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I'm a full-screen apps guy on my Mac. I love sending each app to its own workspace and swiping between them to use the one I need. When I'm writing, it helps me focus on the task at hand, and it's not hard to use three and four-finger swipes on my trackpad get to my other productivity apps as I need them. However, messenger apps like WhatsApp and Slack are an exception. I need to be able to check these out at a moment's notice, like when I'm using my browser in full-screen. Luckily, that's where the Opera sidebar comes in. This handy tool is home to social media apps, messengers, and even some streaming services, keeping them from getting lost in separate tabs and letting me easily glance at them when I'm working on something else. It's a lifesaver, and other browsers desperately need to adopt it. What is the Opera sidebar?You can think of the Opera sidebar as a way to bookmark crucial services to your Opera browser's left pane. By default, it'll just show icons, but clicking one will open the bookmarked tool in a small popover tab. This is ideal for tasks you want to work on without losing focus on your currently active tab. While I would normally go to a secondary tab to search the web or switch to a different app to reply to texts, this sidebar lets me stay on the current tab, attend to other tasks quickly, and then get right back to work. How to set up Opera's sidebar Credit: Pranay Parab The sidebar is enabled by default, but you should take a moment to tweak it so that your favorite services show up on it. Just click the three-dots button in the bottom-left corner of the Opera window and the sidebar settings pane will open up. Go through the sections for AI services, messengers, and special features. Just click the check box next to the services you wish to use and disable the ones you don't need. After this, your selections will show up in the left pane and you can click them to use them in the sidebar. You can't add any random app to the sidebar, unfortunately, but there is a reasonably well-populated list for you to choose from. You can pick AI services such as ChatGPT, messengers (WhatsApp, Slack, etc.), or social media sites (Instagram, Bluesky, etc.). The most recent additions are Bluesky, Discord, and Slack, so at least Opera is always adding more options. The sidebar also supports music streaming services such as Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music. Why I prefer the Opera Sidebar over tabsI'll admit it: I have a problem of opening too many tabs and then losing track of them. I've been guilty of opening the same website in multiple tabs or sometimes even running the same search query in more than one tab. With the sidebar, I've found a solution to these problems. When I need to reply to a message, I can open the messenger app from the sidebar and dismiss it the moment I'm done. And if I need to access it for longer, I can pin the app, which puts it in a neat split-screen view. This lets me work faster than when I have multiple open tabs, or when I need to switch between apps. While a Mac does let you easily place two apps side-by-side, the browser sidebar feature lets me quickly swap new apps in as I need them. This is a level of flexibility that's otherwise hard to find. It's also worth noting that Opera is not the only browser to offer a sidebar, but it is one of the few that runs your browser extensions within the sidebar. If my preferred browsers—Safari and Firefox—were to adopt this feature, I'd even be compelled to delete the official apps for some of these services. I don't see myself using Opera as my primary browser because I'm attached to the unique privacy benefits in Safari and Firefox, but the company has been doing a few interesting things as of late. It's built a browser that can break your doomscrolling habit and its Aria AI is actually quite useful. Other companies would do well to keep up. View the full article

Success in Google Ads hinges on how well you use your data. With AI-driven features like Smart Bidding, traditional PPC tactics like campaign structure and keyword selection don’t carry the same weight. However, Google Ads provides a goldmine of insights into performance, user behavior, and conversions. The challenge? Turning that data into action. Enter Google’s BigQuery ML – a powerful yet underused tool that can help you optimize campaigns and drive better results. What is BigQuery ML? BigQuery ML is a machine learning tool within the Google Cloud Platform that lets you build and deploy models directly in your BigQuery data warehouse. What makes it stand out is its speed and ease of use – you don’t need to be a machine learning expert or write complex code. With simple SQL queries, you can create predictive models that enhance your Google Ads campaigns. Why you should use BigQuery ML for Google Ads Instead of relying on manual analysis, BigQuery ML automates and optimizes key campaign elements – ensuring better results with less guesswork. Enhanced audience targeting Predictive customer segmentation: BigQuery ML analyzes customer data to uncover valuable audience segments. These insights help create highly targeted ad groups, ensuring your ads reach the most relevant users. Lookalike audience expansion: By training a model on your high-value customers, you can identify similar users who are likely to convert, allowing you to expand your reach and tap into new profitable segments. Improved campaign optimization Automated bidding strategies: BigQuery ML predicts conversion likelihood for different keywords and ad placements, helping you automate bidding and maximize ROI. Ad copy optimization: By analyzing historical performance, BigQuery ML identifies the most effective ad variations, allowing you to refine your creatives and improve click-through rates. Personalized customer experiences Dynamic ad content: BigQuery ML personalizes ad content in real-time based on user behavior and preferences, making your ads more relevant and increasing conversion chances. Personalized landing pages: By integrating with your landing page platform, BigQuery ML tailors the user experience to match individual preferences, boosting conversion rates. Fraud detection Anomaly detection: BigQuery ML identifies unusual patterns in your campaign data that could indicate fraud. This allows you to take proactive measures to protect your budget and ensure your ads reach real users. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. Real-world applications of BigQuery ML in Google Ads By applying machine learning to your Google Ads data, you can uncover trends, refine targeting, and maximize ROI with greater precision. Predicting customer lifetime value: Identify high-value customers and tailor your campaigns to maximize their long-term engagement. Forecasting campaign performance: Anticipate future trends and adjust your strategies accordingly. Optimizing campaign budget allocation: Distribute your budget across campaigns and ad groups based on predicted performance. Identifying high-performing keywords: Discover new keywords that are likely to drive conversions. Reducing customer acquisition cost: Optimize your campaigns to acquire customers at the lowest possible cost. We ran propensity models for a higher education client, and the results were striking. The high-propensity segment converted at 17 times the rate of medium- and low-propensity audiences. Beyond boosting performance, these models provided valuable insights into more effective budget allocation, both within campaigns and across channels. 4 quick steps to getting started with BigQuery ML for Google Ads Our organization’s data cloud engineering team helps gather, organize, and run these models – a skill set many companies have yet to integrate into their paid search strategies. However, this is changing. If you’re ready to get started, here are four key steps: Link your Google Ads account to BigQuery: Gain access to your campaign data within BigQuery. Explore your data: Use SQL queries to analyze trends and identify patterns. Build a machine learning model: Create a predictive model using BigQuery ML. Deploy your model: Integrate it with Google Ads to automate optimization and personalization. For comprehensive guides, checklists, and case studies to assist in deploying BigQuery ML models effectively, explore the Instant BQML resources. These materials provide step-by-step instructions and best practices to enhance your campaign’s performance. Maximizing BigQuery ML for Google Ads In the era of data-driven advertising, BigQuery ML is a game-changer. By applying machine learning to your Google Ads data, you can unlock powerful insights that enhance targeting, optimize bidding, and improve personalization. Here are the best practices for success: Data quality is key: Ensure your data is clean, accurate, and up-to-date for reliable predictions. Start small: Focus on a specific use case before scaling your approach. Continuous optimization: Regularly monitor and refine your models for the best results. By leveraging BigQuery ML, you can take your Google Ads strategy to the next level – building a competitive edge and driving better results with data-driven decision-making. View the full article

