Blog, YouTube & Content Monetization

In an era where artificial intelligence is rapidly redefining creative industries, branding stands at a pivotal crossroads. Tools like Midjourney and DALL-E are often portrayed as threats to traditional visual branding, but their true value may lie elsewhere—not in replacing human creativity, but in expanding the sensory dimensions of brand expression. At the bread and butter, a global brand consultancy, we believe branding should never be superficial. It should touch. Move. Resonate. That’s why we built our practice around “Betterment Branding”—a philosophy that connects long-term brand growth to emotional, sensory, and social resonance. Today, the intersection of A…

As artificial intelligence begins to “devour the world,” job seekers must adapt their strategy to stand out in the hiring process. Hiring managers have begun to populate their interviews with questions about how prospective employees use AI in their work. According to industry experts, these types of questions will become more common as time goes on and AI continues to advance. In fact, 88% of C-suite leaders say speeding up AI adoption is important over the next year, according to LinkedIn’s 2025 Work Change Report. This can be daunting for people who don’t work in technology. You certainly don’t want to tell a hiring manager that you use ChatGPT to write and id…

In 2006, as the modern sustainability movement gained momentum, I launched The Lazy Environmentalist on Sirius Satellite Radio. The show’s premise was simple: Millions of people wanted to reduce their environmental impact, but not if it meant sacrifice or inconvenience. So we sought stories and solutions that elevated sustainability’s appeal. That’s how I found Plasma Boy. Plasma Boy Two decades ago, Portland, Oregon, had a thriving drag racing scene. A city known for its progressive, artsy vibe was also home to legions of racing fans obsessed with speed. John Wayland, aka Plasma Boy, was one of them. His racing vehicle was a souped-up yet diminut…

Shares of Super Micro Computer, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMCI) surged 12% Wednesday in early morning premarket trading after it forecast strong revenue gains for 2026 and updated investors on plans to remain on the Nasdaq exchange. SMCI was up over 3% in afternoon trading. On Tuesday, the AI server maker said it now “believes it will make” the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) February 25 deadline to submit its delayed 10-K filings, thereby avoiding delisting from the Nasdaq. It also expects to file its 10-Q quarterly report ending in September by that date. Super Micro president and CEO Charles Liang projected revenue of $40 billion for fiscal 2026, lowering estimat…

Starbucks is brewing up something new in Texas—and this time, it’s not just what’s in the cup. Next week, the coffee giant will open its first-ever 3D-printed store, a drive-thru-only location in Brownsville that looks more like the future of construction than your average café. Built with layers of concrete piped out by a giant robotic printer, the 1,400-square-foot structure is part of the company’s ongoing effort to modernize operations and trim costs. But does a 3D-printed café actually save money—or is this just a buzzworthy experiment? Is 3D-printing more cost-effective? Peri-3D, a German company, used a giant 3D printer to pump out layers of concrete mixture to …

I can tell you the exact moment when a new browser called Deta Surf clicked for me. I was getting a demo from Deta cofounder Max Eusterbrock, and he showed me how Surf can take screenshots of web pages and add them to a digital pinboard. But unlike a standard screenshot, this one contained a link to jump back to the web page it came from, and its content was searchable from Surf’s menu system. Aha, I thought. Too often, I’ll open dozens of tabs on a certain topic, only to forget which page had the quote or chart I was looking for. Surf solves that problem by making it easier to revisit what you’ve researched. It’s as if a browser was built around the idea of bookmarking, …

When Moath al-Alwi left Guantánamo Bay for resettlement in Oman, accompanying him on his journey was a cache of artwork he created during more than two decades of detention. Al-Alwi was detainee number “028”—an indication that he was one of the first to arrive at the U.S. military prison off Cuba after it opened in January 2002. His departure from the detention center on January 6, 2025, along with 10 fellow inmates, was part of an effort to reduce the prison’s population before the end of President Joe Biden’s term. For al-Alwi, it meant freedom not only for himself, but also for his artwork. While not all detainees shared his passion, creating art was not an unc…

Nintendo’s profits tumbled as sales of its Switch console lost momentum, prompting the Japanese video-game maker to lower its full-year forecasts. Kyoto-based Nintendo Co., which created the Super Mario franchise, reported Tuesday an April-December profit of 237 billion yen ($1.5 billion), down 42% from the same period the previous year. Nine-month sales dropped 31% to 956 billion yen ($6 billion), according to Nintendo, which did not break down quarterly results. The company now expects to rake in a 270-billion yen ($1.7 billion) profit for the fiscal year through March, down from the previous forecast for 300-billion yen ($1.9 billion). Sales of Nintendo machines fo…

