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When Netflix reality show Dubai Bling debuted in 2022, it became a global sensation, garnering viewers across 51 countries. And it’s kept up the momentum: The show’s recently released third season racked up 18.6 million hours of viewing time in its first week alone. Dubai Bling, filmed in English and Arabic, is subtitled in 31 languages and dubbed in 5. The show has been part of a surge in Arabic content on Netflix attracting global viewership. Last springs Honeymoonish, an Arab-language rom-com from Kuwait, trended in the top 10 film list of 73 countries, amassing more than 22 million views. Danya Diva Dee Mohammed in Dubai Bling, Season 1 [Photo: Hyku Desesto/Netflix] Love Is Blind Habibi, the Arab adaptation of the hit reality show Love Is Blind, premiered on Netflix in October 2024 and ranked among the top 10 global non-English shows in 26 countries. Netflix’s commitment to showcasing stories from the Arab region has been a game changer for Arab filmmakers, according to Dubai Bling creator Mazen Laham. Though he had worked on multiple Arabic-language shows previously, they were local projects with nowhere near the scope of Netflixs viewership. As the streaming platform has invested in stories told in Arabic, it has given Arab-led projects global reach by dubbing them in multiple languages. [Before Netflix] we didn’t have the chance to show the world what content we can produce, Laham says. We were always producing for local platforms and channels. Nobody had the opportunity to see what we do. Netflixs targeted move Investing in original content from the Arab region is a strategic move for Netflix: The worlds fastest-growing population is in the Middle East and Africa. Arab-speaking countries have a combined population of more than 473 million people, and more than 55% of the people in the Middle East and North Africa are younger than 30. A young and growing population poses a lucrative viewership opportunity for Netflix. Nour El Haj in Love is Blind: Habibi [Photo: Netflix] Netflix has also launched several initiatives aimed at encouraging young creative talent from the Arab world, focusing especially on nurturing female filmmakers through financial grants and upskilling opportunities. Because She Created provides a platform for female creatives in the Arab world who are pioneering new paths in the film industry. As part of the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, the initiative also offers a onetime grant of $250,000 to support female filmmakers in their creative endeavors. In July 2024, Netflix also launched the Saudi Female Future Filmmakers Program, an advanced mentoring initiative designed to identify the next generation of female talent in the Saudi film industry. Through these projects [Netflix is] automatically nurturing the industry. The more projects that we deliver to the industry, the better the industry will become, says Wael Abumansour, a Saudi producer with Telfaz11, the studio behind Netflix films such as AlKhallat+, The Matchmaker, and Naga. He adds that the demand for content from the Arab region is accelerating really fast, which makes it an exciting time to be an Arab filmmaker. Taking Arab content global Abumansour says the creative freedom that Netflix extends to showrunners and filmmakers allows them to explore diverse narratives and cultural themes. In 2024, the platform aired a diverse slate of shows and films from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kuwait, and Jordan from both emerging and seasoned creatives from the region. Raneem Haitham (in pink) plays Farah in the second season of the Jordanian series AlRawabi School for Girls. [Photo: Courtesy of Netflix 2024] One of those emerging talents is Tima Shomali, the Jordanian writer-director of the teen drama AlRawabi School for Girls, one of Netflixs most successful series, garnering solid viewership in 43 countries. Shomali believes that Arab content has increasing appeal on streaming platforms because of its well-crafted scripts and characters who resonate with audiences. Tima Shomali created and directs the Jordanian teen drama AlRawabi School for Girls. [Photo: Courtesy of Netflix 2024] The most important thing in a story is writing root-worthy characterscharacters that people can relate with, sympathize with, Shomali says. AlRawabi connected with people regionally and internationally, because maybe a lot of people actually connected or saw themselves or someone they know in one of these characters. The hope is that Netflixs investment continues to pay off for Arab storytelling. It’s time for Arabic content to travel, Shomali says. We’ve always imported content from the West. And now it’s time for us to export our content.
