Vox: All Posts by Amy Keyishianhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52517/voxv.png2016-11-08T15:55:24-05:00https://www.vox.com/authors/amy-keyishian/rss2016-11-08T15:55:24-05:002016-11-08T15:55:24-05:00Clinton supporters are flooding Twitter with pantsuit selfies
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<img alt="Jay Z Holds Get Out The Vote Concert In Support Of Hillary Clinton" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ORbG7Fajwq72tZLhrZlnRUUldno=/392x0:5383x3743/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51740131/621179972.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Duane Prokop / Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A dorky fashion choice has become a (still dorky) powerful statement via social media. </p> <p id="SzDD8k">What started as a mockable fashion statement by a certain<strong> </strong>female politician has become a selfie signifier in the current election. </p>
<p id="ImXVr0">At the beginning of Hillary Clinton’s presidential<strong> </strong>campaign, the pantsuit was a slightly embarrassing fashion choice<strong> </strong>for<strong> </strong>the former first lady, senator and secretary of state. But<strong> </strong>what’s she supposed to wear? On men, these are just called ... suits. And when she wore skirts, she opened herself to complaints about her shoes or the size of her ankles. So early on in the presidential race, her campaign made it clear that she was just going to go ahead and own the pantsuit. </p>
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<img alt="An African-American woman in a black tee shirt with a line of different-colored pants suits; a white man in a red tee shirt designed to look like a jacket with a necklace and a Hillary Clinton logo pin. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NdL1rVqimQSSbfhYkhhpXDn2aCU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7432897/20161108_hillary_tees_pants_suits.jpg">
<cite>shop.hillaryclinton.com</cite>
<figcaption>On the left, the Pantsuit Palette tee. On the right, the Everyday Pantsuit tee. Both were available on Hillary Clinton’s official shop. </figcaption>
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<p id="tabR1t">As an unpleasant primary set in, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/16/fashion/closet-hillary-clinton-supporters-facebook-secret-groups.html">secret Clinton groups</a> proliferated on Facebook as safe places where women who felt their normal political interactions were now tinged with a certain misogyny could blurt out their frustrations. Much more recently, these disparate groups united in a million-plus-member group called <a href="http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/7/13546830/pantsuit-nation-hillary-clinton-election-secret-private-facebook-group">Pantsuit Nation</a>. A viral video cemented the idea that matching jackets and slacks, often acquired at a local thrift store, would be the uniform for a certain sort of frustrated, empowered Clinton supporter. </p>
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<p id="F6H5fy">And here we are. It’s election day, and members of Pantsuit Nation and its ilk are taking to Twitter to mark their votes with a heavy side order of symbolism. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> Jerry, slaying in her white pantsuit! <a href="https://t.co/SyXJpgX3kp">https://t.co/SyXJpgX3kp</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iwaited96years?src=hash">#iwaited96years</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuitnation?src=hash">#pantsuitnation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ImWithHer?src=hash">#ImWithHer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Centenarian4Hillary?src=hash">#Centenarian4Hillary</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SlayAllDay?src=hash">#SlayAllDay</a></p>— Somchay (@somchayxe) <a href="https://twitter.com/somchayxe/status/794872482515795969">November 5, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wearing my <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuffragetteWhite?src=hash">#SuffragetteWhite</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pantsuit?src=hash">#Pantsuit</a> to the polls this morning! Happy <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Election2016?src=hash">#Election2016</a> America!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VOTE?src=hash">#VOTE</a> <a href="https://t.co/1q7MX5dVYS">pic.twitter.com/1q7MX5dVYS</a></p>— Lisa Guerrero (@4lisaguerrero) <a href="https://twitter.com/4lisaguerrero/status/796004483335528449">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a> my grandmother born a slave unable to vote or wear a pantsuit. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/voted?src=hash">#voted</a> 2day 4 our First Female President 4 her <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionDay?src=hash">#ElectionDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/PRT8XGDjXU">pic.twitter.com/PRT8XGDjXU</a></p>— madamecain (@madamecain) <a href="https://twitter.com/madamecain/status/796072300089110528">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">It was the only <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a> I had. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/voted?src=hash">#voted</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nyvotes?src=hash">#nyvotes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Election2016?src=hash">#Election2016</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ImWitHer?src=hash">#ImWitHer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nastywomenvote?src=hash">#nastywomenvote</a> <a href="https://t.co/kJxh8bXca0">pic.twitter.com/kJxh8bXca0</a></p>— Psycho-Girl (@psychogirl_com) <a href="https://twitter.com/psychogirl_com/status/796007888426860545">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">YESSSSSS. As seen in the Castro, San Francisco <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuitnation?src=hash">#pantsuitnation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/imwithher?src=hash">#imwithher</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LGBTQ?src=hash">#LGBTQ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/vote?src=hash">#vote</a> <a href="https://t.co/7x7MzKkyHD">pic.twitter.com/7x7MzKkyHD</a></p>— Lisa Edelstein (@LisaEdelstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/LisaEdelstein/status/795378302928044034">November 6, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joined my fellow <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nastywomen?src=hash">#nastywomen</a> at the polls today, rocking my <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a> in NYC. <a href="https://t.co/PsFuPAtF5G">pic.twitter.com/PsFuPAtF5G</a></p>— Nora Burns (@Nora_Burns) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nora_Burns/status/796071062404558848">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">TODAY ❤️ <a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton">@HillaryClinton</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thefutureisfemale?src=hash">#thefutureisfemale</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuitnation?src=hash">#pantsuitnation</a> <a href="https://t.co/mLi62hr2AM">pic.twitter.com/mLi62hr2AM</a></p>— Cree Summer (@IAmCreeSummer) <a href="https://twitter.com/IAmCreeSummer/status/796054227646746624">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Put on a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a> pop a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tictac?src=hash">#tictac</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/grabhimbytheballot?src=hash">#grabhimbytheballot</a> I did! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ImWithHer?src=hash">#ImWithHer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuitnation?src=hash">#pantsuitnation</a> <a href="https://t.co/FhlKMHFdkp">pic.twitter.com/FhlKMHFdkp</a></p>— jennifer runnion (@sisterj1969) <a href="https://twitter.com/sisterj1969/status/796003275665473536">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today's a really good day to wear a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a> and sensible shoes. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Election2016?src=hash">#Election2016</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/vote?src=hash">#vote</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton">@HillaryClinton</a> <a href="https://t.co/0VUldSLXqh">pic.twitter.com/0VUldSLXqh</a></p>— Liz Hobbs (@LizPop11) <a href="https://twitter.com/LizPop11/status/795986329985286146">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">In honor of my grandmothers, I wore my white suffragette version of a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/herstory?src=hash">#herstory</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WithHer?src=hash">#WithHer</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ly0ZLgj6VI">pic.twitter.com/Ly0ZLgj6VI</a></p>— Hollye Dexter (@hollyedexter) <a href="https://twitter.com/hollyedexter/status/796068644690149376">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Proud member of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuitnation?src=hash">#pantsuitnation</a>! Wearing my Hillary Blue! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/vote?src=hash">#vote</a> <a href="https://t.co/7SHSZIzyjA">pic.twitter.com/7SHSZIzyjA</a></p>— Peter Paige (@ThePeterPaige) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePeterPaige/status/796027630856257536">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Starting the day with a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a> selfie and some optimism from Susan B. Anthony <a href="https://t.co/HD2RHtSuTf">pic.twitter.com/HD2RHtSuTf</a></p>— Beth Skwarecki (@BethSkw) <a href="https://twitter.com/BethSkw/status/795975049987682304">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">To make sure nobody has doubtsabout who I voted for I came to work wearing a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PantSuit?src=hash">#PantSuit</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ImWithHer?src=hash">#ImWithHer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/myvote2016?src=hash">#myvote2016</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuitnation?src=hash">#pantsuitnation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionDay?src=hash">#ElectionDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/v3WeD2nLlI">pic.twitter.com/v3WeD2nLlI</a></p>— Naftali Kaminski (@KaminskiMed) <a href="https://twitter.com/KaminskiMed/status/796015628540932096">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuitnation?src=hash">#pantsuitnation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/suffragettecity?src=hash">#suffragettecity</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheFutureisFemale?src=hash">#TheFutureisFemale</a> <a href="https://t.co/f5jeTxGXzd">pic.twitter.com/f5jeTxGXzd</a></p>— jennifer creelman (@pearlcreelman) <a href="https://twitter.com/pearlcreelman/status/796071859695423488">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts">@shannonrwatts</a> Wearing grandma's necklace & white <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a> with my <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MomsDemandAction?src=hash">#MomsDemandAction</a> tee for final <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GOTV?src=hash">#GOTV</a> shifts for <a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton">@HillaryClinton</a> <a href="https://t.co/o1Ygp1BURF">pic.twitter.com/o1Ygp1BURF</a></p>— Judith Fardig (@FardigJudith) <a href="https://twitter.com/FardigJudith/status/796066605834727424">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pantsuit for Hillary! Also Rosie the Riveter bandana and Ann Richards inaugural scarf on purse. <a href="https://twitter.com/madfoot">@madfoot</a> for you to use as you wish... <a href="https://t.co/MGqTeoh2fz">pic.twitter.com/MGqTeoh2fz</a></p>— Holly Hayes (@HollyTHayes) <a href="https://twitter.com/HollyTHayes/status/796079190147813376">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Let's do this America! And my lawyer suit still fits ten years later. Bonus! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuitnation?src=hash">#pantsuitnation</a> <a href="https://t.co/Vzn4zmn4nY">pic.twitter.com/Vzn4zmn4nY</a></p>— Leena D. Saini (@MasalaBabyFood) <a href="https://twitter.com/MasalaBabyFood/status/796079216014004224">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p id="42goWR">Of course, a pantsuit is not the only symbolic gesture breaking hearts on Twitter: </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">My favorite thing on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuitnation?src=hash">#pantsuitnation</a> so far. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ImWithHer?src=hash">#ImWithHer</a> <a href="https://t.co/a1t92Mhgsp">pic.twitter.com/a1t92Mhgsp</a></p>— Jennifer Latham (@jenandapen) <a href="https://twitter.com/jenandapen/status/795267641602666496">November 6, 2016</a>
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<p id="XP6L3w">Thank goodness, all these ladies (and gents) had help from another Vox site, Racked! </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wondering what to wear to go <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/vote?src=hash">#vote</a>? Wonder no more, that's what a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a> is for <a href="https://t.co/qtAlTzMiBX">https://t.co/qtAlTzMiBX</a></p>— Racked (@Racked) <a href="https://twitter.com/Racked/status/795798746093133824">November 8, 2016</a>
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<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/11/8/13565512/presidential-election-twitter-pantsuits-trending-voters-clintonAmy Keyishian2016-11-07T07:30:03-05:002016-11-07T07:30:03-05:00This is what voting looks like around the world
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<img alt="The United Kingdom Goes To The Polls In The EU Referendum" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/71XxMpw1pmZdl2hbumb45ka89Q8=/672x0:5088x3312/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51682537/542379690.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Military veterans in the London district of Chelsea cast their votes in the EU referendum this past June. | Dan Kitwood / Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Paper ballots, plastic tubs, human counters: It’s remarkably similar all over.</p> <p id="6I8JdB">After the 2000 presidential election, which Al Gore lost by a hair, talk of hanging chads threw the technology of voting booths into question. More recent chatter around the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump led Kara Swisher to muse, on recent episodes of <strong>Recode Decode</strong>, about <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/8/17/12522776/russell-brandom-hacking-too-embarrassed-to-ask-podcast-transcript">the likelihood of voting machines getting hacked</a> and <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/10/10/13231894/bradley-tusk-ventures-uber-politics-recode-decode-podcast-transcript">the possibility of phone-voting in the future</a>.</p>
<p id="kBdlYU">But when you look at polling stations around the world, whether the elections are considered fair or fraudulent, most of us are using the same methods: Paper ballots, marked by humans, put in boxes, counted by other humans. </p>
<h2 id="V6psJf">Madrid, Spain</h2>
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<img alt="General Elections in Spain 2016" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9CKnou-cFtjQGEuhzzvnYei-ud4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7400049/543121414.jpg">
<cite>Denis Doyle / Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="ofYdZO">The general election in Spain on June 26, 2016, was the second attempt to produce a government after an election in December failed to do so. This voter’s got no turntables or a microphone, but he does have a voting booth. </p>
