasnt cornered enough markets already, it also has a recruitment solution that works alongside its other platforms, like CRM and Motivator.

Zoho Recruit has three faces designed to support staffing agencies, corporate HR and those agencies that supply temporary workforces.

Each of these areas is tailored to the needs of these customer types, and how those come into contact with potential candidates and manage them on the system.

Therefore, the staffing agency solution has a complete pipeline for finding and hiring, where temporary workforce management is more about scheduling, timesheets and flexibility.

What it doesnt do is provide much in the way of retention tools, once candidates have converted to employees, if thats applicable.

Where it is strong, especially in the corporate HR space, is in enabling companies to define a decision and reporting hierarchy where the managers that need staff, accounts and HR can all have a stratified contribution in hiring.

If this solution has weaknesses, they are that its not blessed with the best interface design and support is generally handled via email and not telephone.

But you do get lots of features for the very approachable cost.

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Best talent software of 2019 - TechRadar

Businessman Challenge. Concept for success

I need a business coach wasnt a phrase a CEO would even consider muttering 10 years ago. Now, it seems to be the biggest buzz word in Silicon Valley. So why are CEOs flocking to this new resource, and what exactly are they learning in these coveted sessions? Finally, is the mystery sauce that seems to be going on behind closed doors really all the helpful?

First, we do know the business world is changing. From large corporations to small startups, companies are moving toward a new human-capital business model, one where employee satisfaction and engagement is valued alongside bottom-lines. And while companies will prioritize profit, there has been increased awareness that retaining talent, increasing overall productivity and creating a culture where employees feel appreciated as individuals is actually the secret ingredient to creating a great company.

In addition, CEOs are also learning that while they may be experts in vision, making complicated decisions and crunching numbers, the realization has been uncovered that their personal psychology and leadership style has a direct impact on the strength and success of their company.

To explain a bit more, every person, whether you are a leader or a contributor has a personal psychology that will directly affect your relationships, whether in the work place or in your living room. We also know that your personal psychology has strengths and weaknesses. Many of us will know where we excel, however, when the classic interview question comes up, What are your weaknesses, few of us are quick to honestly answer; and some of us dont even know the answer.

At times, our unique personalities will get in the way of career successes; they can even can limit us. For example, you may have a fear of making decisions, an inability to stand up for yourself, procrastination, saying yes to everything, being overly detailed, an inability to meet deadlines, the list can go on and on. It is these very roadblocks that get in your way from excelling in your role. And it these roadblocks that CEOs are paying business coaches to uncover for them, and teach them alternative ways.

So what are these tools coaches are teaching CEOs? Here are 3 of the most favorite tips downloaded you.

Tip #1: Reexamining Your Beliefs

Whether we realize it or not, we all have ideas about who we are, what were capable of and what our limitations are. And while our beliefs may seem accurate, sometimes those beliefs are faulty.Yes, faulty.

The trouble is, beliefs are not facts, although self-beliefs can feel like facts. Heres an example of a self belief: I want to be a software engineer, but I dont have the skills or education.The self-belief or rather, internal voice, says, "that cant be me, so I might as well not bother." That is not a fact, but rather, something you installed all on your own.

Where do faulty beliefs come from? Contributing factors abound, from messages received in childhood, to cultural norms and gender biases, to everyday events that reinforce what we already believe to be true. Put simply, we each have a personal algorithm that subconsciously cherry picks information, which in turn creates beliefs about ourselves. Sometimes were able to go one step further and consciously examine this information on our own, but sometimes were left with self-selected blind spots.

The first step is to identify what assumptions youve made about yourself. And while you are identifying these assumptions, remember, these are simply beliefs - not facts. Next,try your best to craft a more objective narrative. What is standing in your way? Is it really not attainable, or is this fear-based? If youre scared, what are you scared of? Sometimes asking these difficult questions can begin to unlock the fear that is holding you back.

Tip #2: Removing Your Blinders

Its easy to get tunnel vision when it comes to your corporate career: promotions at set intervals, regular salary bumps, and new positions that never run too far afield of your established area. In the corporate world in particular, your future can seem neatly planned out, providing you a straight-and-narrow path to follow.

Yet theres one problem with a career thats laid out in well-ordered increments: too often, theres little room for self-growth.

The straight-and-narrow path is safe, and for many of us, it is in that safety that provides comfort and assurance. However, it is also important to challenge yourself. Discovering what dreams still lie within your career aspirations, along with re-defining new goals. Other times, you may need to evaluate letting go of something. A dream that didnt work, or a career that isnt right for you.

Your blinders, just like your beliefs can feel fixed, and yet they are fluid if you allow them to be. It is in your blinders that can make you feel safe, but paradoxically, can also limit you. Simply by challenging your assumptions can provide the next step to your career growth.

Tip #3: Having a Strong Psychological Boundary

A strong psychological boundary is vital to success, but many of us neglect this necessary element of our professional development. Whats a psychological boundary? Its an internal process (done in your mind) that that protects us from digesting irrelevant or untrue information from inaccurate resources. Unless this barrier is actively cultivated, it can be eroded by the messages we receive from those around us.