Category:
E-Commerce
In 2034, Salt Lake City will join a short list of cities that have hosted a Winter Olympic Games twice, joining the likes of Turin and Innsbruck. But unlike in any Olympics of the past, skiers and bobsledders may glimpse a surreal sight overhead as they competeflying air taxis. Though still nine years away from the Opening Ceremony, aviation company Beta Technologies sees the state of Utah as a proving ground for its electric planes. As competitors focus on major cities like New York and Los Angeles, Beta has inked a deal with Utah to start exploring transportation solutions across the very rural state. The Beehive State had a confluence of benefits for Beta, including a varied geography, well-distributed airports, expansive land for testing, and a foot already in aviation. In our space, everybody (municipalities and states) wants to raise their hand, says Kyle Clark, Betas founder and CEO. But it’s only a few who step up and [allocate] the right money, the right political resources, the right regulatory support, the right businesses. If Beta can create a functioning network of electric planes to connect the remotest parts of Utah, initially focusing on cargo and logistics, then it should be able to streamline naturally into carrying passengers for the 2034 Olympics. Connecting Utahs remote areas Utah has created a coalition designed to support companies like Beta comprises the governors office, the state Department of Transportation, and public-private aerospace partnership, 47G (named for 1847, the year the first Mormons reached the Salt Lake Valley, and for a number close to the most G-force ever experienced, 46.2). 47G is focused on growing aerospace and defense in the state, industries that already represent 20% of Utahs economy. The organization helps 200 aerospace-adjacent companiesfrom startups, to contractors, to Delta Air Linesto source capital, build infrastructures, and incubate. Beta was a welcome addition. We want to move people and packages, and we want Utah to lead out on this space, says Aaron Starks, 47Gs president and CEO. We wanted to bring a partner in and not just sell us aircraft, but build the ecosystem with us. One significant hurdle is FAA certifications, which Beta will need to progress. It has three certifications pending: It expects the first, for its pusher motorthe propulsion device that pushes the craft forwardto be completed this year, followed by those for its eCTOL (conventional take-off and landing) and eVTOL (vertical take-off and landing) models. If they come through, Utah will be an inviting market. Utah was the fastest-growing state by population between 2010 and 2020, and is due to welcome 500,000 new residents by 2033. Thatll increase demand for cargo, medical, and logisticsall of which Beta wants to operate in, having already secured partners that include Amazon, UPS, and United Health Therapeutics. Utahs unique geography suits Betas goals. Of its 29 counties, only four are not considered rural, and a third of the state is desert. That allows the possibility for aircraft to improve rural routes that are otherwise inefficient to traverse. Clark says the minor roads that connect eastern and western Utah slow down transport, which is precarious when it involves goods like emergency medical supplies. Its a state actively seeking out faster and cheaper options. Carbon emissions from vehicles also contribute to poor air quality, as the mountainous topography leads to a phenomenon called inversion, whereby cold air and pollutants, including carbon, get trapped under a layer of warmer air, resulting in thick smog. As a state, we are very much on board with decreasing the emissions footprint through clean technologies, Starks says. Making it happen The coalitions first order of business will be developing airport infrastructure to accommodate Betas vehicles across Utah, where 94% of the population lives within a 30-minute drive of an airport. They have started identifying five initial existing airports that could serve as bases for both of Betas aircraft offerings: eCTOLs and eVTOLs. The latter, which rise upward like helicopters instead of accelerating along a runway and taking off, need slightly different sites known as vertiportswhich could easily be added to existing airports. Vertiport sounds big and scary, Clark says, [but] weve built vertiports that are de-iced landing pads with lights on them. These are pretty simple things. Beta and the coalition have also begun an assessment of optimal sites for a charging network, with the help of Betas algorithm, which its used to place 60 of its charge cubes across the U.S., mainly concentrated in the Northeast and South. The fast chargers are multi-modal, meaning they can accommodate EV road fleets like trucks and delivery vans. So, once Betas FAA certifications come through, both the planes and networks will be ready to go for their partners. UPS loves the fact that we’re putting in a bunch of charging network nodes throughout Utah, Clark says. For Clark, the ability to validate the entire system holistically within a single state makes Utah a better market entry point than major metropolitan areas, where its competitors, including Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, have focused on passenger air taxis. Archer has announced Newark-to-Manhattan and OHare-to-Chicago routes with United Airlines, which has conditionally approved $1.5 billion of investment; and Joby has partnered with Delta, with up to $200 million. But cities pose complicated regulatory hurdles from municipalities and communities, Clark says, as well as the need for intricate power and flight infrastructures. And for such a new offering, the size of demand from would-be passengers is yet unknown. It’s going to happen, he says. But you have to ask the question: Is that the right entry point? Archer and Joby, both public companies, are reportedly both planning to use the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as the milestone event for proving out their air taxis. But caution lingers from the Paris Olympics, where grand promises of air taxis by European companies fell flat. Clark believes the L.A. Games are too soon to do this effectively, and it would merely be a bit of a stunt to show the world flying taxis without providing any real use. Conversely, he says the plan in Utah gives them time to rehearse with cargo and logistics for almost a decade, so that by 2034 they can meaningfully taxi Winter Olympics visitors across the skies. Clark insists hes unfazed by his competitors, but still slams what he views as their superficial strategies. We are aquiet, private company, and we have been crushing the technology, he says. You may not see us out there making fancy videos of the future, because we’re building the real stuff here.
