Halls of fame for caddies, baseball park groundskeepers, Christmas tree growers

Halls of fame aren’t just for professional sports and major music genres. There are over 400 physical halls of fame in the North America and likely hundreds more virtual halls of fame that exist online.
I’ve documented some interesting virtual halls of fame on Tech-media-tainment. (See links at bottom of this article.) In this article, I’ll document 13 more.

Caddie Hall of Fame

The Caddie Hall of Fame was created in 1999 by the Professional Caddies Association. The Western Golf Association took over administration of the hall in 2011.
Notable members of the Caddie Hall of Fame include: Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Charles “Chick” Evans, and the Murray brothers (Andy, Bill, Brian, Ed, Joel and John Murray’s experiences as caddies at Indian Hill Club in Winnetka, Illinois, inspired the 1980 comedy classic “Caddyshack.”)
“The Caddie Hall of Fame highlights the tradition and importance of caddying by recognizing and celebrating individuals who have devoted their lives to the game of golf through caddying or by supporting the role of caddies,” the organization’s website says.

Major League Baseball Groundskeepers Hall of Fame

The Association of Major League Baseball Groundskeepers has a hall of fame.
“To be considered for induction to the Major League Baseball Groundskeepers Hall of Fame, a person must have ceased employment in the profession for at least five years, and have made a significant contribution to groundskeeping and/or the sports turf industry at the Major League level. An individual’s impact on the community is also considered,” the association says.
Last month, the group announced that it will induct Steve Wightman, a longtime former groundskeeper and Sports Turf Managers Association past-president as its newest hall of fame member.
(Photo: Nicole Sherry, head groundskeeper for the Baltimore Orioles, in May 2012. Photo by Keith Allison.)

Christmas Tree Growers Hall of Fame

Christmas tree farming is a big business in Michigan and it has its own hall of fame. The Michigan Christmas Tree Association Growers Hall of Fame most recently inducted the late Rudy Fuehring for his lifetime of service to Michigan’s Christmas tree industry. (See article by Oceana’s Herald-Journal in Oceana County, Michigan.)

Waterfowlers Hall of Fame

Established in 1990, the Waterfowlers Hall of Fame honors individuals who have actively displayed sportsmanship and sponsored or participated in the sport of waterfowl hunting and conservation, in and around the Squaw Creed National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri.

California Outdoors Hall of Fame

The California Outdoors Hall of Fame honors individuals for achievements in the great outdoors that have impacted others and improved the lives of Californians. It inducted its first class of inductees in 2002.
The most recent inductees included world champion archer Paige Pearce-Gore and noted rock climber Royal Robbins. (See article by the San Francisco Chronicle.)

Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame

The Society of Illustrators has chosen artists for its hall of fame since 1958. Artists are selected by former presidents of the Society and are chosen based on their body of work and the impact it has made on the field of illustration.
The 2017 class of the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame included Mort Drucker, Bart Forbes, Burne Hogarth, Anita Kunz, George Petty, Ralph Steadman and Gustaf Tenggren.

Gaming Hall of Fame

The American Gaming Association’s Gaming Hall of Fame honors achievements and contributions to the gambling industry.
The most recent inductees included John Breeding, the visionary behind the electronic card shuffler and proprietary table games, and Joe Kaminkow, the legendary slot game designer who pioneered the industry in licensing branded games such as “Wheel of Fortune.” (See press release and article by Las Vegas Review-Journal.)

World Waterpark Association Hall of Fame

The World Waterpark Association Hall of Fame honors people who have made noteworthy achievements in the development and advancement of the water attractions industry.

International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Hall of Fame

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions has a hall of fame to honor people who have made significant and lasting contributions to the worldwide attractions industry.
The IAAPA Hall of Fame was established in 1990 and includes such honorees as Walt Disney, Milton Hershey of Hersheypark and Jay Stein of Universal Studios Florida. It inducted its most recent class in November.

World Floor Covering Association Hall of Fame

The World Floor Covering Association Hall of Fame acknowledges individuals who have made a lasting impact on the industry.
In December, the group inducted Jeffrey Lorberbaum, chairman and chief executive officer of Mohawk Industries, the world's biggest floorcovering company. (See article by the Chattanooga, Tenn., Times Free Press.)

New Mexico Film & TV Hall of Fame

The New Mexico Film & TV Hall of Fame will honor its first class of inductees on Feb. 11 at a ceremony in Santa Fe. The group honors people who have helped build the New Mexico film and television industry, along with the industry’s rising stars. The inaugural class includes New Mexico screenwriter and author George R. R. Martin and the makers of TV series “Breaking Bad.”

Geospatial Intelligence Hall of Fame

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency honors individuals in the geospatial intelligence enterprise with its Geospatial Intelligence Hall of Fame. Its most recent class included six former leaders and geospatial pioneers.

Airlift/Tanker Association Hall of Fame

The Airlift/Tanker Association Hall of Fame honors individuals in the U.S. military forces that provide air mobility services required to implement national security strategy and to provide humanitarian relief.