<h2 id="jcVx2u">Ayacucho, Peru</h2>
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<img alt="Peruvian Presidential Elections" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7qbb6_Kh1BVpiTJ5_0lsZwciNjs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7400211/1318154.jpg">
<cite>Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="ZKXBH1">A Peruvian peasant shows her ink-marked finger, proof that she voted in one of several elections in 2000 that ultimately put Alejandro Toledo, the country’s first indigenous leader, in charge after months of contested runoffs and allegations of widespread fraud in the administrations of his predecessors. </p>
<h2 id="k3mT7D">Gosford, Australia </h2>
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<img alt="Australians Head To The Polls To Vote In 2016 Federal Election" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AJ2YlKTZ_gEG1rsXPpmV-1Ff85U=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7400419/544224918.jpg">
<cite>Tony Feder / Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="VFOy84">Voters at an elementary school on July 2, 2016, in Woongarrah Public School in the electorate of Dobell. They were there to elect that country’s 45th parliament.</p>
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<img alt="Scrutineers Start Counting Postal Votes As Australia Waits On Election Outcome" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/V1KBu709Br1dQtaXDhPSTsaYDMM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7400437/545001390.jpg">
<cite>Ryan Pierse / Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="nB6uxm">A few days later, “scrutineers” counted mail-in votes; the election was still too close to call.</p>
<h2 id="c7Upnp">Monrovia, Liberia </h2>
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<img alt="Liberians Vote In Presidential Run Off Elections" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Z6t6kzvqOGuThkf2zG2pNDKtNfs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7400451/56120100.jpg">
<cite>Chris Hondros / Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="FXhBQF">In Liberia, a woman voted in the runoff election held on November 8, 2005, to decide between popular soccer star George Weah and Liberian Finance Minister Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who eventually prevailed to become the first democratically elected female head of state in Africa. She is still in power and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2011. </p>
<h2 id="RyDpCs">Paris, France</h2>
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<img alt="Paris Socialist Mayoral Candidate Anne Hidalgo Votes In Paris" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IBpBrZ5ICeVXV5YhQTuVujFZGko=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7400531/481454269.jpg">
<cite>Thierry Chesnot / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="iSk2hj">Anne Hidalgo, Paris’s deputy major and a candidate from the Socialist Party for mayor, took to a voting booth on March 30, 2014. Her victory made her the first female mayor of Paris, though her party took a beating elsewhere around the country. </p>
<h2 id="LvFCGE">Qom, Iran</h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Iranian Vote In parliamentary And Assembly Of Experts Elections" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dpWKakmSct1qGAbMOwmnab4OerU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7400541/512611898.jpg">
<cite>Majid Saeedi / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="sXYDGG">Iranians held that country’s first parliamentary elections since its nuclear deal on February 26, 2016. </p>
<h2 id="UF3jfW">Bangkok, Thailand</h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Thailand Holds Referendum On New Constitution" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aweSf_8jpFzDRgpDHyFAq2nz0YY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7400587/586873402.jpg">
<cite>Brent Lewin / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="EgqaUe">Just last month, voters in Thailand supported that country’s 20th constitution (in the 84 years since the end of monarchic rule), which puts military leaders in control of the government. The hope is for at least a few years of stability. </p>
<h2 id="lv9Ju4">Kiev, Ukraine </h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Ukrainian Voters Head To The Polls For The General Election" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Z6UDEWFtAEi8lTt3ji7a-d-q3ac=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7400059/457881234.jpg">
<cite>David Ramos / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="cijjIj">On October 26, 2014, Ukrainian voters elected billionaire businessman Petro Porshenko by a huge margin. The election was supposed to unite factions in that country, which is not recognized by Russia, but so far the Minsk peace agreement (patched together in 2015) is still not quite defusing the conflict. </p>
<h2 id="TbxaQ9">Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan</h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Afghans Go To the Polls For Parliamentary Elections" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tKjALNjsZlnSv3LQ6lWyDlxgyWI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7409953/104238511.jpg">
<cite>Majid Saeedi / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="bjOCmv">In advance of the 2010 parliamentary election in Afghanistan, the Taliban threatened violence at the polls, and claimed in the aftermath to have carried out more than 100 attacks. A human rights organization monitoring the election said that although there were several bomb and rocket attacks, voting on the whole was safer than expected and hadn’t been disrupted. Turnout was understandably low. </p>
<h2 id="BuuHCO">Himeji, Japan</h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Japan Vote In Upper House Election" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hs5-2thbgO4IoZFRUdt7bTi9TIc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7405055/545728970.jpg">
<cite>Buddhika Weerasinghe / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="qe1Jmn">In a vote held on July 10, 2016, Japanese voters ushered in the two-thirds majority needed for prime minister Shinzo Abe to revise that country’s pacifist, war-renouncing constitution.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Japan Vote In Upper House Election" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/irGP-28_0LQABv8JBTkjUT9TYAs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7407309/545735800.jpg">
<cite>Buddhika Weerasinghe / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="9DSgq4">Here’s an interesting twist: The polling stations and ballot boxes are metal. But the ballots are still paper, counted by hand. </p>
<h2 id="1aHGs0">Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil</h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="First Round Presidential Elections Held In Brazil" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wKiu8JG16URE1KET5UemAaUFFfo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7407329/456685494.jpg">
<cite>Victor Moriyama / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="d4fHhw">On October 5, 2014, Brazilians barely re-elected progressive President Dilma Rousseff, a populist heroine whose approval ratings nosedived during her tenure. Two years later, she was impeached and removed from office in a move some called a coup. Voter fraud, however, was never considered to be an issue; rather, she said she was ousted by the manipulations of elite government insiders. </p>
<h2 id="mPEhuk">Moscow, Russia</h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Russians Go To The Polls In Presidential Election" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/23AR3PTL2ILc_pN3RwUCOQNMT3s=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7407471/140641391.jpg">
