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Cool article on productivity - includes audio 

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Cool article on productivity - includes audio 

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Interesting read. Posted by Rob.

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Laura Mae Martin is a big believer in the settings menu. As Google's executive productivity advisor, Martin spends much of her time working with other Googlers on improving their productivity and communication systems - and one of the things she often recommends is taking a few minutes to poke through the options. "With your phone, with your email, your Slack, all these things, the features are there, but we don't take the time to dive into them," she says. She even thinks you should maybe have to look at settings before you can use the app. "Like, you can't get into the app unless you spend 10 minutes figuring out what it can do."

On this episode of The Vergecast, the first in our three-part miniseries about all things productivity and work, we talk to Martin about how she sees things changing. Four years after the pandemic forced us all to work from home, are we finally figuring out remote and hybrid work? Are managers realizing that butts-in-seats isn't - and maybe was never - a good metric for productivity? And is the era of the hard-charging hustle bro finally giving way to a healthier, more holistic way of thinking about being productive? Martin sees all these things from so many perspectives and has lots of thoughts on everything from communication styles to energy flows.

We also talk about the rise in digital productivity tools like Notion and Slack and why email is still so important - and still so terrible. One of Martin's jobs at Google is to consult with the teams building Workspace apps like Docs and Gmail, and she has lots of thoughts on how those products work and how they could be better. We also talk about whether AI stands to change the way we get things done and whether it'll help us do more or just give us more to do.

Along the way, Martin offers us lots of practical tips on how to manage our digital lives a little better. Charging your phone outside the bedroom, no-tech Tuesdays, and a couple of prettier email labels might actually go a long way. And if you have too many notes in too many places, it's time to get a Main List going.

If you want to know more about everything we talk about in this episode, here are a few links to get you started:

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A Googler's guide to getting things done

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Laura Mae Martin, Google's executive productivity advisor, explains how to use email, chat, and calendar apps better and how to change productivity culture, on The Vergecast.

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Cool piece on retiring art prof from Xavier.

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Longtime studio art professor Suzanne Chouteau set to retire after solo exhibition

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Xavier University is a private university located in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing a liberal arts education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition.

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Longtime studio art professor Suzanne Chouteau set to retire after solo exhibition

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Xavier University is a private university located in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing a liberal arts education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition.

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How Kamala Harris could impact Nashville transportation vote

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How Kamala Harris could impact Nashville transportation vote

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Emma Rehse

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How Kamala Harris could impact Nashville transportation vote

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Turnout is significantly higher for presidential elections.

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Georgia county election boards could become 2024 battleground

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Georgia county election boards could become 2024 battleground

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Erik Polousky

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Driving the news: In recent months, MAGA and GOP activists have helped push the State Election Board's Republican appointees to approve what they market as common-sense measures - nuanced and subtle fixes to make elections more secure.

Yes, but: In reality, elections officials and progressive activists say, the changes are not warranted. And if implemented, they say, the measures will trip up populous counties like Fulton and DeKalb, which also happen to be Democratic strongholds.

"Elections are meant to be slow and deliberate processes with a whole lot of redundancies and checkpoints," Cathy Woolard, the former chair of the Fulton Board of Registration and Elections, told Axios. "You can't just drop in new processes and think that they logically work."

New elections measures that were recently approved or are under consideration include:

Vote counts: On Aug. 19, the board approved a new rule that requires county boards to investigate and explain any inconsistency between the number of ballots cast and the number of people who voted before certifying the election.

"Reasonable inquiries": County boards must now conduct a " reasonable inquiry" and can request election-related documents before certifying elections if they suspect vote totals are inaccurate.

Hand-counting ballots: The board next month will consider another rule to require three polling precinct workers at each voting location to match a hand-count of ballots to the machine's vote count, WABE reports.

Under another rule, election boards would have to begin compiling vote totals and precinct results before provisional ballots and military and overseas votes are due.

