Latest news with #Gottlieb
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
USC women's basketball lands top recruit Saniyah Hall. Why she picked Trojans
Southern California women's basketball team has landed another top recruit. Saniyah Hall, the top female high school basketball recruit in the class of 2026, according to ESPN's rankings, has committed to play for USC after receiving offers from nearly 30 schools, including UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, North Carolina and LSU. The 16-year-old made the announcement on ESPN's "NBA Today" on Friday, saying, USC "felt like home." "It's such a blessing to be in this position, but I think I truly found my home, and I'm ready to tell the world where I'm going," she said before revealing a Trojans shirt underneath her jacket. "I am headed to the University of Southern California. Go Trojans! Fight on." Hall's announcement comes on the heels of her gold medal win with Team USA at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup. She was named MVP after averaging 19.9 points and 6.4 rebounds, shooting 52.6% from the field and 39.3% on 3-pointers. She scored 25 points vs. Australia in the gold-medal game. Her 19.9 points per game may have set a USA U19 record, but Hall said she's proudest of her defense: "I had a lot of steals that game and a lot of blocks." She'll join a Trojans squad that is assembling elite talent under coach Lindsay Gottlieb. McDonald's All-American Jazzy Davidson, the third overall recruit in the 2025 class, who competed alongside Hall on the USA U19 team, also committed to play for USC. The Trojans were 31-4 last season and lost to UConn in an Elite Eight game after superstar Juju Watkins went down with an ACL injury during the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Hall said Gottlieb and her teammates led to her choice to commit to USC. On Friday, she said, "I love all my teammates. The girls there are so fun to be around definitely Lindsay (Gottlieb)... she's definitely there to support me and I've built a relationship with her. She's a great coach." The Ohio native will finish her senior season of high school basketball at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio. Last season, she played for Montverde (Florida) Academy and averaged 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks. Hall signed an NIL deal with Jordan brand earlier this month. During her announcement, Hall said, "I don't have anything to prove. I just go out, play basketball. I let my game do the talking. Actions speak for themselves." The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
USC women's basketball lands another No. 1 recruit in Saniyah Hall
First it was JuJu Watkins. Then it was Jazzy Davidson. Now another of the nation's top women's basketball recruits is on her way to USC. Saniyah Hall, the nation's No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class, committed to USC on ESPN on Friday, shortly after her official visit to campus. She's the third No. 1 prospect in four years to commit to Lindsay Gottlieb and USC. That's a staggering feat given where the program was when Gottlieb took over in 2021. But since landing Watkins in November 2022, arguably no coach in women's college basketball has been better at recruiting top talent like Gottlieb. 'Going there, it felt like home,' Hall said on ESPN's NBA Today. 'I loved all of my future teammates. The girls there are just so fun to be around. And then definitely Lindsay [Gottlieb], she's definitely there to support me and I've built a relationship with her. She's a great coach.' Hall, who hails from Ohio, is a fitting addition to that star-studded lineage and a major victory for USC after a disheartening end to last season. She was recently named the most valuable player of the women's FIBA World Cup U19, despite, at just 16 years old, being one of the youngest players competing in the field. Playing alongside her future Trojan teammates this month — Davidson and rising sophomore Kennedy Smith - on the U19 national team, Hall scored nearly 20 points per game to lead all Americans. She also contributed 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 steals, two assists and a block per game, flashing a skillset that already looks primed for top competition. When Hall joins USC next fall, she'll round out a roster that ranks among the most touted in the history of the sport. After missing most of next season, Watkins will return, while Davidson will only be a sophomore. Smith, the No. 6 recruit in the 2024 class, will still presumably be a fixture in the lineup. Add Hall to that equation, and the Trojans, with four five-stars in tow, could very well enter the 2027 season as national title favorites.
