'Business development' has become a coveted role at hedge funds amid the war to recruit top PMs.Citadel BD ace Matthew Giannini joining Walleye was one of the most noteworthy moves of 2024.Hedge funds hired dozens in BD in 2024 BI tracked the names of more than 40 who joined top firms.One of the most intriguing hedge-fund personnel moves in 2024 came late in the year. It wasn't a superstar portfolio manager nor another big bank executive migrating to the buy side.It was someone with barely any media profile at all: Matthew Giannini, a senior leader in Citadel's business development unit, whom Walleye Capital hired in October as COO of its long-short equities business.The move, from the industry's $66 billion killer whale to a comparatively much smaller fish, surprised several industry insiders BI spoke with at the time, underscoring the continued demand for the niche role of vetting and wooing investment professionals.Business Insider wrote in May about the evolution of the "business development" role, which has grown into a coveted specialty amid the boom in multimanager hedge funds. These firms, prized by investors for robust returns uncorrelated with the stock market, have added $200 billion in assets since 2019. Hiring has followed suit headcount since then soared 90% at multimanagers compared with just 6% at other hedge funds provoking a talent war that has been one of the industry's defining themes and challenges over the past few years.Even though total assets managed by these firms declined in 2024 for the first time in seven years (some investors pulled money amid growing costs paired with lackluster returns in 2023), "the war for talent appears to be continuing unabated," Goldman Sachs' prime services team observed in a September report on multimanager hedge funds. These roughly 50 firms added 2,400 new employees in the previous 12 months, Goldman found, a 15% increase. Hiring at multimanager hedge funds has far outpaced the rest of the industry. Goldman Sachs Prime Services Business development was no exception, with dozens of hires by top hedge funds 2024, according to industry sources, LinkedIn bios, and publicly reported moves.Millennium, the largest multimanager with $72.1 billion in assets under management and more than 6,000 employees, hired at least 10 people in BD in 2024, BI's analysis shows. Balyasny, which has spent hundreds of millions hiring PMs this year, added at least six new BD executives to facilitate hiring this year, including three managing directors most recently commodities specialist David O'Connor, who joined in November from external search firm Maven.Citadel has been hiring as well, adding a handful of people to one of the most revered BD units in the industry. The hedge fund last year became the most profitable of all time, something founder and CEO Ken Griffin attributes in part to an "unparalleled" ability to "recruit experienced professionals to Citadel" and "tremendous success attracting gifted graduates from the premier colleges and universities." Unsurprisingly, Griffin's talent whisperers are highly sought after.Perhaps none has more gravitas than Giannini. Several industry professionals who know him say he's tall, charismatic, intelligent, and deft at winning over PMs someone who provides an actual edge in an industry desperate for it. When Giannini left Balyasny in 2018 to rejoin Citadel, it contributed to a turf war between the funds."Matt is, if not the best, one of the best closers I've ever met," a BD professional told BI earlier this year.Leaving Citadel for Walleye may raise some eyebrows, but joining Walleye offers a potentially lucrative upside for Giannini compared with a typical BD role. Business group heads at these funds usually take home a cut of their unit's profits, and while Walleye struggled in 2023 it has been executing an overhaul the past year that's bearing fruit. The fund is up 15.4% through November, putting it near the top of its peer group for 2024.He also joins some familiar faces at Walleye, including Thomas DeAngelis, company president and another ex-Citadel BD leader, and Anil Gondi, a long-time PM who joined from Balyasny this summer and will oversee the long-short equities division with Giannini. The pair overlapped at Balyasny in the 2010s.Giannini's hiring and the dozens of others at top funds in 2024 signals that the burning demand for investment talent, and those gifted in recruiting it, won't likely dim any time soon."One clear theme from our conversations with multimanagers was that the 'war for talent' synonymous with this segment has not seen any material de-escalation in the last year," Goldman Sachs said in its report.Business Insider has tracked business development professionals who joined top funds in 2024, according to industry sources, LinkedIn bios, and publicly reported