Branded search refers to the results that Google or an LLM (like ChatGPT) shows when someone searches for your brand name. Whether you’re a small company or a large, established brand, ranking highly for these queries is essential – but it’s not always easy. If your brand is new or shares its name with other entities (such as a town, a film, or another company), search engines may prioritize other meanings. Even if your brand name is unique, it takes time for search engines and users to associate it with your business. Optimizing for branded search helps ensure your brand appears prominently and accurately in search results. What are branded keywords? A branded keyword or search is any Google query that includes a company, business, or brand name. This can also include additional words, known as brand compounds, such as: Company contact (e.g., “Dan’s Timber customer service”). Company careers (e.g., “Dan’s Timber jobs”). Company locations (e.g., “Dan’s Timber near me”). Branded search queries always contain the brand name. For example: If you own a hardwood retail business, a search for “Dan’s Timber” indicates that the user is looking specifically for your company. In contrast, a search for “timber merchant” is a general query looking for a retailer that sells timber, not necessarily your business. These general searches are sometimes mistaken for branded queries because they relate closely to a company’s product offering but are not truly branded. Branded queries can also include trademarked products or services associated with your brand. For instance: If a company has trademarked offerings with distinct names, users may search for those specifically. Depending on the brand’s recognition, users might also add the main brand name for clarification (e.g., “Main Brand Product X”) Google determines whether a trademarked product name is seen as a standalone entity or primarily associated with the parent brand. Establishing dominance in branded search takes time, marketing, and a strong market presence. While digital PR efforts can help, brand recognition ultimately requires consistent investment in education, marketing, and consumer engagement. Why optimize for brand search? Many companies assume their brand will take care of itself when it comes to SEO. This is especially common after a rebrand when a company expects to rank immediately for its new name but doesn’t. The broader business may share this expectation, but a brand name can have multiple meanings or connotations. If it’s a word that already exists – whether as a town, another brand, a film, or anything else with an established meaning in any language – it won’t automatically rank at the top of search results. Even if the name is completely unique, search engines and audiences need time to adjust. Dig deeper: Top 10 SEO benefits of building a brand that people trust Optimizing for branded queries based on audience groups When optimizing for branded queries, it’s essential to understand why the user is searching for your brand and provide a search experience that aligns with their journey. Branded search optimization isn’t as simple as targeting “brand + brand compound” queries. You need to go deeper to understand the intent behind these searches. This applies to both existing and prospective customers, as well as other key audience segments. Existing customers The first audience group consists of current customers searching for post-purchase information. Their queries often fall into categories such as: Account access: “Brand login,” “reset Brand X password.” Customer support: “Brand X contact,” “Brand X customer service,” “Brand X refund policy.” Subscription details: “Brand X renewal pricing,” “cancel Brand X subscription.” These searches indicate users looking for assistance, troubleshooting, or account management, so optimizing for them ensures a seamless customer experience. Prospective buyers The second audience includes users who aren’t yet customers but are close to making a purchase. They may perform multiple searches related to your brand as they evaluate their options. A key example is comparison queries, such as: “Brand X vs. competitor Y” “Is Brand X better than Competitor Y?” “Best [industry/product] for [specific need].” Often, companies address these searches through blog posts or programmatic pages. A common approach is to create “Top 5” or “Top 10” lists that position their own brand as the best option while giving minimal attention to competitors. Google evaluates whether such content genuinely explains differences between brands or merely serves to rank for comparison queries. While this tactic remains widespread – especially among SaaS companies – brands should focus on providing valuable, objective comparisons rather than just ticking SEO boxes. Neutral information seekers The third audience segment consists of users looking for general brand information. These can include: Journalists and press members verifying details or seeking a media contact. Procurement teams gathering vendor information for decision-makers. Marketing strategies often target ideal buyers, such as “middle managers with two-plus years of experience,” and use firmographics to tailor messaging. However, in many cases, decision-makers delegate research to procurement teams, who then compile vendor lists based on given specifications. Here, two key assumptions come into play: Procurement team members may have little knowledge of what they’re researching. They may have baseline knowledge but are strictly assessing criteria based on provided guidelines. Your content should be clear, informative, and to the point, ensuring that non-decision-making stakeholders can easily understand and relay information. The ideal buyer persona you’ve created won’t always align with the needs of those handling the research process. Optimizing for this group means structuring content in a way that makes key details accessible and actionable. Dig deeper: How to establish your brand entity for SEO: A 5-step guide Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. 4 steps to optimize for branded search There are four key steps to this process. Some may condense it into three, while others may add a fifth step, but in my experience, these four are essential. 1. Understand and identify all branded keywords Identify all the keywords related to your brand. This requires pulling data from multiple sources. Common branded queries include: Brand-specific searches: “Brand X careers,” “Brand X contact,” “Brand C login,” “Brand X telephone number.” Search behavior insights: Use tools like Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, and third-party platforms to analyze how users search for your brand and what keyword compounds they use. Understanding these branded search patterns helps determine how people interact with your brand online. 2. Categorize your branded keywords Once you’ve identified branded keywords, classify them into three main buckets: Marketing and pre-purchase keywords: Queries from potential customers considering a purchase. Post-purchase keywords: Queries from existing customers looking for support, renewals, or account management. Unwanted or uncontrollable keywords: Queries related to outdated product names, discontinued services, or external narratives you may not be able to control. While you can’t always influence how users search – especially for discontinued products –you need to decide whether to address these queries or allow other sources to control the narrative. 3. Determine where to allocate resources Next, refine your keyword lists by prioritizing which terms are worth targeting. This varies by category: Pre-purchase and marketing-focused keywords generally take priority, as they represent potential new leads and sales. Post-purchase keywords are essential for customer retention and experience. Identify underperforming branded keywords that may not be yielding as much value as expected and assess whether optimization could improve their impact. For SEO and content teams, the key is balancing visibility across all keyword types while focusing on those that drive the most meaningful engagement. 4. Identifying existing mismatches Look for instances where brand-related searches are leading to incorrect, outdated, or unhelpful pages. Common mismatches include: Search results leading to irrelevant pages instead of the most useful content. Random PDFs or outdated documents ranking for branded queries. Additionally, in today’s search landscape, it’s important to consider AI-generated overviews from Google, Bing, and other search engines. Review how your brand is represented in AI summaries and ensure the information is accurate. If incorrect data appears, determine whether you can adjust the narrative through content updates, structured data, or other SEO efforts. Dig deeper: How SEO grows brands: The science behind the service Take control of your brand’s search results with these optimization steps As a company grows, the number of branded searches will increase over time. It’s common to separate traffic KPIs into branded and nonbranded categories. I still believe it’s critical to maintain this distinction in your reporting and organic KPIs. However, optimizing for branded search shouldn’t be dismissed as providing no return on investment – especially if it has never been optimized or has been neglected. In some cases, addressing branded search can uncover wasted potential and improve brand user journeys, ultimately adding value to the business. View the full article

Google has updated its "How the Google Ads auction works" page to add a line that says that Google will run different auctions for each ad location.View the full article

UK drugmaker says Emma Walmsley is underpaid compared with global competitors View the full article