<cite>Oleg Nikishin / Epsilon / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="BzZ8ag">After Vladimir Putin changed voting laws, candidates who supported him sailed to victory on March 4, 2012. Many of them had previously been appointed by him and then resigned (while still serving under a special arrangement with the Kremlin) so that this special election would have to take place, knowing they were favored to win anyway. Confusing and not quite aboveboard, but these ballot boxes weren’t the issue. </p>
<h2 id="2QHW6N">Yangon, Myanmar</h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Elections In Myanmar" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YvROe5URt2JGx1UNm_Lvjn9v6SE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7407801/496182302.jpg">
<cite>Lauren DeCicca / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="5cEFnm">A historic election on November 8, 2015, had the Burmese National League for Democracy winning a landslide “super-majority” over the military parties that had controlled the country for half a century. This was the first free and fair national election since a 1962 military coup. As in Peru, ink-stained fingers served as proof of voting. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Elections In Myanmar" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/a6me9Bo3mRojsM0nLIYY90DB32A=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7408689/496220044.jpg">
<cite>Lauren DeCicca / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="Cny7SI">The Burmese vote wasn’t perfect. There were complaints that unregistered factory workers couldn’t vote and reports of absentee ballots without names, and the military retained automatic control of 25 percent of the seats. Still, the ballot system (and more plastic tubs!) was not the issue.</p>
<h2 id="DTNsWw">Cairo, Egypt</h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Presidential Elections Are Held In Egypt" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LwTVhKDL1xpHkE-i-hbncYyRigg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7408807/494044469.jpg">
<cite>Jonathan Rashad / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="7rYRZQ">A colossally low voter turnout in the first election since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, who had been Egypt’s first democratically elected leader, led international observers to criticize that country’s election process. They cited repression of opposition to the established leadership and the financial advantage of and media attention to the eventual winner, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Presidential Elections Are Held In Egypt" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/n5f8XH9LCFdEo00Sk2ZPd2mUotQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7408817/493902071.jpg">
<cite>Jonathan Rashad / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="Ya2tRU">Sisi won with about 94 percent of the vote; 3 percent went to his opposition, and 3 percent were defaced protest votes. So, you know. Plastic tubs and inky fingers are no guarantee. </p>
<h2 id="UZspVH">Seoul, South Korea</h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="South Korean Vote In General Election" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aApfeuCjeECVCgUMGJlUCwCRskE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7409141/520763772.jpg">
<cite>Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="CahhvK">Voters on April 13, 2016, made sure its politically conservative president would be up against a parliament consisting mostly of centrist and progressive candidates. The surprise vote of no-confidence in President Park Geun-hye, whose father was dictator throughout ’60s and ’70s, came as a shock. Also: Dog. </p>
<h2 id="LDM0ke">Las Vegas, Nevada </h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Nevada Voters Head To The Polls During State's Early Voting" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Q34HDz0Xx3VHcqRGGbKkQjLgl_8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7410167/618474618.jpg">
<cite>Ethan Miller / Getty Images</cite>
</figure>
<p id="cEWKiE">Early voting has already begun in the Clinton-Trump race. One would be hard-pressed to imagine a more American process than voting booths set up in a mall with Elvis overlooking the proceedings. </p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/11/7/13507916/voting-images-around-world-polling-ballotsAmy Keyishian2016-09-08T10:29:48-04:002016-09-08T10:29:48-04:00All about the iPhone 7
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/K7xhHdujS8Q_iOKQR59hqyBThzk=/288x0:4896x3456/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50736903/GettyImages-599944304.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Stephen Lam/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>How's it going, Siri's new best friend?</p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/9/8/12847918/iphone-7-story-streamTom MainelliIna FriedBob O'DonnellWalt Mossberg2016-09-07T11:30:07-04:002016-09-07T11:30:07-04:00Apple iPhone event: News, updates and analysis from the announcement
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/f3z_MMRVpYouM4WJHTDf6_oMmy4=/194x0:3306x2334/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50717405/GettyImages-539892778.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Andrew Burton/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The next best thing to being in the room where it happens.</p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/9/7/12833722/apple-iphone-announcement-news-updateIna FriedMeghann FarnsworthKurt WagnerMark BergenPeter KafkaDan FrommerEric Johnson2016-07-19T17:22:57-04:002016-07-19T17:22:57-04:00Here’s the software that could have saved Melania Trump from her plagiarism debacle
<figure>
<img alt="Melania Trump at the Republican National Convention: Day One" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kCkXR8mBscGbtB2q-hFPZZAysHU=/0x0:4323x3242/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50156127/577294882.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Donald Trump’s campaign co-chair mentioned TurnItIn.com in an interview today. </p> <p id="1dQtag">Last night at the Republican National Convention, Melania Trump, wife of presumptive nominee Donald Trump, gave a speech that bore an uncanny resemblance, as critics almost immediately pointed out, to a speech given by Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention in 2008, when <em>her</em> husband was the presumptive nominee. </p>
<p id="3XAZjO">Today on MSNBC, the Trump campaign’s national co-chair, Sam Clovis, <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-news/watch/who-should-be-held-accountable-for-melania-s-rnc-speech-727761475624">mentioned a bit of software</a> that would have prevented the whole debacle: </p>
<p id="ZtOWUH">“I’ll tell ya, I’m a college professor, and I use <a href="http://turnitin.com/en_us/">TurnItIn.com</a> all the time … That’s a software that allows you to check out different things.” </p>
<p id="yCCVr8">Or, as <strong>Recode’s</strong> own Ina Fried put it: </p>
<div id="e4ifiN">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">night one of the RNC, brought to you by <a href="https://t.co/IJBX1fFdzh">https://t.co/IJBX1fFdzh</a></p>— Ina Fried (@inafried) <a href="https://twitter.com/inafried/status/755259073210093570">July 19, 2016</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="WNzx6q">Clovis, who <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/us/politics/iowans-fear-allegiance-swap-erodes-clean-political-image.html">lost an Iowa senate race last year</a>, was at one point the chairman of the economics and business administration department at Morningside College, though he is not currently listed on that school’s site. </p>
<p id="X9nLal">TurnItIn is a subscription service currently in use, the company says, at 12,000 educational institutions around the globe. Founded by Berkeley neuroscientists in the late 1990s, the service compares text against web content, previous submissions, and scholarly journals and magazines to generate an “originality report.” The report highlights text that matches another source. </p>