Many people will enter your career landscape, and each will have their own ideas about you. Even if your colleagues and co-workers dont state their opinions outright, their interactions with you will hint at how they regard you. For better or for worse, these direct or indirect messages can seep into your psyche and shape how you see yourself.

A psychological boundary is the decision to decide what messages you want to let in, and what messages you want to kick out. For example, a piece of constructive criticism from your trusted supervisor may be something you decide to take in. However, theEVP who never liked you from the get go, may share information about you that wont be coming from the same evaluation-based place. This is a message you would not take in. When you decide to not take something in, it simply means you dont digest that message. Put simply, you dont become a sponge to every piece of feedback, rather you become a strainer looking for accurate messages from trusted resources.

By actively filtering messages, you will create a stronger, more accurate work-place self-esteem. You will also be able to take on feedback in a new, more professional way. With feedback comes self knowledge, and it is with self knowledge that allows us to change and evolve.

In summary, whether you are a CEO or an individual contributor, it is crucial to build awareness about yourself. Take a good long look in the mirror, and ask yourself hard questions about what makes you unique, and what are your challenge areas. It is in the analysis of your imperfections that you will be able to unlock your roadblocks. And by being as objective as you can while being compassionate to yourself, you can begin to untether yourself from your self-made chains, and reach new heights.

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The Top 3 Tools Business Coaches Give CEOs - Forbes

Living each day while pining for things you think you want, but certainly dont need, is the biggest force that holds you back. And heres the best part:

You and you alone have the control to stop and prevent this.

One of the most empowering realities in this world is that we permit or prevent the thoughts that enter our minds. When were of stable mind, we have control mentally over our destiny.

We allow thoughts to blossom or wilt.

Part of having faith and living a confident lifestyle is adopting the mental state of living by necessity. Simply put there are things that we need and things that we want. Theres nothing wrong with wanting anything. Heck, this is imagination at its finest!

Weshouldwant a life lived on our terms. We should want to surround ourselves with people who bring out the best in us. All good things.

But we should never obsessively want and wish for things that we dont need. I know this all too well Ive found this pattern in my life through both the places Ive lived, and also the jobs Ive held. My natural disposition is toward a futuristic mindset. Im a planner and a dreamer who is mentally looking to fulfill future plans too far in advance.

In other words mentally, my mind can race and I lack patience. I can miss my family, old friends and the comforts of my hometown. I can get lost in the perks of what I believe my future career to be. But I have all I need right now.

Maybe you know the same feeling.

As you look at your life, no matter where you live or where you are in your professional journey, you do have what you need. What you need is how you live each day with maximum focus, energy and hope. The biggest thing holding you back is living too much in the past or maybe even worse yet, too far in the future that you forget the present moment.

Do you know what you want? What does your ideal day, week and life look like?

I know what I want. I want to help change peoples lives through my writing, coaching and public speaking. Im doing those things right now. I have thousands of people that reach out to me every week and this helps me reaffirm that what Im doing is right. Sometimes, its easy to wonder if Im on the right track.

How are the days results? How are my emotions?

Maybe youre right there on the journey with me. Living your best life, but sometimes struggling with what ifs and occasional regret. Youre working on yourself each day, implementing a strategy, routine and plan. Once you have everything in flow, youll have found the missing puzzle piece that connects everything together and brings complete stability to your existence.

Maybe.

Because tomorrow is never promised today. Setting goals, drafting plans and actively working toward your those goals is vitally important. But in the process, we must not lose sight of our current situation. Were in the midst of where we are for a reason. Theres no such thing as preordained wasted time.

Were not meant to waste time when we know what we want for both today and our futures. We need to make the most of the time in front of us the present moment and never squander opportunities! Our trouble is not so much the inability or desire to act, as it is the impulse and recognition of what opportunity truly is. Opportunity is all around us. Its not off in some distant future.

The trials and stages of life that we think we can auto-pilot or put on cruise-control are often remarkable, seminal periods of growth. If you take nothing else away from this article, please, recognize that opportunities are always right there, front and center in life. Theyre right there if you allow yourself to live and immerse yourself in the present moment.

Sometimes the opportunities are obvious. Sometimes theyre less obvious. And sometimes theyre concealed. Theyre in disguise. Or they appear to be something different.

When this happens, we often carry the weight of what we think we want, when what we have right in front of us. The life we want with our boyfriend, girlfriend, family, job, idea, spiritual journey or personal development project is truly all that matters in that moment. We have to learn to put the past behind us and to stop regretting a life that isnt actually ours.

The past is prologue. Whats already happened is helping you build for what you truly want. You shouldnt drain yourself over wishing for something that isnt part of your lifes journey, even though you once wondered whether it would be. You have to move forward and focus on the present. The future can wait.

Your grand designs for becoming a business owner are still going to be there for you. Youre not missing out today. Youre only missing out today if you punt your opportunity for thinking that the future is the be-all and end-all.

Right now is all that truly matters when it comes to opportunities and living. When you live in yesterday and tomorrow, you are hurting yourself. Youre stunting your growth. Ask yourself where has that ever gotten you?

