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A Minecraft Movie just beat Captain America and Mario at the box office. The new film, inspired by the beloved brick-based video game and starring Jack Black and Jason Mamoa, pulled in $157 million at its domestic box office opening this weekend. That’s more than double analysts’ early prediction that the film would gross $60 million. It’s also well past the record of the previous top opener of 2025, Disney’s Captain America: Brave New World, which netted $88.5 million at its opening weekend—meaning A Minecraft Movie has now enjoyed the most successful opening weekend of the year. By video game-to-movie adaptation standards, the Minecraft film is also playing in a league of its own. In 2019, for example, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu opened with a $58 million weekend, and, last year, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 opened with $60 million at the box office (considered a strong start at the time). The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released in 2023, was the previous record holder for the largest video game adaptation opening weekend of all time, raking in $145 million. By all accounts, A Minecraft Movie’s debut has been a smashing success. Rocky Horror for Gen Alpha? To some extent, it makes sense that A Minecraft Movie might appeal to wide audiences, given that, as of 2023, it had sold over 300 million copies, making it the second most-sold video game behind only Tetris. Still, even the most optimistic industry analysts capped the film’s potential box office open earnings at $90 million, and it had a so-so rating of 48% on Rotten Tomatoes before this weekend. One explanation for the film’s success could be its memeability. Over the weekend, many viewers took to social media to share that younger audiences—particularly Gen Alpha—seemed to be turning the Minecraft movie-viewing experience into an interactive event. Videos of audiences clapping every few minutes, reciting lines aloud, and even throwing popcorn in the air have all gone viral on TikTok, with some viewers even reporting that the police had to be called to their screenings to settle audiences down. “I saw Minecraft in the theater with my kids last night and am still processing what I saw,” one tweet with 46,000 likes reads. “The only cinematic experience I can compare the audience participation to is Rocky Horror, except it’s with teenagers and their phones and the movie is not even a weekend old.” Audiences have particularly taken to one scene in which a baby zombie (one of Minecraft’s main monsters) rides a cuboid chicken, causing Black’s character to exclaim, “Chicken jockey!” Clips of audiences reacting rowdily to the scene made the rounds over the weekend, which, in turn, only attracted more viewers eager to join the trend to theaters. “the minecraft movie is truly one of the worst movies i’ve ever seen but the universal reaction to ‘chicken jockey’ im seeing made it all worth it,” one X user wrote. Another added, “The Minecraft Movie is a must watch cultural experience,” over a video of audience members giving the “chicken jockey” scene a standing ovation. Considering that the film has been in theaters for just four days, only time will tell whether A Minecraft Movie becomes the next Rocky Horror Picture Show, or if (in a much more likely scenario) young fans’ outsized reactions are only a passing fad. View the full article

JPMorgan chief’s letter to shareholders is an exercise in blending in with the political wallpaperView the full article

Like the Nintendo Switch before it, the Switch 2 supports both physical and digital games. It offers some flexibility no matter how players enjoy to collect their games, unlike other game companies that offer digital-only versions of their consoles. It's important to note, however, that just because you buy a physical Switch 2 game, that doesn't mean you've actually purchased the game itself. In fact, for some games, there are few differences between buying the game physically or digitally—and unless you really appreciate the box art and the cartridge itself, you shouldn't make your buying decision with the wrong idea in mind. Switch 2 Game-Key cardsOnce the Switch 2 does go on sale, and games start to release in tandem, check the game boxes carefully: On select titles, you will notice a white strip along the bottom of the cover art, notably sporting a "GAME-KEY CARD" branding. Credit: Nintendo Game-key cards are new to this Nintendo generation, and separate themselves from traditional physical games in one major way: They do not contain the full game on the card itself. What you're buying instead is the key to download the full game onto your console. (Hence, game-key card.) Once you pop the game cartridge into your Switch 2, the console will present you with steps to download the full game locally. However, you'll need an internet connection for the download to actually begin, so you won't be able to play your new Switch 2 game until you've returned somewhere with a stable and relatively fast network. (Long gone are the days of buying a Nintendo cartridge and playing it then and there.) Additionally, you'll need to make sure you have enough space on your Switch 2 for that download to take place. Nintendo says you'll see the amount of space necessary on the game box itself. This is another bummer: One of the perks of physical games on Switch is preserving the limited storage space you have to work with. True, the Switch 2 quadruples the internal storage of the Switch 1, but buy enough of these games, and you'll need to invest in some expanded storage, as well. (Remember: You cannot use your Switch 1 microSD cards here, either). Once the game is downloaded, you'll need to keep that internet connection active in order to launch the game. After this, however, you can choose to play the game offline as well. You'll just need to ensure you're playing with the cartridge, as you would a physical game. We don't know which games in particular will use this system yet, or how game-key cards affect pricing. (Mario Kart World, for example, is $80.) Why is Nintendo doing this?My first reaction to this new type of game cart is, simply, confusion. What's the point of this? If you aren't going to put the full game on the cartridge itself, why not just offer the title digitally? It's not like it's benefitting users who don't have a stable internet connection: You still need to download the title to your Switch 2 via the net. So, again, why bother with the game-key card system at all? Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser (no relation) has the company's answer. In an interview with The Verge, Bowser said the game key is basically a "digital game on a card," and offers developers the opportunity to create games that are too large to fit on a typical cartridge while still selling those games in retail stores. That does track from a business perspective. Nintendo doesn't publish its sales stats, but according to Christopher Dring, editor-in-chief of The Game Business, the company can expect to sell 80% of the copies for any given game physically. That number sounds a bit extreme to me, but I don't doubt Nintendo still sells a lot of games in stores, even as other sectors in the gaming industry swing heavily towards digital sales. Plus, Switch 2 is much more powerful than Switch 1, so it makes sense that large AAA games would take up a lot more space than OG Switch titles. But from a consumer point of view, none of us wins here. The main perk of buying physical games is longevity: When you buy physical media (at least, a traditional piece of physical media) it can't be taken away from you. Digital media, on the other land, is largely a license-based system: You pay for the privilege of accessing that software as long as the distributor says so. If that distributor loses the rights to that media, or decides they no longer want to offer it, you're largely out of luck. So, when you make physical carts that are digital games, it defeats the purpose of the physical media entirely. In fact, it's just a headache, since you have the downsides of needing the cart to play the game, with the other downsides of digital media. Eventually, Nintendo will stop supporting that game. Maybe you'll be able to play it as long as it's saved to your Switch 2, but if you need to download it to another console in the future, oops: That physical game is really a digital one that simply doesn't exist anymore. The good news is this won't be every Switch 2 game. There will still be titles you can buy that contain the entire game on the cart. But it's good to know going into this new Nintendo era: Unless you're the kind of person that require all of your purchases to be tangible, you might just be better off buying these game-key card games digitally. View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. A reader writes: I am going to be leaving my company soon and starting my own business, and will need to hire support staff. One of the employees at my current company (Taylor) has told me she is looking for a new job. I find Taylor to be an excellent employee and I would be happy to have her working for me. I believe that she enjoys working with me as well. The catch is that Taylor primarily works with Leslie, one of my colleagues here, and has done so for several years. Leslie has been a mentor to me since I started working in this city. She is well liked and well connected in our field, while I’m pretty new to it. I do not plan on asking Taylor to come work for me. However, this would not prevent her from submitting a resume if I post a job ad, particularly if she knows that I will be hiring. I am worried that if Taylor left her job to come work for me, Leslie would see this as employee poaching and would perceive this as betrayal of a mentor, even if I didn’t actively solicit Taylor to work for me. It would impact Leslie’s work because she would need to hire a new support staffer and train them to her specifications, which takes time and effort. Primarily I want to preserve my good relationship with Leslie, but I also don’t want to become known in my relatively small professional circle as the one who left Leslie in the lurch by poaching her support staff. I also recognize that Taylor is not an indentured servant to Leslie and does have the choice of leaving whenever she wants. If she were to submit a resume, I’m not sure that “you work for Leslie so I can’t hire you” is a good enough reason to strike her off of my list, particularly when she has worked for me before and we have a good relationship. What are your thoughts? Could I hire Taylor if she submitted a resume to work for me, or is the risk of torpedoing a good personal relationship and a professional reputation too high? I answer this question over at Inc. today, where I’m revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). You can read it here. View the full article