Related articles:

10 interesting virtual halls of fame, 2017 edition (July 15, 2017)

10 more unusual virtual halls of fame (Feb. 26, 2016)

12 unusual virtual halls of fame (Feb. 20, 2016)

Gender-switch trend continues: Doctor Who now, possibly James Bond next

With all the high-profile actors being accused of sexual abuse in Hollywood these days, it’s no wonder so many roles originally meant for men are going to women.
I referred to this trend last fall as “womanwashing,” a takeoff on whitewashing. I listed many of the proposed movies and TV shows in the works where the lead roles were being changed from male to female.
The gender-switch trend shows no signs of slowing.
Here’s a quick update:

• Actress Jodie Whittaker has debuted as the 13th Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction series “Doctor Who.” She is the first female Doctor Who.
• Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond film series, said the next agent 007 could be a woman, the Daily Mail reported.
• A reboot of the 1980s TV series “The Greatest American Hero” with a female lead is moving forward at ABC, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
• Fox is developing a new incarnation of its Emmy-winning drama series “24” that would have a female lead, according to Deadline.
• NBC is developing a spinoff series of the “Bad Boys” movies with two female leads. It will star Gabrielle Union, who is reprising her role of Syd Burnett, Variety reported.
• CBS is rebooting its classic series “Magnum P.I.” with the male role of Higgins reconceived as a woman, Deadline reported.

Photo: Jodie Whittaker as Doctor Who.

Final predictions for 2018: Wedding bells for Taylor Swift, curtains for President Trump

In late December, I published a list of bold predictions for 2018 from numerous sources. After that post, many other pundits made their predictions.
What follows is a roundup of some of their most interesting predictions.

Engagement for Taylor Swift, divorce for Will Smith

Nicola Byrne, a writer for the Daily Edge, predicted that singer Taylor Swift will get engaged to boyfriend Joe Alwyn in 2018, while actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith will split.

Internet media acquisitions

Twitter, Snap, BuzzFeed and Pinterest are acquired (or valued in subsequent financing rounds) at 25% to 50% of their market highs, Scott Galloway, a professor of marketing at the New York University Stern School of Business, said in a post on Seeking Alpha. All four will continue to underwhelm at the hands of the Facebook and Google advertising market duopoly, he said.

Twitter will be acquired

BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield predicted that Twitter will be acquired in 2018.
“Twitter offers a unique acquisition opportunity for any company looking to own breaking news, politics and sports, infused with video on mobile devices with tens of millions of daily active users across the world,” Greenfield said in a blog post. “Add to that a vast treasure trove of data on its users and a Twitter acquisition becomes compelling for many companies … Twitter also gives a buyer a home screen-worthy mobile app that has eluded essentially everyone not named Google, Facebook, Apple and Snapchat.”

2018 Time Person of the Year: Robert Mueller

Galloway predicts that President Donald Trump will vacate the White House in 2018 (possibly for health reasons) and Vice President Mike Pence will be sworn in as the 46th U.S. president. Galloway offered no explanation for Mueller’s selection as Time’s Person of the Year. Mueller is heading up the investigation into Russia’s possible interference in the 2016 election.

Amazon will acquire Target

Loup Ventures predicted that e-commerce leader Amazon.com will buy discount retailer Target in 2018.
“Amazon believes the future of retail is a mix of mostly online and some offline. Target is the ideal offline partner for Amazon for two reasons: shared demographic and manageable but comprehensive store count,” the venture capital firm said in a blog post.

Netflix buys a studio

To ramp up its original content production, internet television leader Netflix might buy a studio this year, Variety magazine predicted.
“One potential takeover target: MGM, which oversees a large library of movies and TV shows, with James Bond, ‘Stargate,’ ‘Rocky’ and ‘RoboCop’ among its franchises,” Variety said.

Microsoft makes big security acquisition

The Information predicted that Microsoft will make a “major, multibillion-dollar security acquisition” in 2018 and named FireEye as a potential target.

Google preps consumer augmented-reality headset

Google kicked off the idea of head-mounted computing devices with Google Glass a few years ago and likely will develop augmented-reality glasses to be announced in 2018, Eric Jhonsa, technology columnist for TheStreet, said in a column.
“This doesn’t necessarily mean Google or its partners will launch consumer AR headsets in 2018, given there are technical challenges to overcome in areas such as display quality and (given the form factors involved) processing power,” he said. “But the time feels right for Google to get the ball rolling. Look for reports and/or announcements regarding a new consumer AR push before the end of 2018.”

Related reading:

Bitcoin boom and bust, Magic Leap glasses flop and other 2018 tech predictions (Dec. 23, 2017)

Psychic predictions for 2018 (Dec. 24, 2017)

Photo: Taylor Swift’s smartphone app from Glu Mobile.

Emily Ratajkowski and other clickbait cuties

Clickbait promoters like to use photos of pretty ladies to get men to click on their articles. And there are few prettier ladies today than model and actress Emily Ratajkowski.
What follows is my latest roundup of clickbait cuties, including Ratajkowski, that companies like Revcontent and Taboola are using to get people to click on their sponsored articles.
Revcontent recently ran an article titled “12 weird vacation photos that will make you look twice.” It used two photos of the stunning Ms. Ratajkowski. The only thing weird about these photos is why I’m not pictured helping her apply sunscreen.

