Audio Odyssey by Kradl

Fanfics are not going anywhere

Anna Grigoryan — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 14:53:16 GMT

Writing is an isolated journey, but you don't have to go through it alone if there's a podcast specifically dedicated to help you along the way.

The Fanfic Writers Craft is a podcast hosted by Jo and Lani discuss all the things fanfiction: story research, plot development, character development, and more. In this short conversation we talked about the common misconceptions about fanfiction writers, how fandom evolved and why they started the podcast in the first place.

listen to their latest episode

Why did you start the Fanfic writers craft podcast?

Jo: It was my idea initially, I’m so happy that Lani, my co-host, agreed to join me. I’m a fanfiction writer myself and lover of podcasts, and was listening to a lot of writing-related content at the time, but couldn’t find anything specifically geared towards fanfiction. Original writing podcasts will often focus heavily on how to get published, how to get an editor which is obviously not a concern for us. We, however, will care about things like AO3’s tagging system and remaining (or not) compliant with the original works and characters - these are things that are very specific to fanfiction. I wanted a podcast that would be aimed at fanfiction writers to discuss their craft, and I wanted it to be fandom-agnostic. People online tend to get a bit siloed in their fandoms and it was very important to me to speak to everyone. I think I was also hoping to show fanfiction as the beautiful craft it can be, beyond all the clichés that exist about it.

I must admit as well that it is a fantastic excuse to interview writers I deeply admire, or discover areas of online writing I’ve never heard about. We’ve done episodes on reader-inserts, multimedia fiction, dystopian fiction, etc. It’s such a privilege to get to message someone whose work I absolutely adore and ask if they want to come on the podcast so that I can quiz them about their craft. Our guest episodes are always ones I adore.

Lani: Jo was looking for a host because she had this concept for a podcast, and since we were already DMing all the time, it seemed like a natural extension of that conversation. I also love talking about writing in general. I feel like there are a lot of podcasts about fanfiction from a reader’s perspective, but not as many aimed at writers who want to discuss the craft of writing.

What are the common misconceptions about fanfic writers?

Jo: God, so many! I think most of them stem from misconceptions about fanfiction itself. That it is just erotica, that all fanfic is badly written, that most fanfiction writers don’t take their work seriously, that they’re all horny teenage girls, etc. In fact, many works of fiction that we see out there today qualify as fanfiction if you think about it. See how many new versions of Sherlock Holmes we’ve seen pop up in films and TV programs in recent years. The only difference between those and what we know as “fanfiction” is that the original works have fallen into the public domain.

We’ve spoken about it before on the podcast before but I think a lot of this is down to the fact that fanfiction is statistically mostly enjoyed by women and thus suffers from the general misogyny that exists in society. I also think that under capitalism, we conflate creative value and monetary value, which leads most people to believe that works that aren’t “sellable” because of copyright laws are inherently devoid of value. Don’t get me wrong: is there erotica in fanfiction out there? Sure. Is there some really badly written fanfiction out there? Of course. But I’ve also read fanfics that have stuck with me for years the exact same way a “real” book would. And, I’ve also read very bad (published) books!

So, I think the misconceptions about fanfic writers are related: people say fanfiction writers are bad writers, and that they’re crazy cat ladies, obsessed with a piece of media, or that they only write fanfiction because they can’t write the “real thing.” This is simply untrue. Many fanfiction writers are also original fiction writers. It’s just different stories we want to tell. My experience is that fanfiction exists on a very large spectrum (just like original fiction) where some people write beautiful things and take their works very seriously, and some are just there for fun. Both are very valid and enrich the community.

Lani: I agree with everything Jo has said above, and this is something we’ve discussed in the first episode of our podcast. I’d like to add a few more stereotypes that even seasoned fic writers don’t necessarily acknowledge as such:

Firstly, there’s an assumption that first someone falls in love with an original media work, and then chooses to write a story based on their love for the original. What I’ve seen is that very often, the process works the other way around. I might have an idea for an AU (alternative universe) story first, and then select the fandom most appropriate to the idea I already had. I might also choose to work in a fandom on the basis of that fandom being most active, or having the best social community, or being most relevant to my friends.
Secondly, there’s an assumption that people only read fanfiction of media works they are already familiar with. I know that I and a significant amount of other readers will read fics, mostly AUs, based on stories we’re actually not familiar with. We might do this because we already love an author’s other work, or because we really liked the concept for their story. So, our exposure to a fandom might be through fanfiction first, before the original work.

How is your podcast helping fanfic writers along their journey?

Jo: Our podcast has two different types of episodes. Lani and I co-host discussions about particular writing topics, to try and provide guidance/insights to our listeners. How to craft a plot, how to create an original character, how to write romance - that sort of thing. We’ll take listener questions on our tumblr and try to answer those as well. I think Lani and I are very different in terms of what we like and how we write, so it makes for good discussions and everyone can get something that works for them out of our episodes. Then, every two/three episodes, one of us will host a chat with a guest - typically another fanfiction writer - to talk about their work and their vision of the craft. Again, we’re fandom-agnostic so we’ve had people from fandoms like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Stranger Things or even Ancient Greece myths. It’s been super interesting.

Lani: We’ve had some people message us to say that they’re beginning to write fanfiction and the podcast has really helped them think about strategies. I like to think we provide some suggestions for different ways of doing things that are helpful to people who feel a little bit like, “Where do I start?” I think we also give “permission” to some people who are a little worried about ‘breaking the rules,’ from breaking writing conventions to breaking fandom conventions to going ‘outside their lines’ in terms of writing diverse identities. We’ve basically issued a lot of, “Yes, you can write that,” permits.

How has fanfic and fandom culture changed over the years?

Jo: My co-host, Lani, is a much better fandom historian than me! I do think what I’m seeing now is a lot of people viewing fanfiction more like “content creation” and fanfiction writers almost as “influencers” of their own fandom niches. Readers demanding updates, writers constantly worrying about their statistics, etc. In my opinion, this is a problem because unlike influencers, fanfiction writers are not paid - this is a hobby! But then again, I don’t know if this is new or if it’s always been the case in bigger fandoms where audiences were larger to begin with. We always heard of people who were “big-name fans” and influenced the fandom, way before this became a thing on Instagram or Tiktok. I am very wary of this trend of saying that fandom was “better before” and that now people are doing too much of this, or worrying too much about that. To me, it sounds like an old person going on about how things were “better in their day.” The fact of the matter is that, like the rest of the internet, fanfiction and fandom have evolved with different tools, different platforms, but the core of it is still the same thing: we like to read and write stories.

Lani: I’m interested in fandom history as an outgrowth of internet culture history and also fandom as it relates to artist multiples, zine-making and mail art. Fanfiction and fandom dates back way before the internet, but I only really joined fan culture in the 2000s. To drastically simplify some of the changes since 2004-ish, I’ve mainly seen a shift from an anything-goes, Wild West sort of atmosphere where you were liable to encounter pretty much anything anywhere, and it was a reader’s liability for taking charge of the content they consumed, to a culture of much more safety and author liability. It used to be that kids would lie about their ages to consume adult content, whereas nowadays, you’ll see 17-year-olds saying, “I’m a minor, please protect me.” That’s a really different vibe. I was ten years old online and pretending to have been born in 1990 so I could have an account on various platforms, and yeah, I saw some things that were definitely not for kids. Additionally, it seems like AUs are a lot more popular than they were back when fanfiction was more canon-oriented.

What are podcasts you love listening to for fun and for learning things?

Jo: God, I’m going to expose myself as a not-very-fun person because I am in fact a highly boring, highly political nerd. I live in Ireland so two podcasts I listen to a lot are the Irish Times Women’s Podcast which talks about feminism and media in Ireland, as well as The Irish Passport which is more about Irish History and politics. I religiously listen to The Financial Confessions with Chelsea Fagan who taught me literally everything I know about money and economics. I like dipping in and out of How I Built This and The Fault Line, depending on the topic they choose to focus on. For fun, I adored My Dad Wrote a Porno (gutted this is finished!), and I giggle at Smelling Sunset, which is a commentary podcast on the reality TV series Selling Sunset. It’s hilarious.

Lani: There are no new episodes, but I’m a latecomer working my way through Reply All, which is a podcast about weird internet culture and how technology has changed our lives, and I’m always a paying subscriber to Blocked and Reported, which is about, and I quote, “dumb internet bullshit.” It’s kind of hard to explain the lore if you weren’t there from the beginning. I also listen to various true crime and wilderness survival story podcasts.

Making academia accessible

Anna Grigoryan — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 19:24:35 GMT

Theoryish is a podcast that effortlessly bridges the gap between academic theory and everyday conversations. Join hosts Paola and Hannah as they curate a diverse selection of feminist and queer texts, engaging in discussions with academics. By exploring the rich body of works by philosophers, feminists, and activists, Theoryish empowers listeners to embark on a journey of intellectual discovery without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated.

We sat down with Hannah and Paola to learn about their journey of starting Theoryish.

Question: What is the origin story of Theoryish?

Paola: It started almost a year and a half ago. Hannah and I had just left Hannah's original group called queer/disrupt. We were just talking about how much we miss being creative, and somehow, we got into the subject of theory and then it's just sort of snowballed into the idea of we don't think many academics know the theory that they're talking about just because it becomes such a huge part of our daily vernacular that you often forget what's the 'patient zero', where's the beginning of everything. It's also like a place of educational privilege. A lot of students are coming in from many different backgrounds. There is that big gap coming in from high school to university. And we felt that podcasting is a really fun, easy, and accessible way to bring this to people. It's engaging but also passive for someone who wants to sit longer with the material before going forward to the next episode.

Hannah: In queer/disrupt, they used to have a podcast where I did most of the editing which I liked very much. Podcasting was one of the things I personally missed the most. I wanted to start doing it again. Also personally, I don't know a lot of theory. I know theory in my specific area, but I came from a very traditional history degree. When it comes to actually reading theory, I just hadn't done any of it. I feel sometimes a little bit lost when it comes to conversations around the theory. People bring up all sorts of names. And you're supposed to just know what all of this means. Starting Theoryish was one part of it, just wanted to learn theory for myself. And Paola already knew a lot of it, and we got on really well. So we thought that would be a good project to start together. I wanted to create a space with accessible knowledge. The goal is that anybody should be able to listen to these episodes and get the confidence to continue learning. You don't necessarily have to be in university. And even if you are most of these undergrads learn theory early but sometimes it doesn't click until you get to your PhD.

How do you choose the topic for your episodes? How are you coming up with the book you want to discuss? Is it depending on the guest or it comes from you first?