Growing concern about growth and deflationary pressure predicted to force central bankers’ hands in Eurozone and UKView the full article

Prime minister says he will ‘seize the opportunity’ to make the economy more secureView the full article

Google AI mode now understands images, allowing you to upload photos and ask questions about them. AI Mode is rolling out to more people. The post Google Adds Image Search To AI Mode, Expands To More Users appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Google has added multimodal capabilities to its new AI Mode feature, letting you ask your questions with the assistance of uploading an image. Plus, Google announced it is rolling out AI Mode to millions of more Labs users in the U.S. AI mode with images. Google AI Mode now lets you upload an image via upload or your camera to ask AI Mode questions with images. Google calls this multimodal capabilities, which is launched years ago in other areas of Search. “With AI Mode’s new multimodal understanding, you can snap a photo or upload an image, ask a question about it and get a rich, comprehensive response with links to dive deeper,” Robby Stein, VP of Product, Google Search wrote. He added: “AI Mode builds on our years of work on visual search and takes it a step further. With Gemini’s multimodal capabilities, AI Mode can understand the entire scene in an image, including the context of how objects relate to one another and their unique materials, colors, shapes and arrangements. Drawing on our deep visual search expertise, Lens precisely identifies each object in the image. Using our query fan-out technique, AI Mode then issues multiple queries about the image as a whole and the objects within the image, accessing more breadth and depth of information than a traditional search on Google. The result is a response that’s incredibly nuanced and contextually relevant, so you take the next step.” What it looks like. Here is what it looks like in action: Millions more gain access to AI Mode. Google said, “we’ve now started to make AI Mode available to millions more Labs users in the U.S.” I mean, I am not sure if this is new. We saw Google expand access to those who do not have Google One AI Premium subscriptions a couple of weeks ago. And then last week, Google invited a third batch of users to AI Mode. So maybe Google is opening up a fourth batch of invites today? Why we care. Google’s new AI Mode does feel like the future of search, in many ways. So it is important that you all try it out as soon as you can, and watch it as it adapts. Soon you may all be looking for ways to get traffic from AI Mode as opposed to just Google Search and AI Overviews. View the full article

Move from quality control to quality assurance. By Alan Anderson, CPA Transforming Audit for the Future Go PRO for members-only access to more Alan Anderson. View the full article

Move from quality control to quality assurance. By Alan Anderson, CPA Transforming Audit for the Future Go PRO for members-only access to more Alan Anderson. View the full article