Plan your future. Develop your definition of success. Start writing out goals and constructing an objective that really matters to you. Align your dreams, creative thoughts and deepest personal ambitions, and loves, to a plan that is measurable and achievable. But outside of that time, while you should always keep an eye on the future, you have to master your present through thoughtful, inspired action.

You truly do have everything you need in the present. Thats not to say that you have everything you need for a particular goal, career ambition or to even land the man of your dreams. But you have everything you need to live in the moment with clarity, joy and love in your heart. You have what you need to continue building for the big things that you really want.

Patience is preached and esteemed in its virtue for a reason because so many successful and happy people realize that all of their dreams dont just come true in an instant. Or six months. Or one year or even five or 10 years. Sometimes they do, but surely youve realized that it usually doesnt work that way. Like a tree, the seeds of your personal growth need to be nurtured and allowed time to take root.

Im not quite the professional I want to beyet. And, maybe youre not either. Theres a confidence and assurance in that. Theres aneedto embrace this state of mind. The happiest people embrace their current situation, in good times and bad, because they know that maintaining a positive attitude and equilibrium will benefits them in the long run.

Its the long game that matters. On this marathon journey of life its not a sprint! youre better equipped to peacefully and joyfully embrace the job you have now. The life you have in your one-bedroom efficiency with the slightly cracked window. Your long train commute to the job that you think you hate, but only because its not exactly what you want.

Because all of these things are stops along the way on the real ride toward the life you want most. Theyre lessons, signposts meant to be observed and not dismissed. Theyre all helping you grow and make sense of the person you are and who you want to be. All the things you dont have right now are not needs. Theyre (maybe) only wants.

You have today. And thats all that matters.

This article first appeared on Medium. Join my newsletter for emotional intelligence and productivity content! Get a FREE Coaching Call to Explore Your Emotional Intelligence, and Learn how to Achieve Your Biggest Goals! Check out my Amazon bestseller, The Value of You, which has helped tens of thousands of people develop the game plan for living their best life!

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The biggest thing holding you back and what to do about it - Ladders

No matter who you ask, everyone has a memory from their school years that stems from learning outside the classroom. Fieldwork and adventurous activity all impact on how we develop and enhance our wider view of the world.

At Epic Outdoors, we deliver beyond the classroom experiences designed to prepare your students for the challenges of a lifetime.

Educating the leaders of tomorrow is a dynamic process, especially as the future workplace is evolving at an exponential rate. By 2025, 75% of the workforce will be millennial. The favoured type of working life will revolve around the gig economy, meaning over the course of a working lifetime an individual can expect to have four to five different careers.

In many respects the current generation of young people are faced with the tougher challenges than any preceding it. The age of information means total exposure to peers, world events and social pressures. A recent survey conducted by the Central YMCA in the UK revealed the top two concerns of young people were a lack of employment opportunities and a failure to succeed in education. Whilst some of these concerns may have been present in their 1970s equivalents, many are new and made more acute by the instant feedback loops of smartphones and a plethora of multimedia.

We are in the position of asking more of our young people than ever before testing and academic standards, social awareness and pressure, increased competition for jobs and knowledge of longer-term financial pressure. We are juxtaposing that with fewer support networks and removal of core skills and life experiences from the school programme.

This combination seems to be building a perfect storm and it poses several key questions. What skills will millennials need to engage in the gig economy? Is the current education system preparing them for the future? How can education evolve to become more sustainable? How can we develop personal resilience in young people? We now as a nation have to factor in the great unknown the post Brexit landscape. How do we prepare for the unknown? We believe four key characteristics are key adaptability, resilience, creativity and diversity, or ARCD for short.

We believe that people are best outside, and that personal challenge is the foundation of confident people

At Epic Outdoors, we firmly believe that adventure education is key to developing the leaders of tomorrow. Connecting with our areas of natural beauty is also key for a generation that will need to place the environment at the core of all it does. We provide bespoke adventure programmes and Duke of Edinburghs Award Scheme delivery to schools and colleges throughout the UK.

Real adventure, in beautiful places such as the Lake District, Snowdonia or the Highlands of Scotland, delivered by skilled instructor teams. We use adventurous activity to deliver your pastoral aims.

We work with you to develop a truly bespoke experience, ensuring each individuals personal development takes centre stage. We are licensed by the Adventure Activities Licensing service, an approved provider for the Duke of Edinburghs Award Scheme and an organisational member of the Institute for Outdoor Learning. We are passionate about what we do. We believe that people are best outside, and that personal challenge is the foundation of confident people. Adventure has never had a more important role to play in education, contact us today to make sure your young peoples experiences are epic.

E: info@epicoutdoors.co.ukW: http://www.epicoutdoors.co.uk

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Success through adventure - Independent Education Today

Devin Townsend was the guest on Full Metal Jackie's weekend show. The talented artist made the bold move of stepping away from his band after their last album, choosing to stretch himself artistically with the new Empath album.

During the chat, Devin speaks about not boxing himself in as an artist, how working acoustically has provided its own challenges and his desire to field different lineups of musicians to play his Empath music live. Check out the discussion below.

We're here to talk about the new album, Empath, which shows various elements showcased throughout your career. What's the prominent revelation about your musical development through the single context of this album?

