"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough." Mario Andretti

#WeGoAlong

Fresh Prince Needs to Remember his Roots

Hello all, I hope everyone has had an enjoyable start to the week or at least a better one than Will Smith is having. I don’t think Uncle Phil is too proud of him right now but that’s not my tea to drink. In other news, Alex is back in the gym (and the odd drive-through, baby steps). Be sure to keep up with his progress pics on Twitter and make sure to tell him he needs a new shirt. Perhaps a “pump cover” will do the trick. I, on the other hand, am writing this after a very blurry weekend. Some might call it a bender and others might call it a lesson learned. I will be keeping my distance from tequila, Jägerbombs, and whisky sours until Nashville. Well, that is the plan anyway. 

Update on a few things; samples for merch are on the way. From there we will be able to give an estimated time frame for our third collection. We just want to ensure everything is “poifect”. The WGA Club is in its final stages and we couldn’t be more excited to release it for you guys. It will only further enhance our amazing community.

#Trending

Time to Send a Telegram

Two words. Security and privacy. That is the freeware, cross-platform, cloud-based instant messaging service known as Telegram. The service also provides end-to-end encrypted video calling, VoIP, file sharing and several other features. It was launched for iOS on 14 August 2013 and Android in October 2013, so why are we talking about it now? We are living in a very interesting period of time. The rise of social media and its influence on a mass scale has led to numerous cyber security threats and intelligence investigations. Users often forget that platforms such as Google, Instagram, and Facebook can access all messages sent and received between parties. Why? They are not encrypted. 

So what does Telegram do differently? Encrypt messages and allow them to self-destruct. Yes. Self-destruct. While Ukranians and the rest of the world have scrambled to find ways to tell the real story of the invasion, the instant messaging app Telegram has surfaced as one of the most important channels to do just that. There is nothing fancy or aesthetically pleasing about it. They have a functionality that is not only desirable but needed. Personally, I believe we need to go back to the days of pigeon mail. I am not sure why or how that stopped but I am going to get to the bottom of it. 

Telegram has several key features that make it an appealing option for communications relating to the war. It facilitates public and private groups of up to 200,000 users (where individuals can send messages and interact), and channels (which allow one-way broadcasting to channel subscribers). Through these groups and channels, organizations can reach hundreds of thousands of people with messages and audio/video live streaming – all of which is encrypted and stored on the Telegram “cloud”. The data is stored (albeit in an encrypted form) on the cloud, and distributed across multiple data centres throughout the world. These centres are controlled by legal entities in various jurisdictions, and subject to the laws of those jurisdictions. Telegram goes one step further offering yet another layer of security through its “secret chat” feature. When this is enabled, the communication between two users becomes end-to-end encrypted.

According to Time, there has been a 48% increase in the number of Russian subscribers on Telegram since February 24 when Russia’s invasion began. Many Russians have also turned to the app for independent information, following the Kremlin’s clamp down on free media. Russian journalist Ilya Varlamov used Telegram to live-stream the invasion, and has acquired 1.3 million subscribers since the war began.

#Trailblazing

J.Lo Enters the Metaverse

If you aren’t a believer of the Metaverse yet, maybe this will help. Yaaaasssss, the queen of all queens *insert Chris voice* has entered the virtual world through a concert promoting her latest rom-com film “Marry me”. To my understanding, she has been married three times. Truth be told, I think she needs some time away from the rings. Unless that sh*t is 18 carat.

The event was accessible at marrymevirtualconcert.com. Users who logged in to the virtual experience via Snapchat were able to see their Bitmoji in the crowd.  Attendees could also release virtual doves when Lopez performed a love song, trigger lasers and a host of other actions, such as doing virtual dance moves and blowing bubbles. The interactive elements demonstrate some of the strengths of the metaverse, the bridging of the virtual and real worlds that has become a focus of tech platforms and marketers. As we shift into new paradigms of marketing in web 3.0, it will only become more common to see celebs such as J.Lo utilizing strategies to bridge the real world and virtual world. 

By the way, J.Lo, I know you definitely subscribe to this newsletter and I am currently undergoing difficulties with my past lover Taylor, so if you need a 23 year old distraction I am your guy. Here are my credentials: 

• I can shotgun a beer faster than all of your exes. 

• I own a virtual seal 

• I sort of know how to make Spanish rice

#Traveling

Hitting up a Hometown Fave

If you haven’t seen our recent Youtube video, be sure to head over to the We Go Along channel and check it out. I wanted to talk a little bit about this and why we decided to do it. Alex and I are not only extremely grateful for the support from the WGA community but we recognize there are people in less fortunate positions. With the pandemic bringing a lot of instability to the restaurant industry we wanted to make someone's day just a bit better. 

Selfishly, the feeling we got after our charity drive with Food4Kids Niagara, gave us a high like no other. We wanted to chase it again. Although we battled with the idea of filming this type of video, it is only right that the community who made it possible got to see the reaction as well. With so much negativity surrounding the world right now, if we can shed even a small light of positivity then we want to do so. You can expect more of these videos to come. 

#WeeklyTopPicks

We Go Along Top Picks

#WillWeaverSongOfTheWeek
Long Road to Ruin - Foo Fighters

I’d like to dedicate this weeks song of the week to Taylor Hawkins and the Foo Fighters. While I’ve gone through many musical phases since, the Foo Fighters were a constant play on my iPod (yes.. iPod) in 7th and 8th grade. This song used to make my 12 year old self want to run as fast as I can in the best way… it just provides massive energy and I have no other way to describe it. It’s been nice to reconnect with these old FF songs again, though the circumstances for listening could certainly be better. RIP Taylor


#Flix
Silcone Valley | 2014 - 2019 | Comedy | 6 Seasons

Follows the struggle of Richard Hendricks, a Silicon Valley engineer trying to build his own company called Pied Piper.

#Facts
Random fact of the week

The hottest spot ever recorded on Earth is El Azizia, in Libya, where a temperature of 136 degrees fahrenheit was recorded on Sept. 13, 1922. While hotter spots have likely occurred in other parts of the planet at other times, this is the most scorching temperature ever formally recorded by a weather station.