Paola: In terms of scheduling and the topics, it comes down to what we like, and what we actually want to discuss and read. This season we did a lot of queer theory which is our bread and butter, but we will try to balance it out next season with broader topics. In terms of guests, it's either hunting them down or calling in favors. We mostly called in our friends this season. We basically tell them, hey, we're asking you because you are very well versed in this subject, or you interact with this theory. We're not asking you about your Ph.D. subject, which is always a relief and people's eyes. We're just asking you to tell us more about how you engage with this specific theory, and it works.

Hannah: In the beginning Paola and I wrote down the theories that either of us wanted to know more about. So for the first episode about Walter Benjamin we needed to read the book. We have an episode about Sara Ahmed, it was very enjoyable to get into her work. And that was something that I don't think Paola would have come across. So it's nice to give each other something to read and open new horizons. Sometimes we go to people and we're like, we don't know what we want to do. What do you want to do? We want you on the episode. It's your decision on what you want to do. Recently did an episode that was an introduction to queer theory, and that episode ended up being quite popular, I assume, because it's very hard to find an intro to queer theory, especially one that's like 40 I think it's 45 minutes, maybe 40 minutes. We made a poll for our listeners, and next we most likely will do an intro to intersectionality. Things keep changing but we're very much open to suggestions from our audiences to see what they are interested in.

From my experience learning about theory is a very fragmented experience. I for example find an interesting deep-dive podcast or video and just try to dig from there. But from your experience what's the easiest way to get into theory (other than listening to Theoryish of course)?

Paola: Start with something that you personally are very interested in. It's very hard to get into everything all at once because the conversations are very different depending on where are you from, for example regarding feminism the conversation is different whether you're in US, UK, or in Southern Asia. Find that topic that excites you, google around, and follow specific people on social media that talk about that subject. So when you get to watch that long deep dive video or listen to the podcast you'll know 'Aha this is what they are talking about' or you'll find a new quote that sparked your interest and you'll just follow the breadcrumbs.

Hannah: This is so hard to answer because it depends on the person. Support people on social media or on their websites who talk about the things that are important to you. Follow them on social media. Maybe this is bad advice because the algorithm on TikTok or on YouTube can sometimes lead you to strange places. But I really do believe that if a person is saying interesting points if this person is introducing you to a type of theory that you've never heard of, listen to them, support them. Sometimes they lead you to lots of free resources. Universities online have a lot of free resources. Again, that requires a certain willingness to read and spend time with some of these things. Pluto press release is really pretty good like books, through their publishing house. Verso prints a lot of books on theory. There are a lot of small independent bookstores that carry very specific books. Gays the word in London is a specific bookstore that carries queer literature and theory, and it's been very long running. For me, it comes down to supporting the local bookstores and specific people who help you figure out the things you're passionate about.

Paola: I'll add Freedom press in London, which is an anarchist bookstore. And I think I've missed the most important point which is people need to not be afraid of not knowing. Actually while engaging with the theory sometimes it helps, not knowing everything. It helps you to engage with it from new points of view and bring your own unique understanding of the world to the table. Don't be afraid of not knowing.

I'm really curious about all these episodes which one was the most fun to record as of yet? Or maybe it's upcoming and you can tease us a bit.

Paola: Notes on Camp hands down. There was something in the air that day, we laughed and had so much fun. And a week after that every interaction was like 'Is this camp?' or 'Is that camp?'.

Hannah: Yeah, I will agree. I don't know what happened that day, because I would like to recreate the energy we had in that room. I think that was the first episode where I and Paola had got really comfortable with recording. Because we're friends, I think recording in a space with each other sometimes can feel artificial. Until it doesn't. And on that notes on the camp episode, it finally clicked for us. I also liked recording the episode about Sara Ahmed I think it has similar energy. I'm noticing there's a difference in episodes we record with other people versus the episodes we're recording with ourselves. And I think we have reached the level of comfort on the podcast where every episode has some unique energy to it.

And the last question, which is actually two questions squished into one: what is a podcast you listen to learn something and a podcast you listen to just for fun?

Paola: Okay, so most of the podcasts I listen to are for learning. I can't stop. I'm like a self-learning computer. Although there's one that is not strictly educational Celebrity Memoir Book Club. I love that one. And I also love Why Won't you date me by Nicole Byer. She's a comedian that I love and admire. For learning, I would say I'm afraid to say that like my number one podcast is Behind the Bastards. The host is a former journalist who goes through the bastards in history and gives an overview of their life. So he did one on Vince McMahon. He did one of Josef Mengele, my number one nemesis Henry Kissinger.

Hannah: like no, I feel like you listen to us constantly. I do know I was looking or Yeah, I can't just give one. My top listen-to podcast, maybe somewhat controversial. Is the Last podcast on the left. I go through their episodes all the way from the beginning. They have such a massive catalogue I'm in 2021 now I think. I haven't quite caught up, but that one's really good. Most of the things I listen to are close to my work. I'd like to listen to Bad Gays. I think Making Gay History is really good. But if you want relaxing one chill out relaxing, then I have to say first that I'm a bit of a nerd. So I listened to Split the Veil they cover Bioware, which is Mass Effect, and Dragon Age and all that stuff. So it's super nerdy. Also nerdy. And it's really great in the gym, for some reason is the Fallout Lorecast where you learn all about the Fallout game. And there's this one that I just got recommended, and it's already finished so you can go and listen right now it's Archive 81. I started listening to it because of the show. The podcast is better. Essentially the premise is somebody working archive and listening to tapes. So you're part listening to tapes, and then a lot of weird stuff starts happening around them. And of course the classical Magnus Archives.

Can robots be good?

Anna Grigoryan — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 13:51:04 GMT

Good Robot is a podcast in an intersection of tech, ethics, artificial intelligence and feminism. Hosted by Dr Eleanor Drage and Dr Kerry McInerney they ask the experts: what is good technology? Creating a safe space for skepticism in the hype driven culture around everything "new".

We sat down with the host of the show Eleanor Drage to chat about The Good Robot and what they think about the current hype of AI.

What is Good Robot’s origin story?

We started the podcast during COVID. We had the idea of interviewing people on our bookshelves, and we had a lot of free time on our hands. It was a way of getting this unprecedented insight into the people that we admire. We think of these big names as really inaccessible. They write these long books that are difficult to get into. We're trying to explain the stuff that we listen to you to our moms, or to our friends. And so we thought it'd be quite nice if we got these scary mega stars of philosophy and feminism and technology to just come and chat for half an hour about some of their ideas.

How do you find guests for your podcast? You have around more than 50 episodes that’s very impressive.

Were very lucky. Like most people said yes, because there was nothing to do during COVID. And then we got momentum from there. Their friends were on it. Or they knew that we'd had these big names already like Jack Halberstam and Rosie Bray, Dotty and, and Chang and then it seemed like a safer zone. We've got a lot of traction on Twitter. We do a lot of I do a huge amount of research every time. Every time I reach out to somebody, I make sure I've read what they've done recently. I write very personable emails.

We also started from the people we really admire the voices that we found really important. Like Margaret Mitchell, the people who got fired from Google.

I guess we were kind of a safe space for them to come and talk. So we, it's lucky that we're at Cambridge, I think people see the University of Cambridge, and, you know, they think it's something worth doing as well.

And how are you choosing the subjects? I guess they are tied to the person who is coming on the podcast. But I also noticed you had a few episodes where you came back to some topics.

So Carrie and I have really expansive interests. We came from gender studies and politics and her PhD was in women's hunger strikes, both suffragettes and also in detention centers where immigrants are kept for dehumanizing periods of time. Mine was in utopian science fiction. We've been from the Gender Studies Department before. So we're interested in these connections between the humanities and the sciences and social sciences. My mom's an engineer. We really like talking to hiring managers. We work with people in recruitment, and AI systems. I guess we're sort of philosophers, but not really, we're kind of critical theorists. So we're both not really in one discipline, we're everywhere. We try and do as many things as we possibly can. And that leads us in many different directions. And then we trust that our listeners will be interested in the things that we're interested in.

What is a question the people who build AI tools or tools, in general, don’t ask themselves?

They don't ask themselves if the things that they find exciting are because of who they are and how they were brought up and the kinds of science fiction they were reading, or the things that interest them. They just presume that their curiosity about the world is valid. It's neutral. It's to do with them as a person rather than them as a demographic. And this leads to a homogenous design.

Because they all are the same people.

They are very excited about the same things. It's not a coincidence, guys.

It's all about creating things for the sake of it or creating. Pointless products?Like in the cartoon "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs".

In it, the main character is just excited by the idea of being an inventor. There's no need he's trying to fill. He's creating things for no reason, just because he enjoys the act of creating and actually, the role of the genius, the inventor. Creating projects for the sake of it moving fast and breaking things. Experimenting without a cause.

What’s a question we consumers should ask ourselves before throwing ourselves to play with all these new inventions?

I think it's a double-edged sword. Consumers can't be expected to make choices when they're often coerced into kinds of behavior patterns. But at the same time, you can't deny consumers agency by saying, well they can't exercise any responsibility or choose for themselves. Jack Halberstam has written a great manifesto called Get off, which says we should get off social media. If you think as a young person, you're there to connect, you're deluded. You're there to sell something, it's a commercial platform. And if you understand that, that's fine. If not, if you think it's just about social connections, which is what Facebook still purports to be, then you're really deluding yourself.

I often think that I would happily get off, but at the same time, it feels like such a loss of connecting with people.

Yeah, totally. So for example the teachers union that I'm part of, they talk to each other on WhatsApp. A lot of diasporic communities communicate via Facebook. So it's really hard to just like disappear from these platforms, it comes with a loss. For example, I don't use Instagram on my phone anymore, I have it on my desktop, and I don't really post things or when I do it's just to do with the podcast. But I know that people will see me less. I'm less out there on these platforms and it means I get invited to less stuff or people reach out less and so it doesn't necessarily making make you happier to get off. It just makes you respect yourself a little bit more.

I heard you said in your trailer you would like to create a space where there is no technological naive optimism, but also no doomerism. With all these messages we're bombarded with about AI, I sometimes feel like it's the end of the world. And I'm extremely online person as you can see probably. Where do you think we stand now?

Yeah, that's a good question. I think we're at all of the stages at once.

It's important to enjoy the things that work and then ask to either ban or reform the things that don't. So I try and exist in many temperatures at once to avoid going totally insane.

I'm really angry about the way that facial recognition is being used by the police here in the UK. I think it's totally unacceptable. And I will fight hard until it ends. At the same time I use an AI to do the transcripts for the podcast. We want to make everything as accessible as possible, so we have these long transcripts that I write with the help of this AI software called Descript, and it's really helpful for editing. I kind of try and enjoy those things as well.

There are AI doom and gloom pessimists like Karry. And then we have self-professed AI optimists like Henry Shevlin. So I think what's nice to know as well as that you have people on all sides of the divide that you'd be really angry with on Twitter, but actually in person those people can be your friends.