moves. This list isn't exhaustive, and we may update it as we learn more.Nicole AmenDRWDaniel AnzaloneBlueCrestHarry CaseVeritionDavid MatzSmith HanleyDavid O'ConnorMaven SearchKelly SuterIMCJosh BealsChi-Rho FinancialGrace GuoGoldman SachsBrian HopkinsHudson BayTrystan Davies-TommasonThe Omerta GroupDonata LeonovaMillenniumOlivia ReesGoldsmith & CoHannah RosenthalGoogleMichelle TsangTwo SigmaRuvhen ChinaireThe Omerta GroupChris HarnettCitadelChristopher AldacoD.E. ShawBrittany LynchSchonfeldDanielle GreenburgMaven Investment PartnersChris PadfieldCitadelMelissa BosemMillenniumMaureen ChangPoint72Derek ChiangSelby JenningsSarka DilingerovaExecuzenKatie GordonCybernetic SearchBrian KimmelCitadelLauren KrausGarda CapitalTerence LeeBlackstoneSteven RosenMorgan Stanley Investment ManagementNatalia SkrzeczkowskaDartmouth PartnersStella XuanTenere CapitalKristin CohenWalleyeJoe BeachAksiaLauren CroucherDartmouth PartnersNicole DengUBSCaroline KadhimBrevan HowardRobert FeatherstoneCitadelAdam DonaldsonMarble Bar Asset ManagementStephanie MelendezSchonfeldCarling DiGiacomoCitadelMatthew GianniniCitadelJen PascalNeuberger BermanMaureen ReedGoldman Sachs

Ryan SeacrestRyan Seacrest. Steve Granitz / Contributor / Getty Images On December 24, Ryan Seacrest will turn 50.Two years ago, Seacrest celebrated his birthday with a family gathering and playing games with balloon animals, according to Instagram. Ricky MartinRicky Martin. Brendon Thorne/Getty Ricky Martin's 53rd birthday is on December 24, 2024.To get into the Christmas spirit, Martin voiced a character in the Netflix holiday film "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey." Dr. Anthony FauciDr. Anthony Fauci. Al Drago/Getty Images The most famous expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, will turn 84 on Christmas Eve.Fauci was born on December 24, 1940 and while he might not have been a huge celebrity for the first seven decades of his life, Decade No. 8 is shaping up to be his busiest ever. Louis TomlinsonLouis Tomlinson. Vivien Killilea/GettyImages Louis Tomlinson's 33rd birthday is on Christmas Eve.Tomlinson is the oldest member of One Direction, and the oldest of seven siblings. Jimmy BuffettJimmy Buffett. Getty Jimmy Buffett would have celebrated his 78th birthday on December 25, 2024.Buffett died in September 2023at the age of 76.Of the many,many,albums Buffett released over his decadeslong career, he put out two Christmas albums: 1996's "Christmas Island" and 2016's "'Tis the SeaSon." Stephenie MeyerStephenie Meyer. Amanda Edwards/WireImage/Getty Images "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer will celebrate her 51st birthday on Christmas Eve.In 2020, Meyer released the eighth installment in the "Twilight" saga, "Midnight Sun," a re-telling of the first "Twilight" book from Edward's perspective. Lee DanielsLee Daniels. Noam Galai/Getty Images for TIME Lee Daniels turns the big 6-5 on December 24 this year.The Oscar-nominated director is celebrating his 65th birthday this year, 19 years after his directorial debut, "Shadowboxer." Barbara MandrellBarbara Mandrell. Mark Humphery/ AP Barbara Mandrell's 76th birthday is this Christmas Day.The iconic country singer released a Christmas album in 1984, "Christmas at Our House." Jeremy StrongJeremy Strong. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic via Getty Images Jeremy Strong was born 46 years ago on Christmas Day, 1978.The "Succession" star has a few things to celebrate this year. He's been receiving awards buzz for his performance as Roy Cohn in "The Apprentice" and won a Tony for his role in "An Enemy of the People." Sissy SpacekSissy Spacek. AP Sissy Spacek's 75th birthday is on Christmas Day.The Oscar winner starred in the 2008 Christmas rom-com "Four Christmases." Justin TrudeauPrime Minister Justin Trudeau. Associated Press On December 25, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau turns 53.At 43 years old, Trudeau was the second-youngest prime minister in Canadian history when he was elected in November 2015. DidoDido. Kieran Doherty/AP Images Dido will also turn 53 on Christmas Day this year.The British singer takes a page out of Paddington Bear's book to celebrate her birthday since Christmas is already a holiday, she celebrates her birthday on June 25, according to The Guardian. Annie LennoxAnnie Lennox. Vera Anderson/WireImage/Getty Images Annie Lennox's 70th birthday is on Christmas Day.The "Walking on Broken Glass" singer released her first and only Christmas album, "A Christmas Cornucopia," in 2010. Helena ChristensenHelena Christensen. Jason Mendez/Invision/AP Danish supermodel Helena Christensen will turn 56 on December 25, 2024.Christensen first gained mainstream recognition 35 years ago when she starred in the music video for Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game."