I think the overarching theme of this is one that is of middle age, and what tends to happen as you careen towards 50 is unawareness of time and mortality and things such as this. It's a pretty typical story, but how that affected the creative part of this album is that it put me in the position to where I wanted to almost make a best-of album of everything that I've done in the past, but with new material. [I wanted to]analyze my relationship with each one of those sorts of musical aesthetics.

So the heavy stuff, or the orchestral stuff, or the top stuff, I put it all in one place. And I also think that the sort of awareness of time allowed me to take some risks with this record that, up to this pointI've just not taken; financially or thematically, or whatever. It's resulted in something that I'm really proud of.

In terms of composition and production, your music has often been elaborate. How will simplifying it on tour with an acoustic set redefine the perception of your songs?

I think that's a good question. I think the reason why I'm doing the acoustic is two-fold. One, it gives me time to think. The process of making Empath is just really, really arduous, and although I recognized the need to promote it immediately and tour it immediately, I wanted to cut myself a break, and not just do a nose dive into a brand new band immediately. So the acoustics show is giving me an opportunity to be present for an audience, promote it and spend some time thinking about my next step. So when I do get back there with this next group of people, it's not haphazard.

Then second of all, what the acoustics show has really underlined to me is the fact that all of this music that I've written, no matter the complexity of it, generally starts with me and a guitar in my room, or on tour, or what have you. And to be able to play these acoustic shows and include Strapping [Young Lad] songs or Empath songs, or orchestral songs, and still have it come across the way they do on the record emotionally, I think really demonstrates to the audience that this stuff is not entirely based on complexity of the production, but it really is rooted in the emotional content.

Devin, musicians can find their creativity inadvertently, bound by the music that made them popular. What made you consciously determined to never be defined by any specific style?

I think that fame is something that I actively try to avoid. And the older I get, the more conscious I get of how easily you can be defined by your work in the longterm, if you've had significant success at any one aspect of it. Some people would argue that you should seek that type of success. For example, making that one really commercial song, or the one really commercial album, as a means to fund your creative endeavors past that point.

However, it's a two-sided sword, because as soon as you start generating income that other people become dependent on, whether it's the label or management or the band or a crew on tour, the amount of pressure that gets compounded on your creativity to uphold that level of financial success, I think can really tempt artists to make decisions creatively that are in opposition to where as a person they need to go.

So I, in a sense with Empath, made a conscious decision to pull back from the success that was starting to happen with DTP because as much as I enjoyed those people and that band, it wasn't right yet. My pursuit of getting my vision right is such that I'm willing to sacrifice anything that is not in line with the truth.

Steve Vai and Chad Kroeger from Nickelback are two of numerous people playing and singing on Empath. Do you write with specific people in mind or is it a case of who can best convey something once it's written?

I think it's a combination of the two because all the creativity that I have engaged in with all these records are it's all hand in hand with the personal development. I think that ultimately if I was to define what it is what I'm trying to do, as a person let alone music, is I'm trying to become actualized as who I am but without any compromise, without any delusions of who I am within myself. That's a lofty goal. Will I get there? That's debatable, but that's the goal nonetheless.

So, within that process, you encounter scenarios that influence your writing and because of the success that I've to have up until this point and the number of people that I know within the scene and what have you, I know a ton of people. From time to time, those circumstances and those people that you know become important shifts in your creative consciousness. And when that does happen the music will typically be hand in hand with that. So I ask people to be involved with the songs specifically if they have been involved with aspects of that personal growth.

Chad or Steve or [Mike] Keneally or the orchestras, or whatever, are examples of people that I've just found in my life by circumstance. The circumstance clearly being involved with the music industry and what have you, but certain bands nonetheless. So as I'm listening through, I often think to myself I need another voice here. This song goes hand in hand with this situation that this person was involved with, therefore I will ask them.

You've been auditioning people for multiple touring bands, each meant for specific tours over the next few years. What exhilarates you about the nuances different players will give your music?

I think I have not had the opportunity to really stretch my wings, if you want to look at it that way, as a creative entity. I think up until this point I have peered stretching for whatever reason. Maybe I was financially dependent on a certain level of success, but over the past few years I've made shifts to my personal life that have accommodated a lot more experimentation and each time I've done that, and it hasn't fallen on its face, it makes me realize how many more things I want to experience as an artist.

So, when it came time to decide on what I was going to do with a live band, to play Empath in its entirety in 2021, it started with, 'OK well you need to put together a band to do that.' But that was something that imposed a parameter on me that I'm not yet ready for. As soon as you do this, well there's your album. That's what your doing, Bob's your uncle.

But what I decided to do instead was, 'Well hang on, I want to do three or four different bands that do very different things.' Maybe one of them can be really improvisational and really avant-garde. Maybe one can be really brutal. Maybe one can be really orchestral and choral. Maybe one can be really simplistic and minimal. Then by doing that, this acoustic tour being one example of that trajectory, by the time I get to Empath in 2021 I will have played the material in one form or another and I will have gone through enough musicians that I will know who the right people to be doing what it is what I want to do.

So it's a way of not only providing an audience something really interesting and really uncompromised and really in ways I've never been able to explore which brings excitement to it that I haven't felt in years. I have a final goal in mind, once I get to it, it will be unequivocal as a result of this.