If you don’t have the funds, you’re not going to complete the project successfully. That’s why a project budget is so important: it’s the lifeblood of the project. Follow these steps to secure the funds necessary to support the project through every phase. But first, we need to define what a project budget is. What Is a Project Budget? A project budget is the total projected costs needed to complete a project over a defined period of time. It’s used to estimate what the costs of the project will be for every phase of the project. Creating a project budget is a critical part of the project planning process. The project budget will include such things as labor costs, material procurement costs and operating costs. But it’s not a static document. Your project budget will be reviewed and revived throughout the project, hopefully with the help of project budgeting software. /wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Project-Budget-Template-for-Excel.png Get your free Project Budget Template Use this free Project Budget Template for Excel to manage your projects better. Download Excel File Why You Need a Project Budget The obvious answer is that projects cost money, but it’s more nuanced than that. The project budget is the engine that drives your project’s funding. It communicates to stakeholders how much money is needed and when it’s needed. Project budgets are important for any industry such as construction, marketing or manufacturing, for example. But a project budget is not only a means to get things that your project requires. Yes, you need to pay teams, buy or rent equipment and materials, but that’s only half the story. The other part of the importance of a project budget is that it’s an instrument to control project costs. The budget, which is part of your project plan, acts as a baseline to measure your performance as you collect the actual costs once the project has been started. Who Is Involved in Setting and Managing a Project Budget? Several key stakeholders are typically involved in setting and managing project budgets. First, the project sponsor (such as a senior executive or manager) will secure and approve the initial project funding. They outline the project’s financial expectations and limitations. The sponsor also has the authority to approve major budget revisions or the allocation of contingency funds. Then, the project manager will develop a detailed budget. They create a budget plan and break down the project scope and estimate costs for tasks, resources and deliverables. They will manage the budget throughout the project and provide regular financial reports to the sponsor and other stakeholders. The project team may also be involved, as team members with specific expertise can contribute to estimating the costs associated with their tasks and required resources. What Is Project Budgeting? Project budgeting is the process of estimating the full cost of the project from the very beginning until the end. The project budgeting process involves the following: Budget planning: Estimating costs and making a budget based on a project estimate Budget tracking: Keeping track of project expenses during the project execution phase Project budget management: Setting guidelines and control procedures to guarantee that costs don’t exceed the project budget Project Budgeting Approaches There are four project budgeting approaches: analogous, parametric, top-down and bottom-up. Analogous is an estimating technique that uses historical data to help determine the cost of the current project. It looks at past projects that are similar to figure out the cost and duration of the new project. This is a popular choice when there’s little data available for the project, making accurate estimates difficult. Parametric estimating is a statistical approach to estimating the time, cost and resources for a project. It uses historical data, but also statistical data, to make a more accurate estimate. Top-down estimating is when the organization sets the cost and/or the duration of the project. With that figure in mind, the project manager seeks expert opinions to help determine the budget. Finally, bottom-up estimating is working from the lowest possible level of detail. It builds up the estimate from the work package. What Is Project Budget Management? Project budget management is a process by which the finances related to the project are administered and overseen. It goes beyond estimating the cost of completing the project and includes tracking those costs and much more. Some of the aspects of project budget management include how you’ll estimate the cost of the project and how those costs will be spread across the life cycle of the project. You’ll need to determine the metrics and the method by which you’ll track those costs to keep to the budget. Reporting on the budget is also part of project budget management, including how you’ll do it and the frequency with which you’ll do it. If you find you’re going over budget, you’ll need to come up with a plan to rein the budget back in. You’ll even need to define a process of learning from historical data. Project management software simplifies project budgeting and project budget management. Take ProjectManager; all you have to do is open up the settings on your Gantt and set a budget baseline. Now you have the planned effort saved and you can use budget tracking features such as real-time dashboards to compare it to your actual effort as you execute the project. You can reset the baseline as many times as you need during the project to always be able to measure your project variance instantly. Get started today for free. /wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Construction-Gantt-light-mode-task-info-general-CTA-BUTTON-1.jpgLearn more How to Make a Project Budget As noted, there are many components necessary to build a budget, including direct and indirect costs, fixed and variable costs, labor and materials, travel, equipment and space, licenses and whatever else may impact your project expenses. To meet the financial needs of your project, a project budget must be created thoroughly, not missing any aspect that requires funding. We’ve outlined seven essential steps toward creating and managing your project budget: 1. Use Historical Data Your project is likely not the first to try and accomplish a specific objective or goal. Looking back at similar projects and their budgets is a great way to get a headstart on building your budget. 2. Reference Lessons Learned To further elaborate on historical data, you can learn from their successes and mistakes. It provides a clear path that leads to more accurate estimates. You can even learn about how they responded to changes and kept their budget under control. Here’s a lessons learned template if you need to start tracking those findings in your organization. 3. Leverage Your Experts Another resource to build a project budget is to tap those who have experience and knowledge—be they mentors, other project managers or experts in the field. Reaching out to those who have created rough order of magnitude estimates and budgets can help you stay on track and avoid unnecessary pitfalls. 4. Confirm Accuracy Once you have your budget, you’re not done. You want to look at it and ensure your figures are accurate. You can use our project budget proposal template for this process. You can also seek those experts and other project team members to check the budget and make sure it’s right. 5. Baseline and Re-Baseline the Budget Your project budget is the baseline by which you’ll measure your project’s progress once it has started. It’s a tool to gauge the variance of the project. But, as stated, you’ll want to re-baseline as changes occur in your project. Once the change control board approves any change you need to re-baseline. 6. Update in Real Time Speaking of changes, the sooner you know about them, the better. If your project planning software isn’t cloud-based and updating as soon as your team changes its status, then you’re wasting valuable and expensive time. 7. Get on Track The importance of having a project management software that tracks in real time, like ProjectManager, is that it gives you the information you need to get back on track sooner rather than later. Things change and projects go off track all the time. It’s the projects that get back on track faster that are successful. If you manage your project expenses using these building blocks you’re going to have a sound foundation for your project’s success. Project Budget Template If you want help getting your budget together, ProjectManager has a free project budget template that lays out most of the basics for you. For additional support, try our free project budget template. /wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Project-Budget-Screenshot.jpg Project Budget Example To further illustrate how a project budget is created, let’s pretend we’re making an app. The first thing you’ll need to figure out is the costs of labor and materials. You’ll need programmers, designers, content developers, a dev team, etc. It helps list all the tasks and assign the team to them—a hallmark of good task management. This way every penny is accounted for. With the tasks broken down for the project and your team in place, you’ll next need to look into whatever materials will be needed. Will they need laptops, other devices and equipment? This must be accounted for. Now note other line items. There might be travel expenses and renting space to house the team. Then there are fixed items that are true for any project. These are things where the cost is set and won’t change over the course of the project. You’ll also want a column for any miscellaneous costs that don’t fit elsewhere in the budget. Your budget must have a planned versus actual column. When you’re making that app you’ve likely to pivot and that is going to impact the budget. These columns are a way to track the expenditure to ensure you’re staying on budget. How to Manage a Project Budget When managing a project budget, use a continuous process of planning, tracking, controlling and adjusting finances. During the planning stage, define the project scope and understand the deliverables, tasks and requirements. A work breakdown structure (WBS) can help break the project down into smaller, more manageable tasks to estimate costs more accurately. Each project activity should also have cost estimations such as labor, material, travel, equipment, subcontractor or software costs. While we touched on documents and how they’re essential for tracking, be sure to specifically use timesheets, invoices from suppliers and subcontractors, receipts for materials and expense reports. Analyzing budget performance may consist of comparing planned vs. actual costs and calculating the variance between them. This helps identify trends and can outline if certain types of expenses are consistently under or over budget. Controlling a Project Budget When controlling a project budget, establish change control procedures, or a formal process for managing changes to the scope, schedule and budget. Control can also consist of regular budget reviews, negotiating better supplier rates and contingency management. More complex projects may benefit from earned value management (EVM) to track the project performance against the baseline schedule and budget simultaneously. Finally, when adjusting the project budget, develop a plan if an overrun is projected. This could mean cost-cutting measures, scope adjustments (pending approval) or getting additional funding. Project Budget vs. Project Estimate We’ve spent a lot of time talking about project estimates, but how do they differ from the project budget? A project estimate is what you think the project will cost. It’s the first step when making a project budget, so you want that project estimate to be as accurate as possible. Once you’ve done the research, looked at historical data and all the activities and resources needed to execute them, you’ll submit that estimate to be approved as your budget. But it’s only a guideline, while the project budget is a firm figure. /wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Project-Estimate-Screenshot-600x404.jpgDownload now Project Budget vs. Budget Proposal Again, when you’re talking about a project budget you’re talking about all the expenditures that are needed to deliver the project. It defines how the money for the project will be allocated. A budget proposal, on the other hand, is the best estimate of the costs required to complete the project. It’s similar to the aforementioned project estimate in that it’s the final project estimate, the one that’ll be presented to stakeholders. They’ll then determine if the figure matches what they think is viable and either approve it or reject it. /wp-content/uploads/2022/11/budget-proposal-screenshot-template-600x545.jpgDownload now More Project Budgeting Templates Project budgeting is one of the most important aspects of project management, no matter what industry you’re in. However, your project budget might look slightly different depending on the type of project you’re managing. Here are some free project budgeting templates for marketing, event planning and construction. Marketing Budget Template This marketing budget template is a great tool to start creating accurate baselines for your marketing campaigns. You can customize it to fit the needs of your team. Event Budget Template Like a project, an event requires resources that cost money. This free event budget template helps you list down the costs related to your event such as equipment rental, materials and labor. Construction Estimate Template Estimating the costs of a construction project is one of the most important construction planning activities there are, as an accurate cost estimation allows construction firms to make sure their project is not only feasible, but profitable. This free construction estimate template is a great tool to start estimating the costs of your construction project. Project Budgeting Tips A project budget is extremely important; without the funds to execute a project, it’s dead in the water. We’ve explained what a project budget is, and how to make one and we’ve provided examples. But when you’re in the thick of it, you need tips. These will help you with project budgeting. Document your process when putting together a budget. Documents are essential for tracking the project and reviewing the outcomes. Create contingencies. Have a plan B in place. There will always be unexpected costs, delays and other issues that’ll impact your budget. Project budgeting is a team effort. Seek advice from your team, as they’re the ones with experience executing projects. Meet with experts who can provide you with guidance. Any person or organization that has insight should be tapped for their expertise. Know your resources and their associated costs. This includes any maintenance required for equipment, and don’t forget your team is also a resource. Know their availability, overtime potential and other overhead costs. When estimating costs don’t forget about task duration. These are also estimates and can greatly impact the budget. The budget is a great tool for tracking performance. It can even be used as a communication tool for teams across departments. ProjectManager Helps Projects Stay on Budget ProjectManager is online project management software. That means we deliver data instantly to our real-time dashboard, so you can monitor your project across six metrics. When actual costs vary from your planned budget, you know faster and can respond quicker. /wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Dashboard_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150_Cost-Tab-Color-Variation.jpgTry it free! You can also plan your budget on our software, adding expenses and then use our resource management feature to assign resources, workforce and hourly rates, which are automatically added to your project. Add expenses at the task level with our Gantt chart, and report on expenses at the task level, too. /wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gantt_Manufacturing_Wide_Zoom-150_Task-Info.jpgThere’s so much you can do to plan and manage your budget with ProjectManager, which is free for 30 days with this trial offer. Video: Project Budgeting Tips It’s clear that building an accurate budget is key to setting up your project to succeed. Why not take a moment to listen to our resident project management expert Jennifer Bridges, PMP, who explains how to build a project budget in this tutorial video. Thanks for watching! Pro tip: Be sure to track the budgeted vs. actual costs when you’re in the project to see if you’re adhering to that budget. Because after you make a budget, you have to know how to manage it. Related Content Budget Templates for Business & Project Budgeting Tracking Budget Variance in Project Management Project Budget Template Project Budgeting Software Budget Reports ¿Cómo Hacer un Presupuesto De Un Proyecto? The post How to Make a Project Budget: Project Budgeting Basics (Templates Included) appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Hulu doesn't always get the recognition of competitors like Netflix and Max, but the streamer has an unfailingly reliable and rotating selection of theatrical films, as well as some impressive original releases. These are some of the best, buzziest, and/or most fun movies currently streaming on the service, across a variety of genres. Anora (2024) Writer/director Sean Baker (Tangerine, Red Rocket) has a long run of impressive film credits to his name, but comedy-drama Anora was the film that put his name firmly on the map, winning him a Best Director Oscar and the film a Best Picture prize. Mikey Madison (who also won Best Actress) plays the title's Anora, an exotic dancer whose life changes when she falls in love with the son of a Russian oligarch. It's all going very well until his parents show up to get the wedding annulled. You can stream Anora here. Tombstone (1993) This '90s cult classic is a pretty good and stylish take on the events surrounding the famous, and frequently dramatized, gunfight at the O.K. corral involving Wyatt Earp and company—so frequently dramatized, in fact, that a totally different movie about the same events (called Wyatt Earp) came out within six months of this one. Tombstone has something none of those others had, though: the late Val Kilmer as the hard-drinking, idiosyncratic Doc Holliday. It's almost certainly Kilmer's most indelible role, and remains cinema's most memorable take on the tubercular gunfighter. You can stream Tombstone here. The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat (2024) One of those great Soul Food/Steel Magnolia-style tearjerkers, The Supremes stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sanaa Lathan, and Uzo Aduba as three middle-aged friends who've been through the wringer together. Following the three virtually from birth, we find them facing a seemingly endless number of twists and turns (unplanned pregnancy, cancer, alcoholism, and more) with a lot of heart and plenty of humor. You can stream The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat here. Longlegs (2024) Oz Perkins, more recently of The Monkey, directs this horror thriller starring Maika Monroe as a young FBI agent hunting the title's menacing Longlegs (Nicholas Cage). The serial killer's trail has gone cold, but Agent Harker's seeming clairvoyance has put the two on a collision course, even though there's no evidence the suspect was ever even present at the killings for which he's apparently responsible. Stylish and nerve-jangling, with an unhinged (of course) performance from Cage, it's a real killer thriller. You can stream Longlegs here. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) Nia Vardalos and company kicked off an unlikely franchise with this beloved rom-com about a young Greek-American woman (Nia Vardalos) who falls in love with a non-Greek (John Corbett). Shenanigans ensue when she struggles to get her family (including Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Andrea Martin, and Joey Fatone) to accept her husband-to-be, while she also battles her own mixed feelings about her cultural identity. You can stream My Big Fat Greek Wedding here. A Complete Unknown (2024) Another multiple Oscar-nominee (though it didn't take home any prizes), A Complete Unknown comes from director James Mangold, whose resume includes award-season faves like Ford v Ferrari, Wolverine and Indiana Jones franchise movies, and another Oscar-winning musical biopic, Walk the Line. In this one, Timothée Chalamet stars as Bob Dylan alongside Ed Norton as Pete Seeger, with the narrative rotating around the moment in 1965 when Dylan went electric, scandalizing the Newport Folk Festival, and leading fans to question whether the voice of his generation had sold out. You can stream A Complete Unknown here. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) Awkward title notwithstanding, this fourth entry in the modern-day Apes series retains the technical mastery of its predecessors, as well as their revolutionary spirit, while also serving as a soft reboot that doesn't demand an extensive knowledge of what came before. Generations after the death of Andy Serkis' Caesar, human civilization continues to decline; Owen Teague plays Not, a young chimp forced from home when a tyrannical rival ape faction destroys his village over twisted and conflicting interpretations of Caesar's teachings. It's an impressive continuation of our smartest and most consistent modern movie franchise. Hulu has an array of earlier Apes movies, as well. You can stream Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes here. The First Omen (2024) These legacy sequels have been hit or miss—though more the latter than the former. If you had told me that a prequel to this long-defunct franchise would be one of 2024's more effective horror movies, I'd have looked at you the way everybody looked at Gregory Peck when he tried to kill his satanic kid way back in the 1976 original. But here we are! First-time feature director Arkasha Stevenson brings a ton of '70s period style and an appropriately paranoid vibe to the story of future antichrist Damien's birth, blending (extremely timely!) themes of bodily autonomy with genuine horror—and one of the freakiest birth scenes in movie history. You can stream The First Omen here. Fire Island (2022) Or maybe you prefer your gay flicks with more of a warm-weather vibe? A queer, contemporary take on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Fire Island also takes aim at the overabundance of fat/femme/Asian stereotypes in the gay community. Social commentary aside, it's also a funny, smart romantic comedy with a great cast that includes Joel Kim Booster (in the Lizzy Bennett role—he also wrote the screenplay), Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, and Margaret Cho as a group of friends who travel each summer to the titular island—but this summer proves more dramatic (and romantic) than most. You can stream Fire Island here. Triangle of Sadness (2022) One of the darkest (and funniest) satires of recent memory, Ruben Östlund's wild film feels like at least three movies in one, with narratives that take sharp right turns at unexpected moments, taking potshots at greed and skewering capitalism all the way. A memorable central section onboard a luxury cruise ship divided between the haves (passengers) and have-nots (the crew) climaxes in literal explosions of vomit and shit. That's before a satisfying role-reversal inspired by Lord of the Flies. Brilliant and hilarious, if you've got the stomach for it. You can stream Triangle of Sadness here. The Worst Person in the World (2021) Renate Reinsve brilliantly plays Julie, a medical student—briefly—who has no idea what she wants to do with her life, and a complete fear of commitment to anything and anyone. She's that most frequently exhausting movie trope: a messy 20-something young woman, in ways that you've seen before in other, lesser movies. The Worst Person in the World, though, plays that for all it's worth, offering up all the joys of cinematic romantic dramas that we've seen before while feeling a bit more like real life. People are messy! It's all surprisingly sweet and life-affirming. You can stream The Worst Person in the World here. Prey (2022) Wild that the best Predator film since the first (and probably better still) was dropped as a streaming-only release on Hulu. Regardless of the movie deserving a theatrical release, Prey is a thrilling action movie that expands the Predator universe while also feeling deeply personal. Set in the Great Plains of 1719, Prey stars Amber Midthunder as Naru, a young Comanche warrior who winds up being the only person who can defend her tribe from the hunter from outer space. You can stream Prey here. The Princess Bride (1987) A flawlessly entertaining fantasy, The Princess Bride works on almost every level: as a quotable comedy, a soaring romance, and a Robin Hood-style action movie that has fun with the tropes of those kinds of movies. It's simply a delight. You can stream The Princess Bride here. The Promised Land (2023) In 18th-century Denmark, down-on-his-luck war hero Capt. Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) hopes to turn his meager retirement pension into some kind of life for himself by cultivating a portion of a vast wilderness that no one else has been able to make anything of. A covetous local magistrate quickly finds himself threatened by Kahlen's reputation, with the intent of spoiling all his plans. The beautiful—but bleak and forbidding—Nordic drama plays out much like an old-school western. You can stream The Promised Land here. Happiest Season (2020) Never too early for the winter holidays! (Say many wonderful people who are definitely not me.) Hulu’s Happiest Season is, perhaps, not on anyone’s list of cinematic masterpieces. Very few (if any) films of the modern, Hallmark-style coming-home-for-Christmas genre would clear that kind of bar. Still, there’s a reason we love these things, and this one adds a bit of prestige to its charms in both cast (Kristen Stewart, Aubrey Plaza, Victor Garber, etc.) and directing (Clea DuVall). What’s more, the movie served as a high-profile torchbearer for queer representation in 2020, the year having kicked off a small but significant wave of LGBTQIA+ holiday films. You can stream Happiest Season here. Deep Water (2022) Adrian Lyne (9½ Weeks, Fatal Attraction, and Indecent Proposal) returned to the director’s chair after an absence of two decades for this Hulu original. Ben Affleck is probably a rough equivalent in star power and sex appeal to the male leads of yore, and Ana de Armas is a good choice as a co-lead, even if the casting does remind us that age gaps in these movies will always favor the idea of an older man with a significantly younger woman. Here, Affleck’s Vic agrees to overlook his wife’s string of affairs in order to preserve his marriage, but then becomes the prime suspect when her lovers start turning up dead. It’s a solid setup (taken from a Patricia Highsmith novel) that doesn’t quite connect, but still serves as fun throwback to the golden age of sexy thrillers. You can stream Deep Water here. Die Hard (1988) It’s the Christmas movie that came along and kicked It’s a Wonderful Life right off the 35th floor of Nakatomi Plaza tower. A brilliantly entertaining action classic, and possibly Bruce Willis' crowning achievement. You can stream Die Hard here. Infinity Pool (2023) Writer/director Brandon Cronenberg (son of David) brings a palpable rage and an unmistakable sense of style to this blend of sci-fi and horror, even as it muddies those genre classifications like the best of his famed father's work. A couple vacationing in a strange country leave their resort and run afoul of the law, only to learn that, for a price, they can outsource the punishment to clones of themselves. You can stream Infinity Pool here. 13 Assassins (2010) Near the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the utterly sadistic (not to mention corrupt) Lord Naritsugu is to be offered a seat on the Shogunate Council, a promotion that will not only see the cruel lord’s power increase, but will likely set off a civil war between his supporters and those who hate him. The Shogun’s justice minister decides that assassination is the only way, and so hires a dozen samurai in order to carry out the execution. The kinetic and violent film reminds us that director Takashi Miike made his name in several memorably visceral horror films. You can stream 13 Assassins here. How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2023) A non-fiction work adapted as an action-thriller, How to Blow Up a Pipeline follows eight individuals committed to bombing an oil pipeline in two separate locations. The movie, like the book on which it's based, makes the case that property damage isn’t the worst thing in the face of environmental catastrophe, but that the level of commitment involved to carry out such an act takes a deeply personal toll. You can stream How to Blow Up a Pipeline here. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) A deeply, deeply stupid premise involving a divorced dad reconnecting with his family by dressing up as an elderly British nanny is elevated by the lead performances from Robin Williams and Sally Field. Williams is at his silly best, but both he and Field play the emotional beats for all they're worth. You can stream Mrs. Doubtfire here. Midnight Kiss (2019) Technically an episode of Hulu's Into the Dark anthology series, the feature-length Midnight Kiss finds a bunch of gay friends (and their straight woman friend) heading out to a gorgeous place in the desert for an annual tradition: They'll each pick someone at random to kiss at midnight. Old resentments bubble to the surface, egged on (unbeknownst to most of them) by a serial killer. It's no spoiler to suggest that they won't all make it to New Year's Day. You can stream Midnight Kiss here. Quiz Lady (2023) Awkwafina and Sandra Oh star as two sisters is this wild road-trip comedy in the best tradition of '90s gems like Romy & Michele's High School Reunion. One is tightly wound, the other a complete mess. They're forced to work together to cover their mother's gambling debts, a problem complicated when the loan shark kidnaps a dog to hold hostage in exchange for the cash. Good thing Awkwafina's character is a quiz-show savant who drowned her childhood sorrows in binge-watching a Jeopardy-esque game show with a big cash prize. You can stream Quiz Lady here. The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) Dev Patel stars as the Dickens hero in this ultra-stylish adaptation from Armando Iannucci (Veep, The Death of Stalin). In one sense it reinvents the novel on which it's based, in that it feels nothing like other, stuffier takes—but mostly it's just bringing the wit and humor of Dickens to the forefront while staying true to Copperfield's themes and characters. Patel is joined by Peter Capaldi, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Ben Whislaw, Benedict Wong, and Gwendoline Christie among others. You can stream The Personal History of David Copperfield here. A Real Pain (2024) Jesse Eisenberg (who also wrote and directed) and Kieran Culkin (who won an Oscar for the role) play a couple of cousins who reunite for a Jewish heritage tour through Poland as a means of honoring their late grandmother, and have to confront a more immediate family legacy along the way. A tonally deft blend of comedy and drama with a couple of excellent lead performances. You can stream A Real Pain here. View the full article

