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Must-Use Tools to Up Your Social Media Game | Must-Use Tools to Up Your Social Media Game
In this article, we will talk about some free tools that you can use to grow your social media audience and drive user engagement.
Photo by Oladimeji Ajegbile from Pexels
1. Profile Pic Maker
What does every social media account has in common?
What compels a person to click on your Twitter or Instagram profile?
.
.
.
.
.
A profile picture.
I know it’s not just the profile picture that matters, you also need to have good content for people to follow and engage with you. But having a good profile picture does make a difference.
You may ask how much of a difference does having a good profile picture make?
According to the makers of Profile Pic Maker, profiles/accounts with a profile photo receive 14 times more views than those without a profile photo. Moreover, with a professional profile photo, you are 36 times more likely to receive a message.
By Profile Pic Maker
Profile Pic Maker is a free online service where you can upload your photo and can easily remove background, apply creative studio-grade filters, and once you are happy with the picture, download and use it on various social media platforms. Also, all user photos are automatically deleted after being processed so you don’t have to worry about data privacy.
I highly recommend Profile Pic Maker to make really great profile pictures.
P.S: My Medium & LinkedIn profile picture was made with Profile Pic Maker.
2. Linktree
With so many social media platforms, it's hard to share links to your social media profiles individually.
Which link to put in my Instagram bio section? Medium? Twitter? LinkedIn? Is the question that I struggle with all the time.
Luckily I found Linktree.
By Linktree
Linktree allows you to create a landing page where you can have links to all your social media platforms. You can now just use the Linktree link in the bio section of all your social media platforms. When a user clicks on it they will be able to see links to your Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Medium & Facebook accounts. Now they can connect or engage with you on multiple different platforms.
Basically, it's a………..
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them
Just replace the ring with a link.
I know that was neither clever nor funny.
Personally, I have seen people connecting me on LinkedIn who found me on Medium or on Instagram via my Linktree link. It’s a really great tool to cross-market and grow your audience.
3. Later
This one might sound a bit rich, but the pressure and stress of posting regularly on Instagram is real. Especially when having a good social media presence and following is key to your business or personal brand.
Later is an Instagram marketing platform that allows you to schedule posts & stories months in advance. If you want to put your Instagram account on auto-pilot then Later is the app to use. Plan all your posts months in advance and free yourself from the stress of posting every day.
By Later
One of the really useful features of Later is that it recommends the best time to post and hashtags. The paid version also allows you to add multiple Instagram accounts as well as Facebook, Pinterest & Twitter accounts. | https://medium.com/@amar-desai/must-use-tools-to-up-your-social-media-game-c9bf6643edc4 | ['Amar Desai'] | 2020-11-16 12:47:14.780000+00:00 | ['Social Media Marketing', 'Social Media', 'Marketing', 'Digital Life', 'Instagram'] |
Top Tips To Learn Web Development | Technology is changing fast, and so with affordable smartphones and computers, it may be necessary for one to learn the basics that can help them enhance their businesses by tapping into the existing technologies. If you are in business, you need a website to tell the world about yourself and what you offer. Unfortunately, hiring the Best Web Development Company may be expensive for you. So, it means that you may need to learn how to develop a web for your business.
You can learn how to develop a website by watching online videos and reading written articles. You may also go to a college that teaches people how to develop websites or learn from a mentor. You can also self-learn by doing your own research both offline and online.
Learning how to develop a website has become easier with the release of JavaScript framework. You only need to learn how to code, and you will be good to go. However, you must have a system that can guide you. Here are the basic tips that can help you learn how to develop a web better than what many Web Development Companies are doing out there.
Set Your Goal
It would help if you defined what you want to do and set appropriate goals. You may need to write it down or even whisper it to a trusted friend. For instance, you may set a goal of becoming a web developer. Your goal needs to be real and achievable.
Learn How To Code
You may need to get some skills in HTM, Java Script, and CSS. This is important in helping you master the art of developing a website. You will also need to learn the basics of coding. If you can afford a tutor or a mentor, it can be helpful. Also, your peers could provide real solutions whenever you get stuck.
Use Tutorials
Studying using materials that encourage hands-on experience may be helpful. YouTube in particular, has plenty of content (both audio and video) to encourage people to learn how to code from the first day.
Don’t Abandon It Along The Way
Most people start learning how to develop a website but they abandon it midstream. Of course, it may sound complex in the initial stages, but it will eventually bear fruits. Even owners of the Web Development Companies you see around went through the same experience you may be going through. What happens to most people is that they start an application, code it, and abandon it midstream. But if you want to become a successful coder, you must be resilient and try to finish any project you start working on. It will help you recollect and identify areas that you need to improve on.
Do Some Online Search
You must be prepared to spend many hours searching on Google. Besides, you may need to rephrase answers several times to help you get relevant solutions. So do not give up if the first few searches don’t yield a helpful outcome.
Also, you must be proactive in troubleshooting and solving problems using the documented procedures as well as the experience you have gathered.
Thus, as you learn how to develop a website, take your time to look at what constitutes the Best Web Development Company and what you need to do to get there. Also, befriend Google and walk with him throughout your web development career. | https://medium.com/@acmeitservices/top-tips-to-learn-web-development-960a1f132b98 | ['Acme It Solutions'] | 2021-07-23 08:38:09.010000+00:00 | ['Website Development', 'Web Development', 'Web Design'] |
SARCASMANIA: Sarcasm Exposed! | Hello there! This is an article featuring the release of Sarcasmania-API (now available for download), as well as a detailed description of the project, for your interest!
Here is the Application Download Link on Google Play:
Also on Amazon App-Store (FREE Checkout): https://amzn.to/30ByWMa
Application Overview
This is a Social Media Application where a nest of sarcastic tweets is measured on a polar scale of hilariousness and offensiveness by our users. The application allows our audience to post, view and impartially react to sarcastic tweets uploaded by our large pool of customers chronologically. Finally, an infinitely-running model on our server incorporates this input in a Man VS Machine probability-ratio (30/70) of humor and insult respectively. This application is part of a Natural Language Processing Research Project of improving Sarcasm Detection in Text through Continual Learning and Sentimental Analysis.
“Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?” ~ Chandler Bing from F.R.I.E.N.D.S
Detailed Description
Below lies a thorough detail on the research work involved in this project, as well as its benefits, deficiencies and results.
Introduction
Social media platforms have gained immense popularity in recent years and because of their huge volume, they have now become one of the most effective data-sets for conducting research on any topic. For a business organization to be successful these days, social media is leveraged to tap into public opinion about their products and services for which they have dedicated teams for marketing, sales, and consumer assistance to maintain their social media presence. In addition to market analysis, one’s emotional reception of another’s hilarity is an essential factor used by various social-media applications, especially those uniting potential soulmates. Several psychologists would also agree that the actions and reactions surrounding such comments can be utilized in personality assessments, particularly those concerning anger management and depression.
Motivation
The extraction of research content related to a certain topic is done by using different tools on these platforms. Majority of the public makes the use of sarcasm to express their opinion on these sites especially when it’s a critical review. Since sarcasm is a nuanced form of language in which individuals state the opposite of what is implied, sarcasm detection has always been a challenging task for these tools because of this intentional ambiguity. But due to its excessive usage on social media, detection of sarcasm is important as it is beneficial to many NLP applications, such as sentiment analysis, opinion mining and advertising. Following these claims, we began this research on Sarcasm Detection and its improvement using sentimental analysis and user ratings.
Scope
The motive of our project was to develop a model that we will train for sarcastic, humorously sarcastic, insulting sarcastic and both (humorously and insultingly sarcastic) comments using machine learning algorithms for sarcasm, insult and humor. The intended audience for this project includes:
● Market Analysis Teams
● Psychologists
● Matchmakers
● Social Media Users
The timeline for this project was from Fall 2018 to Spring 2019 i-e the duration of one year to complete literature survey, python programming, android application development and server authentications, as shown:
A Snapshot of the Project Timeline from September 2018 to May 2019
Literature Survey
Listed below are the various research papers and survey articles thoroughly read and researched by members of our team — for their different approaches, functionalities, outputs and efficiencies. These research papers are categorized into three major types of machine-learning detection domains: sarcasm, humor and insult in text (natural language processing).
Research on Sarcasm-Detection: Please refer to the table below.
A brief summary of a few selective Sarcasm-Detection Publications
Research on Humor-Detection: Please refer to the table below.
A brief summary of a few selective Humor-Detection Publications
Research on Insult-Detection: Please refer to the table below.
A brief summary of a few selective Insult-Detection Publications
Implementation
Our implementation is divided into two main modules, described below:
Calculation of Scores using Machine Learning Algorithms: This module of our system is responsible for determining the scores for sarcasm, insult and humor using machine learning algorithms.
Integration of User Feedback into the Predetermined Scores: After the first module has assigned certain scores for sarcasm, insult and humor to the input tweet, the second module will then be responsible for integrating user feedback into the original scores. For this purpose, we will assign specific weightage to user input and keep on adding average scores into the original assigned scores based on 70/30 Machine-User Ratio.
Sarcasm Detector
The first machine learning algorithm will identify the sarcasm in the input tweet and assign it score based on its sarcasm level. The tweet will be further processed if it exceeds a certain threshold level of our system to eliminate irrelevant data. A hybrid model that leverages algorithms for both types of sarcasm has been used based on the two-types of sarcasm given as:
Context-based Sarcasm:
● User Profiling: The motivation for including this is that users tend to be sarcastic / non-sarcastic across forums and their behavioral features can be utilized as contextual information. We generate a user-embedding for each user based on two user-traits:
○ Stylometric features: Generated using Paragraph-Vector algorithm.
○ Personality Traits: A CNN model trained on a benchmark dataset.
● Discourse Modeling: The motivation for including this is that certain forum-topics correlate to sarcastic inclination of the posts — e.g. Politics more prone to sarcasm than discussion on natural disasters. Similar to stylometric features, Paragraph-Vector model is applied on accumulated posts from each forum, based on the following:
○ Contextual and Topical information.
○ Document modeling of the discourse of discussion. Content-based Sarcasm
We Capture lexical cues present in sentences that help detect sarcasm. Sentential representations are extracted from the target comment by using a multi-layered Convolutional Nueral Network (CNN).
Sarcasm Score of an Input Tweet
Insult Detector
A toxic comment classifier has been implemented using Neural Networks. A breakdown of the CNN is given as follows:
Embedding Model: Pre-trained relationships between words, which is a matrix 300 x 400,000. Index2word: A dictionary containing key-value pairs, the key being the word as a string and value being the integer representing the word. Note, these integers correspond with the index in the Embedding Model. Word2idx: A list containing all the words. The index corresponds to the word’s position in the word embeddings. Essentially, the reverse of the index2word.
The process of creating the model starts with loading the word-embeddings and the dictionaries (index2word and word2idx). Next, we load the labelled toxic comments and convert these data-frames into the sequences. Next, we create a tokenizer object and fit it to the sequences as well as pad all the sequences, so they are the same size. After that, we look up the word-embedding vector for each unique word in sequences and store the wordembedding vector in the embeddings’ matrix. If the word is not found in the embeddings, then leave the index all zeroes. Also, limit the embedding-matrix to the 20,000 most used words. Once we’re done, we create a Keras Embedding Layer from the embeddings’ matrix and split the data for training and validation. Finally, we create a CNN model with rectifier activation and a binary cross-entropy loss. This model is now fully capable of making predictions about a comment’s toxicity levels, obscenity, threat-level, insult-factor and identity-hate affirmation.
Continual Learning: Continual Learning is an unexplored region of machine learning even in 2019. The core principle that it operates on is that a machine’s most important knowledge is not forgotten while at the same time, new information is learned sequentially. Its properties are:
Multi-Task Learning: Tasks arrive sequentially.
Tasks arrive sequentially. Auto-Updating: The model can update itself on new tasks and data distributions, without forgetting previous knowledge.
Now let’s try and understand it in more detail as to why it exists and why its integration is necessary for this project.
Problems: The two main obvious problems that exist for all machine learning models that need to learn new information are:
Catastrophic Forgetting: Machines forget old data and only factor in the new data with its labels. Degree of Dissimilarity between tasks: If the two tasks that are being learnt by the model are quite different, this would also ultimately result in failure.
Solutions: A few solutions that come to mind based on these problems are:
Complete re-training on the whole data combined: This approach is affective but naïve as its time-complexity would increase manifold. Retain previous knowledge: A method of retaining previous knowledge includes saving old parameters for reuse. Utilize previous knowledge: The technique through which previous knowledge is utilized is called Transfer Learning. Learn new knowledge: The technique of learning new dataset is called Incremental Learning by dynamically increasing parameters.
Knowledge Distillation: In this Continual Learning technique, we work on the model response level (output) instead of editing its parameters.
We have to keep the new response level really close to the original one and also keep the new parameters close to the old ones in order to maintain its performance level. The formula for loss is defined as:
Loss( λ) = Old Output - New Output
Multi-task learning: It works on the principle of ‘Learning without Forgetting’. Here, we first learn the initial task, then run it on new data and record responses and finally expand the model with a new classification layer that extends the output accordingly. In order to do this, we find a good value of λ. If λ is low, we ignore the new data, otherwise, we learn from new data. This means that this algorithm is highly dependent on the connectivity of the tasks — if similar, they only move an inch from their old values, otherwise, they fight for power!
It works on the principle of ‘Learning without Forgetting’. Here, we first learn the initial task, then run it on new data and record responses and finally expand the model with a new classification layer that extends the output accordingly. In order to do this, we find a good value of λ. If λ is low, we ignore the new data, otherwise, we learn from new data. This means that this algorithm is highly dependent on the connectivity of the tasks — if similar, they only move an inch from their old values, otherwise, they fight for power! Incremental Learning of Object Detectors: In this approach we work through exposing old responses on old classes and using entropy loss on new classes. In this case, we don’t add a new classification layer, but only add a few neurons in the output layer.
Application: Knowledge Distillation was ultimately used to train our model on user input.
In order to incorporate User Feedback from the audience testing our android application in Beta Phase, we required a learning algorithm that can learn new data (related to the old data) and improve its efficiency accordingly. More importance would be given to the initial task (training dataset) and in order to incorporate loss — a few dropout layers have been added into our original insult detection model.
Accuracy: Its test accuracy so far is 95.38% but is subject to change as more and more user data arrives.
Insult Score of an Input Tweet
Humor Detector
The humor detection unit will work in parallel with the insult detector to determine the level of humor present in the input tweet and assign it a humor score. Shallow Learning Method of SVMs (Support Vector Machines) with Linear kernel is being used with Yelp reviews as training data to the model.
Incremental Learning: The humor detection algorithm that was previously being used was an SVM with a linear kernel trained on Yelp reviews for humor detection. There was no direct implementation available for implementing incremental learning on an SVM, so for this purpose SGD’s implementation provided by scikit learn is being used. The loss function that is being used is called ‘hinge’ which outputs a linear SVM same as the one used in the previous implementation of humor detection. The model is being trained using Yelp reviews which were used in the previous implementation as well, but the model is not being completely fit on the reviews, SGD’s partial_fit function is being used so that we can incrementally make the model learn sarcastic humor over time. The model will partial_fit again when new input is provided to it through our application.
Humor Score of an Input Tweet
Merger Algorithm
Lastly in this module, the merger algorithm will compare humor and insult scores of the input tweet to evaluate a combined score for it which will range between the two extremes of insult and humor on a scroll bar. For this purpose, a mathematical formula with certain weightages will be used to merge the two scores.
Sarcasm, Humor and Insult Score of an Input Tweet
Results
The application is under testing by selective users to train the Machine Learning models for most-accurate predictions of sarcasm, humor and insult inside a given tweet. Meanwhile, the implementation of all that is mentioned above can be found here:
Multi-Feature Detection Model
Using our self-labelled data-set, merged with user responses from Continual Learning, we were able to produce a Multi-Feature Sarcasm, Humor and Insult Detection Model, whose code is linked below:
As you can see, the model trained with an accuracy of 99.08% — and the correlation of the data is visible from the dataset found on Kaggle here:
At the end the Probabilities that prove correlation between the three sentiments are deduced from the data below:
P(Sarcasm) = 18488/39780 = 0.46 P(Humor) = 19643/39780 = 0.49 P(Insult) = 19358/39780 = 0.48 P(Sarcasm|Humor) = 9037/39780 ÷ 0.49 = 0.44 P(Sarcasm|Insult) = 8694/39780 ÷ 0.48 = 0.4375 P(Sarcasm|Humor,Insult) = 4293/39780 ÷ .46*.49*.48 = 0.92
This concludes our research proving the usefulness of the relation between sarcasm, humor and insult — that can now be used for proper detection of Sarcasm in text.
Future Goals
We are on our way to get a research publication out of this research from the IEEE Board this Summer in 2019. Furthermore, this research could be extended to find the correlation of Humor with Insult directly — as those two often overlap as well. We are also going to submit this as an idea for Facebook’s Fake-News Challenge: Based on the comments on a post, or the post’s status/content — we can use sarcasm detection to figure out if the author is joking or serious in News Centeres such as 8Fact and 9Gag.
Team Members:
Ramsha Siddiqui, Maryam Nadeem, Mahnoor Khan and Neha Akram
Project Adviser:
Dr. Maryam Bashir
Center for Publication:
Department of Computer Science, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan (Final Year Projects 2018)
Please comment below with your feedback about the Application, and make sure to download and use it atleast once! Thank you ❤ … | https://medium.com/@ramshaijaz/sarcasmania-sarcasm-exposed-84b2ad591feb | ['Ramsha Siddiqui'] | 2019-05-29 15:41:35.498000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Python Programming', 'NLP', 'Sentiment Analysis', 'Sarcasm'] |
How to Get Started With Android Application Development | How to Get Started With Android Application Development
Also Contains Links to Free Courses
Photo by Rami Al-zayat on Unsplash
Android App Development guide for beginners.
Why you should learn android development.
If you want a well-paying job, then you should go for the Android app development. According to the glassdoor website: the average salary for an Android developer is approximately 6 lakh per annum in India and the average salary for an Android developer is $ 96,000 per annum in the United States.
If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, you must also learn to develop Android applications. Many startup ideas need an Android app. Consider if you want to build a startup that helps people rent power banks for mobile charging, then it would be great if you had a dedicated Android app for that.
The Android mobile operating system has a good reach and is available in 70% to 75% of all smartphones. There is a huge supply of jobs and the demand for Android developers will increase as apps for smartwatches and smart TVs are increasing.
Photo by Masakaze Kawakami on Unsplash
Android is an open source software package that is based on the Linux operating system. There have been several versions of Android available with code names and API level.
There are mainly two types of applications that can be built for Android platforms.
Native applications: They are built in a specific language that is compatible with the Android operating system. These Android specific languages include Java and Kotlin.
Hybrid applications — They are built with coding languages used for creating websites which includes HTML, CSS and Javascript.
As a beginner, I suggest that first you practice creating native applications.
There are several advantages to building native applications as a beginner.
A native application integrates very well with the device hardware that includes GPS, camera and others.
Now what programming language should you choose to develop native Android apps? You can choose any language between Java and Kotlin.
As a beginner, learning Java will be easy, and there are several online sources available for learning Java.
How much Java, Kotlin knowledge do you need to begin android development?
There is a common misconception among students trying to learn Android development that they need to become Java or Kotlin experts.
You don’t have to be a Java or Kotlin expert to learn Android.
Here is a list of all the concepts in java language you will need for developing applications.
How to declare variables. Familiarity with operators, expressions, final keyword, Java string class is also required.
Knowledge about branching and switch statements is must. You will need to know how to declare loops. For example, for and while loop.
How to declare classes, define methods, objects and this keyword will definitely help.
Android application development is based on the concept of OOPs, so you should know all the concepts of OOPs like inheritance, polymorphism. File I/O Basics is required.
If you know all these concepts, you can start with Android development.
There will be some concepts in Java that you don’t know. If you come across any of these concepts, try learning it right then with a simple Google search.
Resources for learning basics of android app development. I am mentioning some free online learning resources. This is the best resource one can get for free.
Android Basics: User Interface — This course consists of beginner-friendly concepts and will teach you the basics of the Android user interface.
Android Basics: User Input — In this course, you will create an interactive coffee ordering application. This course will teach how to practically implement OOPs concepts in applications.
Android Basics: Multiscreen Apps — In this course you will learn about intents and activities, practically implement loops to display data to users, adding images, playing audio in your app.
Android Basics: Networking — In this course, you will discover how to use a web API in your Android application, HTTP Networks, and how to use the thread to do time consuming background work, AsyncTask overview.
Android Basics: Data Storage — In this course you will discover about the SQLite database in your application, the configuration of the contract class, etc.
Take a look at Firebase — it will make Android app development easy.
With Firebase you can create applications quickly and easily.
After doing all these courses, you will have strong basic knowledge about Android.
Now you need to build some projects on your own to see how much you have learned.
Android Development Projects Ideas.
Todo List Application
Try to built a todo list application having these features:
Create a new task list to manage different tasks.
Add / edit / delete an item to our Everything list.
Each task can have detailed note options.
Implement the search option for All.
Sort your to-dos and tag them by category.
Tinder Clone
Try to create a tinder clone through this app, you will learn about how to create a difficult user interface and how to access Firebase database, Firebase authentication and Firebase storage. It should include these features:
Create an account with name, age, gender and email authentication.
Sign in to the account.
View user of opposite sex only.
Add swipe features for every opposite sex user you like.
Edit your profile and you can add a profile photo.
Able to match two users.
Once two users match, they should be able to chat with each other.
Try to build some more applications with what you have learned.
Make some applications about using the rest API. As an Android developer, you should always know how to beautifully display json data in your Android app.
Put your code for all your projects online on github.
If you get stuck at any point while creating a project always take a look at two great resources.
Stackoverflow: It is likely that all your errors are already fixed here.
Android Documentation: To add any new features to your Android app, you should check its official documentation.
If you followed all the steps mentioned above, you have become an Android developer and now you can apply for internships at the company you want.
Prepare your resume and cv and discuss all your projects. You will now get an internship in a dream company.
Further reading: | https://medium.com/coderbyte/how-do-i-get-started-with-android-application-development-with-only-very-basic-knowledge-about-dddea25395fd | ['Sanjay Priyadarshi'] | 2020-08-22 11:47:22.357000+00:00 | ['Coding', 'Android App Development', 'Programming', 'AndroidDev', 'Software Development'] |
Exploring Digital Nomadism (Working Abroad #5) — The Global MBA | Working Remotely For Maximum Gain
The digital nomad. The term became popular in the 2010’s with the proliferation of the internet, compact computers and the overall digitalization of the developed and (to some degree) the developing world. Basically a digital nomad in a nutshell is an individual that works remotely through a personal computer with an internet connection. Normally such an individuals live in developing countries where the cost of living is much lower and work in a developed country (remotely) where wages are much hire. Think of it as taking advantage of location arbitrage. You are taking your western wage and spending it in a developing part of the world.
Of course there are so many numerous ways you can do this and to make a full coverage on this topic will be a very long article. So for the sake of brevity, let’s go over a few ways you can make digital nomadism a thing for you to do further research:.
Different Types of Digital Nomads
Teaching English: Yes we have already went over how you can teach English in an east Asian country in a classroom setting. But you can also do something similar in teaching students remotely through Skype or Zoom.
Day Trading: I remember meeting an Indian fellow when I was in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam that traded in the Indian market remotely. Not for the faint of heart and there is a capital requirement but it is possible.
Computer Programming: During my time WWOOFing in Mexico, one of the other WWOOFers was working for a Dutch company in this field.
Blogging/YouTube: A tight market flooded with more people you can count, but definitely a possibility if you put your mind to it.
Sell a Course: If you have a marketable skill, odds are someone out there will be willing to pay you to learn what you know. Popular platforms such as Udemy and Teachable are out there to spread the word on what you know. | https://medium.com/@kingstonlim/exploring-digital-nomadism-working-abroad-5-the-global-mba-61ac760e4c4e | ['Kingston S. Lim'] | 2021-09-08 12:01:38.656000+00:00 | ['Digital Nomad', 'Work Travel', 'Travel'] |
Freelanex?? 🤔🤔 | FreeLaneX is a decentralized platform which provides an environmental system on Blockchain. It represents a unique opportunity for approaching bargains by using a decentralized System with smart contracts, through an interface user friendly. Everything will be managed thanks to a transparent and decentralized portal that will help in gaining the confidence in the transaction between the client and the freelancer.
As we said at the beginning, we live in a time highly affected by the technological revolution and the other digital influences. And in most cases these new technologies play an important role in our life. At this stage we have been able to think about a revolutionary idea and how to implement it. Through a multidisciplinary study we found that there is a defect in the independent economy and there is a demand to organize the standards of safety, to establish a reliable business relationship between the freelancers and clients. This is the reason behind our search about the characteristics and standards of the Blockchain technology to upgrade services and expand the relationship between the freelancers and their clients. 😎
#Freelanex #FLX #Blockchain #ICO #FreelancersPlatform#FutureOfFreelancers | https://medium.com/@Freelanex/freelanex-fbe23682ec56 | [] | 2019-02-26 04:03:12.421000+00:00 | ['Freelancer', 'Freelanex', 'Blockchain', 'ICO', 'Flx'] |
AYS Daily Digest: 01/10/20: Evictions and pushbacks all over Europe | AYS Daily Digest: 01/10/20: Evictions and pushbacks all over Europe
Eviction of the official UN-run Bira camp in BiH // Illegal eviction of unofficial camp in Calais // Pushback from Spanish islet to Morocco // large-scale pushbacks from Cyprus to Lebanon // 7300 pushbacks monitored in Aegean since March // What is it like to be a refugee child in Greece? // Solidarity with PIKPA Are You Syrious? Follow Oct 2, 2020 · 13 min read
Large-scale eviction in Calais on September 29. Copyright: Human Rights Observers
FEATURE: As winter approaches, the situation of refugees in Bosnia-Herzegovina is deteriorating
On Wednesday, 30 September, the Una Sana Canton authorities forcibly transferred refugees from the temporary reception centre Bira in Bihać.
The event unfolded as follows:
“According to people on the move and other witnesses on site, at 3PM today, around 70 minors were taken from their designated area in Bira to the nearby Borići camp, where children and families reside. As soon as the evacuation of minors was done, dozens of special police and regular police officers entered the premises for single men and started removing them from the camp. The plan was not announced to the residents, many of whom panicked as they were taken away. By 6PM, five buses of single men were taken towards the desolate Lipa camp, while around 100 people were allowed to leave Bihać in an unorganised manner. According to information from the field, more than 300 people on the move are now in front of Lipa camp but they say IOM doesn’t allow to them to enter inside. They say there is no food or blankets provided outside the camp, and inside resources are also lacking. Low temperatures and remoteness of the site are making things worse for people who’ve been removed from the relative safety of the solid-structured camp. According to information from Velika Kladuša, another major migrant hub in the Una-Sana canton near the Croatian border, closure of Miral camp is also expected within the next 48 hours.” AYS Breaking News, Facebook
It is important to state that both the emptied camp and the one that people are now waiting in front of are run by IOM. The Lipa camp is not at all equipped for winter conditions; it was only set up in spring as a temporary emergency facility to respond to COVID-19 measures. IOM’s western Balkan Coordinator Van der Auweraert calls on the local authorities to provide solutions for the people who have nowhere to go. However, he could have let the people enter the IOM-run Lipa camp. Instead, he only allowed 10 people with injuries to enter, as the camp was full.
The Croatian NGO CMS denounced the local government, IOM and the UN camp management agency for playing “ping-pong with responsibilities and human lives”.
The EU also condemns the latest actions by BiH’s authorities. A statement of the Delegation of the EU to BiH reads as follows:
“The EU expects the competent Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina to urgently take all necessary measures to prevent a humanitarian crisis from unfolding, ensure shelter for all persons in need, including unaccompanied minors, facilitate humanitarian assistance and stop further evictions. The EU also expects violations of the law to be duly investigated and the rule of law to be upheld. The EU has provided considerable support to Bosnia and Herzegovina to manage migration and asylum. The EU urges Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities to live up to their commitments.”
Full statement here.
BiH is currently hosting some 10,000 people on the move who try to find a way into the EU and are repeatedly being violently pushed back at the Croatian border. Only around 7,000 are housed in IOM-run official camps; the rest are sleeping rough. Winter is coming, and we are once again watching a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our eyes.
Van der Auweraert also published videos showing makeshift camps of people on the move in the area of Velika Kladuša:
The pushbacks conducted by Croatian police are continuously carried out in a violent and sadistic manner. NoNameKitchen published the testimony of a man who was, together with many other people, forced by Croatian police to swim across the Korana river to BiH:
“Rahim described that they were brought to the secluded banks of the Korana river under the cover of darkness and ordered out of the vans in one large group. He recalled that six additional officers were present there, all dressed in black uniforms with their faces covered by balaclava masks. Lined up and facing the river bank, Rahim described that they were told to get in the river and swim across: “Everyone together. Tell everyone to go…We’re in a line and beating until people go.” Rahim described that many people screamed that they did not know how to swim but the officers beat them and forced them into the water anyway.”
Two people from Rahim’s group did not survive the crossing. | https://medium.com/are-you-syrious/ays-daily-digest-01-10-20-evictions-everywhere-5d8eaf67d294 | ['Are You Syrious'] | 2020-10-02 17:59:53.547000+00:00 | ['Eviction', 'Digest', 'Europe', 'Refugees', 'Pushback'] |
The Cost of Greatness | by Zachary Warma
Much has been made of the Study on Undergraduate Education at Stanford (SUES), and rightly so; when a world-class institution of high learning chooses to conduct an exhaustive overview of the ways in which it pursues the mission of education, people should rightly be paying attention.
However, regardless of what the committee ultimately unveils to us, only half of the greater issue will be tackled. Academics is an oft-overlooked core component of the Stanford “undergraduate experience,” but on a campus with a 12 billion dollar endowment, 600-some odd students groups and more mental health issues than you can shake a stick at, the “everything else” category is an essential part of what the University has become, and where it is going.
Stanford has indeed become one of the preeminent universities in the world. A brief glance at some of the pressing campus issues, including the Gaieties controversy and the ROTC question, however, leads me to believe that the campus faces a pitched battle in defining the future of Governor Stanford’s Farm. And there are more than enough divergent voices, and thus subsequent drama, to make the struggle all the more gripping.
To make sense of the present situation, I think a look into the past is necessary. Before the onset of the Sixties, Stanford was a radically different place. The admission rate hung around the 50% mark. A robust, 24-chapter fraternity system housed well over a third of the male student population. Lake Lag was full, and every spring Stanford welcomed the smart (and overwhelmingly white) sons and daughters of California into the Cardinal fold.
The 1960s largely dismantled the Farm of yore. The decade saw the rise of Stanford as a fundraising machine, and the destruction of the traditional Farm ambience. Student protests and campus unrest helped oust two presidents. A greater push for minority admission, representation, and visibility was undertaken; the BSU took the stage in MemAud to make demands of the University at an event following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. By 1970, the Greek system was almost halved, the windows of the President’s Office were boarded up, and the occasional riot had police and sheriff units making trips to Encina and Old Union.
What has since come from this great undoing? For starters, the Farm has gotten more diverse, both in student population and faculty hiring. Stanford students now hail from a variety of backgrounds, hometowns, and socio-economic conditions, making for a more open and more tolerant institution. Stanford’s investments in tech departments and research, coupled with the rise of Silicon Valley, have brought billions of dollars into University coffers, making the Stan one of the best-endowed institutions in the world and crowning the campus with a wealth of world class facilities. And presumably, the students have gotten smarter. The admission rate has veered into single digit territory, and seems to be intent on staying there.
But for all the forward momentum, there is also a less-than-sunny side to the Farm’s ascendance. “Diversity,” and whoever can most forcefully claim ownership of its definition, has become a virtual third rail of the campus community. In large part because of the University’s historical failings, the current policy seems to be a reflexive kowtowing to the vague concept, without a reasonable discussion about what in fact we are actually talking about.
An inward-looking focus, begun in the first days of freshmen year, has helped feed a tribalistic student culture, with the building blocks of fraternities, houses, or student groups doing more to separate and categorize students, than to unite them. A virulent anti-Greek sentiment almost killed the system off entirely in the 1980s, and now matters of liability, ResEd and Housing squabbles, and “NSO policies” threaten fraternities and Row Houses alike. Even the Band has largely been neutered. And nationally, the current crop of college freshmen is the most emotionally distressed (and unhealthily intoxicated) in recent memory.
In its quest for worldwide acclaim, Stanford gave up portions of its identity. Not all of the losses should be mourned: we owe most of our wonderful campus resources to Stanford’s ascendancy. But where we have come from matters greatly in shaping what is yet to come. If Gaieties disappears (or worse, is subjected to several more layers of bureaucratic control), if ROTC is kept off campus by a small angry faction and majoritarian apathy, if student services are further eroded or “reprioritized,” then the cost of Stanford’s greatness has indeed risen too high. | https://medium.com/stanfordreview/the-cost-of-greatness-fd9e5f8d7950 | [] | 2016-12-12 06:38:12.801000+00:00 | ['Higher Education', 'Education'] |
Crystal Reports Bursting — It’s Time To Power Your Office For Document Delivery | What sort of engineering are you applying to get the documents delivered?
People have felt that aberration in document delivery when it comes to free software applications available on the Internet.
Document Bursting
We understand that small businesses have a lot to handle in their office rooms, one of which is the budget management. A small startup doesn’t have enough resources and the budget is distributed accordingly. If you have Crystal Reports or any report-making software, you would know how exhausting it is.
For people who are indulged in report generation works will find how time rides at a snail’s pace. A human being is bound to make errors, which, unfortunately, wouldn’t be soothing to a customer’s eye. Imagine 1000 invoices being generated in 8–9 hours by a single person, isn’t it too boring? These hours could have been spent on productive activities of any core business process.
With the help of an automated document delivery system for Crystal Reports bursting operations, you will not only add efficiency and productivity at your office but also save significant costs and drive profits for business. Ultimately, it’s those 1000 invoices will take only an hour less to be generated with the help of document bursting. Moreover, these compatible document delivery systems will enable your report-making efforts seamless, accurate, and achievable in a day.
You can check for these software packages online and find a few options available. Try a trial version of the software for a few days to understand and judge its capabilities with strenuous work settings. Having said that, you should also check for what’s needed for your office and don’t spend an extraordinary amount on unnecessary features, which don’t come free with the package. | https://medium.com/@pdfexplodeusonline/crystal-reports-bursting-its-time-to-power-your-office-for-document-delivery-917182cead6d | ['Jesse Chris'] | 2019-04-12 06:42:45.810000+00:00 | ['E Mail Marketing', 'Pdf Export', 'Computers', 'Payslip Delivery', 'Document Delivery'] |
Ask a Clean Person: Fragrant Shoe Season Arrives Early | I don’t want to get rid of my sandals but seriously, they are disgusting. I am not a Sweaty Person or a Stinky Person in general. My socks never get stinky or sweaty, not even the ones I wear when I work out. Come the spring/sandal time, though, and I swear by 10 a.m. it smells like there’s a dirty dog and a bag of Fritos under my desk. I make myself sick, and I’m terrified that if I can smell my own feet, everyone else can, too.
This happens with tiny strappy sandals, flip-flops — any shoe I wear without socks. I’ve tried sprinkling them with baking soda and letting them sit overnight, which helps for a day, maybe two. Can you help me? I don’t see how any kind of stink-destroying insoles could work here, since it’s only my OPEN shoes that smell like the devil. Why is this?
This happens to my best friend, too, so I know I’m not the only one. Are we just The Stinky Feet Girls? I would give up on sandals entirely, but we live in Texas and shoes with socks just aren’t an option when it’s 103 degrees for 90 days running. Help us? Please?
You might be The Stinky Feet Girls. But you know what? That’s fine! Sometimes I eat potato chips in my bed while watching episodes of The Sopranos that I’ve seen a hundred times. We’re all gross in our own ways.
I think what we need here is a two-pronged approach: foot care and shoe care. Because you might be a Stinky Feet Girl, I would definitely suggest that you start using a daily foot powder like Gold Bond or Tinactin. There are also a whole heap of foot antiperspirant products out there that work a little differently from the powders, which absorb sweat but don’t stop it. Also they have delightful names like The Ugly Little Bottle, Ghost Grip, and Neat Feat. My suggestion would be for you and your friend to each buy one different product, test it out, compare notes, and if the first thing you tried doesn’t work, try another. Just in the same way with deodorant for the underarms you may need to experiment with different brands to find the one that works best with your body’s makeup.
So that’s step one. Step two is to treat the shoes themselves. There are a ton of odor-neutralizing shoe sprays on the market, and I particularly like products made specifically for getting the stank out of athletic shoes, because they’re optimized for use on some of the smelliest shoes out there. Here’s one from Dr. Scholl and another from KIWI for you to check out. It may be that during the summer months you have to spray your shoes down each night when you take them off, but once you get into the habit of doing that it’ll become something you don’t even think about, you just automatically do. Like how you make your bed every morning. Automatically. Right???
I realize the topic of smelly shoes, feet, and all manner of foot/smells have already been covered. However, I have a smelly foot problem that is slightly unique. I am a lucky lady in that I get to walk to work every day — no public transport needed. As I am a comfort-over-style kind of gal, I walk to work in sneakers and change into heels once I get there. When I get to work in the morning I am usually first or second and can easily slip off my socks and sneakers with little embarrassment; I store my shoes in one of my filing cabinets, to keep any stink encased in steel. The problem is that in the afternoon I am surrounded by several coworkers (admittedly some very attractive coworkers, though that shouldn’t make a difference) and I feel extremely embarrassed when opening my smelly shoe drawer. Currently I have tried scent balls or sent sprays, but both just mix with the foot smell. I also have used baking soda which works well in my shoes but no so much in the drawer! Please help!
You just need to put a Bad Air Sponge up in that bitch. That’ll do ya.
Another idea is to get your paws on a pair of sneaker balls and pop ’em inside your kicks after you take them off in the morning, so that they absorb the smells right out of your sneaks while they’re sitting in the drawer. Sneaker balls are pretty easy to find — most athletic shoe stores like Foot Locker will carry them — and they’re pretty inexpensive. Amazon lists several options in the $4 to $10 range.
If the drawer isn’t big enough to fit a canister of Bad Air Sponge, you can also check out a thing called Fridge It. They’re designed for refrigerators (as if that weren’t utterly clear/why did I just explain that??), but the principle of odor-sucking-upping is the same, so they’ll be small enough to pop into a desk drawer.
I recently bought these cute flats from the Friday Bargain Bin. I love them! Great find!
The first day I wore them was a gray day that turned into a rainy day, and they got wet in the rainwater. Now they’re a little dirty. Since they’re dyed leather I’m not sure how to go about cleaning them. A damp paper towel got way too much orange on it for me to be comfortable continuing. My roommate hasn’t worn hers yet … should I get her drunk when she does and switch out her new unstained ones for mine like in the Judgement of Solomon?
Yes, you should absolutely do that. I’m not even kidding. All’s fair in love, war and Friday Bargain Bin Anthropologie Trinket Flats.
Okay no, not really! (I’ve been working on this whole Ask an Astonishingly Mean Clean Person persona but it’s not really taking.) You can try a couple different things.
Since they’re just “a little dirty,” a damp (DAMP NOT WET!)(I swear one of these days I’m going to have pop-up sponges made up that say “DAMP NOT WET!” on them and make a killing selling them to people who are forever staining their couches and shoes and carpets and such) sponge with a little blurt of dishsoap will probably take the grime right up.
If that doesn’t appeal to you, you can get your hands on some neutral-colored shoe polish and give the shoes a good going-over with it or grab a pack of these nifty Express Shine Wipes from KIWI, which will clean the dirt off and shine the leather back up as well. “Neutral,” by the by, is a pretty standard shoe polish color, and you really shouldn’t have any trouble finding it.
In terms of the dye coming up as you’re cleaning them, unless the color of the shoe is visibly changing its color, don’t worry too much about it. Dye is just forever leeching out of things — remember the girl who had the wild makeout session on her carpet and got dark denim dye all over the place?
Previously: I Drank the Juice; I Cleaned It Up.
Jolie Kerr is not paid to endorse any of the products mentioned in this column, but she sure would be very happy to accept any free samples the manufacturers care to send her way! Are you curious to know if she’s answered a question you have? Do check out the archives, listed by topic. More importantly: is anything you own dirty?
Photo by iofoto, via Shutterstock | https://medium.com/the-hairpin/ask-a-clean-person-fragrant-shoe-season-arrives-early-f6cbecdddf70 | [] | 2016-06-01 22:01:03.883000+00:00 | ['Advice', 'Cleaning'] |
MAHINDRA THAR (2020) | New MAHINDRA THAR is a best offroading car of this year, well in it’s first week, Thar got more than 10,000 bookings.
New Thar got so much of new updates, to know more about new thar visit our site :https://carsareas.com/mahindra-thar-2020/
New Thar is really a money worthy Offroading car. Because of this new things: https://carsareas.com/mahindra-thar-2020/
To read more blogs of new cars visit :https://carsareas.com/page/3/
CARSAREAS | https://medium.com/@piyushgujral21/mahindra-thar-2020-573a462fff38 | [] | 2020-12-15 13:42:53.156000+00:00 | ['Offroad', 'News', 'Cars', 'Automotive', 'Automobile'] |
The One Year Plan For Cracking Coding Interviews | The One Year Plan For Cracking Coding Interviews
About my hustle before cracking interviews.