SEO is, for a large part, all about getting the right content in front of the right audience. When you’ve been doing that for a while, there comes a time when you want to scale content production. Scaling content creation means you aim to make more content to reach new targets. While that’s a good idea, you need to find a way to scale while keeping the same level of quality you’ve always had. Let’s go over how to scale your content production step by step, showing common problems and solutions. Table of contents What is content scaling? Why scaling content matters The biggest challenges in scaling content Building a repeatable content creation process Strategies to scale without losing quality Maintaining high-quality content at scale Conclusion to scaling content production Bonus: Content brief template for SEO What is content scaling? Content scaling is about making your content process more efficient. The goal should be to make more content without lowering the quality. First, you must examine every step of your content creation process — from brainstorming to research, editing, publishing, and reporting. Once you have the process detailed, you can find ways to do those tasks faster and predictably. A well-scaled process helps you create a lot of content. This approach helps you build a solid system rather than adding more articles. For instance, your content team could develop a checklist to help review articles, introduce a content calendar to improve planning and set up clear tone-of-voice guidelines. These steps help you stay consistent and true to your brand — whether you produce one weekly article or dozens. Why scaling content matters Scaling content production can directly help your business. If you actively publish high-quality content on your site, search engines will understand that your site is active and reliable. By targeting the right audience with the right search intent and message, you could improve your search visibility and generate more traffic for your content. Search engines are likelier to see you as trustworthy when you publish high-quality content. In addition, producing content more consistently and following a plan can help you reach a bigger audience. More articles mean more opportunities to write about topics that interest your different audience groups. In the end, this will broaden your brand’s presence. You’ll have a bigger chance of people seeing you as a trusted source if you offer helpful insights and solutions to their problems. All your content can help potential customers make decisions. This content is another way to address their concerns and answer questions. By doing this strategically, you can continue to engage your audience and nudge them closer to making that final decision. Of course, whether that decision is a sale, information request, or newsletter signup doesn’t matter. Scaling your content production also supports your branding. When you create well-organized content over a longer period, you can support your brand voice and recognition. That reliability helps build trust and strengthens your reputation. The biggest challenges in scaling content If you want to scale your content production, you must overcome several hurdles, which, if you don’t consider, will impact the quality and consistency of your content. Quality control and consistency When you produce more content, you need to make sure that every piece represents your brand well. However, catching errors or maintaining the proper tone becomes harder because you have more content to review. If you don’t do this well, there’s a risk that your articles will vary in tone or style. Without proper guidelines or a good editorial process, your content quality may suffer when you publish more and more. For example, you can miss issues like tone, formatting, or factual errors without a standard editing checklist. If you do this for a while and people start to notice, they can form a different view of your brand. It would almost look like you don’t care about these issues. You need to set clear quality benchmarks and a solid review process. Consistent editing with fixed content rules helps everything you publish meet the same standards. Handling different audience needs In an ideal world, you write for different groups. You cannot target one group only. Every segment has its own interests, problems, and ideas. But if you scale your output, you risk writing mainly generic articles. No one will like that content. If you haven’t yet sorted your audience, do so and focus your content on these specific groups. As a result, your content will be more useful for the people in those groups. Process difficulty and extra management work More content means more parts to manage. Each article needs research, writing, review, checking, and then publishing. This is fine if you publish a few posts a month because you can handle these steps by hand. But growing your output complicates things when you face many deadlines, writers, or quality checks. Complexity leads to bottlenecks. If you struggle with one thing, that might eventually slow down everything. Think of it like this: when you don’t scale your editorial process, you will eventually have a pile of articles that need approval. This grinds your publication flow to a halt. Develop a system that divides tasks into repeatable steps. Use content calendars and checklists to track progress and make managing projects easier. Balancing speed and thoughtfulness Scaling content production can lead to pressure to cut corners to meet deadlines. When the speed of publication comes into play, there’s a high chance that content will become less developed. This shouldn’t happen. Every piece of content should be carefully planned and produced. Rushing only leads to content that lacks depth, accuracy, or clarity. Of course, this is easier said than done. You have to find ways to increase efficiency without sacrificing the quality of your content. Start by streamlining your process, breaking it up into smaller tasks. Set up a system that monitors quality while giving you enough room to be flexible. Building a repeatable content creation process Scaling your content production reliably requires setting up a solid content process. That process should be easily repeatable and have clear tasks, which will help keep your team on track. Map the entire content workflow Describe each content task and work your way through the list of what has to be done. Write down a list of all phases, ranging from conception through publication. This will help you understand where delays or errors creep in. Consider drawing a flow diagram or another visual. This list will act as your directive. Create a content calendar Use a content calendar to plan your publishing schedule. Proper planning helps you keep track of deadlines, even if they are for different outlets. Thanks to your content plan, your team can write content in advance and, hopefully, without stressing out about deadlines too much. Develop detailed briefs and outlines Content briefs are a great way to align writers — see below for an example. A brief like this should, at least, include the subject, target audience, key messages, and keywords that the writer should target. Once approved, create an outline for the content and fill in the structure. A good content brief speeds up the writing process while ensuring that content is targeted well. Implement a style guide A style guide can help you ground every piece of content in a consistent tone of voice and formatting. This guide should include rules for tone, punctuation, formatting, and whatever else makes sense to share. You can easily share this guide with anyone on your team; even freelancers enjoy using it. Use checklists for each stage You’ll find it easier to manage once you break the process down into small tasks. Make a checklist for tasks such as researching, writing, and editing. Having a proper checklist helps you make sure that you don’t forget anything. This could be checking facts, improving readability, or using proper SEO tactics. Your lists will help you scale your content production while maintaining quality output. Standardize tools and platforms Use well-known tools to manage tasks in your team. Think of project management tools like Jira or Asana, shared calendars in CoSchedule, Canva for visual designs, and document templates in Microsoft Office. Many companies use Google Docs to collaborate on documents. In those cases, you can use one of the standardized Google Docs extensions, which are easier to scale. Write a good manual or checklist for these tools so that anyone — from in-house writers to external freelancers — follows the same steps. Standardization makes this work and helps apply important SEO best practices properly. All of these things help your team routinely produce quality content. Making the process repeatable reduces the chance of errors and wasted time, so you can scale without losing what makes your content awesome. Strategies to scale without losing quality Careful planning is one of the best ways to scale your content without lowering its quality. Another great option is to use clear methods to make your work more effective. Develop a strong content strategy and workflow As always, start with a solid plan that includes your goals, topics, and the audience you want to reach. Creating content for your audience is much easier when everyone truly understands who those people are. A good workflow avoids delays and helps people move from one task to another. Use a detailed content calendar We’ve discussed the importance of content calendars, and you really have to see these as your roadmap. A calendar shows all upcoming publications, deadlines, and the status of various projects. A good calendar keeps everyone up to date at all times and makes sure the work is nicely spread out. Good planning prevents missed deadlines. Use template structures Templates help you standardize your work, as they offer a reusable structure for common types of content. Each type of content can have its own structure to fill in. These templates help writers speed up their work while maintaining consistency across articles. Repurpose content thoughtfully Look at what you already have and see how it can be adapted into a different form. For example, you can split a long-form article into several videos or a series of shorter posts. This strategy saves time while also delivering fresh material in new formats. Make sure to adapt the new content to the correct audience. Assign clear roles within your team Find out your team members’ strengths and have them do what they do best. A writer should handle the initial draft while an editor reviews the work. Your trusted subject matter expert should check the content for accuracy. Clear roles help people do what they do best, which helps preserve content quality. Maintaining high-quality content at scale It isn’t easy to maintain content quality when scaling content production. To make the process more manageable, you should establish habits and use tools that help you make sure that every piece of content meets your standards. Follow your style guide Setting up a good style guide keeps your writing consistent. Your style guide should include information on your content’s tone of voice, the terminology you can and can’t use, and how you structure and format it. Share this guide with your team. Schedule periodic audits Similarly, regularly review your existing content to see if it’s outdated or needs to adapt to changes in your brand messaging. This helps keep your older content relevant and accurate. Use tools when appropriate Tools can help scale your content production. Even a tool like our Yoast SEO plugin can help your content work. Good content tools can help with formatting, improving readability, checking for keyword placement, and some even help with on-page SEO. Using Generative AI for scaling content output Using AI to scale content production might seem like a good idea, but please be careful. Generative AI can definitely be a valuable tool for content processes. However, AI is not without issues and needs interaction from real people. Human oversight makes sure that the output aligns with your brand’s voice and content standards. You can use generative AI as a starting point or a helpful assistant, but not as a complete replacement for your real writers. Your use of AI should have a clear process to bring the content up to your desired quality level. Conclusion to scaling content production Scaling up content production shouldn’t mean lower quality. Mostly, it’s about knowing the content process inside out. Once you have that, you can lay out the steps for everyone to follow. With a good process, you can meet your goals and still maintain the quality of the content. Be sure to set up content templates, calendars, and clear roles for your team. Make the adjustments and see how this can lead to better results. Bonus: Content brief template for SEO Are you looking for a basic content brief template that helps scale your content production? Check out the one below: Content brief sectionDetailsTitle/headline suggestion[Insert title]Primary keyword[Main keyword]Secondary keywords[Keyword 1], [Keyword 2]Search intent[Informational, commercial, transactional, etc.]Audience persona[If needed, description of audience persona]Content objective[What is the content meant to achieve]Benchmark content[URLs of best-in-class content about this topic]Word count range[Word count]Tone and style guidelines[Tone and style]Outline/sectionsIntroduction; Main points/headings; Subheadings; ConclusionSEO requirementsMeta title: [Title]; Meta description: [Description]; Header tags: H1, H2, H3; URL: [Proposed URL for content]Call to action[What do you want people to do/click on?]Internal and external linksInternal: [Links] External: [Links]Visuals and multimedia[List of visuals]Examples/references[Links to examples/references]Deadline and submission details[Deadline and submission instructions] The post Scaling content creation without compromising quality (with template) appeared first on Yoast. 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Google has released version 19 of the Google Ads API, v19 adds enhanced video assets for Performance Max campaigns, updates to brand guidelines and tons of other additions, changes and removals. View the full article