Four space tourists who orbited the north and south poles returned to Earth on Friday, splashing down in the Pacific to end their privately funded polar tour. Bitcoin investor Chun Wang chartered a SpaceX flight for himself and three others in a Dragon capsule that was outfitted with a domed window that provided 360-degree views of the polar caps and everything in between. Wang declined to say how much he paid for the 3 1/2-day trip. The quartet, who rocketed from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Monday night, returned off the Southern California coast. It was the first human spaceflight to circle the globe above the poles and the first Pacific splashdown for a space crew in 50 years. The Chinese-born Wang, now a citizen of Malta, invited Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge and Australian polar guide Eric Philips, all of whom shared stunning vistas during their voyage. “It is so epic because it is another kind of desert, so it just goes on and on and on all the way,” Rogge said in a video posted by Wang on X while gazing down from orbit. Mikkelsen packed the capsule with camera equipment and spent much of her time behind the lens. All four suffered from space motion sickness after reaching orbit, according to Wang. But by the time they woke up on day two, they felt fine and cranked open the window cover right above the South Pole, he said via X. Besides documenting the poles from 270 miles (430 kilometers) up, Wang and his crew took the first medical X-rays in space as part of a test and conducted two dozen other science experiments. They named their trip Fram2 after the Norwegian sailing ship that carried explorers to the poles more than a century ago. A bit of the original ship’s wooden deck accompanied the crew to space. Their medical tests continued at splashdown. All four got out of the capsule on their own, heaving bags of equipment so researchers could see how steady returning space crews are on their feet. They pumped their fists in jubilation. SpaceX said its decision to switch splashdown sites from Florida beginning with this flight was based on safety. The company said Pacific splashdowns will ensure that any surviving pieces of the trunk — jettisoned near flight’s end — falls into the ocean. The last people to return from space to the Pacific were the three NASA astronauts assigned to the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. —Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer View the full article