By Cheryl Eddy Published December 24, 2024 | Comments (0) | Harkonnen family dynamics: little sister Tula (Olivia Williams) sits beneath her looming big sister Valya (Emily Watson). HBO Dune: Prophecy ended its first season with an epic, 80-minute episode that didnt exactly tie up any of its storylines, including its central mystery about who or what is using forbidden technology to create bio-weapons on Arrakis. So its good that the HBO series, a prequel set 10,000 years before the Denis Villeneuve films, will be returning in the future. At a press conference timed to the season one finale, The High-Handed Enemy, Dune: Prophecys showrunner and executive producer Alison Schapker, along with stars Emily Watson (Valya Harkonnen) and Olivia Williams (Tula Harkonnen), mostly talked about season onebut they did tease a tiny bit about whats coming. Speaking about how the series paced itself across six episodes, considering its scope and number of characters, Schapker said the team stuck to one guiding rule: to give each episode its own identity. HBO But at the same time, she added, it was important to feel like things had changed and that the characters had undergone something that had shifted the story going forward. And it was very important to always understand Valyas through line and Desmonds story and Tulas story. I would say they were our main characters. But it was then a matter of trying to introduce everyoneand its a big world and its a dense world. So it was a bit of a balancing act. But Im really pleased with how the six episodes build and culminate in the finale. As for where she wanted to leave things at the end of season one, Schapker said, I wanted to feel like the ground had really shifted beneath their feet by the end of the season, but at the same time that we would have revelations that would make us understand these characters and their dynamics differently, and that there would be a kind of re-contextualizing of the story. So that by the time you had watched the whole story, you would understand, Oh, there was more going on than I first realized, which I think is in keeping with kind of the way that the Sisterhood worksthe sense that theres plans within plans, that theres more to the story than you see the first time around. By the end of season one, I think you have a real sense of the history of [the Harkonnen] sisters, the history of the Sisterhood, and then a real revelation, a truth coming out. And that was important to me, that fundamental shift in the dynamics. HBO Asked about the state of mind of their characters at the end of season one, both Watson and Williams were reflective. I think everything [has changed between them], Watson said. But I think Valya is still holding on to [her idea that] I am the chosen one. I have a destiny. [Thats still] her guide through this. But Id be very curious to know what happens next.Added Williams, I think the huge thing for Tula its the moment when [she says] Please dont kill my son. Trust me, Ive got this. And the fact that [Valya] does trust me and [leaves her with Desmond], little knowing that shortly afterwards my son has me arrested[its] that moment between the sisters where finally Tula is entrusted with something, when all these years shes known that she is highly capable and highly effective and has been treated as the lesser sister. Sometimes people of that character like to stay in the shadows, and it will be interesting to see what happens if she is pushed farther to the front and whether she can handle it. Schapker built on that. I love that idea of what youre saying: in some ways the sisters exchange [places] in the sense of Valya does retreat to the shadows, and Tula is suddenly out front in the capital, and what thats going to mean to them going forward, she said. But I also think like any secret that comes out, the longer you keep it, the pain around it needs to be metabolized it makes you have to rethink your relationship