<p id="CCPACf">As it happens, TurnItIn ran one of its reports on Mrs. Trump’s speech and found several types of plagiarism.</p>
<p id="XaHFs9"><strong> “Clone” Plagiarism</strong></p>
<p id="MaXeYQ">In this type of plagiarism, the exact same words appear in both the original and the copy. TurnItIn found 23 identical words when comparing the two speeches. Despite the Trump campaign’s claim that Mrs. Trump simply used “common words and values,” TurnItIn calculates the likelihood of this coincidence as a “one in one <em>trillion</em> chance.” </p>
<p id="Jja2se"><strong>“Find-Replace” Plagiarism </strong></p>
<p id="0GYcGa">Another type of appropriation studied by the company concerns text that “retains the content or meaning” of someone else’s work — for instance, if a paragraph only changes a few words. The company was able to provide an image of the close match between a section of the two speeches:</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Side-by-side color-coded notations of similarities between Michelle Obama's 2008 speech and Melania Trump's 2016 speech." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wwHcmack_AVZ7glOKpKFy8IWDc8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6814531/20160719-turnitin-plagiarism-melania-trump-michelle-obama.png">
<cite>TurnItIn.com</cite>
</figure>
<p id="vHWlc7">In the end, said company spokesperson Chris Harrick, “This happens infrequently, because [political] teams are made up of professionals who should know better, as opposed to kids who are under a time crunch and a tremendous amount of pressure.” </p>
<p id="57jtXV">But the company’s statement urges an additional takeaway from this debacle. “As a teachable moment, the question of whether Melania Trump’s speech exhibits plagiarism or not is not as helpful as looking at this controversy as an object lesson on how to avoid plagiarism.” </p>
<p id="7EVJD2">Sure, we’ll go with that. </p>
<p id="tyupK0">Just for giggles, we ran the full text of Mrs. Trump’s speech through another site, Grammarly.com, which found “significant plagiarism.” But it costs $30/month to get a more detailed report that would explain exactly what that means and where the similarities are drawn from. Maybe the Trump campaign was short on cash.</p>
<p id="HTJuvT">Meanwhile, the free sites were useless, because they apparently compare against existing websites and, of course, the full text of Mrs. Trump’s speech is all over the web. </p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/7/19/12230618/plagiarism-software-turnitin-melania-trump-michelle-obamaAmy Keyishian2016-06-27T17:41:57-04:002016-06-27T17:41:57-04:00'Silicon Valley,' season three, episode ten: And then there’s fraud
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-NBSgf-sV50qVgCoeFJI-2PxawU=/0x0:609x457/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49969013/20160627-silicon-valley-zach-woods-thomas-middleditch.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>HBO</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The season finale went too fast and raised too many questions. </p> <p id="RF1lmQ"><em>Each week, we watch "Silicon Valley" on HBO and then reflect on the ways the show mirrors — or doesn't — the real Silicon Valley. This week, the season ends with a surprise savior who is totally going to get grounded. You can catch up on the recaps </em><a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/5/30/11814762/silicon-valley-hbo-the-recode-recaps"><em>here.</em></a></p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="NVln6C">
<p id="C5ZFKw">This episode left me perplexed, and it took me the better part of the day for it to fully sink in. If you’re having the same issue, this recap will help. </p>
<p id="zDzd5m">At the end of the previous episode, we learned that Jared was buying fake users from a click farm in Bangladesh. This ep, Richard reveals to Jared that he knows about this boondoggle, but he doesn’t care because the company is about to go under, so in a few weeks the whole misstep will be buried under Pied Piper rubble.</p>
<p id="pxuIPo">Erlich has one more save-Pied-Piper ploy to try. Seeing that the only problem with Pied Piper was perception, he used a visit to a popular Silicon Valley lunch spot to <a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2015/mr-robot-rewind-analyzing-human-exploits-in-a-wild-episode-5/">“social hack”</a> a new image for the company (by manipulating perception), which results in a bidding war for Pied Piper’s Series B. </p>
<p id="BjDuFh">Suddenly the click-farm uptick is an issue where it wasn’t before. Richard says his options are to commit fraud (by keeping the click-farm secret) or to “do the right thing” and doom the company. “Doesn’t seem like much of an option, does it?” </p>
<p id="jblVLY">Richard’s Hamlet-like dithering carries him into the meeting with a new VC in Erlich’s enthusiastic wake, but he can’t follow through and ruins the meeting by blurting out that the users are fake. This completely hangs Erlich out to dry, and he’s furious. </p>
<p id="X6qW1x">Monica, who was furious before the meeting, understands after the fact that Richard was only trying to protect Raviga by attempting to get funding from a non-Raviga VC firm (which isn’t true — he just didn’t have the balls to stop Erlich, who had gone forward with his plan without full knowledge of Pied Piper’s limitations). Pied Piper has to be sold due to the now-public fraudulent numbers. </p>
<p id="pQQphK">Gavin Belson and Jack Barker offer to buy Pied Piper just because they’re assholes, and the ever-pragmatic Laurie looks like she’s going to sell. But at the very last second, after Richard has signed the sale agreement, it’s revealed that Bachmanity, the Bachman-Bighetti joint venture that suddenly got $2 million in a Gavin-inspired windfall, is the new owner. So Pied Piper will survive, but it’s not clear in what form. </p>
<p id="bQHFEt">That’s a whole lot of deus ex machina. </p>
<p id="xF8Sjl"><strong>The Real Deal</strong></p>
<p id="Dvx7JT">When Erlich recounts his masterful social hacking of the egos of the Valley’s VCs, he name-drops like a boss. You probably caught them all, but here’s a list:</p>
<ul>
<li id="SMIguJ">Marc Andreessen, “super angel investor” and incredibly influential entrepreneur. Here he is <a href="http://www.recode.net/2015/9/1/11684488/podcasts-marc-andreessen-investor-and-entrepreneur">on the <strong>Recode Decode </strong>podcast.</a>
</li>
<li id="GAfMZC">Roger McNamee, another influential VC who’s also part of a touring band called <a href="http://upstart.bizjournals.com/executives/features/2007/12/16/Roger-McNamee-Profile.html">Moonalice</a> and who penned a song called “It’s 4:20 Somewhere.” <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/14/forget-apple-alphabet-these-2-stocks-are-better-investments-mcnamee.html">Here he is on CNBC.</a> </li>
<li id="opV7k0">Vinod Khosla, founder of Sun Microsystems who started his own VC firm, Khosla Ventures. Here he is <a href="https://twitter.com/vkhosla/status/735926494686502912">in a Twitter spat with Kara Swisher.</a>
</li>
<li id="qIccLu">Jim Goetz is just another VC. He’s <a href="https://www.sequoiacap.com/people/jim-goetz/">at Sequoia Capital.</a> </li>
</ul>
<p id="qbrx8B">Bachmann also mentions that he tells Khosla to “call him on Badoo poo,” which I think is a reference to a dating site and, possibly, its internal messaging service, but their press contact goes to their support site which dumped me into a “you will be helped within 24 hours” queue, so ... clearly, no word at press time. </p>
<p id="2rvWzx">When Bachman lets loose his ginger-afro fury upon Richard, he’s not angry that Richard put him in the position of selling a fraudulent company; he’s angry that Richard couldn’t follow through so they could fix the problem with the incoming VC money. Fraud, for him, is just a matter of degree: “It’s not like we’re lying about it, like fucking Theranos,” he says. </p>
