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Author Archive for Carter Breazeale – Page 44

Sayonara to my Twenties

I eclipsed the age of 30 yesterday, which of course beckons some introspection. I’ve done a lot since August of 1985.

I won second place in an essay/drawing contest to create a character for Donkey Kong Country 3 (won a Nintendo t-shirt.)

I pogostick’d 500 times in a row.

I faked my own birthday in preschool by writing a card to myself (got cupcakes and a balloon—awesome.)

I graduated from the University of Central Florida.

I recently packed a bag and traveled to Europe for a month.

Suffice to say, the previous 29 years have been pretty kind, and I’ve been fortunate to have encountered some fantastic individuals along the way—namely in my professional life. PR/PR alums Amanda and Lindsay—who are dearly missed—were confident enough in my abilities to give the thumbs up that catalyzed my journey with this company. Russell believed in me enough to bring me onboard, allow time and patience for me to find my voice, and eventually make me an agent.

If I’m being introspective about my 20’s, the trust that my PR/PR family put in me has been one of my biggest blessings. I’ve worked in an environment full of trust, creative freedom and friendship. I’ve been afforded the privilege of working daily with some brilliant clients and contributing to their success.

My time with PR/PR has been an immense joy. While turning 30 is daunting (depressing), I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Fallout From the Ashley Madison Breach

Ashley Madison, the website designed to connect people seeking an affair, was hacked in July—but the scope of the fallout is just now starting to take shape. The details of over 33 million accounts were released to the web—including email addresses, credit card information and IP addresses—and individuals combing through the data are finding some interesting names. From Josh Duggar to Orlando’s own State’s Attorney and Casey Anthony prosecutor Jeff Ashton, some highly visible individuals have been snared in the Ashley Madison leak.

Just more bigwigs who don’t understand the concept that everything you do online can be tracked and monitored, and there’s a chance that information you’d rather keep behind closed doors will end up on front pages.

In a year’s span that included two celebrity photo leaks and a litany of stars being exposed for inappropriate behavior on social media, you would think that these high profile people would conduct themselves in a much more guarded manner online.

Are they operating out of hubris? An overestimation of Internet security? Ignorance? I suppose it does not matter. When sites like Ashley Madison are hacked and its information leaked, celebrities are no longer on their pedestals. They make dumb decisions just like the rest of us.

Solution? Vet each and every site that you use, and each and every piece of data that you send electronically. Acknowledge that it may someday end up in the public domain. Comfortable with that?—Go right ahead. No? Delete, delete, delete.

Rise of the Amabots

When you think of the stereotypical Silicon Valley workplace, you visualize a non-traditional environment brimming with bike-shares, yoga classes and nap pods. The New York Times piece on Amazon’s workplace culture paints a different picture altogether, one of extreme pressure placed employees, Orwellian productivity monitoring technologies and ascribing to the corporate model to the point that you become an “Amabot,” which sounds like borderline brainwashing.

The Times exposé is bad news for Amazon, a corporation that from the outside-in appeared to be an employment oasis—the type of place you’d pencil in under your “dream jobs” list. The article only proves that things are not always as they seem and to be careful what you wish for.

The piece reads more like scenes out of A Clockwork Orange than occurrences at a forward-thinking tech giant’s offices. Employees forced to answer emails after midnight—and receiving text messages when they have not replied in an acceptable timeframe—, coworkers encouraged to essentially spy on one another and report any shortcomings to higher-ups. Frightening stuff.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos released a statement to his employees (and the media), noting that while he denies that the workplace depicted in the article is the Amazon that he knows, he acknowledges that “anyone working in a company that really is like the one described in the NYT would be crazy to stay.”

So how bad is this for Amazon? Time and employment numbers will tell, but tech jobs are always in high demand, so for every candidate avoiding Amazon you can bet there will be five more to take his place.

Google Knows Its ABC’s

When your corporation consists of technological ventures as varied as self-driving cars, YouTube and cloud computing, things can get convoluted very fast. What role does the original company vision play in these new projects? Are you still the same entity? When I purchase shares, where exactly is my money going?

Google provided a resounding answer to these questions, announcing Google Alphabet, a new parent holding company created to allow Google the freedom to continue with their non-conventional business model while allaying any shareholder fears. Imagine if you dropped the $500 plus for one share of stock and discovered that it went directly to the production of Lively. Money well spent? Nope.

Google’s penchant for experimentation is well-documented, leading to some true innovations within their corporate identity. Rapidly expanding from their search engine origins, they’ve designed applications and platforms that have revolutionized the Internet. Sure, Google+ was a flop, but when you’re constantly throwing darts you’re bound to miss the target on occasion.

Alphabet is now the umbrella company under which Google operates, showing that they are ahead of the creative curve in Silicon Valley. Speaking of, their announcement proves they’ve got a sense of humor as well. A global tech conglomerate that appreciates Mike Judge’s HBO comedy? I’ll invest in that.

Facebook Takes to the Sky

“My drone can beat up your drone.”

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced in December of 2013 that his company was testing a drone delivery system for its products. Never to be outdone, Mark Zuckerberg announced last week that Facebook is experimenting with its own drone program: this one with potentially transformative applications.

The aircraft—known as Aquila—is an integral cog in Facebook’s Internet.org initiative, an undertaking designed to maximize global internet connectivity. Many thought Amazon’s quadcopter that delivers toothpaste and DVD copies of Seinfeld was impressive, but they haven’t seen this thing. Aquila has the wingspan of a Boeing 737, weighs less than a car and can achieve altitude of over 60,000 feet. Utilizing solar power, it can also remain airborne for months on end. Its main function will be to serve as a massive aerial Internet router, delivering lightning-quick access to the most remote corners of the planet.

Interconnectivity and the ability to reach others within a second’s time, anywhere on the planet, is the hallmark of the Internet & Social Media Age. What Facebook is proposing is truly revolutionary, and will bring each of us that much closer together. The prospective applications for an Internet-providing megadrone are endless. Imagine the ability to connect in the deepest recesses of the rainforest to request medical care. Forward-thinking, progressive cities can utilize Facebook’s drone technology to truly become beacons of connectivity. We really live in an incredible time.

It will obviously take some time for Facebook’s aviation dream to become a reality, but the mere fact that we’re discussing such an innovation shows how much of an impact Facebook has had on society, and shows that Mark Zuckerberg is not content to merely rest on his laurels.