going back over the years of like, how did I miss something? HBO Watson added, I think its also a humiliating moment because everything [my character has] done has been based on my leadership, my sense of truth. But in a way, Valya doesnt do humiliation. Its like Im not going to do the emotions and Im fearless, so Im just going to carry on. Asked probably the biggest question remaining after season onewho was behind Desmonds transformation?Schapker remained vague on any potential season two spoilers. [If you] look back over season one, there are clues to Desmonds identity and his power and kind of where it all comes from, she said. As far as sort of shadowy figures [seen controlling his fate in his visions], I think that remains to be seen in the future. But, we try to seed it inI dont know if people notice, but the cloth hes carrying the first time we see him, when Desmond Hart appears and salutes and walks up to the palace, hes got this black cloth. That is really his sort of token of his mother, and [it reappears] through the whole series. He uses it in private moments as a [way to keep] alive sort of his drive and his connection. Finally he meets her and is clutching her actual dress, and realizing kind of what once was a piece of his baby blanket that she swaddled him in [is[ Sisterhood cloth that hes held on to. And now hes finally with his mother. I mean, we tried to do things like that to kind of build in and foreshadow where the story was going.Ok, but what about the second biggest question: whats going to happen now that Valya Harkonnen, Keiran Atreides, and Princess Ynez are on Arrakis? Heres Schapker with, as expected, some hints but not many details. After a season of Arrakis kind of exerting its pull from afarwhether thats in the economics of the spice trade, or the psychological aspects of the visions and nightmares that are sort of imagery of Arrakis and Desmonds path seeping into everyones consciousness[it was our chance] to actually go and put boots on the ground at this incredibly overdetermined and sort of almost mythic Dune space that we know very well but we sort of kept it a distance the whole season. I think its very significant that Valya is back there, and shes back at the origin point of Desmond, where he emerged from with a story and a myth: Im from Arrakis and I was swallowed by a worm aAnd I survived after my whole regiment was killed. All I would say is I think Valya is going to find out a lot more given that she is where Desmond emerged as an adversary, and itll be interesting to see what she finds out there. HBO Indeed it will! You can watch Dune: Prophecy season one on HBO and Max; season two is coming but does not yet have a release date. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Cheryl Eddy Published December 23, 2024 James Whitbrook and Gordon Jackson Published December 20, 2024 By Cheryl Eddy Published December 16, 2024 By Cheryl Eddy Published December 11, 2024 By Cheryl Eddy Published December 10, 2024 James Whitbrook and Gordon Jackson Published December 10, 2024

The Warhammer series is massive spanning both Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000. For fans of Strategy Games, there are plenty within the franchise worth playing. From Total War to Space Hulk: Tactics, these are the Top 10 Warhammer Strategy Games.

When broaching the topic of MAPPA's upcoming animated films, most will likely think of Chainsaw Man The Movie, perhaps the studio's most anticipated project in recent memory. However, it would be unwise to sleep on their upcoming release - The Rose of Versailles, an adaptation of a shjo classic whose success built a remarkable cultural bridge between Japan and France.

This weeks on Gamers Said, we read over what you the players want to see most from the Nintendo Switch 2s launch game. From Metroid Prime 4: Beyond to Mario Kart, you all gave incredible answers in excitement for the Nintendo Switch 2 launch date!