Microsoft is now showing the sources it used to generate its AI-based "from sources across the web" section in Bing Search. If you click on the little i icon, Bing will show you where it pulled the list together from.View the full article

Google is now showing a "top search" definition box below the auto suggestions within Google Search for some searches. I guess it is a quick way for Google to give you a definition for a word.View the full article

Labour will use the geopolitical crisis to defy its own members about the new priorities for a rearming economyView the full article

Google may be rolling out the high value new customer mode for Google Ads advertisers, after it has been in beta for some time. This setting lets you set different bidding priorities for high value new prospects, regular new customers and existing ones.View the full article

Three cheers for a steady 2024 but this is no time for complacencyView the full article

Although discussions about hybrid and remote work ,and forcing workers back to office full time, should be seen through the lens of data and evidence, this is rarely the case. In fact, much like DEI, remote work has become a highly political and polarizing topic. Which is why rational arguments and objective examination of the facts are generally eclipsed by emotional, intuitive, or ideological opinions. Sadly, this also means nuances are far less common than categorical or extreme positions. Consider the recent meltdown by JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, one of the corporate pioneers of ditching working from home policies to bring people back to the office. He cursed at his staff during a town hall in reaction to the news that they were signing a petition against the full-time return to the office: “Don’t waste time on it”, he told his staff, “I don’t care how many people sign that f**king petition,” according to a recording obtained by Reuters. “Don’t give me the sh*t that ‘work from home Friday’ works.” To be sure, JP Morgan (like any other company) has the right to decide whichever working modality or approach they like, and employees can decide whether they object or not. Ultimately, those who don’t wish to put up with it, or anything else at the company, should feel free to go elsewhere, not least since many organizations (including in banking and finance) still offer hybrid work, which most employees prefer. Likewise, any CEO or business owner should obviously decide on how and where people work, which is a key part of the job characteristics and organizational culture for employees to consider. RTO mandates as a power play Furthermore, it is plausible that back-to-the-office mandates are partly intended as a trigger to get demotivated workers to quit, or at least test their commitment, motivation, and work ethic. In this sense, back-to-the-office mandates could exert some kind of Darwinian or evolutionary pressure whereby unmotivated or demotivated workers quit, leaving career-obsessed, hyper-committed, and ultra-loyal employees inside the tent – what’s not to like? To be sure, maverick CEOs and executives, from Jamie Dimon to Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, project such an aura of power, vision, status, and invincibility, that they have a cult-like influence on their followers (to the point that employees are more like followers than workers). It is not something that can be emulated by everyone, at least not without adverse consequences: like plummeting morale, engagement, and trust. Trust is the critical issue leaders ought to consider before emulating Dimon with back-to-the-office mandates. And there is already a crisis of trust, with recent Edelman reports suggesting that 68% of people distrust their managers/leaders (up from 56% in 2021), and various indicators highlighting a big gap between employees’ self-perceived performance, and their managers’ expectations. As Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadela recently noted, 85% of employees feel overworked, yet 85% of managers feel their employees are slacking. What happens when you force employees to do something To be sure, there is something illogical about the assumption that those same employees who are assumed to be too demotivated to be productive when working from home will somehow become really engaged and productive if you force them into the office, against their will. One certain outcome if you do that, is that, if those workers don’t quit (which will depend partly on the strength of the market, the economy, and alternatives) they will try very hard to pretend to work, and fake productivity, when they are forced back to the office full-time. Ideally, decisions about remote, hybrid or in-office work should be based on facts, evidence, and data. Not external data from independent scientific studies, but organizations’ own internal data: after all, most organizations are awash with data on productivity, which should allow them to compare and contrast productivity differences between people who spend more or less time at the office, and ideally focus on output rather than input. Sure, it is plausible that being in the office can provide people with a stronger connection with the culture, learn from others, bond and collaborate more effectively – but then this should result in measurable improvements in what people deliver and achieve. Failing that, any mandate will be more reflective of the ego and power of the boss than an intention to help people to achieve and deliver their best, and be part of a culture that treats them like rational and mature human beings. View the full article

Many of us want to get promoted at work, but don’t often stop to consider what that means. Moving into the executive ranks often means leading the very people you once worked alongside. And while you might attract attention with stellar performance, it’s not enough to secure your success as a leader. As a CEO and C-Level coach, let me tell you that I, nor any of my most successful clients, would risk elevating a leader to the next level if it would lead to a systemic risk of losing talent or momentum. In those cases, I’d wait to ensure that this high performer is making an effort to work on leadership quality, including their peer relationships. Leadership requires a new skill set and, just as importantly, the respect and trust of your peers. Your colleagues’ opinions can hurt or help your ability to rise to the next level. Many professionals overlook their peer relationships, focusing instead on managing up to satisfy their boss or managing down to lead their teams’ performance. The reality is: If your colleagues don’t trust or support you, your promotion might never materialize. Worse, it might falter due to their feedback. During executive coaching engagements, I often find leaders realize that they need to start paying attention to their cross-functional relationships. Then they often ask, how do I take such initiative? Where do I start? Below are the steps that you might want to take. Map your landscape Start by listing all the colleagues who are critical to your team’s mission and your success as a leader. Think horizontally, like your peers who report to the same manager and cross-departmental collaborators at a similar level. List them, and for each of them, consider rating the relationship based on the following factors: How vital is it to your mission? Identify the level at which their support is critical to your KPIs, to advancing your team’s agenda and your own professional success. How frequently are you communicating? Think about how often you have a chance to talk, email, or formally meet. What’s the quality of your communication? Determine if your interactions are purely transactional or if you’ve built actual rapport. Think about how productive each interaction is and what follow-up occurs. What is the level of trust between you both? Reflect on how both parties may feel about the honesty of the exchange, the commitment to what you’ve discussed, and the level of political gesturing that might or might not have been present. Once you’ve thought about these “ratings,” take it a step further. Relationships don’t evolve by accident. They require consistent effort, thoughtful communication, and mutual understanding. Use your empathy to reflect upon things like: What drives their business agenda? Reflect on their business mission and goals. Ensure that you understand how to help them. What seems to motivate their engagement? Thinking about a time when they’re highly engaged. That’s a peek into what motivates them and how to get the best out of them. For example, some people are motivated by public recognition, but others aren’t. What tends to demotivate their engagement? Think about when that person exhibited anger, frustration, disappointment, or did not reply at all. That might be a sign that you need to modify your behavior or communication style. Identify your sponsors and anti-sponsors Once you create the list of people and go through this process, you’ll quickly realize that there are key people that you haven’t built relationships with. Start with those people. You’ll also realize that there are peers that will be naturally inclined to support you (sponsors) and those who might work against you (anti-sponsors). Instead of avoiding detractors, take the opportunity to address their concerns. Reflect on why some peers may resist your rise. A client of mine once discovered that an “anti-sponsor” was frustrated by being left out of critical project discussions. Inviting them into conversations and acknowledging their expertise turned a skeptic into an advocate. Take radical ownership The strength of your relationships often mirrors your own behaviors. If a colleague is disengaged or resistant, consider how your actions influenced the situation. Have you been overly competitive? Dismissive of their ideas? Too focused on your own outcomes? Leadership starts with accountability. I learned long ago the only behavior I can truly change is my own. If I wanted to improve a relationship, I had to initiate it. For example, start by saying, “Something seems off in our working relationship. Can you share what it is? Maybe there’s something I can do to change it.” Honesty often paves the way for better collaboration. Radical ownership involves recognizing your impact and taking action to improve, not assigning self-blame. Step into their shoes Empathy is your most powerful tool. Put yourself in your colleagues’ positions and consider the key pressures that they face, the resources that they have access to, and ways that you can make their lives easier. Consider what would matter to you if the roles were reversed. A simple question like, “What can I do to support you?” can open doors to meaningful dialogue. Once, as a young leader in a fast-moving tech company, I pushed hard for more support from my marketing peers. My aggressive approach, however, only generated resentment. When I took the time to understand their pressures and resource limitations, I adjusted my requests. By expressing empathy and remorse, we found a productive path forward and collaborated successfully. Play the long game Building strong peer relationships requires a long-term commitment to earning respect and trust over time rather than focusing on quick wins. When you consistently demonstrate authenticity, reliability, and a commitment to shared goals, your peers will naturally see you as a leader they want to follow. Remember, leadership isn’t about being in charge. It’s ultimately rooted in inspiring others to follow willingly. Win the trust of your peers, and you’ll not likely secure your promotion, but equally thrive in the new role with their support. View the full article