I think what matters is building those human relationships between people with different opinions. And that's what we try and do on the podcast. We try and ask what does it mean to have a feminist conversation with people that you might disagree with? We just want to, to encourage people to have those conversations and have them in a way that is ethical and is respectful.

What was the episode that was the most fun to record for your podcast?

I really enjoyed Alex Hanna's episode. She just left Google. She went through the ethics principles and told us why they're bullshit. It was quite fun, very cool. The most fun probably was the chaos of Os Keyes. He's just like, the most wonderful, incredibly well-read. But his mind is all over the place with different references. It was the hardest editing job I've ever had to do. Just to cut down this hour-long craziness thing into a 30-minute slot.

And the last question, which is actually two questions masquerading as one. What is the podcast that you listen to for fun? And what is the podcast that you listen to to learn something?

Okay, so for fun, I really like In our time. I know it's like a classic staple. But I really wanted to know what it was like to bring out the best in academics. What questions do you have to ask them to not be boring? And Melvyn Bragg, I think does it. He manages to create a story and an episode, and a switch between people. It's really hard to do that, to interview four people at once, and to write a script with different academics coming in at different moments to tell the story. Now doing a podcast, I really appreciate how challenging that is.

The one I listened to learn something about is this pretty hideous podcast that I both like and really dislike, and it's called All In. And it's got these four tech bros talking about AI issues. The reason why I kind of find it vaguely listenable is that even though all of them are tech bros extraordinaire, is because they come from different parts of the political spectrum. They often vote independently, or they vote across the political aisles so they're not like strong Republicans or Democrats. One of them is a vegetarian. One of them is anti-vegetarian. I like seeing what binds them what binds people from different very different political persuasions with very different views and opinions, even on technology, and how to have the love for each other, I guess shine through because that's what they do really well on the podcast and on all good podcast, I think, is where the hosts really love each other.

There's also a couple of French podcasts that I listened to because they also speak some other languages. I love Les Couilles sur la table which means your balls on the table, and it's about deconstructing masculinity.

Listen to The Good Robot on Kradl

5 audio dramas with magical elements

Anna Grigoryan — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 18:14:02 GMT

Every week there's a new reboot, a prequel or a sequel, or a live-action movie announced. Aren't there new stories anymore to enjoy? Of course, there are!

If you are for some reason craving stories with magical elements, together with Tal Minear, the writer behind Podplane we're bringing you audio dramas that will fill your day-to-day life with magic.

Each of us curated a list of 5 original podcasts where independent creators brought to life stories with mysteries, wizard dating shows, some light body horror, and hero's story.

Below you can see our 5 favorite shows, and in here you can find Tal's selection!

Night Shift Urban Fantasy Drama

Shady bio corporation doing secret tests? Check! Strange magical activities in a small town? Check! Mixtapes, documentary-style narration? Check!

If you're looking for dark, urban fantasy drama about a local podcast (meta I know!) doing an investigation of the strange goings on of Augur Corp then... it's a very specific request but also Night Shift is a podcast for you!

Kalila Stormfire's Economical Magick services

Kalila is a witch with a mysterious past, who just started promoting her personal magical services. What starts as a relatable couple of short episodes where Kalila is struggling with marketing and personal branding (aren't we all in that boat?), during the run of the show transforms into a heartfelt confession about her work as a witch in the small neighborhood.

You see Kalila is recording all the services she provides, and as you go through her digital journal, you hear her be happy that her neighborhood and people are finally accepting her, struggle through self-love and self-loathing (through various potions because of course), and face consequences her actions.

At the end of the day, while Kalila is a witch her experiences are painfully human.

Wizard seeking wizard

There were times when people were buying ad spots in papers in hopes to find their soulmate. The ad typically included age, hobbies, and what they were looking for in the partner, and that's all well and good. Now imagine that the same service exists in some alternative magical world, where wizards are looking for ways to find their true love.

What would they include in the ads? Describe their powers? Or perhaps broadcast the abilities of their partner in detail because they've seen them in the crystal ball?

Join in to know how wizard dating works, and get some very accurate relationship advice from Smoochulon.

No, we will not elaborate!

Back again, back again

"Back again, back again" is the story of Ilyaas, who's retelling the story of the prophecy that changed their life.

We often like stories about heroes and magical prophecies where the hero is accepting of their fate and knows exactly what to do and how to fight, but we rarely are in the "after" state. What happens when the fight is over?

Now would love to attempt to describe this show to you, but I don't think the written word can make justice to the whirlpool of emotions you feel when one's listening to an episode of Back again, back again. You simply need to experience it.

Unseen

Imagine a world where magic exists and all you need to do is just... see it in the right place.

Unseen is featuring 10 stories of different people that experienced magic whether they were looking for it or not. It featured one of our favorite episodes in this lineup: Blink.

"The magic of belief is a very dangerous thingngerous thing."

Be sure to check out the content warnings for each episode in the description.

And if these 5 stories are not enough, don't forget to subscribe to their monthly newsletter Podplane, and check out Tal's list!

Dwelling: what is home in today's world?

Anna Grigoryan — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 11:36:46 GMT

Dwelling explores the concept of home in today's world of increasing housing insecurity.

Hosted by Marnie Woodmeade, each episode takes us on a journey to meet people who are seeking alternative ways of finding a home - from abandoned buildings to lost rivers.

Through their stories, we discover how they redefine what home means to them. But as restrictions on alternative lifestyles tighten, the podcast raises an important question: how can these individuals protect their sanctuaries, sites of resistance, and dwelling?

Anna: Can you tell us why you started this podcast on the topic of the housing crisis, and whether it is related to the current crisis or an idea that has been on the back burner?

Marine: Yeah, I mean, I feel like it's difficult to live in a UK city, but also, I think it's happening worldwide. And if you're renting, do not notice how difficult it is not just to find a place, but then to have a decent standard of living and not be under threat from your landlord trying to take away your deposit.

I and my partner had been moving every year for like three or four years and we just literally couldn't take it anymore. We were just like the sort of level of insecurity because we had like our bathroom ceiling fell and they tried to charge us for it even though it was like the first pipe. Everyone I know has a story like that.

After that, I and my partner started looking at alternatives. First, we lived in a van for a little bit. It was not a cool nifty van. It's like a mattress in the back of a van. And then we got a boat, and we started living on that.

For this podcast, I was just interested in how people are finding hope as well because it's so bleak. And I just wanted to make something that looks at the seriousness of the issue while also speaking about some ways that people are finding to carve out community and safety for themselves.

Anna: Can you tell us more about how you find guests and stories for your podcast? It seems like you have a diverse range of people with different perspectives on the issue.

Marine: About. I mean, it was some of the issues I had lots of people to choose from. I live on the canals, and I can just go and speak to people who are around. I wanted to get a wide variety of people living on the canals for different amounts of time because some people do it for a year as a fun thing, but for a lot of people, it’s their whole life.

For squatters, it was much harder. I was trying for months to find a single person to talk to. Eventually turned out that one of my friends had squatted, an environmental squat, during Cop 26, so I got to speak to him, which was interesting and cool. And with other guests, it was just persistence.

I did try hard to make it as diverse in terms of both age groups and in terms of gender and making sure that I was telling stories of people of color in housing, who are often ignored.

Anna: Can you tell us a bit about a story that resonated with you from either a past or upcoming episode?

Marine: Absolutely. One of my favorite episodes that are already out is about the Romani Travelers. Their stories were so heartfelt and warm, despite the discrimination they faced. I particularly loved speaking with a father and daughter. Gemma is now in her 30s and has her own children. Family is such an integral part of their sense of home, and weaving their stories together was a truly lovely experience. Additionally, in the upcoming episode about housing carts, I interviewed a twelve-year-old, and it was both heartwarming and heart-wrenching. It made me cry.

Anna: What are some other podcasts that you think are doing a good job? Not just talking about housing and such, but in general discussing their experiences. And what is your favorite podcast out there?

Marine: One podcast that I like is Burn Wild, which explores what counts as terrorism in the context of environmental actions. I was listening to it while I was producing Dwelling and I appreciated the nuance of it. I aspire to bring that level of complexity to my work. In terms of sound design, I love Unreality. It's hard to describe, but it's an experience that you just must listen to. Another great podcast is Interludes. The episode called "Portals" is especially moving and can make your chest feel expansive. It was something that I thought about a lot while I was down doing the sound design of Dwelling. How am I making your chest feel?

Anna: So what kind of vibe are you aiming for in your podcast?

Marine: I think I want listeners to feel a sense of warmth because ultimately, that's what home is all about. But I also want to evoke a sense of productive anger, so the warmth is mixed with a little bit of heat. I want people to feel moved and inspired to take action.

Listen to "Dwelling" on Kradl

Connect with Marine

Product update: Subscribe to podcasts and Explore tags

Anna Grigoryan — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 15:19:59 GMT

Today we released two major updates on Kradl platform to improve the discoverability and give our listeners experience in digging around their favorite categories.

Listeners can now subscribe to podcasts and have their subscriptions separate from the recommendation feed on Kradl.

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Subscribe to podcasts on Kradl

Just go on the podcast page click the "Follow" button, and you will have the podcast and it's episodes available in your "Subscriptions" feed.

2. Click on the tag and jump into the rabbit hole 🐇🕳

0:00

If you want to scroll around and go deep into specific category of podcasts, now you can do that by clicking on the tags on the podcast page.

You will be able to see all the podcasts and episodes that have that specific tag, placed in chronological order.

Kradl is a place where no niche is a small niche. Enjoy your favorite podcasts, discover new ones, and if you think there’s something missing or want to add a new category just let us know at by emailing: anna@kradl.io

Kradl for creators

Anna Grigoryan — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 06:13:42 GMT

Kradl is bringing the simplicity of the discovery process into podcasting.

Create for the fun of it, not for the Algorithm.

Kradl's incentives

Most content platforms are businesses that work for advertising money. The incentive is to show the users ads and keep them engaged with them. This is accomplished by using the collected data about your experience on their platform.

Kradl’s incentive is to provide a service to you and your audience. The service is to provide the best way to connect the topics the audience cares about to your podcast.
We plan to have an advertisement component on Kradl, but it will never change our main incentive and service.

Hacking the platform

One of the ways to win the Algorithm game is to create as much content as possible. We believe that creators shouldn’t be bullied into producing more just to increase the chance of being discovered.

Kradl doesn’t have an “algorithm”, you don’t need to publish frequently to please it. The only motivation to create should be your desire to create.

Quality over quantity

If you search “How to become a podcaster "or “how to grow a podcast” you will undoubtedly get many growth hacks.
Places you should be in, accounts on social media you need to create, and specific ways you need to name and describe an episode to get discovered by the Algorithm.