Over the last 20 years, Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings trilogy has been enshrined as a wintertime favorite by those craving spectacle and a cozy time on the couch. We can (and have!) debated if the films are best served by one holiday or another, but every fantasy nut seems to agree: The mix of Misty Mountains snow and an undying flicker of hope for a brighter future is a cure for the winter blues.But I have a new suggestion for Rings fans who might want to shake things up, or put an all-ages-friendly spin on the tradition: 1977s The Hobbit.Produced by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, the duo behind stop-motion Christmas classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Comin to Town, as well as the hand-drawn Frosty the Snowman, The Hobbit TV movies reputation is poor. Critics of the time saw it as slow and overly whimsical. But after a recent reread of J.R.R. Tolkiens novel, and a rewatch of the film (its streaming now on Max), those negatives feel like an important part of the Rankin/Bass formula that has keptthe companys holiday shorts so indelible 60 years later. In fact, The Hobbit might feel right at home alongside Rudolph in a Christmas rewatch slate.Animated for Rankin/Bass by Topcraft, the anime studio that Hayao Miyazaki would eventually call home, the 1977 film was adapted by Romeo Muller (the writer behind all the Christmas specials) with the utmost faithfulness. Much like Tolkiens book, the film wastes no time in introducing Bilbo Baggins to Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield, and Thorins band of dwarves, who require Bilbos help to infiltrate and recapture the Lonely Mountain from the gold-hoarding dragon Smaug.The party ventures off and hits all the familiar beats, from an encounter with trolls to a showdown with the Goblin King, a fateful meeting with Gollum, and a barrel ride on the way out from the elven kingdom. Anyone familiar with Jacksons nearly nine-hour take on The Hobbit will be thrilled to see Muller gracefully thread Tolkiens tale into a 78-minute TV movie package. The only victim of cuts is Bilbo and companys stint with Beorn the shape-shifter, whose side adventure even feels like trimmable fat in the book (hot take?).Topcrafts animation is particularly lush throughout the film, building on production design by Rankin, who was heavily inspired by illustrator Arthur Rackhams watercolors. The hard lines, shadow work, and earthy color palette feel more like concept art than cel animation. Compared to the studios work on Frosty, Topcraft outdoes itself with the character performances. The dwarves worn faces create a history to Middle-earth and every monster is complete nightmare fuel (but in a kid-friendly way). I could watch Bilbo and Gandalf puff hand-drawn smoke rings all day.Similar to their Christmas movies, Rankin and Bass lean heavily on songs to stitch the action together. In the absence of traditional carols, their go-to composer, Maury Laws, wrote some of the most 1970s folk bops imaginable, including The Greatest Adventure (The Ballad of the Hobbit), performed by Glenn Yarbrough, who went on to make a decent living touring with Christmas music. The soundtrack gives Bilbo and the dwarves perilous journey a certain fancifulness that isnt present in Tolkien, but its leveled out by the casting: You dont cast John Huston as Gandalf to make things gooey. Everyone in this movie is barking and constantly at each others throats, true to the source material.In rewatching The Hobbit around the Christmas season, I couldnt help but see the dedication to Tolkiens plotting as downright theological, a kind of spiritual reverence that was present in the Christian-leaning Christmas specials. Some believe that Tolkiens time writing letters in the voice of Father Christmas led him to create Gandalf in the first place watching a bearded dude and a bunch of dwarves could certainly conjure the image of Santa at his factory. But even beyond the surface, theres a certain Yuletide glow to Rankin/Bass Hobbit, the idea that this great myth must be committed to screen in all of its impossible glory. The tales of Middle-earth feel like scripture as Muller pieces together the key set-pieces. If Tolkien didnt write it, its not really in this version of The Hobbit.Case in point: Jackson dedicated an entire movie to the Battle of the Five Armies, whereas Rankin and Bass take a more Tolkien-esque approach of announcing the impending battle, sprinkling in a few spurts of action, then cutting to black when Bilbo gets knocked out. The hobbit wakes up as the dust of war settles. Everyone hugs it out and goes home. Thats what happened, thats what we get, and thats all we really need.That brevity is in the name of being downright religious about the text. Bilbos riddle-filled face-off with Gollum takes the form of a biblical parable. Smaug growls with fire before going full Old Testament on Lake Town. A final burst of greed from Middle-earths warring factions is met with a pure heart by Bilbo, who convinces man, elf, and dwarf to put differences aside and create a new future for the continent.Its epic, and full of joy. And if you spend your Christmas at the church of Lord of the Rings, 1977s The Hobbit might be an unexpected treat.The Hobbit is streaming now on Max.