Review schema is a data format that helps search engines understand reviews and ratings on webpages. View the full article

Murray Auchincloss predicts ‘tremendous’ demand for oil and gas beyond 2050View the full article

It’s lights out for the signage at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Footage shows lettering spelling out the consumer watchdog agency’s name and window decals of its seal have been stripped from the building earlier this month after mass firings gutted the bureau and remaining staff was ordered to stop their work. Though some fired CFPB attorneys are suing to keep their jobs and President Donald Trump’s administration says it intends to keep the agency open in a new, diminished form, from the outside looking in, things don’t look good for the bureau, literally. The Federal Government founded CFPB in 2011 in response to the financial crisis that preceded the Great Recession, with the objective to offer consumers financial protections from fraud and scams. It’s provided more than $21 billion in monetary compensation, canceled debt, and consumer relief as of last year. And as of one of the nation’s youngest federal agencies, it has a surprisingly modern and communicative logomark, courtesy the design and consulting firm IDEO. Amid the agency’s attempted takedown, it’s also a deft reminder of its purpose. [Image: cfpb.gov] The all lowercase CFPB mark, by designers Annessa Braymer, Elle Luna, and Gaston Yagmourian, uses the opening of the letter c to evoke a flashlight, with a soft beam of light emanating to light up the rest of the logo. According to the CFPB, the logo, which is still on the agency’s website, “was designed to symbolize vigilance, transparency, and a consumer focus.” This mark is in addition to the agency’s more traditionally designed seal. “Consumers are the foundation and focus of our mission and our logo reflects that,” the agency’s brand guide states. “A soft beam of light symbolizes our efforts to illuminate the financial landscape and foster transparency in the marketplace.” The CFPB’s visual identity uses a green primary color palette to indicate at-a-glance that it deals with monetary issues. In its guides for photography and illustrations, the agency emphasizes the importance of imagery that’s clear, relatable, and politically and socially neutral. Though White House budget director Russ Vought said in a motion the CFPB will continue on as a “more streamlined and efficient bureau,” Senate Democrats say thousands of consumer complaints have gone unanswered this month, citing a slowdown in complaints uploaded to its database. The extent to which the CFPB’s work continues is an open question, but for an agency whose brand was designed to communicate transparency, the empty facade speaks volumes. View the full article

Since its launch in 2018, Olipop has been a bit of a Cinderella story in the oft-unforgiving beverage game. The prebiotic, fiber-laden soda designed to be healthier than the category classics is currently thriving: It just closed a $50 million Series C and announced a $1.85 billion valuation. Last year, it surpassed $400 million in revenue. Its reps cite it as the No. 1 nonalcoholic brand in dollar and unit growth, “outpacing legacy giants like Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, and Red Bull.” It’s now sold in nearly 50,000 stores and is even outselling Coke at one major national retailer (though they won’t disclose which one, per that retailer’s regulations). Which is all to say: There’s no way cofounder and CEO Ben Goodwin still formulates all of the brand’s cult-fave flavors in his laundry room himself, as he did back in the day. . . . Right? “People would be shocked. Established flavor chemists, if they walked into my little laundry room lab, their heads would explode,” he says with a laugh. “I have my own kind of differentiated way that I approach formulation. And from there, it’s all about my nose and it’s about my senses and my vision for the formula. And it’s all I need.” In lieu of Cinderella, Goodwin has been described as the Willy Wonka of soda. And, well, that tracks. [Photo: Olipop] Oli and Microbiology Goodwin grew up in Monterey, California, in a low-income family with food instability and food insecurity. As a result, he says he suffered from weight issues and anxiety—but he realized at 14 that better health would yield a better life in the long run. So, he actively pursued just that through a variety of means, notably nutrition and adopting a vegetarian diet. Ben Goodwin [Photo: Olipop] “It was a very powerful interpersonal awakening for me [that] also affected my emotional stability, my cognitive function,” he says. “It was like a paradigm shift for me as a person, and it’s also part of what then led me to have this really deep passion about how poor nutrition and poor health outcomes can undermine society’s well-being on all levels at scale.” Goodwin went on to study environmental science in college, but didn’t want to emerge saddled with debt. After reading about successful entrepreneurs, he dropped out of college in the early 2000s. He says he felt drawn to the beverage industry, and went to help out a friend who had launched Kombucha Botanica . And that’s when he began to go down the rabbit hole of microbiomes. “The connectivity occurred for me of, Oh, wow, this is probably what I activated as I went through my own nutritional journey—and so that really then became the center of my focus.” After a few years at the company, he spent half a decade freelancing in product development, but eventually found himself pulled back to the beverage industry. He took what he had learned about fermentation at Kombucha Botanica and worked with a microbiologist to develop Obi Probiotic Soda, which was made from non-dairy kefir. He realized he could go the natural product route, or he could meet soda customers where they truly were in the mainstream and think bigger—something that would prove critical for Olipop down the line. “[Soda] is arguably the most deleterious nonalcoholic drink in all of human history,” he says. “So, if I want to make the most impact, here’s where I can make the most impact.” He met ex-Diageo innovation head David Lester as he was working on the product, and the two launched Obi together in 2013. The brand eventually folded a few years later due to what Goodwin dubbed “partnership issues on the investor side,” but the pair had witnessed something critical: potential. “We learned that there was a real opportunity here around this healthy soda concept,” he says. “When Obi came to its conclusion in late 2016, my passion for the mission was not only not diminished—it was actually enhanced.” [Photo: Olipop] A Sodastream and a Dream After Obi folded, Goodwin says he and Lester took $100,000 they had made from the brand and immediately went back into the soda game. For Goodwin, that meant formulating. He was focused on fiber, prebiotics, and nutritional diversity—and, of course, flavor. From a makeshift lab in his California kitchen, he started working on the first three Olipop varieties: Cinnamon Cola, Strawberry Vanilla, and Ginger Lemon. The first was the most soda-like, but while cola traditionally contains cinnamon, people assumed it would be spicy—so they changed the name to Vintage Cola, which Olipop drinkers know today. Ginger Lemon, meanwhile, was intended for health-focused kombucha consumers, and Strawberry Vanilla was an innovation test flavor inspired by one of Goodwin’s favorite candies as a kid. Goodwin still formulates flavors much the same way today, despite running a company worth billions of dollars. He is the chief formulator, and his lab is now in the laundry room of his Washington-state home by virtue of convenience. There’s a sink, and he can put a metal table in there. It’s an otherwise deceptively simple rig consisting of a couple scales, a Vitamix, pipettes and measuring devices, and a Sodastream. “[At our headquarters] we’ve got a much more sophisticated setup with an Alpha MOS mass spectrometer and all that kind of stuff. But when I’m in what I would call ‘the artistic phase,’ I don’t want any of that stuff interfering with my process.” He says he knew he had a knack for formulating back at Obi, and enters a flow state when he’s working. He spends a lot of time up front thinking about the architecture of the flavor he wants to create: What’s the story he wants it to tell? What’s the mouth-feel? The acidity? The resolution as you drink it? Critically, he says he always tries to create something that has a nostalgic anchor, but is innovative and ownable at the same time. As the flavor progresses, he breaks out a yellow legal pad to jot down his formulas. He has cupboards filled with these notebooks—in total, he has created more than 50 flavors over the past seven years, and has brought 22 of them to the market, including favorites like Crisp Apple, Tropical Punch, Cherry Cola, and Cream Soda. Olipop’s flavors have the essence of traditional soda drinks, but they don’t taste exactly like a Coca-Cola or a Dr. Pepper. Rather, they look to channel a similar vibe using sweeteners like stevia, cassava syrup, and fruit, alongside botanicals, plant fiber, and prebiotics (the stuff that feeds the good bacteria in your stomach). “Something I love about formulating: It’s a proper blending of science and art. And I’m still growing as a formulator every time I formulate,” he says. “I take craftsmanship extremely seriously, and it’s like the formulas that I create have the least distance between me and the Olipop customer of anything I will ever do. It is my most direct and unfiltered communication tool.” [Photo: Olipop] Olipop’s can design is perhaps the ultimate mirror to his formulation strategy. It’s clean, thanks to the brand name set in the Ano typeface and the accompanying minimalist illustrations; it’s warm and nostalgic, owing to each flavor name set in the friendly Windsor; and ultimately it harkens back to a more innocent time when we didn’t know traditional soda was terrible for us. (As for the healthiness of Olipop and its competitors, with fewer calories and added sugars than traditional soda, and no high-fructose corn syrup to speak of, they’re indeed a healthier choice than cracking a Coke. But the Cleveland Clinic and others have written that while they can be a good occasional supplement, it’s still best to get prebiotic fibers naturally from eating whole foods.) [Photo: Olipop] Olipop pops off When Goodwin and Lester were trying to get Olipop off the ground, they approached the distributor Dairy Delivery, which Goodwin says agreed to launch the brand if they could get 100 stores on board. Olipop managed to net 40 or 50 accounts, and Dairy Delivery got them into some small chains in Northern California. Goodwin says Olipop has always had robust organic traction, experiencing triple-digit growth every year since launching in 2018; 2020 was particularly critical, with 960% growth. Influencers and TikTok played a big role, and at a time when the world receded from groceries, Olipop’s in-store sales were strong, indicating people were picking it up as an essential item in their strategic grocery runs. The company’s DTC sales (which today account for less than 5% of the business) were an added bonus on top of it all. “That was actually my first clue that something really different was happening with this brand than what is even remotely typical,” Goodwin says of Olipop’s COVID-era sales surge. Olipop has a lot of flavors compared to most bev brands. While Crisp Apple is the company’s top seller, Goodwin says none of the brand’s kaleidoscopic cans have ever really been a failure, so Olipop walks a careful line of skew effectiveness and the right cadence of novelty. “It’s a great problem to have, but it does add to the complexity in terms of what choices we make,” he says. “It’s always a tension between supply chain going, ‘Guys, you’ve got enough SKUs, you’re going to kill us,’ and sales saying, ‘We want more SKUs, we want to go sell more product.’” Of course, the behemoth brands have been watching. What does he make of Coke joining the category last week with the launch of Simply Pop, with Pepsi also reportedly prepping its own response? “I gotta tell you, there is kind of no bigger compliment,” Goodwin says. “Back in 2010, [I said], ‘I think this is important. I wonder how this will do.’ And now in 2025 to have the biggest soda brands in all of human history decide that they agree, putting their money where their mouth is and launching products . . . it’s incredible.” View the full article

