Posts made in August 2020

Storm illustration done by Mina Tocalini of 360 MAGAZINE.

This Is How to Sleep Through the Night

Do you have trouble sleeping at night and looking for advice? A lack of sleep each night can increase your risk of serious health problems. 
Some of these might include stomach problems, lack of energy, weight gain, and depression. There are tips that you need to follow to avoid these health conditions and for you to improve the quality of your sleep.
Here’s how to sleep through the night and to wake up feeling energized and rejuvenated.

Relax Your Body With Exercise

Did you know that regular exercise can prepare your body for quality sleep? Physical activity can help you to sleep through the night without disruptions. 

Moderate workout sessions can decrease the length of time it takes for you to fall asleep. Exercise also helps to relax your mind and body, which makes it easier for you to fall asleep.

Exercise is known to reduce muscle tension in the body, reduce stress, and to increase the production of endorphins, which are the ‘feel-good’ hormones. You don’t have to perform a strenuous or challenging workout to get substantial benefits.

You can dedicate thirty minutes of exercise sessions to improve the quality of your sleep. For example, your exercise routine may consist of jogging, brisk walking, swimming laps, washing your car, sweeping, or other simple chores around the house.

Try to avoid physical activities for at least three hours before going to bed. This is a precaution that you can take to give your body enough time to cool off from your workout and to prepare for sleep.

For long-term results, you need to find an exercise routine that you enjoy and stick with it. This is one of the easiest ways for you to overcome your sleeping problems.

Use a Leg Pillow

Are you a side sleeper? Your pillow can be a critical component of your sleep health. Placing a pillow between your legs is an effective technique that increases the quality of your sleep.

When you place a pillow between your legs, you’re helping to eliminate stress on your hips, prevent lower back and leg pains, improve blood circulation, and to improve spine alignment.

This technique might also be useful if you suffer from breathing conditions such as sleep apnea. Positioning a pillow between your legs may help to alleviate this condition.

Using a pillow might seem simple, but it can be very effective for you to sleep peacefully during the night. This is a comfortable sleeping position that you can utilize to enhance your sleep. 

Read this article to learn more valuable information about sleeping with a pillow between your legs.
Make Your Bedroom Comfortable
Be sure to optimize the comfort level of your bedroom so that you can get quality sleep. There might be issues in your bedroom that you’re not even aware of.

For better sleep, you might need to adjust your lighting, so that it’s not too harsh to disrupt your sleep. You can also keep your bedroom completely dark when you’re sleeping.

You might need to remove your television set from your bedroom and move it to another room. Watching television before you fall asleep might prevent you from getting enough sleep during the night.

So, you need to turn off your television screen or remove it from your room.

The electronics in your bedroom could also interfere with the quality of your sleep. Your radio, tablet, laptop, cell phone, and other items in your bedroom can be problematic.
So, it is beneficial for you to remove your electronics from your bedroom. 

Another important bedroom makeover is to change your mattress. Be sure to get rid of your old, lumpy mattress. Replacing your old mattress can be an effective way for you to get the quality sleep that you deserve. 
These are simple tweaks that you can use to turn your bedroom into a better sleeping environment. 

Avoid Smoking

Less smoking might help you to sleep better. Smoking is detrimental to your health, but it can also cause you to have sleeping problems. It might cause sleep apnea, snoring, and a host of other sleep-related issues.
Nicotine found in cigarettes could be the main reason why you’re unable to get a full night’s sleep. This is a chemical that is known to be responsible for insomnia and other issues.

When you’re trying to fall asleep, your nicotine cravings might be too intense, especially if you’re in the habit of smoking before bedtime.
Too much smoking tends to disrupt the patterns of your normal sleep cycle and might keep you awake for most of the night. Due to these problems, you should consider quitting your smoking habits. 

Avoid Caffeine

Caffeine is a common stimulant that might prevent you from falling asleep. Once it enters your bloodstream, it might cause insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and sleep disturbance.

Try to avoid caffeine intake to improve your sleep. You need to avoid drinking coffee, tea, and soft drinks before bedtime. These are essential steps for you to sleep better. 

Follow a Guide to Learn How to Sleep Through the Night

When you learn how to sleep through the night, it will be easier for you to adapt to a strategy that improves your sleeping patterns. Instead of waking up in the middle of the night, you have the chance to get the beauty sleep that you deserve.