Geek Girl Authority
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
From Pinball to Video Slots: Evolution of Reels for Gen-X Gamers
Generation X, from 1965 to 1980, has experienced the greatest shift in gaming entertainment history. They lived the entire transition, from mechanical arcade machines to advanced gaming platforms. And their gaming preferences, formed during this technological revolution, continue to influence current slot design philosophy and development. The Mechanical Era Foundation Generation X gamers learned how to play pinball on physical pinball machines and early electromechanical new sweepstakes slots that made their way into the arcades and casinos of the 1970s and 1980s. These games established game principles that existed during this time sample and still operate within today's modern gaming world: The games necessitate physical skills such as timing and ball control. Mechanical Randomness created 'true' randomness using mechanical spinning reels. Instant physical feedback produced pleasurable visceral responses. The rules are straightforward, requiring no tutorials for easy learning. Social gaming experiences fostered competition and opportunities to show off skills. Machines like Gottlieb's Fireball (1972) and Bally's Eight Ball Deluxe (1981) marked cultural touchstones. Digital Revolution and Video Slot Emergence The 1990s brought computerized gaming systems that fundamentally altered slot machine design. Sweepstakes video slots emerged as the bridge between mechanical traditions and digital possibilities, offering enhanced features while maintaining familiar core mechanics. This transition introduced revolutionary changes: animated graphics were used to replace physical reels bonus rounds now involve so much more than spinning and winning themed content can develop storylines and character development the advent of variable betting accommodates different bankroll needs Progressive jackpots can link multiple machines for larger prizes in the game of chance. WMS Gaming's Reel 'Em In (1996) was the first game to use the industry-standard second-screen bonus. IGT's Wheel of Fortune (1996) showcased that brand content could engage players. All of these games set standards that developers have continued to adapt. Server-based gaming was introduced in the 2000s, allowing for changes to content and experiences with dynamic content in the game itself and personalization. Modern Platform Adaptation for Gen-X Preferences Contemporary sweepstakes video slots cater specifically to Gen-X sensibilities by combining nostalgic elements with cutting-edge technology. Developers recognize this demographic's unique position as digital natives who remember analog origins. Current platforms incorporate Gen-X-preferred features: Navigation systems that feel instinctive and mirror the format of desktop software layouts from years gone by; Nostalgic/retro symbol sets featuring fruits, bells, and lucky 7; Medium-high volatility math models that promote excitement while still allowing for responsible/affordable play; Retro-themed games that reference pop culture and music of the 1980s; Transparency of paytables where game mechanics do not require complex bonus schemes; Mobile optimization for tablet use during leisure time; Demo modes enable players to explore games without jeopardizing their balance. Top developers such as NetEnt, Microgaming, and Pragmatic Play have focused their development on a Gen-X audience. NetEnt's Starburst is an effortless game to understand, with simple graphics and a modern graphic package. Microgaming's Immortal Romance used layered storytelling to appeal to the Gen-X narrative-style of gaming. Play'n GO's Book of Dead integrated familiar images of Egyptian culture and contemporary bonus feeding mechanics. These platforms are successful because they will continue to integrate gaming wisdom tailored for Gen-Xers while also adopting modern technological improvements. The perspective of the Gen-X demographic is more quality versus quantity; they love games that are well-designed enough to be played for sustained periods rather than quickly disposable, stylish, but ultimately shallow experiences. Because Gen-Xers have disposable income and brand loyalties that remain unchanged, they can be a lucrative customer base that rewards an authentic gaming experience that respects their evolution in entertainment. TV Review: NAUTILUS Episode 4, 'Slippery When Wet' RELATED: 28 Years Later Spoiler Review
Newsweek
08-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
AI Impact Awards 2025: New Innovations Seek to Gamify the Shopping Experience
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In the age of artificial intelligence, it feels like AI knows more about our shopping habits than we do. It knows what we want to buy before we add it to our shopping carts. It knows how many consumers are going to want a product before businesses begin restocking their shelves. It even knows how much we're willing to pay for items before we punch in our credit card information. Innovations across the industry, however, suggest AI knows much more. To recognize businesses that are using these capabilities in new ways, Newsweek announced three winners in the Brand & Retail category of its inaugural AI Impact Awards. The recipients of this year's awards are software company Perfect Corp., tech company Trax Retail and beauty incubator Maesa. "It's super exciting," David Gottlieb, Trax's chief revenue officer, told Newsweek. "We really feel this is a validation of a decades-long strategy that we've had in building this company on the back of AI before it was cool." Trax took home the award for Best Outcomes, Product Development and Innovation, for its image recognition technology. The company, which operates in more than 90 countries and works with the top 100 consumer goods companies, has trained computers to identify items in shopping aisles to generate real-time data and metrics that could help manufacturers do a better job of selling their products. "The industry has an incredibly high appetite for better understanding execution," Gottlieb said. "[CPG companies] want to know, What's my share of shelf? Am I at eye level? Do I leave the aisle? How do I stack competitively? What's happening with private label?" AI Impact Awards: Brand & Retail AI Impact Awards: Brand & Retail Newsweek Illustration According to the company, integration of its technology has resulted in 95 percent accuracy in in-store data capture. Trax has also become a pioneer in the image recognition space by deploying representatives to visit retailers and execute tasks on behalf of manufacturers as well as by offering consumers a fun and