Thanks to Devin Townsend for the interview. The 'Empath' album is currently available in the format of your choosing here. Townsend is currently on tour in support of the album. See all dates and get ticketing info here. Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackies radio showhere.

2019's Best Metal Albums... So Far

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Devin Townsend Will Sacrifice Anything 'Not in Line With Truth' - Loudwire

The outline of Davionne Goodens new computer game may feel familiar: The main character must defeat villains to reach an ultimate goal.

But woven in are elements that set the game apart. The main character is stuck in a coma, and the villains are nightmares. Players confront issues of anxiety and depression. And, through an all-black cast, Mr. Gooden deliberately features the experiences of people typically absent from mainstream games.

If youre a white creator, you rarely think about that, he said.

Gaming is a multibillion-dollar business, and one that has remained largely white and largely male.

Five years after Gamergate exposed the kind of toxicity that can lurk in a community where diverse perspectives are underrepresented, little seems to have changed for minorities and women in the industry. Today, people like Mr. Gooden still confront an industry that infrequently reflects who they are.

Youve got to take it one day, one year, one game at a time. Davionne GoodenCreator of She Dreams Elsewhere

Three out of four people working in the gaming industry are men. Almost the same proportion identifies as white. And those numbers have hardly budged since 2015, according to surveys conducted by the nonprofit International Game Developers Association.

If youre a young person of color playing games, you dont really see yourself represented, said Mitu Khandaker, a professor at New York Universitys game center. That kind of instills in you this sense that maybe I dont really belong.

That lack of diversity in mainstream gaming games made by the handful of large development companies can be cyclical, turning people away from the industry, said Dr. Khandaker, who is also the chief executive of Glow Up Games, a research and development studio focused on diversity.

Women, for example, are rarely promoted to senior positions or made the heads of studios. Many gamers say toxic harassment online is still an everyday fear.

Some like Mr. Gooden, 21, see signs of hope. He started making games shortly after he got his first laptop in the fifth grade and discovered a game-developing program online. He never stopped. In Mr. Goodens role-playing game, She Dreams Elsewhere, the main character, Thalia Sullivan, navigates her own mind, battling nightmares as she tries to eventually figure how she fell into a coma.

The most recent I.G.D.A. survey found that 81 percent of those in the industry feel that diversity in the workplace is either very important or somewhat important, up from 63 percent in 2015.

And developers have more outlets to get their games in the hands of players, including online platforms like Steam and crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, as well as gaming conferences and festivals.

Im an optimist, Mr. Gooden said. I hope that things will eventually be better as a whole.

I am just one or two steps removed from people who are like exploding in popularity in this very scary way. Squinky Creator of Robot Slow Dance

When Gamergate unfolded in 2014, the world was exposed to the toxic side of gaming. Spurred by a misogynistic post online from a game developers ex-boyfriend, mobs online publicly attacked female creators and players in a targeted harassment campaign. Women routinely received rape and death threats.

Dietrich Squinkifer, better known as Squinky, knew many of the victims.

Watching friends being targeted was scary, but not surprising for Squinky, who uses they and them pronouns. Squinky had tangled with the same culture before.

They began making games in the early 2000s. Squinkys first job in the industry was with Telltale Games, a company based in San Rafael, Calif., known for The Walking Dead, a zombie apocalypse adventure game.

Squinky, 33, said that as their career progressed, they increasingly tried to advocate a better understanding of race, gender and sexuality in the industry. Colleagues saw Squinky as a troublemaker, and bosses were quick to reprimand.

They burned out of mainstream gaming.

Now, Squinky pursues independent, artistic projects, like Robot Slow Dance. Its a game in which people use controllers to make two miniature foam and metal robots dance with each other.

I think thats part of the reason a lot of my focus in my work has gone more toward more experimentality, installation and performance art, following more of an art world tradition, Squinky said. I am to some degree scared of creating something that will get popular enough within the video game world community that it does receive that kind of backlash.

The game itself is a commentary on social gender norms, which are nonexistent for robots. They wont make the same assumptions as humans, Squinky said.

I like that its a way for me to express myself, and kind of take control of any situation that Ive had in my life.Emma KidwellCreator of Half

Emma Kidwells father is white. Her mother is Japanese. But growing up in the overwhelmingly white, rural suburb of Walkersville, Md., she felt detached from her Japanese identity.

Making games would help her reconnect.

She became interested in gaming as a child, watching her brothers play Xbox and PlayStation. About three years ago in college, Ms. Kidwell tried building games for a narrative design class.

Through games, Ms. Kidwell, 25, found she could tell stories about her personal life. She made one about the awkwardness of buying condoms at a store; she made another about watching her grandmother grapple with dementia.

In January, her grandfather in Japan died, rekindling Ms. Kidwells childhood uneasiness about her biracial identity. So she made the interactive, web-based game Half.

The narrative game takes the player through a series of Ms. Kidwells memories. She wrote about feelings of wanting to look more Japanese, about how her mother stopped talking to her in Japanese and about how she was mistaken for being Chinese.

Since then, I havent felt the same really weird self-consciousness, she said.