Art Basel Miami Beach didnt disappoint this year, with 286 galleries from 38 countries presenting thousands of beautiful, shocking, confounding, and famous contemporary artworks. Six sculptures made me pause longer than my planned schedule (with so much to see, I keep a timer on my watch for every aisle to make sure I can see it all in a 7-hour day). These works, featured below, had a paradoxical effect of creating their own private world of captivation while also somehow literally reflecting or revealing the colors, people, and excitement of fair around them.Here are those six artists from Art Basel Miami and the galleries presenting their work, in no particular order.Maurizio Cattelan at Marian Goodman GalleryMaurizio Cattelan, Untitled (elevator), 2001. Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery \\\ Photo: Attilio MaranzanoRight now, Maurizio Cattelan may be most infamous for his 6.3 Million dollar banana that sold at Sothebys last month. Here at Art Basel Miami, where the duct-taped banana made its first debut in 2019, Marian Goodman Gallery installed an earlier work that was easily missed if you didnt look down. The 2001 work, titled Untitled (elevator), is an exceptionally detailed pair of mouse-sized elevators with doors that occasionally open with a familiar elevator ding. Adding to the illusion, tiny floor numbers above each elevator light up to imply the progress of each cab to unseen floors, opening the doors only at the ground floor. Its familiar and surreal, asking you to question what youre seeing while imagining the rest. I also love that one of the most amazing artworks at the fair wasnt noticed by half the visitors that passed by as I was photographing it.Maurizio Cattelan, Untitled (elevator), 2001 at Basel Miami 2024 \\\ Photo: David BehringerMaurizio Cattelan, Untitled (elevator), 2001. (DETAIL) Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery \\\ Photo: Attilio MaranzanoJeremy Shaw atBradley Ertaskiran GalleryJeremy Shaw, Towards Universal Pattern Recognition (Centennial Insight. NOV. 14, 1982), 2024 \\\ Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Bradley ErtaskiranMontral-based gallery Bradley Ertaskiran presented the truly hypnotic work of artist Jeremy Shaw. Displaying six works from his ongoing series Towards Universal Pattern Recognition each was created from original archive press photographs that are framed in custom-cut prismatic lenses. From the front, the effect draws attention to a moment within each photograph, but from the side, the images split into a kaleidoscope fracture of movement, reflection, and distortion with every step. Each photograph captures a different and diverse range of altered states of consciousness, from the spiritual to the technological.Jeremy Shaw, Towards Universal Pattern Recognition (Centennial Insight. NOV. 14, 1982), 2024 \\\ Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Bradley ErtaskiranJeremy Shaw, Towards Universal Pattern Recognition (COMPUTERS IN THE CLASSROOM. 10/7/81), 2024 \\\ Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Bradley ErtaskiranJeremy Shaw, Towards Universal Pattern Recognition (COMPUTERS IN THE CLASSROOM. 10/7/81), 2024 \\\ Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Bradley ErtaskiranOlafur Eliasson at Tanya Bonakdar GalleryOlafur Eliasson, The self-conscious orbital force, 2023 \\\ Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los AngelesDesign Milk just featured Olafur Eliassons current exhibition at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery as the #1 New York gallery pick for November a fusion of light, sound, and color spectrums. And here at Art Basel Miami, the gallery presents a 2023 work by the Icelandic-Danish artist, composed of dozens of partially silvered solid glass spheres an effect that produces an upside-down mirrored view of its environment within each