<p id="VaqrnR">Theranos, of course, is a medical testing service that had a soaring start with a charismatic CEO and <a href="http://www.recode.net/2015/10/26/11620036/theranos-ceo-elizabeth-holmess-five-best-cover-story-appearances">crashed and burned</a> following a damning Wall Street Journal takedown late last year. </p>
<p id="V7bdWX">Finally, just before Patrice gets fired, she refers to an infamously over-the-top affair in the California redwoods. “I was a bridesmaid at Sean Parker’s wedding when he handed out live bunnies as plush toys,” she says. Ha ha! That didn’t really happen. The bunnies weren’t handed out to guests — they were just there <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/news/tech/2013/09/sean-parker-wedding-story">“if anyone needed a cuddle.”</a> </p>
<p id="XR26Jb">See you all next season. Let me know <a href="https://twitter.com/madfoot">on Twitter</a> if there’s another show you want <strong>Recode</strong> to digest for you. </p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/6/27/12037788/silicon-valley-season-three-episode-ten-fraud-numbersAmy Keyishian2016-06-20T16:41:56-04:002016-06-20T16:41:56-04:00'Silicon Valley,' season three, episode nine: The return of the box
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dnSwJNAJxyyFaN1D8gbxj43i_CI=/102x0:889x590/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49903577/20160620-jack-barker-gavin-belson-duck-face-silicon-valley-hbo.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>HBO</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Can I get an app that looks at me like Bernice looks at Richard?</p> <p id="RF1lmQ"><em>Each week, we watch "Silicon Valley" on HBO and then reflect on the ways the show mirrors — or doesn't — the real Silicon Valley. This week, Richard’s too-limited beta catches up to him, and Gavin gets his groove back. You can catch up on the recaps </em><a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/5/30/11814762/silicon-valley-hbo-the-recode-recaps"><em>here.</em></a></p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr">
<p>With only one episode left in this season, the Pied Piper team is ping-ponging back and forth from highs to lows quicker than <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/05/20/lady-dynamite-star-maria-bamford-on-making-comedy-out-of-mental-illness.html">Maria Bamford</a>. Buckle your seat belts, because this was definitely a bumpy ride.</p>
<p id="UtLbXE">The show opened with a pitch-perfect ad for a generic startup that gave no hint of what actually happens with the app. "Sharing is tables," the ad, which cost most of Pied Piper’s remaining funds, told the world.</p>
<p id="VioH93">Raviga celebrates 500,000 Pied Piper installs, but the dirty secret held by Richard, Jared and Monica is that the app has a dismal number of daily active users, a more descriptive metric of an app’s success.</p>
<p id="wYt4AE">Monica sets Richard up with a market research firm — the same one Gavin used in Season 2, Episode 6, featuring <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELYVpikRNEE">the same robotic coordinator</a>. Unlike the petulant Gavin, Richard charges into the room and explains the platform to the assembled focus group, finally breaking through to a woman named Bernice, which he counts as a victory. A short-lived one: The team can’t recreate this breakthrough at CES, with informational tables or in Richard-led symposia.</p>
<p id="Uqr5oa">Meanwhile, Gavin Belson regains control of Hooli when his security-detail mole hips him to Pied Piper’s continuing struggles, prompting him to "reveal" his real plan all along, which turns out to be Jack Barker’s goddamn unkillable box.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HRIOWoJEXBnRDY0rYisSUCrr0kU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6679547/20160620-box-endframe-hooli-simplivity.jpg">
<cite>HBO</cite>
</figure>
<p id="IhLTTQ">With the remaining funds available to him, Richard comes up with the best "how-Pied-Piper-works" thing he can think of, which is "Pipey," an animated bot eerily reminiscent of "Clippy," the universally detested Microsoft Word assistant from the late 1990s. Seeing that this won’t work and heartbreakingly devoted to the success of the team, Jared goes rogue, hiring a click farm to create and maintain accounts to goose that DAU number. The show closes with no music, no words, just the image of a Bangladeshi worker going to a dark, oppressive office to create thousands upon thousands of Pied Piper accounts.</p>
<h3 id="N780el">The Real Deal</h3>
<p id="BAYIoh">First of all, this show has a remarkable way of dovetailing with real-life events it could not have known about back when it was filming. This week, Gavin Belson’s smarmy "gentlemen ... <em>and lady</em> of the board" has the real-life counterpart of a Google investor addressing Ruth Porat, the company’s CFO, as "the lady CFO," even though he referred to another board member by his name. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-holding-lady-day-2016-6">This was called out</a> by many observers, resulting in last Thursday’s birth of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ladyday">#ladyday</a> hashtag and many tech workers changing their job titles to "lady" job titles.</p>
<p id="9yIyul">As for the central crisis of this episode, using downloads as a measurement of success is old-school, dismissed as a <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/sujanpatel/2015/05/13/why-you-should-ignore-vanity-metrics-focus-on-engagement-metrics-instead/#f42c15a574e7">"vanity metric,"</a> and I’m quite sure Laurie Bream would be smarter than to rely on it rather than daily active users (DAUs). I guess it’s possible that she has a bunch of investments going at once and can’t put in the time to dive deep into metrics, but even the most cursory look at the data would include both numbers. So -1 for that plot point, except that this kind of head-scratchingly stupid thing happens all the time in the real Silicon Valley.</p>
<p id="s8zVec">More to the point, click farms are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/aug/02/click-farms-appearance-online-popularity">really terrible at worst</a> and <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/121551/bot-bubble-click-farms-have-inflated-social-media-currency">unethical at best</a>. One has to wonder at what point Jared will lose faith in Richard, and what kind of heart-rending bro-keup would ensue.</p>
<p id="7D4TU1">We knew The Box was going to come back, because <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/5/16/11686684/silicon-valley-season-three-episode-four-simplivity-box">my interview with Simplivity</a> a few weeks ago said so. But I thought it would be brought back as the pivot that would temporarily save Pied Piper, since Richard’s perfectionism made it a viable and cool product even when it wasn’t his top priority. Having it brought back by Gavin and Jack is sheer perfection, not just because it creates a beautiful new two-headed foe for Pied Piper, but because of the promise of more Matt Ross / Stephen Tobolowsky onscreen and <a href="https://twitter.com/Tobolowsky">on Twitter.</a></p>
<p id="wO5Ncs">Also, I feel sure that we will see more of Bernice. We all need more Bernice in our lives.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6NS_36ZoCU8cbaS9BK-pzakbQME=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6679637/20160620-bernice-silicon-valley-hbo.jpg">
<cite>HBO</cite>
</figure>
<p id="sZ1huh">Next week is the season finale, so you’re free to walk about the cabin — but be prepared to return to your upright and locked position for that turbulent event.</p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/6/20/11981550/silicon-valley-season-three-episode-nine-box-bernice-barkerAmy Keyishian2016-06-13T11:12:34-04:002016-06-13T11:12:34-04:00'Silicon Valley,' season three, episode eight: Can you spot the Dick (Costolo)?