It took me one year to go from a noob programmer to someone decent enough to crack coding interviews for getting internships and gaining experience. I still have a long way to go, but the first step to being a good programmer is working in the real world and getting experience, which can be best gained by internships. And if you want an internship, you have to crack the interview first. Which brings us to this blog.
Photo by Jordan Whitfield on Unsplash
I have broken down my one-year plan, which I diligently followed, and will hopefully help you with your planning if you are in the starting stage.
Prerequisite: Knowing the basics and syntax of one programming language. Most students tend to know Java, C, or Python from their colleges/highschools. You can stick to the one you are comfortable with from these three, but if C is your preferred language, I would recommend you to switch to C++. My first language was C, which made me switch to C++. I learned Java on the side, enjoyed it more, and decided to practice competitive coding in Java, and so every interview I have ever cracked was by using Java. I had zero experience in python, but after joining Facebook, all of the code I have written as an intern is in Python. So my point is, there is no superior language amongst these three, try not to worry about which one to choose. Just pick one, crack interviews in that one, and you can learn the rest on the go depending on where you get placed.
Here’s the plan:
The month-specific blogs that are released so far have been linked below, and the rest are coming soon.
Month 1: Big O, Arrays and Strings: Read it here
Month 2: Linked Lists: Read it here
Month 3: Stacks and Queues: Read it here
Month 4: Trees and Tries: Read it here
Month 5: Hashmap, Dictionary, HashSet
Month 5: Graphs
Month 6: Recursion and Dynamic Programming
Month 7: Sorting and Searching
Month 8: Reading(about system design, scalability, PM questions, OS, threads, locks, security basics, garbage collection, etc. basically expanding your knowledge in whatever field required, depending on your target role)
Month 9, 10, 11, 12: A mix of medium and hard questions in your preferred website. Practice by participating in contests, focusing on topics that you are weak at, mock interviews, etc.
Source — forbes.com
Here’s how I approach every topic in each month — Let’s say you are in month 4, and focusing on trees. You need to first understand what trees are, different types of trees, and be able to define class Node and Tree. You then need to be able to perform basic operations like adding, finding, and deleting an element, pre-order, in-order, post-order, and level-by-level traversal. Lastly, you practice different tree questions available on Hackerrank, Leetcode, or a website of your choice. You should target the easy questions first, and once you are comfortable, move on to medium and hard.
The last 4 months are for solving a mix of different questions, via contests or otherwise, which is necessary because when you are practicing tree questions, you know you have to use a tree. But if you are given a random question, how will you know a tree would be the best approach? Also, always look for the most optimal solution in forums after solving it yourself.
You have an entire month, and if you manage to dedicate 40–70 hours a week, you’ll be able to master trees in such a way that if a tree question is thrown at you in an interview, you’ll be able to mostly solve it since you trained your mind to think that way with intense practice. If you are a student, dedicating this much time is definitely doable, even with side projects, homework, etc. Your grades might take a hit (my As became Bs in that one semester(month 9,10, 11, 12) when I was dedicating over 8 hours a day to competitive coding) but it was worth it.
You should also try to build projects or do research on the side while preparing.
Some people learn better by participating in contests in CodeForces, CodeChef, etc. while others prefer practicing questions. Again, there is no benefit of one over the other, do what you personally prefer.
I do not believe in practicing particular topics for a particular company, some websites claim to have a set of questions dedicated to a particular company, eg: cracking the Google interview. I think the goal should be to be a better developer overall, focusing on just a few topics that Google tends to test candidates on may not be the best way to follow.
Interviewers also judge you based on your LinkedIn, Resume, past experiences, courses taken, Github, degrees and certifications, projects, research papers, etc. Practicing competitive coding does not guarantee a job, but it does guarantee you’ll be able to crack technical interview rounds most of the time, and you’ll also be a better developer overall, which might help you when you build projects.
Lastly, don’t stop. It may seem easy at first when you are motivated, but that fuel dies in a month or so. Keep your goal in mind, of course, it’s going to be hard, but the only ones who make it are those who stick to the plan. You can edit the plan if you need to, but once done, stick to it, even on your lazy days, even when you have a college fest or a party to attend, even when you are sleepy. Like I said, the ones who succeed are the ones who *stick to the plan*.
This sums up my schedule at a high level. I plan on digging deep, and my next blog will only focus on month 1(Big O, Arrays and strings), the one after that will be month 2, and so on. I hope this was helpful, let me know if you want me to also write about any other topic on the side, or if you have any queries. I’d appreciate it if you could ask your questions on Instagram since I prefer to keep LinkedIn for professional opportunities, but either is fine.
Thanks! Signing off!
Anjali Viramgama
Incoming Software Developer at Microsoft
LinkedIn | Instagram | https://towardsdatascience.com/the-one-year-plan-for-competitive-coding-6af53f2f719c | ['Anjali Viramgama'] | 2020-12-13 21:58:57.485000+00:00 | ['Competitive Programming', 'Google', 'Facebook', 'Coding', 'Technology'] |
What the hell even happens at most companies all day? | Just a quick rundown:
Seriously, though. What the ever-loving shit is happening in these organizations? This isn’t complicated. Get people. Train the people. Respect the people. Give them opportunities. Make money as a result of their growth and the product/service’s growth.
There’s way too much bullshit and ineffectiveness at most places.
Could you imagine going to a CEO and telling him he had a 95% failure rate in his business? He’d smack you in the mouth. But you know what? He does. Hiring and strategy (see above). Now tell him, “Oh, you’ve got a 82% failure rate among the guys and women who manage your execution-level workers.” He jab a knife in your thigh. But it’s true. And we’ve all worked in those places.
An operational or fiscal failure rate of even 0.00001 would probably get an all-hands meeting called and people flown in from various locations, but the stuff above just keeps happening.
Now, I know automation is coming and the robots may take 1 in every 2 jobs. So people may phase out of work eventually, but probably not entirely and it’ll take a bit of time for that to be a reality in most orgs. We can get this right. But we don’t. We honestly don’t seem to care.
And here’s the true bullshit from the “thought leaders” and influencers and futurists and future of work experts: you absolutely cannot have a conversation about any of this stuff — what work should look like, etc. — without starting from the above. This is the reality for most people. No strategy, terrible managers, hiring whiffs left and right. Any discussion of where we could go has to begin by acknowledging how presently eff’ed we are in a lot of companies. See above.
Want to make this better? Let’s do that. | https://medium.com/@tedbauer2003/what-the-hell-even-happens-at-most-companies-all-day-9f13c26c2761 | ['Ted Bauer'] | 2020-12-07 14:53:34.737000+00:00 | ['Future Of Work', 'Strategy', 'Employee Engagement', 'Work', 'Management And Leadership'] |
ADME Airdrop | ADME is going to be a mobile app and marketing platform where users get paid to watch ads and fill out the advertisers’ surveys. Our goal is to provide a universal basic income for our users and bring traffic to our clients to help the raise awareness around their brands and products at an affordable price.
As we are about the start the UTO for ADME we are going to run an Airdrop campaign to increase the number of potential users and investors and to grow the community overall. We are giving away 5.000.000 A tokens (1000 A per person 200 A / task).
Complete the following tasks below to get your tokens:
Create a Lobstr account and add ADME as an asset (need 2 XLM) video link
Join the Telegram Channel
Follow us on Linkedin
Follow us on twitter
Comment on Bitcointalk
Post your Lobstr key in the Telegram channel
Fill out the Airdrop form at the bottom of the website
If you have any question post it at the Telegram group.
Looking forward to pay you!
ADME team | https://medium.com/@adme/adme-airdrop-bb65dad27ce9 | ['Adme Official'] | 2020-12-14 10:13:06.083000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Airdrops Alert', 'Airdrop', 'Adme'] |
Using Filters for Compositional Variation | Today we can do more to vary our compositional elements than flip our melodic lines upside down, run them backwards or nudge them upwards or downwards as per classical techniques such as line inversions, retrogrades or transpositions either within the same or to other keys. Signal processing adds near-infinite possibilities for tonal variation. While utilizing a plethora of audio effects may not seem like fugue method per se — since we cannot systematically exhaust the material given the vast multitude of methods achievable with today’s toolset — we can take some ‘fugue-al’ inspiration from the idea of repurposing compositional material through exploring and integrating sonic mutations. Mutations on a theme, rather than variations, is probably a more apt phrase to use in the context of the ‘pluginscape,’ which is its own kind of soundscape for music and audio production.
This article will touch on a few techniques and tools for using filters compositionally, rather than discuss the usual topics associated with filters, such as dB slope, cut-off frequencies, resonance, types of filters etc. Those topics cover the ‘how’ or ‘what’ aspects of filters, but leave out the ‘why’ and ‘when’ dimensions. I will not exhaust the why and when here in any kind of systematic treatment, but hopefully you may get some ideas for using filters in your compositions in ways you may not have used them before.
Routine Filter Sweeps
Probably the most common creative use of filters is to gradually add or subtract frequency content over time as part of a riser or paradoxically named ‘downlifter’ element in electronic, especially dance-oriented, music. Given the prevalence of this genre-routine, that seems to be a good place to start for the compositional use of filters, which is distinct from other uses that serve more practical or psychoacoustic purposes, such as dealing with problems of instruments masking each other when they share common spectral regions with parametric EQs.
In this first example set, there is a pitch pattern that occurs early in my (somewhat literally named : ) piece Minimal Psy Glitch Walking Bass without a filter treatment, which then gets the temporal and spectral addition and subtraction when it appears later on. Here’s the pitch pattern the first time it is introduced:
Later in the composition, this same pattern is reused but with a filter sweep that first adds, and then subtracts, its spectral content. In the latter part of the sample, you can also hear (and see!) the pumping effect as its amplitude is modulated by a kick drum (unheard) happening elsewhere in the mix:
As this is a rather straightforward use of automating a filter’s cutoff frequency, I would tend to use a straightforward (but still great sounding!) tool like Waves’ OneKnob Filter. Below, you can see the filter adjust as a DAW automation track changes it over time.
Towards the beginning of the video, you can also see that shortly after the knob starts moving, the thin purple ring that borders it lights up — this is because the filter’s bypass (turning it off and on) is also being automated. With filter effects, you often want to turn them off and on when you start using them for more expressive purposes, so that you can easily use versions of the instrument with and sans the filtering.
The automation heard in the Pitch Pattern | Filtered example above.
Narrative Arcs
The concept of a narrative arc is that over time, the emotional intensity of events should rise and fall, typically with a climactic moment of some kind towards the end of the story, and at the top of the arc.
A Narrative Arc. Image Source
The rising and falling of a filter shown above can also be used in this narrative intensity-building way, since as sounds become spectrally duller they also typically become less intense or dramatic from an emotional perspective.
Towards the ‘climactic’ end of my track Cosmic Ray Juice (the link below will take you to the right moment in the mix), I bring in an automated filter that has a rhythmic rather smoothly varying character.
There are many ways to use filters rhythmically, which in itself points to an interesting aspect of contemporary music that is distinct from previous musical eras — namely, that it’s very easy for sonic features to migrate across compositional territories. Spectral content is normally associated with the acoustic and musical concept of timbre, not rhythm, but filters can modulate timbre so that it becomes more beat-like in character. Today, these category crossings happen with every aspect of music because of the affordances for manipulating every sonic parameter — another example would be beat-making practices where the percussive elements become more melodic because of the capacity for changing the pitch of samples and MIDI notes on a per-beat basis.
The rhythmic filtering in the example above was done in this instance with Waves’ MetaFilter plugin, which is shown below in action during this ‘climactic end’ of the music. In the video, the MIDI clip controlling the virtual instrument being processed was moved later in the timeline, which is why you see the filter working for some 15 seconds before the audio actually starts to be processed (as shown in the pairs of Input and Output meters at screen right). Note that this filter is actually being used to modulate the filter’s dB parameter, and all frequencies are actually being passed through!
Modulating an all-pass filter’s dB .
Filter and Rhythm
Of course, normally we don’t use filters to pass through all frequencies and just change the signal level! In the examples below, there is an unfiltered pitch pattern, followed by its ‘filter-rhythmized’ doppleganger. This is also an example of thematic mutation as discussed above.
In electronic music, much pitch content lies somewhere conceptually between melody and arpeggio (and rhythm!). I tend to think that if a pitch pattern cannot be hummed easily, it’s not a melody per se more like a rhythmic articulation of harmonic space, i.e. a pattern of broken up sequentialized chords (or something like that). The MIDI notes of the two examples above are shown below in the piano roll — you can decide for yourself whether this is a melody or arpeggio or pitched rhythm etc. | https://medium.com/sound-and-design/using-filters-for-compositional-variation-4b0b4d895e34 | ["Michael 'Myk Eff' Filimowicz"] | 2020-12-26 07:08:59.670000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Music Production', 'Audio', 'Culture', 'Ideas'] |
Following the Thought Trail Whilst Wary of Drive Through Diversity | The report Best Places… showed up, amongst other things, that black media employers are caught up in the the frozen middle of pay and promotion.
Alongside a list of damning reports this year, several too from the Sir Lenny Centre for Media Diversity, and given the extraordinary eventful tail wind of 2020, substantive change has not yet come to pass I find myself telling the UK’s Creative Industries Federation in an interview.
Is this down to too ambitious targets being set? Is it that whilst progressives seek change they hold themselves back by Kendi’s notion of assimilationists’ ideas and this positioning needs to be better understood? Or that in its overall framing the approach to diversity and inclusion requires a different tact?
Several parts of the media industry have responded to what might be called Drive-through Diversity — quick grabs from the counter. Take confirmation bias programmes as takeaways? That said, I recognise many great minds and activists who work tirelessly to find solutions.
One of the popular and much talked about features for direct action has been the Rooney rule, named after Dan Rooney the Pittsburg Steelers’ president. It was introduced in 2001 as a response to the paucity of Black NFL coaches.
Rooney’s rule has been well documented and several companies such as Amazon, Facebook and Uber have adopted its form to varying, if not weak, success. A close read as depicted in Pamela Newkirk’s Diversity Inc: The Failed Promise of a Billion-Dollar Business provides some answers.
Rooney, initially a skeptic, is instrumental. It’s the respect he commands in the NFL that enables a proposition from two leading civil rights lawyers to take off: Cochran, OJ Simpson’s lawyer and Mehri who took on Coca Cola in one of the biggest discrimination law suits in the US.
The proposal of a diversity committee amongst leading NFL teams which regularly meet keeps the idea alive and then as if on a firm handshake Rooney divulges responsibility to assembled members to take action. The reading strikes me as one of those agreements that if it fails off the start line members will low sling their heads in shame.
There are set backs when the Detroit Lions violate the rule because they failed to include any black coaches in the interview process and are fined. But since that no other team has flouted the ruling. Success, though has ebbed and flowed from the number of Black coaches from seven in 2011 to only three today in Mike Tomlin of Pittsburgh, Brian Flores of Miami and David Culley of Houston. Belatedly, there’s been a revamp to shore up the process.
There’s something else about the ruling. The applicants being considered are Super Bowl winners or with pedigrees of success. Indeed Newkirk’s Diversity Inc cites economist Janice Madden research that shows Black coaches had taken their teams to 67% of playoffs compared to the 39% for white coaches. All this in a game where Black players constitute 70% of the NFL.
What could be an equivalent scheme in the UK media? Who could be the Rooney figure to command respect amongst his or her peers with coercive powers to bring about change amongst assembling media companies. The requirement, much the same as Rooney would be to short list Black and brown candidates with pedigrees for the job. It’s a will of politics and scruples.
The evidence from The TV Collective’s survey showing a number of Black talent frozen in middle career paths is evidence of the talent.
Then again, is the inertia because prospects for Black and Brown people is ill perceived, that conditions aren’t as bad as thought? That’s in spite of a litany of reports that show otherwise. Thoughts loom large in Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning. Wins and gain emerge from co-ordinated advocates joining forces and relentlessly pursuing a cause. Take this example. | https://medium.com/@viewmagazine/follow-the-thought-trail-and-be-wary-of-drive-through-diversity-107acbfd3927 | ['Dr. David Dunkley Gyimah'] | 2021-09-01 11:30:04.404000+00:00 | ['Stories And Culture', 'Diversity And Inclusion', 'Diversity', 'Journalism', 'Walking'] |
Are All White People White Supremacists? | For many years, I was fine with my white friends, colleagues, and acquaintances simply inferring or even telling me they were non-racist.
That was enough proof for me, I didn’t need anything else, I believed them. But today, that is no longer enough.
I am increasingly taken aback by the number of people who endorse racist and even white supremacist views and ideology.
I realize that some people are in fact closet racist and white supremacists, hiding their real views on racism from the world. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. | https://medium.com/illumination-curated/are-all-white-people-white-supremacists-5afe053b8f60 | ['Rebecca Stevens A.'] | 2020-10-21 02:34:17.004000+00:00 | ['White Supremacy', 'Racism', 'George Floyd', 'BlackLivesMatter', 'Anti Racism'] |
A once-in-a-generation challenge to save the Philippine startup ecosystem | The challenge facing the Philippines is unprecedented. A global health crisis wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic has become an economic calamity due to the extreme restrictions on social and economic activity which are the only proven ways for it to be combated.
With the IMF World Economic Outlook forecasting the country’s economic growth will crash to 0.6% in 2020, from 5.9% in 2019, the shock to the real economy and in turn society will be far reaching and long term.
As with all micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), technology startups have been hit hard by this crisis. In response there are currently 19 programs of government assistance available to MSMEs, in recognition that they are the backbone of the Philippines’ economy (comprising 99% of businesses and providing two-thirds of jobs).
However, due to their fundamental differences with most MSMEs, this support is not available to startups. Loan sizes are either inadequate, or loan criteria (such as required lengths of operation, positive cash flows, debt/equity limits, etc.) cannot be satisfied by most startups.
Much of the Philippine startup ecosystem is close to the point of bankruptcy or closure. A collapse in consumer demand, an inability to provide services during the Extended Community Quarantine (ECQ) period and soaring corporate late payment rates as cash flows tighten, have significantly affected startup revenues and compressed their runways.
A generation of Filipino startups could be wiped out without further specialized liquidity support.
Not a handout, an investment in the Philippines’ future.
Offering handouts to startups beyond that available to other MSMEs is not the right response.
This crisis has created a long list of needs in the Philippines. Studies suggest that about three out of five Filipinos have limited capacity to subsist without additional support if community quarantines are extended beyond one month.
With unparalleled demand, the government cannot provide direct support to all sectors. Scarce taxpayer funds need to be used where there is the greatest need to respond to human suffering and stabilize the economy.
Rather, mechanisms are required to serve as a powerful catalyst to unlock private sector support for startups, to ensure that they receive enough liquidity investment to remain viable and survive this crisis.
The Manila Angel Investors Network calls for the establishment of a Development Finance Institution-backed blended finance facility to issue bridging finance, alongside private sector funds, in the form of convertible loans, to technology startups impacted by COVID-19.
Such catalyst is bridge financing would incentivize individual and corporate investors holding on to their cash reserves to back Filipino early stage technology companies in a meaningful way.
For use solely for working capital purposes, it is intended to mitigate the immediate impact of the COVID-19 liquidity crunch, instead of stretching the impact over several years.
Its focus of support would be on funded startups-seed stage and onwards-to ensure it backs only startups that have a chance of commercial success beyond COVID-19. Unfunded businesses would not be supported, as these have a high chance of failure even in a stable economy.
Such a fund should also have the option to do invoice factoring, that is, provide startups with cash flow by purchasing their outstanding credit worthy invoices.
As a matched fund it avoids damaging or distorting the ecosystem, as it:
- does not prop up unsuccessful companies or investors,
- limits the risk of the government spending taxpayer money on poor businesses,
- is structured to give taxpayers upside, in effect a loan, and
- requires skin in the game from the private sector.
This action needs to be taken quickly, as any delay will prove fatal for startups, which may be down to as little as a few weeks of cash runway.
Why save Filipino startups?
Startups have a high chance of failure, even in a stable economy-so why not let them?
Simply put, the current crisis is not normal market risk, and its impact will decimate Filipino startups across the board. The Philippines will be losing good companies with the bad. As a result, it will:
- lose talent,
- lose a key driver of economic innovation which develops new products and helps power exponential growth, and
- lose all the hard work from a generation of investments made into the startup ecosystem.
Petr Sadlacek, a professor of economics at the University of Oxford researching startups for the European Commission, found that startups “are the ones that create the jobs.”
“Almost 100 percent of the new people hired in an economy come through startups and young firms,” he said. “The large firms are where most people work, but the startups are where jobs are created.”
Further, the impact of COVID-19 is not gender neutral. Women founders will be disproportionately impacted by the current crisis. Less than a quarter of startups in the Philippines are founded by women. In normal times, venture capital does not support female startup founders. Within the UK, for example, only 1p of every £1 of venture capital goes to women-led startups. This disparity will be felt for funding raised during this crisis period.
For this reason, MAIN calls for greater support for women owned or led startups during this crisis, and recommends that a higher level of leverage be provided by the proposed fund.
Most importantly, without action, the Philippines will be left behind, and startups domiciled in other ASEAN countries will capture our home market. Those startups that survive these times will be positioned to dominate the ASEAN markets. With the government of Singapore providing a 75% wage subsidy and deferred low interest bridging loans (up to SGD$5 million) providing cash flow support, their startups will preserve their capacity and capabilities, hitting the ground running once their ECQ is lifted.
We do not believe the future of the Philippines is served by standing by and doing nothing. Together with the private sector, we can unite for the survival and growth of Philippine startups that drive job creation and deliver compelling solutions to the country’s pressing needs. | https://medium.com/@james.lette/a-once-in-a-generation-challenge-to-save-the-philippine-startup-ecosystem-815d7d7e5cdc | ['James Lette'] | 2020-06-04 08:45:40.805000+00:00 | ['Philippines', 'Venture Capital', 'Startup', 'Angel Investors', 'Development Finance'] |
El poder del Influencer Marketing en estrategias de marca | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/isobar-spain/el-poder-del-influencer-marketing-en-estrategias-de-marca-accd0a2eb662 | ['Isobar Spain'] | 2020-12-09 14:33:09.987000+00:00 | ['Digital', 'Redes Sociales', 'Influencia', 'Influencers', 'Marketing'] |
8 Critical Entrepreneurial Lessons from Starbucks CEO Howard Schulz | 1. Focus on being a Disruptor
Most of us dream about bringing a new and revolutionary idea or product to the market, but as Schulz explains, being a pioneer is the riskiest strategy.
Your idea and platform need to be so compelling that consumers are willing to take a chance on you. You also need to have piles of cash to burn for the long stretch of time in order to alter the mindset of your target consumers.
Therefore, it might be easier to focus on a business industry that captures your passion and seek opportunities to improve and disrupt existing foundations that appeals to the consumer.
For example, when Schulz’s venture capital firm invested in “Allbirds”, they saw an opportunity through the company’s unique proposition by employing unique eco-friendly fabrics, competitive pricing and a mission-driven vision that can connect with the green consumption market. | https://medium.com/an-idea/8-critical-entrepreneurial-lessons-from-starbucks-ceo-howard-schulz-cc7d836b1dca | ['Alan Kong'] | 2020-12-16 18:11:21.314000+00:00 | ['Entrepreneurship', 'Startup', 'Entrepreneur', 'Business', 'Lessons Learned'] |
The Virus, Day 286, Dimondale, Michigan | A hawk on the bird feeder! Never saw this before. This was on Christmas eve. Just felt like posting it now. He was cool! Love birds.
Be well! | https://medium.com/@sexyhermit/the-virus-day-286-dimondale-michigan-90d4dd854167 | ['Sexy Hermit'] | 2020-12-26 16:50:25.779000+00:00 | ['Michigan', 'Christmas', 'Birds', 'Love', 'Life'] |
A Woman Entrepreneur Gets Divorced | credit: JewishNews.com
John’s and my divorce, like mine from husbands #1 and #2, was friendly and involved no attorneys. We split the property and nobody got alimony or child support. We still loved and trusted each other, but just couldn’t live together while I was so busy. John had been an only child, and he wanted and needed more attention. I had been making his lunch and cutting his hair and building a house with him.
Now I had two kids and a business. I had no more to give. In fact our marriage had been rocky even before the business. Mothering changes a woman’s priorities, and by moving in with John I had also become the stepmother of a hard of hearing child and another very smart, devious child. It was a heavy lift, especially because John’s ex-wife moved the children across the country. For John to see them meant having summers off as teachers, and that all ended when I started my business.
I now advise women entrepreneurs that it’s better to be a single mom than a married woman, because a relationship is another demand on an entrepreneur’s time. Actually, I advise men that way, too. An unbelievable number of marriages and relationships crumble under the demands of entrepreneurship.
The most unusual thing about John’s and my divorce was the amount of counseling we had to go through even though we agreed on everything because we wanted joint custody of our daughters, The judge had never seen a case of joint custody work before. We, however, decided to show him. We never fought over the kids, never spoke ill of one another, and handed the kids back and forth easily by continuing to live within a mile of each other for their entire childhoods.
That woman John took up with proved to be a nutcase, and he got rid of her fairly quickly, while I engaged with still more mentors, with the emphasis on “men.” Leroy Paller, an entrepreneur I met while running on the canal banks in Phoenix, taught me several things, including: “just say yes. Then figure out how to do it,” and “deals are like streetcars — if you miss one another will come along.” He was in the construction business, and he also taught me about business cycles and recessions. I had never noticed them before, but I now realize that I started my first business in one. That recession was followed by inflation, which I didn’t notice either because I was neither borrowing nor saving money. The domes were always free and clear, and we had saved enough money to buy the condo I moved into when I moved out of the domes.
Leroy, who died recently, was a wonderful man, but he had a few quirks, one of which was to stalk me in his Cadillac when I moved out of the house into the condo. The domes were too much for a single startup entrepreneur to maintain, so I amicably deeded them to John, who continued to live in them for another 35 years.
One of Leroy’s tricks was to climb in through my second story window to “visit” me, even though he was married and he was a roly-poly middle aged man. His wife knew about his infidelity, but also knew he would never leave her and the children so she put up with him. He spent most of his life trying to convince both of us that we should live together in a menage a trois, but neither of us would ever grant him his wish. I was on her side; I thought he was nuts. He was probably just a future thinker. Polyamory is now all the rage.
I was incredibly busy. My other newly-chosen mentor was a real estate guy who was down on his luck when I met him during the high inflation days of the early 80s, but who would go on to become a very wealthy man, the well-known developer of several senior living communities. I met him while I was still married, and so was he. He was having an affair, as well. But it was the “me decade.” Sometimes on Saturday mornings while everyone was playing tennis at Phoenix Country Club, he and I would sneak away to a condo he kept nearby for his real mistress and have sex. We didn’t love each other, obviously, but we were both adventurous.
One day I told him I was starting a PR business and I asked him to meet me for a drink at a fern bar we all frequented for happy hour. He was flattered to be asked for advice, because he knew I was smart and a professor, and he was “just” a real estate guy.
His advice? “Don’t get an office. No one will ever come to your office; you’ll go to theirs.” And “get a Mercedes and a car phone. Then you will look successful.”
I followed his advice. It worked incredibly well. Because I still belonged to Phoenix Country Club when cellular phones — then called car phones because they were screwed into your car’s console— came out, I managed to become part of a group of men headed by who were putting together a bulk order to get a discount. I ponied up $3500 and had my car phone. I also imported a Mercedes from Germany on the gray market. Looking back on it, I don’t know how I found the guts to do all that, but I just followed the men from the Club and did what they did. They had experience and I did not.
Where did I get the extra money to fund my startup? In the stock market, where I day traded homebuilder stocks that I knew about because I lived in Phoenix where all the big home builders were building. Really all I had to do was listen to the guys at Phoenix Country Club.
Which is why I was always so pissed that women weren’t allowed into the Men’s Grill, where men sat after tennis and golf drinking beer and doing deals with each other that I always wanted to be part of. I walked in there a couple of times when John was in there with the other men after tennis to test the strength of this rule. By doing this, I managed to scare the shit out of all the men, who had never seen a woman with the balls to do this. Or to bring the kids with her to the club on Saturday morning and shower them with her in the Ladies Locker Room. The other kids, you see, all had live-in nannies, now known as undocumented aliens. The moms, who supposedly spent the week with their kids while their husbands worked, took the weekends off to golf or play tennis without children.
Actually, they did that during the week, too, because no woman at the club worked but me. After I went into business they all hated me, because they knew I saw their precious husbands during the week and they were sure I was sleeping with each and every one of them.
I wasn’t. Most of them were dreadfully uninteresting. And I was working my butt off. I woke up at 5 AM, ran on the canal banks with a group of women with whom I also marathon trained, got the kids to school or not, depending on whose day it was, and sat down at the computer.
Being an entrepreneur took its toll: I had to give up tennis, a sport at which I had become adept beyond my wildest expectations. I actually won club tournaments. But I couldn’t make time for it anymore and had to replace it with running.
The computer at which i sat down every morning was the Apple 2e. Then the Compaq. And by 1984, the Mac. I became known as an early adopter right away, and also as a person who understood technology. This streak of interest has carried me through the last 40 years.
Even though my clients for the first decade were mostly real estate-related, when I got the car phone it was another inflection point in my life pointing me toward the tech world. After all, I had run a Futures Institute and was a futurist. I got the phone on the advice of one mentor, and I got the computer after a discussion with another who was getting a computer for his kids to prepare them for life. Early on, this other mentor figured out how important computer literacy was going to be.
That sounded good to me. I had two kids aged 8 and 10 when I started Hardaway Connections, as it soon came to be called. I followed my mentor’s advice and didn’t get an office, which meant I was home with the kids more than I would have been otherwise. I taught my older daughter to answer the phone saying “This is Hardaway Connections, how can I help you?”
I also got a voicemail machine. Since many of the people who called me in the 80s were either reporters or community heavyweights, and I didn’t want to miss their messages. But I couldn’t afford a secretary. Just like I turned not being able to afford an office into a teachable moment for the kids, I turned not being able to afford a secretary into one for my clients. I still remember my first outgoing message: “You have reached Hardaway Connections. We can’t answer your call right now, but if you’ll trust the technology, which is more accurate than your secretary, and leave us a message, we’ll call you right back.”
This was when phone messages were still being taken by secretaries on little pink slips or bound pads with carbon paper between them to make sure there was a yellow copy. Voice recorders were totally new. You connected your phone cord into the tape recorder, and you could listen to the message being recorded.
Those vanished when the phone companies introduced voicemail. Car phones vanished when cellular phones became mobile phones. One client from New York, the founder of a tax-free bond fund, insisted I get a fax machine. I’d never heard of it. I was at the beginning of an amazing shift in business productivity technology, much of it in hardware. Software came later in the decade. When you really think about it, the ‘80s were an amazingly disruptive decade. I only see that in retrospect, because I was so busy trying to keep afloat, but I pretty much adopted everything new and continue to do so.
When John and I finalized our divorce I was devastated. This was Husband #3, and also the Father of My Children. It was a big deal, unlike my brief marriage with Jess. I thought I’d never be in another relationship, and I thought I was dangerously close to failure. These turned out to be insecurities I carried with me through my entire business career. No matter how much money I made, I always thought of myself as on the brink of disaster, or at least bankruptcy. No matter how many men came and went from my life, I envisioned a future of profound loneliness. Part of me still had a “Cinderella Complex” and thought I should be saved by a prince. None of the men in my life were princes, although many of my early clients were willing to pay what I thought were big fees for the services of someone who knew nothing about what she was doing.
These fears and the imposter syndrome sent me to the emergency room multiple times with panic attacks.
But I also had a wonderful girlfriend at the time who was one of the first commercial real estate agents. She, too, was divorced. Her former husband was a doctor, and like me, she had two daughters. Like me, she wanted independence. She made me feel somewhat better when she said “you won’t feel so bad about any of that once you’ve made your first $100,000.” That only took me a year. It was more than twice the money I had made as a professor.
I was hooked. I was in business.
Becoming an entrepreneur, which was not the term of art in 1980, necessitated more changes in my life than just giving up tennis. It meant giving up entire aspects of my old life that were no longer relevant, like Phoenix Country Club and most of my friends. For example, when Jess and I divorced and I became John’s wife, Jess went on to marry Stephanie Rucker, one of John’s former students, and we all continued to be friends. Jess and Stephanie were involved in our lives during most of the 70s, albeit in a minor way. But when I went into business, they also faded into the background of my life. Stephanie was a teacher, and Jess still worked on cars. They lived a simple life, and neither of them had any interest in business.
I moved very quickly into civic leadership and all the marketing events and relationships characteristic of businesspeople. Phoenix in the 80s was very focused on growth, both in the downtown area and in the suburbs, and real estate was the major preoccupation of most business people. It was all about getting freeways and planned communities prepared for the “Sunbelt Shift” that took place during that decade. Most of my clients were banks and developers — the biggest players in the city. They gave me my lessons in economic development. Gradually I assumed the role of token woman on tens of committees devoted to bringing things to Phoenix that it needed, from independent films to theatre companies and sports teams. It was very good for business and at the time it looked like success to me. I was focused on growing the business so I’d have the money to send the kids to Ivy League schools.
The city, my children, Hardaway Connections, and I grew together.
Two other clients of mine for instance, had syndicated a lot of land on the west side of Phoenix, and it was imperative for their land that the I-10 freeway be extended right into Phoenix and out the other side. Way on the other side of the Valley, my mentor was developing senior communities. Other land barons were developing North Scottsdale and Chandler. I worked for them all. I became a champion of economic development around the Valley of the Sun, as Phoenix was called by its residents, driving miles and miles to visit vacant tracts of land that were destined later to become cities.
A large restaurant group hired our firm for PR, but couldn’t pay cash. Instead, they gave us food trade. The kids and I ate out every single night, and we still couldn’t use up the food trade. But it did teach all of us to love restaurants.
As a person whose business depended on growth, I forgot about the solar hot water heater and the drought tolerant landscape and the organic vegetables I cared so much about in the 70s. I was involved in the PR for just about every tall building in downtown Phoenix and every masterplanned community on the outskirts. I led my clients into Arizona Forward, a civic organization largely devoted to what we now call greenwashing. Looking back on it, I inhabited a world of cognitive dissonance. No wonder I had panic attacks.
I also never gave a thought to the friends I left along the way until in 2017 I got the surprise news that our old friend Stephanie had died. Stephanie was Jess’s wife. Jess was husband number two, the person who brought me to Arizona. He was the laughing fun-loving beer drinking man who loved to go to Watkins Glen and fix up old MGs until the moment he died. I had transformed into a “community leader.” I hadn’t seen them in years.
How did I even get back in touch with Stephanie? On Facebook, of course. Just a few months after I reconnected with her, long after selling my second business and about fifteen years into my third, Stealthmode Partners, I learned Jess was in a hospital. Stephanie had been taking care of him for nine months, since he had a seizure and broke his shoulder and then got sepsis in a hospital. They had been driving back from New York where they had a farm. He had had the seizure in Ohio. Since October, she had shepherded him from hospital to hospital, complication after complication. She finally got him back to Phoenix.
Consumed by guilt, I started visiting him (them) in his hospital room, until Stephanie got sepsis herself, did not respond to treatment, and died. She had been sending email updates to Jess’s friends and relatives about his condition, but it was only about a week since the last one when I get an email in the middle of my entrepreneurship program that said only,
“To all the people on Stephanie’s list. Stephanie passed today.”
Jess was still in the rehab hospital when she died. I didn’t know what to make of this. It was so complex on so many levels. I had just gotten back in touch with them through Facebook because we lived in such different worlds.
From this I learned that sepsis had become a “thing” in hospitals.
I had fallen down the rabbit hole in the 80s when I adopted all that early technology and passed entirely through the looking glass when the browser was invented. Jessie and Stephanie continued to live offline while I became an outlier, an entrepreneur and a geek. But there is a lesson here about old friends: people who have been in your life for over 40 years don’t just go away if you cease to see them all the time. They occupy a sacred space in your heart. I mourned for Stephanie, and for all the time I didn’t spend with her and with Jess, two of the nicest people I’ve ever known.
But I never look back. Why bother? It’s gone. I’ve spent most of my glorious life envisioning the future and helping people who are not change junkies like me get there. This has led to the founding of three companies and a charitable foundation, to parenting, foster parenting, mentoring, and traveling the world. On the personal side, it has also led to — let’s call it — serial monogamy punctuated by many other adventures I can’t keep track of.
Did I have a plan and follow it to reach my goals and objectives, as they teach you in business school? Of course not. Life’s not like that. I randomed into almost everything I did. That’s the beauty, for me. I suppose I’ve lived the life of the existentialists I admired in the 60s. No real reason for anything I did, although in retrospect it all has a pretty good gloss.
But truthfully, a gorilla could have run Hardaway Connections in the early 80s. The entire community was growing. Early in the business, realized the bookkeeping made me anxious, so I outsourced it. How did I know it made me anxious? I went for a biofeedback consultation, and the counselor gave me a bracelet that changed color when I got stressed. It always changed colors when I looked at payables and receivables, so my first hire was a part time bookkeeper, Debbie, who thankfully stayed with me for a long time. Half the world at that time thought biofeedback was voodoo, but I believed in that bracelet.
However, in the mid-80s just as the party was getting to be fun, something happened that I didn’t understand, nor did Debbie, but which affected my entire life. This was the Tax Simplification Act of 1986. It was designed to correct the problem of tax shelters, where the rich stashed their money to avoid taxes.
Many of the real estate investments in the beginning of my business career were financed by tax shelters. Syndication was the way to raise money to buy all those big parcels of land that would later be on a freeway route and become big communities. When tax shelters vanished, a lot of the money for real estate went with them. And then the banks and savings and loans went too, in a domino effect. My clients were almost all banks or developers. Within a few months, they were all broke. I got stiffed by some of them, too. Oh, and I also lost money in many of their land syndications. On paper, perhaps a million dollars.
Suddenly, I was in trouble. A lifetime of anxiety disorder and my status as a single mom led me to prepare for bankruptcy. Luckily one of my running buddies was a bankruptcy lawyer and throughout my business career she kept me ready to go bankrupt at any time, although I never did. But she taught me about trusts, and fraudulent conveyance, and stuff only rich people knew about. For a woman with a small business, I had big firm legal and tax assistance all the time.
During this recession, I had one client who was very interested in eastern religion and owed the banks a hopeless amount of money — like hundreds of millions of dollars. He decided that as he restructured all his deals with the banks he wanted to write a book about Buddhism.
If you know anything about Buddhism, you know it teaches that the reason for suffering is expectation and that the way to escape suffering is to let go of expectations. This is what my client was trying to do; it was his way of surviving. He was gorgeous and I was very attracted to him even though he was broke, so I said I would help him and he and I set out to do a lot of reading and research that — although it never resulted in a book — resulted in both of us feeling much better and being unafraid to go on. The Buddhism that I learned from my adventure with trying to help him has been a mainstay of my life ever since. He is a multimillionaire today and retired. Letting go of expectations worked better for him than for me.
My oldest daughter was scarred by all my bankruptcy talk and preparations. Until she was an adult and an attorney herself, she still actually believed we had gone bankrupt. But we never did.
I was saved by my tech interests, my fear, and my friends. I was looking around for industries that were countercyclical to real estate and I happened upon medical claims processing, which was just beginning to be automated. And I had a friend whose husband was a securities attorney, and he had a company about to go public. Because I liked technology and understood the stock market, both that company and an electronic claims processing company became my clients. I’m still not sure what the tech company does. The claims processing business blew up later, but not while I was involved. I’m convinced I was only saved by my fear, and my refusal to give up.
I just soldiered on, panic attack after panic attack. I was a frequent flier at the Good Samaritan Hospital emergency room, where they must have told me dozens of times that I wasn’t going to die.
What did I learn? Nothing lasts forever, and if you own a business, it’s best to have more than one customer, and indeed have more than one revenue stream. | https://medium.com/stealthmode-blog/a-woman-entrepreneur-gets-divorced-833864a0e492 | ['Francine Hardaway'] | 2020-04-13 17:54:09.423000+00:00 | ['Autobiography'] |
Advanced Python Made Easy — Part 3 | This is the part 3 of Advanced Python Made Easy. You can refer to the first two parts here —
Let’s dive in !
1. Defaultdict
Well, defaultdict belongs to collections module and is a high performance container data type which is used to overcome the issues of KeyError in python. It is a subclass of dict and returns a dict type object. It adds one writable instance variable and one method.
Syntax : defaultdict(default_factory)
where default_factory is the function which returns the default value of the dictionary.
Implementation —
from collections import defaultdict
default_dict_var = defaultdict(list)
for i in range(10):
default_dict_var[i].append(i)
print(default_dict_var)
Output —
defaultdict(<class 'list'>, {0: [0], 1: [1], 2: [2], 3: [3], 4: [4], 5: [5], 6: [6], 7: [7], 8: [8], 9: [9]})
2. ChainMap
A data structure provided by Python that allows you to treat multiple dictionaries into one to create a single, update-able view. It helps you to search values through multiple dictionaries and is used in performance critical applications. It incorporates dict (unless specified) mappings by reference.
import collections a = {'a': 1, 'c': 2}
b = {'b': 3, 'c': 5, 'd':9} maps = collections.ChainMap(a, b) print('Keys = {}'.format(list(maps.keys())))
print('Values = {}'.format(list(maps.values())))
print() print('Items : ')
for key, value in maps.items():
print('{} = {}'.format(key, value))
print() print('"d" in maps: {}'.format(('d' in maps)))
3. Function Annotations
Python 3.0 included function annotation which can be of great help when implementing type checking since python language supports dynamic typing. They collect information about the type pf parameters used and the return type of the function. They can be used with single parameters, function arguments, nested functions, decorators etc.