Category:
E-Commerce
If you are career-minded, you may think applying for a loftier position in another company is the best route. In fact half of millennials expect to leave their current company within a year. But it’s not always the right move. Advancing in your present company may be a smarter move. You already know the culture and the people. If you enjoy them, who is to say that you’d find something better elsewhere? Also, some companies reward loyalty. And why would you want to compete with hundreds of applicants in a chaotic job market? If you are staying, hone your strategy. Follow these five steps to boost your likelihood of advancing. 1. ASK FOR VISIBLE ASSIGNMENTS First, seek out high-profile assignments. You want to be seen as a go-getter. Do this, and your boss and other leaders in the firm will regard you as a creative, productive worker with aspirational goals. Im not talking about doing extra grunt work. I mean seizing opportunities to come up with innovative ideas and initiatives that impress others. Commit to projects that reach beyond your department. Youll open the door to new relationships with potential bosses in other departments. For example, you might lead a fundraising project, or help another executive with her presentation, or volunteer to speak at an International Womens Day event in your company. 2. BUILD YOUR NETWORK AT THE COMPANY It’s important to build your network within the firm. Youll meet and gain the favor of leaders who recognize your talent and initiative. That can lead to important new relationships with strategically placed individuals. Take part in activities where you can meet senior leaders. These include conferences, sports such as company golf tournaments, leadership forums, and training sessions. If there is someone in the company you admire and think youd like to work for, find a way to get onto their calendar. You might have a mutual interest. Or, you might invite them to speak to your team as a guest expert. Be creative in setting up that meeting. Once youve made that contact, broach the discussion about reporting to them. There might be an advertised position or not. Either way, if you want to work in that department go for it, set up a meeting, and prepare to pitch yourself. 3. PREPARE A STRONG PITCH If youre job hunting in your present company, it might seem like overkill to prepare for each encounter. But you must do soeven for conversations with people who may not have a job to offer you at the moment. They may be able to recommend you to others. Your preparation should include a résumé that is polished and geared to opportunities in the company. If someone has agreed to meet with you, youll also want to prepare speaking notes in the form of a well-crafted statement explaining what kind of position you are looking for and why you feel ready for it. And dont forget to write a thank-you note after the meeting. For guidelines on how to create a strong networking pitch, see the chapter on Pitching Yourself inside Your Company. in my book, The Job Seekers Script. Youll discover how to sell yourself within your present company. 4. DONT LET YOUR BOSS GET IN YOUR WAY Its important to get along with your boss. But dont let that person slow you down if you want to advance. A manager who praises your work may not want to see you move to another department. One woman I know had an opportunity to take a VP position elsewhere in the company. That would have been a big step forward since she was a director. But her boss pleaded dont go . . . I need you here. So, she stayed, and after a decade she is still a director. If you have a boss who encourages you to pursue next steps within the company, be thankful. But be wary of a bad boss who tries to block ascent. All the more reason to develop strong network ties that will allow you to get around that roadblock. 5. AVOID COMPLAINING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT ROLE As you have conversations with others and seek to move up the corporate ladder, never complain about your current position. A bad boss is, of course, only one reason for seeking a new position. There are many others. But if you are looking to move up because you are unhappy with your current manager or some other aspect of your job, keep that to yourself. No one wants to hire a complainer. They fear it might be a personality trait. Instead, focus on what you like about your present role, what you have learned from your boss, what a great team of professionals youve had the pleasure of working with. And then look ahead and share your excitement about moving to the next role, whatever it may be. That kind of self-portrayal will get you a potential job offer and it will help you build your career.