<figure>
<img alt="Erlich from the show “Silicon Valley” rides a unicorn " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3FserAleScaxEPSfyymhBdo0T3g=/26x0:1073x785/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49838227/silicon_20valley_20hbo_20tj_20miller_20unicorn.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>HBO</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This week, a mystery: Who’s dumping shares?</p> <p id="RF5cRx"><em>Each week, we watch "Silicon Valley" on HBO and then reflect on the ways the show mirrors — or doesn't — the real Silicon Valley. This week, a mystery: Who’s dumping shares, and why? You can catch up on the recaps </em><a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/5/30/11814762/silicon-valley-hbo-the-recode-recaps"><em>here.</em></a></p>
<p id="xI3gGJ"><em>__________________________________________________________________________________________________</em></p>
<p id="VnsHTE">This was a complicated episode to follow. We knew Erlich had sold some of his stock, but we didn’t know how or to whom. He spends the first third of the episode dodging Richard and trying to figure out how to tell him what he’s done. Richard finds out anyway, though other channels, and descends upon Erlich with the sparkling blue fury of a thousand LEDs.</p>
<p id="RTbZpt">In a supremely satisfying jeremiad, Richard finally lets loose with what we’ve all been saying: Bachman screwed himself, and it’s nobody’s fault but his own. He has acted like a turd and deserves to get flushed into obscurity. Damn! It felt good to hear that, but there was also that longing for the Bachman we’ve seen so little of – the idiot savant who figures something out at the last second to save the day.</p>
<p id="S1Jc4v">But after a run-in with Russ Hanneman and a conversation with Laurie Breem, Richard realizes that Bachman sold his shares for peanuts and has been left with nothing, and that he did it for the team. (Never mind that he later finds out that he didn’t have to do it. Let’s hope the heavy marijuana use destroys those brain cells first.) He gives Bachman the job of head of PR, and actually demands that he do his job.</p>
<p id="kfuai4">All in all, a pretty satisfying third-from-the-last episode.</p>
<h3 id="NXaoOP">The Real Deal</h3>
<p id="lh2Y4a">When Erlich is begging Richard not to issue a press release outing him as the loser who sold his shares because he was broke for the stupidest of reasons, there’s this odd bit of dialogue.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Do you know what happens if this gets out? I’m Ron Wayne."</p>
<p>"Who?"</p>
<p>"Ron Wayne. The guy who sold ten percent of Apple in 1976."</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="zHKK5a">This is so much worse than they made it sound. Ron Wayne founded Apple with Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, and sold his stake for $800. Now he lives in Nevada and lives off social security and stamp collecting. <a href="http://www.cultofmac.com/304686/ron-wayne-apple-co-founder/">Cult of Mac caught up with him</a> two years ago, when he was selling off his Apple memorabilia, hoping for a top price of $50,000. No wonder Bachman was so haunted by his specter. The only thing scarier would be a vision of those twins in "The Shining" saying "Your options are worthless, Danny. For ever and ever and ever."</p>
<p id="vpf6Fz">There’s a really delicious scene in which the recently fired Gavin Belson and the recently fired Jack Barker run into each other as they are getting into their private jets to fly to Jackson Hole. In fact, Jackson Hole is actually a popular getaway for the technocratti. <a href="http://www.barrons.com/articles/SB50001424052748704073104577215602511342834">Barrons says that </a>"while the Hollywood crowd often opts for the glitz of Aspen, low-key CEOs with access to corporate jets tend to quietly slip into Jackson Hole." The article, written in 2012, complains that the market at the time for second homes was brutal, just brutal. Sally, please rinse out my mug.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hgMSCxuIrECsT2U0xCVJ9O8ggS0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6637387/white_folks_tears_ringer_mug-r8b58e81588bc4aafb38bb4ead5c61f4d_x7k24_8byvr_512.jpg">
<cite>Zazzle</cite>
</figure>
<p id="ct5Ce7">You guys knew that former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo is on the Silicon Valley writing staff, right? Well, we got a look at him this week in a cute skewering of CEO types. He’s in the background of the scene where Richard arrives at the <a href="http://summit.vanityfair.com/about">Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit</a>, complaining that he was sold a bad vineyard. Sally. MY MUG.</p>
<p id="32lLfV"> </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sagi5Y-BOLb0ErtUFwIm818mjN4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6637389/dick%20costolo%20on%20silicon%20valley%20hbo.jpg">
<cite>HBO</cite>
</figure>
<p id="YMzw2r">Finally, if you were as impressed as I was by Erlich's magnificent meerschaum-shaped glass pipe, that sort of item is called a "Sherlock bubbler" and while I couldn’t track down the exact model, <a href="http://dankstop.com/glass-bubblers/silika-slime-mini-sherlock-bubbler/">this is a reasonable facsimile.</a> Funnily enough? It’s called the Silica.</p>
<p id="bhXU8m">Next week, the deficits in the Pied Piper interface become evident, and the fix looks like it’ll be a throwback to <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/clippy-the-microsoft-office-assistant-is-the-patriarchys-fault/396653/">Microsoft’s Clippy</a>. See you then!</p>
<p id="3y6fgF"> </p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/6/13/11919618/silicon-valley-season-three-episode-eight-can-you-spot-the-dick-costoloAmy Keyishian2016-06-06T18:24:16-04:002016-06-06T18:24:16-04:00‘Silicon Valley,’ season three, episode seven: Mo’ beta blues
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/orDPle5Hqy15K00ljvLnPzl8qdI=/550x0:4950x3300/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49781851/gavin_20belson.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>John P. Johnson / HBO</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Richard makes another stellar CEO decision, and God View rears its holy head.</p> <p><em>Each week, we watch "Silicon Valley" on HBO and then reflect on the ways the show mirrors — or doesn't — the real Silicon Valley. This week, the Pied Pipers release their beta and struggle with ethical issues. To catch up on the recaps, </em><a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/5/30/11814762/silicon-valley-hbo-the-recode-recaps"><em>you can see them all here.</em></a></p>
<p><em>__________________________________________________________________________________________________</em></p>
<p>The Pied Piper product is humming along toward launch under Richard’s finicky guidance. There are bugs, tons of bugs, and the way to eliminate bugs is to either hire a flotilla of testers (which is what real game companies do) or release a beta for folks to try out and rate.</p>
<p>Initially, Richard balks at the idea of allowing anyone outside the company to try the software. But when Guilfoyle’s girlfriend reveals that she’s enjoying it, he allows a limited beta release. Trouble is, it’s <em>so</em> limited, it mostly only gets seen by other engineers, who love it for the same wonky reasons Richard does.</p>