Implementation —
def cal(x:int, y: float, z: int) -> float: print(x * y + z)cal(5,6.5,7)
Output —
39.5
4. Decorator
Decorators are a very powerful and useful tool in Python since it allows programmers to modify/control the behavior of function or class. Decorators are usually called before the definition of a function you want to decorate.
def test_decorator(func):
def function_wrapper(x):
res = func(x)
print(res)
return function_wrapper @test_decorator
def sqr(n):
return n ** 2
sqr(54) def sqr(n):return n ** 2sqr(54) def sqrt(t):
return t**(1/2)
sqrt(49)
Output of sqr —
2916
Output of sqrt —
7.0
Thanks for Reading. Keep coding :)
Want to read programmers humor?
Recommended Articles - | https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/advanced-python-made-easy-part-3-61b455807cf8 | ['Naina Chaturvedi'] | 2020-12-17 08:08:07.262000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Software Development', 'Machine Learning', 'Data Science', 'Web Development'] |
We failed to predict the second wave | Modelling: Over-simplifying vs over-fitting
At the end of the day, every model makes assumptions about what is a good simplification of reality, and then chooses parameters that best fit the available data. This data is often just three time series — cases, recovered, fatalities. Therefore, the initial calibration is indeed turning a few “knobs” (parameters) to fit to observed data. Once this calibration is done, you use these parameters to make “predictions” for the future.
However, as mentioned earlier, most models often have a lot more knobs than data to fit to and so one can fit the model to essentially any data. Therefore, it is important to explicitly mention what the calibrated parameters are and, if subsequent adjustments were made, provide justifications for each of those adjustments.
Having more parameters is a double-edged sword. It allows the model to have more nuance but it also makes it easier to fit to data. If there are numerous different ways to fit to data, which of the conclusions (if any) is reliable? To better illustrate this issue, and especially understand the modelling efforts for COVID-19, we need to look a little deeper into how these models and simulation efforts typically work.
Compartmental models
The SIR model is the simplest of models for a disease spread within a population. The SIR model assumes that the population can be neatly split into 3 compartments — susceptible, infective and removed — and eventually boils down to just two parameters often called β and γ . The parameter β captures the likelihood of interactions, and also the transmissibility of the disease from one individual to another. The parameter γ is the removal rate, captures the chance that a person currently infected becomes non-infectious within a fixed period of time (say, the person recovers or dies).
One usually fits such a model to data by, for instance, setting the infective compartment to equal the active reported cases, removed compartment to equal the number of recovered and fatalities, and the susceptible compartment to be everyone else. One then chooses the best choice of β and γ and the initial values of S, I and R to best explains the data observed so far. This sets up the model, which can then be used for predictions.
In this set-up, since there are so few parameters, we usually do not have the problem of an under-determined system. However, this simplistic dynamics is probably not a reliable simplification of the disease progression for an extended period of time. This may be due to a variety of reasons — interaction patterns may be far from homogeneous, or there may be interventions such as lockdowns that change interaction patterns within a population, or there may be improvements in medical care that cause changes in the removal rate, or there may be changes in the number of people tested, etc.
There are many views taken to try and address some of the shortcomings listed above. One approach is to create more compartments. For instance, in the case of COVID-19, it seems clear from various serological surveys that there is a large population of people who get exposed to the disease but show no symptoms and are unlikely to contribute to the reported cases at all. Or maybe individuals, after being infective, do not develop symptoms right away and they stay dormant (possibly silently infectious) for a significant period. Adding more compartments to SIR models results in models such as SEIR (with E being the ‘exposed’ category) or maybe further gradations based on severe or mild symptoms and so on.
The other issue is also the fact that interaction and recovery patterns may not be the same throughout a long duration as there may be “interventions” added by local authorities. One way in which many compartmental models address this is by fragmenting the observed data into shorter time frames and using the best fit for each time frame.
Agent-based models
Agent-based models are on the extreme side of compartmental models where we essentially have a compartment for each individual with their own characteristics. In an agent-based model, the simulator creates an agent for each different individual keeping in mind certain factors relevant to the disease spread. The model introduces an interaction graph where different agents can meet at certain points (say schools, workplaces, community centres, public transport etc.) and each such interaction is a potential for an infectious person to infect a susceptible person.
The primary advantage of this approach is that it allows additional heterogeneity in how disease spread may actually happen. It allows one to study targeted interventions (say, what is the effect of of reducing attendance in workplaces to 20%). These can be incorporated into an agent-based simulator with a little additional work.
Agent-based simulators are therefore more flexible than those based more closely on the SIR model. However, agent-based models come with a host of other issues. For instance, everything from our current understanding suggests that age and presence of co-morbidities do influence the disease progression. But to incorporate this into the simulator, then one needs to feed specific numbers for this — numbers that are often not available! Often one relies on a handful of studies in a completely different context and uses that data to build the age-based transition matrix that is fed into the simulator. Public transportation might have a strong influence on the transmission. But, does the simulator have reliable data on commute patterns in the city? It may be the case that high density areas such as the slums in Mumbai probably see a faster spread as a result of being densely packed, but different publicly available data sources give very different estimates of what fraction of Mumbai stays in these high-density areas. Hence, yes, the agent-based simulator could potentially make use of this nuance, but data at that level of granularity may not be available. These are all places where a model makes additional assumptions.
In other words, the issue of having an under-determined system is a much larger issue here. Agent-based simulators have so many knobs (parameters) that one can potentially fit anything by setting appropriate parameter values. It is therefore a lot more important to identify potential red flags in agent-based models because it is so much easier to fit to data.
(Another issue is also the fact that agent-based simulators tend to involve a much more complicated codebase compared to a simulator for a compartmental model, and hence there is a lot of scope for programming errors as well.)
Choice of parameters in under-determined systems
Both the models mentioned above involves working with under-determined systems. Whatever are the choices for these model parameters, a key question is whether they “make sense.” This is where the domain knowledge becomes very relevant. A person without domain knowledge may only be able to spot clear red flags to say that a certain choice of parameters do not make sense. Large deviations in parameters are one such example of red flags. For instance, say the fit in a month had a much higher recovery rate compared to the next month. Unless there appears to be a plausible explanation for this sudden drop in recovery rate, this is a clear red flag. Or, say, we know that stricter measures were imposed during a period but the best-fit β value seems to be larger than earlier — this is a red flag.
Another way of spotting a red flag is via sensitivity analysis. If one were to change one of the parameters very slightly, without substantially affecting the fit to observed data, does that lead to a substantial change in predictions? If two “equally good” parameter settings lead to drastically different conclusions, we cannot have much confidence in the conclusions.
Even if we are unable to spot any red flags, that does not mean that model or the predictions are correct. There is just no way, without substantial domain knowledge, to confidently assert that parameter choices make sense. Models hence go by some parameter choices that seem reasonable, while continuing to look for potential red flags.
What modellers should do
With the potential concerns when dealing with such under-determined systems, modellers can take steps towards being transparent about the simulator. This would be a step towards alleviating some of the legitimate concerns. | https://medium.com/@ramprasad-saptharishi/we-failed-to-predict-the-second-wave-e5c6aa093962 | ['Ramprasad Saptharishi'] | 2021-04-13 15:53:06.536000+00:00 | ['Agent Based Modeling', 'Simulation', 'Covid 19', 'Sir Model', 'Epidemic Modeling'] |
Best Branding and Logo Design Examples for Inspiration 131 | A logo that cannot be recognized, no matter what, is not going to make your business recognizable. The potential customers are going to see others instead of you. This is why it is important to pay attention to designing, and the choice of the designer is something that is equally important as the design itself.
Branding is a means of making your brand unique, memorable and recognizable. When it comes to uniqueness, brand identity is really important. In the very first place, a logo is a representation of the brand itself. Hence a logo design is absolutely essential. Some company specializes in providing the best designs for your branding. The fact that a custom logo design company can do wonders for your business is a proven fact.
Think of it in this way: a good logo design is a powerful tool for making your company loved by the customers and envied by the competitors. The company logo is a clear representation of the company’s identity, even the personality of the company’s owner. A good image of the company can attract customers to you, and make you ahead of your competitors. If you make your business better than the competitors, sooner or later, you can be the market leader.
A well-designed logo is enough to make your company unique. It’s the real mark of identity. That means making sure the company has the experience and expertise to see your project though with as little fuss as possible. These are factors it’s vital you keep in mind when selecting a designing company for your latest grand logo and branding design . In no time, a great logo design will emerge as your best business response to your marketing.
This is about why a logo design company is very important. The cost must be reasonable from the company you have selected to design your logo to service. There is no end to the client’s requirements. In short, it’s a good way to get something extra for your logo. The logo design that you are going to get should be adaptive to your business, and should be able to speak for the industry that your business is in.
A good logo design will always be the same, simple and effective — a regular identity template. A great logo is as unique as the business. In fact, you can hardly have a one-of-kind logo. A brand identity that is realistic and well documented will be a matter of great interest to a potential customer.
The best logo design company will certainly help you in making your company stand out from the rest. The logo design must be crafted properly in order to make sure your company stands out from everyone else. Well, this is it. This is the full story of the week. Hope you like it. | https://theymakedesign.com/best-branding-and-logo-design-examples-for-inspiration-131-be52169c48e0 | ['They Make Design'] | 2021-05-21 23:23:21.686000+00:00 | ['Design', 'Branding', 'Inspiration', 'Logo Design', 'Visual Design'] |
Cybersecurity Tips for Permanent Remote Work | By: Lawrence Miller
As Companies Switch to Permanent Remote Work, How Can They Adjust Their Cybersecurity Policies?
As American states begin lifting lockdown orders in anticipation of the end of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, some companies have allowed employees to permanently work from home. How will this change affect cybersecurity policy and outcomes? What response is necessary to protect company assets? With a recent jump in phishing and malware activity, it’s important to know how to maintain integrity while you or others work from home. In this article we will outline some cybersecurity tips for remote work to ensure your employees and company data remain secure.
Some organizations responded to lockdown orders early, instructing employees to take home laptops and other portable devices. If this was the case in your organization, you may already be protected by security measures in use on company computers, like virus scanning, network monitoring, encryption, password protection, and multifactor authentication. But with employees no longer receiving direct supervision to inspect for policy compliance, and many having to use personal computers, new strategy is necessary.
Attackers may be tempted to target company offices now that they have fewer personnel inside. Homes may also be tempting targets as they often lack the physical security measures of office buildings. Here are some cybersecurity tips for remote work to consider when protecting your organization, its data, your employees, and their homes.
Physical Security
The ever-helpful Lockpicking Lawyer has made a career of showcasing how easy it is for talented criminals to defeat improperly designed locks. Organizations should avoid storing sensitive data in employee’s homes whenever possible. Individuals required to access or retain sensitive data at home should retake relevant security trainings, investigate the strength of their current home security features, and use an alarm system with automatic 911 dialing.
All employees should take precaution not to reveal to friends or strangers whether or not they have brought company property home. They shouldn’t disclose their home address to untrusted parties or discuss their location or work activities over unsecured Internet connections. While it may seem unlikely that decentralizing data into employee’s homes would make it any easier for hackers to find, experienced criminals already know how easy it is to break into a house or apartment with improper physical security.
While attacks on high-profile data centers may seem rare and extreme, anyone capable of tactically precise attacks such as these could easily break into your home just as common criminals can. Unexpected breaches due to forces of nature also happen. Even a deer can break in! But hackers don’t need physical access to your home to steal your data if your network security or Internet hygiene is poor.
Can you spot what’s wrong with this picture? Don’t trust yourself alone to assess your physical security. Ask an expert!
Network Security
If you watch YouTube with a free account, you have likely been bombarded with ads for virtual private network (VPN) and tunneling services such as NordVPN or ExpressVPN. While some VPN providers tend to oversell the importance and relevant benefits to general audiences, the value of VPN services for business cannot be understated. In business environments, a VPN server inside the company offers encrypted connections to the company’s other servers so employees can access files from home without revealing secrets to an interceptor.
General-purpose VPNs make it possible for almost anyone to encrypt and partially anonymize their Internet activity. However, using VPN doesn’t make you invincible. Spyware on personal computers can still record an employee’s keystrokes, screen, or webcam feed, and transmit stored data that was meant to be kept private. Frequent virus scans and good Internet hygiene are an essential complement to network security.
Vigilant Internet Hygiene
Forbes’ recent summary of the Global Cyber Center conference on remote security has some great tips, including how to avoid phishing scams and recognize a breach. We have a few more tips to add that are especially relevant to Internet hygiene while working remotely, which you may want to incorporate into your security strategy.
Stay out of Starbucks! You should never connect your business computer to unprotected Wi-Fi, nor should you allow prying eyes to see what’s on your screen. The best way to keep your company computer and data secure is to use your work computer for work only, never personal use. Keep your work computer at home, and if you must use a computer while traveling, only connect to secure Wi-Fi, use VPN to encrypt your network traffic, and be mindful of who can see your screen. Use a password manager. Services such as Dashlane and LastPass facilitate multiple user access to shared accounts, without the need to explicitly share passwords between users. They create stronger passwords than most humans use. Fear not, you don’t need to remember the random passwords the manager generates. You only need to authenticate your identity to the password manager, then it logs you in securely. Completely shut down your computer at the end of each day. Leaving it running unsupervised only increases the chance of intrusion during a break-in or by covert remote desktop control. Restarting or starting up from a cold stop also applies updates to your operating system and installed applications, reducing the risk of a security breach. Issue laptops or other devices to employees without a work computer as soon as possible. Maintaining administrative access to work computers ensures that virus scanning and firewalls remain in place, and makes it easier for organizations to authenticate access to company servers such as a VPN server. Employees still needing to use personal computers for work should realize they may need to modify their online behavior to secure their devices. IT leaders may use some of the same rules applicable to 3rd-party vendors when considering how to incorporate personal computers into their security plan. These articles by Sue Poremba, Alex Laws, Gregory Mooney, and Mirko Zorz contain great information about incorporating vendors and personal devices into your organization’s security plan.
File-sharing and Collaborative Workspaces
Internet services like Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive make it easier to share files and maintain document history. They have seen a new surge in popularity as employees learn to work from home. However, many file-sharing and real-time collaborative workspaces present some unique risks, ranging from obvious to subtle.
Sending files to the wrong person is a common mistake. Employees can also be tricked or coerced into giving file access to a hostile agent. Employees should carefully read each step in the process of adding new user permissions before clicking “accept” or “OK.”
A more subtle mistake made by both new and experienced users of real-time collaborative workspaces is the dreaded copy-paste-save error. Google Drive documents record every keystroke that users make and apply the changes to the file in the cloud. If an employee types or pastes sensitive data into a Google Drive document, and the document saves before the data is removed, it may no longer be visible, but it isn’t really gone. Just as you would never store a password in plain text, you should never type passwords or other sensitive data into Google Drive or similar products.
While Google Drive, iCloud, and other filehost services promise security, we know that historically, they are not impenetrable. Sensitive documents should be created and stored according to your organization’s policy and protected with encryption. These documents should be backed up to encrypted storage and securely transmitted to separate locations in case one copy is destroyed. Some large companies use comprehensive business solutions for these tasks, such as Carbonite, IDrive, or Spectrum Protect. Before selecting a paid service, you should ask an associate how their service complies with applicable data privacy laws, such as HIPAA or CCPA. If you are unsure how to send files securely in your organization, ask your IT or security professionals for help.
In addition to these cybersecurity tips for remote work, it’s important to maintain effective communication and transparency with your remote team. Encourage them to report any issues or suspicious activity. If your company still needs to update security policies using the information provided in this article, address a single issue at a time. When updating your policies and procedures, be sure to keep in mind how remote employees can still maintain work productivity while also following security protocols. If you put in place overly restrictive policies, employees are more likely to find a workaround that can put their company at risk for cyber attacks. If you find a balance between efficiency and security, your remote workforce can remain productive and secure.
Do you want to learn more about cybersecurity? Please subscribe to our newsletter. | https://medium.com/@rthreat/cybersecurity-tips-for-permanent-remote-work-ac1a75577e16 | [] | 2020-06-16 18:25:39.360000+00:00 | ['Data Security', 'Remote', 'Information Security', 'Cybersecurity', 'Remote Work'] |
Meet the Short-Order Cooks So Good Waffle House Officially Calls Them ‘Rockstars’ | Any readers still with me at this stage will have a right to know why I care so much about short-order cooking. Some may also be wondering, in exasperation, why it is I think you should care about it, but that is dangerous territory for a writer. Most stories of the sort I am writing take a different shape: The writer finds a cool thing, learns as much as possible about what makes the cool thing cool, and then writes something that sets out to inform the reader of its coolness. This is a valuable service — another term for cool is important — and is in fact referred to as service journalism. Investigative journalism and war reporting are as much a form of service journalism as travel and book reviews. Each one tries to establish authority with the reader by demonstrating knowledge. We are allowed to serve you because we know more than you do.
If it is not already apparent, I’ll just go ahead and say that this isn’t how I go about things. So what then am I doing messing around with short-order cooks? Let’s start with my griddle jock at home in Brooklyn. Why did I want to see him fail? I guess I’d have to say I’d take a perverse pleasure from it. Less enjoyment than making a lot of money, mind you, or camping with my children, or making love to my wife — these are not listed in order of importance — but his demise would provide a weird sort of comfort for me. Not a charitable way to be, of course, but I imagine some people will be able to relate to it, if not admit to it.
What I felt as I watched Charles was… something else. The obvious thing would be to call it jealousy. But that’s not exactly true, and for some very ugly reasons. Put simply, Charles and I don’t occupy close enough planes of social power for me to be jealous. Race, education, class, privilege, the whole fucked up intersectional soup that defines contemporary America, makes that impossible. To say that I am jealous of him is to engage in class fetishism. I spoke to several high-end chefs about Waffle House short-order cooks. They were all regular diners at the chain, and in fact had competed in Iron-Chef-like competitions based on Waffle House dishes. Each one professed respect for what people like Charles do, and admitted to their own struggles in trying to replicate it. But, and this was subtle, they also made it clear that it was a lower order of cooking, and that to be good at it suggested a lower kind of culinary ambition. No one said this outright, but it was there. One chef, whose name I won’t use, talked about the “big romance” surrounding the difficulty of short-order cooking. “I don’t want to dispel it. But there are harder things to do,” he said.
Short-order cooks in the United States earn about $24,000 per year. College boys like me don’t get to say they are jealous of people who do that. It’s condescending. The racial makeup of this particular Waffle House made things no easier. When a white American man expresses envy for the physical attributes of a black American man, however indirectly, it is by definition not a neutral act. Wesley Morris eloquently described this phenomenon in his 2016 essay, “Last Taboo: Why Pop Culture Just Can’t Deal With Black Male Sexuality.”
Short-order cooking is still governed, or at least can be perceived as governed, by long-standing assumptions about male behavior.
Besides, Charles was too good to think of in this way. He took pride in his abilities, but modestly, and was definitely pleased that I was interested enough in him to ask questions. His coworkers seemed genuinely to like him as well. Christie, who I imagine isn’t liberal with her praise, called Charles “the best.” The rest talked him up every chance they could. But I was still unsettled by how impressive Charles was on the griddle and here’s why: Watching him perform his duties, and yes, he was performing, at a mesmerizing and satisfying and enviable level, the closest I can come to describing it is with that most disreputable of contemporary words: emasculating. His competence seemed only to highlight my own deficits.
Bear with me here. I proceed from the premise that short-order cooking is a masculine profession in the conventional American sense. Yes, I know: Not only men can do it, not only men can do it well, not only men want to do it, women are probably better at it, women have historically been prevented from doing it — pick your disclaimer, write your hashtag. About a third of Waffle House’s Rockstars are women, which I consider a high number. But I do think that as a form of work in this country, short-order cooking is still governed, or at least can be perceived as governed, by long-standing assumptions about male behavior. A greasy spoon is a male environment, a place where the coffee should be black and bitter, where women carry plates and swab tables, and where men, the central figures, powerful and empowered, burn meat, flip pans, and wield tools. To assert this is not to defend it; it’s not even to say it actually exists. It simply means these notions influence, in ways I can’t entirely dismiss, what I think about short-order cooks. | https://medium.com/s/story/meet-the-short-order-cooks-so-fucking-good-waffle-house-officially-calls-them-rockstars-caf47c31912 | ['Theodore Ross'] | 2020-02-08 05:02:01.634000+00:00 | ['Rockstart Grill Operator', 'Masculinity', 'Waffle House', 'Short Order Cook', 'Fast Food'] |
If You’ve Never Heard of Knotless Braids, It’s Time to Catch Up : Life Style Big News | When it comes to braiding my hair, I always ask the stylist to add extensions. For years, I’ve worn unique braided hairstyles created by knotting colorful, long braiding extensions to my natural hair. And while I love braids, there’s a downside: the knots created to secure the extension can be tricky to remove. That’s why my stylist recently suggested I try knotless braids, and let’s just say, I won’t be going back to regular box braids anytime soon. Knotless braids have become a trending braiding technique, and I’m still wondering why I didn’t catch on earlier.
Anyways, by now you’re probably wondering, “What’s the difference between regular braids and knotless braids?” Well, firstly, they’re knotless — okay, you probably guessed that. So we’ll let Susan Oludele, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Hair by Susy, explain further.
“Knotless braids look natural and effortless,” says Oludele. “With regular box braids, you can tell extension has been used because of the knot at the beginning.”
She adds that the major difference is knotless braids are created using the feed-in method, which involves adding braiding hair to the natural hair as you go along, as opposed to the regular braiding technique where the hair extension is knotted to the hair at the beginning. Aside from that, knotless braids are pretty seamless, I personally love the style because I don’t have bulges of hair stemming from the scalp, instead, I have flat smooth roots.
RELATED: 8 of the Most Beautiful Protective Styles to Try Year Round
Why Are Knotless Braids a Good Protective Style?
Fall is the time of year to start thinking about protective styles as the cold weather can be particularly harsh on natural hair. “Knotless braids are a great protective style as they help to improve hair growth by protecting the hair strands,” says Oludele. “It’s also very easy to moisturize your scalp and keep the hair hydrated while wearing the braids.”
If your last experience of braiding your hair left you with memories of being up all night from the excruciating pain caused by the tension of the braids on your scalp, you’ll be pleased to know that knotless braids have a lot less tension on the scalp, which means a lot less pain. “Installing knotless braids involves minimal pulling at the root which means less breakage and more comfort,” adds Sabrina Rowe, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Ntrl by Sabs.
How Long Does It Take to Install Knotless Braids?
Although knotless braids are a painless protective style, you might find the amount of time it takes to install them a bit of a pain. According to Rowe, installing a full head of braids takes an average of five hours, but this all depends on the stylist and the size and length of your braids.
What Is the Best Way to Prepare Your Hair Before Installing Knotless Braids?
Deep cleaning your hair is paramount to remove any buildup before your braid service. Failure to wash your hair before braiding can cause an unbearably itchy scalp and decrease the life span of the braids. “An apple cider vinegar rinse is a wonderful treatment to get the hair and scalp ready for your appointment,” says Rowe.
Both stylists agree that it’s also important to blow dry your hair before braiding so it’s stretched and detangled — this helps to speed up the process so the stylist can get right into braiding the hair, says Rowe.
What’s the Best Way to Maintain Knotless Braids?
After sitting still for five hours to have your hair braided, you’ll definitely want the style to last. It’s important to make sure your hair is getting enough moisture to avoid breakage. There’s no point rocking a protective style and neglecting your natural hair — moisture is crucial, especially during the fall. Oludele recommends greasing the scalp with Ouee Hair Oil, a product she created to revitalize hair follicles, stimulate the scalp and promote hair growth.
Another way to prolong the life of your braids is to cover your head at night. “Keeping your hair in a silk or satin scarf or bonnet while you sleep helps to prevent frizz and pulling,” says Rowe.
VIDEO: You’ll Be Seeing These 4 Hairstyles Everywhere This Fall
How Do You Wash Knotless Braids?
When it comes to washing knotless braids, you’re going to want to take your time and work through sections of the hair gently. Hurriedly washing the braids and rubbing them together will cause them to frizz up and possibly unravel. To make sure your knotless braids don’t turn into a frizz ball as you wash them, Oludele recommends lathering shampoo and conditioner through the hair in a downward motion to keep the braids smooth.
The products you use to wash your knotless braids are also important. Avoid using shampoos that have a strong scent because the scent will linger on the braids after the shampoo has been washed out.
“I love using my NTRL by Sabs Shampoo and Conditioner Bars to wash knotless braids,” says Rowe. “The bars are long-lasting and can be applied directly on the scalp and hair without building up in the braids. Liquid shampoos can be messy and hard to completely rinse out of braids.”
How Often Should You Wash Knotless Braids?
On average, most stylists recommend washing your knotless braids once or twice a month. However, if you work out often and have an oily or dandruff-prone scalp, Rowe suggests washing your hair more frequently. “It is important to mention that the more often you wash, the more prone your roots and braids will be to frizz,” says the stylist. “So as long as you know what you’re getting into you can wash at your own discretion.”
How Long Do Knotless Braids Last?
With proper care, knotless braids can last up to two months, and it’s not advised to keep them longer than that, says Rowe. Knotless braids tend to get frizzier a lot faster than regular braids as they expose more natural hair at the root. So if you’re looking for a protective style that can last longer than two months, regular box braids are a better option.
How do you know when the braids are coming to the end of their style-span? “When your roots are exposed and they require a lot of touching up for them to look neat you’re coming to the end of the road,” says Rowe. “If the braids begin to feel heavy on your new hair growth, that’s also a sign to take them out.”
How Do You Remove Knotless Braids?
As great as knotless braids look, be assured that it’s going to take you a couple of hours to remove them. Both Oludele and Rowe say using a tail comb to remove knotless braids makes the process a lot easier and quicker.
“I start at the bottom of the braids and use my comb to loosen them, working my way up the hair to remove them safely,” says Rowe. Oludele adds that using a tail comb helps to quickly unravel the braids.
How Much Do Knotless Braids Cost to Install?
On average, the cost of knotless braids start from $250. However, this depends entirely on your stylists’ level of experience, the type of hair you are installing and your location. | https://medium.com/@kalpak.webmarketing/if-youve-never-heard-of-knotless-braids-it-s-time-to-catch-up-life-style-big-news-b9cd6c033274 | ['Kalpak Savaliya'] | 2021-10-10 22:30:03.439000+00:00 | ['Braids', 'Hair'] |
UI/UX & its top-notch Prototyping tools | by PRIYANKA GEHLOT
In this digital era, there is a key element known as “Design”.
And whenever we have this word — Design floating in the mind, most probably we are thinking about UI and UX. (Do agree all the digital nomads)
Moreover, first I want to clarify that giant cited confusion between both the UI & UX.
UI (a.k.a User Interface) — the platform where an end user gets interacted with the product. Including looks, lines, curves, colors, content, creativity and design for an assortment of interactivity. In short, how the product is laying and responding there. UX (a.k.a User Experience) — the platform from where an end user gets accessibility, enhancing the interactions, visions, structures and experience. UX is a strategy behind the UI (design). This strategy consists of User need, Business value and Technical capability.
However, as much as I like to ease the search about top-notch UI/UX Prototyping tools and let you know about it.
There are a lot of prototyping tools for UI/UX design and we all digital nomads (okay, not all, but aspiring ones) are getting very confused that from where to get a reference and a kick start.
For digital enthusiastic designers:
Where to find a right platform for both UI & UX and their Prototype tools?
Not so CODED!!!!! but POTENTIAL UI/UX designs.
And these tools are less time consuming than taking a long sip of code (I have done a lot in PHP & .net & also got those 404).
TBH, you will find it more worth once you have gained an experience as a geek. But don’t fear out, here we have some cool and easy to use prototyping tools w/o the straggle (not struggle) of time in coding and to address all the aspects of good UI/UX designs.
Top-notch Prototyping tools -
Easy to use and frequent features to make transitions in design, navigation.
It is the easiest prototype tool to design a keen UI.
- It is able to sync with Google Drive or Dropbox.
- Easy to import designs from Sketch and Photoshop.
- Easily can comment on prototypes, to share projects and even easier to get recognized feedback at your designs.
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphic platform.
-Commonly famous among all UI designers.
-Also know as a free-form design tool to create any shape, icons, logo and illustrations.
- Easy to add objects to photos with its easy-to-use design.
- If you are a beginner then going to start with this tool is a great decision. -Here you can easily create vector graphic art and learn many advanced features of Illustrator.
When it comes to creating a design on mobile, you should go with this tool of mobile app development in both Android and iPhone.
- For the mobile app, there’s a lot of design ideas for notifications, messaging, photos, comments etc.
- Ease of implementation of different designs by just clicking on a category.
It creates every design responsive, which means it will show the exact same design size across every platform — desktop, mobile, and tablet devices.
- It saves time to design separately for each one device type at a different time.
- Easy to use and all three device types or their screens responsiveness can tested at one place.
Some of the most common prototyping tools include:
Type Scale
UX Project Checklist
GoodUI
Mocksplus
UserTesting
As a UI/UX nomad only the inner voice you need to hear to achieve all the best possible results is —
“The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change -” ― Heraclitus
There is an important role of CHANGE in UI/UX designs. Because it’s trend is not a constant, its keep changing with every new requirement, every new business, every new client and with the time & technology.
Notably, a good UI design will change the people’s using habit of it.
Another key note to remember is — UI/UX Designs should be keen and attractive with bracing the value of the product in front of users.
So, GO!! Get your custom prototyping tool and make it happen :) | https://medium.com/maice/ui-ux-its-top-notch-prototyping-tools-581155ddcca1 | ['Priyanka Gehlot'] | 2018-09-25 08:55:14.928000+00:00 | ['Design', 'Prototyping', 'UX', 'UI', 'Tools'] |
Episode 008 — Nicholas Heller, CEO of Fractal Labs | SMEs are the backbone of each country´s economy, still, they are vastly underserved by financial services. Nicholas Heller and his team at Fractal Labs are here to change that.
Welcome to #TheQuickPitch, a podcast show in which Reid Jackson sits down with entrepreneurs across Europe building awesome tech companies 🚀💥
Nicholas Heller is co-founder & CEO of Fractal Labs, a platform #startup that helps reimagine financial services for SMEs. At #TheQuickPitch he discusses with Reid about the challenges and opportunities for financial services to serve start-ups and growth companies with products they need at a different stage of growth to progress their business. There is a surprisingly big lack of understanding of depth or metrics to make good credit scoring. Due to fragmentation of the SME market, it is also very difficult for financial institutions to quantify value from those segments, understand risk and offer timely relevant services to these sectors.
SME is a broad term and very fragmented, and they all (different segments) require different levels of services whether it´s from their bank, accountant or alternative lender. Therefore they are traditionally very underserved which also is a massive opportunity for Fractal Labs.
Don´t miss out our previous founders´interviews on #TheQuickPitch
Tune in and get to know how an ex-astronomer turned into a start-up CEO. Kim Nielsson is the CEO and Founder of Pivigo, a London-based start-up that brings businesses and data science together to harness the value and opportunities in data.
Meet Anna Tsyupko, the founder and CEO of Paybase, an end to end solution covering payments, compliance, and risk management start-up. Out of London, Anna and her team enable their clients to use payments for their advantage. Within three years the team has grown to just over 20 people and recently launched their platform. Listen to Anna’s story on how she lives and breathes entrepreneurship.
#founder #startup #openoceanvc | https://blog.openocean.vc/episode-008-nicholas-heller-ceo-of-fractal-labs-fea24584d68e | [] | 2020-02-07 08:21:59.901000+00:00 | ['Startup', 'Founders', 'Fintech', 'Podcast', 'Founder Stories'] |
The daily cold cold war | Vol. 5 | Life of a Miner Diary Series | It’s late and it’s cold, but those machines keep us up
(Figure 1) Feiyang multi-purposing 2020’s must needed fashion accessory whilst in transit.
After an 8-month hiatus, our Life of a Miner diary series is back with more captivating stories from our beloved miner goddess, Feiyang. For those who are new to this series, we introduced one of our most unique personalities in the field and one of the few female miners working at our bitcoin mining farms, Feiyang. Through the eyes of her experiences and stories working on our mining farms located in the depths of rural China, you will be able to see and feel more of the day to day experiences of operating a mining farm. From rockfalls to floods, the lands our mining farms are situated on giving more than just hashrates, but rather adventures to hate or love.
To recap on the past Life of a Miner diary series, click the links below to read and catch up:
In Feiyang’s words
Xinjiang, a place so near and dear in my heart, is also a seemingly media-twisted esoteric faraway place, far far in the western depths of China giving the area an almost mysterious stigma encapsulating a certain part of myself. Whether it is the vast Gobi or the desert that lies within, it is as hazy and open as a dream.
At the end of 2020, due to work mobilization plans, a group of 8 of our mining farm operation and maintenance personnel came to this land near the edge of China’s border, Aksu, which is located in western Xinjiang on the Tarim Basin for perspective.
(Figure 2) Location of Aksu in red.
Galloping on the highway towards this faraway county-level city, the departing city behind continues stretching farther and farther away. What you see is the vastness. A vastness you don’t get while living in one of the major metropolitan cities of China. On this desolate area of the western stretches of the Gobi desert bleeding into the Taklamakan desert, neat rows of factories lined up in such orderly fashion appeared before my eyes, presumably this will be where we will start working.
(Figure 3) A typical snack during break times. Chinese skewers seems to be the choice of selection amongst Feiyang and her personnel colleagues.
On winter nights, a biting cold wind rushes straight from the collar and cuffs down into the body, seeping its way onto your skin despite being covered up. Curled up while walking on the road outside the factory buildings with the head down. A gust of wind blows in front vehemently trembling the personnel team to the point of discouragement. The road to the factory was very close, but at this time it felt endlessly long. The roar from the normal operations of several mining farms up ahead seemed extraordinarily loud in the quiet cold night. Loud but strangely beautiful at the same time. The all-encompassing roaring ensemble, fusing together the harmonious hashing coming from thousands of scorching metal boxed machines whirring as they transfer trapped energy to cryptically secure permission-less transactions, block by block by block, is like the sound of a revolutionary technological symphony. Three hours in, at a certain mining farm there, our operation and maintenance personnel stood up to the shine of the moonlight, enduring the bitter cold, while fighting the wits of the mining machines engaging in technological problems…one after another after another…
“Upgrade the latest firmware version”
“Restart the machine”
“An error code appears here”
“View Log” …
It was finally done, and all the machines that had problems had returned to normal operation! Only then did I have time to check the time, with the long hand pointing at 2:40 in the morning. Another successful battle! Unlike enemies with real swords and guns on the battlefield, the opponents faced by the operation and maintenance personnel are all hiding in the dark. Whether it is a machine disconnection, or a power board, control board, etc., we need to deal with it meticulously, timely processing. Although my eyes were red, I felt a sense of relief knowing that the machines are once again whirring away normally with current problems solved…at least for today. After thinking about it, I didn’t feel so tired. Everyone smiled unconsciously.
(Figure 4) Feiyang and crew returning from their recent trip to the western depths of Xinjiang.
With the birth of digital currency, it means that the process of electronic currency is dawning to begin. As a group of cypherpunks, pioneers of digital currency, or the Bitcoin network’s distributed operation and maintenance personnel, there are no programmers who “live as bachelors, die and write code”. It’s tragic, but there is also a “锄禾日当午，不如运维苦，对着破电脑，一调一下午”的“悲惨”人生”, which translates to: tragic life of “the day of hoeing is noon, it is better to operate and maintain, facing a broken computer, one tune one afternoon”.
There is no normal nine-to-five in the morning, nor does it take five rests and two rests. There is only a 24-hour duty and shift rest system. Mining operation and maintenance personnel are always ready to deal with machine failures. And it’s the life we love. | https://medium.com/valarhash/the-daily-cold-cold-war-vol-5-7c9123dc17d | [] | 2020-12-21 09:17:05.803000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin Mining', 'Diary', 'Bitcoin', 'China'] |
The last step before MAINNET! Get DFILE for DeNet Storage test! | We’ve improved our storage and we invite every member of our private community to test it. You will understand where the data on the nodes comes from, and how the ecosystem works in principle. It will be very useful for every potential miner. For each stage of testing, you will be issued a certain number of DFILE tokens.
Bug bounty rules:
Register in DeNet Storage and upload 1 file — 6.2 DFILE
Fill in the checklist — 6.2 DFILE
Upload 20 files — 6.2 DFILE
Upload and download at least 50 MB daily during the week — 6.2 DFILE
Upload and download at least 50 MB daily during two weeks — 6.2 DFILE + early access to the node
To achieve the required number of participants and stress test our network, you can invite friends, for which you will receive 3 months of a premium DeNet Storage account and an additional 6.2 DFILE.
After a successful testnet, the mainnet will be launched. The testnet will run from 10 to 30 September.
Note: after accrual, DFILE will be displayed as GB, which is required to participate in the bug bounty
Useful links: | https://medium.com/dfile/the-last-step-before-mainnet-get-dfile-for-denet-storage-test-e225a24ca1b9 | ['Denis Shelestov'] | 2021-09-16 16:35:33.301000+00:00 | ['Denet', 'Storage', 'Testnet', 'Invest', 'Crypto'] |
How Your Definition of “Friend” Can Impact Your Career | No matter your profession or career choice, there’s a nearly 100% probability that your job relies on input, information, or cooperation from other people. Perhaps it’s people you work with directly — on your team, in your department, or in other parts of your company. Or maybe you interface with people outside of your organization — for account management, sales, customer support, or a myriad of other job functions. No matter the context, learning how to work with others effectively is an imperative skill to master in order to grow in your career, and extends beyond using socially acceptable email sign-offs.
When I started my first job after college, my definition of “friend” was along the lines of “someone that I have spent a lot of time with, know well, and want to be around outside of a professional setting.” I had grown up with a good group of close friends, but was also an awfully shy person who was intimidated by just about everyone outside of my friend circle. I viewed the interactions necessary to do my job primarily as professional obligations — not relationships.
At that first job, I had a colleague named Ryan who continually confused me with his use of the word “friend.” He’d say something like, “I have a friend that works at company X — do you want me to introduce you?” I’d ask how he knew that friend, and a typical response was, “We met once at a happy hour two years ago.” At the time, this was not my definition of a “friend.” Maybe an “acquaintance,” but more likely just “someone I met once.” It was funny to me, but I didn’t yet see the benefits of my Ryan’s definition of friend. That’d take a whole new career, industry, and city.
A few years later, I moved to San Francisco to join a venture capital firm as an investor — a very different role than my previous jobs in strategy in the media & entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Instead of being internally focused and relying on a small dedicated team of co-workers within my company, my job was now primarily externally focused, meeting with hundreds of founders, investors, and other professionals whom I didn’t have prior relationships with. In this new industry and career, I began to notice other people using the term “friend” in a similar way to my colleague from earlier in my career. “I have a friend who’s an investor at X, would you like an intro?”
At first, my midwest sensibilities viewed this liberal definition of the word “friend” as braggadocios and arrogant — an attempt to overstate their own importance or professional network. But I continued to hear this verbiage from people that I had come to respect as sensible and humble individuals. Soon enough, I caught myself using the term more liberally myself.
After trying it out, I found that expanding my own definition of “friend” from “someone that I have spent a lot of time with, know well, and want to be around outside of a professional setting” to “someone that knows me by my name and that I’ve had a positive interaction with” not only opened up endless opportunities for me, it also made me a friendlier and warmer person. I began to view people that I had only met a handful of times completely differently —not as someone I was compelled to interact with, but as a friend. This new relationship categorization lowered the bar for reconnecting with people, or reaching out to ask for a favor, make an introduction, or just “catch up” with someone.
There’s actually a whole school of thought known as linguistic relativity, which claims that “that the structure of a language affects its speakers’ world view or cognition, and thus people’s perceptions are relative to their spoken language.” While I’m not contemplating completely different languages, I also believe that one’s internal definitions of specific words within a language similarly affects their world view and perception. If you don’t agree — find two people who have drastically different definitions of the word “liberal,” yet have similar world views and perceptions.
Since expanding my definition of friendship, I’ve noticed that I have organically added qualifiers to the intimacy of my relationships. These days, someone may be a “friend,” “good friend,” “close friend,” or “best friend.” In all, I have way more friends than I used to — almost exclusively due to how I define a friend.
This advice does come with one warning: if you consider someone your friend, you must also consider yourself their friend. This means that if they reach out to ask you a favor, you act in the same manner that you’d expect them to. After all, friendship is a two-way relationship. Friendships also aren’t transactional — we don’t keep score of favors given and received or hold the conviction that our friends “owe” us anything. Phony friends are usually transparent and easy to spot — and if you don’t approach friendship in a genuine and authentic way, you’ll damage both your career and your personal life.
If you’re able to adjust your vocabulary to be more inclusive and positive when working with others, chances are you’ll treat them better and realize the long-term benefits of having so many additional friends. So, what do you say, friend? | https://medium.com/the-raabithole/how-your-definition-of-friend-can-impact-your-career-79b3d8f5f8dc | ['Mike Raab'] | 2019-10-19 03:58:29.664000+00:00 | ['Work', 'Advice', 'Business', 'Culture', 'Life'] |
How to learn ACCA effectively online? | Becoming a full member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) offers before you a plethora of extremely productive opportunities in this highly competitive world. But becoming ACCA certified requires a good deal of hard work and a smart strategy. Opting for an ACCA course online while preparing for the exams can help you seal the deal, provided that you keep certain things in mind.