I want to show other people, similar to me, that they can create stuff like that that theres a space for it. Joyce LinCreator of Queering Spacetime

In Joyce Lins new tabletop card game, players role-play as girls with crushes on each other. One might become Avery, who is Japanese and Scottish and pansexual, or Ioh, a Korean tomboy.

Draw another card, and Avery and Ioh might meet at a gas station at 1 a.m., with one needing a ride.

Together, players craft a date: Will Ioh give Avery a ride? What is the best way the early morning can unfold, based on each characters personality traits?

Ms. Lin, 21, said the game, Queering Spacetime, is an attempt to put forth a positive representation of queer relationships, often overlooked in games and media.

Usually, in dating sims, you have to impress a character, she said, referring to simulation games. Its sort of one-sided.

Ms. Lin, who recently came out, said her game exemplified the queer form of resistance building safe spaces together as a shield against all that is harmful in the world.

Theres this culture that youre supposed to be good at gaming. For me, games are not about that. Julian CorderoCo-creator of Despelote

Julian Cordero, 22, loves soccer but hates its competitive culture. So, when he made a game about the sport, it wasnt about playing a match.

The game, which he made with his development partner, Sebastin Valbuena, 28, is called Despelote and is set in their hometown, Quito, Ecuador.

In first person, the player kicks a soccer ball around city parks, meeting people along the way.

Ultimately, the game for us is a game about soccer, but its not about the competitive aspect, Mr. Cordero said. Its quite the opposite. Its about the human aspect, and the relationships that sort of develop through kicking a ball around.

With Despelote, Mr. Cordero is trying to use soccer to reject the competitiveness of gaming, which he believes engenders the misogyny and consumerism that have been endemic to the culture.

Mr. Cordero wants people to know that he likes making and playing games, but hes not a gamer.

I wouldnt really call myself that, he said.

I saw there was a whole thing, a whole scene I never seen before. Aziza BrownOwner of Dynamik Focus

Aziza Brown is proud to call herself a gamer.

Ms. Brown, the founder and chief executive of Dynamik Focus, an e-sports and content creation team, said coverage of the industry erroneously dwelled on toxicity and Gamergate when discussing the lack of diversity.

Other, less sinister reasons lurk behind the demographics, she said, and they can be fixed.

Some people of color may be less likely to have access to the expensive, high-speed internet connections necessary to play at a competitive level, she said. Theres also what Ms. Brown called an information deficit not knowing which tournaments or clubs to go to or whom to meet in the community.

Ms. Brown, 39, points to her own experience as representative of how things can change.

Growing up in New York, she played many video games, particularly fighting games like Street Fighter. She played in some tournaments but then went to college at Stony Brook University and studied engineering.

When she returned, she set out to find a robust gaming community: tournaments, clubs, friends.

Through Dynamik Focus, she now tries to help others find their support groups. Ms. Brown was, for example, one of hundreds who attended an annual conference for developers of color in Harlem over the summer.

I had a talk with a woman in gaming, where I was like, please come to the offline communities, come to other places, because once the anonymous barrier is gone, you can see the person to their face, you can confront them, that behavior stops, she said.

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Fear, Anxiety and Hope: What It Means to Be a Minority in Gaming - The New York Times

You can sleep tonight, because we probably wont be assimilated into a colony of cyborgs who are more machine than human and call each other by number instead of their names. No one isturning into the Borg (like Captain Picardabove). The thing is that some transhumanists are willingly getting cyber-implants to fast-forward themselves into a future where man fuses with machine.

Transhumanists believe that we can upgrade ourselves through LED lights, computer chips and other implants that can give different human capacities an assist. Were already seeing this in the plans for Elon Musks Neuralink. Now an interview with BBC Scotlands The Nine has given us some insight into the people who voluntarily got LED lights under their skin for some cosmic sparkle or have chip implants in their hands that can open a car doorand already make keys seem archaic.

After engineer Winter Mraz nearly lost her life in a car accident that sent her to the operating room with a fractured back, ankle and knees, she had no idea how cybernetic enhancements would change her life forever. Her back needed to be bolted together, and one of her kneecap was so busted that she needed a 3D-printed replacement.

It if was not for my cybernetic kneecap I would not be able to walk, Mraz told the news channel. She also didnt know what she would be getting herself into.

It was the nearly fatal accident that convinced Mraz to get personal modifications unrelated to her injuries, like the microchips in her hands that can operate things as if by magic. She has a NFC (near-field communication) chip in her right hand that lets her phone, tablet and other gadgets share data. The RFID (radio-frequency-identification) chip in her left hand locks and unlocks her house door kind of like a workplace security card lets you open the door to the office. It also keeps her hand free for the cane she needs to get around.

Microchips are usually injected into the back of the hand like a syringe. When you really think about it, if you have a device like an Apple watch or Fitbit, microchip implants might freak you out right now, but they are (at least according to many transhumanists) the evolution of that technology.

If you want to see a really futuristic view of transhumanism, as in something that takes place in a fictional altverse where the cybernetically enhanced are at odds with the non-enhanced, read Steve Aokis Neon Future comic series. It will blow your mind.