What they're saying: "[Assuming positive intent] would be defining a problem very clearly, listening to the people who do the job to come up with a solution, and then being very careful about the solutions that are implemented," said Woolard, who has filed an ethics complaint against the 3-member majority bloc.

"That is not what's happening. This is pure bullying force to implement changes that no one has asked for except perhaps Donald Trump and the Republican Party."

The latest: Top Republicans, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr, have criticized the board's rule-making and call to reopen an investigation into Fulton's handling of the 2020 election.

What's next: Despite calls for a time-out from a coalition of Georgia elections directors, voter registration workers, and Democrats, the board members plan to consider additional measures at the Sept. 20 meeting.

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Georgia county election boards could become 2024 battleground

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New rules build toolkit for election deniers to delay certifying results or sow confusion

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The Washington Commanders are moving on from one of their recent first-round picks. Washington will send wide receiver Jahan Dotson and a fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a third-round pick and two seventh-round picks. The Eagles confirmed the deal on Thursday morning.

The move comes a week after head coach Dan Quinn said publicly that several players -- including Dotson -- were battling for the No. 2 receiver job behind Terry McLaurin. That Dotson had not stood out, despite his draft pedigree, could have been construed as a sign that something like this was coming.

In two seasons with Washington, Dotson has posted receiving lines of 35 catches for 523 yards and seven touchdowns, and 49 catches for 517 yards and four touchdowns. His yards per reception and yards per game averages plummeted in Year 2, as did his target rate and yards per route run numbers, via Tru Media.

With Dotson out the door, Washington will presumably be relying on third-round pick Luke McCaffrey, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Dyami Brown for wide receiver snaps behind McLaurin. No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels also has tight ends Zach Ertz and rookie Ben Sinnott among his pass-catching group, along with Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler out of the backfield.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, gets to take a shot at tapping back into what made Dotson a first-round pick, and does so at a relatively low cost. The Eagles have been searching for a No. 3 receiver to complement A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith; they signed DeVante Parker earlier this offseason, only to see him retire before ever suiting up for them. Philadelphia has gotten minimal passing-game production from its wide receivers outside of Brown and Smith over the last few years, and acquiring Dotson could help fill that void.

Now let's grade the trade ...

Commanders: D-

There's no way to frame this as anything other than a loss for Washington. Dotson was a first-round pick just two years ago and he played two underwhelming seasons for the team, but he also didn't get an opportunity to play with a good quarterback during that time. To essentially get only a pick swap and a couple of seventh-rounders for him is a pretty big disappointment.

Eagles: B

That said, it's not like the Eagles are really getting a sure thing to be their No. 3 wide receiver. Again, Dotson has not been all that productive in the NFL, even if he was good enough in college to be a mid-first-rounder. The cost to acquire him is so low, though, that the deal is a solid one even allowing for the possibility that he can't fill a real role in the offense.

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Commanders, Eagles trade grades: Jahan Dotson shipped to Philadelphia as rival acquires former first-round WR

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Dotson apparently didn't win over the new coaching staff in Washington and now gets a reset

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Sport relies on the natural world and has the responsibility to protect it. We are seeing growing commitment and passion from across the sports world, which demonstrates just how far the Olympic Movement has come in its sustainability journey. Through the Sports for Nature Framework, we want to make sure that sports organisations have the right tools and support to take action.

The Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees, the Mauritius Olympic Committee, the National Olympic Committee of the Solomon Islands and the Botswana National Olympic Committee, as well as European Aquatics, the International Golf Federation and the French Rowing Federation, were amongst the new signatories, committing to reducing their climate and environmental footprint through actions such as more sustainable transport, energy solutions and procurement.

At the signing event, which was attended by more than 100 people, a number of Olympians stressed the role that sport can play in inspiring change.

Sport can play an important role in the global efforts to protect the environment. Events such as the Olympic Games provide us with a platform to be strong advocates for nature.

"In rugby, we are all different, but we all contribute to the game in various ways," said Alena Olsen, Paris 2024 Olympic medallist with the USA in rugby 7s.