Pick the best materials for the long road
Aspiring to become an ACCA member means that you will have to take a lot of tests — up to 13 to be precise. On average, it takes around 3–4 years for a candidate to clear all these stages along with the stipulated three-year work experience requirement. Do some groundwork, take a bit of time and zero-in on the ACCA course material that is best suited for you. You would not want to be in a position where mid-way you realise that your study material is below par.
Picking study time
The Online ACCA course in Singapore option gives you a great deal of flexibility while learning. Make use of this. You do not need to set a fixed time slot for daily study, rather fix a minimum amount of hours that you would devote to studying every day. For example, instead of saying that you will study from 9 am — 2 pm every day, plan to study at least 5 hours per day. This would ensure that you have a better chance of being in the most conducive mood for learning when you actually pick up your books.
Avoid using your phones or tabs
While studying online it is better if you use a laptop or PC. If you use your mobile phone or tab then there is the chance that social media updates or other notifications might distract you. This would reduce productivity and thus should be shunned. Online preparation can get you the desired results. Just be regular and don’t get yourself distracted. With persistent hard work and a smart online strategy, you can make your ACCA dreams come true and its advantages. Read through the advantages of learning ACCA | https://medium.com/@markharsh3/how-to-learn-acca-effectively-online-d378dd347427 | ['Harsh Mark'] | 2019-11-28 18:52:47.308000+00:00 | ['Education', 'Acca', 'Accounting', 'Finance'] |
Exciting Augmented Reality Features in Fashion for Shopaholics | Augmented Reality has brought in exciting features in every business industry that they have been integrated into. The fashion industry, which holds a large amount of significance in the market and generates enormous revenue every year, is not lagging behind.
Fashion has had its fair share of benefits from technology over the years. The amount of apparel that is produced every year suggests how little time it is taking for production and how much technology is being applied in the manufacturing process.
While this is a benefit that the merchant end is making full use of, many such benefits are enjoyed at the consumer end. For one, the integration of e-commerce along with Augmented Reality applications has led to an increase in product purchases and sales.
For the development of Augmented Reality applications, businesses tend to go with the best in the business because these technologies are effective only when they are created correctly. In this case, we have a solution that is mutually convenient for both you and us.
We, at Sapizon Technologies, are one of the leading Augmented Reality app development companies going around. Ever since we started, we have been able to establish our presence in the market by developing thrilling applications for our clients.
The credit of this establishment goes to our top-class Augmented Reality app developers. They possess great skills and experience that are required to maintain an aura of relevance in this industry. In the fashion industry, we have developed several apps for our clients.
Here are a few benefits of Augmented Reality in Fashion:
Color-Changing Feature:
Clothing is all about colors as we know. The more variety in colors you have, the more interested customers you will get. Some of the most successful clothing retailers have a variety of colors in their collection of apparel. Choosing colors is sometimes a dilemma for consumers.
To make this process easier and convenient, there is a feature in the AR app of the store which allows customers to change the color of a product by just pressing a button. It also features customer reviews which makes it all the easier to choose.
E-Commerce:
Augmented Reality in E-commerce has allowed customers to purchase material online in a better way. It minimizes the scope of return and exchange as customers can view the desired product in immersive form. This makes them judge the details better and decide accordingly.
This is an exciting prospect for customers as they can shop from home without physically visiting the store.
Try-On Feature:
This is one of the best features that Augmented Reality renders to the fashion industry. With the virtual try-on feature, customers can on a product from anywhere using the AR app. This is a tremendous feature for customers to make their choices with more clarity.
Knowing if a piece of clothing is fitting you without actually wearing is very convenient for customers. It makes the process less complicated and enhances user experience.
Virtual Artist:
The try-on feature is not just for clothes. It is also applicable for make-up and other accessory related trials. Virtual artist is a feature that displays on your screen how you can don different looks with a specific make-up kit.
This is very much useful when deciding what kind of look you want to go to a party, to a business meeting, for a fun outing with friends, etc.
Bottom Line:
The advanced technologies that are trending these days have successfully managed to enhance the fashion industry. Ever since AR apps have been consistently integrated, the worth of the fashion industry has increased at an exponential rate.
As one of the leading AR app development companies, we focus on elevating the businesses of our clients through quality Augmented Reality applications across various industries. | https://medium.com/@sapnasapusapzion/exciting-augmented-reality-features-in-fashion-for-shopaholics-2e1f78edb58f | ['Sapna Sapu'] | 2020-12-15 06:34:49.103000+00:00 | ['Search Engine Marketing', 'Virtual Reality', 'Augmented Reality', 'Testing', 'Mixed Reality'] |
Atenolol Info ,Dose , Indications .Drug Interactions & Side Effects | HomeHealth Atenolol Info ,Dose , Indications .Drug Interactions & Side Effects
Atenolol is a beta-selective (cardioselective) adrenoceptor antagonist that has no partial agonist or membrane stabilizing properties. Its action profile is most similar to that of metoprolol, with the exception that it has some membrane stabilizing function. Atenolol has been extensively researched and shown to be effective in the treatment of hypertension as well as the prevention of angina. Because of its limited dose response spectrum, it does not require highly individualized dose titration.
Important information
Atenolol lowers your heart rate and helps your heart pump oxygen through your body more efficiently.
It can leave you dizzy, sick, or sleepy, and it can even cause constipation or diarrhoea. These side effects are normally minor and only last a few days.
Taking the first dose of atenolol before bedtime because it may leave you dizzy. If you don’t feel dizzy after that, you should take that in the morning.
If you have heart failure, do not abruptly stop taking atenolol. This will aggravate the disease. Antibiotics Classification & Mechanism of Action
Atenolol Usage Guidelines
Adults are able to take atenolol. It is also often recommended for infants and children.
It is not enough for everybody. Before taking atenolol, inform your doctor if you have any of the following conditions to make sure it’s healthy for you:
allergic reaction to atenolol
severe blood pressure issues in your limbs (such as Raynaud’s phenomenon), which can cause tingling, paleness, or blueness in your fingers and toes
If there is so much acid in the blood, you have metabolic acidosis, which can lead to respiratory failure or asthma.
Atenolol is normally taken once or twice a day.
Since atenolol will make you dizzy, your doctor can urge you to take your first dose before bedtime when you first start taking it.
If you do not feel dizzy after the first injection, you should take your medication in the morning.
You’ll normally take one dose in the morning and one dose in the evening if you’re taking atenolol twice a day.
It’s best to wait 10 to 12 hours between doses if possible.
If you have heart failure, do not abruptly stop taking atenolol. This will aggravate the disease. COVID-19 Vaccine Testing ,Safety, Side Effects
Chat with the doctor if you wish to consider taking your medication. They could suggest steadily lowering the dosage over a few weeks.
The amount you take is determined by the reason you require atenolol.
The standard dosage for elevated blood pressure is 25mg to 50mg once a day.
The normal dosage for angina (chest pain) is 100mg once a day, or divided into two 50mg doses.
The normal dosage for abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmia) is 50mg to 100mg once a day.
The normal dosage for migraine is 25mg to 100mg twice a day. Atenolol is often used for migraines, although it isn’t specifically approved for migraine prevention.
Your child’s doctor will determine the appropriate dosage for them based on their weight and age.
Since atenolol seldom causes stomach upset, you should take it with or without food. It’s better if you do the same thing every day.
With a glass of water, swallow the tablets together.
Some products have a score line to help you cut the tablet in half if it’s tough to chew. Check the brand’s detail leaflet to see if anything is possible.
If you’re taking atenolol as a powder, it’ll come with a plastic syringe or spoon to make sure you get the right dose.
If you don’t have one, you should get one from your pharmacist. A kitchen teaspoon would not provide you with the correct quantity of medication.
More than 1 in 100 people experience these typical side effects. They’re normally mild and only last a few days.
If these side effects affect you or last more than a few days, talk to the doctor or pharmacist:
cold fingers or toes, sleepy, sore, or dizzy
feeling unwell (nausea)
constipation diarrhoea
Breastfeeding and pregnancy
In most cases, atenolol is not prescribed during breastfeeding.
Speak to the doctor about the advantages and risks of taking atenolol whether you’re planning to get pregnant or are currently pregnant.
Some medications could be more suitable for you. Labetalol is a similar drug that is often used for elevated blood pressure during breastfeeding. | https://medium.com/@studentsgroom/atenolol-info-dose-indications-drug-interactions-side-effects-7396cff03f72 | [] | 2021-05-08 05:36:14.070000+00:00 | ['Drugs', 'Medicine', 'Medical', 'Pharmacology', 'Atenolol'] |
11 Secrets Of Successful Relationships | 1. Think about them when you’re out. If you pass by their favorite bakery, pick up a little treat for them. If you’re at the store, stock up on some of their favorites. They’ll appreciate you remembered the little things they love.
2. Communicate and share what’s going on in your life. Instead of letting things build up, talk about it and address the issue as it comes up. Don’t wait until the negative feelings have festered. Clue them in as to why you might be a little bit more agitated this week (stressful deadlines, family problems, etc) or be open about why something in your relationship is bothering you.
3. Have your own life — your own likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc. Your differences will give you something to talk about.
4. Don’t bring up old fights or issues that were otherwise resolved in a current and unrelated argument. This only builds resentment and anger.
5. Focus more on what they do right, instead of what they do wrong. Look for the positives instead of centering on the negatives.
6. Never go into a relationship thinking you can change who they are. This almost always ends up disastrous.
7. Make alone time with them a priority, regardless of what’s going on in your life. It can be easy to get caught up in work schedules, family obligations, or social engagements, but reconnecting through a busy week is crucial in maintaining happiness as a couple.
8. Send them little words of love. Even if it’s just a quick text wishing them a great day or checking in to see how a big meeting went, you can make their day a little brighter by showing them you care.
9. Find new reasons to fall in love with them. Maybe you fell in love with your partner initially because they always made you laugh and you had the same taste for spicy food and campy horror movies. Now, a little bit later in the relationship, you know them a lot better and your love for them is a lot deeper. Now you see how patient and calm they are in a crisis or you love the way they always make sure to go out of their way to help others. Remembering to see them in new ways will keep the spark alive.
10. Say yes more often. When your partner asks you to join them in an activity you wouldn’t normally care that much about, acknowledge their attempt in engaging you in something they enjoy, and be willing to share the moment with them. Maybe it means doing something with them today and knowing they’ll do something with you later on in the week. It’s all about give and take and taking notice when something is important to your partner they want to share with you.
11. Stop stacking up what you do vs. what they do. As much as we want to believe household duties should be equal, the truth is that’s just not how it is all the time. If your partner is having a particularly rough time lately or their boss at work is on their ass about something this week, give them a break and don’t guilt trip them because they haven’t done the dishes or laundry as often as you have. Pick up the slack when it’s needed and when you’re the one who needs more understanding about your lack of participation around the house, remember to show gratitude and words of appreciation along the way. | https://psiloveyou.xyz/11-secrets-of-successful-relationships-4d08415c8b9f | ['Thought Catalog'] | 2021-04-14 12:01:15.566000+00:00 | ['Couples', 'Self', 'Relationships', 'Dating', 'Love'] |
How to Forgive Without an Apology | Have you ever struggled to forgive someone who isn’t sorry?
Have you ever struggled to forgive yourself for trusting someone who hurt you?
Have you ever struggled to let go of the pain, even after forgiving?
You have? I have too.
My struggle with unconditional forgiveness came from a place of pain, bitterness, grief, loss, anger and disappointment. When I say “unconditional forgiveness”, I refer to forgiveness in the words of R. Brault -”Life becomes easier when you learn to accept the apology you never got”. This means you forgive someone; who may not realise they are wrong or who refuses to accept that they are wrong or who accepts they are wrong, but show no remorse and/or are unwilling to make amends or who accepts they are wrong, yet apologizes while feigning remorse.
I used to think the art of forgiveness was pretty straightforward, until recently when someone who I loved and thought loved me back, left me without any initial explanation. We had met about a year ago and had recently reconnected at a public event. At our first meeting, I was less interested in all the compliments he gave and quite unresponsive to the care he tried to show. However, he remained persistent and seemed genuine. So I decided to give it a try. We spent a lot of time together and after a month, it did seem like the start of something beautiful for me. He had grown on me faster than I thought. He seemed different from the other men I had been with. He was proud of me. He showed me to everyone around him. He looked out for me. He gave me what I always wanted. He gave me what I thought I never had. He was it for me.
All of sudden, he changed. The calls went from regular to occasional and then, nothing. He stopped calling/texting and ignored my calls/texts. I cried for days. I was worried. I was out of my mind. You know how a baby who loves breast milk reacts when you stop breastfeeding them? That’s how I felt…probably worse! It took sending a voicenote in tears to get a reply from him. Five major things he said were: “I feel I am not the right person for you”, “I won’t promise something I cannot offer”, “You really deserve more”, “We both knew we were just enjoying the moment” and “There’s no point wasting each others time”. Reading this, broke me apart. It was unexpected, unfathomable and very undeserved.
To think that my love and devotion were only seen as a waste of time and temporary moments of pleasure was very disheartening. I tried to understand what he meant when he said, “I deserved more”, but my thoughts were blurred by my high expectations which had just been dashed.
I thought I had seen the end of my woes until I saw him with another girl, the same day he broke things off. I was shattered. When my friends asked around, they were told that he had been in a serious relationship for 3 years, while still handling a couple of other “commitments”. Not only was I shocked, but I felt blind and deceived. I found it hard to believe any of these and at the very least never saw any signs. But the truth is/was the truth, regardless of whether I was willing to accept it or not. This pain seized my mind, body, soul and spirit. I could not work. I could not think. I could not eat. I lost interest in everything that mattered to me, including friends and family.
Meanwhile, we did run into each other a couple of times after that, but he never said a word to me. Every time I saw him, I began to relive my woes, this time, almost twice as much as the former.
After everything that had happened, I kept waiting for an apology, a sincere apology. He did apologize, but it was one rid of humility and even the smallest form of sensitivity. It was one without the intention to take responsibility for his actions and omissions. It was one which increased tension and made it difficult for me to forgive or heal. As the days went by, the pain became worse. I began to lose sleep and I started to feel helpless. I had no peace. I found myself seeking for an explanation of everything. I found myself also wishing that he’d experience the same amount of pain that he’d caused me or even more. Hurt had become bitterness and all I was seeking for was vengeance. I knew there was no way for me to make him feel the emotional pain I was going through, but I just thought perhaps a punch would help. But then, I realized I was the one suffering, I was going all the way to hell because I was trying to drag another person into the fire, yet I was already getting burnt.
It’s been almost three months since the breakup and my recovery has been anything but easy. You see, I have come to learn that forgiveness is not always straightforward, but it is the way forward. Forgiveness is onward looking. It sees that there’s no moving ahead if we continuously yield to the roadblocks of bitterness, anger, hate etc. Forgiveness however, does not mean forgetting. Forgiveness may be easier where there is an apology, but it is often harder without one. Which was why I had subjected myself to self-imprisonment because of bitterness and by so doing, ignored my chances of healing and living.
I have started my journey of forgiveness and have chosen to let go of all the bitterness that constantly weighed me down. I understand that while he might not be deserving of my forgiveness, it is important for my sanity and for the purpose of letting myself out of the prison of bitterness, to allow new love find me. I also choose to avoid dwelling on reasons not to forgive, but to dwell on reasons to forgive.
Today I encourage you, to try to let go of that pain, anger and bitterness. Give room for peace, for a love that caters and makes you better, not one that batters and makes you bitter.
And remember, that a heart clouded by bitterness holds back the rain of love. | https://medium.com/@huesandviews/how-to-forgive-without-an-apology-aec87ef8220f | ['Temi O Sola'] | 2021-04-01 09:33:33.489000+00:00 | ['Forgiveness', 'Relationships', 'Letting Go', 'Inspiration', 'Acceptance'] |
Why Psychopaths Outperform Us | Why Psychopaths Outperform Us
Lessons from Wisdom of Psychopaths by Kevin Dutton
Too much psychopathy can lock you up behind bars, but a little bit can do wonders.
Author Kevin Dutton actually argues that “regulated psychopathy can have a positive impact on well-being and quality of life” — a life filled with accomplishments and fulfillment.
What Makes a Person a Psychopath?
Contrary to common beliefs, psychopathy lies on a spectrum, ranging from low to high levels of displayed traits. It’s not so much of a black-or-white matter.
In fact, we may all be a little psychopathic.
Psychopathy is commonly described as a personality disorder with a boosted sense of egotism and narcissism. Other traits include “superficial charm, manipulation, fabrication of intricate stories, impulsivity, and emotional poverty.”
On a positive note, psychopaths are goal-oriented, driven, charming, and unbothered by emotional hangovers.
These traits are beneficial to have in many professions, which is probably why psychopaths are more prevalent among business leaders, lawyers, and surgeons compared to those who are criminals.
Psychopaths Are Productivity Experts
Without the burden of emotions, psychopaths are able to strive towards their goal in the most efficient and effective way.
They have an “emotional tunnel vision” that facilitates the discarding of irrelevant and unbeneficial information and instead focusing on the tasks that lead to success.
People with low levels of psychopathy often get caught up in the what ifs. We procrastinate tasks that we don’t want to do. We feel emotionally damaged after traumatic events.
These thoughts cause us to step on the brakes.
In a society where productivity is rewarded, these “normal people” tendencies don’t help; they actually hinder us from achieving our goals, deeming us useless for being sensitive. We are treated as damaged goods.
Spiritually Psychopathic
Further analyzing how psychopaths view the tasks at hand, we can find some overlapping traits between psychopathy and spirituality.
Such traits are: stoicism, mindfulness, fearlessness, mental toughness, creativity, and energy.
Psychopaths are similar to monks, focused on chasing gratification. They see the goal ahead of them and run towards it.
They don’t step on the brake to dwell on all the distractions in life — they have the ruthlessness to focus on the outcomes that fulfill them. | https://medium.com/indian-thoughts/why-psychopaths-outperform-us-24993120d9a8 | ['Project Hbe'] | 2020-11-03 22:27:44.616000+00:00 | ['Productivity', 'Psychology', 'Spirituality', 'Culture', 'Business'] |
Cryptocurrency and Should You Invest? | Crypto or no Crypto?
The best thing to do is have a strategy. You really don’t want to miss out on cryptocurrency and block-chain technology. It’s not really about investing in coins. It’s more so do you believe that cryptocurrency and block-chain are the future.
I believe it’s the future! So for the next 3 years I will invest heavily into cryptocurrency and the technology behind it and also learn, learn, learn more about it. I will then wait to see how things are shaping out after 3 years. If cryptocurrency is not moving the way I truly believe it will move (to the moon), then I will move on to more traditional assets and investments but at least I am still in the cryptocurrency game.
TO THE MOON!
So my advice is at least get in the game with a couple hundred bucks or grand. I am starting with 3k and won’t miss it a lick. I mean the risk is worth it to me. I really am big on cryptocurrency and the technology behind it. It’s like falling in love with the invent of computers back in 1960 or something. So don’t be scared to invest.
Put some money in, leave it and just see what happens because the upside is to promising. Don’t be that person that knew about cryptocurrency but never invested in it, please don’t! Life will be Hell and simply miserable. I’d rather throw a couple hundred dollars away now into cryptocurrency and it not work out as suppose to knowing a $300 investment today could have netted me $1 million R.O.I (return on investment)in the near future. As for me, I’m all the way in! | https://medium.com/coins-news/cryptocurrency-and-should-you-invest-43666f88e9f | ['Cloud Life'] | 2018-03-05 15:48:18.919000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency Investment', 'Bitcoin', 'Ethereum', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Blockchain'] |
Design of a FIRST TECH CHALLENGE robot in 5 days | Introduction
As a high schooler participating in FIRST, I naturally like to build robots. However, robots cost money. In the offseason, it is both costly and grants us no competitive advantage to build robots. Usually, this time is spent doing 3d CAD modeling and preparing autonomous routines for the upcoming season.
As a result, I decided to ask two of my friends to compete in the Valor CAD Challenge, a competition to determine who can design the best robot in one week. Teams can be made up of up to 3 people, and the competition is based around a hypothetical FIRST game. This year, it was SuperShot, a frisbee shooting game.
Render of the SuperShot field
The rules and guidelines for the game can be found here. Reading this is strongly recommended to be more familiar with the challenge.
A .STEP file of our robot can be found here.
Tools used
Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks — CAD Modeling Fusion 360 — CAD Modeling and Photorealistic Rendering Keyshot — Photorealistic Rendering Gravit Designer — Robot graphics Slack — Team communication
Design Process
At the game release, our team’s brainstorming strategy was to brainstorm ideas for all subsystems and then divide each subsystem to a person. This proved to be effective: almost all of the ideas were unique in one way or another, and it was somewhat easy to distinguish which ones would be viable or not. For us, this made sense since, from actual team experience, multiple people working on a single subsystem often leads to repeated steps, meaning wasted time.
Drive Subassembly
Our philosophy was to keep the drive base simple. Since in other FTC games, the use of a mecanum (aka Swedish Wheel) chassis would provide finer control, stability, and maneuverability without sacrificing the speed of a tank (otherwise known as a 6 wheel drive) drive, we decided to design one for this game. Our time was limited (5 days), so we wanted to finish this assembly as quickly as possible as to mount the other sub-assemblies on top. Naturally, we gravitated towards the use of aluminum box tube extrusion, as it is both lightweight, durable, and relatively easy to work within 3d CAD software (for this competition we used a combination of both SolidWorks and Fusion 360). We assembled the frame in an H-Shape, as shown below:
Our drive assembly for the VCC with several mounts attached
Another core design feature of our drive was the 3 odometer wheels located as shown below:
The two mini wheels are 2/3 of our odometry pods
These wheels allow the robot to triangulate its position by measuring the delta in encoder ticks for each of the wheels and accumulating them over time. A more detailed paper on this system can be found here.
Frisbee Shooter Subassembly
For example, we brainstormed the following ideas for our frisbee shooting subassembly:
Vertically-oriented shooter Horizontal-oriented shooter Diagonal-oriented shooter Linear extension
Our frisbee shooter
As we took a closer look at the proposed linear extension implementation, we determined that the extension would be far too slow as our robot would have to travel the distance of the field to score. It was at this point that we decided a frisbee shooter was needed. Since our proposed frisbee-intake takes in the frisbees horizontally, it would make sense that we would choose a horizontally-oriented shooter, as the transfer mechanism from the frisbee-intake to the shooter would be simpler.
Also since seperating the shooter’s rotary (actual rotation of the turret vs the flywheel) motors would be relatively easy, and we had a bit of spare time, we decided to powershare the motors using a differential.
Frisbee Intake Subassembly
The shape of the frisbee proved to both be a challenge and an ally.
The 6" diameter disks used for the CADathon
The challenging part was that the disk was relatively hard to pick off the ground, as there is a hollow cavity separating the middle portions of the disk and the ground. However, the circular shape meant that it would be aligned no matter which angle it was grabbed from. Since the disk was low to the ground, it was clear that a low-but-wide vacuum cleaner type sucker would be the best fit for the task.
Render of our intake
Our design consisted of a belt-driven intake because it allowed us to contain the motor within the area of the intake. Also, directly driven motors tend to break much more easily because all the load is placed on the shaft.
Our motor belt transferred power to the conveyer belt system which would then transmit power through the the outer blue roller of the intake (we ran a hex axle through the conveyer belt which connected by another pulley to the blue roller).
Climb Subassembly
Extended render of the climb
We noticed that the area that we need to climb was located relatively high off the ground (23") and because of the 18" x 18" x 18" size restriction placed on our robot, a compact but robust extension system would be ideal. As a result, we implemented a straight winch-driven linkage to climb. The subsystem would extend upwards quickly (<1 second in simulations) and the robot would be off the ground in ~1.5 seconds.
A topology study was used to optimize the selective pocketing to lighten the climb.
Retracted render of the climb
Integrating Subassemblies
Since the workload of all the subassemblies was distributed among me and my other two teammates, we would need to figure a way to combine these subassemblies without fighting for space. To accomplish this goal, we created an approximate 3d layout sketch of the robot. Each subsystem would be placed in its associated region, to solve the conflicts.
There are several challenges we encountered while integrating the systems. | https://medium.com/@neowangatx/design-of-a-first-tech-challenge-robot-in-5-days-6c63e2313f74 | ['Neo Wang'] | 2020-04-25 03:31:17.343000+00:00 | ['Robotics', 'Rendering', 'High School', 'Design', 'Competition'] |
Om’s Papa- Part 2 | By Om’s Mom
In case, the previous post makes you think of Om’s Papa as the archangel, I will set the reality straight in this piece. Om’s Papa is unbearably rationale- let me explain. I truly believe he lives to get to the root cause of everything, every question, every emotion, and every situation. It comes from good intent but it is very irritating. Actually, it is the foundation of every big fight we have! I am feelings and intuition and he is rationales and logic. When, I was pregnant with Om, I am happy to report that “feelings and intuition” ruled, he was not allowed to irritate me. Did that stop him from doing PhD level research on car seats and stroller — absolutely no, but I didn’t have to participate, hooray!! I once peeked on his source of information- it was a website called “topdaddies.com or bestdadies.com”, it had photos of dads (but I think models) with baby carriers and jogging strollers. To this day I laugh when I think of the seriousness with which he was browsing that website- my pregnant intuition urged me to tell this to everyone we know (and now to everyone we don’t know).
Om’s birth story was a nightmare (telling you why will need a different essay and courage) but it was also the making of “Om’s Papa”, a truly formidable force and a male version of Gaia. I am not trying to be funny here. There is no concession, compromise, or excuse made for anything that relates to Om- that is the foundational rule of this household. Om’s Papa looked really happy, with baby Om in his arms. Baby Om was covered in wires and tubes, his head was wrapped in bandage, his nose was wrapped to keep the oxygen mask in place, his tiny hands were wrapped to keep the IV tubes in place, and his body was covered in multiple wires that monitored his lungs and oxygen levels, and then some more. That image in my head sends shivers down my spine, “how were you able to smile at that time?” I asked him several months later. “Things were out of my control and I thought I would lose you both, now that I had you both alive in front of me, I will make it all so good and we will never even think about this time”, he said.
A year and a half later. In the weeks that followed Om’s diagnosis of a rare genetic disorder, I worried incessantly about Om’s future and cried because I could not help Om’s papa. He went into a deep denial, followed by stubbornness, obsessive researching and quest for solving the root issue. He read and read without sleeping and without food for days, convinced that he will figure it out and make it all better for his baby, eventually he broke. In the ruckus of doctor’s appointments, therapies, and the challenges of Om’s every day, from walking to feeding to nights of complete sleep deprivation (Om has difficulty in staying asleep), his papa held it together for all of us. I struggled with everything, and he just took on more and more without complain and without any blaming. He single handedly kept me from drowning and he allowed me to feel and to take my time (which was months of lying in bed). He helped me keep my job, helped the healing, and never allowed me to let go of my hopes and dreams. “We have such a happy child, he is always smiling and is so emotive and gentle, I am happy because he is so happy and goofy” that is what he said.
Om follows his dad literally and figuratively. Om wants to be him, wants to be with him, wants his praise, wants his attention, as for me, I have very much accepted my position of being the less preferred parent. “You can go on your work trip, but you have to come back all caught up on sleep, so that I can have my turn when you return”, I said to him. A week later, Om’s papa returned looking completely haggard, “I haven’t slept at all, because I cannot sleep without Omi.” They are in bed cuddled up in an embrace, as I sit and type, reminiscing about the past- this February Om’s Papa turned 4, and this is not an ode to him, it is simply his story extraordinaire. | https://medium.com/@OdeToOm/oms-papa-part-2-aa9a79106547 | [] | 2020-04-23 03:48:20.777000+00:00 | ['Dads', 'Baby', 'Parenting', 'Love', 'Pain'] |
We believe in Kindness, do you? | Today we started spreading kindness, we decided to be kind to others but before explaining our “ Act of Kindness”, question arises “ What is kindness?”
There are millions of definitions regarding kindness but we have created our own i.e. “ Kindness is a feeling of calmness and happiness caged into your heart, that whenever you do something your heart speaks, “you did great”
Well the above definition of kindness created by our known might be difficult to understand so here are some “Act of kindness” we did.
Acts of Kindness
W ell! it is a common routine that people throw the plastic bottles anywhere they like. So we collected all the plastic bottles that were thrown in a sag, as it may be used for recycling.
Plastic Bottle Collection [ Group act of kindness]
Plastic bottles collection [ group act of kindness]
Have you ever took a broom and swipe off the trash? Well if not? we did. We were having a lunch at cafeteria and the whole place was just covered by trashes and other wastes. We took a broom from the sweeper and cleaned all the trash.
Sweeping off trash [ group act of kindness]
sweeping off trash [ group act of kindness]
Can you imagine you are asked to visit market and the temperature outside is 42 degrees, You might take a water bottle to avoid dehydration, but what about the animals? Can they take a water bottle with them ? If no, it is our responsibility to provide them with water. So we did the same.
Please be kind and fill water for birds
A pot filled with water for birds [ group act of kindness]
Have you ever worked as a Planter? Of course many would have but have you ever worked as a planter for others or for public greenbelt. Well if not you might not be aware of the word kindness.
Plantation to save environment [ group act of kindness]
To conclude, kindness is not limited only to human beings but it is the right of every specie in this planet named Earth.
So now do you believe in kindness?
Well, to be kind is not as easy as becoming engineer or a doctor. It demands a lot of courage, acting as a trash keeper you might think “ well I am an Engineer from MIT or whatever nonsense, what will people think of me”. This “What people think of me “ is the main hurdle in becoming kind so lets solve this problem:
“It doesn’t matters What people think of you? But What you think of yourself”
Well, writing a short story is also a kindness to facilitate readers | https://medium.com/@osama.khalid111/we-believe-in-kindness-do-you-a80033cecdb4 | ['Osama Khalid', 'Ok'] | 2019-06-20 11:24:53.120000+00:00 | ['Courtesy', 'Helping Others', 'Kindness'] |
Perfect Mother-Daughter Moments | This weekend I pulled out my family recipe book for the 4175th time since my daughter was born to make my mom’s chocolate chip muffins for Sunday brunch and she seemed to notice it for the first time. She immediately grabbed the book and had tons of questions.
“How did you make this?”
“Why did you make this?”
“Where did all the recipes come from?”
“Why is my picture in here?”
Then she took off with the book, taking notes on her favorite recipes and demanding to keep it. And in that perfect moment I thought, ‘Oh my dear daughter, I’ve been waiting for this day. I have lovingly tucked away a copy for you! It’s in perfect condition…somewhere…and you will get your hands on that as soon as I uncover it’.
You see, a few years ago I decided to update our favorite family recipes in our cookbook and ordered one for each of my sisters and my mother. Then I thought my then two year old daughter may also want a copy for herself. I started picturing her as a young woman in her own kitchen, dancing around in an adorable apron as she made her favorite family recipes from childhood.
These are the moments we dream of as mothers. Sharing family history, gifts that we’ve lovingly created in hopes that they will be welcomed with love and joy by our daughters. In this scenario all of my hopes lined up perfectly. My daughter was not only excited about the book but also picturing herself in her own kitchen one day recreating the recipes lovingly created by the women in her family.
Now that we’ve all had our hearts warmed up from this lovely moment in time, let’s take a minute to acknowledge all of the perfect moments we picture with our daughters that don’t actually happen. All of those missed interactions that we enter into with hope and leave feeling crushed by our daughter’s reaction. You know the ones I’m talking about, where she yells because you’ve got it all wrong and you’re left feeling crushed and disappointed.
Let me give you an example from my own mother-daughter relationship. For my 21st birthday my mother planned an elaborate surprise birthday party for me. I had always loved I Love Lucy so the party had that theme, with her and her friends renting costumes to dress up as the characters. She even hired a Lucy impersonator who crashed the party. And this surprise party had a bit of a twist, I arrived with my boyfriend to what I thought was an intimate family birthday party to find guests arriving after me. My parents friends, my sorority sisters and friends from college all came trickling in. I never knew who was going to walk through the door or what was going to happen next. And you’ve guessed it, that caused this introvert, who doesn’t like a lot of attention, to freak the hell out. I had my first panic attack halfway through the party and felt a mix of anger and guilt (for having the anger) that I got put in that situation. Not at all what my mother envisioned when she carefully planned the event.
Of course she felt terrible, because all she wanted was a wonderful celebration of her middle daughter. But as you can imagine her excitement and energy she poured into this special party probably came crashing down pretty quickly. We were both left disappointed and feeling guilt in different ways. How do you even start to wade through all of that?
Here is the secret. These messy moments will happen way more than the perfect ones. And as mothers its our job to accept that our hopes and dreams for our daughters aren’t always going to match hers. Even though it may feel like it to us, having a daughter is not an opportunity to relive our childhoods or right our life mistakes. In fact, this is one of the reasons mothers and daughters have conflict. When we have expectations for our daughters to meet our emotional needs, we set ourselves up for failure.
My mother never said anything to make me feel badly for feeling tortured at the party but as a daughter I felt badly that something she spent so much time planning was anything but wonderful. When our daughters feel a duty to protect their mother’s from their own feelings we get into a complicated mess. Once I was able to articulate to my mother my feelings about the party she said, “Really, Hilary I get in hindsight how that party was not the right match for you”. Acknowledging that I didn’t do something ‘wrong’ by being ungrateful for this party was exactly the thing that could help me move on. Maybe you can see with your own daughter how you releasing her from pleasing you helps her accept herself.
To make this short and sweet, if you expect your daughter to feel fulfilled by the same things you do or for her to love every idea, outing or gift you give her — you are setting yourself up for disappointment and your daughter up with the expectation to make choices based on your happiness. Instead, create a dance with your daughter where you accept her feelings, wants and needs whether or not they match your own. Ah, that feels much better doesn’t it?
If any of this resonates with you my Mothers Group would be a great fit! https://www.liveandbloom.net/mothering-girls | https://medium.com/@hilarymae/perfect-mother-daughter-moments-e5fb5f880c68 | ['Hilary Truong'] | 2021-04-01 16:23:02.463000+00:00 | ['Motherhood', 'Relationships', 'Mothers', 'Mothers And Daughters', 'Family'] |
6 gardening tips for beginners | Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Thinking of starting a garden? Then you came to the right place. Here I will tell you 6 basic and life-saving tips for gardening if you are someone who wants to start gardening. Gardening is all about the care that you give to your plants. The better care they receive the better they grow.
First and the foremost,
You have to look for a suitable location
Location is mostly selected according to the plant going to be planted. Most plants need full sunlight of six hours or more but it is not necessary for all plants. Some salad leaves and herbs need partial shade. Some vegetables grow better in cooler temperatures during the fall\spring while others grow better in warmer temperatures in summers.
Always start small
If you are a beginner then you should definitely start small. You will take care of your garden in a better way. Starting small will give you some experience and if you properly follow all the steps then goods results are waiting for you.
Selecting crops
Always opt for those veggies or fruit that you think are used more in your household. That way your fruits will not go to waste and be useful. If there is more production then you can freeze them to use later. Some of them are listed below:
Radishes
Tomatoes
Chilies
Salad mixes
Garlic
Basic tools for gardening
Tools will be your best friends while gardening. You need to play with your tools wisely in order to achieve the garden looking great and their vegetables tasting good. Protective gloves, garden knife, hand trowel, shears, hose, etc.
Rules for watering
Watering a vegetable garden in the morning before the hottest part of the day is beneficial. So the water doesn’t evaporate before it soaks into the soil. Too much water can destroy your plant and drowns it so, keep an eye that how much water you are giving to a certain plant. Water them adequately not overly or less.
Composting
Composting is an important aspect of gardening. It is good means by which your soil is aerated and plant diseases are taken care of. Compost is available in the garden store where you can also buy seeds or plants.
Keep in mind that not to plant different seeds close to each other this way they can spread diseases and their growth can be decreased.
These were the tips if you were thinking of starting a garden from scratch. | https://medium.com/@fatimahabib/6-gardening-tips-for-beginners-53138843dd01 | [] | 2020-12-02 05:10:41.570000+00:00 | ['Gardening Tools', 'Gardening Tips', 'Content Writing', 'Gardening'] |
Multilogin best proxy service recommendations | Multilogin is a productivity tool that helps users to use and control multiple accounts at the same time. All that with a click of a button. They also have a Youtube channel with 1000 subscribers, where you can find videos explaining all the basics you need to know, to use their tool.
Multilogin, as a management tool, masks all the fingerprints that could lead you to having your account suspended — screen size, operating system, and others that websites use to track and identify you. But ultimately, the biggest fingerprint of all is your IP address, so they are suggesting to use proxy services too.
Multilogin
But what is the current best proxy deal?
Multilogin suggests several proxy providers on their page, but there is a cheaper proxy provider with the same quality.
Smartproxy is currently on sale with a discount code SMARTOFF, that lets you get 20% off from any plan on their page.
Smartproxy pricing
Why choose Smartproxy?
Smartproxy has over 10 million IP addresses that are going through real mobile and desktop proxy networks. They also offer unlimited connections and threads on top of that. You can choose country-level targeting and decide between using a random proxy that rotates your IP address with every request or sticky proxy, which would change your IP every 5 minutes. Their pricing model is based on subscription with data consumption limits, it is simple to understand and easy to work with.
What is a proxy?
A proxy is a server that acts like a gateway or intermediary between any device and the rest of the internet. A proxy accepts and forwards connection requests, then returns data for those requests. Proxies make up our websites, online services, and other networks. People use proxies for many things: most proxies can change your IP address, while others can protect large websites or simply authenticate public Wi-Fi users.
Proxy network
Get a 20% discount on Smartproxy page with a code SMARTOFF. | https://medium.com/@migelsoforisco/multilogin-best-proxy-service-recommendations-6e42ac59a47 | ['Migel Soforisco'] | 2020-08-05 09:15:07.182000+00:00 | ['Discount', 'Proxy', 'Coupon', 'Coupon Codes', 'Deal'] |
Why Spanking Your Kids Isn’t The Only Option | When I was five years old, I walked out of the entrance to the trailer park I lived in with my mom and dad. Without telling anybody, I decided to visit the Stop and Go convenient store, and I walked out onto the highway to get there. I wasn’t afraid. I just wanted to look at their comic books like every other time I went there with my parents.
That’s exactly what I did, inspecting each one carefully that I could reach on the shelf and then putting it back. When I found a comic I particularly liked, I asked a lady shopping at the end of the aisle if she would buy it for me. Surprisingly, she agreed and paid for it. She also gave me a ride home. I was oblivious to any potential danger. I really just wanted to read my book.
My panicked father was waiting in front of our trailer. I remember how he looked that day, furious and terrified, as he ordered me to my room. He took the comic book away from me, and it concerned me I might not get it back.
I stayed in my room a while, then ventured out to the living room where my father was still trying to calm himself down. I didn’t understand. I was fine and nothing bad happened to me. Why was he so upset?
When I asked him, he admitted how scared he was for my safety and how angry he was that I would walk away without telling him. I cried as he said he worried he would never see me again. The reality of what I’d done was hitting me full force, and the worst sense of remorse filled my tiny body. I told my dad I was sorry and meant it. He was still too frazzled to accept the apology but nodded his head that he heard me.
“I don’t get it,” I told him. “If I was so bad, why didn’t you spank me?”
“I wanted to,” he answered, “but I was so angry that I was afraid I would hurt you.”
Breaking The Cycle of Abuse
I didn’t realize it then, but it was a remarkable statement coming from a remarkable man. When my dad was young, spankings were the least of his problems. He was regularly beaten with coat hangers and tight unrelenting fists by both his parents, who were more quick to lash out in rage than to hug him and tell him they loved him. When he was an adult, he walked away and never spoke to his family again.
My beloved father was breaking the cycle, not willing to raise his child to fear him and not causing her physical and emotional pain. It would have been easy for him to spank me that day, but he didn’t want me to grow up like he did feeling scared of people and alone in the world. He wanted to be the person I came to with my problems, someone who would guide me and listen to everything I had to say instead of striking out furiously if he didn’t agree. | https://medium.com/publishous/why-spanking-your-kids-isnt-the-only-option-ef7df860a11f | ['Glenna Gill'] | 2018-09-10 15:48:43.500000+00:00 | ['Fatherhood', 'Discipline', 'Spanking', 'Parenting', 'Motherhood'] |
The Migrants | “I am the kind of person who doesn’t like to follow the convention. In Kerala, engineering is a convention. When most of my friends and my family members went for engineering after school, I instead decided to pursue English Literature for my Bachelor’s. Though I was fond of all subjects belonging to natural sciences in general, literature and humanities intrigued me more. During my graduation, I was exposed to a lot of books pertaining to society and its power relations and I was drawn to that. I discovered the field of ‘International Relations’ through one of my seniors and it immediately caught my attention because it had a section dedicated to human rights. I had recently got interested in the current affairs of politics and it was my desire to pursue a field where my work could impact society directly while having opportunities to travel across the world.
The idea of doing a PhD, however, wasn’t very clear in my mind. It was one of my professors who suggested that I could think of doing research after being highly impressed by one of my project assignments. I went on to do an MPhil on foreign policy of India, which had an extended scope of research. So I continued with the same topic for my PhD in the same university.