<p>The only person who sees the beta and doesn’t like it is Monica. But she assures Richard that her opinion isn’t worth much, as she passed on investing in Slack. What is Slack valued at these days, $3.8 billion?</p>
<p>Richard is so thrilled with his fellow geeks’ assessment of the product that he goes from reluctant beta-releaser to enthusiastic mover-upper of the release date, which seems like it’ll be a nice big disaster for the freshly re-minted CEO.</p>
<h3>Is this real life?</h3>
<p>These disasters caused by inadequate beta testing are rife. Remember when the upgrade to <a href="http://www.recode.net/2014/9/24/11631264/apple-issues-fix-for-iphone-users-who-lost-service-with-ios-8-update">iPhone iOS 8 rendered phones un-phone-able</a>? How about when Apple ditched Google Maps in favor of its own map app, causing rage across the devicesphere that ended with the <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20121127/apple-fires-maps-manager/">project lead getting canned?</a> Such good times. In fact, beta-tester blogs say it's very common for engineers to test in an echo chamber and <a href="http://blog.betafamily.com/2015/08/02/beta-testing-with-hoops-rivals/">get slapped</a> when the wider world tries to use their product. Richard ought to know better, but ... that's the problem with 26-year-old CEOs.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, back at Hooli, Gavin got wind of Richard’s beta testing by monitoring his workers’ emails. In the real world, Google has struggled mightily with privacy concerns: A TechCrunch reporter accused the company of dipping into his Gmail account to see if he had corresponded with a Google employee, <a href="http://www.recode.net/2014/3/25/11624952/google-general-counsel-to-arrington-allegation-we-dont-snoop-on-gmail" style="background-color: #ffffff;">as reported by Liz Gannes</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Arrington wrote late last week: "I have first hand knowledge of this. A few years ago, I’m nearly certain that Google accessed my Gmail account after I broke a major story about Google."The proof, he said, was that a former Google employee — who was his source and was apparently drunk at a party — approached Arrington and said he or she had been "shown an email that proved that they were the source" by people at Google investigating the leak. This email was sent from a non-Google email account to Arrington’s Gmail account, he said.</p>
<p>"The source had corresponded with me from a non Google email account, so the only way Google saw it was by accessing my Gmail account," wrote Arrington. "A little while after that my source was no longer employed by Google."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Before that, Microsoft got dinged for peeking into Hotmail accounts to investigate leaks from the company, which Hotmail users had actually signed off on when signing up for the service. In fact, most companies <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/email-monitoring-can-employer-read-30088.html">make it clear</a> that work email isn’t private.</p>
<p>Back on "Silicon Valley," Gavin mocks up a fake email to get a copy of the Pied Piper beta, which Richard and Guilfoyle figure out by looking at the beta software’s God View, a tracking method employed by many companies to the outrage of just about anyone who finds out about it. Again, <a href="http://www.recode.net/2014/11/20/11633100/tech-companies-snooping-on-users-creepy-and-common">as reported by Liz Gannes:</a><a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.recode.net/2014/11/20/11633100/tech-companies-snooping-on-users-creepy-and-common"></a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>Hate to break it to you, but as a journalist who has covered the technology industry for a decade, I can tell you this kind of tracking happens regularly, particularly with early-stage companies. It happens to journalists, and it happens to regular users, too.</p></blockquote>
<p>It was creepy then, and it’s creepy now. Please stop using God View, Richard.</p>
<p>Next week, I think we can look forward to a complete meltdown as non-engineer users hate the first iteration of Pied Piper. See you then!</p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/6/6/11865744/silicon-valley-recap-beta-test-pied-piperAmy Keyishian2016-06-05T21:12:49-04:002016-06-05T21:12:49-04:00Verizon's 'Can You Hear Me Now' guy is Sprint's pitchman now
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gsBgPVxJN4Ja7PE_W9PnshdhDr0=/324x0:1764x1080/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49779963/paulApprovedStill11.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Sprint</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A new commercial debuts during tonight's NBA Finals game. </p> <p>You may not recognize Paul Marcarelli's name, but you know his face. It looms into your vision every time you're on a cellphone call and you say, "Can you hear me now? Heh, I'm like that guy in the commercial." </p>
<p>But Marcarelli, who <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-verizon-idUSTRE73D7TP20110414">stopped doing ads for Verizon</a> in 2011, has a new gig, working as a pitchman for rival Sprint, whose service he signed up for after he was approached by the company. </p>
<div><div><div style="left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 75.0019%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OPwPo-IAQ-E?wmode=transparent&rel=0&autohide=1&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" style="top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div></div></div>
<p>He spent nine years working for Verizon on the campaign, during which he was voted Most Mysterious Pitchman by Entertainment Weekly in 2002. <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/05/hear-me-now/308449/">The Atlantic caught up with him</a> in 2011, when he revealed that he gave up his beloved Buddy Holly glasses frames to reduce the number of "can you hear me now"s he'd hear on a daily basis. </p>
<p>But he was also able to use the cash from the campaign to produce plays for his New York-based theater group, Mobius Group, as well as executive-producing <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1031115/">documentaries and his own writing projects.</a> </p>
<p>Sprint is debuting the new commercial during the NBA Finals; a statement from Sprint says it's the perfect time to scoop him up, as the wireless company now claims that its reliability is within 1 percent of that of Verizon and AT&T and leaves T-Mobile in the dust. </p>
<div><div><div style="left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UlOZYJ3l9SA?wmode=transparent&rel=0&autohide=1&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" style="top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div></div></div>
<p>Of course, Sprint also says it offers service for half the price of rivals, a claim that recently <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/sheathe-your-sword-nad-recommends-sprint-halt-its-50-off-advertisements/">got it in trouble</a>.</p>
<p><small><em>This article originally appeared on Recode.net.</em></small></p>
https://www.vox.com/2016/6/5/11863706/verizon-sprint-pitch-manAmy KeyishianIna Fried