Do you want to discover more helpful tips? If you want to read more useful articles, you can check out the rest of our website.

Lil Tecca – Royal Rumble

In celebration of his big 18th birthday today, chart-topping multiplatinum rapper Lil Tecca unleashes his new track and music video “Royal Rumble.

Watch “Royal Rumble: HERE
Listen to “Royal Rumble”: HERE

The track slips from airy guitar into hypnotic synths as Tecca bodies the beat with bold and braggadocious bars. It culminates on an instantly infectious hook, where he once again steps into the ring as the top contender.

Meanwhile, Tecca steps up into a full-scale “Royal Rumble” in the accompanying visual. Donning the championship belt, he does a legendary walk to the ring. This is where mayhem ensues as he raps in the midst of the mayhem.

Earlier this year, he released “Out Of Love,” which has already accumulated 48.5 million Spotify streams and counting. Earlier this year, he delivered “All Star” feat. Lil TJay (24.9 million Spotify streams) as well as his banger “IDK,” which tallied 12.5 million Spotify streams while the Cole Bennett-directed music video has posted up 6.5 million YouTube views and counting.

Most importantly, “Royal Rumble” paves the way for more music to come from the rising superstar.

ABOUT LIL TECCA

At 18-years-old, Tecca affirmed himself as modern rap’s preeminent prodigy. His debut mixtape, We Love You Tecca opened at #4 on the Billboard Top 200, moving 68K in total consumption and gathering over 100 million audio streams in under seven days. Not to mention, it claimed #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart, placing him in rarified air among rap’s top talent. The lead single “Ransom” surpassed 1 billion cumulative streams, ascended to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit #1 on the Billboard Streaming Songs Chart. It recently received a double platinum certification from the RIAA too. The accompanying, We Love You Tecca Tour, proved to be a worldwide success as it primed fans for more. 2020 has marked the next phase for Lil Tecca as he further solidifies his mark on hip-hop and establishes himself as an international superstar.

ABOUT REPUBLIC RECORDS

A division of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company, Republic Records is home to an all-star roster of multi-platinum, award-winning legends and superstar artists such as Ariana Grande, Drake, Florence + the Machine, Greta Van Fleet, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack Johnson, James Blake, James Bay, Jessie J, John Mellencamp, Jonas Brothers, Julia Michaels, Kid Cudi, Liam Payne, Lil Wayne, Lorde, Metro Boomin, NAV, Nicki Minaj, Of Monsters and Men, Pearl Jam, Post Malone, Seth MacFarlane, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Zendaya and more. Founded by brothers and chief executives Monte and Avery Lipman, it is also comprised of innovative business ventures, including American Recordings, Boominati Worldwide, Brushfire, Casablanca Records, Cash Money, Lava Records, Monkeywrench, XO, Young Money, among others. Republic also maintains long-standing strategic alliances with Universal Music Latin Entertainment (J Balvin and Karol G) and Hollywood Records.

In addition, Republic has expanded to release high-profile soundtracks for Universal Pictures (Fifty Shades of Grey), Sony Pictures (Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse) and NBC TV (The Voice), as well as other notable film and television franchises. Extending further into the worlds of film, television, and content, Republic launched Federal Films in order to produce movies and series powered by the label’s catalog and artists. Its first production was the Jonas Brothers documentary Chasing Happiness for Amazon Prime Video.

FOLLOW LIL TECCA

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5-Star Hotel Hassler Roma Reopens

Rome’s legendary Hotel Hassler Roma reopens on September 1, the last continental European hotel represented by WEILL to reopen in the wake of Covid-19 closings.

Founded in 1893 at the top of the city’s landmark Spanish Steps, the Hassler has been owned and run by the Wirth family for five generations. Roberto Wirth has run the hotel since 1982, and his twin children Robertino and Veruschka are now being groomed to be part of the management team. The Hassler opened Europe’s first-hotel-rooftop restaurant in 1955, and its Michelin-starred Imàgo restaurant reopened to Romans and visitors in June 2020. Il Palazzetto, the Hassler’s adjacent boutique hotel whose terrace fronts the Spanish Steps, reopened on the first of June.