But a few months down the line, I realized it was not something I enjoyed working on because my work needed just occasional visits to government organizations, archives and libraries. I was longing to travel and talk to actual people, but was too embarrassed to say it out loud. I thought it was unprofessional to change a PhD topic. Even on the personal front, my family wasn’t very happy when I decided to pursue a PhD. They were concerned about my financial stability and occasionally thought that it would be difficult to find a suitable match for an overly qualified woman like me. And with my fellowship taking over a year to start, I felt extremely burdened. I did not want to be monetarily dependent on my family. So, to support myself, I did freelance content writing jobs. Those first few months of my PhD, were terrible for me both at the personal and professional front.
I eventually gathered the courage to go up to my supervisor and tell him that I didn’t want to work on foreign policies of India but rather on vulnerable groups that needed more immediate attention. I thought he would be angry but to my amazement, he said, “I was waiting for you to come and say that.”
I wanted to do something at the grassroot level and since human rights anyway had piqued my interest long ago, I started working on sub-national migration governance structure of Kerala, with a focus on the NORKA department which redress the grievances of Non-Resident Keralites. It is the first of its kind in India. India is one of the largest countries housing international migrant workers and a good percentage of the Indian economy is dependent on these workers, particularly in Kerala, where 35% of its GDP comes from migrant labourers. There are a lot of studies going on in this regard revolving around migration patterns and remittance flow, but there has been very little focus on analysing governance structures implemented by the State. As a researcher working on an area like this, I think it is critical to look at the migrant governance structure as well.
In addition, I did not want my research to be just about numbers and statistics. I wanted to document the personal experiences of these migrant workers and humanize the whole process, which unfortunately isn’t popular in policy/governance studies. Social sciences is the study of human beings. One cannot reduce them to mere objects and generalize that every human would respond to a specific situation in the same manner. They don’t! For example, the popular notion in Kerala is that the majority of people migrate to other countries for economic benefits, but that’s not the only reason; they can have other aspirations which are often disregarded. Also the stereotype images of them as portrayed in movies and media often cloud our judgement. And that’s why we cannot have a definite set of rules to study real human beings. Each has its own perspective.
I have talked to roughly 650 migrant labourers in the past four months, who were laid off during the pandemic and were forced to return back empty handed. This was done as part of a campaign run by an international migrant rights organisation to document such cases and provide free legal service to these people. When we saw the workers returning in pathetic conditions with absolutely no financial support, we knew we had to do something about it. Most of them were clueless about their basic rights. It gives me fulfillment to assure them of their rights and that I could be of some help to them. I also ensure their consent and remuneration when international journalists interview and write about them in international newspapers as often the journalists get paid but these poor people are left out. In fact, I try to stay in touch with most of them even after collecting the required data. Initially, it was emotionally challenging for me to hear so many stories of distress. But I have trained myself to not panic, be calm and lend an ear when they share their most gruesome experiences. Sometimes, all one needs is someone to hear their plight and not judge. I try my best to be there for them as much as I can. I do face sexism at times when people demand talking to a man instead of a woman but overall it has been a good experience for me.
Kerala did fairly better with the migrant workers as compared to the rest of India which might be motivated by the state’s economic dependency on them. It also has fairly accurate data on these people which gives us ample scope of conducting migration research but still there are pitfalls: we do not have significant data on women migrant workers or undocumented workers.
Having worked inside the system for a couple of years now, I can say that the policy structure concerning migrant labourers is outdated and needs modification based on migrant welfare rather than surveillance. There is a huge gap amongst the academicians, policy makers and actual beneficiaries of these policies, which adds to the problem. Moreover, I think most of these issues exist because of the inherent lack of political will to bring about a change.
Since data manipulation is quite common in our field, to produce quality content, we need good funding which is inadequate in India. Field study requires expenses. A research scholar, who is committing a significant time of his/her life, into doing something for society, must be ensured a dignified life. You cannot blame people for leaving the country by calling it ‘brain-drain’ when you yourself fail to provide them with a decent remuneration.
Dealing with societal issues has made me strong and has helped me grow and it seems my family has also grown with me. I have contemplated leaving home several times during my PhD because my own people didn’t see value in what I was doing and naturally I related it with my self-worth. But over the years, they have understood the importance of my line of work, especially now when the migrant worker crisis happened. Being a single girl child and having been brought up in a conservative family, I had to sacrifice a lot initially but now my parents trust that I am capable enough to make my own decisions. Not only them, I have also been privileged to work under a very supportive supervisor who has given me enough space to think freely and work at my own pace.
We all have high hopes of revolutionising the entire world, but trust me, it doesn’t happen that way. We should first be aware of our surroundings, our own localities before debating endlessly on the ongoings of the White House. If we can bring a change in our own family, our own neighbourhood and our local government for the better, I think that would be enough to bring a significant change in the world.”
-Parvathy Devi, PhD in International Relations, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala | https://medium.com/@phdsofindia/the-migrants-828d874481e1 | ['Phds Of India'] | 2020-11-17 18:32:20.059000+00:00 | ['International Relations', 'PhD', 'Kerala', 'Índia', 'Migrants'] |
How to install Baltimore Security Camera | In today’s society, despite all the advancement and improvement, security is a major concern. In fact, we are threatened more now than ever. A security system and video surveillance can go a long way in protecting and keeping an eye on your home or work-space. It is fair that you are concerned and have decided to set up a security camera system for your home. In this article, you can get a rough idea about Baltimore security camera installation.
About Baltimore
Baltimore offers an absolutely reliable range of devices that ensure the security of your house and premises, your belongings as well as yourself and your family. Baltimore is a renowned security device manufacturer boasting of a wide range of amazing devices, including network video recorders, DVR or CCTV Cameras and security systems, Indoor and outdoor surveillance devices, network cameras, and a great range of wireless security cameras and video systems that users generally end up loving.
Baltimore Surveillance camera installation
While many of us feel that the entire job of installing a surveillance camera is a wholly daunting process, it might not as daunting. Especially a little less daunting with Baltimore that offers an entire package to reduce the work involved. Well, note that there is still some degree of mechanical skills needed if you are taking it upon yourself. For rookies, we’d suggest not to experiment with high-end systems on your own. It’s better (much better) to hire a professional who can neatly handle the task. In fact, Baltimore itself offers its specialized team of security installers. If you are absolutely sure that you want to handle it yourself, make sure you thoroughly go through the guide or manual first.
Steps to how to install a security camera:
So here are some generic for Baltimore security camera installation. Note that it may somewhat vary depending on the model and type of system and camera you choose.
Make a rough plan on how and where you’d like to have the cameras and the area you’d like to have covered. Mark the height and angle accordingly. Set up the Digital video recorder which will record and view the surveillance footage. Set up becomes easy if you have bought the entire package- especially a wireless one. Test the connection of each unit with others as well as the cables and devices before you fix everything up. Place the camera at the location you decided and mark where the holes need to be drilled for holding the screws. Drill the holes and mount the camera. Position and adjust it in the angle that offers the most coverage to the area you’d like to keep under surveillance. Connect it to the power source. Most kits would come with a power adapter. Connect the ‘output’ of cameras with different ‘input’ ports of the DVR. Then, attach it to a monitor.
Depending on the set you buy, you will now be able to monitor all the surveillance areas on one screen or may need to switch between inputs. | https://medium.com/@amyperlman/how-to-install-baltimore-security-camera-4b8669e48d73 | ['Amy Perlman'] | 2019-03-14 11:26:14.543000+00:00 | ['Security Camera', 'Security Cam', 'Security Cam Installation'] |
No net-metering over 10kW rooftop solar system in India | The Ministry of Power (MoP) has issued The Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020 on 21st December 2020 to protect the consumer from the exploitation by DISCOMs.
Areas covered in the Electricity Rules are rights of consumers and obligations of distribution licensees, the release of new connection and modification in existing connection, metering arrangement, billing and payment, disconnection and reconnection, reliability of supply, consumer as prosumer, standards of performance of licensee, compensation mechanism, call centre for consumer services & grievance redressal mechanism.
Shri R.K.Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, said, “These rules shall empower the consumers of electricity and added that these Rules emanate from the conviction that the power systems exist to serve the consumers and the consumers have rights to get the reliable services and quality electricity.”
To read full article visit, Solar Quint. | https://medium.com/@solarquint2020/no-net-metering-over-10kw-rooftop-solar-system-in-india-3d874a168aa0 | [] | 2020-12-24 12:32:21.649000+00:00 | ['Solar', 'Solar News', 'Electrical', 'Solar Power', 'Solar Energy'] |
The steamy secret affair of Edward before he met Wallis Simpson | Twenty years before abdicating the throne for Wallis Simpson, Prince Edward VIII was caught up in an explosive scandal.
In the middle of a violent thunder storm, just before midnight on September 10, 1923, the night porter at London’s Savoy hotel heard three gunshots.
Rushing up to the 4th floor, he found Princess Marguerite Fahmy holding a pistol.
At her feet, her husband Egyptian prince Fahmy, lay dead.
Two bullets in the back, one bullet in the head.
As police arrived to take the princess away it wasn’t long before her identity was revealed. The beautiful woman who’d just shot her husband was also known as Marguerite Alibert, a French high-class prostitute who became the first lover of Edward, the Prince of Wales — heir to the British throne.
And so began a race to stop a scandal that would have greatly damaged the reputation of the future King.
Alibert and Prince Edward had had a passionate affair that eventually exploded in a cocktail of royal infatuation, blackmail, sex, murder and a secret stash of hidden letters.
It was 96 years ago this month that Alibert appeared at Old Bailey for the murder of her husband. It’s an incredible story about a woman who rose from poverty to a life of extravagance, rubbing shoulders with the Parisian elite before being pursued and loved by a future King.
As Edward’s first mistress, Alibert helped transform him from an innocent 22-year-old to the darling of society and eventually the much-loved King, who abandoned his crown for love. But while Alibert might be remembered as the woman who got away with murder, recent information shows she was also behind one of the biggest scandals of British royal and judicial history.
Princess Marie Marguerite Fahmy, French wife of late Prince Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey of Egypt.Source:Getty Images
A BIGGER SCANDAL THAN THE ABDICATION
Most of us know Edward VIII because he abdicated the throne in 1937 because he couldn’t bear the thought of spending his life without his true love, American divorcee Wallis Simpson. (The fact that she was twice divorced meant that Edward wasn’t allowed to marry her and be King as well.)
It was an enormous scandal at the time, sending shockwaves throughout Europe.
But, it was his relationship with infamous sex worker Alibert twenty years earlier that was equally as scandalous. Why wasn’t this common knowledge?
That’s because the royal family’s notorious “keepers of secrets” worked hard to brilliantly cover it up.
So who was Marguerite Alibert and what made her so powerful?
Throughout the brief love affair, the Prince was very indiscreet, declaring his passion for the prostitute on paper as well as spilling royal secrets. He sent his mistress many letters and Alibert, who was nobody’s fool, kept every single one.
Who knows when they might be needed as a bargaining tool?
A GREAT BEAUTY
Marguerite Alibert was born in 1890 in Paris to poor parents; her father worked as a coach driver and her mother was a domestic servant. From an early age, they knew their daughter’s greatest advantage was her great beauty and they hoped her looks would be her ticket to a world far beyond the one she was raised in.
When she was 15, Alibert was taken out of school and placed in a home where she worked as a servant, but she was fired when she fell pregnant, later giving birth to a daughter who was sent to live with a farming family.
As a homeless teenager, Alibert turned to sex work and quickly became known as a “courtesan” — an upper-class prostitute.
Marguerite Alibert circa 1920. Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty Images.Source:Getty Images
Brothel owner, Madame Denart described her young worker as “the mistress of nearly all my best clients, gentleman of wealth and position in France, England, America and other countries … It was me that made a sort of lady of her.”
By the time she was 17, she was in a relationship with 40-year-old Andre Meller, a wealthy Parisian, who bought her an apartment so they could conduct their affair in private. Alibert told friends they were married but that wasn’t true; Meller remained married to his first wife throughout the affair before the couple parted ways in 1913. But Alibert frequently used his surname as her own.
By the time Alibert met the 22-year-old Prince of Wales, it was 1917, towards the end of WWI. Edward liked to spend time partying in Paris while he was on leave from his regiment on the Western Front.
Edward, Prince of Wales, in his uniform as a Colonel in 1919.Source:Supplied
AN AFFAIR WITH THE PRINCE
Alibert was a few years older and infinitely more streetwise than the Prince.
According to historian Andrew Rose, the author of ‘The Prince, the Princess and the Perfect Murder’, the Prince was infatuated with Alibert at first sight and they became lovers for at least a year.
Rose writes: “She evidently taught him a lot about sexual technique. All these stories about him being taught sexual technique by Wallis Simpson, I’m afraid that’s really out of the window: if he hadn’t learnt his sexual techniques from Marguerite he wouldn’t have learnt it from anybody!”
According to Rose, Alibert was said to have a mean streak and a nasty temper, and she’d often sleep with a gun under her pillow. But she had plenty of positive attributes; she was intelligent and articulate, as well as being skilled in the bedroom, making her highly sought after as a courtesan.
Rose describes Alibert as a “shrewd operator as well as a renowned boudoir gymnast, who saw the young Prince as a prime business opportunity.” But the affair, which saw the Prince make multiple trips to Paris, eventually fizzled out.
Alibert’s “prime business opportunity” with the prince eventually fizzled out. But she’d already planned ahead.
INDISCREET LOVE LETTERS
The most foolish thing the Prince did during the affair was write several very indiscreet letters to his mistress, detailing military matters as well as revealing intimate information about the royal family, particularly his parents (he allegedly had a difficult relationship with his father).
If it wasn’t for the letters, Edward might have been willing to forget that he ever enjoyed the company of a high-class courtesan.
Even though there were numerous women after Alibert and before Wallis Simpson, his French former lover remained a constant thorn in his side due to her refusal to destroy his letters.
At the height of their romance, Edward sent at least 20 letters, signing with the initial “E”; in some he referred to Alibert as “mon bébé” (i.e. “my baby”) and referred to official royal duties as “stunts”, as well as his difficult relationship with his father.
According to Rose, when the Prince fell for a British girl, and officially ended his affair with Alibert, she wrote him a letter Edward described as ” a regular stinker,” reminding him that she’d kept all his love letters and nobody could stop her from doing with them as she wished.
King Edward VIII hoped to convince the British people of his love for American divorcee Wallis Simpson and persuade them he should marry her and still keep his throne, records unsealed showed. After his abdication, the pair went on to marry anyway and became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Picture: AP.
Edward wrote to a friend, “Oh those bloody letters. How I curse myself now, tho’ only if I can square this case it will be the last one as she’s the only woman I’ve ever written to.’ “
He wrote to another friend, “I must get those letters back somehow.”
Alibert wasted no time in moving on from her relationship with the Prince, quickly marrying wealthy French man Charles Laurent and divorcing him a short time later. In 1921, she converted to Islam to marry rich Egyptian playboy Ali Fahmy, 10 years her junior.
But, according to Rose, the marriage was a disaster, said to be plagued with domestic abuse on both sides, giving the couple the name “the fighting Fahmys” as their stormy relationship caused havoc across upper class establishments in Paris, London and Egypt.
And when the marriage failed, it did so in the most explosive, dramatic way.
While Alibert’s marriage to Charles Laurent (then Alu Fahmy) ended in disaster, the Duke of Windsor (Edward VIII) and Wallis Simpson remained happily married until his death in 1972
MURDER AT THE SAVOY
When Alibert shot her husband at the Savoy on September 10, 1923, she later claimed they’d argued about money and her desire for financial independence. But, beyond financial woes, she told police her husband repeatedly raped her until she could finally take no more of his abuse.
But Alibert was never truly worried she’d be imprisoned. After all, she had the ultimate bargaining tool — letters from the Prince (many of which showed the extravagant life he was living during the war, as British soldiers were dying.)
This is where Rose, who is also a criminal barrister, believes he helped unearth the biggest scandal of all.
SECRETS REVEALED
When Rose was investigating Alibert’s life, her grandson contacted him to tell of her affair with the prince and the love letters between them. It took Rose several years to research the affair, discovering documents in private collections as well as a trail leading to several destroyed documents.
Rose writes: “These definitely existed: the Prince himself said so in a letter of his own that ‘the whole trouble is my letters and she’s not burnt one!’”
According to Rose, once Alibert was arrested, the prince’s protectors made a deal with her that remained secret for nearly 100 years — if Alibert returned all of Edward’s letters — hidden at her home in Cairo — her freedom would be guaranteed.
Rose managed to find a letter by an unknown author close to the royal family revealing the fear that the “French girl who’s going to be tried for murder is the fancy woman who was the Prince of Wales’ keep in Paris during the war and they are terribly afraid that he might be dragged in … it is fortunate he is off to Canada and his name is to be kept out.”
According to Rose, the other side of the deal was that if Alibert kept her mouth shut about the Prince, her past life as a courtesan would remain secret too. Instead, the trial, would focus on the dead man’s violence.
Marie Marguerite Fahmy & Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey.
THE SHOW TRIAL
During the trial, Edward was whisked away to Canada on a royal visit and his secret past remained buried for the time being.
Rose writes: “This was a show trial. The authorities wanted Marguerite to be acquitted. A murder conviction would have been catastrophic for the Crown.”
Crowds lined the streets around the Old Bailey eager to catch a glimpse of the 32-year-old French beauty who’d gunned down her husband. There hadn’t been such a crowd pleaser of a trial since Dr Hawley Crippen was accused of killing his wife, 13 years earlier.
The jury was told that Alibert was a battered wife who eventually snapped. There was no mention of her past as a sex worker and the Prince’s name was never mentioned. So Alibert was acquitted and returned to Paris, where she lived until her death at the age of 80, in 1971.
But years later, her grandson discovered her journal outlining her affairs and also the fact that she’d been married and divorced five times. Her grandson told Rose that Alibert had also been “looked after” by at least four wealthy gentlemen, well into her old age.
Prince Edward and his wife Wallis Simpson (Duke and Duchess of Windsor) stayed married for life, so perhaps his sacrifice was not made in vain. Picture: Supplied.Source:Supplied
As for the once-future King, Rose believes the scandal involving Alibert was shocking but somewhat in character with what historians already knew about him; he was a notorious womaniser and that, perhaps, he was never quite suited to the role of being King after all. | https://libbyjanecharleston.medium.com/the-steamy-secret-affair-of-edward-before-he-met-wallis-simpson-894f2ad298b3 | ['Libby-Jane Charleston'] | 2020-12-21 06:32:35.690000+00:00 | ['Wallis Simpson', 'History', 'Royal Family', 'Royals', 'Mrs Simpson'] |
Privacy International calls on UK government to reveal secret intelligence sharing arrangements with the United States | Privacy International has today written to government ministers, members of the opposition, and oversight bodies reaffirming its call for the UK government to reveal secret intelligence sharing arrangements with the United States.
The original UKUSA agreement — drafted shortly after World War II — allows UK and US agencies to share, by default, any raw intelligence, collection equipment, decryption techniques, and translated documents.
Current arrangements also allow US intelligence agencies to collect intelligence and operate from within the UK, reportedly including in support of special operations involving lethal force.
Disclosures from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 drew the world’s attention to the staggering scale of surveillance permitted by the global internet infrastructure, allowing intelligence agencies to intercept the communications of hundreds of millions of people on a daily basis.
Except for the decades old UKUSA agreement, no information about the rules governing the extent of this sharing were publicly available prior to a 2013 challenge brought Privacy International and nine other human rights organisations at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), a government body which hears complaints about surveillance activities in the UK empowered to accept evidence from government in secret.
Aside from a few paragraphs summarising its approach to obtaining information from the US released during the lawsuit, the UK government has consistently refused to reveal to the public details about intelligence sharing practices and policies. It has also argued that such intelligence sharing should not be subject to the same safeguards as its own interception powers.
The IPT rejected the majority of Privacy International’s claims in judgments in December 2014 and February 2015, although it found the complete lack of publicly available rules on intelligence sharing prior to the lawsuit to be problematic. Privacy International and the nine other human rights organisations have appealed the IPT’s judgments to the European Court of Human Rights.
In its letter, Privacy International has called for the UK government to release key documents outlining the UK’s intelligence sharing arrangements. The government has already presented many of those documents to the IPT in a closed hearing, but has so far refused to make them publicly available.
Privacy International has also forwarded reports detailing the extent of what is publicly known about intelligence sharing with the U.S. Government, and concerns about the existing lack of details, adequate safeguards, and oversight mechanisms.
The letter has been sent to the UK Secretary of State for Defence, Home Secretary, and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, their parliamentary opposition, as well as the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament and the Interception of Communications Commissioner’s Office. | https://medium.com/privacy-international/privacy-international-calls-on-uk-government-to-reveal-secret-intelligence-sharing-arrangements-9d166e68fa97 | ['Privacy International'] | 2016-11-10 18:16:16.233000+00:00 | ['Surveillance', 'United States', 'Big Data', 'Donald Trump', 'Privacy'] |
H+ Weekly — Issue #270. GPT-3 vs human brain; turning retired… | Artificial Intelligence
► GPT-3 vs Human Brain (3:32)
In this video, Lex Fridman asks a question, how much would it cost to train OpenAI’s GPT-3 model with 175 billion parameters to match the scale of a human brain (100 trillion synapses). Right now, the answer is a lot. But if the efficiency of training AI models continue to double every 16 months, in 12 years we could be able to scale GPT-3 to human brain level for the same cost as training GPT-3.
AI is struggling to adjust to 2020
Even AIs can’t understand 2020. The sudden change in our behaviour confuses many AI models which, like humans, were not prepared for all what happened. This article focuses on one example of such confusion — face recognition AIs can’t recognise faces of people wearing masks.
Artificial brains may need sleep too
Researchers studying spiking neural networks have found that network simulations became unstable after continuous periods of unsupervised learning. When they exposed the networks to states that are analogous to the waves that living brains experience during sleep, stability was restored. So maybe androids will dream of electric sheep after all.
GPT3 — Super-Cool but Not a Path to AGI
Ben Goertzel shares his thoughts on GPT-3. He states that GPT-3 has “some truly novel and exciting capabilities for language processing and related tasks” but it should not be hailed as artificial general intelligence (AGI) and even goes so far as declaring GPT-3 to be a dead-end path towards AGI.
Robotics
Turning retired F-16s into drones
Here is a picture from National Geographic’s Instagram showing the conversion of retired F-16 fighter jets into drones which will be used in training exercises. Interestingly, the article describing this transformation is not about AI, robotics or drones. It’s about recycling.
We teleoperated Spot around Golden Gate Park from 3,000 miles away
We live in the times where technology is advanced enough for someone in Boston to control a robotic dog in San Francisco. All we need now is a superfast internet connection because the image from Spot was far away from 4K 60fps.
Remotely Operated Robot Takes Straight Razor to Face of Brave Roboticist
A fearless and loving challenges roboticist took a robot designed to transfer movements for remote needle biopsy and instead of a needle, he attached a straight razor blade and ask a friend to give him a shave.
Biotechnology
Scientists rename human genes to stop Microsoft Excel from misreading them as dates
Scientists studying the human genome faced an unexpected problem — when you put some gene names into Excel, it converts it into a date. It might sound like a silly problem but roughly one-fifth genetic data in papers had been affected by Excel errors. Solution — rename troublesome genes because it’s easier to rewrite genetics than to update Excel.
Closing Notes
While looking for the newest greatest cat gif on Imgur, I stumbled upon this post listing some developing technologies that moved or soon will move from science fiction to reality, like nanomedicine, implants, exoskeletons and more. Interesting read. | https://medium.com/h-weekly/h-weekly-issue-270-6fab8ebbb38a | ['Conrad Gray'] | 2020-08-09 14:56:01.252000+00:00 | ['Technews', 'Technology News'] |
How To Mint and Stake Index Pool Tokens | 10 days ago we announced the beta for Indexed Finance. Staking for NDX, the governance token of Indexed Finance, will begin tomorrow (Monday, December 28).
This round of staking will include DEFI5 and the LP token for its Uniswap Pair with ETH. Each pool will distribute 125,000 NDX over 10 days.
This is 10% of the 2.5 million NDX which have been reserved for liquidity mining. We are distributing 10% over a short duration so that we can gather feedback and iterate on the user interface before distributing the remaining 2.25 million NDX.
This post will explain how to mint LP tokens for index pools and how to participate in staking. If you’re looking for an in-depth explanation of how the pools work, you can check out the documentation here.
You can see the governance proposal to begin staking here, where you can also execute the proposal once it’s ready.
How To Mint Pool Tokens
Connect Your Wallet
Click the wallet icon on the top right of the page and then select your web3 provider. This should open a prompt with your wallet to connect to the website.
Select Index Pool
On the home page of Indexed Finance there is a list of index pools. If you click on one of them, it will highlight the pool and show some metadata about it as well as a pie-chart showing its composition.
Home page of indexed.finance
If you click on the pool again, you will arrive at its main interface. On the right side of this page there are tabs for each of the primary actions for the pool. Click on “Mint” to open the token minting interface.
There are three ways to mint LP tokens for an index pool. The primary two methods come from Balancer, as these pools are a fork of the Balancer pool. The third uses an experimental contract which routes trades through Uniswap before minting pool tokens.
Mint With All Tokens
You can join an index pool by providing each of the underlying tokens held by the pool in amounts proportional to the number of pool tokens you are minting: e.g. to mint 10 LP tokens when the pool has 100, you would need to provide 10% of the balance for each underlying token in the pool.
To do this, simply type the number of pool tokens you wish to mint in the input at the top of the form, approve the pool to spend each token amount calculated, and click the Mint button.
This method is generally optimal if you wish to mint a large amount of tokens, as it incurs no fees from the pool; however, it will require you to approve the pool for each underlying token, so it will take longer and cost more gas.
Mint With Single Token
You can also join an index pool by providing one of the underlying tokens in the pool. This method essentially prices the input tokens as if you were swapping them for each other token in the pool and then minting with all tokens. As a result, you will be charged swap fees and if you mint a large amount of pool tokens you may receive a poor price.
To use this method, select a single token in the form. You can then input either the number of tokens you wish to provide or the number of pool tokens you wish to receive.
Single-token mint interface
Now approve the pool to mint the tokens and click the Mint button.
Mint With Uniswap
The third option uses an experimental contract based on the Uniswap router. To use this method, select “Mint With Uniswap” at the bottom left of the minting form.
The interface allows you to select an input token (or ETH) which is not one of the pool’s underlying tokens and the amount of pool tokens you wish to mint. The app will determine whether it is cheaper to mint with one of the pool’s underlying tokens or all of them, and then find the best price on Uniswap for trading your input to the pool’s underlying tokens. Once it determines how to execute the mint, it will ask you to approve the minting contract to spend the input token (if you’re not using Ether) and then prompt you to mint the tokens.
Uniswap minter interface
How To Stake Pool Tokens
Once staking begins, you will be able to stake the LP tokens for DEFI5 or the LP tokens for the Uniswap pair DEFI5-ETH.
When you have some DEFI5 or DEFI5-ETH LP tokens, navigate to the “Stake” tab. Once liquidity mining has started, you should see something like this:
Staking page for Rinkeby deployment of Indexed Finance. These do not represent real staking pools or indices.
Select the rewards pool you wish to join to navigate to its staking interface.
Staking interface for a Rinkeby deployment of an index pool. Does not represent a real staking pool.
Here you can input the amount of tokens you wish to stake, approve the rewards pool to spend them and stake your LP tokens. Once you have staked some tokens, the top of the page will display the amount of NDX you’ve earned and the rate at which you’re earning them.
Conclusion
Happy staking! | https://medium.com/@ndxfi/how-to-mint-and-stake-index-pool-tokens-5c21a08706ce | ['Indexed Finance'] | 2021-01-14 16:54:34.189000+00:00 | ['Defi', 'Ethereum'] |
50 Tamil movies to watch before you die — 31- Samsaram Adhu Minsaram | One of the criticisms that are levied against Tamil cinema, in general, is that they don’t reflect the reality of society. Although Tamil cinema in the 60 and 70s dealt with family issues, those movies were masculine and melodramatic (of course, there were rare blips). The realism in the problems was missing, and Visu bridged the gap between realism and melodrama with his feminine based scripts and savvy direction. Samsaram Adhu Minsaram is the pinnacle of Visu’s creations.
Samsaram Adhu Minsaram (Family is like electricity) (1986)
The story starts with the customary bride seeing (Ponnu Parkum) function of Sarojini (Ilavarasi), the only daughter of Ammaiyappa Mudaliar (Visu). The scene serves as the introduction of characters too. Ammaiyappa Mudaliar is a clerk in a central government office lives with his wife, Godavari (Kamala Kamesh) in a joint family. His first son, Chidambaram (Raghuvaran) works as a cashier in Indian Oil and significant financial support to the family. His second son, Siva (Vaagai Chandrasekhar) works as a fitter in a private company and a son who doesn’t even talk back against the words of his father. His last son, Bharathi (Haja Sharif) is on the pursuit of passing his SSLC (high school exam). Chidambaram is married to Uma (Lakshmi), who binds the family together, and everyone in the family loves and respects her. Kannamma (Manorama) is not just the maid of the family but also part of it.
Sarojini rejects the groom after the bride seeing function and also insults the groom’s family. Ammaiyappan feels terrible and visits the groom’s house. Jagannathan (Delhi Ganesh) impressed by Ammaiyappan and his family offers his daughter Vasantha’s (Madhuri) hand to Siva. Ammaiyappan accepts it but says that they have to wait until Sarojini’s wedding. Sarojini reveals that she is in love with Peter Fernandes (Dilip). Although they are against the marriage, they accept it for various reasons (Chidambaram is happy that he need not spend for his sister anymore). Both weddings take place on the same day, and they start their marital life.
Siva and Vasantha’s privacy is adversely affected by Bharathi, who is always in Siva’s room to study. At the same time, Sarojini is enjoying her newfound independence and disrespects her father-in-law, Albert Fernandes (Kishmoo). Uma leaves to her brother’s house in Bombay (now Mumbai) for childbirth. While she is away, on the same day, Vasantha moves to her father’s house after discord with Siva while Sarojini comes back to her home after a fight with Peter. Although Vasantha comes back after strong advice from her father, Sarojini stays back claiming that her husband will come back like Siva went to fetch Vasantha.
Chidambaram, who is usually money-conscious, reduces his financial part for the family as his wife’s away. This gives rise to an argument with his father, and Ammaiyappan loses his cool and asks Chidambaram to leave the house. Chidambaram, on the other hand, urges Ammaiyappan to give back the Rs.18,000 that he paid for Sarojini’s wedding. Ammaiyappan divides the house into two and asks Chidambaram to live separately until he pays back the money. He restricts the family from crossing the line on any account. Uma arrives to see the family in disarray and feels terrible that her husband has created the rift. The rest of the movie is how she reunites the family with the help of Kannamma and Godavari. The film concludes with an unexpected climax through the decision of Uma.
What is so special about the movie?
1. The film takes everyday issues that happen in a family, and Visu spins a web around the characters that are real, relatable and forces you to question roles in the family. Visu’s movies have always been like that. Although he did write screenplays before (more on it in the trivia section), since Kudumbam Oru Kadambam, his play that also became a movie, he handled family and societal issues in the majority of his films.
2. The brilliant writing of Visu. The screenplay is crisp, and the dialogues are punchy even when they are lengthy exchanges. While Uma’s (Lakshmi) dialogues are short and punchy, Ammaiyappan (Visu) and Chidambaram (Raghuvaran) have more interminable rants. This dichotomy is to show the callowness of men and the prudence of Uma’s character.
3. The fantastic composition of scenes, especially the fight between Chidambaram and Ammayappan, Kannamma’s scene with Albert Fernandes and the climax sequence.
4. The negativity of the Chidambaram’s personality comes from the situations that he is in. Visu’s movies have this knack of showing the point of view rather than allowing you to judge them.
5. The excellent acting of each character (sometimes you might feel that it’s like a play, but the origins of most of Visu’s movies are from his stage plays — can’t be blamed for that). Lakshmi, Raguvaran and Visu act as the three pillars of the film and the supporting cast make the movie perfect. However, without Manorama, this movie would have been incomplete. Even though, everyone like that one scene in which she taunts Kishmoo (Kannama, Gammunu Kada), my favourite is the climax where she tears apart Ammaiyappan’s stubbornness and hypocrisy.
6. Last but not least Shankar Ganesh’s music. They always provided adequate music for the movies they scored. Janaki Devi Ramanai Thedi is a fantastic melody while the pathos of Samsaram Adhu Minsaram is still fresh and Katti Karumbe Kanna is an emotional lullaby. The background score during the pivotal scenes is worth a mention.
Why should it be on the list?
1. For giving Tamil cinema much-needed realism concerning middle-class families and their issues. The physical privacy issue between Siva and Vasantha was dealt sensibly without a hint of vulgarity.
2. A trend-setter concerning family-based movies and it created a separate slew of directors who made films in this genre (most of them were Visu’s assistant directors)
3. For Visu.
Trivia
1. Samsaram Adhu Minsaram was a remake. Surprised? In 1975, KS Gopalakrishnan produced Uravukku Kai Koduppom based on Visu’s play directed by YG Mahendran with Gemini Ganesan, Sowcar Janaki, Muthuraman and Sujatha iin the lead The film bombed at the box office. Visu was an official screenplay writer for AVM. He used to correct the screenplays for AVM’s movies ,and he was asking AVM Saravanan to produce a movie for him. AVM Saravanan was impressed by the original stage play. Visu suggested that it had already been made as a movie. AVM bought the rights for the original and asked Visu to rewrite the screenplay. Saravanan felt that there was a lack of comedy and Visu rewrote the script with Kannamma’s character. And that’s how Manorama came into the picture.[1]
2. Visu (originally MR Viswanathan)[3] started his life as a stage actor during his school days and started his theatre group, Vishwashanthi that created family-based plays. He assisted K.Balachander and wrote dialogues for some of his movies (Thillu Mullu). Kudumbam Oru Kadambam was a breakthrough in his career, but SP Muthuraman directed it although Visu wrote the screenplay. Manal Kayiru was his first hit movie that had a wonderful run at the box office although some of the reviewers panned it for lengthy dialogues and sequences.
3. Visu did try his hand at different genres. Chidambara Ragasiyam was a comic thriller, Puthiya Sagaptham and Rajathanthiram were revenge dramas, but nothing worked like his emotional family dramas. Notable ones are, Dowri Kalyanam (1983), Thirumathi Oru Vegumathi (1987), Penmani Aval Kanmani (1988), Sakalakala Sammanthi (1989) and Varavu Nalla Uravu (1990). My personal favourite is Urimai Oonjaladigrathu (1992) that dealt with an inter-religious love story.
4. His movies didn’t do well in the 1990s and he moved towards television with his Arattai Arangam (Sun TV) and Makkal Arangam (Jaya TV)[3]. His assistants made movies in the same genre, and the most notable one was TP Gajendran, who made Budget Padmanabhan and Middle-Class Madhavan.
5. The movie won the National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment (1987) becoming the first Tamil movie to do so and also the first movie to receive a National award even though it was remade in the same language.
6. The movie had a remix (or retune or rehashed — I don’t know how to call it), of Oorai Therinjikitten (Padikathavan) with different lyrics as Visu laments about his family life.
7. The movie was remade in Hindi as Sansar with Anupam Kher, Raj Babbar and Rekha in the lead. The Telugu version, Samsaram Oda Chadarangam had Gollapudi Maruthi Rao, Sarath Babu and Suhasini in the lead with Sowcar Janaki playing Manorama’s role. The Malayalam version, Kudumbapuranam, was directed by Sathiyan Anthikad with Thilakan, Balachandra Menon and Ambika in the lead. The Kannada version, Onde Goodina Hakkigalu had Tiger Prabhakar and Lakshmi in the lead.
8. Vishwa Shanthi is back to theatre as they staged ‘Konjam Yosinga Boss’ in 2014.
9. Kamala Kamesh acted in more than 400 films in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu. I couldn’t plot her debut movie, but she became famous for her mother roles after the success of Kudumbam Oru Kadambam (1981) and Alaigal Oivathillai (1981). She never graduated to other roles, and she was repeatedly cast in similar roles. Her daughter Uma acted in few movies but never shined in the silver screen, and she is married to Riyas Khan. Interestingly, Kamala Kamesh suffers from a rare blurred vision problem, and she still acted in movies with the disability.[6]
10. In an interview, Visu revealed that AVM Studios built the house for Samsaram Adhu Minsaram instead of erecting a set or finding a house. AVM Saravanan asked three months to build the house and Guhan (Son of AVM Saravanan took it as his personal project). Visu says the lead protagonist in the house and not the characters. [8]
11. Visu also revealed that the final climax sequence was originally planned with Uma (Lakshmi, the daughter-in-law) and not with Kannamma (Manorama). But, just before the shoot, Visu had this doubt that Lakshmi is still breaking the family at the end after changing the heart of Ammayappan (Visu). So, he wanted to have Lakshmi’s input, and Lakshmi immediately remarked, “Manorama is lucky”. Visu was surprised at the remark, and she said: “Kannamma is the only character that hasn’t made any mistake in the entire story”. Visu became confident and finished the shoot with Manorama and Manorama didn’t know that she was going to be part of the most important scene of the movie. [8]
12. AVM Saravanan and Visu had a contradiction with respect to the climax. Including Saravanan and other technicians wanted Visu to keep the family together instead of splitting it. Saravanan said that his mother, Rajeshwari Meyyappan, would be the judge. She sided with Visu and remarked that “Visu knows about families, so leave it the way it is”. [8]
13. Visu also revealed that he names his lead female characters as Uma after a teacher. Visu was a travel agent (one of his many jobs) before getting into movies. Once, he undertook a Srilankan tour with a group of female teachers from Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan. During the tour, one night in Candy, a teacher by the name, Uma Ramachandran listened to his script and assured him that he would become a great director as he understands families. As she was the first one to listen to his script, Visu made a promise that he will name all his lead characters as Uma. He kept his promise so much so that he unofficially called his wife Uma instead of Sundari (her original name). [8]
Credits
Producer: AVM Saravanan for AVM Productions; Story, screenplay, dialogues and direction: Visu; Music: Shankar Ganesh; Cinematography: N.Balakrishnan; Editing: A.Paul Durai Singam; Art direction: B.Nagarajan; Lyrics for songs: Vairamuthu.[2]
References | https://medium.com/sylvianism/50-tamil-movies-to-watch-before-you-die-31-samsaram-adhu-minsaram-70d93da8b85 | ['Sylvian Patrick'] | 2020-02-13 00:57:07.509000+00:00 | ['Tamil Movies', 'Best Tamil Movies', 'Visu', '50 Best Tamil Movies', 'Movies'] |
Predicting The Protein Structures Using AI | Proteins are found essentially in all organisms, and they are basically a sequence of amino acids that are arranged in a particular structure. For many decades, scientists have been able to accurately compute the sequence of amino acids, but however, accurately predicting the structure of the protein has always been a challenging task. If we are able to decode the sequence of the amino acids in the protein structure and accurately determine the structure of the protein, then it will serve a number of functions.
Accurate prediction of protein structure will be very helpful in understanding the biological evolution of that particular protein and it will also help us understand the kind of diseases it can cause and the kind of defense it can provide against other diseases.
Essentially, accurate prediction of the structure of the protein is the key to understand the function of proteins and cells and as well as to understand how they can malfunction and cause diseases and this understanding could also be very helpful in the development of treatment and vaccines.
Now, if you look at the SARS-CoV-2, it is the spike protein structure of the Virus that latches onto the AS2 receptor in our cells, thereby leading to the occurrence of the infection. We have been able to develop this understanding quite quickly, mainly because of the progress that we have made with regard to our understanding and prediction of protein structures.
First Discovery
See, this field began evolving many decades ago, and back in 1972, a scientist known as Christian B. Anfinsen predicted that by accurately computing the sequence of amino acids, we will be able to deduce the protein structure. So this discovery won him the Nobel Prize for chemistry and it laid the foundation for analysis and prediction of protein structures.
X-ray Crystallography
Then nearly 60 years ago a scientist known as Max Perutz started to predict protein structures by using experiments. He made use of X-ray crystallography to determine the exact structure of myoglobin and hemoglobin and it was this discovery that helped us understand the true function of hemoglobin in the blood, which is to transport oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and cells. This understanding of the structure of myoglobin and hemoglobin also helped us understand how a change in a single amino acid can cause diseases such as sickle cell anemia.
Genome Sequencing
Today, decoding the sequence of amino acids and accurately completing the sequence has become more advanced, thanks to the progress achieved in genome sequencing. Because at the end of the day, the protein structures in the amino acids are essentially a part of the genome itself and the rapid advances we have made in genome sequencing have helped us to easily compute the sequence of amino acids. But however, when it comes to creating a 3D structure of the protein, these experimental techniques such as X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, etc., can be quite ineffective and they’re also very time consuming and expensive.
India’s Contribution
When it comes to the field of protein structural work. Even India is a leading country because an Indian scientist known as GN Ramachandran developed the Ramachandran plot, which today has become the model for scientists around the world to understand the structure of proteins.
CASP Technique
Then in 1994, a scientist known as John Moult came up with the CASP technique, which stands for Critical Assessment for Protein Structure Prediction, and this is provided for a comparative model through which protein structures can be predicted.