Another Revcontent article titled “20 vacation photos that will make you look twice” (I guess they found a few more) used a photo of a buxom brunette in a blue bikini. I wasn’t able to identify the women, but the photo was taken by Peter Falcon.

A Taboola-sponsored article titled “She had no idea why the crowd started to cheer” featured a photo of a busty young woman in a one-piece swimsuit. This photo has been kicking around the internet for years and has been Photoshopped to make her swimsuit look see-through. As best as I can tell, the original photo shows a blue swimsuit.

Another Taboola article titled “This photo has not been edited, look closer” featured a 1959 photo of flight attendant Birgitta Lindman of the Swedish SAS airline examining a showgirl’s costume after rumors of shorter skirts for air hostesses. (See Getty Images page.)

A sponsored article titled “33 prom photos that will make you look twice” featured a woman in a yellow dress posing for a fashion website.

Fake Old West photos, fake teachers and other lying clickbait

Just because a photo is sepia-toned doesn’t mean it’s old. Clickbait purveyors often try to pass off modern photos as old by making them look antique.
A recent Taboola article titled “Wild West photos showing what life was really like” used a sepia-toned still from the 2010 movie “Jonah Hex,” starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox. If only all the women in the Old West were as hot as Fox.

Other fake Wild West photos I’ve seen used to promote supposedly historical images were from cosplay sessions, the 1966 movie “The Professionals,” the Canadian TV series “Strange Empire” and the Spanish TV series “Tierra de Lobos.”
Another article, promoted by Outbrain, titled “Actual Wild West photos you can’t unsee” used a modern photo done in an old-timey style by Russian photographer Dmitry Rubinshteyn.

Another clickbait article titled “She had no idea why her students were staring” used a still photo from a Naughty America porn movie starring Sophia Lomeli.
Last year, I noted a clickbait article titled “What you thought teachers do during class is true.” That article used another Naughty America porn photo.

Finally, a Taboola article titled “Trophy wives of older billionaires” featured a picture of a man who might be just a millionaire and a woman who is not his wife.
The man is flamboyant NBA superfan Jimmy Goldstein. (See article by SportsNet and Wikipedia entry.) The woman, Danish supermodel Amalie Wichmann, was likely just his date for a game.

Presenting Photoshopped fakes as the real deal: clickbait edition

There’s lying clickbait and then there’s bold-faced lying clickbait.
Lately clickbait purveyors have been using Photoshopped images to promote photo collections that claim not to include Photoshopped images.
A recent Taboola article touted “No, it’s not Photoshop, look closer – rare historic photos.” It included a picture of a submarine being swamped by a giant wave. But the photo is fake. The original is a surfing photo by Tim McKenna. (See article by Surfers Village.)

Another Taboola article screamed “No, it’s not Photoshop, look closer – it’s Australia.” It featured a badly Photoshopped picture of a crowd of people standing next to a ginormous anaconda.

Yet another Taboola article titled “This monster airplane is a scientific anomaly” used a Photoshopped picture purporting to show a triple-decker airplane. Well, at least this fake is more convincing than the giant snake. (See articles by Infinite Flight and the New York Post.)

New year, same clickbait tactics

It’s a brand new year, but clickbait purveyors are using the same deceptive practices. Will no one step up to stop this?
One of the favorite practices of clickbait websites using Revcontent is to pair photos of two different people and claim they’re the same person after some transformation.
Here are some of the latest examples.
One or more articles on Revcontent are claiming: “Melissa McCarthy lost 132 pounds. This is how she did it.”
In one promotion, the clickbait article juxtaposes photos of McCarthy and actress Ariel Winter.

In another promotion, the lying article contrasts a photo of McCarthy with a Photoshopped picture of McCarthy’s head on Natalie Portman’s body. (The head swap artwork was done by Arthur Drakoni. The original Portman photo is from the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.)

Other clickbait articles allege two celebrities are the same person after undergoing sex change surgery.
One article titled “21 transgender actors you had no idea about” used a photo of actor Jesse Eisenberg next to a picture of his sister Hallie Eisenberg as a child.

Another clickbait article titled “31 stars you forgot were transgender” used pictures of actress Julia Stiles and actor Ansel Elgort. Neither is transgender.
The same photos were used in May 2016 to promote an article titled “12 transgender celebs nobody new about.”

Another type of clickbait article claims to expose celebrities who have fallen on hard times. These articles will pair a photo of the celebrity with a picture of a down-and-out person who is not that celebrity.
For instance, a Revcontent post titled “40 stars who slowly turned into horrible looking creatures” used a picture of actress Lisa Bonet from “A Different World” and a photo of a woman named J.Lo from the Faces of Addiction series by photographer Chris Arnade.

Another version of the same post used a picture of actress Amanda Bearse from “Married with Children” with a photo of some unidentified woman who is not Bearse.