orb. Reaching over 13 feet across, The self-conscious orbital force evolved abstracts a three-dimensional mathematical figure into two dimensions, while simultaneously giving the illusion depth with the various sizes of spheres. Its both mathematically complex, perfectly executed, and joyously approachable. And though lacking any color itself, it sparkles and flashes with every color and movement from the surrounding fair, producing both a serenity and excitement at once.Olafur Eliasson, The self-conscious orbital force, 2023 \\\ Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los AngelesOlafur Eliasson, The self-conscious orbital force, 2023 (detail) \\\ Photo: David BehringerOlafur Eliasson, The self-conscious orbital force, 2023 (detail) \\\ Photo: David BehringerTara Donovan at Pace GalleryTara Donovan, Stratagem XVI, 2024, Tara Donovan \\\ Photo: Courtesy Pace GalleryArtist Tara Donovans ethereal exhibition at Pace Gallery last spring was made from thousands of used CDs set against a view of skyscrapers. The series of works, made from countless pairs of CDs glued face-to-face are also material and mathematical marvels. The gallery here presented a single work from the series, Strategem XVI, towering 84-inches tall. Here its partial translucency revealed views of a booth full of exceptional artwork, including Alexander Calder mobiles, a Claes Oldenburg pie, and stunning blue sculpture by Peter Alexander (seen in the detail image below).Tara Donovan, Stratagem XVI, 2024, Tara Donovan \\\ Photo: Courtesy Pace GalleryTara Donovan, Stratagem XVI, 2024 (detail) \\\ Photo: David Behringer at Art Basel MiamiJacob Hashimoto at Miles McEnery GalleryJacob Hashimoto, The Cosmic Whirlwind of Past Faults, 2024 \\\ Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NYMiles McEnery Gallery presented several new kite-based wall sculptures by Jacob Hashimoto. The composition of Cosmic Whirlwind of Past Faults (above) highlighted what I love most about his work an opposing gravitational quality that is both physical and weightless. The Undoing of Light (below) visually glitches at its center with black & white circles, all set within cloud-like forms of blue. Fans of his work should check out this link to his recent exhibition at the gallery, where 11 of his smallest kite-based works encouraged a 180-degree view.Jacob Hashimoto, The Undoing of Light, 2024 \\\ Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NYJacob Hashimoto, The Undoing of Light, 2024 (detail) \\\ Photo: David Behringer.Hank Willis Thomas at Jack Shainman GalleryHank Willis Thomas, Community, 2024. Photo: Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New YorkJack Shainman Galleryfeatured a new Hank Willis Thomas sculpture titled Community created from mirror-polished stainless steel. Seven hands link at the wrists in mutual support as the mirrored surface reflects the viewer and the form itself functions as a sort-of portal to whatevers on the other side.The world renowned artist is known for his photographic-based works and sculptures. In January 2023, his 20-foot-tall memorial The Embrace was unveiled on Boston Common in Boston, commemorating the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King by representing the arms of their embrace after Dr. King, Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.For the work at Art Basel Miami, Hank Willis Thomas recently posted on his Instagram Right now we need community more than anything. How can we come together?Hank Willis Thomas, Community, 2024 \\\ Photo: Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New YorkHank Willis Thomas, Community (detail) 2024 \\\ Photo: David BehringerIts incredible to me how fast seven hours can fly by at Art Basel Miami and the extent to which exceptional artwork can refuel and sustain energy and curiosity. The next edition is December 5-7, 2025. See you there!