YouTube published a 67-page guide on how to publish podcasts on the platform. We believe that you don’t need to become an expert on the platform to be able to use its benefits.

All you need is to create and publish.
If you’re a creator Kradl is here to ease the stress about discovery and give you a place where you can just create.

Kradl launch: refresh your podcast feed

Anna Grigoryan — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:47:00 GMT

Finally, after 6 months of work, Kradl is live 🎙️

We’re very excited to share Kradl’s first version that you can play with and discover new podcasts.

What can you do right now with Kradl:
- Select the topics you care about.
- Select the topics you are not interested in.
- Select your desired episode length.

After this, you’ll have your personalized feed ✨

You also can create playlists with your favorite episodes.

You can reply directly to this email if you have questions or feature requests.

Privacy policy (effective since January 16, 2023)

Anna Grigoryan — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 14:41:00 GMT

Last updated January 16, 2023

This privacy notice for MB "The Doers" ('Company', 'we', 'us', or 'our'), describes how and why we might collect, store, use, and/or share ('process') your information when you use our services ('Services'), such as when you:

Visit our website at https://kradl.io, or any website of ours that links to this privacy notice
Engage with us in other related ways, including any sales, marketing, or eventsQuestions or concerns? Reading this privacy notice will help you understand your privacy rights and choices. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services. If you still have any questions or concerns, please contact us at anna@kradl.io.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
This summary provides key points from our privacy notice, but you can find out more details about any of these topics by clicking the link following each key point or by using our table of contents below to find the section you are looking for.
What personal information do we process? When you visit, use, or navigate our Services, we may process personal information depending on how you interact with MB "The Doers" and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use. Learn more about personal information you disclose to us.
Do we process any sensitive personal information? We do not process sensitive personal information.
Do we receive any information from third parties? We do not receive any information from third parties.
How do we process your information? We process your information to provide, improve, and administer our Services, communicate with you, for security and fraud prevention, and to comply with law. We may also process your information for other purposes with your consent. We process your information only when we have a valid legal reason to do so. Learn more about how we process your information.
In what situations and with which parties do we share personal information? We may share information in specific situations and with specific third parties. Learn more about when and with whom we share your personal information.
How do we keep your information safe? We have organisational and technical processes and procedures in place to protect your personal information. However, no electronic transmission over the internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorised third parties will not be able to defeat our security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Learn more about how we keep your information safe.
What are your rights? Depending on where you are located geographically, the applicable privacy law may mean you have certain rights regarding your personal information. Learn more about your privacy rights.
How do you exercise your rights? The easiest way to exercise your rights is by contacting us at: policies@kradl.io. We will consider and act upon any request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
Want to learn more about what MB "The Doers" does with any information we collect? Review the privacy notice in full.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?2. HOW DO WE PROCESS YOUR INFORMATION?3. WHAT LEGAL BASES DO WE RELY ON TO PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?4. WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION? 5. DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?6. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?7. HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?8. DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?9. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?10. CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES 11. DO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?12. DO VIRGINIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?13. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE?14. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?15. HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU?

1. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?
Personal information you disclose to us
In Short: We collect personal information that you provide to us.
We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you register on the Services, express an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and Services, when you participate in activities on the Services, or otherwise when you contact us.
Personal Information Provided by You. The personal information that we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use. The personal information we collect may include the following:
names
email addresses
passwords
contact preferencesSensitive Information. We do not process sensitive information.
All personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete, and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information.
Information automatically collected
In Short: Some information — such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address and/or browser and device characteristics — is collected automatically when you visit our Services.
We automatically collect certain information when you visit, use, or navigate the Services. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about how and when you use our Services, and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our Services, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.
Like many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies.
The information we collect includes:
Log and Usage Data. Log and usage data is service-related, diagnostic, usage, and performance information our servers automatically collect when you access or use our Services and which we record in log files. Depending on how you interact with us, this log data may include your IP address, device information, browser type, and settings and information about your activity in the Services (such as the date/time stamps associated with your usage, pages and files viewed, searches, and other actions you take such as which features you use), device event information (such as system activity, error reports (sometimes called 'crash dumps'), and hardware settings).
Device Data. We collect device data such as information about your computer, phone, tablet, or other device you use to access the Services. Depending on the device used, this device data may include information such as your IP address (or proxy server), device and application identification numbers, location, browser type, hardware model, Internet service provider and/or mobile carrier, operating system, and system configuration information.
Location Data. We collect location data such as information about your device's location, which can be either precise or imprecise. How much information we collect depends on the type and settings of the device you use to access the Services. For example, we may use GPS and other technologies to collect geolocation data that tells us your current location (based on your IP address). You can opt out of allowing us to collect this information either by refusing access to the information or by disabling your Location setting on your device. However, if you choose to opt out, you may not be able to use certain aspects of the Services.2. HOW DO WE PROCESS YOUR INFORMATION?
In Short: We process your information to provide, improve, and administer our Services, communicate with you, for security and fraud prevention, and to comply with law. We may also process your information for other purposes with your consent.
We process your personal information for a variety of reasons, depending on how you interact with our Services, including:
To facilitate account creation and authentication and otherwise manage user accounts. We may process your information so you can create and log in to your account, as well as keep your account in working order.
To send you marketing and promotional communications. We may process the personal information you send to us for our marketing purposes, if this is in accordance with your marketing preferences. You can opt out of our marketing emails at any time. For more information, see 'WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?' below).
To protect our Services. We may process your information as part of our efforts to keep our Services safe and secure, including fraud monitoring and prevention.
To identify usage trends. We may process information about how you use our Services to better understand how they are being used so we can improve them.
To save or protect an individual's vital interest. We may process your information when necessary to save or protect an individual’s vital interest, such as to prevent harm.
3. WHAT LEGAL BASES DO WE RELY ON TO PROCESS YOUR INFORMATION?
In Short: We only process your personal information when we believe it is necessary and we have a valid legal reason (i.e. legal basis) to do so under applicable law, like with your consent, to comply with laws, to provide you with services to enter into or fulfil our contractual obligations, to protect your rights, or to fulfil our legitimate business interests.
If you are located in the EU or UK, this section applies to you.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR require us to explain the valid legal bases we rely on in order to process your personal information. As such, we may rely on the following legal bases to process your personal information:
Consent. We may process your information if you have given us permission (i.e. consent) to use your personal information for a specific purpose. You can withdraw your consent at any time. Learn more about withdrawing your consent.
Legitimate Interests. We may process your information when we believe it is reasonably necessary to achieve our legitimate business interests and those interests do not outweigh your interests and fundamental rights and freedoms. For example, we may process your personal information for some of the purposes described in order to:
Send users information about special offers and discounts on our products and services
Analyse how our Services are used so we can improve them to engage and retain users
Diagnose problems and/or prevent fraudulent activities
Legal Obligations. We may process your information where we believe it is necessary for compliance with our legal obligations, such as to cooperate with a law enforcement body or regulatory agency, exercise or defend our legal rights, or disclose your information as evidence in litigation in which we are involved.
Vital Interests. We may process your information where we believe it is necessary to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of a third party, such as situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person.In legal terms, we are generally the 'data controller' under European data protection laws of the personal information described in this privacy notice, since we determine the means and/or purposes of the data processing we perform. This privacy notice does not apply to the personal information we process as a 'data processor' on behalf of our customers. In those situations, the customer that we provide services to and with whom we have entered into a data processing agreement is the 'data controller' responsible for your personal information, and we merely process your information on their behalf in accordance with your instructions. If you want to know more about our customers' privacy practices, you should read their privacy policies and direct any questions you have to them.
If you are located in Canada, this section applies to you.
We may process your information if you have given us specific permission (i.e. express consent) to use your personal information for a specific purpose, or in situations where your permission can be inferred (i.e. implied consent). You can withdraw your consent at any time.
In some exceptional cases, we may be legally permitted under applicable law to process your information without your consent, including, for example:
If collection is clearly in the interests of an individual and consent cannot be obtained in a timely way
For investigations and fraud detection and prevention
For business transactions provided certain conditions are met
If it is contained in a witness statement and the collection is necessary to assess, process, or settle an insurance claim
For identifying injured, ill, or deceased persons and communicating with next of kin
If we have reasonable grounds to believe an individual has been, is, or may be victim of financial abuse
If it is reasonable to expect collection and use with consent would compromise the availability or the accuracy of the information and the collection is reasonable for purposes related to investigating a breach of an agreement or a contravention of the laws of Canada or a province
If disclosure is required to comply with a subpoena, warrant, court order, or rules of the court relating to the production of records
If it was produced by an individual in the course of their employment, business, or profession and the collection is consistent with the purposes for which the information was produced
If the collection is solely for journalistic, artistic, or literary purposes
If the information is publicly available and is specified by the regulations
4. WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?
In Short: We may share information in specific situations described in this section and/or with the following third parties.
We may need to share your personal information in the following situations:
Business Transfers. We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.
5. DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?
In Short: We may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect and store your information.
We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to access or store information. Specific information about how we use such technologies and how you can refuse certain cookies is set out in our Cookie Notice.
6. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?
In Short: We keep your information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this privacy notice unless otherwise required by law.
We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting, or other legal requirements). No purpose in this notice will require us keeping your personal information for longer than thirty six (36) months past the termination of the user's account.
When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymise such information, or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible.
7. HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?
In Short: We aim to protect your personal information through a system of organisational and technical security measures.
We have implemented appropriate and reasonable technical and organisational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. However, despite our safeguards and efforts to secure your information, no electronic transmission over the Internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorised third parties will not be able to defeat our security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of personal information to and from our Services is at your own risk. You should only access the Services within a secure environment.
8. DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?
In Short: We do not knowingly collect data from or market to children under 18 years of age.
We do not knowingly solicit data from or market to children under 18 years of age. By using the Services, you represent that you are at least 18 or that you are the parent or guardian of such a minor and consent to such minor dependent’s use of the Services. If we learn that personal information from users less than 18 years of age has been collected, we will deactivate the account and take reasonable measures to promptly delete such data from our records. If you become aware of any data we may have collected from children under age 18, please contact us at support@kradl.io.
9. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?
In Short: In some regions, such as the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom (UK), and Canada, you have rights that allow you greater access to and control over your personal information. You may review, change, or terminate your account at any time.
In some regions (like the EEA, UK, and Canada), you have certain rights under applicable data protection laws. These may include the right (i) to request access and obtain a copy of your personal information, (ii) to request rectification or erasure; (iii) to restrict the processing of your personal information; and (iv) if applicable, to data portability. In certain circumstances, you may also have the right to object to the processing of your personal information. You can make such a request by contacting us by using the contact details provided in the section 'HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?' below.
We will consider and act upon any request in accordance with applicable data protection laws. If you are located in the EEA or UK and you believe we are unlawfully processing your personal information, you also have the right to complain to your Member State data protection authority or UK data protection authority.
If you are located in Switzerland, you may contact the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner.
Withdrawing your consent: If we are relying on your consent to process your personal information, which may be express and/or implied consent depending on the applicable law, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us by using the contact details provided in the section 'HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?' below.
However, please note that this will not affect the lawfulness of the processing before its withdrawal nor, when applicable law allows, will it affect the processing of your personal information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.
Opting out of marketing and promotional communications: You can unsubscribe from our marketing and promotional communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the emails that we send, or by contacting us using the details provided in the section 'HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?' below. You will then be removed from the marketing lists. However, we may still communicate with you — for example, to send you service-related messages that are necessary for the administration and use of your account, to respond to service requests, or for other non-marketing purposes.
Account Information
If you would at any time like to review or change the information in your account or terminate your account, you can:
Contact us using the contact information provided.Upon your request to terminate your account, we will deactivate or delete your account and information from our active databases. However, we may retain some information in our files to prevent fraud, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigations, enforce our legal terms and/or comply with applicable legal requirements.
Cookies and similar technologies: Most Web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. If you prefer, you can usually choose to set your browser to remove cookies and to reject cookies. If you choose to remove cookies or reject cookies, this could affect certain features or services of our Services. You may also opt out of interest-based advertising by advertisers on our Services.
If you have questions or comments about your privacy rights, you may email us at support@kradl.io.
10. CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES
Most web browsers and some mobile operating systems and mobile applications include a Do-Not-Track ('DNT') feature or setting you can activate to signal your privacy preference not to have data about your online browsing activities monitored and collected. At this stage no uniform technology standard for recognising and implementing DNT signals has been finalised. As such, we do not currently respond to DNT browser signals or any other mechanism that automatically communicates your choice not to be tracked online. If a standard for online tracking is adopted that we must follow in the future, we will inform you about that practice in a revised version of this privacy notice.
11. DO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?
In Short: Yes, if you are a resident of California, you are granted specific rights regarding access to your personal information.
California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the 'Shine The Light' law, permits our users who are California residents to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, information about categories of personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared personal information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to us using the contact information provided below.
If you are under 18 years of age, reside in California, and have a registered account with Services, you have the right to request removal of unwanted data that you publicly post on the Services. To request removal of such data, please contact us using the contact information provided below and include the email address associated with your account and a statement that you reside in California. We will make sure the data is not publicly displayed on the Services, but please be aware that the data may not be completely or comprehensively removed from all our systems (e.g. backups, etc.).
CCPA Privacy Notice
The California Code of Regulations defines a 'resident' as:
(1) every individual who is in the State of California for other than a temporary or transitory purpose and(2) every individual who is domiciled in the State of California who is outside the State of California for a temporary or transitory purpose
All other individuals are defined as 'non-residents'.
If this definition of 'resident' applies to you, we must adhere to certain rights and obligations regarding your personal information.
What categories of personal information do we collect?
We have collected the following categories of personal information in the past twelve (12) months:

Category	Examples	Collected
A. Identifiers	Contact details, such as real name, alias, postal address, telephone or mobile contact number, unique personal identifier, online identifier, Internet Protocol address, email address, and account name	YES
B. Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute	Name, contact information, education, employment, employment history, and financial information	YES
C. Protected classification characteristics under California or federal law	Gender and date of birth	YES
D. Commercial information	Transaction information, purchase history, financial details, and payment information	NO
E. Biometric information	Fingerprints and voiceprints	NO
F. Internet or other similar network activity	Browsing history, search history, online behaviour, interest data, and interactions with our and other websites, applications, systems, and advertisements	NO
G. Geolocation data	Device location	NO
H. Audio, electronic, visual, thermal, olfactory, or similar information	Images and audio, video or call recordings created in connection with our business activities	NO
I. Professional or employment-related information	Business contact details in order to provide you our Services at a business level or job title, work history, and professional qualifications if you apply for a job with us	NO
J. Education Information	Student records and directory information	NO
K. Inferences drawn from other personal information	Inferences drawn from any of the collected personal information listed above to create a profile or summary about, for example, an individual’s preferences and characteristics	NO
L. Sensitive Personal Information		NO

We will use and retain the collected personal information as needed to provide the Services or for:

Category A - 36 months
Category B - 36 months
Category C - 36 monthsWe may also collect other personal information outside of these categories through instances where you interact with us in person, online, or by phone or mail in the context of:
Receiving help through our customer support channels;
Participation in customer surveys or contests; and
Facilitation in the delivery of our Services and to respond to your inquiries.How do we use and share your personal information?
More information about our data collection and sharing practices can be found in this privacy notice.
You may contact us by email at support@kradl.io, or by referring to the contact details at the bottom of this document.
If you are using an authorised agent to exercise your right to opt out we may deny a request if the authorised agent does not submit proof that they have been validly authorised to act on your behalf.
Will your information be shared with anyone else?
We may disclose your personal information with our service providers pursuant to a written contract between us and each service provider. Each service provider is a for-profit entity that processes the information on our behalf, following the same strict privacy protection obligations mandated by the CCPA.
We may use your personal information for our own business purposes, such as for undertaking internal research for technological development and demonstration. This is not considered to be 'selling' of your personal information.
MB "The Doers" has not disclosed, sold, or shared any personal information to third parties for a business or commercial purpose in the preceding twelve (12) months. MB "The Doers" will not sell or share personal information in the future belonging to website visitors, users, and other consumers.
Your rights with respect to your personal data
Right to request deletion of the data — Request to delete
You can ask for the deletion of your personal information. If you ask us to delete your personal information, we will respect your request and delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions provided by law, such as (but not limited to) the exercise by another consumer of his or her right to free speech, our compliance requirements resulting from a legal obligation, or any processing that may be required to protect against illegal activities.
Right to be informed — Request to know
Depending on the circumstances, you have a right to know:
whether we collect and use your personal information;
the categories of personal information that we collect;
the purposes for which the collected personal information is used;
whether we sell or share personal information to third parties;
the categories of personal information that we sold, shared, or disclosed for a business purpose;
the categories of third parties to whom the personal information was sold, shared, or disclosed for a business purpose;
the business or commercial purpose for collecting, selling, or sharing personal information; and
the specific pieces of personal information we collected about you.In accordance with applicable law, we are not obligated to provide or delete consumer information that is de-identified in response to a consumer request or to re-identify individual data to verify a consumer request.
Right to Non-Discrimination for the Exercise of a Consumer’s Privacy Rights
We will not discriminate against you if you exercise your privacy rights.
Right to Limit Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information
We do not process consumer's sensitive personal information.
Verification process
Upon receiving your request, we will need to verify your identity to determine you are the same person about whom we have the information in our system. These verification efforts require us to ask you to provide information so that we can match it with information you have previously provided us. For instance, depending on the type of request you submit, we may ask you to provide certain information so that we can match the information you provide with the information we already have on file, or we may contact you through a communication method (e.g. phone or email) that you have previously provided to us. We may also use other verification methods as the circumstances dictate.
We will only use personal information provided in your request to verify your identity or authority to make the request. To the extent possible, we will avoid requesting additional information from you for the purposes of verification. However, if we cannot verify your identity from the information already maintained by us, we may request that you provide additional information for the purposes of verifying your identity and for security or fraud-prevention purposes. We will delete such additionally provided information as soon as we finish verifying you.
Other privacy rights
You may object to the processing of your personal information.
You may request correction of your personal data if it is incorrect or no longer relevant, or ask to restrict the processing of the information.
You can designate an authorised agent to make a request under the CCPA on your behalf. We may deny a request from an authorised agent that does not submit proof that they have been validly authorised to act on your behalf in accordance with the CCPA.
You may request to opt out from future selling or sharing of your personal information to third parties. Upon receiving an opt-out request, we will act upon the request as soon as feasibly possible, but no later than fifteen (15) days from the date of the request submission.To exercise these rights, you can contact us by email at support@kradl.io, or by referring to the contact details at the bottom of this document. If you have a complaint about how we handle your data, we would like to hear from you.
12. DO VIRGINIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?
In Short: Yes, if you are a resident of Virginia, you may be granted specific rights regarding access to and use of your personal information.
Virginia CDPA Privacy Notice
Under the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA):
'Consumer' means a natural person who is a resident of the Commonwealth acting only in an individual or household context. It does not include a natural person acting in a commercial or employment context.
'Personal data' means any information that is linked or reasonably linkable to an identified or identifiable natural person. 'Personal data' does not include de-identified data or publicly available information.
'Sale of personal data' means the exchange of personal data for monetary consideration.
If this definition 'consumer' applies to you, we must adhere to certain rights and obligations regarding your personal data.
The information we collect, use, and disclose about you will vary depending on how you interact with MB "The Doers" and our Services. To find out more, please visit the following links:
Personal data we collect
How we use your personal data
When and with whom we share your personal dataYour rights with respect to your personal data
Right to be informed whether or not we are processing your personal data
Right to access your personal data
Right to correct inaccuracies in your personal data
Right to request deletion of your personal data
Right to obtain a copy of the personal data you previously shared with us
Right to opt out of the processing of your personal data if it is used for targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects ('profiling')MB "The Doers" has not sold any personal data to third parties for business or commercial purposes. MB "The Doers" will not sell personal data in the future belonging to website visitors, users, and other consumers.
Exercise your rights provided under the Virginia CDPA
More information about our data collection and sharing practices can be found in this privacy notice.
You may contact us by email at support@kradl.io, or by referring to the contact details at the bottom of this document.
If you are using an authorised agent to exercise your rights, we may deny a request if the authorised agent does not submit proof that they have been validly authorised to act on your behalf.
Verification process
We may request that you provide additional information reasonably necessary to verify you and your consumer's request. If you submit the request through an authorised agent, we may need to collect additional information to verify your identity before processing your request.
Upon receiving your request, we will respond without undue delay, but in all cases, within forty-five (45) days of receipt. The response period may be extended once by forty-five (45) additional days when reasonably necessary. We will inform you of any such extension within the initial 45-day response period, together with the reason for the extension.
Right to appeal
If we decline to take action regarding your request, we will inform you of our decision and reasoning behind it. If you wish to appeal our decision, please email us at support@kradl.io. Within sixty (60) days of receipt of an appeal, we will inform you in writing of any action taken or not taken in response to the appeal, including a written explanation of the reasons for the decisions. If your appeal if denied, you may contact the Attorney General to submit a complaint.
13. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE?
In Short: Yes, we will update this notice as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws.
We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated 'Revised' date and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is accessible. If we make material changes to this privacy notice, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this privacy notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information.
14. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?
If you have questions or comments about this notice, you may email us at support@kradl.io or by post to:
MB "The Doers"Naugarduko g. 3-401, Vilnius 03231, Lithuania Vilnius, Vilniaus m. 03231Lithuania
If you are a resident in the European Economic Area, the 'data controller' of your personal information is MB "The Doers". MB "The Doers" has appointed Anna Grigoryan to be its representative in the EEA. You can contact them directly regarding the processing of your information by MB "The Doers", by email at anna@kradl.io, or by post to:
Naugarduko 3-401Vilnius, Vilnius LT-03231Lithuania
15. HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU?
You have the right to request access to the personal information we collect from you, change that information, or delete it. To request to review, update, or delete your personal information, please email us at: policies@kradl.io.