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E-Commerce
A $19 strawberry has broken the internet. Over the weekend, several content creators went viral with reviews of one very expensive berry, purchased from the upscale Los Angeles-based grocery chain Erewhon. Apparently its the best-tasting strawberry in the entire world, influencer Alyssa Antoci says in a video that has racked up more than 15 million views. It’s worth noting that Antoci appears to be a social media manager for Erewhon, and her family also owns the store. Wow. That is the best strawberry. Thats crazy, she adds. @alyssaantocii insane original sound – lyss Along with the $19 price tag, the berries from luxury Japanese fruit vendor Elly Amai are individually packaged, set on a small cushion inside a miniature plastic cloche for protectionexactly how one would expect such an expensive berry to be packaged. On its website, the company claims to sell only the “highest-quality fruits from Japans most celebrated farms.” Not everyone is impressed. People in L.A. are so gullible, one commenter wrote. If I dropped $20 on a strawberry, Id probably convince myself it was the best one Ive ever tasted too, wrote another. It does taste good but is it worth the $19? content creator @janemukbangs questioned in a TikTok video with 5.5 million views. (Spoiler alert: It wasnt.) @janemukbangs $19 strawberry from Erewhon #erewhon #foodtiktok #fyp #strawberries original sound – janemukbangs Whether people are willing to pay a premium for Japanese berries or its simply a case of clever marketing, this isnt the first time the celeb-loved L.A. grocery store has made headlines for its pricey products. This month, its a $19 strawberry; last year, it was a $32 bag of specialty ice. In a time when many are struggling to afford even basic groceries, its easy to see why a ridiculously expensive strawberry has rubbed some people the wrong way. Or, as one commenter theorized, Erewhon was 100% started by a group of uni students who wanted to run a social experiment on consumerism. They ended up accidentally creating a successful grocery so now they just watch and laugh.
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E-Commerce
Its been a year since Intuitive Machines (IM) made history with the first private soft landing and first American spacecraft since the Apollo program to land on the moon, after a nail-biting descent that came perilously close to failing. But this time around, theyre veterans. As they ready their second mission, IM-2, with an updated lunar lander named Athena, the vibe at the startups Houston headquarters is decidedly more relaxed and confident. Weve made 85 improvements to the vehicle and the process used for building and flying it, says Trent Martin, IMs senior VP of space systems. That includes 10 for landing and determining its location in space, which we struggled with during the first mission. We’re not nearly spending as many late nights as we did getting ready for IM-1. Not that they dont still worry. This is space flight, he says. And space flight is hard. Athena is slated to lift off from Kennedy Space Center atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 at 7:17 p.m. ET on February 26 for a 10-day mission at the Mons Mouton plateau near the lunar south pole. (Click here for ways to watch.) Athena, a 14-foot hexagonal cylinder on six landing legs, will shuttle several NASA and commercial payloads to the lunar surface to test exploration vehicles and the first communications network on the moon; drill and analyze samples of lunar soil (called regolith); and map precious resources, like water ice. The roughly $100 million mission turned a 10% profit, thanks to funding from NASAs Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program and Tipping Point Initiative, commercial payloads, and three additional rideshares for satellites that will deploy to other destinations after Athena detaches from the rocket post-launch. Most are to support NASAs Artemis mission to establish sustainable infrastructure on the moon and in space, rather than rely solely on Earth for materials. In situ resources like oxygen and helium-3 can be used to make rocket fuel, water, and energy, while water can also make fuel and be a source for astronauts. Water is a building block for just about every chemical process that we would like to use on the moon, says Martin. [Image: Intuitive Machines] Athena is an upgrade from IMs first lander, Odysseus, and part of its methalox-propelled Nova-C class of landers. Odysseus might have crashed were it not for some lightning engineering. A missed safety switch prevented the landers altimeter lasers from firing to the surface to gauge its altitude and descent speed. Unable to reprogram substitute lasers from a NASA payload, they imaged a crater, estimated its size, and used that to approximate the landers altitude. Given the circumstances, they came astonishingly closeOdysseus touched down 4 mph too