(via BBC Scotland)

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Are LED lights and other techno-implants slowly turning us into the Borg? - SYFY WIRE

No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

British philosopher Alan Watts said that. And he wasnt lying.

Theres a grain of truth in that statement, and we all know it. Most of us seem to carry this notion that life is about planning and preparing for tomorrow. I, too, have been guilty of thinking the same way:

When I turned 18, I began writing down my hopeful bucket list. Long story short, it was a list of all the goals I wanted to achieve before I turned 20. I made a solemn vow to myself that I would achieve every single goal on that list, no matter what.

I crossed off many goals during this process, but there was one problem: I was constantly planning for the future, micromanaging every single hour of my days, never resting from the climb towards my goals.

I was constantly thinking about what I wanted to achieve ten months, five months, two years down the line.

I was not living for the moment. I was a sucker living for the future.

Whenever I conquered one goal, I would instantly be on the hunt for the next goal. I never gave myself time to appreciate the moment. I was constantly thinking about the other goals I wanted to achieve down the line.

And, perhaps, thats our problem right there.

We take all of our moments for granted. Our eyes are so focused on whats to come, that we forget to look around at whats already here.

We go out in search for those firefly sparks of good moments, and whenever we do catch one spark, we never hold on to it. We just drop it and run out in chase for other sparks:

To let go of the future, you need to first let go of the climb. Because the truth is that the climb will never end.

Life can sometimes feel as though it is a ladder. In life, were always climbing upwards, rung by rung, obstacle by obstacle, until we reach a higher level. When your eleven years old you need to climb your way up to secondary school. Then when you graduate secondary school you need to climb your way up to University. And then, of course, when youre done and dusted with University there is still a great climb that lies above you:

You need to tussle and compete with other candidates for the most desirable jobs.

Theres always a climb, but when will it ever end?

The only finish line is death. When you arrive at that last checkpoint, youll feel cheated if all the time you had was spent focusing on the future, and ignoring the present.

There is no use planning for a future, which when you get to it and it becomes the present, you wont be there. Youll be living in some other future which hasnt yet arrived Alan Watts

Although we might be quite comfortable and happy in our present circumstances, if there is not a guarantee, not a promise of a good time coming tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, we are at once unhappy, even in the midst of pleasure and affluence. And so we develop a kind of chronic anxiety about time . . . We want to be sure more and more that our future is assured. And for this reason the future becomes of more importance to most human beings than the present Alan Watts

We want to be sure that our future is assured. We want to be promised security. That is why we constantly worry about the future so much and plan our lives way ahead of schedule.

The unknown is the scariest monster under our beds, and we want to be prepared for it.

You dont know whether or not youll lose your job tomorrow. Whether or not youll be able to pay your rent and bills. Whether or not youll be able to come home safely. In life, there are many blank canvases, and with that terrible uncertainty comes anxiety.

The antidote to his worry is to let the future be.

By all means, we should plan for the future, but we need to also remember to come back and settle in the present.

There needs to be an equilibrium, a balance, a counterpoint. I dont believe that we should out rightly disregard the future. Its good to have a solid life plan, a blueprint which you can follow, so that you know roughly where you are and where you are headed.

But, I also believe that we should not spend all of our time and mental energy worrying about the trivialities of tomorrow. That will only deprive us of todays joys.

For unless one is able to live fully in the present, the future is a hoax. There is no point whatsoever in making plans for the future which you will never be able to enjoy Alan Watts

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Dont Chase The Future. Youll Never Catch Up With It. - Thrive Global

The Untitled Goose Game has become incredibly popular. It seemed to come out of nowhere in September and quickly climbed the charts of the Nintendo Switch game sales. It has garnered memes, fan art, and essays about how its simplicity is so enjoyed by the gaming community. Fans have loved it for its main protagonist, the goose, and its chaotic ways. The best word for what the goose is "impish" as you do not hurt anyone, but you will annoy them to the ends of the earth. What fun!

Unfortunately, there are not a lot of games similar to the Untitled Goose Game. However, its popularity will likely get us similar titles in the future. Until then, try some of the games on this list that we have found.

Related: Pokmon: The 10 Best Normal Type Pokmon, Ranked

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This first-person game has you playing as a pesky cat and your goal is to knock down as many things onto the floor as possible. There are various game modes, some with a timer and others that are free play mode. There are also a lot of unlockables such as different kinds of cats, cat photos, and power-ups.

Of all the titles on this list, Catlateral Damage has the most in common with the Untitled Goose Game. You are an animal just making a mess like a natural. It is simple, funny, and it's fun.

Katamari Damacy is very strange and pretty addicting. You play these alien creatures that make planets by just collecting everything they can into a sticky ball. You usually have a time limit and sometimes a set of rules of what kinds of items you must collect. The art style is similar to the Untitled Goose Game in terms of the people and towns.

Also you are really doing a chaotic deed without really hurting anyone. That's right, you can pick up animals and people but it does not hurt them. They mostly just wiggle and scream in confusion and terror.

Related: 5 Reasons To Play The Sims on PC (& 5 To Play On Console)

In this open-world indie game, you play a bird that is looking for twigs to build a nest. A weird factor is that you are living in a city facing total political turmoil.