For some time, meme coins have occupied a peculiar space in online culture. While there are people who have struck it rich trading these joke-based cryptocurrencies, the landscape is riddled with scams, “rug pulls,” and market manipulation. Beneath the fun, there are systemic issues that demand attention. Crypto coins are often cons. And now they’re a matter of life and death. Streamer MistaFuccYou died by suicide on an X livestream after allegedly losing his last $500 to a meme coin scam. In a desperate bid for attention, he played Russian roulette on camera, seemingly to promote his own meme coin. His final post on X read: “Before you crash out and throw your life away ask your self [if] it really matters.” Reports suggest the entire incident—his financial loss, the deadly stunt—may have been part of an extreme marketing ploy for another crypto coin that spiraled out of control. Regardless of intent, the aftermath was chilling. Within minutes of his death, crypto tokens bearing his name were launched, their value spiking before an inevitable crash. Opportunistic traders saw a chance to cash in on tragedy, mirroring the same exploitative cycle that may have led to his demise. The crypto sector, already battling a reputation for scams, now faces an even darker association: the human cost of financial manipulation. While cryptocurrency is often touted as an alternative to traditional banking, meme coins—designed for viral hype rather than real utility—are particularly prone to fraud. “Rug pulls” lure in investors, artificially inflate prices, and then leave them bankrupt when creators cash out and vanish. Yet, despite mounting concerns, crypto continues to gain political backing. President Donald Trump has positioned himself as a champion of digital currencies, picking venture capitalist David Sacks as his crypto czar and appointing Paul Atkins, a pro-crypto advocate, to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission. These moves signal growing legitimacy for the industry, even as financial regulators in the U.S. and U.K. warn that meme coin investors risk losing everything. Meme coins have long been dismissed as harmless fun, a gamified entry point into crypto speculation. But the reality is starker. They’re not just vehicles for financial loss—they’re now entangled with life-or-death consequences. View the full article

In January 2022, when my book The Success Factor was published, I hosted a virtual book launch party. It was a celebration that brought together friends, family, and some of the high achievers I had interviewed for the book—astronauts, Nobel Prize winners, Olympians, and more. Just before the event, one of the astronauts texted me with an unexpected question: “Will [a prominent physician-scientist at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic] be there?” I chuckled and responded, “Omicron just hit; I think he’s a bit busy dealing with that right now. But this Nobel Prize winner will be there.” The astronaut’s reply floored me: “Wow, a Nobel Prize winner? Now that’s a high achiever.” I was baffled. This was coming from an astronaut—someone who’d gone to space, which only a select few will ever achieve. When I later shared this exchange with the Nobel Prize winner, he wasn’t surprised. “I know most of the other Nobel Prize winners in the sciences,” he said casually. “It’s a small world. We see each other often.” To him, being a Nobel laureate, while extraordinary to the rest of us, was simply normal in his sphere. The same was true for the astronaut. For him, being surrounded by other astronauts had normalized what is objectively an extraordinary achievement. This experience revealed a profound truth: our baseline for what we consider “normal” is shaped by the people around us. The rising baseline effect: redefining normal When everyone in your immediate circle has a doctorate, it can feel like an expectation rather than an extraordinary accomplishment. Yet, less than 2% of the world’s population holds a terminal degree. This phenomenon, where we normalize exceptional achievements, is what I call the “rising baseline effect.” If you want to elevate our own standards and achievements, you need to surround yourself with high achievers. Now, this doesn’t mean you must accomplish what they have, but being in their orbit can shift your perspective on what’s possible and lets you imagine yourself achieving more. The spillover effect: proximity to excellence Even if you don’t mirror the accomplishments of those around you, research shows that close proximity to high performers can positively impact your own performance. This phenomenon, known as the “spillover effect,” underscores the power of your environment. It’s not just your five closest friends who influence your character. A study found that employees sitting within a 25-foot radius of high performers experienced a 15% boost in productivity. High achievers radiate curiosity, innovation, and motivation—qualities that ripple and touch colleagues nearby. The danger of the toxic employee Unfortunately, the proximity principle also applies to underachievers. A single toxic employee can infect their organization with their negativity. And they often have a much bigger influence than their high performing peers. Their behaviors, less than stellar output, and pessimistic views can diminish productivity, disintegrate morale, and stifle innovation across teams. This is why it’s not enough to add high achievers to your circle. It’s also important to minimize your exposure to toxic individuals How to build a high-achieving network If you want to intentionally curate a network that elevates your baseline and leverages the spillover effect, consider these steps: Identify and engage with high performers Seek out opportunities to connect with people who excel in their fields. Attend industry conferences, join professional groups, and engage with thought leaders on platforms like LinkedIn. By starting to engage and emulate their mindset, you’ll start to move closer into the circle of high achievers . Learn through observation High achievers often model behaviors and mindsets that lead to success. Pay attention to their mindsets, decision-making processes, and ways of thinking. When you adopt even a fraction of their approach, it can create significant improvements in your own performance. Just by taking action, you are doing what most won’t. Embrace mentorship You don’t need to be in the same room as Nobel Prize winners or astronauts to benefit from the rising baseline effect. Surround yourself with peers and mentors who challenge and inspire you, and reciprocate by sharing your own knowledge and expertise. Eliminate toxicity Be vigilant about the influence of negativity in your network. Limit interactions with individuals who drain your energy or stifle your growth, and prioritize relationships that uplift and inspire. If they enter the break room when you’re there, give yourself permission to leave. If they want to stop by your office to chat, tell them you’re preparing for a meeting. Give them a reason to leave. Elevating your normal By intentionally surrounding yourself with high achievers, you can recalibrate your baseline for what’s possible. Whether it’s in the workplace or your personal lives, the people you spend time with profoundly shape your mindset, aspirations, and ultimately your outcomes. Remember, you don’t achieve success in isolation. You nurture it in environments that challenge you to aim higher, dream bigger, and perform better. So, choose your inner circle wisely. Your future self will thank you. View the full article