fast, broke a gear, and tipped over. But it still worked. The lander showed incredible resilience, but it was a miracle we were able to do it with a measurement we took from 85 kilometers [53 miles] high, says CEO Steve Altemus. We were all pretty steady during it. But afterward, it was like, Oh my God, what did we just do? For this next mission, the company not only revised its lander engineering but also began diversifying beyond lunar landers. One of the IM-2 payloads, the Intuitive Machines Micro Nova Hopper One, is a 29-inch, 77-pound rocket-propelled drone designed to explore areas inaccessible to ground rovers. Last fall, the firm unveiled Moon Racer, a two-passenger prototype Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) that can carry and tow a combined 2,600 pounds, thats earmarked for a future manned mission. Building the lander [Photo: Susan Karlin] We’re maturing [from] a startup having these aspirations and initial ideas to where we’re now battle-hardened by mission one, says Altemus. We’re providing and building a cis-lunar economy [offering] three pillars of service: the delivery to the moon and ride share, the data transmission and navigation services for communicatig around the moon, and infrastructure as a service. That’s the beginning of an economy and everyone can take advantage of that. Prospecting for resources The Micro-Nova Hopper, nicknamed the Hopper and Grace (after computer science pioneer Grace Hopper), will gauge surface temperatures and water distribution using instruments from Hungary and Germany. Although designed for a 15-mile distance, it will make five shorter parabolic hops and level flights to hard-to-reach areas, including a crater that has never seen sunlight. It provides you extreme mobility in places that rovers can’t go, says Martin. So, if you want to go into a pit or a lava tubeor a permanently shadowed region with steep walls, we can do it with a rocket-propelled drone. At the landing site, NASAs Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment 1 (PRIME-1) will operate a meter-long drill and a mass spectrometer to look for and analyze sub-surface resources that might sustain future human exploration, plus measure forces and temperature. The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT), from Blue Origins Honeybee Robotics, will bore three feet deep and bring regolith samples to the surface where the spectrometer will measure the compositions of volatile gases escaping from the material. [Photo: NASA/Honeybee Robotics] As it’s done with other landers, NASA is outfitting Athena with a Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA), mirrors that reflect laser light back to an orbiting spacecraft initially emitting the light to determine the landers location. LRAs will enable precision landmarks for Artemis sites to guide the arriving landers. Lunar Outposts Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) is slated to be the first commercial rover on another planetary body. Sporting internal prospecting instruments and an MIT-designed CW Time of Flight camera, the 22-pound solar-powered vehicle will travel about a mile from the lander, 3D mapping the lunar surface and scouting for ice and other valuable resources. Another MIT device, AstroAnt, a .95-ounce micro-rover with magnetic wheels, will roam MAPPs surface to measure its internal temperature to assess MAPPs healtha proof of concept for future iterations that might monitor and fix space hardware remotely. It’s very meta, laughs Justin Cyrus, Lunar Outposts founder and CEO. [Photo: Lunar Outpost] MAPP carries drills and wheels designed to grip the powdery regolith with little excavators to collect and analyze samples that NASA will eventually retrieve. The space agency will pay the Denver company $1 to transfer the sample ownership to set a legal precedent and procedural framework for a private company to own and sell what it mines on a celestial body. NASA has similar contracts with other companies for future samples. Considering the investment cost and potential rewardshelium-3, for example, is among the most expensive substances on Earth due to its scarcity, but abundant on the moonthis step gives companies more confidence they wont be legally challenged before spending billions to extract resources on a large scale. If you’re looking at resources not only on the moon but the near-Earth asteroids, its significantly more resources than we’ve ever had access to, says Cyrus. Can you hear me now? In a first step towards a lunar cellular system, Nokia Bell Labs is providing a 4G LTE communications network between MAPP, the Hopper, and a Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS) on the lander serving as a cell tower. The rovers, carrying antennas and radio equipment, will venture from the lander and beam signals back to the LSCS, which will measure the speeds and bandwidth. This network will also enable the three vehicles to talk to one another. The lander