Together, we are more than the sum of our parts. That's also true for climate action. Athletes want to be part of it and contribute in a meaningful way.

"We're all here together at the Olympic Games because we believe in common values and the ability of humans to do better," said Adam van Koeverden, Olympic champion and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity in Canada. "I believe in sport's ability to change minds and touch hearts. We need to be able to leverage that."

Biodiversity protection was a major focus for Paris 2024 organisers, who committed to an "anticipate, avoid and reduce" approach with regard to the environmental impact of the event. Some 95 per cent of Paris 2024 venues were already existing or temporary, meaning that new constructions were minimised. For temporary installations, a rigorous approach was developed to assess potential ecological impacts, from the pre-design to the post-Games phase.

For example, a rare plant, the "Conopode dénudé", was protected at the equestrian venue, the Château de Versailles, and temporary installations were carefully set up to avoid damage to meadows and wetlands at the Golf National venue.

"Paris 2024 has proven that it is feasible - and practical - to implement Games that are both spectacular and sustainable," said Sallois. "It was the power of sport to inspire that made it stand out from other sectors. I believe we are all conscious that we represent a unique opportunity. No other sector, no other industry can have this inspirational power, and this is why we can be more part of the solution than anyone else."

Dona Bertarelli, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Patron of Nature and Executive Chair of Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy, shared a video message saying: "From the grandest stadiums to our local sports parks, sports unite us in passion and spirit, but with unity comes responsibility. Every swing, hit, throw, kick, stroke, climb, sprint, ride, surf or sail impacts nature. Our role in safeguarding this landscape is not just a duty but a fundamental necessity for survival and well-being."

Launched in 2022, Sports for Nature is a joint initiative by the IUCN, the IOC, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy. It aims to integrate biodiversity considerations into the planning and operations of sports events, including the Olympic Games. It encourages sports organisations to protect natural habitats, conserve species and promote sustainable land use.
The full list of Sports for Nature signatories is available here.

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At Paris 2024, athletes, sports federations and National Olympic Committees stand up for nature

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Seventeen new sports organisations have recently joined the Sports for Nature Framework, committing to protecting and enhancing the natural world. Their membership was celebrated at an event held during the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and brought the total number of Framework signatories to 76.

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OSU's innovation regarding NIL in college football 

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OSU's innovation regarding NIL in college football 

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Olivia Zilliox

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Jake Trotter, ESPN Senior WriterAug 20, 2024, 12:37 PM ET

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Jake Trotter covers college football for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2011. Before that, he worked at The Oklahoman, Austin American-Statesman and Middletown (Ohio) Journal newspapers. You can follow him @Jake_Trotter.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said last week that he hopes his players can focus on football now instead of the "business side" of name, image and likeness with the season opener just a few days away.

But Gundy is also hoping that an innovative ploy can earn his players more NIL money during the season.

The school announced Tuesday that the Cowboys will sport QR codes on their helmets linking to a donation page for the school's NIL fund, believed to be a first in college football.

The QR codes on the back of each helmet will be 1.5 square inches. The school said that while the codes won't be visible from the stands on game day, fans watching during television broadcasts will be able to capture them on their phones. Oklahoma State believes this will help raise the team's NIL value throughout the year.

"This is a revolutionary step forward to help keep Oklahoma State football ahead of the game," Gundy said. "It gives a chance for everyday fans across the world to have a real impact when it comes to supporting the NIL efforts for Cowboy football. I'm thrilled about this opportunity for our players."

Last week, Gundy lamented the haggling and distractions of the NIL era, which now includes agents for college players.

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"We have to have those conversations with [the players]. 'Tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money.' It's non-negotiable now. It'll start again in December," Gundy said. "So now we're able to direct ourselves just in football, and that part is fun."

The Cowboys open the season Aug. 31 against defending FCS national champion South Dakota State. Oklahoma State is ranked No. 18 in the ESPN preseason rankings, headlined by star running back Ollie Gordon II, who led the nation with 1,732 rushing yards last season.