Terms and Conditions (effective since January 16, 2023)

Anna Grigoryan — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 14:39:00 GMT

Last updated January 16, 2023

AGREEMENT TO OUR LEGAL TERMS
We are MB "The Doers" ('Company', 'we', 'us', or 'our'), a company registered in Lithuania at Naugarduko g. 3-401, Vilnius 03231, Lithuania, Vilnius, Vilniaus apskritis 03231.
We operate the website https://kradl.io (the 'Site'), as well as any other related products and services that refer or link to these legal terms (the 'Legal Terms') (collectively, the 'Services').
We help to discover podcasts based on listener's interests.
You can contact us by phone at (+370)68524677, email at anna@kradl.io, or by mail to Naugarduko g. 3-401, Vilnius 03231, Lithuania, Vilnius, Vilniaus apskritis 03231, Lithuania.
These Legal Terms constitute a legally binding agreement made between you, whether personally or on behalf of an entity ('you'), and MB "The Doers", concerning your access to and use of the Services. You agree that by accessing the Services, you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by all of these Legal Terms. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ALL OF THESE LEGAL TERMS, THEN YOU ARE EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED FROM USING THE SERVICES AND YOU MUST DISCONTINUE USE IMMEDIATELY.
We will provide you with prior notice of any scheduled changes to the Services you are using. The modified Legal Terms will become effective upon posting or notifying you by policies@kradl.io, as stated in the email message. By continuing to use the Services after the effective date of any changes, you agree to be bound by the modified terms.
The Services are intended for users who are at least 13 years of age. All users who are minors in the jurisdiction in which they reside (generally under the age of 18) must have the permission of, and be directly supervised by, their parent or guardian to use the Services. If you are a minor, you must have your parent or guardian read and agree to these Legal Terms prior to you using the Services.
We recommend that you print a copy of these Legal Terms for your records.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. OUR SERVICES 2. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS 3. USER REPRESENTATIONS 4. USER REGISTRATION 5. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES 6. USER GENERATED CONTRIBUTIONS 7. CONTRIBUTION LICENCE 8. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND CONTENT 9. SERVICES MANAGEMENT 10. PRIVACY POLICY 11. COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENTS 12. TERM AND TERMINATION 13. MODIFICATIONS AND INTERRUPTIONS 14. GOVERNING LAW 15. DISPUTE RESOLUTION 16. CORRECTIONS 17. DISCLAIMER 18. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY 19. INDEMNIFICATION 20. USER DATA 21. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS, TRANSACTIONS, AND SIGNATURES 22. CALIFORNIA USERS AND RESIDENTS 23. MISCELLANEOUS 24. CONTACT US

1. OUR SERVICES
The information provided when using the Services is not intended for distribution to or use by any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation or which would subject us to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country. Accordingly, those persons who choose to access the Services from other locations do so on their own initiative and are solely responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable.
The Services are not tailored to comply with industry-specific regulations (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), etc.), so if your interactions would be subjected to such laws, you may not use the Services. You may not use the Services in a way that would violate the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA).
2. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Our intellectual property
We are the owner or the licensee of all intellectual property rights in our Services, including all source code, databases, functionality, software, website designs, audio, video, text, photographs, and graphics in the Services (collectively, the 'Content'), as well as the trademarks, service marks, and logos contained therein (the 'Marks').
Our Content and Marks are protected by copyright and trademark laws (and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws) and treaties in the United States and around the world.
The Content and Marks are provided in or through the Services 'AS IS' for your personal, non-commercial use or internal business purpose only.
Your use of our Services
Subject to your compliance with these Legal Terms, including the 'PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES' section below, we grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to:

access the Services; and
download or print a copy of any portion of the Content to which you have properly gained access.solely for your personal, non-commercial use or internal business purpose.
Except as set out in this section or elsewhere in our Legal Terms, no part of the Services and no Content or Marks may be copied, reproduced, aggregated, republished, uploaded, posted, publicly displayed, encoded, translated, transmitted, distributed, sold, licensed, or otherwise exploited for any commercial purpose whatsoever, without our express prior written permission.
If you wish to make any use of the Services, Content, or Marks other than as set out in this section or elsewhere in our Legal Terms, please address your request to: anna@kradl.io. If we ever grant you the permission to post, reproduce, or publicly display any part of our Services or Content, you must identify us as the owners or licensors of the Services, Content, or Marks and ensure that any copyright or proprietary notice appears or is visible on posting, reproducing, or displaying our Content.

We reserve all rights not expressly granted to you in and to the Services, Content, and Marks.
Any breach of these Intellectual Property Rights will constitute a material breach of our Legal Terms and your right to use our Services will terminate immediately.
Your submissions and contributions
Please review this section and the 'PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES' section carefully prior to using our Services to understand the (a) rights you give us and (b) obligations you have when you post or upload any content through the Services.
Submissions: By directly sending us any question, comment, suggestion, idea, feedback, or other information about the Services ('Submissions'), you agree to assign to us all intellectual property rights in such Submission. You agree that we shall own this Submission and be entitled to its unrestricted use and dissemination for any lawful purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment or compensation to you.
Contributions: The Services may invite you to chat, contribute to, or participate in blogs, message boards, online forums, and other functionality during which you may create, submit, post, display, transmit, publish, distribute, or broadcast content and materials to us or through the Services, including but not limited to text, writings, video, audio, photographs, music, graphics, comments, reviews, rating suggestions, personal information, or other material ('Contributions'). Any Submission that is publicly posted shall also be treated as a Contribution.
You understand that Contributions may be viewable by other users of the Services and possibly through third-party websites.
When you post Contributions, you grant us a licence (including use of your name, trademarks, and logos): By posting any Contributions, you grant us an unrestricted, unlimited, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, fully-paid, worldwide right, and licence to: use, copy, reproduce, distribute, sell, resell, publish, broadcast, retitle, store, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part), and exploit your Contributions (including, without limitation, your image, name, and voice) for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, your Contributions, and to sublicence the licences granted in this section. Our use and distribution may occur in any media formats and through any media channels.
This licence includes our use of your name, company name, and franchise name, as applicable, and any of the trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos, and personal and commercial images you provide.
You are responsible for what you post or upload: By sending us Submissions and/or posting Contributions through any part of the Services or making Contributions accessible through the Services by linking your account through the Services to any of your social networking accounts, you:

confirm that you have read and agree with our 'PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES' and will not post, send, publish, upload, or transmit through the Services any Submission nor post any Contribution that is illegal, harassing, hateful, harmful, defamatory, obscene, bullying, abusive, discriminatory, threatening to any person or group, sexually explicit, false, inaccurate, deceitful, or misleading;
to the extent permissible by applicable law, waive any and all moral rights to any such Submission and/or Contribution;
warrant that any such Submission and/or Contributions are original to you or that you have the necessary rights and licences to submit such Submissions and/or Contributions and that you have full authority to grant us the above-mentioned rights in relation to your Submissions and/or Contributions; and
warrant and represent that your Submissions and/or Contributions do not constitute confidential information.You are solely responsible for your Submissions and/or Contributions and you expressly agree to reimburse us for any and all losses that we may suffer because of your breach of (a) this section, (b) any third party’s intellectual property rights, or (c) applicable law.
We may remove or edit your Content: Although we have no obligation to monitor any Contributions, we shall have the right to remove or edit any Contributions at any time without notice if in our reasonable opinion we consider such Contributions harmful or in breach of these Legal Terms. If we remove or edit any such Contributions, we may also suspend or disable your account and report you to the authorities.
Copyright infringement
We respect the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe that any material available on or through the Services infringes upon any copyright you own or control, please immediately refer to the 'COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENTS' section below.

3. USER REPRESENTATIONS
By using the Services, you represent and warrant that: (1) all registration information you submit will be true, accurate, current, and complete; (2) you will maintain the accuracy of such information and promptly update such registration information as necessary; (3) you have the legal capacity and you agree to comply with these Legal Terms; (4) you are not under the age of 13; (5) you are not a minor in the jurisdiction in which you reside, or if a minor, you have received parental permission to use the Services; (6) you will not access the Services through automated or non-human means, whether through a bot, script or otherwise; (7) you will not use the Services for any illegal or unauthorised purpose; and (8) your use of the Services will not violate any applicable law or regulation.
If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current, or incomplete, we have the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Services (or any portion thereof).
4. USER REGISTRATION
You may be required to register to use the Services. You agree to keep your password confidential and will be responsible for all use of your account and password. We reserve the right to remove, reclaim, or change a username you select if we determine, in our sole discretion, that such username is inappropriate, obscene, or otherwise objectionable.
5. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
You may not access or use the Services for any purpose other than that for which we make the Services available. The Services may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavours except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by us.
As a user of the Services, you agree not to:

Systematically retrieve data or other content from the Services to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, or directory without written permission from us.
Trick, defraud, or mislead us and other users, especially in any attempt to learn sensitive account information such as user passwords.
Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Services, including features that prevent or restrict the use or copying of any Content or enforce limitations on the use of the Services and/or the Content contained therein.
Disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or the Services.
Use any information obtained from the Services in order to harass, abuse, or harm another person.
Make improper use of our support services or submit false reports of abuse or misconduct.
Use the Services in a manner inconsistent with any applicable laws or regulations.
Engage in unauthorised framing of or linking to the Services.
Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) viruses, Trojan horses, or other material, including excessive use of capital letters and spamming (continuous posting of repetitive text), that interferes with any party’s uninterrupted use and enjoyment of the Services or modifies, impairs, disrupts, alters, or interferes with the use, features, functions, operation, or maintenance of the Services.
Engage in any automated use of the system, such as using scripts to send comments or messages, or using any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools.
Delete the copyright or other proprietary rights notice from any Content.
Attempt to impersonate another user or person or use the username of another user.
Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) any material that acts as a passive or active information collection or transmission mechanism, including without limitation, clear graphics interchange formats ('gifs'), 1×1 pixels, web bugs, cookies, or other similar devices (sometimes referred to as 'spyware' or 'passive collection mechanisms' or 'pcms').
Interfere with, disrupt, or create an undue burden on the Services or the networks or services connected to the Services.
Harass, annoy, intimidate, or threaten any of our employees or agents engaged in providing any portion of the Services to you.
Attempt to bypass any measures of the Services designed to prevent or restrict access to the Services, or any portion of the Services.
Copy or adapt the Services' software, including but not limited to Flash, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, or other code.
Except as permitted by applicable law, decipher, decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer any of the software comprising or in any way making up a part of the Services.
Except as may be the result of standard search engine or Internet browser usage, use, launch, develop, or distribute any automated system, including without limitation, any spider, robot, cheat utility, scraper, or offline reader that accesses the Services, or use or launch any unauthorised script or other software.
Use a buying agent or purchasing agent to make purchases on the Services.
Make any unauthorised use of the Services, including collecting usernames and/or email addresses of users by electronic or other means for the purpose of sending unsolicited email, or creating user accounts by automated means or under false pretences.
Use the Services as part of any effort to compete with us or otherwise use the Services and/or the Content for any revenue-generating endeavour or commercial enterprise.
Use the Services to advertise or offer to sell goods and services.
6. USER GENERATED CONTRIBUTIONS
The Services may invite you to chat, contribute to, or participate in blogs, message boards, online forums, and other functionality, and may provide you with the opportunity to create, submit, post, display, transmit, perform, publish, distribute, or broadcast content and materials to us or on the Services, including but not limited to text, writings, video, audio, photographs, graphics, comments, suggestions, or personal information or other material (collectively, 'Contributions'). Contributions may be viewable by other users of the Services and through third-party websites. As such, any Contributions you transmit may be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary. When you create or make available any Contributions, you thereby represent and warrant that:
The creation, distribution, transmission, public display, or performance, and the accessing, downloading, or copying of your Contributions do not and will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, or moral rights of any third party.
You are the creator and owner of or have the necessary licences, rights, consents, releases, and permissions to use and to authorise us, the Services, and other users of the Services to use your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Services and these Legal Terms.
You have the written consent, release, and/or permission of each and every identifiable individual person in your Contributions to use the name or likeness of each and every such identifiable individual person to enable inclusion and use of your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Services and these Legal Terms.
Your Contributions are not false, inaccurate, or misleading.
Your Contributions are not unsolicited or unauthorised advertising, promotional materials, pyramid schemes, chain letters, spam, mass mailings, or other forms of solicitation.
Your Contributions are not obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, harassing, libellous, slanderous, or otherwise objectionable (as determined by us).
Your Contributions do not ridicule, mock, disparage, intimidate, or abuse anyone.
Your Contributions are not used to harass or threaten (in the legal sense of those terms) any other person and to promote violence against a specific person or class of people.
Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law, regulation, or rule.
Your Contributions do not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party.
Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law concerning child pornography, or otherwise intended to protect the health or well-being of minors.
Your Contributions do not include any offensive comments that are connected to race, national origin, gender, sexual preference, or physical handicap.
Your Contributions do not otherwise violate, or link to material that violates, any provision of these Legal Terms, or any applicable law or regulation.Any use of the Services in violation of the foregoing violates these Legal Terms and may result in, among other things, termination or suspension of your rights to use the Services.
7. CONTRIBUTION LICENCE
By posting your Contributions to any part of the Services, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to us an unrestricted, unlimited, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, fully-paid, worldwide right, and licence to host, use, copy, reproduce, disclose, sell, resell, publish, broadcast, retitle, archive, store, cache, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, transmit, excerpt (in whole or in part), and distribute such Contributions (including, without limitation, your image and voice) for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, and to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such Contributions, and grant and authorise sublicences of the foregoing. The use and distribution may occur in any media formats and through any media channels.
This licence will apply to any form, media, or technology now known or hereafter developed, and includes our use of your name, company name, and franchise name, as applicable, and any of the trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos, and personal and commercial images you provide. You waive all moral rights in your Contributions, and you warrant that moral rights have not otherwise been asserted in your Contributions.
We do not assert any ownership over your Contributions. You retain full ownership of all of your Contributions and any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights associated with your Contributions. We are not liable for any statements or representations in your Contributions provided by you in any area on the Services. You are solely responsible for your Contributions to the Services and you expressly agree to exonerate us from any and all responsibility and to refrain from any legal action against us regarding your Contributions.
We have the right, in our sole and absolute discretion, (1) to edit, redact, or otherwise change any Contributions; (2) to re-categorise any Contributions to place them in more appropriate locations on the Services; and (3) to pre-screen or delete any Contributions at any time and for any reason, without notice. We have no obligation to monitor your Contributions.
8. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND CONTENT
The Services may contain (or you may be sent via the Site) links to other websites ('Third-Party Websites') as well as articles, photographs, text, graphics, pictures, designs, music, sound, video, information, applications, software, and other content or items belonging to or originating from third parties ('Third-Party Content'). Such Third-Party Websites and Third-Party Content are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, appropriateness, or completeness by us, and we are not responsible for any Third-Party Websites accessed through the Services or any Third-Party Content posted on, available through, or installed from the Services, including the content, accuracy, offensiveness, opinions, reliability, privacy practices, or other policies of or contained in the Third-Party Websites or the Third-Party Content. Inclusion of, linking to, or permitting the use or installation of any Third-Party Websites or any Third-Party Content does not imply approval or endorsement thereof by us. If you decide to leave the Services and access the Third-Party Websites or to use or install any Third-Party Content, you do so at your own risk, and you should be aware these Legal Terms no longer govern. You should review the applicable terms and policies, including privacy and data gathering practices, of any website to which you navigate from the Services or relating to any applications you use or install from the Services. Any purchases you make through Third-Party Websites will be through other websites and from other companies, and we take no responsibility whatsoever in relation to such purchases which are exclusively between you and the applicable third party. You agree and acknowledge that we do not endorse the products or services offered on Third-Party Websites and you shall hold us blameless from any harm caused by your purchase of such products or services. Additionally, you shall hold us blameless from any losses sustained by you or harm caused to you relating to or resulting in any way from any Third-Party Content or any contact with Third-Party Websites.
9. SERVICES MANAGEMENT
We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to: (1) monitor the Services for violations of these Legal Terms; (2) take appropriate legal action against anyone who, in our sole discretion, violates the law or these Legal Terms, including without limitation, reporting such user to law enforcement authorities; (3) in our sole discretion and without limitation, refuse, restrict access to, limit the availability of, or disable (to the extent technologically feasible) any of your Contributions or any portion thereof; (4) in our sole discretion and without limitation, notice, or liability, to remove from the Services or otherwise disable all files and content that are excessive in size or are in any way burdensome to our systems; and (5) otherwise manage the Services in a manner designed to protect our rights and property and to facilitate the proper functioning of the Services.
10. PRIVACY POLICY
We care about data privacy and security. Please review our Privacy Policy: https://kradl.io/blog/privacy-policy-version-1/. By using the Services, you agree to be bound by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Legal Terms. Please be advised the Services are hosted in the Netherlands. If you access the Services from any other region of the world with laws or other requirements governing personal data collection, use, or disclosure that differ from applicable laws in the Netherlands, then through your continued use of the Services, you are transferring your data to the Netherlands, and you expressly consent to have your data transferred to and processed in the Netherlands. Further, we do not knowingly accept, request, or solicit information from children or knowingly market to children. Therefore, in accordance with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, if we receive actual knowledge that anyone under the age of 13 has provided personal information to us without the requisite and verifiable parental consent, we will delete that information from the Services as quickly as is reasonably practical.
11. COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENTS
We respect the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe that any material available on or through the Services infringes upon any copyright you own or control, please immediately notify us using the contact information provided below (a 'Notification'). A copy of your Notification will be sent to the person who posted or stored the material addressed in the Notification. Please be advised that pursuant to applicable law you may be held liable for damages if you make material misrepresentations in a Notification. Thus, if you are not sure that material located on or linked to by the Services infringes your copyright, you should consider first contacting an attorney.
12. TERM AND TERMINATION
These Legal Terms shall remain in full force and effect while you use the Services. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THESE LEGAL TERMS, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION AND WITHOUT NOTICE OR LIABILITY, DENY ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICES (INCLUDING BLOCKING CERTAIN IP ADDRESSES), TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY REASON OR FOR NO REASON, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION FOR BREACH OF ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR COVENANT CONTAINED IN THESE LEGAL TERMS OR OF ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. WE MAY TERMINATE YOUR USE OR PARTICIPATION IN THE SERVICES OR DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT AND ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION THAT YOU POSTED AT ANY TIME, WITHOUT WARNING, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION.
If we terminate or suspend your account for any reason, you are prohibited from registering and creating a new account under your name, a fake or borrowed name, or the name of any third party, even if you may be acting on behalf of the third party. In addition to terminating or suspending your account, we reserve the right to take appropriate legal action, including without limitation pursuing civil, criminal, and injunctive redress.
13. MODIFICATIONS AND INTERRUPTIONS
We reserve the right to change, modify, or remove the contents of the Services at any time or for any reason at our sole discretion without notice. However, we have no obligation to update any information on our Services. We will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, price change, suspension, or discontinuance of the Services.
We cannot guarantee the Services will be available at all times. We may experience hardware, software, or other problems or need to perform maintenance related to the Services, resulting in interruptions, delays, or errors. We reserve the right to change, revise, update, suspend, discontinue, or otherwise modify the Services at any time or for any reason without notice to you. You agree that we have no liability whatsoever for any loss, damage, or inconvenience caused by your inability to access or use the Services during any downtime or discontinuance of the Services. Nothing in these Legal Terms will be construed to obligate us to maintain and support the Services or to supply any corrections, updates, or releases in connection therewith.
14. GOVERNING LAW
These Legal Terms are governed by and interpreted following the laws of Lithuania, and the use of the United Nations Convention of Contracts for the International Sales of Goods is expressly excluded. If your habitual residence is in the EU, and you are a consumer, you additionally possess the protection provided to you by obligatory provisions of the law in your country to residence. MB "The Doers" and yourself both agree to submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Vilnius, which means that you may make a claim to defend your consumer protection rights in regards to these Legal Terms in Lithuania, or in the EU country in which you reside.
15. DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Informal Negotiations
To expedite resolution and control the cost of any dispute, controversy, or claim related to these Legal Terms (each a 'Dispute' and collectively, the 'Disputes') brought by either you or us (individually, a 'Party' and collectively, the 'Parties'), the Parties agree to first attempt to negotiate any Dispute (except those Disputes expressly provided below) informally for at least thirty (30) days before initiating arbitration. Such informal negotiations commence upon written notice from one Party to the other Party.
Binding Arbitration
Any dispute arising from the relationships between the Parties to these Legal Terms shall be determined by one arbitrator who will be chosen in accordance with the Arbitration and Internal Rules of the European Court of Arbitration being part of the European Centre of Arbitration having its seat in Strasbourg, and which are in force at the time the application for arbitration is filed, and of which adoption of this clause constitutes acceptance. The seat of arbitration shall be Vilnius, Lithuania. The language of the proceedings shall be English. Applicable rules of substantive law shall be the law of Lithuania.
Restrictions
The Parties agree that any arbitration shall be limited to the Dispute between the Parties individually. To the full extent permitted by law, (a) no arbitration shall be joined with any other proceeding; (b) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be arbitrated on a class-action basis or to utilise class action procedures; and (c) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be brought in a purported representative capacity on behalf of the general public or any other persons.
Exceptions to Informal Negotiations and Arbitration
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KILLED

Anna Grigoryan — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 22:01:00 GMT

When I think about journalism always few tropes come to mind.