The Mail app on iPhone got quite a visual overhaul in iOS 18.2. Suddenly, there was a whole AI-powered Priority mailbox, smart Categories up top, and an icon from every sender. For longtime Mail app users on the iPhone, that's a big shift—with seemingly minimal returns. The contact photos feature is perhaps the worst offender here, as most icons are just stock Apple icons. Even if you get an email from Lifehacker, it won't show the Lifehacker website logo, like it does when you visit the website in your browser. And this is the case with the vast majority of email addresses. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Thankfully, Apple seems to have listened to these complaints—in iOS 18.5, they are adding a toggle to remove contact photos altogether. And you don't need to go all the way into Settings to do this, either. As of this writing, iOS 18.5 is only available as a developer beta, though it should be available as a public beta soon enough. Anyone can now sign up and download the iOS developer beta, though I generally don't recommend it. Developer betas are more susceptible to early bugs and issues, since Apple releases these versions of the betas first. These things are usually ironed out by the time the public beta hits. The public beta is also easier to install, and more stable. To access this feature, I would suggest you wait for the 18.5 public beta, or the wider stable release that will be sometime in early-to-mid May. How to disable contact photos in the Mail appTo get rid of the contact photos, open the Mail app and tap the three-dotted Menu button, then uncheck Show Contact Photos. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Instantly, the column of icons on the left edge will disappear, and the email contents will take up all the available space. Ah, the good old days. Alternatively, you can also use the Settings app to disable this feature. This option has existed all the way since iOS 18.2 launched, but it's hidden quite deep in the Settings app. Here, go to Apps > Mail and then disable the Show Contact Photos option. How to remove Categories and other Mail AI featuresBut you might notice you're still not back to how the Mail app used to be. That's because of the Categories View and the Priority Mail section. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Both those features can be disabled from the same Menu popup, and you don't need to be using iOS 18.5 either. Every iPhone running iOS 18.2 or higher will see these options in the menu. Here, switch to List View to get rid of the Categories section, and then uncheck Show Priority to remove Priority Mail. To find out more about removing all the AI features in Mail, check out our detailed guide. View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. A reader writes: My boss clearly loves compliments on her appearance, and our team is responding with more and more of them. It feels embarrassing and a bit ridiculous to me, especially since no one ever makes these kind of compliments to anyone else (e.g., “I love your shoes” to another team member but stuff like “you’re so beautiful, your face is radiant” to the boss). I’m her deputy. I can’t bring myself to say anything about her looks, it feels too weird. But the compliments come so often from other team members that I worry it starts to look pointed that I say nothing. And I also wonder if I need to point out to her that this dynamic that is intensifying and suggest that she cools it down a little (without implying that I don’t think she looks good)? Or should I let this go and just accept this as a quirk of an otherwise good boss? I wrote back and asked, “I am admittedly fascinated by this — how did it even start happening?! Did someone compliment her on looking nice one day and her reaction was so appreciative that others started doing it too?” Yes, exactly this. It started with occasional compliments about something she was wearing. She normally says something like, “Oh, do you really think so? You’re so nice, you make me feel so good” and sometimes goes and looks in the mirror or reapplies make up. And I guess naturally people started saying it more and more. And it’s been gradually ramping up to the point that now every day when she arrives at the office, it’s almost a team ritual to gather round and tell her how beautiful she is. I don’t think she favors the ones who gush about her the most, she just enjoys it in general. But it still just feels weird to me and I don’t know whether to tell her she’s gorgeous or try and tactfully tell her to shut it down! Well… This is of course really weird and not good from a team dynamics perspective, but it’s also hilarious. Like, can you imagine coming to work every day and preening while people gathered round to tell you how beautiful you look? And then going to gaze at yourself in the mirror to bask in your reflected beauty? I do not think this is a normal experience, even for the supermodels among us. And it is extremely entertaining. As for what to do … you’re absolutely right that it’s weird and she should cool it, but given the balance of power between you, if you feel too awkward about raising it and would rather leave it alone, it doesn’t rise to the level of something where you have to intervene. I generally try to apply a “is this really what I would do in real life?” test to my advice (because otherwise it’s easy to fall into giving advice that sounds right but isn’t actually realistic, given humans and politics and all the strange pressures of work life), and I’ve gotta say, I’d almost definitely leave it alone and just enjoy it as the very strange spectacle it is. The exception to that is if you have the kind of relationship where you could comfortably say, “Dude, it’s getting weird that everyone is complimenting you so much every morning — I think we should try to stop that” — but I’m guessing that if you did, you already would have said it. This would not be my advice if you were seeing favoritism toward the team members who compliment her or any chilliness toward those who don’t. If that were happening, as her deputy you’d have more of an obligation to speak up (although still not an absolute one, given the power differential). It would also be different if you were her manager; in that case, you’d really need to point out that she’s creating a weird dynamic and should stop it. All that said, if you are comfortable speaking up, you could say something like, “Have you noticed we’ve developed almost a ritual of everyone complimenting you in the morning? I worry about people feeling like they need to curry favor with you.” But man, it’s hard to say that without sounding like you’re saying, “You are not that pretty and they’re just sucking up to you.” View the full article