will sport a direct-to-Earth radio connection so mission controllers can receive data and images and remotely operate the probes. The main goa was to prove to NASA that it can take the cellular technology and adapt it for space, compared to using UHF or proprietary technology, says Nokia Bell Labs president Thierry Klein. Additionally, some of the data collected from the rovers would transmit over the Nokia network to the lander and relayed back to Earth. Commercial symbiosis Columbia Sportswear continues its symbiotic partnership with IM after IM-1 helped the clothing company perfect its Omni-Heat Infinity insulationa lightweight, breathable, heal-reflecting foil used in its winter jackets. On the first mission, IM applied it to one panel to buffer Odysseus cryogenic propellant tanks from extreme radiation and a 450-degree Fahrenheit temperature range. This time, its covering more of the lander packages. Columbia Insulation [Photo: Susan Karlin] Columbias materials enabled a more cost-effective and nuanced method of thermal management than off-the-shelf aerospace materials from the Apollo missions, says Haskell Beckham, Columbias VP of innovation. We also learned that in space you typically have multilayers of installation. So, we took this information, brought it back to our lab in Portland, and made a jacket where we had the insulating layer, not only on the lining but also on the shelf fabric, which made it much warmer. But wait, theres more . . . Other commercial payloads include Dymons YAOKI rover, IMs first Japanese commercial payload, that will capture images of the lunar surface. Lonestar Data Holdings is sending a data center that will test data transmission between Earth and the moon. The Florida start-up wants to establish a server system on the moon for extremely secure data storage for disaster recovery. After proving its software on IM-1, Lonestar will now test its ability to remotely load, store, and retrieve data from the server. Three satellites will hitch rideshares, deploying from Athena for other destinations. Jet Propulsion Laboratorys Lunar Trailblazer satellite will orbit the moon, mapping the water distribution on its surface. Astroforges Odin satellite may become the first commercial satellite in deep space when it sets out to image a near-Earth asteroid. Epic Aerospace Chimera, a chemical propulsion system to help payloads change orbit, will head to low Earth orbit. Creative culture It takes a little whimsy to pull off pioneering engineering. And IMs self-described battle-hardened stance hasnt disrupted its playful engineering nerd culture. Back at headquarters, cutouts of Star Wars characters grace the ceiling beams, while the Moon Racer LTV sports longhorns, a flourish spearheaded by CTO Tim Crain, a former Texas Longhorn football player. Part of its corporate mantra is serving as a space ambassador, by partnering with academics on science objectives, such as the University of Arizona on Hopper mission science; artists, like Jeff Koons, who flew a payload on IM-1; and STEM aspirants with student internships, such as those at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Altemus alma mater) and nearby San Jacinto Community College. Before we flew to the moon, I think we had 20 people apply for our internships, says Martin. After we landed on the moon, we had 1,500 people apply. We found incredible young, bright minds to come and work here. Having art projects is a good way to encourage people outside of the aerospace world to imagine what can happen in space. This mission, MIT has an art tie-in to its payloads, titled To the Moon to Stay. The first, HUMANS (an anagram of Humanity United with MIT Art and Nanotechnology in Space), was inspired by the Voyager Golden Record. Its a 2-inch silicon wafer flying aboard MAPP that contains an etched recording of voices in numerous languages describing what space means for humanity. The other is a Lunar Mission Control installation at MIT Media Lab thats a collaboration between the MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative, which designed the 3D camera and AstroAnt aboard MAPP, MIT Architecture students, and Inploration, a Los Angeles space education and design lab. It consists of a lunar-inspired self-supporting half-dome with displays connecting the public to the MIT payloads through a short film, real-time views of the lunar surface and payload operators, and a VR experience that lets visitors interact with the software they use. Of course, it all depends on how you define art. Altemus, who comes from a family of painters, considers the mission itself a creative endeavor. That’s a piece of art right there, he says, motioning to the Hopper. The people who can actually put that together are artists in their own right. It’s important that people understand the art of engineering. And the day I don’t feel that way, it’s time for me to go.
Category:
E-Commerce
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