Amazon.com was sued on Wednesday by consumers who accused the retailing giant of secretly tracking their movements through their cellphones, and selling data it collects. According to a proposed class action in San Francisco federal court, Amazon obtained “backdoor access” to consumers’ phones by providing tens of thousands of app developers with code known as Amazon Ads SDK to be embedded in their apps. This allegedly enabled Amazon to collect an enormous amount of timestamped geolocation data about where consumers live, work, shop and visit, revealing sensitive information such as religious affiliations, sexual orientations and health concerns. “Amazon has e…

For two guys about to fly a camera rig 30 miles per hour above the heads of clashing players, Alex Milton and Vinnie Scaffidi seem utterly at ease. Despite the fact that some 100 million people are about to watch their work in real time during Super Bowl LIX, the SkyCam pilot and operator, respectively, are not daunted. They’re ready. They got to New Orleans around 10 days before the big game. They’ve set up. They’ve rehearsed. They’ve got the entire season under their belt. And, well, now is the fun part. “It’s exciting to get to the end of the year and everyone’s playing for real,” from the camera people to the production crew to the players themselves, Milton says. “…

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. National home prices are rising 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. While some markets in the Gulf and Mountain West regions are seeing mild home price declines, there’s another cohort concentrated in the Northeast, Midwest, and West Coast that are seeing gains well above the national aggregate. Among the 200 largest metro area housing markets, the chart below highlights the 30 markets with the largest home price increases between December 2023 and December 2024, according to ResiClub’s analysis of the latest Zillow Home Value Index data published in Jan…

Happiness over one’s lifetime has been popularly described as looking like a U-shaped curve: The joys of youth are followed by the challenges of our 20s and 30s before an upswing later in life that reaches a peak after retirement. While that may be true—or not—in wealthier countries such as the United States, it doesn’t apply to low-income, nonindustrialized societies. That is the main finding of a study I led that examined aging in rural, subsistence-oriented communities in 23 countries across the Global South. And our results have implications for global health amid aging populations and growing economic insecurity. In our study, we found that happiness levels did not…

If the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl on Sunday, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the rest of their teammates will have bragging rights as the National Football League (NFL)’s first three-peat winners. They’ll also bag a cool $171,000 for the game, each. Before Philadelphia fans accuse the Chiefs of getting special treatment, yes, Eagles players will earn the same amount if they win. And whichever team leaves New Orleans without the Lombardi Trophy will still get a decent consolation prize: A $96,000 paycheck per player. Super Bowl contenders are receiving a better pay raise than most Americans did this year; the game paycheck is about 4.3% higher for th…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert regarding Wegmans’s frozen fully cooked chicken breast nuggets. The alert, released on Monday, January 27, highlights concerns that the nuggets may be contaminated with extraneous material, specifically bone fragments, according to a notice on the USDA’s recall page. The FSIS says it became aware of the issue after multiple consumers reported finding such fragments in the chicken, although no injuries have been confirmed related to the product. A recall has not been issued since the product is no longer available for purchase. However, consumers …

Botox can be expensive. You know what isn’t? Bananas. A new beauty hack making the rounds online involves rubbing the inside of a banana peel all over your face for a few minutes to brighten and tighten skin. You’ve heard of chemical peels for your skin? Now it’s all about the banana peel. “This actually made my face feel so much tighter,” one TikToker said after giving the hack a go. “Me, after seeing a banana peel can help with hydration, brightening, hyperpigmentation & be preventative Botox,” wrote another over a video of them rubbing the peel on their skin. “POV: When you’re 37 years old & do banana peel scrubs instead of Botox,” a third creator pos…

Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, the Joslyn Art Museum was a hub of culture for surrounding Midwestern towns. No matter how much or how little you knew about fine art, it was the place you could go to see works that you might not otherwise be able to access outside of the coasts. Decades after leaving Omaha, I returned this past December, and while visiting my mother’s house, I noticed a brochure for the Joslyn in her mail pile. It was unusually striking and had a look and feel that was vastly different from the Joslyn’s original brand identity. The old logotype, locked up with a pictorial mark, was traditional and respectable, but also very much tied to the past. The new …

Donald Robertson is a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist. He has been researching Stoicism for over twenty years and is one of the founding members of the nonprofit Modern Stoicism. He is also the founder and president of the Plato’s Academy Centre nonprofit in Greece. What’s the big idea? The philosophy and methods of Socrates can help bring calm and clarity to the distracted, nervous, and angry modern mind. His training techniques share remarkable overlaps with modern cognitive-behavioral therapy. Below, Donald shares five key insights from his new book, How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World. Listen to the audio version—…