budget-friendly way to engage with its technology. Shoppers can download Shopkick, an app that gamifies the shopping experience by offering different discounts. Say a shopper watches a video at home about a product, this would earn them a small reward. But if they were to go to the store and actually hold the product and scan the barcode, they'd earn a bigger reward. And if they were to buy the product and scan the receipt, they'd get the maximum reward. "We're driving shopper engagement, awareness and, ultimately, purchase behavior," Gottlieb said. In the future, he hopes Trax will dramatically expand its insights with augmented reality (AR), so that instead of taking pictures, users can just walk up to the shelves and look through their phone cameras, capturing real-time insights as they scan the aisles. This new way of interacting with products will help users more quickly identify the goods they're looking for—for instance, picking out only gluten-free beers or beers brewed in Canada—by just panning the shelves instead of individually scanning every item. "It's going to unlock a volume of information and a scale of collection that hasn't really been possible before and can create a lot of value for all the brands that want to better understand [consumer data], especially in independent stores and places where it's not as easy to get that information," Gottlieb said. Another company that has been developing AI to gamify the shopping experience is Perfect Corp., the recipient of this year's Best Outcomes, Customer Experience, award. The company, which focuses on AI and AR in the beauty and fashion industries, won this year's award for its new Real-Time Skin Analysis tool—a technology used by major brands like Sephora. The tool helps identify skin type, tone, sensitivity, texture and conditions to help come up with customized product recommendations. "The interesting thing is skin analysis is not a new idea. The dermatology industry has existed for many, many years," Wayne Liu, the chief growth officer and president of Americas at Perfect Corp., told Newsweek. "The true problem here is accessibility," he said. "The machine is pretty expensive—the cheapest one is probably $20,000—and it just sits there, so that makes it challenging for many people to get the assessment. When we talked to these doctors, we realized another problem: Because it's a big machine, you have to go to the site to do the analysis, and that's why some people just give up on treatment." Liu said Real-Time Skin Analysis has not only solved the accessibility problem but also turned a medical-like assessment into a "fun, gamified, playful" experience that is still profitable. Take makeup brand Benefit for example. The brand uses Real-Time Skin Analysis to power its Pore Analysis Tool, which, according to Perfect Corp., has been found to boost product sales 14 times over normal among those who use the technology. Customers who engaged with the Pore Analysis Tool reportedly spent twice as long on Benefit's website as well. Skinsight—another custom tool powered by Real-Time Skin Analysis and used on cruise lines like Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages—also prompted a 35 percent increase in AI-recommended product sales, Perfect Corp. reported. And Dr. Eunice Park, a New York–based plastic surgeon and an early adopter of Real-Time Skin Analysis, told Liu that the latest capabilities have led to a 36 percent conversion among her patients. Liu noted that Park, who had just one office when she started implementing Perfect Corp.'s technology, has now expanded to four locations. Using Park as an example, Liu argued that while AI has upended employment, it also has the potential to create new jobs. "Dr. Park probably doesn't need that many receptionists now, but in the grand scale, she actually expanded her business," Liu said. "She's actually hiring more people." "That's the high-level effect of AI. It creates more opportunities. It will probably replace current jobs, but it will create new jobs," he added. "We want to make sure AI is making this world a beautiful place. That's what we've always believed." Perfect Corp. was not the only company in the beauty space to win an award in the Brand & Retail category. Maesa received the Best Outcomes, Marketing and Creative, award for its content creation around fragrance brand Fine'ry. For Fine'ry, which launched exclusively at Target in 2023, Maesa decided to experiment with generative AI in response to its viral success on social media. "This level of engagement required high-quality content produced at scale," Maesa said in its application to Newsweek's AI Impact Awards. "Traditionally, producing creative assets of such quality required significant time and financial investment, often involving large teams of designers, editors and creative." "The introduction of AI technology enabled Maesa to cut 90 percent of the time spent and significantly reduce production costs for a similar output," the company said. "The ability to generate assets quickly and at scale allowed Maesa to allocate resources more strategically, investing in other areas of growth and innovation." Leveraging AI, Maesa's creative team helped Fine'ry revolutionize its marketing strategies by leaving creative assets to generative AI, by enhancing its user experience at pop-up exhibits, by launching a visual experience on gaming platform Roblox and by releasing AI-driven video campaigns for the Fine'ry fragrance line. To see the full list of winners and awards, visit the official page for Newsweek's AI Impact Awards.
USA Today
26-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC women's basketball to face former Pac-12 foe Cal in San Francisco on December 21
When USC moved to the Big Ten last year, the Trojans lost several of their longtime Pac-12 rivalries. For one USC team, however, that will change this winter. On Wednesday, it was announced that USC women's basketball will face former conference foe Cal at Chase Center in San Francisco on December 21. "Old friends; old foes," head coach Lindsay Gottlieb wrote on social media. "Bay Area, see you in December!" Gottlieb, of course, is quite familiar with Cal, having served as the head coach of the program from 2011-2019. In 2013, she took the Bears to their only Final Four in program history. The matchup with Cal is one of numerous high-profile nonconference matchups that USC will face next season. The Trojans also have games scheduled against UConn, Notre Dame, South Carolina, and NC State. Gottlieb seems to be sending a clear message with her scheduling philosophy: The Women of Troy are not afraid of afraid of anyone, and will gladly face off against the best teams in the country.