"The good news is, the next five months we can just play football," Gundy said. "There's no negotiating now. The portal's over. All the negotiation's history. Now we're playing football."

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Oklahoma St. linking helmet QR code to NIL fund

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The school announced Tuesday that the Cowboys will sport QR codes on their helmets linking to the school's NIL fund, believed to be a first in college football.

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Lamb vows to ‘cherish every bit’ of being Cowboy

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On Tuesday, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was introduced to the fans inside Ford Center for the Dallas Cowboys’ first training camp practice of the summer at The Star in Frisco, Texas, after formally signing his four-year, $136 million contract extension.

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Kelce Brothers Sign Deal With Amazon’s Wondery for ‘New Heights’ Podcast Worth More Than $100 Million

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Kelce Brothers Sign Deal With Amazon’s Wondery for ‘New Heights’ Podcast Worth More Than $100 Million

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Kelce Brothers Sign Deal With Amazon’s Wondery for ‘New Heights’ Podcast Worth More Than $100 Million

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Jason and Travis Kelce inked a deal with Wondery, worth over $100 million, for ad-sales and distribution rights to their ‘New Heights’ podcast.

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Boy accidentally smashes 3,500-year-old jar on museum visit

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Boy accidentally smashes 3,500-year-old jar on museum visit

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Boy accidentally smashes 3,500-year-old jar on museum visit

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It was on display near the entrance of the museum without glass when the accident happened.

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King Records' business offices, recording studio and pressing plant
What was King Records?
King Records was an important record label owned by Syd Nathan that was active from 1943-1968. The King Records studio building is located in the Evanston neighborhood of Cincinnati, OH. King Records recorded in the genres of hillbilly/Appalachian folk, bluegrass, country, jazz, doo-wop, R&B, funk, and soul. It is also argued that the label produced some of the first rock n' roll music ever recorded. Some of King Records' most notable recording artists and associated acts include James Brown, Lula Reed, Hank Ballard, Vicki Anderson, Bootsy Collins, Phillip Paul, and the Delmore Brothers. King Records was one of the first racially integrated businesses in Cincinnati in a time where segregation in the workplace was a common practice among Northern U.S. cities. The King Records building is currently owned by the City of Cincinnati, and plans are underway to transform the space into a community cultural space.
Racial Integration at King Records
King Records rose to prominence in Cincinnati at a time when, although there was no legal system of segregation, informal segregation and racially discriminatory hiring practices were common in Northern cities. By contrast, King Records is credited as the first racially integrated workplace in the city of Cincinnati- as early as the 1940s. Black people made up 20% of factory workers at the record press, and held integral creative, managerial, and directorial positions within the company.

Commenting on King's racial integration in relation to its location in the North-South border city of Cincinnati, OH, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame historian Robert Santelli has said:

"What happened at King couldn't have happened in New York or Los Angeles. Cincinnati always had one foot in the North, and one in the South, with access to blacks of the industrial cities as well as the Appalachians." (Fox).

King's racially integrated work place had implications that went beyond being an issue of economic and social racial equality. Because King integrated musicians from different backgrounds-notably white Appalachian migrants and Black people migrating north as part of the Great Migration- the conditions were ripe for hybrid forms of music to emerge. A common practice of the King music executives was to produce cross-over music, wherein musicians of one style of music would perform a cover of a song originally written in another style. For example, R&B artists might have done an R&B rendition of a song that was originally written in the style of bluegrass. As a result of this, King Records produced what many argue was some of the earliest rock n' roll music ever made, such as Wynonie Harris's "Good Rockin' Tonight," released in 1954.
Women of King Records
While many of King Records' best-remembered artists were men, there were also hundreds of women who composed and performed for the label and made integral contributions to King Record's success as musicians, composers, and workers.
The King Records Studio Building
The King Records building served as King Records' business offices, recording studio, and pressing plant. This vertically integrated mode of production made the production and distribution of records extremely efficient. Singles could be recorded, mixed and mastered, pressed, and sent out to radio stations extremely quickly, reaching the airwaves in a matter of days. By 1951, King could press one million records per month. The consolidated model of production and distribution also allowed King to quickly adapt to demand in the record store and disc jockeying markets, cutting down on extraneous costs and wasted time.

