My daughter has Sickle Cell Disease 🌙
Some personal news
Last Tuesday, I was told by our doctor that our daughter has an blood disease. Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder in which red blood cells have an abnormal, sickle-shaped structure. This abnormal shape makes them less efficient at transporting oxygen and they can break down faster, leading to chronic anemia. The disease can also lead to blockages in blood vessels and painful crises.
Our world completely collapsed the first moment. It is an incurable disease that can come with great pain. And where an eternal fear of complications lurks. Meanwhile, we are a week on, have seen a lot of doctors, read information and talked to friends. And we know that, thanks to science, Alma Coco will be able to live a pretty good life. And that the average life expectancy of 45 years nowadays will increase rapidly because of the quality of care we have in Belgium.
Having recovered from the initial shock, you notice how such things refocus your whole being for a moment. What is important? And then you arrive at work, read about Dries Depoorter's new project and suddenly you think of the Shortlife clock I’ve bought for my daughter when she was born. A clock to remind you that life is short. 'ShortLife' is a small device showing how much percent of your life is completed based on your life expectancy. I don't believe in coincidences so I was shocked. Out of all the gifts I could give I gave that?
Superstitious as I am I also thought, that clock has been broken for a while due to a bad contact, so I haven’t seen the clock counting down for a while.
So from now on, we are counting up the days. Because the glass is always half full 🥃
Must reads 👀
A lot of clients come to Hurae because they want to stand out: “something different”. On Tiktok, Telegram, Snapchat, or just in the streets.
It's hard to explain how we at Hurae set out to fulfill that desire but a big part of it is absorbing a lot of knowledge. About artists, about life, about technology. About everything. So we read up a lot on trends and we are always happy to share that knowledge with you. By giving some examples you can understand how our brain works:
INSANE: students are importing “platform logic” into real life
No contact orders (NCOs), originally designed to protect victims of sexual harassment or assault on college campuses, are now being widely used by Gen Z students to avoid interpersonal conflict, often over disputes as minor as stolen bagels or awkward social run-ins. Fueled by a generation described as “conflict-averse” and heavily shaped by online behaviors like blocking and muting.GOOD METAPHORE: GenAI is Our Polyester
While polyester took a few decades to lose its appeal, GenAI is already feeling a bit cheesy. We're only a few years into the AI Revolution, and Facebook and X are filled to the brim with “AI slop.” Everyone around the world has near-equal access to these tools, and low-skilled South and Southeast Asian content farmers are the most active creators because their wages are low enough for the platforms' economic incentives to be attractive.WHAT DID WE EXPECT? Brain Study Shows ChatGPT Actually Makes You Dumber
Brain scans have shown that LLM users have only half as many Alpha connections compared to those who rely solely on their brains.
THANK GOD: Gen Z, which (somewhat incredibly) makes up 42% of Pinterest’s user base, is increasingly frustrated by the flood of AI-generated content overtaking the platform. Many are turning to alternatives like the curation app Cosmos
BUT HOW DO I TRANSFER 250.000 PHOTO’S FROM MY LIBRARY? Rotten Apple: are we finally watching the death of the iPhone?
The creative companies of the past (like Apple) have become very big and very corporate, and they’re no longer very creative. They’re no longer inspirational for the younger generation. So we (the Nothing phone CEO) are trying to bring that back,” he said. “That is why we want to make technology ‘fun’ again.” Whether or not Cook can, too, might well hold the answer to Apple’s future success.
FREE SPEECH! Social Media Replaced Zines. Now Zines Are Taking the Power Back
At a time of fleeting memes and cultural platforms operated by multibillion-dollar companies, an old mode of creativity and community-building gets a second life. zines have taken on new importance as a way to spread ideas outside the easy reach of unfriendly eyes and unhelpful algorithms
KIDS ARE COPING: Kids are protesting against I.C.E. in Roblox
Recently, Roblox players have been conducting virtual I.C.E. immigration raids. Roblox players dressed as I.C.E. agents have barged into other player’s houses. They have "arrested" a user hiding in his kitchen and chased down another player while conducting “border patrol” surveillance. The game is now where thousands of children go to process major world news events through highly intricate role play. These simulations are how many young people experience news events, representing a shift towards more participatory forms of media.
U ARE NOT UNIQUE: Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s embrace of “raw” and “messy” social media aesthetics — photo dumps, finstas, crying selfies, etc. — has become its own performance, a kind of perfectionism of imperfection. “Vulnerability-as-aesthetic” has replaced the millennial polished feed, but both are shaped by constant self-surveillance.
COOL FACT: That sudden jerk you experience when falling asleep may be because we slept in trees: How Hunter-Gatherers Slept
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER VIRALITY? The Stanley Cup’s Viral Moment May Be Waning. A New Brand Chief Has a Plan.
The former chief brand officer of Allbirds has joined the company known for its 40-ounce tumblers as it expands into sports, leisure and international markets
I COULDNT DO THAT: Days-Long ‘Dark Retreats’ Are the Newest Spiritual Conquest for Tech Elites
Darkness retreats remain niche, but they have become the latest extreme spiritual practice for founders, athletes, influencers, psychonauts, and yogis to attempt traversing and later flex about.
The Bisou Awards are Back! 💋
We are thrilled to announce that we will be back on November 6th with the second edition of the Bisou Awards. A unique award show focusing on influencers and brands who have a massive impact by creating well-crafted and authentic content.
We are happy to share some numbers of the edition of 2024:
2.000 nominee entries
19.000 votes
35 professional jury members
250 000 viewers on Pickx+, (making it the most watched program of 2024)
Media reach of 13.181.214
Estimated potential reach: +100 Million eyeballs. Interested to become a partner? Let us know!
Hurae - Experiental Marketing 🧗🏼♂️
Most agencies think out of the box. We think out of the blue. Or out of this world. We think of anything that gets people talking about your brand. Offline & online. The best content is not necessarily created for social media, but content that gets talked about on social media. Eyes Eyes Baby!
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One last thought: Do new things. Tattoo the moment: In the movie “Into the Wild”, there is a line about how the core of existence is new experiences. Often what we remember and which gives time certain elongation and depth are new experiences. These do not just have to be travels or new relationships and new jobs but could be as simple as walking down a new street, eating at a new place and going to a new cultural event. If there is a way to tattoo the moment into your memory you should try too. I actually tattoo those moments as much as I can 👀 Got 7 new ones last week. A sickle cell turned into smiley.
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