Like it or not, we’re all at the mercy of Google’s ranking systems. Systems that reward some sites with high rankings. And wipe others off the SERPs overnight. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Google provides fairly detailed guidelines about the type of content it’s looking for: helpful content. We follow these guidelines here at Backlinko. For example, our SEO strategy guide dominates the search results. And ranks for more than 3.2K long tail keywords: But this wasn’t by luck. We aim for every article we publish to meet — or exceed — Google’s helpful content standards. And you can, too. After reading this article, you’ll have 10 Google-approved strategies for creating people-first content. You’ll also see examples from real sites that excel at creating helpful content. Plus, you’ll get a free checklist to ensure your pages meet Google’s quality standards. Let’s start by understanding what “helpful content” is in Google’s eyes. What Is Helpful Content? Helpful content delivers what a searcher needs, whether they’re seeking information, researching options, or ready to buy. It’s content written for people — not search engines. But what was the Google Helpful Content Update (HCU)? First launched in 2022, Google’s helpful content update was designed to reward people-first content while filtering out pages created primarily for search engines. According to Google, helpful content does the following: Provides trustworthy information backed by genuine expertise Delivers substantial value compared to competing results Demonstrates firsthand experience with the topic Creates a satisfying user experience Serves a purpose beyond just ranking in search Google uses a site-wide classifier. It checks your whole domain, not just single pages, for helpfulness. This means a significant amount of low-quality content can drag down even your best pages. The biggest changes to this algorithm update took place in late 2023 and early 2024. Some sites lost A LOT of organic traffic. Google confirms it reduced low-quality content in search results by a staggering 45%. The sites hit hardest by these updates were: Content-only websites with no actual products or services Sites creating articles purely for search traffic Affiliate sites with thin content and/or a high monetization-to-informational content ratio The HCU aftermath sparked lots of debate about whether or not these updates were truly “helpful.” And if the declines and deindexings were warranted. But the reality remains: Google determines your visibility in search. And as the makers (and breakers) of rankings, following their guidelines is essential. As of March 2024, the helpful content update is no longer a thing. But helpfulness isn’t going away. The HCU is now integrated into Google’s core ranking systems. Bottom line? Creating helpful content is vital for your survival in search. 10 Ways to Create Helpful Content That Google Rewards There’s no sugarcoating it: Creating exceptional content is hard work. But it can pay off through high rankings and targeted traffic. Download our Helpful Content Checklist to follow along as you read. Use it before hitting publish to ensure your content meets Google’s quality standards. 1. Incorporate Firsthand Experiences Want to instantly make your content more helpful? Add personal stories and examples (real ones — not AI-generated). Why? Because it shows you actually know what you’re talking about — which is exactly what Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness) prioritize. Google advises against generic, regurgitated advice on its website: By including personal experiences in your content — including your successes and failures — you’ll create the kind of content search engines reward. And your target audience wants to read. Take this backlink guide from Backlinko founder Brian Dean, for example: Brian didn’t just give generic advice like “create great content” or “reach out to bloggers.” He shared specific tactics and advice that actually worked for him, including: Real email templates he’s used for outreach Screenshots showing actual results Step-by-step instructions Tool recommendations Specific case studies with traffic metrics The result? Content that feels like you’re learning from someone who’s been there, done that — not canned advice you can find on any site. No wonder this guide has maintained high rankings for years. And generated 31.5K backlinks. Pro tip: When sharing personal experiences, focus on specific outcomes and measurable results. Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines value demonstrable expertise. So, don’t just say, “This worked for me,” explain exactly how and in what timeframe. Include photos and screenshots when possible to back up claims. 2. Add Expert Insights and Quotes Expert quotes add authority and new perspectives to your content. They also help you meet Google’s helpful content expectations by providing insights readers can’t find elsewhere. Even if you have personal experience with a topic, expert opinions add dimension and alternative perspectives that make your content more comprehensive and helpful. Expert quotes strengthen your content in multiple ways: Add credibility to your claims Provide unique insights Create content that’s difficult for competitors to replicate For a great example of this in action, look at pet company Chewy. Their content often contains insights from board-certified veterinarians and animal behaviorists. This makes it more authoritative and trustworthy. Source expert insights through: Original interviews (via email, phone, or video) Reaching out to experts on LinkedIn, X, or industry-specific sites and forums Attending industry events and networking for insights Using a media outreach platform As Nate Matherson, head of growth at Numeral, says: When writing blog posts, I often source expert insights from leaders in the SEO industry for my weekly SEO podcast, Optimize. For example, after interviewing Ethan Smith, the CEO of Graphite, on my podcast, I repurposed one of his quotes about topical authority to use in a blog post on the same topic. 3. Create Content That Meets Search Intent Understanding and satisfying search intent is fundamental to helpful content. For example, if someone searches “how to fix a leaky faucet,” they want clear, step-by-step instructions — not a sales page for plumbing services. Content that addresses their actual goal (fixing the faucet themselves) will be considered more helpful. But first, you need to understand the four main types of search intent: Informational: Seeking knowledge — “how to fix a leaky faucet” Navigational: Looking for a specific website — “Home Depot plumbing” Commercial: Researching options — “best tankless water heaters” Transactional: Ready to buy — “buy Moen touchless kitchen faucet” Not sure if you’re creating people-first content that meets search intent? Consider these points from Google: After reading your content, will someone leave feeling they’ve learned enough about a topic to help achieve their goal? Will someone reading your content leave feeling like they’ve had a satisfying experience? If the answer to either question is “no,” your content isn’t fully addressing search intent. To better meet search intent: Analyze the current top-ranking pages for your target keywords Note what format dominates (guides, lists, videos, etc.) Use a keyword research tool to check search intent for each term and identify related questions and topics. Keyword Magic Tool is helpful for this task. Use clear headings that answer specific questions Include practical next steps or related resources Demonstrate topical authority by addressing all relevant subtopics and common pain points in your content Start your keyword research Explore the largest keyword database. Analyze 4. Use Reputable Sources Using high-quality sources (and citing them) is important for all sites. It signals to readers and search engines that the information you’re sharing is reputable, accurate, and verifiable. Well+Good, a wellness site, demonstrates this in its article about medication safety: They support every health claim with information from: Board-certified psychiatrists Professors of psychiatry and behavioral sciences Peer-reviewed medical journals Reputable health resources, like .gov sites. When evaluating sources for your content, follow these best practices: Prioritize recognized authorities in the field (major universities, established publications, industry leaders) Check publication dates to ensure information is current Check that you’re referencing the original source of the information Look for potential conflicts of interest or bias in the source’s funding or affiliations Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines place heavy emphasis on trustworthiness. And nothing builds trust faster than showing readers you’ve based your information on solid, reputable sources. 5. Hire Writers with Topical Experience When it comes to helpful content, experience matters. So, prioritize writers with backgrounds in your niche over generalists. This will benefit your content in multiple ways: More practical, nuanced advice that only comes from hands-on experience Insider tips that readers can’t find on other sites Real examples and case studies that build immediate trust For example, Harvard Health Publishing features physicians as their content creators. These writers have impressive qualifications. Including clinical experience, research credentials, and specialized knowledge in their medical fields. This level of expertise is particularly important for Your Money, Your Life (YMYL) topics, where accuracy directly impacts reader well-being. But experienced writers are valuable across all blog niches, from beauty to travel. For instance, Family Vacationist, a travel blog, features contributors who have personally visited the destinations they cover. This is evident by the insider tips they give. Including advice on the best rides for kids, the tastiest treats in theme parks, and which hotels to stay at and why. Family Vacationist also highlights its writers’ experience in bios. Including relevant publications where they’ve been featured. Even if you already have experienced writers, an expert review process will add another layer of credibility to your content. Have subject matter experts fact-check your information Include reviewer credentials directly in your content Highlight your review process on your editorial standards page For example, home services company Angi has experts review its content and features them prominently with a byline. The expert reviewer also gets a bio to highlight their qualifications. Investing in topic experts signals to readers and search engines that you’re committed to delivering accurate content and genuine value, not just ranking for keywords. Pro tip: Create a database of expert reviewers categorized by specialty, experience level, and publication history. When new content needs arise, you’ll know exactly who to contact for a review. 6. Provide an Optimal Page Experience Page experience is a critical component of helpful content. If your page loads slowly or is hard to navigate, readers will leave. It doesn’t matter how good your information is. But as Google states on its website (in slightly different words), doing the bare minimum won’t cut it. For the best results, cover all aspects of the page experience rather than focusing on isolated elements. Here’s how: Analyze Your Current Performance Use PageSpeed Insights and Google Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report to establish your baseline metrics. Focus on the following scores: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) Interaction to Next Paint (INP) Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) If your assessment fails, follow the tool’s recommendations to improve these metrics. Like reducing unused JavaScript and third-party code. Pro tip: Use a tool like Semrush’s Site Audit to get weekly updates about your site’s technical performance. You’ll get automatic updates about issues affecting page experience, including loading speed, crawlability, broken links, large files, and more. Optimize Images Compress images without sacrificing quality using tools like TinyPNG, ImageOptim, or built-in CMS optimizers. This will keep your images from dragging down your page speed. Test Across All Device Types Ensure your site has a responsive design that works across desktops, tablets, and various mobile screen sizes. Use Chrome DevTools or BrowserStack to test how your site performs on popular devices and browsers. Pay special attention to touch targets on mobile. Check that buttons and links are easily tappable without accidental clicks. Improve Security Use HTTPS across your entire site to build user trust and meet Google’s requirements for secure browsing. Google Search Console’s HTTPS report will tell you if your pages are secure. (And what to fix if they’re not.) You’ll also want to configure proper SSL certificates and ensure all resources load securely. Optimize Above-the-Fold Content Prioritize loading essential above-the-fold content (aka content that appears on a webpage before scrolling) to capture web visitors’ attention. And draw them to your most important content or assets. Minimize unnecessary elements that push key content below the fold, especially on mobile devices. Balance Monetization with User Experience If you use display ads, ensure they don’t trigger layout shifts, overwhelm content, or create friction points for readers. Reserve space for ads in your layout to prevent content jumps when they load. 7. Seek Information Gain (aka Bring Something New to the SERPs) Google hasn’t said that “information gain” is a ranking factor, but it aligns with their emphasis on adding value to search results. Information gain means adding something new to the topic. Something readers can’t find anywhere else. I’ve mentioned some information gain methods already, like firsthand experiences and expert quotes. But there are other ways to achieve information gain, including the following: Original research: Survey your audience or industry and publish the findings Proprietary frameworks: Develop your own scoring system or methodology Product testing: Go beyond specs to share real-world performance For example, the finance site NerdWallet goes to great lengths to thoroughly review different financial products. Like credit cards, savings accounts, and personal loans. As part of that effort, they created a NerdWallet star rating methodology. But they don’t use a one-size-fits-all rating system. They created separate methodologies for each financial product category. Why? Because different factors matter for different financial decisions. They also published detailed explanations of how they weigh different factors in their rating system. This helps give their star rating system more credibility. You’ll see these ratings on various NerdWallet reviews to help readers choose the best products for their needs. Like this one for a credit card: The key takeaway here? Information gain often requires a significant upfront investment. Whether in time, money, or both. But it leads to something valuable: content that competitors can’t replicate overnight. 8. Refresh Existing Content Creating new content isn’t always the best strategy. Sometimes, updating what you already have delivers better results with less effort. Fresh, comprehensive content shows Google you’re committed to quality and accuracy. It can also help boost your rankings. In my experience, updating existing content often delivers faster traffic gains than creating new pieces. A blog post I wrote for Positional about title tags basically sat in the same SERP position for nine months. After revamping the post with additional information, it shot up in rankings almost immediately — and the ranking and traffic gains have held. When refreshing content, prioritize these improvements: Update statistics and examples with current data Enhance visuals and formatting for a better user experience Incorporate new expert insights or research Fix outdated advice or recommendations Target evolving search intent Warning: Updating old content with a new date to appear “fresh” without substantial changes won’t fool Google. Focus on genuine updates that add new value, insights, or relevant information to improve the reader’s experience. 9. Create Helpful Graphics and Videos Helpful content doesn’t just mean the words on the page. Graphics and videos can also be valuable additions that improve reader comprehension and engagement. When creating visuals for your content: Focus on clarifying complex ideas, not just adding decoration Create custom graphics rather than using generic stock images Ensure videos add unique value beyond what’s in the written content Use callout boxes to highlight key takeaways At Backlinko, we take visual content seriously. You’ll often see us using screenshots from various analytics programs to highlight results and showcase website performance. Our custom graphics illustrate key points and make complex topics more digestible. They also keep readers engaged throughout the article. We use tables to make data-heavy topics more digestible. And improve the readability and retention of our content. We also use callout boxes to break up text and add more value. Like side notes and pro tips. Visual elements make your content more appealing and effective at conveying ideas clearly. They can also help you improve your bounce rate. 10. Be Strategic with AI Writing Tools AI writing tools can be great assistants, but they shouldn’t replace human writers. In fact, Google warns against “using extensive automation to produce content on many topics.” Google’s March 2024 update specifically targeted sites using AI to generate low-quality content at scale. As a result, many websites with large amounts of AI-generated content saw dramatic ranking and indexing issues. But if you read its guidelines, you’ll see that Google isn’t technically against using AI. As they say on their site — they reward high-quality content “however it’s produced.” This is a little bit of a gray area, though. Your idea of high-quality, human-edited AI content may not match Google’s. But overall, avoid using AI to create low-quality, unoriginal content to manipulate rankings: Including: Publishing AI-generated articles without significant human input Creating entire pieces with no subject-matter expertise Relying on AI for factual claims without verification Generating content solely to target keywords with no real value Luckily, there are plenty of ways to benefit from AI content tools while staying in Google’s good graces. This includes: Summarizing research papers or creating key takeaways Suggesting potential structures based on top-ranking content Creating (very) rough drafts of blog posts, email marketing, newsletters, and more Improving clarity, fixing grammar issues, or suggesting better phrasing Generating topic ideas or angles for your content The key? Use AI as a foundation, not a final product. Enhance it with your expertise, personal experiences, and fact-checking to satisfy Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines. Bonus: Evaluate Your Content’s Helpfulness with Google’s “Who-How-Why” Framework Want a simple way to assess if your content meets Google’s helpful content standards? Use their Who-How-Why framework. Who Created the Content? The “Who” question focuses on expertise and credibility. Google wants to see clear information on the team behind your content. This can be strategists, writers, editors, fact-checkers, and expert reviewers. Add detailed author bios that highlight relevant experience and credentials Include prominent bylines on all articles where readers would expect them Link bylines to author pages with additional background information For example, the National Council on Aging (NCOA) highlights its writers’ experience and expertise prominently in bios. Including medical credentials, education, and writing experience. This transparency builds trust with both readers and search engines. How Was the Content Created? The “How” question is all about transparency in your process. Google wants to know: What research or testing methods did you use? How thorough was your approach? Did you use AI assistance? (If so, how?) If you conducted product testing, explain your methodology. Don’t just say, “We tested 10 products.” Be specific. For example, the NCOA highlights its testing data on articles. Including how many hours of research went into their testing. And how many experts they consulted. Why Does the Content Exist? The “Why” question is the most critical — and the one most likely to trigger ranking issues. Ask yourself: Is this content primarily for helping people? (Good) Is it primarily for attracting search traffic? (Bad) If you’re only publishing to rank for keywords without providing unique value, Google will eventually catch on. Instead, create content that would be valuable even if search engines didn’t exist. Content that people would seek out directly. Like this in-depth NCOA guide on respite care that would be valuable to its target audience, whether on- or offline. Put This Helpful-Content Framework into Action Want results? Stop creating content just to check an SEO box. The sites that dominate search results are those that genuinely help their audiences. With the 10 strategies in this guide, you’ll create content that Google recognizes as truly valuable. And attracts traffic because it deserves to rank, not because it’s gaming the system. So, download our Helpful Content Checklist if you haven’t already. Then, check out our Content Gap Analysis guide to identify untapped opportunities where you can apply these principles. You’ll discover where to focus your efforts for maximum impact so you stand out on the SERPs — and withstand Google’s next update. The post 10 Ways to Create Helpful Content + Examples and Checklist appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