The nonprofit Environmental Working Group just released an update to its Tap Water Database, finding that nearly half of the American population is drinking water containing PFAS, otherwise known as “forever chemicals.” The EWG is a research advocacy group dedicated to monitoring agricultural subsidies, toxic chemicals, and drinking water pollutants. It’s been creating a Tap Water Database for nearly two decades, with the last report issued in 2021. To create its latest database, the EWG audited water quality data from nearly 50,000 American water systems between 2021 and 2023. It identified 324 contaminants—like nitrate, arsenic, and disinfection byproducts—in drinking water across the country, “with detectable levels in almost all community water systems.” In many cases, the report notes, these detectable levels fall below the legal limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency, but they nevertheless exceed the “health-based standards” established by the EWG itself. And, despite recent federal efforts to regulate PFAS in tap water, the group found that a large portion of Americans are consuming forever chemicals on a daily basis. “The reason we publish this database is so people are aware that, one, there are contaminants in their drinking water, and two, even at perfectly legal limits, in most cases contaminants are present at concentrations that are linked to health harm,” says Sydney Evans, senior science analyst at the EWG. What are the forever chemicals in tap water? PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of synthetic chemicals commonly used in consumer goods like nonstick pans and stain resistant fabrics. In recent years, PFAS have been linked to increased risk of cancer, developmental delays, decreased fertility, and other health impacts. To make matters worse, these chemicals are persistent: They last for thousands of years at a time, are difficult to destroy, and are already present in the blood of most Americans. Last April, the EPA finalized the first-ever federal limits on six types of PFAS in drinking water. As The Conversation noted at the time, “The limits . . . are less than a drop of water in a thousand Olympic-sized swimming pools, which speaks to the chemicals’ toxicity.” Public water systems have until 2027 to complete monitoring for PFAS, and removing them is a laborious process that’s expected to require billions of dollars each year. As of right now, the EWG found, PFAS are present in the drinking water of over 143 million Americans. Overall, the concentration of PFOS in the national water supply has risen over time: While the EWG’s 2021 Tap Water Database showed PFOS in 28 states (929 utilities, serving 28 million people), it’s now in 45 states (4,486 utilities, serving 104 million people.) These numbers are expected to increase as testing continues. “The more that we test for PFAS, the more places that we’re finding it,” Tasha Stoiber, a senior scientist at EWG, told the publication Heatmap. “It’s being addressed in a patchwork way.” How can I test and filter my water? The fate of PFAS regulation in tap water is now relatively murky, given that several of President Donald Trump’s recent EPA appointees have a history of opposing PFAS regulations. In addition, the conservative Project 2025 agenda includes language that appears to call for fewer chemical regulations. “As a result of the new administration, a lot of these drinking water protections are under threat,” Evans says. “There’s potential that [the federal PFAS] limits could be raised, or that [the regulations] could be pulled back, which we think would be a huge step backward for such a big win that we’ve seen for environmental health over the past few years.” While systemic change will require continued federal intervention, there are a few steps that individuals can take to make sure their water is safe. To start, the EWG’s Tap Water Database allows users to search by local water system to discover any reported contaminants, and the site will recommend an appropriate water filter based on the results. The EWG has also tested a number of water filters to suggest the best options for removing PFAS. Filters using activated carbon, ion exchange resin, and reverse osmosis are all potential options that have shown to be effective. Ultimately though, Evans says, the responsibility for PFAS should rest with the systems that create and regulate them, not with everyday Americans. “It shouldn’t be on the individual to guarantee that their drinking water is safe,” she says. View the full article

Location page SEO is the process of optimizing location pages for keywords relevant to a local business. View the full article

Follow our local SEO checklist to increase your business‘s search visibility and get more customers in 2025. View the full article