Specialty Of AI
But however, predicting protein structures is a very complex and challenging exercise, especially when you’re relying upon traditional experimental techniques such as X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance. This is where the emergence of artificial intelligence has caused a major disruption in the field of protein structure prediction. In 2018, a company known as Deep Mind made use of artificial intelligence and deep learning to come out with a predictive algorithm, which today has emerged as a breakthrough technology that can accurately predict protein structure.
Conclusion
These advances made in the production of protein structure with the usage of artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms have transformed our understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 and it has definitely enabled the accelerated development of vaccines.
Gain Access to Expert View — Subscribe to DDI Intel | https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/predicting-the-protein-structures-using-ai-54618460131b | ['Vishnu Aravindhan'] | 2020-12-26 08:46:36.656000+00:00 | ['AI', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Health', 'Protein', 'Science'] |
Use Roller Shades Properly and Give Your Life a Boost | What things enhance the life of a person? While thinking of these things, have you ever thought of window treatments as a part of it? Window dressings are not just luxury; they can improve one’s life. In this regard, the best roller shades have a great role to play. They are the best option for decorating
windows anytime. In many ways, roller window coverings are a great choice.
How can this window dressing enhance your lifestyle? Take a quick glimpse right here…
● Beautifying Interior Spaces
Windows are the focal point in any home and if they aren’t dressed properly, then the room or the space seems to be uninviting and cold. When people plan to make the windows attractive, they usually look for heavy draperies and wooden blinds. Well, they can make some spaces look good but they are
not suitable for every place. If someone is looking for more simple and minimalistic window treatment, then it is better to go for roller coverings.
Roller shades can beautify your windows in the most stunning way. Their single panel fabric offers a finished look to the windows.
● Allows Sunlight without Compromising with Privacy
It is good to have natural sunlight come into a home as it elevates the mood and lowers energy bill. But, this does not imply that you have to sacrifice privacy. To fulfill both these wishes, you should pick the best roller shades. They come in wide range of light filtering styles and colors. They let some light into a space while preserving the privacy of that space. So, no chance of peeking inside the room!
● Darkening up a Room
Light filtering shades are desirable in one’s dining room, bathroom and living room. However, it is not a good idea for all rooms. In some spaces, it might be necessary to keep a room or space dark. Solar shades with room darkening pattern or color can serve this purpose well. They make a room extremely
dark — a comfortable ambiance that one desires to have in a bedroom or in the basement, if it used as a game room or theatre.
Make sure that the solar shades fit the window well so that no light can seep in through the edges. Besides beautifying your rooms, these shades can revamp your mood and life by allowing a little bit of sunlight. They also ensure better sleep.
So, wouldn’t you like to revitalize your life by installing roller window dressings? Next time you think of decorating your windows, consider this window treatment. | https://medium.com/@decorating/use-roller-shades-properly-and-give-your-life-a-boost-61c9a54e5691 | [] | 2019-04-12 11:14:50.033000+00:00 | ['Roller Shade', 'Interior Design', 'Home Decoration', 'Best Roller Shades'] |
2020 Defteri Kapanırken | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/t%C3%BCrkiye/2020-defteri-kapan%C4%B1rken-563d9ee67df | ['Ece Güney'] | 2020-12-27 15:43:12.103000+00:00 | ['Médium', 'Türkçe', 'Kişisel Gelişim', 'Türkçe Yayın', 'Yeni Yıl'] |
Hyperledger Fabric v2.0: A Perfect Fit for Enterprise-grade Production Environments | Ever since its first major roll-out, i.e. v1.0, back in 2017, Hyperledger Fabric (for all the right reasons) has been the talk of the town across the developers’ community. The proprietors of Hyperledger Fabric have left no stone unturned to make their product stand out from other similar tools in the industry.
And guess what, their efforts have finally paid off, thanks to the significant enhancements made and innovative features added in each version — based on the feedback from the industry and community. Considering its open-source nature and distinct characteristics, Hyperledger Fabric has been widely adopted by major cloud service providers like IBM, Oracle, AWS, Google, Alibaba, Azure, Huawei, and more. Moreover, 30 out of 50 organizations in Forbes’s top 50 Blockchain companies list are already using Hyperledger frameworks and tools, which doesn’t need any further explanation.
Now, without wasting any more time, let’s come to the crux of the matter. If you’re immersed in the DLT space and want to know what Hyperledger Fabric v2.0 has in store for you, then this blog post is for you.
Here’s a glimpse of what we’ll be covering in this post:
The purpose behind releasing Hyperledger Fabric v2.0
What’s new in v2.0 — an overview of the newly added features and enhancements
Talking about the major features in detail and comparing them with v1.4 and other previous versions
From greater control over smart contracts & transaction approvals to private data enhancements to external chaincode launcher, v2.0 is jam-packed with new and exciting features that make Hyperledger Fabric network deployment less cumbersome and more exciting.
Now let’s discuss each of the above-mentioned pointers in detail.
Starting with the first one — the purpose of the release.
Fabric v2.0: First Hyperledger project to hit 2.0 milestone
“Raising the bar for enterprise Blockchain” and “making the platform more suitable for production environments” were the two primary objectives behind releasing Hyperledger Fabric v2.0. The previous versions of Hyperledger Fabric had certain limitations which needed a complete overhauling to meet the changing development and deployment needs. For instance, in older versions of Hyperledger Fabric, only one organization was given the authority to add or amend a smart contract, while others were only permitted to refuse the installation of chaincode (without participating in transactions that used the smart contracts).
However, this is not the case with v2.0. In the latest version of Hyperledger Fabric, multiple organizations need to agree to the parameters of a chaincode. To put it simply, Fabric v2.0 lifecycle is more flexible as it supports both centralized and decentralized approaches, requiring a certain number of organizations to agree on the endorsement policy and give the green light for the chaincode to go live.
Of course, this is just a single example encircling why Hyperledger Fabric needed an overhaul; there are many more instances which we would address in the later sections of the post. So, don’t miss out on that!
Let’s keep going and discuss the rest of the pointers now. So, without any further ado, let’s dive right in.
Hyperledger Fabric v2.0: What’s new in it?
Fabric’s latest release, i.e. v2.0, is minutely developed keeping in mind the user experience of the enterprises. The intention behind its rollout was to make the platform easy-to-use and more secure than ever. Fabric v2.0 provides relentless support to the users in all terms and allows them to meet the rising demands of the community.
Below are the key enhancements and new features included in Hyperledger Fabric v2.0:
Decentralized governance for smart contracts
Unlike Fabric v1.0, version 2.0 comes with decentralized governance for chaincode (smart contracts), which enables users to install a chaincode on their peers and initiate it on the channel. This gives rise to the new chaincode lifecycle management which allows multiple organizations to decide on an agreement based on the parameters of the chaincode — as explained earlier in the first pointer.
Deliberate chaincode upgrade process
The latest version of Hyperledger Fabric has a more deliberate chaincode upgrade process, which wasn’t the case with the previous versions. For a clearer understanding, in the previous chaincode lifecycle, the upgrade transaction could be issued by a single organization, which could turn out to be perilous for a channel member who is yet to install the new chaincode.
· Simplified endorsement policy with new updates
The latest Fabric lifecycle (v2.0 integrated) empowers users to change the endorsement policy or private data collection configuration without asking them to repackage or reinstall the smart contracts. Fabric v2.0 provides users with a new default endorsement policy which requires endorsement from a greater proportion of organizations on the channel. Here’s the best part: the endorsement policy is automatically updated every time an organization is added or removed from the channel.
Inspectable chaincode packages
Another key highlight of Fabric v2.0 that gives it a firm edge over its previous versions is its easily accessible/readable chaincode that is available in a ‘tar’ file, which assists you in inspecting the chaincode files easily and determining the installations across other organizations.
Multiple chaincode support on a channel
In the previous chaincode lifecycle, each chaincode on a particular channel was defined using a name and version that was specified when the chaincode package was installed. Well, that’s not how it works with Hyperledger Fabric v2.0. To be precise, the recent chaincode lifecycle allows you to use a single chaincode package and deploy it as many times you want (with different names though) on the same or different channels, based on your preference.
New chaincode application patterns for collaboration and consensus
You can create your own chaincode applications leveraging the new chaincode lifecycle management, which provides organizations the consent to transact data before they are committed to the ledger. Moreover, the latest version of Hyperledger Fabric empowers organizations to extend a copy of their chaincode so as to meet their individual business requirements. However, the new chaincode lifecycle becomes effective only when you’ve updated the channel application capability to version 2.0.
Need-to-know basis data privacy
Beyond sharing data among a subset of network members, the new implicit enterprise-specific private collection feature in Hyperledger Fabric v2.0 enables organizations to privately share data with other organizations in a particular channel on a need-to-know basis. This eradicates the need to define channels or private data collections for numerous combinations of members.
External chaincode launcher
This standout feature empowers organizations/operators to develop and deploy chaincode using the technology of their choice. For instance, an organization or operator may choose Kubernetes pod to deploy chaincode as an external service. No external builders and launchers are required as the default builder is responsible for building and running the chaincode in the same manner as it was in previous versions using the Docker API. In v2.0, peers no longer need to access a Docker daemon (something that isn’t necessary for production environments) to run or build the chaincode.
Final Words
Apart from the ones mentioned above, there are various other prominent features that make Hyperledger Fabric v2.0 a perfect fit for enterprise-grade production environments, which include decentralized ordering service, alpine-based docker images, improved performance on CouchDB, sample test network, and more. To try this new version of Hyperledger Fabric right away, go through the Getting Started documentation shared by Hyperledger. Note: If you’re already using Fabric v1.4 or higher, you can effortlessly upgrade to v2.0 without any downtime.
Long story short, it won’t be wrong saying that Hyperledger Fabric v2.0 is a noteworthy milestone in the history of the Hyperledger family. Without a doubt, it can boost the adoption of enterprise Blockchains as it brings a whole lot of features and enhancements to the table, which were nowhere to be found in the prior versions of Hyperledger Fabric.
If you’re looking for a viable solution that could make your Hyperledger Fabric network deployment a breeze, then look no further than FabDep. It’s a GUI-based network management tool that allows a consortium of organizations to securely deploy an enterprise-level Hyperledger Fabric network on their preferred cloud VMs (Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, AWS, etc.) using Kubernetes. FabDep currently comes with Fabric v1.4.6 support and will soon be integrated with Fabric v2.0 features. For deeper insights, visit www.fabricdeployer.com
That’s all for now! We’ll be back soon with our subsequent blog posts covering each of the primary features of Hyperledger Fabric v2.0 in our unique style.
Following are the topics that we would cover in our next posts:
• Decentralized governance for smart contracts
• External chaincode launcher
• Migrating to Hyperledger Fabric v2.0
So, stay tuned for that! | https://medium.com/debutinfotech/hyperledger-fabric-v2-0-a-perfect-fit-for-enterprise-grade-production-environments-8e2081c36d45 | ['Harpreet Singh'] | 2020-05-13 06:15:58.908000+00:00 | ['Blockchain Application', 'Blockchain Development', 'Distributed Ledgers', 'Network Deployment', 'Hyperledger Fabric'] |
British Memo on Propaganda, 1939 | In a stratified society persuade the dominant group.
To convince the educated minority, propaganda must be subtle and indirect (Mark Antony’s speech is a perfect example of cautious propaganda) on the feeling-its-way principle. (Hitler’s method is the opposite).
As regards the masses of people, appeal to their instincts and not to their reason.
Propaganda should fit the pre-conceived impressions, [super racist example that adds nothing removed]
In propaganda we should concentrate on a definite object to fit pre-conceived ideas.
Evils against which propaganda is directed should, if possible, be personified (e.g., the scarification by the German Press of President Bones). [Ed: In Rules for Radicals this is stated as: “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”]
Essentials of propaganda method are as follows:
(i) Repetition (and from topical angles).
(li) Colour (abstractions to be avoided in favour of personalities).
(iii) A measure of the truth, or at any rate keeping the lie just in front of the ultimate revelation (the case of the Sudeten Germans).
(iv) Building round a slogan (“that scrap of paper”)
(v) Propaganda should be directed towards a specific objective (pick out key people and study them hard). Then proceed to groups, e.g., during the War the German concentrated on persuading the U.S.A. Congress to stop sales of munitions to all combatants. Similarly, allied propaganda might exploit the minorities in Germany and racial groups abroad.
The motive should be concealed. This does not exclude overlapping with open propaganda. Thus the doctored speeches of foreign statesmen reproduced in Germany are a contemporary example of such overlapping. (Again patriotic societies abroad subsidised by armament firms have been found to launch campaigns “for bigger defence forces.” Again, war scares send up armament shares).
Timing. For example, Lloyd George’s Saturday afternoon speeches provided hot news for the evening papers, secured full Sunday publicity, and an extra lot on the Monday. Again, propaganda concerning luxury goods would, for example, concentrate on places where trade is booming whilst it is a well-known practice to hold up bad news until it can be counter-balanced by good news.
One of the best declarations of successful timing was the British declaration during the late war making cotton unconditional contraband. This regulation was issued just when the U.S.A. press was full of the sinking of the ‘Arabic,’ and had no time for more important matters.
The general sequence of propaganda is:
i) Do the ground-work;
ii) Then the mass attack;
iii) Clear up the remainder.
In propaganda a judicious reticence is as important as positive emphasis.
One of the aims of propaganda is to awaken the social conscience. For this purpose the assistance of the psychologist cannot be ignored.
According to Hitler, propaganda should use basic ideas and should address itself solely to the masses.
One should give clarity and precision to half-formed and nebulous ideas that are shaping the public mind. The introduction of fresh ideas is harder.
Under censorship conditions rumour assumes gigantic proportions. Hence whispering campaigns.
A useful device is to get a neutral to state our national case.
The ideal function of propaganda is to win popular support for a cause by captivating the emotions and flattering the reason of the public. (i.e. men llke to think that they are acting according to reason even if in reality emotion and other non-rational forces are, as so often, much stronger determinants). Popular propaganda should subtitute emotion for reason under the guise of facilitating the process of reasoning.
Propaganda is a machine for generating and maintaining enthusiasm. Propaganda should therefore:
i) never be dull.
ii) never be offensive to its audience.
Intellectual reasoning should be as objective as possible. Propaganda is, by its very nature, subjective. It is subjective because:
(i) A specific object (e.g. national victory in a war) should inform all its arguments, methods of presentation, etc.
(ii) Propaganda should appeal largely to non-rational elements which are more susceptible to subjective than to objective influence. (e.g. Issues should be presented in personalized form as far as possible). The subjective approach usually has greater dramatic appeal than the objective. | https://medium.com/@thegrugq/british-memo-on-propaganda-1939-7cc08d40897 | ['Thaddeus T. Grugq'] | 2019-02-20 07:52:56.314000+00:00 | ['Propaganda', 'Information Warfare', 'World War II', 'Information Operations', 'Information Security'] |
The Unexpected Perks of A Social Mission | #1. Competitive-Edge
Whether you like it or not, customers are no longer evaluating products and services on their merits alone. Customers want to know your story and why you exist. They want to see the impact you’re making, and they want your values to align with their values.
And while it’s certainly true that people tend to do business with people they like, I think it’s time to add, “and companies they trust.”
“People tend to do business with people they like and companies they trust.”
People may like you if you make a good first impression, but trust is what encourages them to become loyal customers. Trust isn’t free — it is earned through relationship and reputation; it requires authenticity, consistency, and transparency.
81% of consumers say it’s a deal breaker if they can’t trust a brand to do what’s right. — 2019 Edelman Report
86% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support — Stackla, Consumer Content Report
66% of consumers think transparency is one of a brand’s most attractive qualities — Accenture’s The Rise of the Purpose-Led Brand
77% of consumers prefer to buy from companies who share their values. — 2019 Havas Group Report
One of the unexpected perks of a well-established Social Mission is the instant trust it creates for your brand. Outsiders can quickly see the passion of your employees and the impact you’re making. Ironically, prior to 2014, we were reluctant to share our charitable ambitions out of fear that people would perceive our announcement as bragging or having ulterior motives. We were secretly running a social enterprise. Today, we discovered the opposite is true. Customers are motivated to do business with people they like and brands they trust, and our Social Mission helps us accomplish both.
“One of the unexpected perks of a well-established Social Mission is the instant trust it creates for your brand.”
To see all that we’ve accomplished through our caused-based business, download a free copy of Abenity’s Impact Report.
#2. Meaningful Teamwork
I left my first real job and a six figure income to pursue more meaningful work. This pursuit inspired the Social Mission of my company, Abenity, and today it provides our employees with the opportunity to work for a cause that’s bigger than our product, bigger than our industry, and bigger than ourselves.
In 2017, BetterUp surveyed 2,200+ American workers and found that employees who find work meaningful:
Work an extra hour per week
Take two fewer days of paid leave per year
Are happier, more productive, and harder working
Generate an average of $9,078 in productivity gains for their company
Work 7.4 months longer for their respective company than employees in comparable positions elsewhere
“Our Social Mission provides our employees with the opportunity to work for a cause that’s bigger than our product, bigger than our industry, and bigger than ourselves.”
For more on this, check out BetterUp’s Meaning and Purpose At Work report.
#3. Cultural Alignment
Purpose-driven people are attracted to purpose-driven places. So, when like-minded individuals align their professional ambition with meaningful work, you get a highly engaged workforce with a shared purpose. According to Gallup, that’s a great thing for your cause because highly engaged teams show 21% greater profitability.
“Engaged employees are more present and productive; they are more attuned to the needs of customers; and they are more observant of processes, standards and systems.” — Gallup
#4. Shared Purpose
As more purpose-driven people joined our team, our company’s culture began to take shape around our cause. The combination of cultural alignment with a shared purpose produced a cause-centered culture with committed team members. We’ve found that when times get tough (during a pandemic, for example), we have the fortitude and desire to stay the course and fight for the success of a common mission that’s bigger than ourselves.
“We’ve found that when times get tough (during a pandemic, for example), we have the fortitude and desire to stay the course and fight for the success of a common mission that’s bigger than ourselves.”
For more on this topic, check out Purpose is Good. Shared Purpose is Better by Mark Bonchek.
#5. Purpose-Driven Metrics
Let’s be honest — successfully executing a strategy is much harder than coming up with a strategy to execute. In my experience, it’s almost impossible to achieve your goals without the right KPI’s (key performance indicators).
So when it comes to our Social Mission, we measure the following achievements to make sure we reach our impact goals.
Abenity’s V.P. of Sales converts her sales targets into “sponsorship” goals.
Recurring Revenue: As a SAAS platform, client subscriptions play a major role in the number of children we are able to sponsor. So, instead of basing our revenue goals on the number of clients we’d like to acquire, we focus our efforts around the number of children we’d like to sponsor. Our V.P. of Sales even converts her key metrics into “sponsorship” goals within her personal office.
Cash Positive Day: We celebrate cash positive day (when revenue received exceeds expenses out) with an internal trivia question where the winner gets to select a cause from World Vision for us to support that month.
Year-End Gifts: Instead of sending out gift cards, or swag, we celebrate year-end by letting each of our employees, their families, our clients and suppliers select a hand-crafted gift of their choice or a donation in their name to a special cause. Every gift supports the artisan selected as well as children and families within the communities World Vision serves.
These gifts provide our stakeholders with a personal and annual reminder of our Social Mission. It’s not unusual to see our gift recipients “pay it forward” by creating a cause-based campaign of their own.
#6. Community
Peter Drucker famously said “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” — but how does a fast-growing company maintain a consistent set of positive values and a healthy culture with an increasingly diverse workforce?
Matt Cronin opens his Enterpreneur.com article, Community Is the Best Company Culture, with a statement I completely support, “Entrepreneurs love to talk about how great their company cultures are, but the best businesses don’t push culture — they build communities.”
“Entrepreneurs love to talk about how great their company cultures are, but the best businesses don’t push culture — they build communities.”
So, how do you achieve this level of community at work, especially if your team is remote like ours? For us, the recipe for a flourishing professional community started with meaningful work and purpose-driven people, which, with consistency and transparency, developed cultural alignment and shared purpose.
Looking back, I’m amazed by the many unexpected ways our community has expanded the scope and impact of our cause.
Here are just a few examples of the initiatives our team independently created over the years under the banner of our Social Mission:
Letter sent by my 6 year old daughter welcoming a new child we sponsored.
Family Involvement: One of my favorite initiatives that our team independently developed around our Social Mission is a pen pal program with the 231+ kids we sponsor at World Vision. Many of our team members have both their spouses and children writing letters back and forth with the kids we sponsor.
Special Projects: We come together annually to pack Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes and we provide each employee with a couple dozen $5.00 McDonalds Gift Cards to keep in their car so they’re able to quickly provide a meal to people they encounter in need.
Prayer: Company-wide prayer requests are one of the most unexpected perks of the community we built. In fact, it’s not uncommon for us to receive prayer requests during a sales presentation or routine support call. We take these requests seriously and it’s an honor to pray for the needs of our community.
Comp Programs: Our team loves to support great causes, and one of their new ideas in 2020 is to annually give-away four perks programs ($6,000+ value) to deserving non-profits. This program brings our entire community together to nominate and select high performance non-profits who can use our gift to further the impact of their individual cause.
External Partnerships: When we selected World Vision, we expected them to fulfill our giving goals, but we didn’t anticipate the impact they’d make in our lives. Over the years, my family and I have had the opportunity to serve with them as volunteers at concerts, attend their conferences, speak at their corporate office, meet other like-minded donors, and develop authentic relationships with their local and senior-level leadership. | https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/the-unexpected-perks-of-a-social-business-7ccba2e0c037 | ['Brian Roland'] | 2021-06-27 02:00:57.581000+00:00 | ['Social Entrepreneurship', 'Impact', 'Leadership', 'Mission', 'Remote Work'] |
A DigIO tech assessment of Cloud Monitoring platforms | Our reference application contains a wide variety of technologies. This will get messy.
Out-of-the box this application is configured to emit visibility data (events, metrics and tracing) and systems for capturing it. This allows us to establish an unbiased baseline.
Out of the box visibility
Pre-flight planning
Our target environment for this assessment was Google’s Cloud platform, GCP, and its managed Kubernetes service GKE. We provisioned a dedicated cluster for each vendor and tracked all modifications made for each in corresponding local version control repositories with git.
For load generation we chose k6. Evaluating load generation tools was not part of the project, but we did compare options before selecting k6. It meets all of our requirements (headless operation, fully script-able, performant) and is used by several teams across the company.
Now we have a platform, an application, the ability to generate load and baseline visibility.
Data inventory and mapping
Preferred division of responsibility for visibility data
We draw a clear boundary between Provide and Collect.
In an ideal scenario our application is responsible for generating all visibility data and making it available (Create and Provide).
There are two main parts to this.
Firstly, this data is either the direct or indirect result of business requirements, making it part of the development effort. Using third-party tools to extract this data after development is time-consuming, error-prone and subject to drift from the requirements as the application changes.
Secondly, generating the data and making it available requires execution of code that operates in the security domain of the application. Introducing third-party code for this complicates operations and makes it much harder to get the application across a security review.
From the monitoring side, the functions of collecting the visibility data, moving it somewhere else and storing it, have nothing to do with the required functions of the application, which are all tied directly to business value. Expending limited engineering resources on custom monitoring solutions is a delivery risk most projects can do without.
A benefit of having this separation is that the further development of the application does not have to take into account the solution being used to monitor it.
Another benefit is that is becomes possible to switch monitoring solutions fairly easily because we only have to reason about the Provide/Collect interface.
In reality, this ideal is never quite realised, but the closer we stay to it, the better our position is in relationship to unknown future changes.
Visibility data inventory — Where we start
This is our starting position. The blue area is our responsibility, the red area is the responsibility of the monitoring platform. Here our blue area crosses the Provide/Collect boundary. This is caused by us providing both the Kubernetes infrastructure as part of the solution and pushing the tracing spans into Jaeger from the application tier. Ideally we’d see everything under Create and Provide being blue and the Collect, Transport and Store space being red.
Where we want to be
Instrumentation
Remember earlier on when we talked about things getting messy? This is where that starts to happen. We want to divide the responsibilities cleanly between our solution and the monitoring stack, but this rarely goes entirely according to plan.
One provider we evaluated did not have the ability to receive or collect OpenTracing spans, so in order to have a level of tracing visibility we instrumented an APM solution, which can mean runtime modification (adding an agent to the Java classpath) or importing third party libraries, changing code and rebuilding the applications (NodeJS, Go).
Another provider would accept OpenTracing spans (HTTP 200/OK), but fail to register them upstream. We had to go down the APM route to get tracing coverage there too.
Where we often end up
Infrastructure tends to be easier to integrate with default tools and settings but Application code is where the business logic resides. This results in a much greater variety and complexity.
The red lines moving into the blue space on the left reflect this and indicate a tight coupling of the vendor tooling with the application code. This presents clear risks for both present and future changes.
For example, one of the Java APM agents provided has support for Java 8, but no higher version. If we want to move to, say, Java 11 we have to either drop the APM capability or keep the application on an outdated JVM.
Another example, the vendor libraries we’re adding become part of our software supply chain, have to be moved through our CI/CD pipeline and pass the same security scans as all our other code. Several monitoring components used in this assessment were not available via public channels and required separate downloads. Automating downloads in a CI/CD pipeline requires bespoke code.
Usually all the code that goes into our applications is completely accessible at the source level. This happens via external libraries being open source on the one hand and full access to the internal application code on the other.
Introducing externally generated executable code into this mix not only makes the CI process more complex and fragile, it also makes it harder to perform useful automated security analysis.
Lesson learned — No such thing as a trivial third-party addition.
Load testing
We ran into upstream rate-limiting issues, monitoring pods exhausting resources and a variety of other failure scenarios.
Our forwarder being rate-limited
All of these issues were ultimately resolvable and most were related to the nature of cloud and SaaS based solutions.
Upstream rate limiting turned out to be a result of PoC (Proof of Concept) sizing on the monitoring platform, it was not set up for the volume of data we were sending. Crashing monitoring pods were likewise related to resource allocation.
Lesson learned — Assumptions about traffic bursts will be false.
Today we learned that service maps are very pleasant to look at
Another recurring theme was that monitoring tools need monitoring too. Almost all are self-monitoring and that aspect is highlighted as a feature, which is indeed very convenient.
However, when the upstream connection disappears or your license expires, you’re left flying blind. A fallback option for collecting the visibility data in the Provide stage locally is always a good idea.
Lesson learned — Diagnostics through self-monitoring will not be available when you need it
This just in: Cloud resources cost money
We significantly underestimated the amount of the resources required to run monitoring tools in the cloud. Most unexpected was the amount of compute used by traffic optimisation to lower network utilisation. It seems that costs don’t disappear and all ultimately end up somewhere.
Lesson learned — Resource consumption is hard to control
Requirements and value
So far we’ve focused on obstacles and lessons. It’s probably a good time to point out that monitoring platforms add a great deal of value. Building bespoke monitoring solutions from open source components is time-consuming and might not be the best way to burn your engineering budget.
Every integration has some awkward aspects, but those can be managed. Before you select a solution, you have to figure out what you and your stakeholders want from it.
This gives you a list of requirements that can be categorised according to their respective visibility products. Those products are constructed from metrics, events and tracing data.
Example uses for Tracing data
Once you know what visibility data you have you can connect estimate what the cost is of transporting that data to a remote platform. Knowing what your requirements are and what data you have, you can determine whether you have enough visibility data to meet those requirements.
Putting all of those together we can now work on evaluating whether a platform is capable of giving us access to our data in the form of the various visibility products we require.
Partial requirements breakdown
Wrap up
We didn’t get to spend much time building reports, dashboards and alerting in this assessment. Most of our time was spent connecting to the different monitoring platforms and running our load scenarios. The platform defaults with minor tweaks gave us most of what we needed.
We learned a lot about the messy details and risks of integrating with monitoring platforms, assembled a repeatable process for evaluations, presented our findings back to our colleagues in DigIO and generally had a good time.
Looking forward to the next assessment!
For more information, read up on how tech assessments fit into our strategy for staying current at A DigIO approach to tech vitality. | https://medium.com/digio-australia/a-digio-tech-assessment-of-cloud-monitoring-platforms-9d77de904b82 | ['Michiel Kalkman'] | 2019-08-26 03:58:11.112000+00:00 | ['Cloud', 'Monitoring And Evaluation', 'Monitoring', 'Tech', 'DevOps'] |
The Vax Madness | Call me crazy, although I’d rather risk a very strong cold than a blood clot.
I don’t understand what is going on with the rationality and critical thinking that human beings used to exert and cultivate through the ages; it feels to me as if we’re moving backwards intellectually as a species: I have a vague idea on what’s causing this neuronal capacity breakdown and underdevelopment, although it is not the subject of my current expression.
I’m a trader, I assess risk for a living: there’s no way that a 99.7% chance of survivability underweights the unlimited risk of an experimental drug known and unknown side effects. Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, USA (click)
assume nothing! question everything…
I assume that I might be an odd case of rational homo sapiens sapiens+ or that I’ve managed in my idiocrasy to surround myself with irrational comrades, although most of the people around me: friends, family, colleagues, friends of friends, et al; are agreeing to experiment with their biology and possibly cause permanent damage to their bodies, their genetical structure: the very thing that makes them who they are, and consequently limit or worsen their remaining lifetime on this planet. And for what? I asked, and they cannot eloquently put into words nor describe vaguely what’s their thought process on such decision — as if they’re indoctrinated zombies, unable to think for themselves, executing pre-programmed orders blindly. I feel very sorry for my friends & family, in a way that I cannot even fathom to express.
Assume you’re a person under the age of 50, 40, 30, and so on which is perfectly healthy: you eat good food, exercise regularly, meditate, live mostly stress free thanks to your financial freedom — you’re pretty smart or lucky, hence you’ve managed to do well for yourself and family during the first decades of your lifetime, and you’re leading a comfortable and fulfilling lifestyle.
You’ve never contacted the Coronavirus or at least you didn’t notice if you ever had, you are generally healthy and never get much sick; you get rid of the common cold in a few days using a high dose of Vitamin C, a multivitamin and lots of liquids.
Explain to me, as data clearly shows that your mortality risk is lower than 0.3% and your chances of surviving the Coronavirus flu is over 99.7%: why in your righteous mind would you ever consider going through this list of possible side-effects: COVID-19 mRNA Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine analysis reports, UK Gov (click), and decide to inject yourself with an experimental mRNA drug for no reason whatsoever other than to protect yourself from the potential eventuality of catching a very very very high survivability illness?
Wouldn’t it make sense to any rational human being, that the risk of catching the flu outweighs the risk of a lymphatic system disorder?
A healthy young person at barely half-life, decides to give their body and health away for experimental drug testing like they’re guinea pigs in order to possibly survive a flu like virus which has close to 0 chances of causing any harm whatsoever.
I’m beyond flabbergasted. | https://medium.com/@leonarth/the-vax-madness-b443a9d29cfe | [] | 2021-04-29 15:43:07.452000+00:00 | ['Vaccines', 'Human Behavior', 'Humanity'] |
According to doctors, a healthy, properly developing baby should start walking in the period from… | According to doctors, a healthy, properly developing baby should start walking in the period from 9 to 18 months, especially if you create favorable conditions for him.
Do I need to hurry
On the Internet, you can find claims that babies start trying to get up from 6 months. However, doctors say that at this age, the muscles in the crumbs have not yet become stronger, as well as the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, the consequences of early walking can be deplorable: from the wrong setting of the feet to the curvature of the Shin.
The situation is aggravated if the baby has certain health problems, which his doctors and parents do not know yet. However, this does not prevent parents from trying their best to help the child learn to walk faster.
At the same time, such fears should not overshadow the mood, if the baby is trying to get up or take the first step ahead of time. The child gets up if his body is already fully formed and ready.
How to understand that the baby is ready
Age, in which a toddler will make its first step, is individual. According to podiatrists, most children it happens in 1 year, but still all to adjust to the standards is not necessary. In the end, the indicator is influenced by genetics, temperament, climate, disease and stress.
It is a fact that children who grow up in a supportive environment without conflicts and quarrels on the part of parents take their first steps faster than those who live in the presence of quarrels and shouting. Stress can also trigger and move around a lot, a lot of other people in the house.
The disease is another unfavorable factor. Even a common cold can delay the first steps. To understand that he is able to make his first steps, you can just watch a child.
If the child can:
to rise, holding on to something;
to move along the legs;
moving from room to room on all fours;
walk by hand;
climb on low chairs.
So he’s ready to walk.
Just need to take into account the child does these actions with pleasure or not. If You most often push him to these actions, and he does not get joy from them, stop. Do not rush things, so as not to face unpleasant consequences. In the end, if time goes on, and the child does not wish to go, it makes sense to show it to the doctor. Problems with the musculoskeletal system and the Central nervous system can slow down the skill of independent walking. And most of them are amenable to correction. We need only timely diagnosis and treatment.
What to do to go faster
Want the child to go as soon as possible, then start preparing him for this. Massages and gymnastics are useful for newborns. Already in a month they need to be regularly put on the tummy so the muscles of the back, neck will get stronger.
In 3 to 4 months you can start learning to roll over. This involves the muscles of the back and then help to quickly make the first steps. By six months the baby begins to sit down. Sometimes, children come to this earlier, although doctors do not recommend it. With 6 months can and should crawl for a long time and with pleasure. It is possible to promote, if you are constantly “accidentally” leave favorite toys out of reach. Then the kids reach for them, and the skill is honed faster.
How to quickly learn to walk
There are a number of exercises that will take no more than a few minutes a day, and the result will be excellent.
Rack. Before you learn to take the first steps, the child must learn to stand. At 9 months you should put him on his heels back to him, and then, holding it under the handles, gently lift, forcing the legs to straighten. And so several times.
Exercises on the fitball. Sit on the ball with the child’s back to him from 6 months to develop coordination and learn to maintain balance. You can also put it on the crumbs, tummy or back, it does not matter. The main thing is to do it constantly and make sure that the action brought pleasure.
Rope. Her task — to make the toddler rearrange the legs, as if he makes the first step. Pull the rope in the middle of the room, you can several paths between different pieces of furniture. Then bring it to it, pushing to cross and so several times. When he understands the essence, it will be possible to move on and complicate tasks.
Exercises with a Hoop. This option is for those who can stand, but still can not walk. Hoop put on the baby so that he took him with both hands. Then move, forcing the child to take steps with him.
Walkers. Children are willing to run in them, it will help them move from room to room and explore the world on their own
There are other ways of learning to walk, without foreign devices. And they are advised to start with experts, answering the question of how to teach.
The first thing you need to teach to walk, adhering to the support. Maybe it’s only if the toddler is able to stand. He put on one side of the bed, and they themselves are on the other. Then the child called to him. Alternatively, it is possible to entice a toy. It is important not to overdo things, if you start to cry, and to move the lesson on a more auspicious time.
The next task is to teach how to let go of the support. Here it is important to keep a little of the researcher’s two hands, then one. Consistency is a guarantee of success. You can not let go early, otherwise the child does not learn to feel self-confidence, without which it will be more difficult for him then to walk.
The first steps can be done together with mom and dad. They sit down against each other at a short distance, and in a kind of corridor put a crumb. One turns it to face the other, holding it under the handles. The other is calling, putting his hands in a characteristic way. Then the child tries to make a move, when the first parent and the second it releases just a “safety net creates a” hand, but not hold.
What to do so that the child is not afraid | https://medium.com/@kateb951/according-to-doctors-a-healthy-properly-developing-baby-should-start-walking-in-the-period-from-434402e7c555 | ['Kate Bancer'] | 2019-06-10 14:18:17.059000+00:00 | ['The First Steps', 'Baby', 'Parenting'] |
Kenny Beats Is Showing Us The Power of Chance and Circumstance | The 10,000-hour journey
Like any story arch, the protagonist is faced with an ordeal and it is overcoming this ordeal that leads to character development. In Kenny’s case, this initial ordeal occurred during his first two years at the Berklee School of Music. After landing placements with artist’s such as SchoolboyQ and Ab-Soul, he found himself surrounded by requests for beat packs. Some might describe this as a fortunate position; however since he hadn’t created enough material to fulfill these requests, it backfired. Enter the ordeal. Feeling ill-prepared and somewhat embarrassed, our protagonist vowed never to find himself in a similar position again.
Time for the second ordeal. During his later years (2012) at Berklee, he formed the E.D.M. duo LOUDPVCK with a friend of his. LOUDPVCK came with its fair share of success. Success came with more exposure to the industry, and Kenny soon realized how many extremely talented producers work on projects they aren’t passionate about to pay the bills. Experiencing this reality brought Kenny clarity to what his mission would be: working with music that he loves while bringing more people context as to what is happening around an artist in that moment. By defining a clear mission it made for an easy decision when sacrificing money in the short term to work with up and coming artists he loved.
At this point in the story, you have a protagonist who used a period of enlightenment to develop his work ethic and clarify his mission. While the foundations were built, the journey doesn’t stop. We are currently experiencing the next enlightenment period for Kenny Beats.
Building a legacy is more important to him than creating a project under his name featuring the hottest rappers. Rather, it involves an aspiration to build a brand that is bigger than his work as a producer. Using Cole Bennett and Lyrical Lemonade as an example, Kenny aspires to build something that “…is its own thing that people can respect and go to and care about without worrying about… his personal sentiment.” In 2018, Kenny and his manager, Mike Powers, started to lay the groundwork for his company. Partnering with YouTube through the Music Foundry program gave his team the resources and expertise to create a YouTube series introducing the public to his company D.O.T.S. (Don’t Over Think S**t). While the company was gaining awareness, Kenny stayed true to his mission of bringing people context to new music and sounds through a wide range of artists featured on the show.
Freddie Gibbs (left) was the fourth guest on The Cave
The show, titled The Cave, helped to define D.O.T.S. as a brand by communicating to viewers the value of organic collaboration to capture a moment in time. Many episodes created cultural moments and saw fans creating memes and other content, none more famous than the “Kenny Beats is the police” phrase. In addition to the show, Kenny nurtured his community by regularly using Instagram Live to give fans insight into his production process. By February 2020, more than ~1,000 concurrent viewers would regularly join his live stream sessions. Kenny has recognized many of the viewers who actively participate in these sessions as D.O.T.S. community leaders by hiring them as interns. He recognizes the benefit of rewarding fans who align with his mission and, as a result, leads the community in the right direction. | https://medium.com/@dannydesatnik/kenny-beats-is-showing-us-the-power-of-chance-and-circumstance-445b6d8b442c | ['Danny Desatnik'] | 2020-04-23 17:28:45.468000+00:00 | ['Music', 'Content', 'Community', 'Twitch', 'Music Production'] |
Interview Questions about HTML Job Application, Part 2 | Image by bannersnack
As I already mentioned in my previous post, here are the most common questions asked on a HTML Job Interview. Have a read and hit me up if you want to discuss some of them.
1. What is the importance and function of a doctype?
The doctype declaration should be the very first thing in an HTML document, before the tag. However, the doctype declaration is not an HTML tag; it is an instruction to the web browser about what version of the markup language the page is written in. The doctypedeclaration refers to a Document Type Definition (DTD).
2. What’s the difference between full standards mode, almost standards mode and quirks mode?
There are now three modes used by the layout engines in web browsers: quirks mode, almost standards mode, and full standards mode. In quirks mode, layout emulates nonstandard behavior in Navigator 4 and Internet Explorer 5. This is essential in order to support websites that were built before the widespread adoption of web standards. In full standards mode, the behavior is (hopefully) the behavior described by the HTML and CSS specifications. In almost standards mode, there are only a very small number of quirks implemented.
For HTML documents, browsers use a DOCTYPE in the beginning of the document to decide whether to handle it in quirks mode or standards mode. To ensure that your page uses full standards mode, make sure that your page has a DOCTYPE.
3. What’s the difference between HTML and XHTML?
According to the W3C, “XHTML 1.0 is a reformulation of HTML 4.01 in XML, and combines the strength of HTML 4 with the power of XML.” This means that, by using XHTML, you are adding the potential of the power of XML to your Web pages.
Or, basically, XHTML is strict HTML.
HTML is an abbreviation for HyperText Markup Language. HTML was designed to display data with focus on how data looks. XML was designed to be a software and hardware independent tool used to transport and store data, with focus on what data is. XMLprovides a framework for defining markup languages.
4. Describe the difference between <script>, <script async> and <script defer>.
In HTML5, you can tell thebrowser when to run your JavaScript code. There are 3 possibilities:
<script src=”myscript.js”></script>
<script async src=”myscript.js”></script>
<script defer src=”myscript.js”></script>
Without async or defer, browser will run your script immediately, before rendering the elements that’s below your script tag.
With async (asynchronous), browser will continue to load the HTML page and render it while the browser load and execute the script at the same time.
With defer, browser will run your script when the page finished parsing. (not necessary finishing downloading all image files. This is good.)
5. HTML5 Geolocation
The geolocation API allows the user to provide their location to web applications if they so desire.
6. Describe the difference between a cookie, sessionStorage and localStorage?
Cookie: stores data that has to be sent back to the server with subsequent requests.
The HTML5 web storage is used to store data on user’s browser.
The HTML5’s web storage feature lets you store some information locally on the user’s computer, similar to cookies but it is more secure and faster. The information stored in the web storage isn’t sent to the web server as opposed to the cookies where data sent to the server with every request. Also, where cookies lets you store a small amount of data (nearly 4KB), the web storage allows you to store up to 5MB of data.
There are two types of web storage, which differ in scope and lifetime:
Local storage — The local storage uses the localStorage object to store data for your entire website, permanently. That means the stored local data will be available on the next day, the next week, or the next year unless you remove it.