WEILL CLIENTS’ (EUROPE, AFRICA, ISRAEL) OPENING STATUS AS OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

COVID-19 PROCEDURES

Each and every hotel has instituted sweeping safety, hygiene and social-distancing protocols in keeping with or surpassing those required by local health authorities.
For more specific procedures regarding Covid-19, click HERE.

FOLLOW HOTEL HASSLER ROMA

AI brain chip illustration by UMD featured in 360 MAGAZINE.

UMD iSchool to Investigate AI Tech for Intelligence Analysts

University of Maryland College of Information Studies (UMD iSchool) researchers, led by principal investigator Dr. Susannah Paletz, have been awarded a three-year $616,700 grant funded by the Army Research Office (ARO). ARO Program Manager Dr. Edward Palazzolo overseas it. This project examines how teams of intelligence analysts can work together and with artificial intelligence (AI). AI has the potential to support intelligence analysts in reviewing potentially hundreds of thousands of source documents, pulling out key findings, and assembling them into actionable intelligence. AI can also aid in the flow of information and projects among members of the intelligence team, improving the efficiency and accuracy of their work.

“AI-driven technology has sometimes been touted as a replacement for human intelligence,” said Dr. Adam Porter, the project’s co-principal investigator, professor at the UMD Department of Computer Science, and Executive and Scientific Director of the Fraunhofer USA Center for Experimental Software Engineering (CESE). “In practice, however, AI doesn’t always work, or gives limited or biased answers. Human oversight is still required, and it’s therefore critical that we deeply understand how humans and AI can work best together.”

The Human-Agent Teaming on Intelligence Tasks project coordinated through the iSchool will focus on two particular research areas; 1.) how interactive AI agents, such as chatbots, have the ability to mitigate or exacerbate the communication and coordination problems that can occur with shift handovers of intelligence work, such as inaccuracy blindness and overlooking potentially relevant information, and 2.) examining how humans could potentially deal with these blind spots, biases, or inaccuracies.

The Experiment

The research team plans to develop an experimental infrastructure to help test team cognition challenges within the work completed by intelligence analysts consisting of task-relevant input materials, such as mission descriptions and source documents, activity recording tools, experimental monitoring capabilities, and different AI supports for human analysts, such as chatbots offering advice on a particular task.

“We want to develop a task that can raise the problems with asynchronous team cognition in intelligence tasks, but is simple enough to be used by research participants with minimal training,” said Dr. Susannah B.F. Paletz, research professor at the UMD iSchool, and affiliate at the UMD Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS).

This task will substantially increase insight into the strengths and weaknesses of AI technology to support intelligence task. In addition, it will help shed light on how and when human analysts can safely place their trust in AI technology. Also, how they can proactively identify problems in AI-generated input. It will also aid teams of humans, including asynchronous teams, working together in situations that include AI-generated input.

“This basic research is an important step in the early process of learning how humans and agents can collaboratively become a single team with considerably greater capacity and productivity than human only teams,” Palazzolo said. “Moreover, this research has broad implications into the work of many teams focused on knowledge work and information management such as medical teams involved in shift work, collaborative software development teams, and research teams.”

Collaborators

In addition to Porter, the Fraunhofer USA team also includes Dr. Madeline Diep, Senior Scientist, and Jeronimo Cox, Software Developer, at Fraunhofer USA CESE. The Fraunhofer USA team will lead the effort to create configurable AI agents used in the experimental tasks. Also, it will create a data collection and analysis infrastructure for capturing and understanding participant behaviors.

The UMD iSchool team includes graduate students Tammie Nelson, a fourth year PhD student, Melissa Carraway, incoming first year PhD student, and Sarah Valhkamp, incoming first year PhD, in Information Science.

The grant proposal team includes UMD Office of Research Administration Contract Manager, Stephanie Swann; iSchool Business Manager, Jacqueline Armstrong. Also, former iSchool Business Manager, Lisa Geraghty.

Outside of UMD, Dr. Aimee Kane, the Harry W. Witt Faculty Fellow and an Associate Professor of Management in the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business at Duquesne University, will be a consultant and an intellectual contributor on this project.

ARO is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s (CCDC) Army Research Laboratory. The Human-Agent Teaming on Intelligence Tasks project (grant no. W911NF-20-1-0214) runs through June 30, 2023.