Exhibit A. The sleazy writer in a sleazy magazine (picture "The Sun") who's there to produce sleazy clickbait articles.

Exhibit B. Hardcore independent journalist that will go against anyone to uncover the truth.

Exhibit C. A villain in the form of the Chief Editor/politician/businessman/celebrity who will pull strings to stop an uncomfortable truth from seeing the light of day.

In the digital age, however, we're aware of the power dynamics in media (hopefully?).

Publishing is not just about writing stories and putting them on websites or newspapers. It's also:

Armies of lawyers
Politicians
Advertisers
Exclusivity clauses

A careful balancing act with tens of variables. Each choice shapes the media landscape and information we're provided as an audience.

If I were to recommend the "Killed" podcast I'll say it's deep dive analysis nerdery combined with tight storytelling and real journalists on record sharing the death stories of their pieces.

Episodes contemplate the boundaries the journalists found themselves in. How rapid changes in culture, the #metoo movement, post-2008 crisis recovery, advertisers, and media conglomerates shaped the destiny of their articles.

The stories are chilling, funny, and sometimes strangely hopeful. And I don't use the word hopeful lightly in this day and age.

Recommended episodes

The Vibe

"I think people don’t realize if you don’t have a platform how hard it is to break through anything."

Anyone who has ever published anything on the internet knows there are a few ways you can build an audience:

do Google research, do trend research, find keywords, hashtags, and things people click on, and add one more thing to the pile of evergreen everclicky content.
write what you like and do a lot of promotions and a lot of collaborations to get your writing somewhere.
be famous.

The article that was supposed to be published by the hero of "The Vibe" episode was an 8000-word oral history of pool parties in what I can call a secluded paradise pool in Brooklyn New York.

A heartfelt story of culture, music, community, death, and rebirth. Death metaphorically of course. And rebirth quite literally as the article was in fact published on "Have to pass" Substack.

But for the juicy how and why you need to check out the episode.

The bombshell

Quote from the episode: “We’re mindful of the laws and issues in the countries we publish in.” - from Conde Nast representative.

During the almost 1st anniversary of the Ukraine war, it was interesting to listen back to the time when Vladimir Putin was still a prime minister. How a string of tragic apartment bombings in Russia helped him to become President and why GQ did everything in its power to stop an article about it from being published.

I don't know if you heard of this thing called the "Barbara Streisand Effect"? Well, NPR for sure did, and they did not waste time: Why 'GQ' Doesn't Want Russians To Read Its Story

Skyline Drive

Anna Grigoryan — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 22:03:00 GMT

Why tune in?

The opening line of Skyline Drive's first episode is:

"I don't believe in astrology, but astrology keeps happening to me."

I instantly got hooked.

I don't believe in astrology, but every once in a while, I go into a rabbit hole of astrological charts. Watch astrology-related videos on YouTube. I read about my sign and try to find similarities or things that don't relate to me at all.

I'm a Libra Sun, Sagittarius Moon, and Cancer Rising. Which should make me an indecisive, adventurer with a kind heart?

Astrology is a fun hobby, a tool for learning more about oneself, and a lucrative business. It speaks to people's desire to know the future and has the strength to tap into our deepest insecurities and fears.

The first episode is a bundle full of emotions.

From a conversation with A.J. Jacobs. A person who decided to live a life biblically for 1 year, to sweet and vulnerable discussion with Mangesh's mother on the story of her arranged marriage and what role astrology played there.

Quote, I loved from the first episode: "Astrology is true the same way a poem is true."

Who would love Skyline Drive?

Taking astrology seriously is not serious. You'd be made fun of for having astrology as a hobby or simply for believing in it.

If you are a believer or a curious explorer, you'll feel snug and safe with the stories of people who share their connection with astrology and the mysterious stars.

Mangesh takes us on a valuable journey to figuring out what astrology means to him, his family, his culture, and the people he talks to.

If the first episode indicates something, then the upcoming 7 episodes will be filled with diverse experiences of people who ponder, what's up there in the stars?

Caution: forget your axe at home!

The Polyester Podcast

Anna Grigoryan — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 22:00:00 GMT

"The Polyester Podcast" is an unapologetically feminist podcast where hosts Ione and Olivia are talking about the latest internet or pop culture drama.

When we think about the internet or pop culture drama we usually are disassociated from it. We think it's happening somewhere else, and not near us. Or can never happen to us. However, with social media platforms, we are as divided and as close as ever before. The Polyester Podcast dives into those seemingly unimportant things and explores how they affect our networks, us, and our culture.

Who would like this podcast?

If you want to change your point of view from the mainstream media and their clickbait cycles, have fun but also look into things through a feminist lens this is a podcast for you.

The polyester podcast is easy to follow, it's always covering hot topics in pop culture, and gives you all the entertainment from the messy internet through a gentle and human angle that is absent from the news.

Episode recommendations

What the "Don't Worry Darling" drama says about our cultural climate

Don't worry darling drama was simply too hilarious to miss. I appreciated the episode's journalistic approach to this niche internet drama. Turns out was more than just Harry Style's unhinged behavior, and this podcast had the timeline straight.

It was interesting to see how Twitter and the internet were unfolding this story, of course taking creative liberties on the way. It's always fascinating to see how the media treats stories of when women in conflict.

Why is everyone mad at Instagram again?

2022 is just not a good year for social media companies. While Twitter is currently crumbling under Musk, Instagram was also in turmoil this year. The endless chase to be THE place for everything and everyone (but specifically for young people) let Instagram copy every single app, including TikTok.

And not all creators were happy about the changes coming to the platform. This episode tackles the double standards social media platforms have regarding their users. How activist accounts are treated in contrast with Kim Kardashian's accounts, and how bad all those websites are for us at the end of the day.

Capitalisn't

Anna Grigoryan — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 21:58:00 GMT

A lot of things are wrong with capitalism. Every day we learn about new ways that the economic system is reducing opportunities from every background, except for Jeff Bezos of course, and a couple of his friends.

But maybe, just maybe there's something okay-ish with it? In comes Capitalisn't a podcast about what works in capitalism.

In each episode, Bethany and Luigi talk to a guest who shares how capitalism may have a redeeming quality (question mark), or how we can change it.

Who would like this podcast?

If you want to see that not everything is totally bad with capitalism, learn about the intersections of economics and politics. Most importantly learn from the diverse roundup of guests: academics, venture partners, economists, writers, and active politicians.

I listen to this podcast every time I feel like I'm too negative about the current world. It's not that the podcast makes me think that capitalism is amazing. However, I discover new people who are talking about things from different perspectives, which also helps me expand my worldview.

Short disclaimer, you need to be comfortable with a lot of political and economical terminology.

Episode recommendations

Does Software Actually Slow Innovation? We hear a lot that employees' productivity is down, and James Bessen has an interesting theory on why this is, and how it ties to the SaaS model pioneered by big tech. With decades of non-compete contracts, the company's desire to protect its software and IP from everyone is putting weight on the employees, so their knowledge becomes untransferable.

The current state of software knowledge and data is less and less accessible, and regulatable. It's an amazing conversation around the great unbundling of the internet, and how the big tech companies are fighting back.

Quote, I loved: "The problem [lowering of innovation and the phenomenon of no new companies growing] is arising because these companies [Facebook] are benefiting society, definitely in the short run. It also poses a problem for regulation in that a software-based economy is increasingly difficult for government regulators to manage, to handle. Regulation has turned increasingly dependent on information, and yet a software-based economy means there are ample opportunities for information to be distorted"

Capitalism In Our Attention Economy With Albert Wenger. When I heard that Albert the guest of the episode is a Partner in a VC I sighed. I thought: "Here we go again, a capitalist. He will say everything is fine. We just need to hustle and grind". I was wrong.

A capitalist who is pro universal basic income, against copyright, and hates attention economy? Sign me up, I don't know where, but sign me up somewhere.

Albert talks about more effective knowledge discovery,

Quote, I'd yell from the top of every building: "YouTube combines the best and the worst of digital technology in one place. There are these amazing explanatory videos on YouTube on just about everything from fixing your kitchen sink to understanding advanced topics in math.

We could use systems to surface the best math content on YouTube, except that YouTube has zero economic incentives to do that. Zero, literally. "

The Financial Confessions

Anna Grigoryan — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 21:56:00 GMT

Why tune in to "The Financial Confessions"?

I have been following Chelsea Fagan the host of "Financial Confessions" and the YouTube channel "The Financial Diet" for years now.

Although I'm not in the USA and a lot of financial advice does not apply to me, I still enjoy their videos and podcast for a simple reason.

The podcast and the YouTube channel are not shying away to talk about their personal experiences candidly.

Every aspect of our lives is entrenched with small financial decisions.

How we handle them is different depending on our socio-economic background. "The Financial confession" is a place where people talk about money, privilege, consumerism, fast fashion, and the political and economical aspects of seemingly boring everyday decisions.

Who will like "The Financial Confessions"?

I imagine this podcast would be even more valuable for USA residents and the host and the guests are always talking about the best way to budget or invest.

However, if you're just looking for a podcast in the intersection of pop culture x reality TV x creator economy x politics x personal finance. Then this is definitely for you.

Episode recommendation

It is excruciating for me to select ONLY 1 episode from the TFC feed. I suffered, I really did, and then I decided to put the one I relisten to the most. Because I do relisten to them. Sometimes an uncomfortable about of time!

How A No-Buy Year Can Change Your Brain’s Response To Consumerism

Hannah Louise Poston is a YouTuber for doing a very challenging "No Buy Year". The Rules of the "No Buy Year" vary from person to person, but the gist of it is to stop buying new products for a year.

Hannah debunked her journey into the "No Buy Year" and what changes she noticed in her consumer behavior during that process. She also goes into the gender dynamics of wanting to buy beautiful things.

"I was shopping for beautiful things in a life-ruining way, and I had to slow down or it would spiral", Hannah says talking about the addictive nature of her consumerism.