As a bird, you do not really do anything about the totalitarian regime but you can explore the world and overhear the humans talk about what is going on in the world. It is pretty refreshing to have the world do its own thing with you playing just as a witness. Don't worry about the politics, just collect twigs and relax while being your little bird self.

In this cute game, you steal people's trash and throw it into a hole. In fact, you play as the hole! Well, you actually play a raccoon who is controlling the hole. The story is that raccoons have taken over the area by creating remote-controlled trash-stealing holes.

Collecting various items can create combos, which is a ton of fun. You get to explore character homes and devour everything. A lot of fans say it is like a reverse Katamari Damacy. A common complaint though is that the game is too short for its price.

Related: The 10 Best Game Sequels For Xbox One (According To Metacritic)

This is the only other game created by House House, the same company that gave us the Untitled Goose Game. And this title that came out in 2016 is very weird, but fun. You get to play as two noodle-like bodies with heads at both ends (sort of like Cat-Dog) and both ends fight over a ball. You can do two and four-player modes.

Besides playing, it is also fun to actually watch. It is to entities in one body fighting over a ball. There is also a secret unlockable mode that lets you play as wiener dogs.

If you want a long adventure game with similar elements to the Untitled Goose Game, then look no further than Okami. It certainly is far more than a simple be a jerk to humans and do little tasks, but you do play a wolf and can annoy people. For example, you can bite people, animals, drag them around, bark, dig, and really mess with people using your god powers. That's right, you are also a god.

Of course there is a huge story involved, which is the biggest difference Okami has. Also, you are kind of supposed to be a good person. Still, the game does allow you to be a jerk if you want to be.

In this game, you play a slice of bread that wants to become toast. Your goal is to get to the toaster. The physics and movement of the bread is the funniest and fun aspect of the game. Why? Because it is so hard. It is such a difficult game with a high learning curve.

If you are not sure about playing it, at least watch a video of someone playing this game, because it is a total trip. In terms of simplicity and humor, this game is a lot like the Untitled Goose Game.

Related: The 10 Most Immersive Open World Games

Everything may seem like a strange title, but is actually about everything. You can be anything from a simple dog to a bush to a planet to a micro-organism. Every object in the universe is a playable character.

It looks pretty uncanny and silly at first with how everything moves. However, the game really takes an existential turn with its soundtrack and its narrator. You get to collect inspiring philosophy speeches of Alan Watts while taking on the perspective of everything in the universe.

Tokyo Jungle lets you play as a lot of animals, except the humans are all gone. You start off as Pomeranian in Tokyo who has to hunt on its own. However, you can start a family and then play an entire pack of Pomeranian. However, you can also be hunted. There are lions, wolves, and even dinosaurs lurking about.

You get to unlock more and more animals and discover slowly about what happened to all the humans by finding hints and documents as you play. See how long you can survive!

Tags:Touch My Katamari,Untitled Goose Game

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10 Games To Play If You Love Untitled Goose Game | Game Rant - GameRant

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Yoga is about finding your center. There's a new trend to track down tranquility in the metro, but its a more alternative twist to the usually peaceful exercise.

Amanda Kauffman strolled into the back room at Cinder Block Brewery Monday night with a beer in one hand and a yoga mat in the other. She was there to teach the first ever rage yoga class in Kansas City.

Its a little bit different than your traditional yoga," she said. "You have dim lights, you have soft music. This is the complete opposite. Its yoga with an attitude basically.

She started practicing yoga seven years ago, but two years back, she came across a new technique she said is more her style.

A lot of people stay away from yoga because they think, 'Oh well, you know, Im not good enough for that, or what are people going to think about my poses,'" she said. "And in here, you can just be yourself.

Kauffman now teaches rage yoga.

The technique is different. Instead of calming your mind, youre bringing everything out instead," she said. "Instead of just trying to push it out quietly, youre going to push it out, and its going to be loud!

Monday nights class participants each got a beer that they drank throughout their time on the mat, and traditional hand motions and positions were replaced with gestures and sounds youd more likely see at a rock concert.

Ive never done rage yoga before," attendee Hillary Luppino said. "I had recently seen something online about it, and then I saw that it was available here, so I just jumped on the opportunity.

She appreciated the alcohol twist, but also the idea of also kind of incorporating the stress release of like yelling or screaming or flipping somebody off, you know what I mean?

Kauffman described the scene before the 7 p.m. class began.

Well be listening to loud explicit music, we will be cussing, using profanity, yelling, screaming, just letting all the negative energy out tonight. Thats the goal," she said.

The instructor said mental health is as critical as physical maintenance, and the combination of these two things appealed to her.

In my house, I practice yoga to rock music, to metal music, to loud music," Kauffman said. "Thats just what I enjoy. So when I saw the teacher training program for rage yoga, it spoke to me. Its the perfect combination of anyone whos into yoga and into an alternative lifestyle as well.

The rage yoga practice began in Canada, and there have been two instructor training courses so far. The next class here in the metro is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 1 at Anytime Fitness in Excelsior Springs. Visit this site for more information.

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Dozens attend first ever Kansas City rage yoga class, which includes cursing and alcohol - WDAF FOX4 Kansas City