Most chatbots want to appear human. But their efforts to sound just like us only widen their uncanny valley feeling. Many are Elon Musk-level awkward. And most are annoyingly verbose. There’s only one AI persona that offers a completely different user experience: Tolan. This AI-powered being—which you can teleport into your iPhone—doesn’t pretend to be like us. Quite the opposite. Tolan embraces being very much unlike us. But in doing so, it feels more human and relatable than any other AIs I’ve come across. Tolan is an alien. The whimsical, colorful creature is made of friendly curved shapes that are designed to reflect, converse, and grow with its user. These AI-driven entities engage in conversations on various topics, including sports, games, movies, and personal feelings, aiming to provide a sense of companionship and support. Each alien is uniquely shaped, with its own personality. It will listen to anything you tell it about your life, answering you with intent, focus, and creativity. It also keeps a memory of you through its entire existence, and develops its own personality with each interaction. Now, with its latest update released today, Tolan comes with its own planet. It’s not just a place for this being to live, walk, and wait for you to return. It’s actually a new method of expression and connection to the user, which expands the relationship beyond dialogue. The Tolan planet is a visual representation of your relationship with the being that inhabits it. As your connection with this alien deepens, its small, barren world flourishes into a lush, vibrant landscape. “We wanted to create a world that made the experience of interacting with AI feel different—less like typing into a search box and more like an evolving relationship,” says Quinten Farmer, cofounder and CEO of Portola, the company behind Tolan. “The idea of the planet came from wanting to represent that in a way that felt organic, personal, and visually compelling.” [Image: Portola]The Inspiration Behind the PlanetsThe idea of giving Tolan its own little world wasn’t merely about aesthetics or adding a gamification element to the app. Like the Tolan itself, it’s an element deeply rooted in storytelling and emotional resonance. “When I first saw the mock-ups, I immediately thought of The Little Prince,” says Eliot Peper, the sci-fi novelist who was brought in by Farmer to develop Tolan’s lore. When Peper founded Portola with Ajay Mehta, he realized that if they wanted to build a humanistic bridge to get over the current AI uncanny valley, the company needed to hire a writer to create a culture behind the aliens. “The small, floating planet felt whimsical and poetic in the way The Little Prince’s tiny worlds did,” Peper tells me. [Image: Portola]That comparison wasn’t accidental. The developers (including Farmer, Mehta, creative director Lucas Zanotto, and animation director Eran Hilleli) took the precious, deeply moving creations of the French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry as both a visual and spiritual reference. “It has this magical simplicity—one character on a tiny planet, a self-contained universe full of imagination. We wanted that feeling in Tolan’s world,” Zanotto tells me over Zoom. [Image: Portola]The Design Philosophy: Warmth Over RealismPlanets aren’t a static environment. Each Tolan (and thus, each human user) gets a unique planet, with vegetation, terrain, and structures that evolve based on their interactions. These are procedural elements, meaning the computer system creates objects like plants and trees using some basic seeds that evolve and grow in different ways. Hilleli, also cofounder and partner of the game design and animation studio Iorama, says designing a world that scales visually and emotionally using procedural technology was a big challenge. The planet had to function as both a backdrop and as an interactive, evolving space. It needed to feel like a living environment that responds to user engagement. [Image: Portola]First, the planet needed to resonate with Tolan’s visual language, which is deliberately distinct from the hyper-detailed realism of most digital experiences. “A big goal was to make the AI feel warm and inviting rather than eerie or overly human,” says Farmer. “We didn’t want it to feel like you were talking to an avatar pretending to be a person. That’s where the alien design comes in.” The planets follow the same principle, Zanotto tells me, by emphasizing minimalism and abstraction. A simplified character leaves more room for users to project their own emotions onto it, he says, making interactions feel more personal and engaging. The team experimented with AI-generated objects but found that they often resulted in cluttered, meaningless landscapes. Handcrafted design, combined with procedural growth, created a more meaningful experience. [Image: Portola]Hilleli took cues from the Tolan’s shapes—its hair, its small tentacles—and reflected those organic forms in the flora. Trees and bushes are designed to feel like they belong in Tolan’s world, rather than generic sci-fi landscapes. The colorful shapes that compose these objects, which are rendered in 3D but feel as though they’ve been painted with watercolor, are gently rounded, and they move delicately, responding to the Tolan and the atmosphere of the planet. The aesthetic also draws from the spirit of the most iconic of the animation studios. “Studio Ghibli was a big reference,” says Hilleli. “That blend of handcrafted charm and digital world-building made something procedural feel personal.” The approach involved striking a balance between a world that felt magical and one that was technically feasible. [Image: Portola]More than a virtual petPlanets introduce a subtle form of gamification, but the team was careful to distinguish it from traditional game mechanics. Gamification can feel manipulative, like it’s using dopamine hits to keep you engaged, Farmer says. Instead, planets are a way to make your connection with Tolan feel tangible, so it needs to be grounding and calming, inviting contemplation and reflection, not triggering actions and anxiety. Peper framed it in narrative terms. In Tolan’s fictional culture, small planets serve as a way to represent relationships. The evolving landscape functions like a shared garden, symbolizing the depth and progression of a user’s connection with their Tolan. The planet evolves over roughly 30 days, mirroring a psychological model describing how relationships deepen over time. Early on, the planet is barren. As engagement grows, the landscape flourishes, providing a tangible representation of a user’s investment in the experience. This pacing was crucial, Hilleli says. If the changes felt too immediate, they would lack emotional weight. If they were too slow, they would feel unrewarding. The team fine-tuned the timeline to make progress feel satisfying but natural. [Image: Portola]A different approach to AIOther AI companions often drift into unsettling territory, but Tolan aims to chart a different course. “We didn’t want it to simulate a human relationship,” says Farmer. “That gets into weird, unhealthy dynamics really fast. Tolan is a reflection tool, a creative partner, not a surrogate friend or therapist.” The team deliberately avoided making Tolan’s responses overly humanlike. “We worked hard to balance personality with clarity,” says Peper. “It shouldn’t feel like it’s mimicking human emotions. Instead, it’s more like an alien pen pal—curious about you, interested in your world, but always distinct.” The planet update is just the beginning, the team says. They’re already considering expanding into new environments, each with distinct characteristics. They’d also like to introduce the ability to visit other Tolans’ planets (which means connecting to other Tolans’ users). The core goal will remain the same through future expansions. Farmer and the rest of the Portola team seem convinced that this is a strong way to use artificial intelligence to its full humanistic potential at this point. In other words, using AI to enhance a human experience, not replace it. “Tolan isn’t about escaping into a fantasy,” Farmer says. “It’s about helping people reflect on their own lives, using an AI that doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not.” With planets, that reflection now has a home—a tiny, living world that grows as you and your friend do. View the full article

The new Netflix series Running Point stars Kate Hudson as president of a fictional pro basketball team, the Los Angeles Waves. And the Pepperdine Waves have a problem with it. Attorneys for Pepperdine University in Malibu have filed a lawsuit against the streaming service and Warner Bros. Entertainment arguing they “have taken valuable intellectual property” from the school and infringed on its trademark ahead of the show’s premiere today. Attorneys for the University claim the fictional team’s branding is too similar to its own, and that it uses the same blue and orange team colors and mascot. They argue this will create consumer confusion and falsely suggest a link between Running Point and the university. There’s an added layer to Pepperdine’s argument. The school, a Christian university, isn’t happy with details from the show they say don’t align with their values. Noting examples of substance use and profanity in the show’s trailer that go against the school’s code of conduct, attorneys argue they’re “misrepresentations of Pepperdine’s marks in connection with topics wholly inconsistent with its values” and will harm its reputation. From top: Scenes from Running Point; Pepperdine University branding [Photos: Kat Marcinowski/Netflix 2024 (top), Pepperdine University (bottom)] Litigating fiction vs. real life At the heart of the dispute is whether a work of fiction can use names from real life. Courts have historically resolved litigation between First Amendment freedoms and trademark infringement via the “Rogers test,” named after actress Ginger Rogers, who sued over a film called Ginger and Fred that depicted fictional performers seemingly inspired by Rogers and her on-screen partner Fred Astaire. A 1989 ruling in the case found that use of a celebrity’s name in the title of an expressive work is fine if it doesn’t inaccurately claim that a celebrity sponsors or endorses the work and isn’t explicitly misleading. Applied to the Pepperdine suit, the Rogers test might find the use of the Waves team name is fine for Netflix and Warner Bros. since the show doesn’t imply a connection to or endorsement from the university, and the storyline has nothing to do with an elite, private college in Malibu. “I am no fan of these types of lawsuits because I don’t think consumers will be confused in a way that damages Pepperdine,” Kevin Greene, a law professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles who specializes in entertainment and intellectual property law, tells Fast Company. He says several years ago, a case like Pepperdine’s “probably wouldn’t go anywhere,” but a 2023 Supreme Court infringement case ruling potentially threw the limits of the Rogers test into question. In the case, Jack Daniel’s alleged a dog toy made in the shape of its whiskey bottle infringed on its trademark. The court ruled in favor of the liquor company. Blue waves in California? Netflix says it’s not so notable Attorneys for Netflix wrote in an opposition filing that the series “has nothing to do with universities or college sports, and never mentions or alludes to Pepperdine.” They say the show was in fact written with Jeanie Buss, daughter of the late Lakers owner Jerry Buss, in mind. Pointing to other Southern California teams that also have wave mascots, including a hockey club, cricket club, and flag football club, the attorneys say “hundreds of wave-related marks exist.” The Waves team name, according to Netflix, is instead a nod to the Lakers. “The Waves name evokes the LA area in which the fictional team plays,” they wrote. “In naming the ‘LA Waves,’ the creators did not believe it would cause confusion, as there is no major pro sports team with the name.” As for the similar blue-and-orange color palettes for the real-life and fictional teams, attorneys for Netflix lean on color theory to defend the show’s choices. “Waves are blue in real life, so the idea of a blue wave is common,” they wrote, and since orange is at the other end of the color wheel, it complements and contrasts blue. A court will now weigh in on the Waves’ fate, and considering the unsettled nature of the Rogers test, whatever they decided could have a ripple effect. View the full article