The King Records studio building was purchased by the City of Cincinnati in April 2018. Plans are currently underway to convert the space into a community cultural space and experiential learning center for the public.

More Information:
This building in Evanston served as King Records' business offices, recording studio and pressing plant until 1971. The label was founded in 1943 by Jewish businessman Sid Nathan. King Records is credited as the first racially integrated workplace in Cincinnati. Black men and women made up 20% of the factory workers at the record press, and held integral creative, managerial and directorial positions within the company. Its vertically integrated mode of production made the creation and distribution of records extremely efficient. Singles could be recorded, mixed and mastered, pressed, and sent out to radio stations within a matter of days. King became the 6th largest record company in the US, capable of pressing one million records per month. Nearly 500 of its singles made the R&B, country and pop charts, with 32 number one singles. Syd Nathan was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2008, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame placed a historic marker in front of this building. The City of Cincinnati purchased it 10 years later to save it from demolition.

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King Records - A place that crossed racial lines to revolutionize Rock and Roll music! | Cincinnati Sites and Stories

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What was King Records? King Records was an important record label owned by Syd Nathan that was active from 1943-1968. The King Records studio building is located in the Evanston neighborhood of Cincinnati, OH. King Records recorded in the genres of hillbilly/Appalachian folk, bluegrass, country, jazz, doo-wop, R&B, funk, and soul.

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Officials were looking for a murder suspect in Tennessee. Then he came crashing through the ceiling.

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Officials were looking for a murder suspect in Tennessee. Then he came crashing through the ceiling.

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Officials were looking for a murder suspect in Tennessee. Then he came crashing through the ceiling.

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Deario Wilkerson, 20, was wanted in connection with the April killing of a man in Memphis, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

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College football Week 1 preview: Big names coming back from injury and freshmen to know

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From records that could be broken this season to offseason quotes, here’s what to know ahead of Week 1.

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https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/among-americas-low-information-voters

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Donald Trump has dominated in polling of people who pay little attention to political news. What do they have to say?

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Ja’Marr Chase makes feelings clear on contract situation despite Bengals stance

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Ja’Marr Chase has made his feeling clear regarding his contract stand-off with the Cincinnati Bengals as the star wide receiver failed to participate in training

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WASHINGTON - Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he will not debate Vice President Kamala Harris a second time, criticizing Harris and President Joe Biden after he found himself on the defensive during this week's showdown.

"KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD. THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!" Trump said on his Truth Social platform, referencing his Tuesday debate with Harris and his June 27 faceoff with Biden.

Democrats quickly criticized Trump as a coward, saying he is reeling from polls showing that Harris won Tuesday's debate handily. A CNN/SSRS poll published Wednesday found that debate watchers 63% to 37% said Harris performed better on stage during the contest in Philadelphia.

Citing three national polls and one swing-state poll, ABC News/538 reported that "57 percent of debate watchers nationally said Harris turned in the better performance; only 34 percent said Trump did."

In his Truth Social post, Trump referenced other polls claiming he won the faceoff with Harris, but he appeared to be referring to online surveys with self-selected respondents.

The vice president at a campaign stop in North Carolina reacted to Trump's decision, telling attendees "we owe it to the voters to have another debate." Harris' campaign called for another Trump-Harris debate just minutes after the Tuesday debate ended.

Trump demurred about whether he'd participate in another debate before making his announcement Thursday.

"When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, "I WANT A REMATCH," Trump said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump says he won't debate Kamala Harris again

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Donald Trump says he won't debate Kamala Harris again

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Former President Donald Trump claimed Thursday he will not debate Vice President Kamala Harris a second time.