About the University of Maryland College of Information Studies

Founded in 1965 and located just outside of Washington, D.C., the University of Maryland College of Information Studies (UMD iSchool) is top-ten ranked research and teaching college in the field of information science. UMD iSchool faculty, staff, and students are expanding the frontiers of how people access and use information and technology in an evolving world – in government, education, business, social media, and more. The UMD iSchool is committed to using information and technology to empower individuals and communities, create opportunities, ensure equity and justice, and champion diversity.

For more information click here.

New Music Video for Jayla Darden – Demonstration

Jayla Darden keeps vibrations high in her new music video for “Demonstration.” The singer-songwriter repels the same energy heard throughout the buzzy single in the visuals, with “crazy sexy cool” threads to match. The singer-songwriter is unapologetic in her demands for an active love and refuses to conform to anyone else’s liking. Instead, Jayla exudes a riveting confidence as the aura of artists like Aaliyah shine through.
Praised by NPR Music and UPROXX, “Demonstration” is a smooth blend of today’s altertative soul and a thoughtful nod to 2000s R&B. Rocking all hats, Jayla has written, produced and not to mention mixed and mastered her music.

ABOUT JAYLA DARDEN

Raised in Detroit, Michigan, Jayla blended her love for music with the wonders of technology. Therefore, she taught herself programs like GarageBand and ProTools but also master instruments like the guitar and keyboard. A musical diet of gospel and contemporary jazz, vocalists like Destiny’s Child, Aaliyah, Brandy, Jhene Aiko, Frank Ocean, and beat smiths like J. Cole, Missy Elliott and Key Wane, helped shape Jayla’s understanding of her sound. Her sound being: heavy drums, soft melodies, and a positive slant on love and everyday life.
Since 2015, Jayla has built up a SoundCloud fanbase with short releases—including her cover of Drake’s “Jaded”; which garnered 350,000 streams. She’s also found fans in the form of music startup Soulection and Grammy- winning artist H.E.R. Also, in May, Jayla joined H.E.R. for her ‘Girls With Guitars Series’ on Instagram to sing Aaliyah’s “I Don’t Wanna.”
“Demonstration” comes after the release of her sultry EP Onto Something, which dropped in late 2019 with fan favorites like “Be Your Girl” and the title track, “Onto Something”.
Jayla Darden’s “Demonstration” eSingle

FOLLOW JAYLA DARDEN

New TM88 Song and Video

Grammy-nominated producer TM88 has released a brand new song called “War Stories.”

The song is accompanied by a music video paying tribute to all the fallen soldiers lost on the streets.

TM88 is joined by Calboy and Slatt Zy, who rap the lyrics reminiscing about those they’ve lost. Black and white juxtaposed by orange and red fire depicts just how all three artists feel about what they’ve seen with their own eyes and in their own childhoods.

This single follows TM88’s other recent hits “Blue Jean Bandit,” “Tokyo Nights” and “RR.”

As an experienced producer who started selling beats at 12, TM88 said he was able to make the beats for his hits in just 45 minutes while FaceTiming with Lil Uzi Vert.

To see the video and hear TM88’s brand new song, you can click right here.

Music Video for Lola Lennox – Back At Wrong

Singer, songwriter and musician, Lola Lennox releases the accompanying music video for her single “Back At Wrong” today. The release follows Lola’s performance of “Back At Wrong” on The Kelly Clarkson Show on NBC last night.

Directed by Alexis Gudino, (Jennifer Lopez), the music video for “Back At Wrong” documents the intimate story of a couple’s life  at home. It charts their rollercoaster of emotions as they navigate their way through drama and clashes in their pursuit for love.