Hey folks, It’s been a weird stretch: layoffs, gloomy headlines, AI overload. If your job search feels extra heavy right now, you’re not alone. This week, I wanted to share a few things that might help. Some practical, some uplifting. All worth your time. Vic Our Favorite Articles 💯Jamie Wignall/The GuardianHow To Use AI To Get a Job Interview And Nail It – Along With The Salary You Deserve (The Guardian)​This one​'s packed with practical tips: how to use ChatGPT and AI tools smartly (without relying on them completely). These Software Engineers Were Struggling To Find Work. Then They Offered To Pay $10,000 For Their Next Job (Business Insider)A reminder that bold moves are still paying off, even in a tough market. ​This article ​will either inspire you or make you say "huh." (Use Brave to read it ;) ) Exercise for Mental Health: A Comprehensive Guide To Improving Mental Well-Being (Health)Science keeps backing it up: moving your body helps your brain (and your outlook). ​Learn more​. Japan's Huge Four-Day Week Change Begins in April (News)Japan is the latest to test the 4-day workweek, backed by real policy change. Here's what’s happening​. This Week's Sponsor 🙌Too many emails? Declutter your inbox with Meco, your home for reading newsletters. Try it for free Remotive Jobs 💼Is this job for you? 👉 ​Senior Microsoft PowerBI Developer at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 HOURS) 👉 ​Senior Enterprise System Engineer (Power Automate) at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 HOURS) 👉 ​Senior Shopify Developer at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 HOURS) 👉 ​Lead Software Engineer at Anima Health ​(Northern America, Europe, UK) 👉 ​Software Engineer - Infrastructure Team at Discourse​ (Worldwide) Free Guides & Tools​Public Job Board​We curate 2,000 remote jobs so you don't have to! ​Find your remote job →​ ​Exclusive Webinar​3 Mistakes to Avoid When Looking For A Remote Startup Job (And What To Do Instead) ​Register for free →​ ​Job Search Tips​Looking for a remote job? Here are our tips to help you work remotely ​Check it out → Join the Remotive newsletter Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email address Subscribe Powered by ConvertKit View the full article