Session storage — The session storage uses the sessionStorage object to store data on a temporary basis, for a single window (or tab). The data disappears when session ends i.e. when the user closes that window (or tab).
7. What is SVG?
SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics.
SVG is used to define graphics for the Web.
SVG is a W3C recommendation.
SVG is a language for describing 2D graphics in XML.
Canvas draws 2D graphics, on the fly (with a JavaScript).
SVG is XML based, which means that every element is available within the SVG DOM. You can attach JavaScript event handlers for an element.
In SVG, each drawn shape is remembered as an object. If attributes of an SVG object are changed, the browser can automatically re-render the shape.
Canvas is rendered pixel by pixel. In canvas, once the graphic is drawn, it is forgotten by the browser. If its position should be changed, the entire scene needs to be redrawn, including any objects that might have been covered by the graphic.
8. What is a Web worker?
Web Workers is a simple means for web content to run scripts in background threads. The worker thread can perform tasks without interfering with the user interface. In addition, they can perform I/O using XMLHttpRequest (although the responseXML and channel attributes are always null). Once created, a worker can send messages to the JavaScript code that created it by posting messages to an event handler specified by that code (and vice versa.) This article provides a detailed introduction to using web workers.
9. What is web socket?
WebSocket is a protocol for creating a fast two-way channel between a web browser and a server. WebSocket overcomes limitations with HTTP to allow for low latency communications between a user and a web service.
10. Are there any problems with serving pages as application/xhtml+xml?
If we Serving pages with application/xhtml+xml they can break on older version of IE.
IE < 8 will show a download dialog for the pages, instead of rendering them properly.
11. How do you serve a page with content in multiple languages?
Always use a language attribute on the html tag to declare the default language of the text in the page. When the page contains content in another language, add a language attribute to an element surrounding that content. Always use a language attribute on the html element. This is inherited by all other elements, and so will set a default language for the text in the document head element.
Note that you should use the html element rather than the body element, since the body element doesn’t cover the text inside the document’s head element.
If you have any content on the page that is in a different language from that declared in the html element, use language attributes on elements surrounding that content. This allows you to style or process it differently.
Use the lang attribute for pages served as HTML, and the xml:lang attribute for pages served as XML. For XHTML 1.x and HTML5 polyglot documents, use both together.
<html lang=”fr”>
<span title=”Spanish”><a lang=”es” href=”qa-html-language-declarations.es”>Español</a></span>
12. What kind of things must you be aware of when designing or developing formultilingual sites?
hreflang attr in link
dir attr indicating language direction, such as rtl
<meta charset=’UTF-8'>
font-size for :lang({language_code}) selectors in CSS
difference in word length for each language
13. What are data- attributes good for?
It makes HTML elements contain extra information without using non-standard attributes, or other hacks like that.
Example: I have used them for storing tooltip information and showing them with CSS.
14. Consider HTML5 as an open web platform. What are the building blocks of HTML5?
Semantics: allowing you to describe more precisely what your content is.
Connectivity: allowing you to communicate with the server in new and innovative ways.
Offline and storage: allowing webpages to store data on the client-side locally and operate offline more efficiently.
Multimedia: making video and audio first-class citizens in the Open Web.
2D/3D graphics and effects: allowing a much more diverse range of presentation options.
Performance and integration: providing greater speed optimization and better usage of computer hardware.
Device access: allowing for the usage of various input and output devices.
Styling: letting authors write more sophisticated themes.
15. Why is it generally a good idea to position CSS <link>s between <head></head> and JS <script>s just before </body>? Do you know any exceptions?
You usually put the <link> tags in between the <head> to prevent Flash of Unstyled Content which gives the user something to look at while the rest of the page is being parsed.
Since Javascript blocks rendering by default, and the DOM and CSSOM construction can also be delayed, it is usually best to keep scripts at the bottom of the page.
Exceptions are if you grab the scripts asynchronously, or at least defer them to the end of the page.
16. What is progressive rendering?
With HTML progressive rendering is chunking the HTML into separate bits and loading each block as it’s finished. Usually, the backend code loads the HTML at once, but if you flush after finishing one part of the structure, it can be rendered immediately to the page.
This can be done asynchronously with different components being loaded as they finish. There are new features which can be used with Web Components making it more standard. Another interesting article on this is from eBay with Async Fragments.
17. Have you used different HTML templating languages before?
Mustache, Handlebars, Underscores, Jade.
18. Explain the layout of HTML?
HTML layout specifies a way in which the web page is arranged.
Every website has a specific layout to display content in a specific manner.
Following are different HTML5 elements which are used to define the different parts of a webpage.
<header>: It is used to define a header for a document or a section.
<nav>: It is used to define a container for navigation links
<section>: It is used to define a section in a document
<article>: It is used to define an independent, self-contained article
<aside>: It is used to define content aside from the content (like a sidebar)
<footer>: It is used to define a footer for a document or a section
19. Is audio tag supported in HTML5?
Yes. It is used to add sound or music files on the web page. There are three supported file formats for HTML 5 audio tag.
mp3 WAV Ogg
Let’s see the code to play mp3 file using HTML audio tag.
<audio controls> <source src=”sample.mp3" type=”audio/mpeg”> Your browser does not support the html audio tag. </audio>
Instead of sample.mp3, you can pass any mp3 file name.
20. What’s the difference between a block-level element and an inline element?
Each element in HTML is displayed in one of a few ways. By default, most tags are either displayed as block-level or inline. This value can be overridden using CSS.
Block
As the name suggests, a block-level element is drawn as a block that stretches to fill the full width available to it (the width of its container) and will always start on a new line.
Examples of elements that are block-level by default: <div>, <img>, <section>, <form>, <nav>.
Inline
Unlike the block-level elements, inline elements are drawn where they are defined and only take up space that is absolutely needed. The easiest way to understand how they work is to look at how text flows on a page. When a line of text gets to the end of the space available, it wraps onto the next line and happily keeps going. If you were to tack more text onto an existing line of text, it will stay on the same line, as if it was all part of the same text to begin with.
Examples of elements that are inline by default: <span>, <b>, <strong>, <a>, <input>.
This is the end of Part 2, HTML Job Interview Questions. Any questions? — Ask away in the comments section.
Stay tuned for the 3rd part — CSS Job Interview Questions.
If you are interested in finding more out about my and my team’s work, please visit smartclick.mk | https://medium.com/@milansavov/interview-questions-about-html-job-application-part-2-dbe96dd0e0ca | ['Milan Savov'] | 2019-04-12 12:23:09.945000+00:00 | ['Web Development', 'Interview Questions', 'Html5', 'Interview Preparation', 'Interview Tips'] |
The trees are being cut down tomorrow | foto©robcullen191120
-
Under that tree you asked
“What’s love? Am I lovable?”
“Do you love me? Who loves me?”
The leaves of the trees listened
And shook just like a breeze
Had started blowing across the river.
-
I threw the stone across the river
And made it skip
Five, six, seven, eight, times
I heard you say behind me
“What you doing?”
“Watch” I said
-
And threw a stone
Five, six, seven, eight, nine, times
I watched the thin flat stone skip
And heard you ask
“Can I do that?”
I said “Of course”
-
I picked up the next stone
And went to throw
When I heard you ask “How?”
Tomorrow they will cut
All the trees down
All the trees that listened
To your stories
-
The stories you didn’t want to tell
Of the things that were done to you
The trees that listened to you
Trying to find out whether you were loved
Whether you were lovable
Whether you could love.
-
The trees will be cut down tomorrow.
©robcullen191120
A poem dedicated to each of the very young children I worked with in Ynysangharad (Welsh for Island of Angharad) Park, Pontypridd who were recovering from the most serious trauma. It was a wonderful therapeutic setting to begin showing a child it was safe to play, sometimes how to play; that it was OK to make mistakes, and laugh, there were no retributions, and slowly let go of defences to begin the slow process of healing.
It seems to me that the cutting down of majestic beautiful mature trees in public spaces is highly symbolic of the “callous disregard” that has become the signature of our times and our society. I’ve never understood child abuse even though I worked in the abuse field for nearly four decades. By that I mean I’ve seen professionals struggle underfunded, undertrained, under-resourced and work with the most damaged individuals of our society in a belief that these individuals have worth. But I’ve also come into contact with members of my community and politicians who have a complete disregard for others who are less fortunate than themselves and in their eyes have no value. We live in a time dominated by a man who had gained a position of power who has utterly no regard for others — apart from how they will benefit him in some way. Will we move on from this era into a time where everyone will be regarded as having value.
I dread the cutting down of the trees and the desecration of a place that holds such powerful memories for me. Memories of a place where I saw a child heal or at least begin that process. I am sure that trees have that healing power. We should resist the desecration of the wild places at all costs — perhaps as a start of ending this era where callous disregard seems to dominate.
©robcullen2020 | https://medium.com/resistance-poetry/the-trees-are-being-cut-down-tomorrow-b7d74979fdbd | ['Rob Cullen'] | 2020-11-21 15:02:43.434000+00:00 | ['Resistance Poetry', 'Healing', 'Free Verse', 'Poetry On Medium', 'Inspirational'] |
Locking arms for racial harmony in America | Locking arms for racial harmony in America
We met for the first time two years ago. The occasion was a simple conversation between leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That unlikely meeting was a first. But it sparked insights about ways to work together to improve self-reliance and upward mobility for inner-city and minority families.
During our collaborations, we quickly felt deep respect for one another, even referring to ourselves as “brothers from another mother.” Our common bond as followers of Jesus Christ and as religious leaders gave us a natural foundation from which to build a friendship as well as an opportunity to better appreciate each other’s unique perspective and experience.
Some might think us unlikely collaborators, but our respective organizations have connected in a significant way. Not as black or white, not as Baptists or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but as children of God who are working to bring hope, happiness, and love to all of God’s children.
Our joint efforts have shown that we have far more in common than issues that, at first glance, might appear to divide us. Both of our organizations have learned lessons from the past. Both of us have been willing to listen to and learn from each other. Respect and cooperation have yielded the sweet fruit of reconciliation, admiration, service, and genuine love.
Unitedly we declare that the answers to racism, prejudice, discrimination and hate will not come from government or law enforcement alone. Solutions will come as we open our hearts to those whose lives are different than our own, as we work to build bonds of genuine friendship, and as we see each other as the brothers and sisters we are — for we are all children of a loving God.
We share deep sorrow for the senseless, heinous act of violence that needlessly took the life of George Floyd. We mourn with his family, friends and community. We likewise look on with sadness at the anger, hate, contempt and violence spilling onto America’s streets, devastating cities across the nation, and creating fear and anxiety in citizens across this great land.
The wheels of justice should move fairly for all. Jesus of Nazareth came that we might have life, and have it “more abundantly.” We should follow His example and seek for an abundant life for all God’s children. This includes protecting our brothers and sisters who have been wronged and bringing to justice those who have taken life or broken the law, thus robbing others of an abundant life.
What is the solution? Whether you are a believer or not, Jesus Christ taught an inspired model that leads to peace and harmony — to love God first, and then to love our neighbor as ourselves. We don’t pretend that either of these pursuits is easy, but we do declare that they yield the fruits the Lord promised.
We agree with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s statement, that “hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” It is this kind of love that inspires us to do the rigorous work of building bridges of cooperation rather than walls of segregation and alienation.
We call on people everywhere to join us in a journey of understanding and overcoming. As de Tocqueville said, America is great because she is good. It is paramount that we rediscover the goodness in each and every human heart. In this spirit, there are things every one of us can do.
We invite all to pray to God that the people of this land will heed the Divine call to abandon attitudes of prejudice against any group of God’s children.
We also invite people of goodwill everywhere to look for ways to reach out and serve someone of a different background or race. Everyone can do something.
Prejudice, hate and discrimination are learned. Thus, we call on parents, family members, and teachers to be the first line of defense. Teaching children to love all, and find the good in others, is more crucial than ever. Oneness is not sameness in America. We must all learn to value the differences.
We likewise call on government, business, and educational leaders at every level to review processes, laws, and organizational attitudes regarding racism and root them out once and for all. It is past time for every one of us to elevate our conversations above divisive and polarizing rhetoric. Treating others with respect matters. Treating each other as sons and daughters of God matters.
We likewise remind everyone that we must renounce illegal acts such as looting, destruction, and defacement of public or private property. Never has one wrong been corrected by a second wrong. Evil has never been resolved by more evil.
Arm in arm and shoulder to shoulder, may we strive to lift our brothers and sisters everywhere, in every way we can.
We first linked arms as friends and have now locked arms in love and brotherhood. The people of America can do the same. | https://medium.com/@Ch_JesusChrist/locking-arms-for-racial-harmony-in-america-2f62180abf37 | ['The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints'] | 2020-06-08 12:01:00.969000+00:00 | ['Race', 'NAACP', 'Christianity', 'Faith', 'George Floyd'] |
Brewdog Brand Welcomes Bitcoin Cash | Brewdog Brand Welcomes Bitcoin Cash https://is.gd/C8JBNj
One of Britain’s best known breweries is welcoming Bitcoin Cashers to its new bar. Scottish firm Brewdog, which boasts of making “beer for punks”, will be giving away £3,000 (US $4,000) at the opening of its Canary Wharf bar on October 19. The bar will be accepting BCH (and BTC) as payment, funded with the aid of the Bitcoin.com wallet, and is considering accepting BCH at all 38 of its UK bars.
Also read: Bitcoin Cash Developers Launch Chrome Extension Badgerwallet.cash
Brewdog Embraces the Shape of Cash to Come
“Over recent years a band of dedicated people have challenged the mainstream and worked from their homes to craft a new way of doing things,” wrote Brewdog. It is speaking both of its own humble origins, from a small town in the north-east of Scotland to a billion-dollar company in under a decade, and to Bitcoin’s own success story, which occurred over the same period. “If you embrace change to deliver a new normal we are in your corner,” they continued, “whether your weapons of choice are malt, hops, yeast and water or blockchain. All are harnessed to deliver an alternative to the status quo. And you will be able to embrace that alternative at our newest UK Brewdog bar.”
Since starting life as a brewery, Brewdog has diversified and now operates a string of breweries on every major continent. Its latest offering, situated on the waterfront in London’s business heartland, will be its 38th in the UK alone and its seventh in London. When the Canary Wharf bar opens at 12pm on Friday, Oct. 19, the first 100 patrons will be treated to a bitcoin cash wallet containing anywhere between £12 and £100. They explained: “At Brewdog we have worked our entire lives to challenge perceptions and be bold and uncompromising; the developers and miners of cryptocurrency are exactly the same.” It continued:
Adopting alternative payment options for craft beer is a natural fit. And what better place to start subverting the norm in financial transactions than the heart of London’s financial docklands?
One of Brewdog’s UK bars.
Beer and Crypto: The Perfect Pairing
When Brewdog was born, its founders, James Watt and Martin Dickie, hand-bottled their beers and drove bar-to-bar, selling them out of the trunk of their car. Theirs is a rags to riches tale, one of fighting against the man to becoming the man, while remaining true to the insurrectionary principles upon which the company was founded. The pair are receptive to new technologies, with Martin Dickie known to maintain a particular interest in cryptocurrency. Despite recording astonishing growth (recent estimates value the company at $1.7 billion), Brewdog has remained a spirited and outspoken company that has drawn attention for its viral marketing and innovative packaging as much as for its acclaimed and typically potent beers.
Brewdog has explained that it hopes to eventually roll out bitcoin cash as a means of payment in all its UK bars, adding: “Those who rock up to our newest London bar can use either bitcoin [core], bitcoin cash or card to pay for any of the 20 taps of super-fresh craft beer, takeaway bottle and can options, and our loaded menu of burgers, pizza and wings.” Brewdog encourages visitors to download the Bitcoin.com wallet in advance of the opening event to qualify for the BCH giveaway to the first 100 attendees, finishing: “How does that sound, London?”
Do you think more bars should accept bitcoin cash and would you use cryptocurrency to buy beer? Let us know in the comments section below. | https://medium.com/bitnewslive/brewdog-brand-welcomes-bitcoin-cash-639dd5265fd4 | [] | 2018-10-06 12:14:19.051000+00:00 | ['Crypto', 'Bitcoin'] |
Raising Environmentally Conscious Kids | WE DON’T INHERIT THE EARTH FROM OUR ANCESTORS; WE BORROW IT FROM OUR CHILDREN. — NATIVE AMERICAN PROVERB
If you love the world and love your children, you have a long term perspective of safeguarding our natural environment. And it takes perseverance to preserve.
And our perseverance is being weakened by the digital era. Today we are surrounded by many digital devices that consume our minds in very disturbing ways. Because of this digital dependency and thirst for social acceptance, our family time is less and less part of our daily routines. The cost of this digital dependence is an immense yearning to be in contact with nature. But such longing is eroded when we consume hours and hours of screen time. We must return this connection with nature to our kids. After all, they owned the earth; we only borrowed it from them.
I’m a mother of two, and the moments that I love the most is when my kids are in connection with Mother Nature. I see them most happy and full of energy when they are free in contact with nature. When my kids play with mud, when they chase a butterfly, when they are in contact with animals and take care of them, when they swim in the ocean or play with sand, their smiles create pictures that belong in my heart and not in a digital memory.
Because of threats against the preservation of our environment, it is crucial that we raise awareness with every new generation. We must make them feel and perceive that one of their key roles and responsibilities is to be respectful to our planet. It only takes one single educated human to take care of the earth. Yes, if we can induce such cultivation in each of our kids, such nurture will be replicated by hundred million times, and so in the future, preservation of earth will be a daily run and not a task. Because in the end, it is our children’s children who own the earth, so let’s pass on this tenancy.
“CLIMATE CHANGE IS NO LONGER SOME FAR-OFF PROBLEM; IT’S HAPPENING HERE, IT IS HAPPENING NOW” — BARACK OBAMA
One of the many consequences of climate change and the increase in water temperatures in our oceans is coral reef bleaching.
Coral reefs are home to 25% of all marine life on the planet, they provide food and shelter to millions of different species in the ocean.
Coral bleaching is when corals start losing their true colors, and so a process of extinction begins. Millions of species will be severely affected if these corals die, fish that live and feed on corals, will die or move away, larger creatures will also move away, and this exodus will very badly affect their ecosystems. It is sadly proven that a decline in marine life and fish population affects human food supplies as well.
Here are some things you can do to make a small change in your habits to prevent coral reefs from bleaching:
RECYCLE SPREAD THE WORD SUPPORT REEF FRIENDLY BUSINESS DON’T POLLUTE OR LITTER DON’T USE PRODUCTS WITH HARSH CHEMICALS, LIKE SUNBLOCK’S WITH OXYBENZONE AND OCTINOXATE IF YOU DIVE OR SNORKEL, DON’T TOUCH THE REEF PARTICIPATE IN A REEF CLEAN UP DON’T FISH NEAR A CORAL REEF DON’T PURCHASE CORAL SOUVENIRS MANIFEST THESE PAST 9 SMALL CHANGES TO YOUR KIDS.
Hawaii is the first place where they are banning sunscreens that kill coral reefs. Even though an increase in temperature is the main reason coral reefs are bleaching, it is also true that sunscreens with harsh chemicals also negatively impact the health of a coral reef.
“Approximately 14,000 tons of sunscreen slide off of humans into coral reef areas each year exposing the gorgeous underwater ecosystems to chemicals that can kill them”
Let’s first educate our children with mindfulness of how to take care of our planet. Let’s prepare them as keepers of this wonderful and admirable world. Let’s educate our children with profound respect for their next generation. It only requires small and intelligent changes in our daily life to improve the practices to preserve the health of Mother Earth. Let’s do it one kid at a time; let’s begin with our own kids. | https://medium.com/@everealcare/raising-environmentally-conscious-kids-87ea885e4ae9 | ['Evereal Care'] | 2019-02-11 18:02:19.575000+00:00 | ['Recycling', 'Climate Change', 'Eco Friendly', 'Protection', 'Small Change'] |
Bright Union Community Program | Bright Union Community Program
Share Bright Union, show your creativity and claim a spot on our private sale or win up to $4,000 worth of BRIGHT tokens. Bright Union Jun 15·4 min read
We are excited to announce the Bright Union Community Program! As we ramp up to our launch, we will be introducing to you a series of interesting and challenging tasks.
💎 Refer your friends to Bright Union, show your creativity and win a guaranteed allocation to our private sale, and hey if that’s not enough — we are also rewarding our creative community with up to $4,000 worth of BRIGHT TOKENS! 💎🪙
We’ve divided the program into two parts:
Social Community Contest — (ended) Creative Contest (Starts NOW— ends July 18. Jump to Contest.)
1. Social Community Contest
🎉 This week we are kicking off a $2,000 giveaway using Gleam. 🎉
How does it work? Show some love using your social accounts and complete the simple tasks aimed at boosting engagement. Follow the list of to-do’s here and verify once each step is done.
Click on the preview above to participate in Gleam Community Contest
Prize Allocation
🥇 first place: $100
🥈 second place: $75
🥉 third place: $50
$20 (per winner) for the top 4–44 with most entries
(per winner) for the with $10 (per winner) for 100 lucky random winners
💎 All winners will be rewarded in BRIGHT tokens. Public sale price of 1 BRIGHT Token is $0.10. Winners will be announced shortly after the contest. Remuneration will take place after TGE 💎
You can participate on the Social Community Contest by joining the Gleam link here.
2. Creative Contest
The creative content contests starts NOW.
🎨 Show us your creativity and win the opportunity to invest $500 USD in the Bright Union Private sale or have a chance to win $50 worth of BRIGHT Tokens!
You can participate by creating engaging Bright Union content, by sharing it online, and submitting it for review. To give you the power to leverage all your resources, we accept all types of written and visual content published on any platform: articles, infographics, Twitter threads, memes, stickers or Youtube videos. Even Instagram stories or TikTok videos — anything that you’re good at!
Details:
Submit your entries before July 7, 23:59 CET. Look out for our submission form kick-off!
Multiple entries are allowed and encouraged, but we reward only one prize per participant.
We accept submissions in all languages.
You are also encouraged to share your contributions to our Telegram Channel.
Prize Allocation
🚀 The top 10 best entries can invest $500 USD in the Bright Union private sale.
in the 💸 As an added bonus, the top 11 — 50 participants with the best entries will receive $50 (per winner).
💎 All winners will be rewarded in BRIGHT tokens. Public sale price of 1 BRIGHT Token is $0.10. Remuneration will take place after TGE 💎
How do we select the winners?
All the submissions will be reviewed by the Bright Union team based on the accuracy of the information, research, quality of delivery, creativity, and effort. Though the winners are chosen by the Bright Union team, the community engagement rate can also factor in, so make sure to share your creations with the world to receive comments and likes by your peers. Judging will be subjective but the team will attempt to identify the most accurate, well-designed, and engaging content in an unbiased manner. Although we encourage multiple submissions and value the series of short engaging posts as high as a well-written article, the quality of the research and presentation is what matters the most!
Submissions are accepted: June24— Juli 18, 2021 Winners are announced and prizes are distributed shortly after the TGE on Twitter and Telegram * Look out for our submission form kick-off on the June 15!
Important rules
Must be your original work — We’ll know if it’s been copied
By submitting your work, you are giving full permission for the Bright Union team to share them on all the social media channels and promote them as community content.
KYC will be required for the winners.
The Bright Union team members reserve the final right to interpret the rules of the contest, disqualify participants at their discretion. and make the final decisions on all entries.
With that out of the way, let the games begin!
Kick off with our Gleam Competition and watch out for the Creative Contest Contest launch on June 15.
Join the Union
There will be a lot more news and notes coming — don’t forget to follow our socials to stay updated: | https://medium.com/@brightunion/bright-union-community-program-9894931024a1 | ['Bright Union'] | 2021-07-08 12:52:41.816000+00:00 | ['Community', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Contests And Giveaways', 'Blockchain', 'Risk Management'] |
How I Learned to Live 2 Days in One | What I Should Truly Feel Jealous Of
I felt jealous of achievers’ success. But I conveniently ignored their efforts. They sleep less, they make numerous sacrifices, they show up each day to do the same thing for years.
On one side, there were achievers, pushing themselves to do what they had to. On the other side, there was me, complaining that I couldn’t find time after work, that the daily commute was exhausting, my boss was a jackass, my colleagues were mean, the work wasn’t challenging enough — the odds were stacked against me.
But the truth is, achievers didn’t have a better life than mine. In fact, many of them faced far worse odds. What I should’ve turned green with envy over was their effort and disciplined attitude towards work.
How did (do) they find the time to put in the effort to reach where they are?
The Secret of Compounding Results
Imagine spending your hard-earned money on things you want but don’t need. Soon, you’ll get bored of them. Then you’ll spend more money on other things which’ll hold your ephemeral attention. And the cycle goes on.
Now imagine investing the same money in a portfolio which gives you consistent returns over the next ten years.
Which option will leave you better off after ten revolutions around the sun? Which option will make your money grow?
Since ‘time = money’ is a common equation, let’s now substitute money with time.
Most people spend their work hours — 10 am to 7 pm — on… well… work.
They spend their remaining time — 7 pm to 10 am — preparing themselves for work. Preparing includes ‘mental relaxation’ like watching Netflix, scrolling through Instagram, checking their notifications, or all of these. Or, because they can work 24/7, they spend this time working too (or thinking about it).
Weekends are even worse. They wake up late, binge-watch the latest seasons, wait in line to eat at crowded places just to post photos on Instagram… they might complete chores and meet friends on Saturday. But by Sunday, they’re filled with dread about a day which is still over twelve hours away.
No wonder Sunday afternoon is one of the most unproductive times for most people. Don’t believe me? Just scroll through this hashtag on Twitter.
In his seminal book Flow, researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Me-hi-ee Cheek-sent-me-hi-ee) wrote,
“If left to their own devices and genetic programming, most people do stuff like worry about things or watch television.”
But achievers are different. (Of course they are!)
They optimize their time at work. But they don’t let ‘work’ or ‘life’ get in the way of their personal goals. For them, time outside work is worth its weight in gold. They make it a rule to invest time on what’s important to them every day — self improvement. This, when compounded over time, magnifies into large proportions.
When I compared my routine to theirs, I found why the ‘fame I deserved didn’t come to me.’
Outside work, I spent mind-numbing hours watching television. I kept watching reruns of cricket matches until I learned them by heart. If I didn’t, I felt a void. I may not be fond of Netflix or Game of Thrones, but felt like I was married to the TV.
The result? I never found time to do what I thought I should’ve been doing.
For most people, their work day is their ‘day’. Their routines revolve around the eight hours of 10 am to 7 pm (30 percent). And when this day is over, they’re left with nothing in the tank. Their mind refuses to engage in a meaningful pursuit and instead, rushes into the welcoming arms of Jadis the White Witch — instant gratification.
If you surrender 70 percent of your day to the 30 percent, how will you ever get close to your goals?
Okay. Enough admonition. We’re done talking about the illness. Now let’s focus on the remedy.
Remember how you went out to play after school as a child. Play was not ‘constructive.’ (Well, technically it was, but what did you know then?) Yet, it refreshed your mind and let you focus on your studies afterwards.
Consider the time after work your play time. Here’s how I use it, and so can you. | https://medium.com/the-ascent/how-i-learned-to-live-2-days-in-one-4e928f18fe3f | ['Vishal Kataria'] | 2018-04-11 18:24:35.489000+00:00 | ['Work', 'Lifehacks', 'Productivity', 'The Ascent', 'Self Improvement'] |
How I Taught Myself Tableau | Here are some of the things which actually helped me in teaching myself the art of data visualization using Tableau.
1. Using available/pre-existing Tableau dashboards
While trying to use existing dashboards to analyze, I often needed to understand the underlying data and add new filters to further dissect the trends. So, I downloaded a copy from the server and tried to understand how the original author had structured it.
This really helped me in understanding calculated fields, types of filters, and different options to show filters.
In case you don’t have the access to any dashboards, you can do this by downloading the dashboards from Tableau Public (more on this later).
2. Tableau Online Community
Whenever I wanted to do something with data that I had no idea about, whether it is blending different sources, using selective filters, action filters, LOD expressions, I searched in Tableau forums. I would say I was always able to find that question asked. So, either I would use the answer to understand how to do what I intended or I will get to know that it isn’t supported and the workarounds to achieve a similar result. I have asked questions on the forum and people on the forum are really helpful. Here’s the link to the community forum:
3. Practice
I was involved in a pretty intense activity at the time and had a weekly meeting with C-suite and VPs to present what I had found. Since I didn’t know any other way to analyze data yet, I tried a lot of things. I mean a lot. Sometimes, I get impressed even today looking at my old dashboards from that time. Of course, everything is under NDA, so I can’t really publish it anywhere on the web, but it still makes me proud.
4. Tableau Public
After the initial few months, I got addicted to Tableau. I love storytelling using interactive data visualizations. So, I am always looking to learn new and cool ways to visualize data. Tableau has a public gallery where authors from around the world come and publish their viz. It is a great way to learn what can be accomplished using tableau. I still remember the first viz which amazed me and piqued my curiosity was by Chris Love on Titanic. Here’s the viz.
And there are so many more awesome visualizations out there. You can follow authors here who publish their work regularly and learn the craft from the experts themselves.
5. Tableau Viz Contests
From the credits under one of the viz in the public gallery, I came to know about Makeover Monday. It’s a contest organized by vizwiz where you are given a dataset and you need to build visualizations to discover insights. People across the globe participate in it and you get to see a lot of work from which you can take inspiration.
6. Other Resources
There is this Twitter group handle called #datafam. This group is amazing. You should definitely follow them for your daily dose of inspiration and to know what is happening in the world of data visualization.
VizWiz founder Andy Kriebel also has a youtube channel where he posts videos on tips to enhance your career in tableau. You can follow his youtube channel to learn more.
I hope this information helps you in your journey to learn Tableau and become a data analyst someday.
Thank you for reading and Happy learning!
P.S.- If you like what you just read, please check out my other articles. You can also consider following me on Twitter or Tableau Public. | https://towardsdatascience.com/how-i-taught-myself-tableau-f4aab862b695 | ['Isha Garg'] | 2021-08-27 20:26:17.158000+00:00 | ['Tableau', 'Data Science', 'Charts', 'Career Development', 'Data Visualization'] |
Amazon Fired Me for Reporting Gender Bias. Now Others Are Speaking Out. | Dear Andy Jassy and Adam Selipsky,
Congratulations to both of you on your new roles as the CEOs of Amazon and Amazon Web Services (AWS), respectively. This change in leadership invites reflection on where the company has fallen short in recent years while it aims to become “Earth’s Best Employer.” Sadly, Amazon terminated my employment on June 30, a month after I filed a federal lawsuit about gender discrimination and retaliation in AWS’s Professional Services (ProServe) business unit. Therefore, I am acutely aware of the changes Amazon must make to remain an employer of choice for top talent.
A report published today in The Washington Post reveals there is a crisis of confidence brewing throughout much of Amazon’s corporate workforce. In recent weeks, more than 550 current employees in ProServe expressed support for an internal petition that calls out the company’s “underlying culture of systemic discrimination, harassment, bullying and bias against women and under-represented groups.”
These employees have demanded an objective and independent investigation — beginning by the end of this month and to be completed by October 2021 — into the practices that enable some Amazon leaders to discriminate and retaliate against disfavored employees with impunity. I am honored and humbled that the petition identifies me as one of the people whose reports and experiences spurred them to call for change in ProServe and AWS.
To give some context, I started at Amazon in February 2020, just weeks before the pandemic caused lockdowns across the country. As a Director (Level 8) at AWS, I brought with me over 30 years of experience in tech and cloud computing services after working for some of the best brands in the world. My official title at Amazon was Global Leader, ProServe Advisory, Strategic Program Management and Partners. I was responsible for working with Amazon’s corporate customers regarding how AWS could transform their businesses.
It quickly became clear, as explained in my complaint, that our unit had a major sexism problem. Female team members would approach me on a near-daily basis asking for guidance on how to handle persistent discrimination and bullying by male managers and coworkers. The only other female L8-level employee at the time regularly came to me in tears, searching for ways to stop the abuse by her male colleagues. Later, another female L8 joined and almost immediately began looking for another role in the company due to how she was treated in ProServe. White men received preferential assignments while women were frequently undermined and denied promotions and pay increases despite equal or greater work and contributions.
I was determined to turn this situation around and pressed on with my work, trying to create whatever sense of camaraderie among my team that I could while we all worked remotely. In October 2020, I traveled cross-country from Michigan to California, stopping to meet many colleagues in person along the way (while maintaining social distancing, of course).
Despite these conditions, I was able to generate real results for ProServe. Our unit was struggling at the beginning of the pandemic. Within months, I restructured our team to improve clarity around roles and responsibilities and developed several of our most important client relationships. I even ferreted out a male employee who had been secretly working a second full-time job for many months before I started while ignoring his duties at AWS.
None of that seemed to matter to my immediate boss, Todd Weatherby, who apparently felt threatened by me as an outspoken female executive driven to improve the work environment and our unit’s processes for women and other under-represented groups. Weatherby and other white male leaders in ProServe were effectively ignoring persistent issues of harassment and discrimination while putting up inclusive workplace window dressing.
As presented in detail in my federal complaint, in February 2021 I was subjected to one of the worst displays of male aggression I have seen in my professional career: a colleague hurled epithets at me over the phone (with an HR rep also on the line), calling me a “bitch,” “nobody” and “idiot” for having the nerve to question whether he should take a prominent client relationship from me. The HR rep who was on the call said it was the “worst employee on employee assault” he had witnessed in his career. He asked for my permission to file an Employee Relations (ER) complaint. I agreed. This complaint led nowhere, despite my being assured by the ER investigator that this was “very serious and had been reviewed by Andy Jassy.”
An excerpt from my federal court complaint filed against Amazon and Amazon Web Services on May 19, 2021.
The sexism continued within ProServe, and I was under increasing pressure and could sense that retaliation was a strong possibility, and therefore hired an attorney who sent a letter to Amazon on April 7 regarding the events of the past year and outlining my legal discrimination claims. Exactly three weeks later, on April 28, I was suddenly and without explanation, removed from my L8 Director position, stripped of my team and responsibilities, and told that I had two months to find a new job at Amazon or I would be fired.
The company’s explanation for doing this baffles me to this day; it claimed that in February I had expressed an interest in possibly transferring out of ProServe because leaders in the group were mistreating me. Indeed I had clearly expressed to Todd Weatherby and the head of ProServe HR, Toni Handler, that the sexism and discrimination that I personally endured as did so many of my colleagues, was not an environment that I desired to continue to work within I was clear to Weatherby and Handler that ProServe was likely the worst culture I had ever had the misfortune to work within. While this complaint should have led to an HR investigation, nothing ensued.
The company never offered me any help or suggestions in finding a new role. It was crystal clear that Amazon was simply retaliating for my reporting bias against me and other women in ProServe.
On May 19, I filed a lawsuit outlining in detail the discrimination and retaliation that I faced at AWS. The same day, four other women working in Amazon’s warehouses and corporate offices around the country also filed their own individual lawsuits claiming discrimination and retaliation by HR and management after they reported managers’ misconduct.
Retaliatory practices like this are, perhaps by design, well known among the employees in AWS and Amazon more broadly. The ProServe employees’ petition notes that “many staff have expressed concerns that the internal processes relied upon to investigate and defend AWS’s handling of these matters are not fair, objective or transparent, that the system is set up to protect the company and the status quo, rather than the employees filing the complaints.” Hundreds, if not thousands, of my former coworkers at ProServe have woken up to the reality that nothing will change by lodging their concerns solely with HR or ER — they need attention and help from the top. I am a prime example of this, since HR within ProServe has stated in writing that my complaints were thoroughly investigated but lacked any merit. Ironically, this “thorough” investigation failed to include interviewing me or my counsel.
This fact was only further validated in early June 2021, when ProServe employees attended an “Ask the Leaders Anything” videoconference, which was supposed to be an open forum. While Weatherby was originally scheduled to preside over it as an “Ask Todd Anything” meeting, this session was hosted by HR employees after that first meeting was canceled. Unlike past meetings and forums, Amazon opted for a platform (non-Amazon) that did not allow employees to see who else was attending and kept everyone on mute (both audio and video) except for the hosts. As I was still a full-time employee when this “Ask the Leaders Anything” call took place, I was able to watch the replay. HR leaders on the call rephrased and dodged employee questions, even when directly asked about discrimination and other specific details laid out in my lawsuit.
In addition, after my firing, ProServe employees were ordered to stop all communication with me. This is just one more example of Amazon’s pattern of trying to intimidate employees into silence.
Discouraged but not defeated, on June 22 I emailed a letter to Jeff Bezos and Andy Jassy to try and salvage the job that I had no desire to leave. I wanted to let the two most important people in the company know, that in one week, my employment was slated to end because I raised serious concerns about ProServe’s treatment of women. I let them know that I wanted to be a part of the solution at the company, not an adversary, and gave examples of how employee complaints could be better handled. I also asked that the letter be distributed to Amazon’s Board of Directors, since there does not seem to be a means for employees to communicate with them directly.
My letter was all but ignored. I received a brief response from Handler, who handled the opaque “Ask the Leaders Anything” meeting in June, stating she was in receipt of my letter to Andy Jassy and could not address any of my issues since I was represented by counsel. Once again, Handler failed to investigate my complaints directly with me or my counsel.
On June 30, I was involuntarily dismissed from the company. After 18 months of navigating the male-dominated leadership politics in ProServe and trying to make the concerns of my coworkers heard, there was no longer anything I could do as an Amazon employee. The company’s refusal to engage at all shocked and hurt at least as much as the epithets that male manager had thrown at me.
One employee’s claims of discrimination and retaliation might be seen as an isolated incident. It is another thing entirely, though, to ignore hundreds of workers who agree that the organization’s approach to employees’ reports of discrimination must change.
The petition circulating in ProServe shows that my experience at Amazon is not unique and is emblematic of much larger problems at the company. Nearly 10% of the ProServe workforce have used the petition to call for immediate action to stop routine mistreatment of employees and consistent retaliatory practices by the HR/ER functions. The fear and pain of women and other underrepresented groups in ProServe are real. These employees are crying out for help, and addressing this problem only helps the company in the long run.
Andy and Adam, while I hope you will follow through on my former colleagues’ request for an investigation into the culture at ProServe, many questions still remain. Will Amazon’s leaders engage in a frank public discussion with AWS’s workers? Will the company hire a truly independent investigator or ombudsperson who will be granted full, unrestricted access to speak with current and former AWS employees? Will the investigators brought in by Amazon be permitted to make their findings and recommendations publicly available? Does the company truly believe it can call itself a top-flight organization when it promptly fires someone after she reports conduct that she believes is discriminatory and impacts women in her group?
Right up until my last day at Amazon, I held out hope that the company would decide to have a discussion rather than try to intimidate and wear me down. I was disappointed, but not silenced. I will pursue my claims as far as I need to in order to show Amazon how wrong management’s actions were. My wonderful colleagues at AWS will not be intimidated or silenced, either.
All the Best,
Cindy L. Warner
cc: Amazon Board of Directors | https://medium.com/@cindylwarner1/amazon-fired-me-for-reporting-gender-bias-now-others-are-speaking-out-e1ca420c3692 | ['Cindy Warner'] | 2021-07-23 12:42:35.320000+00:00 | ['Amazon', 'Amazon Web Services', 'Workplace Culture', 'Gender Discrimination', 'Diversity'] |
Express 4D Simulation Scheduling and Construction Management with Dynamo | By Enrique Galicia Tovar for Autodesk University
Introduction
4D time simulations in Navisworks software for construction projects are often complicated BIM services to be used on a daily basis. Reasons can include problems in model coordination, time and element mismatches, time model execution availability, and more. With the approach outlined here, we will use the Dynamo player and Dynamo workflows with Revit 2021 to clean, manage, label, and even create a time schedule so 4D simulation can be easily created and the communication proposal facilitates model coordination and execution. We will cover several routine workflows so that all elements for any type of intelligent model are aligned, clean, and useful for project management, enabling us to link the model and time schedules with Navisworks in record time. The information presented in this article is the synthesis of 13 years of simulations from different projects to make 4D simulation a required task for all projects.
4D Simulation
4D simulation is the process of linking a time schedule with construction elements, so that it can easily give us an idea of how construction would be performed, tracked, and reported.
To create a 4D simulation, construction tasks and elements in the model need to be connected. That’s the main problem when doing it: the time schedule needs to have Revit elements and the model requires to have elements for all time schedule tasks.
My first 4D simulation project was a hospital with more than 300 hundred tasks and it became really complicated to link all elements, mostly because of mismatches between them and the required time execution.
After several 4D simulation projects, a lot of practice and improvements on efficiency methods, and the use of Dynamo on the workflow, it’s much easier to create 4D simulation that holds the characteristics required and can be created faster than ever before.
So let’s review the basics.
Related: Practical 4D Construction Simulation Using Revit and Navisworks with Kenneth Flannigan
Revit
Revit is a BIM software that allows us to create construction elements with parameters, so that elements can have properties such as measurements, categories, levels, materials, and coding capabilities such as the assembly code and keynote code.
By elements, models can follow construction processes and can be linked to tasks. The best approach is to create selections and save those values as tasks themselves, using a Shared Parameter.
A Shared Parameter is a custom created parameter that can be assigned to any Revit element so that information on it can be retrieved later.
Navisworks
Navisworks is a BIM platform software that allows us to coordinate multiple models with multiple data values and create interactions with them. It uses a selector by properties to create search sets and selection sets.