“Depicting a day in the life of a couple at home, we witness the turbulent ups and downs of their love affair: one moment smiling, laughing and affectionate; and the next in fits of rage, distanced, and threatening to leave – the masks are off. With touches of a twisted retro fantasy, (I’m a huge fan of David Lynch and Alfred Hitchcock), we see into a domesticated nightmare. The song itself is raucous and high energy, and the video matches its vivacious nature with quick changing flashes of imagery to reveal the dysfunctional story of the couple. Everybody understands the feeling of being stuck in a situation that isn’t right. This video depicts all the feelings that come with that, but on steroids.”Lola Lennox

Dan Muckala (Echosmith, Teisto) produced “Back At Wrong” – with additional production by Annie Lennox and Braeden Wright – is Lola’s first official single release in the UK and is currently in the top 25 of the UK radio airplay charts and climbing following it’s addition to Radio 2’s playlist. Instantly infectious, “Back At Wrong” showcases not only Lola’s powerful voice, but also her inherent aptitude for songwriting. Drawing on Lola’s own experience of a toxic relationship, “Back At Wrong” is a raw and intimate take on the ecstatic highs and heart wrenching lows that is young love.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The release of “Back At Wrong” follows Lola’s much talked about duet performance with her mother, Annie Lennox, of “There Must Be An Angel” for Global Citizen One World: Together At Home to an audience of over 270 million viewers. Also, she collaborated with Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory on the soundtrack for the 2019 “Serengeti” docu-series. In addition, the innovative six part series aired in 35+ countries around the world, Oscar winning actress Lupita Nyong’o narrated, and featured several songs that Lola co-wrote and recorded.

An inspiring talent on the rise, Lola has been spent time in the studio over the past year with the likes of Eg White (Florence & the Machine, Sam Smith), Dan Wilson (Adele) and Dan Muckala (Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes), and will be releasing more singles throughout the year.

WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR LOLA LENNOX’S “BACK AT WRONG” HERE

FOLLOW LOLA LENNOX HERE

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New Anna Sofia Music Video

Anna Sofia released a brand new music video for her song “Don’t Play Pretend” on Wednesday.

“Don’t Play Pretend” is from her latest EP “Broken Perfection,” an EP that was featured on Spotify playlists like Indie Pop and Pop Sauce.

Over a million streams into her career, Anna Sofia sings this song about her own life. She might not be perfect. She might make mistakes. She might make the nastiest smoothie on the planet- check out the video right here if you want to know what I’m talking about. All that said, at least she doesn’t pretend to be something she’s not.

Sofia said she doesn’t have a message.

“It’s just real life,” she said. “One day, I hope to fill stadiums all over the world. I want to have fans everywhere and have some way of helping them or guiding them through my music. My confidence comes from being myself and connecting with people.”

You can listen to her latest EP, which includes “Don’t Play Pretend,” by clicking right here.

Disclosure – Birthday

UK duo Disclosure has released their third single of the year less than two days from the release of their newest album “ENERGY.”

The new song is titled “Birthday” and features Kehlani and Syd.

Howard and Guy, the two brothers who make up the duo, bring fans back to the R&B sound of their second album with “Birthday.” They finished the track very quickly, and it easily made the cut to be on the upcoming album.

Along with the album’s release on Friday, Disclosure will release a new music video for “Birthday.” The video is directed by Kid Studio, a duo that has worked with Disclosure before along with other artists like Future and French Montana.

Howard said the song is about relationships with exes long after a breakup. Is it still okay to call them on their birthday?

“It’s the oldest song on the album by far, so it has definitely stood the test of time and deservedly made the cut” Guy said. “The addition of Kehlani just took it to the next level and turned it into a fire duet.”

They have also partnered with Minecraft for the release of “ENERGY,” as gamers can immerse themselves into the vibrant world of the new album. Made up of over 100 million blocks, players will look for 13 hidden records. To see the trailer for Disclosure’s “ENGERGY” Minecraft Experience, you can click right here.

To listen to “Birthday,” you can click right here.

Rado’s Designer Watches

Rado will continue its collaboration with renowned designers in its True Thinline collection. It now introduces the True Thinline Bird, the True Thinline Gem and the True Thinline Studs.

The True Thinline Bird is designed by Evgenia Miro with high-tech ceramic and her signature blue coloring. It also has a feather engraved in the bracelet to signify time’s lightness and dynamic rhythm.

The True Thinline Gem comes from Spanish designer Inma Bermúdez. Using light absorption, reflection and refraction, the illusion of depth and thickness is created on the watch’s dial.

Finally, the True Thinline Studs is designed by Bethan Gray. She takes inspiration from furniture and textile designs to take create a matte black case decorated with gold on the dial ring and crown.

The True Thinline My Bird and the True Thinline Gem cost $2,400 while the True Thinline Studs costs $1,950. To see the entire collection, you can click right here.