Is LinkedIn the new TikTok? Short-form video is now the fastest-growing category on LinkedIn, growing at twice the rate of other post formats on the platform. According to LinkedIn, total video viewership surged 36% in the first quarter of 2025. Now, LinkedIn is doubling down on video with new features to boost discovery and engagement. The full-screen vertical video experience, first launched on mobile, is now coming to desktop. Users can tap a video, swipe through more, and explore a new video tab for TikTok-like scrolling. Videos are also getting front-and-center placement on the platform. Now, when you search a topic, relevant videos will appear in a swi…

California-based seafood manufacturer Tri-Union Seafoods has issued a voluntary recall of select canned tuna products due to a potential contamination risk from Clostridium botulinum, a bacteria that can cause serious and potentially fatal food poisoning. The recall follows a supplier notification that a manufacturing defect in the “easy open” pull-tab lids may compromise the product’s seal, leading to leaks or contamination over time. While no illnesses have been reported, Tri-Union say it’s taking precautionary measures to ensure consumer safety. Which products were impacted? The recalled tuna products were distributed across multiple retailers nation…

Super Bowl ad spots range from just 15 to 60 seconds, but their impact lives on through social media for the days, weeks, and sometimes even years that follow. Although around 50 brands bought broadcast time, less than a week later, only a handful are still being talked about. So how can brands best transform their (very expensive) ads from momentary entertainment to long-lasting conversation pieces? Data from Metricool, a social media analytics tool, shows that the Super Bowl ads with the largest reach and impact are ones that use social media to turn their seconds-long time slot into an all-encompassing experience. “Brands should focus on full-scope coverage, r…

It’s okay to admit it: You want to stand out, get ahead, and achieve all you can. And while you may feel that you can’t mention these goals, they don’t actually make you a narcissist. In fact, it’s natural for people to want a sense of status at work. After all, status is an indication that the company and your peers respect and appreciate you. But you’re also wise to balance your desire for accolades with the appropriate humility. No one likes someone who is arrogant, self-serving, or disrespectful—and there is a delicate balance between being confident and being egotistical. AVOID ARROGANCE In a 2019 study published in Review of General Psychology researchers…

Conventional wisdom says to use your tax return to pay off debt or add to your savings, but psychologists say it’s also acceptable to use a tax return to invest in your own happiness. “When people get a tax return, it’s seen as a bonus and it can feel like an even bigger bonus when people decide to invest it in themselves,” says Maya Weir, clinical psychologist and founder at Thriving California, a private practice in Napa, Calif. Don’t limit your thinking about money to just saving and investing, says Annie Cole, EdD, founder and money coach at Money Essentials for Women in Vancouver, Wash. “If you’re already meeting the mark when it comes to finances, paying dow…

With less than a week before this year’s Super Bowl, many advertisers are already armpit-deep into their big game strategy. Brands have dropped teasers, trailers, and even full ads in anticipation of getting us all excited about what they view as their holiest of days: the Only Day People Actually Look Forward to the Commercials. Depending on who you ask, every Shakespeare play can be divided into three or four types: Tragedy, Comedy, History, and “Problem Plays.” Meanwhile, past researchers have analyzed thousands of novels to find six basic plot points that underpin every story: Rags to riches (a steady rise from bad to good fortune); Riches to rags (a fall from go…

Whenever we have a free afternoon, my nine-year-old and I visit our favorite bookshop. By now, we have a routine. Ella makes a beeline to the graphic novels. Her favorite books—such as Smile, Roller Girl, and The New Girl—are part of a new genre of graphic novels that has emerged over the past decade-and-a-half specifically targeted at eight-12-year-olds. The books’ illustrations are colorful and fun, but the stories tackle serious issues: Mending broken relationships; confronting social anxiety; dealing with siblings and parents. Unlike prose, which takes her days to read, Ella will binge these graphic novels in less than an hour. But she’ll come back again and again t…

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. When assessing home price momentum, it’s important to monitor active listings and months of supply. If active listings start to rapidly increase as homes remain on the market for longer periods, it may indicate potential future pricing weakness. Conversely, a rapid decline in active listings could suggest a market that is heating up. National active listings are on the rise (up 24.6% between January 2024 and January 2025). This indicates that homebuyers have gained some leverage in many parts of the country over the past year, with some markets even feelin…