"Every problem looks big from a distance, and every opportunity looks small." The Concierge CPA With Jackie Meyer For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Jackie Meyer. View the full article

"Every problem looks big from a distance, and every opportunity looks small." The Concierge CPA With Jackie Meyer For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Jackie Meyer. View the full article

The following content is brought to you by Lifehacker partners. If you buy a product featured here, we may earn an affiliate commission or other compensation. We're all tired of receiving text messages and calls from random marketers on our personal numbers. Whenever you give out your number to sign up for stuff online, your information is very likely sold to a marketing company, then sold again—until your phone is blowing up in the middle of the night with texts from who knows. Surfshark Starter Package Generate a virtual number, mask your email, and take advantage of other VPN subscription benefits. Learn More Learn More But sometimes, you have to hand over your digits to subscribe to a service you want, score deeper discounts, or sign up for text alerts. This is where Surfshark is a lifesaver. Sign up for a Surfshark Starter package for $3.49 per month for the first 24 months, plus an extra four months free. And in addition to getting the Surfshark Virtual Privacy Network (VPN) and Alternative ID, you’ll also receive an alternative phone number to use on your online accounts or wherever you want. Here’s how to get on a Surfshark plan and protect your phone number from prying eyes. What is the Alternative Number? Although you can't directly make calls using your Surfshark Alternative Number, you can use your number to receive endless calls. And you're able to send and receive messages, all through the Surfshark app. This way, you can keep your privacy, not just when you sign up for all your favorite sites, subscriptions, and special discounts but also for all your conversations, too. Your Alternative Number is included with the Surfshark Starter package deal, beginning at just $3.49 per month. How to use your Surfshark number When you give out your Surfshark Alternative Number, all of the spammy messages and calls are forwarded to your phone, but only through the Surfshark app. Your personal number remains private and is safe from marketers, hackers, and data brokers. You can also delete your Alternative Number whenever you want, or swap it out for a new one for free every 30 days for extra privacy. Bundled Surfshark security perksThe Surfshark Starter bundle also includes their award-winning VPN service and a handy Alternative ID. The Alternative ID gives you a whole new online identity, including a name and age of your choosing, and you get a second email address, which, like your alternative phone number, keeps your personal email off those lists. For even more online protection, Surfshark’s VPN routes your internet traffic through a remote server and masks your IP (Internet Protocol) address. Not only will the VPN protect your online privacy, a must when using public Wifi these days, but it can also reduce location-based price discrimination, a nice perk. Surfshark’s Starter bundle includes all you need to sign up for everything online while steering clear of spam, IP tracking, and potential hacks. Sign up today for $3.49 per month for the first 24 months and get an additional four months free. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’ve been eyeing a pair of noise-canceling headphones but don’t want to spend over $300 for the usual suspects, this deal on the Anker Soundcore Space One Pro might be worth a closer look. It’s currently going for $129.99 on Woot for the next three weeks or until it sells out, which is $70 less than the current Amazon price. It’s new, has an 18-month manufacturer warranty from Anker, and ships free if you have Amazon Prime (if not, it'll cost you $6 for shipping). Just keep in mind, Woot only ships to the 48 contiguous states—so if you're in Alaska or Hawaii, this sale won't work for you. The headphones themselves strike a good balance between comfort and portability. They’re made from a mix of plastic and metal, and despite being lightweight, they don’t feel flimsy. The earcups and headband are lined with faux leather and stay put without clamping too tightly. They fold inward and the cups swivel flat, which makes them easy to slide into a bag, although you’ll have to be careful—no hardshell case is included, just a soft pouch. The headphones charge via USB-C and include a 3.5mm jack for wired listening. Controls are split between both earcups and are customizable via the Soundcore app. You can tweak what the buttons do, including toggling between ANC, transparency, and normal modes. As for performance, the Space One Pro holds its own. There are 40mm dynamic drivers delivering sound from 20Hz to 20kHz. That said, the out-of-box sound leans bass-heavy, but with some tweaking, you can get a more neutral sound. The app-based EQ is robust, with plenty of presets and manual options to dial in the sound. The ANC doesn’t quite match the Bose or Sony flagships, but it handles low-end droning sounds like plane engines surprisingly well, notes this PCMag review (though higher-pitched voices or sudden loud noises can still creep in). Also, there’s support for LDAC, so if you’re using a compatible Android device, you’ll get better quality over Bluetooth. Battery life is strong too—up to 55 hours without ANC and 40 with it on, which should get most folks through a week without needing to recharge. View the full article

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today...View the full article

Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

Bank of England governor set to serve three-year term at Financial Stability Board from July View the full article