The National Parks Service has always inspired a vision of wonder for nature. Publisher Standards Manual returns with a brilliant green second edition of their first book, Parks, an anthem to graphic design in collaboration with photographer Brian Kelley, now in its fifth reprint. Parks 2 includes over 300 passages, interviews, pictures, and pamphlets, a comprehensive assortment of the often overlooked literature and structure of a storied part of American graphic design history. It celebrates the forgotten work that the Parks Service has been doings since its inception in 1916.Kelley quickly realized his work wasnt complete with the first edition. Drawn to the iconic pamphlets, maps, and vintage brochures released by the Park Service, they serve as lasting reminders of what the type, style, and design inclinations were in each subsequent decade. Parks 2 builds on this, adding even more context for the design that was popular at the time of release.The National Park System in the United States now comprises more than 400 areas covering more than 84 million acres in 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands. While these lands were occupied with native peoples beforehand, protecting and tending to the land, these acres are now set aside for a similar purpose, for the public to enjoy.Full of historical accounts and vintage letterhead, Parks 2 pays homage to the park system that has inspired so many to foster their love for nature. With written works from Chris Burkard, Alex Honnold, Forrest Shearer, Ashima Shiraishi, Leah Thomas, Lilly Smith, and Brian Kelley himself, they serve to illustrate a vision of the world that cannot be captured on camera. The juxtaposition of pop art, historical reproduction, and essay makes for a cohesive picture of what made the department what it is today: an appeal to the people in natures name.Standards Manual is a 2014 independent publisher founded by New York-based designers Jesse Reed and Hamish Smyth. The Standards Manual store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is the only graphic design bookstore in New York, specializing in new and vintage books on the subject. Parks 2 is the fifteenth title released by Standards Manual, and is available for purchase on their website.To learn more about Parks 2 from Standards Manual, click here. For more of Brian Kelleys work, please click here.

Honey, which is owned by PayPal, is a popular browser extensionwith 19 million users on Chrome alonebut the shopping tool is being accused of some seriously shady practices, including keeping users away from the lowest online prices and blocking creator affiliate links to deprive them of revenue. The scandal surfaced through a comprehensive video posted by MegaLag, who calls it "the biggest influencer scam of all time" based on an investigation that's apparently been ongoing for several years. MegaLag claims to have reviewed masses of documents, emails, and online ads in the course of the investigation, as well as having spoken to victims and personally falling foul of Honey's methods.What is "the Honey trap" influencer scam?Honey is a browser extension meant to give you any relevant discount codes available when you shop online and automatically apply them to your checkout price, instantly saving you money. The idea is that using the extension means you don't have to hunt for coupons and codes, and in several influencer video promotions, it's described as free money. But Honey seems too good to be true: In tests across multiple sites, MegaLag was able to manually find working coupon codes when Honey couldn't find any, or better coupon codes than the ones automatically Honey applied. What's more, when bigger discounts are applied at checkout, Honey doesn't appear to add these codes to its database.This is allegedly how Honey strikes deals with retailers, by giving them control over the discount codes that shoppers can access. MegaLag found further evidence in Honey's own FAQs and in a podcast produced by Honey, which was intended to promote its services to online businesses. In certain cases, users are limited in what coupon codes they can use if Honey is installed. The practice of limiting coupon codes that users can use obviously doesn't fit with Honey's promise to "search for the internet's best coupons," which is the claim on its homepage at the time of writing. "If we find working codes, well automatically apply the best one to your cart," Honey says. The extension will certainly find you codes, sometimesjust not always the best ones.It seems that the extension has an influence on revenue sharing too. Honey has been heavily promoted by a long list of online influencers in the past, including MrBeast and Marques Brownlee. According to MegaLag, the Honey extension deletes affiliate link cookies from these influencers when people click through to products from their YouTube videos and other sites, which would mean the influencers aren't paid for the referral. Instead, Honey would get their commission. This allegedly happens even if no discounts are applied, and when users go for the PayPal Rewards cashback scheme too: The original affiliate link data is edited, and Honey pockets the bonus. In one example, Honey intercepts a $35 commission for a NordVPN subscription, leaving the original affiliate with nothing, then returns $0.89 of that back to the customer as cashback reward.In an email to MegaLag, Honey confirmed this is how the extension works, as Honey ultimately directs the customer to the best possible deal, not the influencer. The extension "follows industry rules and practices, including last-click attribution" PayPal's Josh Criscoe told The Verge. As yet, PayPal hasn't commented on the practice of limiting access to coupon codes.MegaLag is promising additional videos soon, so there's more to come on thisbut Honey's reputation has already taken a serious hit. It seems you might be better off trying to find discount codes yourself.