Search sets are property-driven selections that in this case can select elements by category, by parameter property value, and level. On the other hand, selection sets are user-defined selections for objects to be picked up.
Basic Simulation Workflow
The main problem is that elements are separated by multiple circumstances so that their requirements are specific and so on through the planning.
Create a 4D Simulation in Minutes
Dynamo Is a Game Changer
Dynamo is an application that runs over Revit, and on recent versions over Civil 3D, Advance Steel, and AutoCAD. It allows you to easily create by connections simple routines that can be tested and used to enhance several elements; specifically:
Improve complex modeling
Automate repetitive tasks
Set model management
Transform model information
Create interoperability between different files
So it enables workflows that can be nurtured by the requirements and the company standards. And in our case, it would transform completely the 4D simulation possibilities.
Dynamo may become overwhelming in some circumstances for new audiences, so just relax and start pulling strings and connectors so confidence can be built. Dynamo requires a lot of resilience, but the benefits are incredible. I have realized that there are three types of users:
Raw users — Pull all nodes form scratch and link with normal coding
Medium users — Use workflow scripts and custom nodes to complete their requirements
Low users — Use the Dynamo player as their working tool
We will set the workflows for Medium and Low users, but all scripts would be shared.
Dynamo Setup
For Dynamo to work, we need to set up some libraries. So we need to click on Packages from the Dynamo window.
Open Search for a Packages and Add:
Data Shapes
PracticalBIM
Rhythm
Once we have it, we can create a New Script.
Using Dynamo for Writing the Simulation Parameter
There will be a left side of nodes and a right side with a 3D screen. On the top right, there are two icons to change from geometry to nodes — just ensure you are using the nodes selected.
Creating the Script
For the Script creation, we need to understand the logic of Dynamo; that is, it’s pulling the elements from one side to another, one input multiple outputs.
So it’s pulling information from Revit to process it and to write it back. First, two nodes are selecting all elements of the category we are requiring.
Categories involves selecting a Category. All Elements of a Category will get all elements. Elements in Dynamo have multiple characteristics and each element its linked with an object in Revit.
Next, we need to extract all elements on the model.
Then we need to join them with a List Create. The List Create would set all values on a single list, and through that we have control of all elements selected.
Next, we need to have the level properties value which will depend on the element we are selecting. Structural Foundations and Floors use the Level property but Structural Framings and Structural Columns use the Reference Level and Base Level.
The Get Parameter Value by Name its actually extracting information from the elements. The Information Extracted in this case is a Level element, hence it needs to be extracted using the property of Name.
With that transaction we get a text (String) value that can be easily used to write our label. So we need to compress it to change Level 1 to L1.
We are going to use the node GetCompresedStringF_N that changes names like that. The only requirement is to have a space before the number to be used.
For the Category Names, we can create a list with the same order as the categories selected.
Do the same list create with the level values and use a code block called a+”_”+b to add the Category Text to the Level Name to a single String.
And finally, we will use that result on the Model Elements with the node Element.SetParameterByName.
It may seem a little complicated if you are new to Dynamo, but at this point we already have one labeling script that can pull information to the exact spot that is required and we can used it with the player for any type of file as long as it’s using the Simulation parameter. Call the Script 01_Simulation Parameter. Learn more about writing simulation parameters in Dynamo.
Creating a Time Schedule from Model Information
The next process is to create, as easily as possible, a time schedule with all simulation activities. We need to start by pulling all categories in the proper order so that they can get proper timing.
And from there, we get the new Simulation parameter values so that we can find how many tasks are there, using a Get ParameterValueByName a Unique Items and a Sort so they are sorted by their values.
And then, by counting the number of elements, will give each field a duration value in days, such as 2 for foundation tasks, 2 for framing tasks, 3 for Columns Tasks, and 2 for Floors.
Next, mix them with the TimeDurationProgression node that would give us time separation for each particular task adding to the end a progression of days for each group to start.
With those numbers, it’s now easy to work with time, creating a starting date by numbers, and using the values of the progression as time spans that can be added to the start date, with the duration of those tasks.
Want more? Download the full class handout to read on.
Enrique Galicia is a BIM specialist who works as a consultant to several international firms. He provides real construction solutions to common problems while implementing and using BIM using Autodesk Revit, Autodesk Navisworks, AutoCAD Civil 3D, and Dynamo. He has 13 years of experience with workflows of BIM, interoperability, and developments. He has worked on more than 110 projects with BIM, and worked deeply on research to enhance future workflows for BIM uses. He was awarded Excellence Professor of Architecture in 2019 by the Tecnologico de Monterrey giving BIM courses and seminars. He has developed 81 online courses on Udemy’s platform to spread the word using BIM true potential with more than 15,000 students in over 154 countries, and is always happy to help. | https://medium.com/autodesk-university/express-4d-simulation-scheduling-and-construction-management-with-dynamo-37ed2cec9e44 | ['Autodesk University'] | 2021-04-23 20:50:27.108000+00:00 | ['Simulation', 'Project Management', 'Bim', 'Construction', 'Automation'] |
God is love | Photo by Will O on Unsplash
A Facebook friend asked me about how I would interpret the statement “God is love.” I would like to share my pondering and reflections here, based on my many decades of learning and experience. I will draw on my learning in Buddhism, ecology and quantum mechanics.
“God is love,” like any other religious statements, is just a metaphor. God is not a person. God is not even an object that is apart from us. Instead of calling God “love,” it is perhaps better to call it “inter-relatedness” or “interconnectedness.” The Buddha talked about Dependent Origination (Pratītyasamutpāda). It means everything in the universe arises and falls away based on its relationship with other things. We live in a cosmic “ecosystem.” If one thing is changed, all others will be affected. It is just like we will all have problems if the bees go extinct.
God is love in this sense — the relationship between us and the rest of the universe is a kind of symbiotic relationship. It is like the relationship between the lips and the teeth. If the lips are gone, the teeth will also suffer. Today, many of us are concerned about climate change and the potential extinction of the honey bees and many other species. Without the honey bees, the food chain will be disrupted and we may have food shortage. In this sense, everything in the universe is co-dependent. Without one, there can’t be the other. I see “God” or Brahman as this inter-relatedness.
What about the eating of food? Don’t we eat other lives for our own health and survival? How can this be “love”? Doesn’t the eating of others causes others pain? I find some inspiration from the Taittiriya Upanishad. At the end of this Upanishad, it says:
“I am food (object), I am food, I am food! I am the eater of food (subject), I am the eater of food, I am the eater of food! I am the poet (who joins the two together), I am the poet, I am the poet!”
This makes sense from the perspective of the cyclical nature of the food chain. In the end, we all take each other as food. Humans are at the top of the food chain. But when we die, our bodies are also consumed by worms. This completes the circle. Again, this is inter-relatedness. Everything in the natural world recycles. God is “love.” This is the nature of all things.
The verse quoted above also says “I am the poet.” Poetry is not literally true. What is Truth? Ultimately, we can only speak in metaphors. In our common concepts, we have notions of subject and object, self and others. But the Buddha taught that there is no self. The notion of self is an illusion. This is the logical conclusion of inter-relatedness. And it is not just a religious doctrine. There is no self even in cellular biology. The mitochondria in our cells, so essential for the production of energy, were originally foreign organisms. Today, we also talk about the importance of gut biome (the micro organisms living in our guts) for our well-being. We truly have no self. We are just mixtures.
If we take away the basic concepts of self versus other, subject versus object, then our common language will collapse. The common language is built on these mental and social constructs, which are essentially imagined objects and metaphors. Quantum physicists can tell you that even our basic models of the atom and the electrons too are metaphors. Because human beings rely on a language which makes “common sense,” we cannot stop using poetry.
I am happy living in a world of metaphors and poetry. What is “literally true”? Is there really an Ultimate Reality? What does it even mean? Even if there is some kind of transcendental truth, can we, as finite humans, understand it? I leave these questions as Mystery. I am comfortable living the Mystery.
Instead of visualizing “God” as an old patriarch sitting on a throne, I use the imagery of a knot that ties everything in the universe together. I am comfortable saying “God is love,” with the full understanding that it is poetic language. | https://kleong54.medium.com/god-is-love-d8d2afca8c4 | ['Kenneth Leong'] | 2020-02-21 03:08:33.483000+00:00 | ['Dependent Origination', 'Buddhism', 'Eco Systm', 'Metaphor', 'God Is Love'] |
Philly Based Entertainment Company to Team up with South Korean Esports Giant | Stadium Audience Watching Esports game [Image: Blizzard Entertainment]
After a successful first season, the Overwatch League kicked off its second season in February, 2019. Overwatch is a popular first person shooter (FPS) game developed by Blizzard Entertainment, which also oversees the esports league of the same name. For the current season, the league has added eight more teams to its roster reflecting the rise in popularity not only in the game but also esports as an industry. Now with 20 teams, a total of 193 athletes compete in the Atlantic and Pacific divisions.
The Philadelphia Fusion, which placed second in the previous inaugural Overwatch League, is owned and operated by Comcast Spectacor, a Pennsylvania-based sports and entertainment company which also owns traditional sports teams such as the Philadelphia Flyers and the Maine Mariners. And with the esports industry experiencing a period of explosive growth, Comcast is poised to tap into the expanding market by joining hands with South Korea’s largest telecommunications company, SK Telecom. In the same month that the Overwatch League season two kicked off, the two companies announced that they will form a joint venture to create T1 Entertainment & Sports, a company dedicated to everything esports. While Comcast Spectacor currently only owns an Overwatch gaming team, the new venture is expected to expand its portfolio by supporting teams playing other games such as League of Legends, Fortnite, and Super Smash Bros.
Comcast’s decision to collaborate with SK telecom, owner of the League of Legends gaming team T1, signals more than a simple international joint venture. The Western esports industry has been looking East for growth opportunities, as Asia region is projected to account for 57% of global esports enthusiasts this year. Furthermore, teaming up with SK telecom from South Korea, home of esports, will help Comcast and the Western esports industry boost market presence in the lucrative Asian market.
The United States is the world leader in esports revenue, being responsible for 37% of global total revenue. The annual revenue for esports in North America in 2017 was $345 million, and the industry is projected to reach near $1.8 billion globally by 2022. The momentum of growth in esports is backed by robust viewership from younger generations. Three-quarters of teens and young adults aged between 14 and 21 identify as gamers in the United States, and 58% of young Americans reported that they have watched a live or recorded video of other people playing video games. Furthermore, 38% of respondents identified as a fan of esports, not dissimilar to the 40% who responded they were fans of the NFL.
Brian Kim is participant of the Young Professionals Program at the East-West Center in Washington. He holds a master’s degree in Korean Language and Asian Studies from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. | https://medium.com/asia-matters-for-america/philly-based-entertainment-company-to-team-up-with-south-korean-esports-giant-53375c5c0da3 | ['East-West Center In Washington'] | 2019-05-07 14:53:31.860000+00:00 | ['South Korea', 'Entertainment', 'Esport', 'Asia', 'Videogames'] |
Do You Know Which One is the Best Food for a New Mum? | Do You Know Which One is the Best Food for a New Mum?
Nutrients packed wonder to heal and repair
I didn’t act smart during the 2 months after giving birth; I didn’t prioritise my nutrition, rest and mental sanity. This is why I’m here reinforcing the message of how important they are.
12 hours after giving birth, I went to town with black teas, chocolate cake (it was my husband ‘s birthday, so….) and lots and lots of raw salad and barely cooked eggs. And heaps of coffee. I wanted to enjoy all the things I couldn’t touch during my pregnancy.
Did it serve me? Not at all.
It took me the longest time to heal, I had problems sleeping, and I couldn’t rely on my energy level because of its unpredictability as it went from 100 to crushing in the shortest amount of time.
That’s when I put my nutritionist hat on and I started focusing on nourishment instead of momentarily pleasure.
During the postpartum period, a mother needs easy to digest, nutrient-rich, warm meals to recover and to regain vitality, and she needs to look for:
Foods that contain calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus to strengthen her bones, as whenever these nutrients aren’t part of the normal diet, these minerals are leached to support the baby and the production of milk, and it can lead to osteopenia or even osteoporosis down the line. Nutrients that support the immune system and the replenishment and differentiation of the gut microbiome. Meals that calm the stomach and decrease fatigue. Foods that assist healing (be on the hunt for glycine, proline, and Zinc). Something, something that can alleviate the “mommy’s brain” and that can improve sleep, brain function, and mood.
Bone broth has been described as the golden drink; it has been claimed that it can “cure” everything, from leaky gut (aka intestinal permeability) to road rage.
Although I’m a vegetarian, I can say that bone broth is the quintessential meal when it comes down to speedy recovery and constant energy, as it contains 17 amino acid, collagen, and gelatin.
Although the hype of drinking bone broth on a regular basis is quite recent, bone broth and chicken broth were made by our ancestors from the beginning of time.
The fact is that that when an animal was hunted, they would eat every single part of it, but unfortunately, some parts were too hard to chew. This is when the caveman quickly discovered that heat would break down tough animal bones and draw out nutrients.
Until years ago every single household had a pot of broth constantly simmering on the stove, but this tradition has been lost in favour of modern convenience and the necessity to have everything ready and fast.
But why Is Bone broth so beneficial?
The liquid gold contains a high amount of the amino acids Glutamine, which is critical for the correct functioning of our immune system. L-glutamine is normally produced by our body but there are times when the needs are higher than its production, and we need to up its intake through an appropriate diet. Many foods such as egg and soy contain Glutamine, but I find that bone broth is the easiest way to introduce it thanks to its versatility (Hall et al. 1996).
Why do we need Glutamine?
It’s valuable to improve intestinal health, and it prevents intestinal permeability, which can lead to autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto’s (Deamling 2009).
It strengthens the immune system as its function can be impaired by the lack of sufficient Glutamine, and it is also a fuel source for immune cells (including white blood cells and intestinal cells) (Deamling 2009).
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Immunology found that L-glutamine normalizes the effects of the TH2 immune response that stimulates inflammatory cytokines. The effects of L-glutamine in these studies show that it reduces intestinal inflammation and can help people recover from food sensitivities (Chang, Yang and Shaio 1999).
It’s an important source of energy.
A study conducted at the New York University School of Medicine showed that Glutamine can also help stall brain aging (Soomro et al. 2018).
Bone is also full of a variety of minerals, including:
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Copper
• Iron
• Manganese
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Zinc (Sarco 2005)
Always go for organic grass fed bone broth cooked for at least 24 hours (unless there is a Histamine intolerance at play) and enjoy it on a regular basis. This doesn’t mean you have to swap your latte in the morning for a gingery cup of broth (unless you are super hardcore and want to give it a go), as you can add it whenever you cook a risotto or noodles, when you stirfry your veggies and make an omelet, or even in the pancakes batter or in your smoothie. Be creative as you can, and don’t shy off from sharing your personal recipes.
If you don’t want your house to smell like meat 24 hours a day, and if you simply can’t spend time in the kitchen, you can buy it online or from the health food shops, or in a super convenient concentrated form. Always watch out for the region where it’s coming from, how the cows were raised (organic, grass-fed) and for the cooking length(24–48 hours). | https://medium.com/postpartum-motherhood-and-mental-sanity/do-you-know-which-one-is-the-best-food-for-a-new-mum-91421316153f | ['Claudia Vidor'] | 2019-06-02 21:31:00.794000+00:00 | ['Parenting', 'Motherhood', 'Diet', 'Health', 'Nutrition'] |
False Death | After a while, the monitors went blaring. The ECG waves became abnormal, and the oxygen saturation dropped. Her peripheral pulse went feeble. Her hands felt cold.
In a fraction of second, the whole team got into action. CPR cycling had already been initiated, the Critical Care team was on its way rushing from the OT complex, and peripheral lines got the injections flowing to revive the heart.
Photographic representation of hands-only CPR
Signs of survival showed up after multiple cycles each of two arms pushing rhythmically against her chest, at about 120 times a minute. It was seemingly unbelievable when the oximeter started responding again. The pulse was back. ROSC was established.
Her heart took a pace, and sharp peaks and valleys appeared again on the monitor. The feeling of that revived heartbeat took off the blackness around my eyes, as if a new being is born with rejuvenation. That moment felt as an eternal complexity, but on the other side, practical aspects of CPR came into liveliness and its importance was thereby established in a real setting. | https://medium.com/@dr.aakashchowdhary/false-death-c2a991784170 | ['Aakash Chowdhary'] | 2020-07-20 18:43:30.213000+00:00 | ['Hospital', 'Doctors', 'Cpr', 'Emergency Medicine', 'Emergency Response'] |
Success. One day at a time | When it comes to success, you will find as many definitions as there are stars on the night sky. Some people will say that success is having a lot of money, a brand new car, a private island and a big house in Los Angeles or in a beautiful valley in the North of Italy. Others will say that inner peace and love are the biggest achievement that one person can have in this life.
I believe that everybody is equally wrong and right at the same time.
You are the only one who can define what success will represent for you in this lifetime. Despite the fact that there is no exact recipe for greatness, by undergoing a retrospective review I managed to define some steps that will take you closer to your dreams.
Do not forget to shift
Photo by Bas Glaap on Unsplash
As kids we all wanted to be police officers, firefighters, superheroes who fight crime or farmers because we were obsessed with animals and we wanted to feed them and take care of them. Times have changed, life hit us with all of its might and now we all want to be successful businessmen, self made millionaires, accomplished writers or people who have immersed themselves in Zen. My point is that as we get older our goals start to shift and I want to emphasize on this: Don’t keep running on the same path thinking that your happiness will be at the end of that road. When you are at a cross path consider shifting to another route.
When you are at that intersection in the road and you’ve got two paths to go down, because of the impact of certain people in your life, you’re able to choose the right path. Jason Witten
Turn your losses into profit
Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash
At this point in your life you are most certainly having a lot of habits that make you feel like you are time travelling into the future. Before you know it, it is already the end of the day and when you look back the only thing that you did was drinking coffee because you wanted to start your day right, watching Netflix because you felt like taking a 3 hour break and immersing yourself in the beauty of social media because it is rude to sunder your friends from your likes and attention.
One of the biggest mistakes is to think that you should give up on those habits. One day you will relapse. You will start binging once again and everything that you did would have been in vain. Even if you do it and you cleanse yourself of any stain of procrastination, you will not be able to keep up and you will burn yourself out because you can’t work without taking any breaks.
My solution to this problem is to overturn everything. Have your coffee in silence or if this isn’t your style, listen to some music that you love or read a book so you can be in the right mood when you start working on your dreams. Instead of wasting your time on social media, read an article that is related to the field of your goal, instead of watching some movie that you picked only because you already spent 30 minutes trying to find a good movie, you can watch a documentary or listen to a podcast from which you might learn something new and expand your knowledge, instead of playing a video game or staying in bed like a bear that is about to hibernate, go outside and just breathe, let the nature do all the work. Let the sun warm you up and illuminate your face, let the wind blow on your skin, disconnect from your work and reconnect with the Universe.
Always invest in yourself
Photo by Héctor Martínez on Unsplash
In order to achieve a real profit, you have to invest money, time and dedication and the best investment that you can make is to invest in yourself. Buy that expensive course that you were reluctant to take, buy yourself as many books as you need in order to become great at something, buy yourself the gear that you need and don’t be afraid to spend a lot.
You can’t grow until you are ready to do it and the only way to achieve that is by constantly improving yourself, by constantly bringing your knowledge, your body, your mind and soul to the next level.
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions”
Photo by Justin Veenema on Unsplash
On paper we are the best real estate agents, famous writers, mesmerizing bodybuilders or productivity icons. The truth is that we are dreamers and until we are going to leap over that hole filled with doubt, procrastination and fear, we are not going to get any closer to our goals. We will keep planning our future without getting the chance to actually live it and sooner or later “I will do it” will become “I wish I would have done it”. Do not waste your time being afraid. Reshape yourself into a fearless, driven doer.
Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death. James F. Byrnes
Take a step back
Photo by Nicholas Sampson on Unsplash
Once in a while the best action is to slow down and take a step back. This is the only way to see if the path that you have taken resonates with you. This is the perfect opportunity to analyze everything that you have done and think if this is still what you want to invest your time into.
Taking a step back is the only way to see if you can improve your work ethic or change something for the better. Small changes bring big profits in the long run. Changing things little by little can make the difference between success and failure.
Hit rock bottom
Photo by Iswanto Arif on Unsplash
Do not be afraid to fail. Hitting rock bottom is not pleasant, but it is the moment when you have to pick yourself up and try again. Failure is nothing but a sign that you are not ready yet, it is a sign that you have to change your game plan and try harder.
When you hit rock bottom, remember this. While you’re struggling, rock bottom can also be a great foundation on which to build and on which to grow. (Rick Rigsby, Lessons From a Third Grade Dropout)
Reward yourself
Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash
Do not forget to reward yourself. Every step towards your goal should be celebrated because it is your achievement. Buy something nice for yourself, something that you always wanted, take yourself out for dinner, take the day off and enjoy life, have some time for yourself and celebrate the fact that you are getting closer to fulfilling your dreams.
Start your path to success by conquering one day at a time
Photo by Rahul Dey on Unsplash
Today is the best day to start working on your dreams. Yesterday is “too late” and tomorrow is “unknown”. Don’t try to plan everything because something will come up in the near future and I am 100% sure that it will mess up your plans. Plan what you are going to do today. Start your day by making a step towards your dream. Do one push up, read one page, close one deal, write one sentence and after you did all of those things once, repeat them all over again. Do it until the day is over, do it until you feel accomplished.
The only way to become successful is by seizing this moment and making the most out of it. Remodel yourself by the image of the person you want to be. Harness your power from every little thing that surrounds you and use it to go the extra mile. Look inside yourself, find your hunger for success and let it drive you to the next level.
Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts. Winston S. Churchill
Empower yourself. | https://medium.com/personal-growth/success-one-day-at-a-time-f336063c9abd | ['Tudor Bungărdean'] | 2020-12-03 01:12:44.006000+00:00 | ['Greatness', 'Success', 'Happiness', 'Life', 'Inner Peace'] |
Justice for the Victims in Karabakh | Justice for the Victims in Karabakh
News broke down that four Azeri soldiers were arrested after committing war crimes during the recent war. The accused perpetrators brutalised their victims and went on to vandalise graves and deface the corpses of the fallen. Almost a month after the ceasefire was signed, horrifying videos surfaced on social media, depicting the gruesome executions-by-beheading of two elderly men.
START AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION!
After the Russian-negotiated ceasefire was signed, an avalanche of videos resurfaced, all capturing the horrendous mistreatment of civilians and soldiers alike. However, it is important to remember that these soldiers were not arrested after legal inquiries or truth-seeking work. Instead, they were caught red-handed on social media. The clips of their transgressions have been reposted all over the internet, and even on Volt’s end, we found the horrific footage linked under several statements we’d posted on the conflict in Karabakh. It is likely that what granted this atrocity its infamy — and what got the perpetrators arrested — was not that these acts were unique for the war, but rather that they went viral on social media.
War crimes do not happen in a vacuum, and they are rarely isolated incidents, so now that the power of social media has revealed what is likely just a part of the depraved acts of violence that took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, the international system must do its duty to the victims and to those who mourn.
It is all but certain that we will continue to stumble upon these awful truths in the next months and we must ensure that those guilty of these indefensible acts are sentenced. To that end, we urgently need an large-scale independent investigation into what has taken place during the autumn of 2020. This investigation must be internationally led, and must not be a front for the regional powers that both fanned the flame of conflict, and reaped the benefits of the hastily drawn-up peace.
THE FUTURE ROLE OF EUROPE
This tragedy gives reason to pause and reflect on what can only be described as Europe’s total failure in the region. While policy experts saw the writing on the wall and predicted Europe’s marginal impact from the get-go, it would not have had to end that way. Had Europe been on top of things, Brussels could have launched a special mediation mission to the region, and worked to stabilise things when the conflict was at its most volatile point.
Instead, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh got empty words and silence. When Russia and Turkey divvied up the spoils, what recognition was offered to the plight of the civilians whose mountains had been set ablaze in the name of Russia’s cynical geopolitics and Turkey’s grandiose ambitions of imperialism reborn? Europe didn’t bother to throw its soft power behind those who needed it the most, and now the message is clear: President von der Leyen’s “geopolitical commission” is foundationally shambolic.
This disaster does not absolve the EU from its duty to step in and be a reliable partner in the region, but instead underpins the need for a rethought European presence. Now, more than ever, the EU must double down on preventing Armenia from backsliding further into authoritarianism. Brussels must actively support Armenia’s path to democracy, staying by Yerevan’s side along that bumpy road. Already in the current neighbourhood policy of the EU, does the EU allege that it supports Armenia’s democratic governance, and that Europe nurtures the development of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
SHOW, DON’T TELL
By all standards, Europe could be a diplomatic powerhouse, but how can we assert ourselves at the global negotiating table when we fail to act against war crimes and crimes against humanity in our direct neighbourhood? European leaders talk a big game about Europe’s international role, and now they must put their money where their mouths are.
High Representative Josep Borrell said that “the European Union remains committed to respect, protect and fulfil human rights for all” and that Europe is “the strongest supporter of multilateralism with human rights at its core”. Admittedly, it is a good story. Now, Europe must prove that it means business.
The new Neighbourhood Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) approved by the European parliament includes a €2.4 billion envelope provided for Common Foreign and Security Policy. This package must not be a number thrown around to show how much Europe cares, but strategically used means to genuinely good ends. Otherwise, our international role — just like the High Representative’s quotes — will remain an exaggeration, bordering on the fictitious.
Currently, the EU stands ready to be allowed to participate in and contribute to the shaping of a durable settlement of the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Its efforts were still limited to financial contributions to humanitarian funding for a total of €3.9 million. Although, for a comprehensive settlements of conflicts, the EU must look beyond its usual financial contribution and start using diplomatic pressure to sit at the negotiations table. The OSCE Minsk Group is doing a terrific job, although we should not let EU neighborhood be defined solely by France, the Russian Federation, and the United States.
On the topic of fiction and telling stories, one of the most important rules of writing a good novel is show, don’t tell, which is exactly what the EU must do. Brussels has to take its geopolitical ambitions out of theoretical dreamlands, and use Europe’s power smartly, to actually have impact beyond trying to enthuse a lukewarm crowd of Euroquarter think-tanks. While in Brussels, leaders have the luxury of musing on Europe’s role, without getting out of their comfort zone, Europe’s absence is felt keenly around the world, and the void we leave is filled by other actors, whose endgames might range far from ours.
Co-Authored:
Joel Boehme, Board Member — Volt Europa
[email protected]
Robin Fontaine, Communications — Volt Europa [email protected] | https://medium.com/volt-europa/justice-for-the-victims-in-karabakh-4a40cdbd5549 | ['Robin Fontaine'] | 2021-03-22 12:42:10.575000+00:00 | ['War', 'Europe', 'Armenia', 'Foreign Policy'] |
Boeing’s 737 Max is safe — European regulator | The head of Europe’s aviation safety agency, EASA, has told the BBC he is “certain” Boeing’s 737 Max is now safe to fly. Executive Director Patrick Ky said his organization had “left no stone unturned” in its review of the aircraft and its analysis of design changes made by the manufacturer.
The plane was grounded in March 2019. That was after it was involved in two catastrophic accidents, in which a total of 346 people died. It has already been cleared to resume flights in the US and Brazil. EASA expects to give permission for it to return to service in Europe in mid-January. The plane’s first accident occurred in October 2018, when a Lion Air jet came down in the sea off Indonesia.
New software
The second involved an Ethiopian Airlines version that crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, just four months later. Both have been attributed to flawed flight control software, which became active at the wrong time and prompted the aircraft to go into a catastrophic dive.
Since the Ethiopian crash, EASA has been carrying out a root-and-branch review of the 737 Max’s design, independently from a similar process undertaken by the US regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The aim, he says, was to look at anything which could cause a critical failure. To return to service, existing planes will now have to be equipped with new computer software, as well as undergoing changes to their wiring and cockpit instrumentation.
‘Confident’ of safety
As a result, Mr. Ky insists, “We are very confident that it is now a very safe aircraft.” Most of the initial safety certification work on the 737 Max was carried out by the FAA, and simply endorsed by EASA under the terms of a long-standing international agreement.
he explains | https://medium.com/@gokuljith006/boeings-737-max-is-safe-european-regulator-7291aac7d0c6 | [] | 2020-12-21 05:10:45.894000+00:00 | ['Europe News', 'Europe', 'Boeing'] |
Medium 101: A Guide For New Writers | Where Do I Submit A Story?
There are thousands of publications on Medium. From the biggest — The Startup — closing in on 700,000 followers, to many small ones with just a handful of followers.
It can be tempting to start at the top — but when you’re a novice writer, a far better strategy is to target the smaller publications. They generally respond quickly and are more open to giving opportunities to new and emerging writers.
It can be a significant confidence boost to get a story accepted and watch your stats increase. It will help you build your writing portfolio. You can grow with a small publication. Build an engaging relationship with the audience. And by association, create your own following.
Below are a few to try:
How Do I Submit? — Part 1
You’ve applied to be a writer to one of the above publications. That’s the first step completed.
Once accepted, you will see they’ll be added to your profile. If you click on your Publications on your profile — you will see the list you are now a writer for. It’s worth checking this daily as some publications don’t notify you when they have added you as a writer — it just magically appears.
Now you can begin writing!
When the story is finished:
Check there are no spelling or grammatical errors. Most writers use Grammarly or ProWritingAid. These are free tools and are invaluable.
Come up with an enticing headline. There are thousands of writers competing for your attention — make sure yours stands out.
Include an appealing royalty-free image. Unsplash is the website I would recommend for this.
Read through the submission guidelines once more for the publication you are writing for. Does it match their style guide? Content rules?
Next step is to edit!
How Do I Edit?
Once you have written a piece, it’s tempting to start sending it to publications.
WAIT!
Leave it for a few hours. Then come back and read it with fresh eyes. Edit accordingly.
This is important. No one writes the perfect first draft.
Some great editing tips are below:
Once you are 100% happy with the article and it meets the guidelines you can submit it.
How Do I Submit? — Part 2
Okay, now it’s ready and you can finally submit to a publication.
Click the three dots in the top right-hand corner.
Select “Add to publication” and choose the appropriate publication.
Select “Submit”, add tags, and the draft will be sent to their editors for review.
Can I Submit To Two Places At Once?
You can. But you shouldn’t! I know it’s exciting to finish a piece, and you want to share it with the world — however, it’s important to only submit to one publication at a time.
While it may be good for your ego, if two publications both say yes, at the end of the day you are going to piss one of the editors off. And that’s not good for your brand.
Submit. And Wait.
And wait.
How Long Should I Wait?
Generally in the publication style guide — which I know you have read twice — they will advise how long they take to reply to submissions.
The smaller publications are generally one to two days. The bigger ones can be up to two weeks.
Patience is the key here. Wait the allotted time and if you hear nothing, then try somewhere else.
Use this waiting time to write your next article. Forget about the submitted article until it is published — then you will need to work on marketing the story.
What is Curation?
This is the goal of many writers. Facebook groups are flooded with questions on curation.
To quote Medium —
“Thousands of stories are published every day on Medium. Our goal is to share the best of these stories with Medium readers. We do this with the help of our curation team, who reviews recently published stories and selects those that meet a high editorial standard for curation.
What does it mean to be curated? When a story is curated, it becomes eligible to be distributed to readers across Medium surfaces — on the homepage, on-topic pages, in our app, in our Daily Digest newsletter, and in other emails — and shared via Medium’s recommendation system.”
Being curated can help get eyeballs onto your article. It means it can be featured in search results and newsletters, greatly expanding the reach and initial distribution.
Medium is relatively strict on curation and what an article needs to look like to be curated. The guidelines can be found here:
Can I Publish A Story Myself?
Of course! Be your own writer, editor, and publisher. The benefit of self-publishing is no editor can reject you!
The downside is unless you have a lot of followers, the number of eyeballs that see your story will be far less. The advantage of a publication is a built-in audience.
Can I Submit A Story That Has Already Been Published?
Most publications only accept drafts of unpublished work. A few will republish existing material but it’s quite rare.
It will state in their style guide if they accept previously published work. (You’ve read that guide three times now — right?)
How Long Does It Take To Be Curated?
Some prominent publications have the right to curate themselves. This will mean stories published with them will be immediately curated.
Writers with good reputations may be seen by curators soon after publication and have stories curated quickly.
For many, however, you will see the dreaded message:
This means exactly what it says — hang tight! It can take anywhere from one day to one month to get a curation decision. Some people talk of curation jail — writers who seemingly never get curation. Whether this is a fable or true, you should follow the guidelines to give yourself the best chance of being curated. It can be hard, but patience is the key. Are you sensing a pattern here? Writers need a lot of patience.
If your article isn’t curated, you will see a message Not Distributed In Topics.
Don’t fret — while curation helps, it doesn’t mean non-curation kills an article. Sometimes the pieces that perform the best aren’t curated. It makes it harder, but not impossible.
What Should I Write About?
There are two ways to approach writing — one is to write on the topics that make money. The other is to focus on creativity.
The articles that generally do the best are:
Personal Essays
These are stories where it’s mostly about the author but there is a small takeaway at the end. It is tempting to write about yourself.
Your journeys, experiences, what you ate for lunch. This may be interesting to people who know you. Medium readers don’t know you. Put simply — no one cares about you.
It’s important to give something to the readers. If you have gone through an amazing experience — use that to tell a story and then explain how this can help the reader.
Self Help Articles
These are very common and are variations of “How-to”, “ Five Ways to” etc. It can be challenging to cover something that hasn’t been done before, so do some research. Popular topics include Writing, Mental Health, Freelancing, Startup.
One hint — use the word “you” more than the word “I.” Make the story about the reader, not about the author.
Creative Non-fiction
The author muses over a topic and the reader feels like they are hearing their inner thoughts. This is a good way to combine creativity with the potential to earn money.
Creativity
If your focus isn't to make money but more to enjoy your writing and be creative then you can write short fiction and poetry. They have far smaller audiences, so you won't get rich but you might gather some appreciative followers or find a tribe of like-minded writers.
How Do I Write?
Every writer goes through a phase when they can’t write. They are unable to think of topics to write about, or the words just don’t flow.
Don’t panic and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Unless you have a book deal with a pressing deadline — in which case you probably don’t need to read this — you don’t have to write every day. Sometimes it’s good to have a day off.
There are some tips to get the creative juices flowing:
Here is an unusual process that can assist with unblocking the brain.
Can I share my draft with someone without publishing?
Yes.
Before you hit publish go to the ellipsis in the right-hand corner (…)
Click on “Share draft link.” Copy the link and paste it into an email, message, text etc to share it with the people you want to share it with.
This is a great idea for your first couple of articles. It’s important to get feedback before submitting.
What are Tags?
Each story is allowed to have five tags.
These should be relevant to the story and are a way to help drive traffic. A very detailed analysis of tags can be found here.
Can I Post a Story I Have Written On Another Website?
Yes, you can! There is even an option to import stories from a blog.
Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the page and click Stories. Click Import a story. Paste the URL of the story you’d like to import into the field and click Import. Click See your story. Edit your post and click Publish to publish it on your profile.
You may want to post at the bottom of the story it was originally published elsewhere but that isn't mandatory.
One thing to note — using the method above, Medium will take the date the story was originally posted. So if a story is two years old, Medium will reflect that date. If you don't want that, you will have to cut and paste the article into Medium.
How Do I Get Paid?
So you want to make some money? Quit your job and live off passive Medium income?
Sorry — this is unlikely to happen. But if you follow a lot of these steps listed, you’ll have the best chance of success. And yes — get some money.
Whether that’s enough to buy one cup of coffee or a new car depends on you.
You will need to enroll in the Medium Partner Program. It’s a reasonably straightforward process, and monthly earnings are paid out in the first week of each month for the preceding month.
You will need to put your writing behind the Medium paywall for the stories to be eligible for payment. Some publications don’t allow this, but the majority do.
You need to check this box to make the story eligible for payment.
Some nationalities have difficulty in setting the Stripe account needed to receive payments. There is a workaround here.
A Medium writer from Pakistan lists the way to still earn from Medium from any country.
How Do I Get People to Read My Article?
The million-dollar question. Or more likely the $1 question — because if no one reads the article you won’t be earning money.
Being a writer is 50% writing and 50% marketing. Hopefully, you’ve chosen a topic that people are interested in reading. And it’s been selected by a publication.
Now the real work begins — you need to promote the article. Post it on all your social channels. Send the link to friends. Find other websites that you can promote to.
Many stories is one that I use that can drive traffic. Reddit and Quora are two places to use for promotion.
There are lots of Medium Facebook groups you can join and promote your stories to. This is a great way to get tips, meet fellow writers and engage with them. One tip though — you must participate. Don’t be tempted to just spam your story links across Facebook — this can backfire
Linked In can be a great way — especially if the topics are business-related. It’s also a useful channel to try and attract freelance gigs and earn money outside Medium.
Another essential part of marketing is the SEO — search engine optimisation.
If you click on the three dots at the top of the screen and then select More Settings, you can then improve the SEO of the article.
You can change the SEO title and also enter a description to SEO. Make sure you work on these. These should be done before you publish, but can always be adjusted after.
With proper SEO, Google will pick up your article, and after a few months, you will see increased traffic to that article.
How Do I Get Followers?
Two key ways:
Write engaging content.
2. Engage with fellow writers.
Market your stories as described above. But more importantly engage with other Medium writers. Comment on stories. Highlight passages that resonate with you.
This will get your name out there but also show you are interested in your writing community. Others will then check out your work.
It takes time to build a following. It doesn’t take much time to lose an audience. Once you have them — keep them!
Why Am I Not Getting Rich?
If Medium were a quick path to financial wealth, everyone would be writing here. The fact is only around 6% of writers on Medium earn more than $100 a month.
It can be both promising and disheartening to read the articles saying “How I Made $8000 this month on Medium,” because it sets unrealistic expectations. Very, very few earn big dollars. And those that do often take years to get to that stage.
Think about why you want to write and what you want to get out of it — aside from money
Why Does My Article Not Get Any Views?
Ah, the lament of a new writer dreaming of fame, and being shot down. Unfortunately, you need to prepare for failure. For rejection. And for articles that you spent days working on to be seen by few.
If you have followed guidelines and done as much marketing as you could — then it’s best to move onto the next piece. Some articles end up in the Medium wasteland for no reason.
It can be tempting to hit the refresh button on the stats page every few minutes to see if there was any new views. Don’t torment yourself. Move On.
Why Did My Article Get Rejected?
There could be a long list of reasons.
Number one would be quality. It just wasn’t good enough.
Maybe it didn’t meet the style guidelines of the publication (I told you to read it).
Maybe, the editor was just having a bad day and passed on it.
As a writer, you will face a lot of rejection. Get over it quickly, or you won’t succeed.
What next?
Repeat the above steps. Practice your writing. Work on your marketing connect with other writers. If you can, find yourself a Medium mentor — a writer with experience who is happy to help get you started. | https://medium.com/inspired-writer/medium-101-a-guide-for-new-writers-fbcdc42509f | ['Ash Jurberg'] | 2020-06-16 12:18:59.830000+00:00 | ['Writing', 'Advice', 'Productivity', 'Self Improvement', 'Writing Tips'] |
What is Business Analytics? | Analytics describes and, as a result, takes measures to change various internal parameters. They add value to the company by identifying needs and justifying decisions. Today, any company, regardless of its size, understands that business analysis is necessary in order to withstand the competition and develop further.
Even if you have a small grocery store, without realizing it yourself, you perform simple, but still business analytics: you calculate how much to buy each of the goods, why exactly this and exactly how much, agree with suppliers and a logistics company.
Analysis tasks
The analysis involves the study of reports and data by dividing them into separate component parts. And the business itself is also a system consisting of several interconnected parts that interact, and the efficiency of the business as a whole depends on the effectiveness of their interaction.
Each company sets itself tasks individually, based on generally accepted goals: for some, it is important to reduce the cost of a certain project, for others — to receive additional investments, someone wants to complete the project on time, increase profits, etc.
Business analytics goals
Business analysis is performed to achieve the following results:
Reduced costs
Finding a solution to the problem
Improving project efficiency
Completion of projects on time
Documenting all requirements
Our solutions
The business analysis must be fast, accurate, and affordable. Of course, large amounts of data amassed by companies make business analysis difficult. And here big data comes to the rescue for analyzing big data. We implement software solutions for automated data collection and analysis.
Our solutions allow you to process:
Any amount of data
From any source
At high speed
And as a result, present the processed data in the form of beautiful, convenient, understandable and interactive graphs. With the help of such a solution, you can see the picture of the efficiency of the business as a whole and immediately move to a lower level in seconds — sales by category or the employment of employees.
Any business owner can independently work with such solutions — this does not require special knowledge. And most importantly, on the basis of this information, one can and should draw conclusions, predict and make fateful decisions. Thanks to the software, you do not need to wait days, weeks or months for specialists to generate department reports for you, everything is calculated in seconds.
Such automated systems can be used in any area:
Online Marketing
Sales
E-commerce
Logistics
HR department
Accounting and finance department, etc.
It is as easy as shelling pears to scale up a business in the market, have complete control over every detail, or integrate IoT technologies into your system. CimpleO brings you high-quality IoT software tailored to your needs. We do not resell someone else’s. We create unique designs with individual functionality not available in mass-market products. | https://medium.com/cimpleo/what-is-business-analytics-637b5e26b99e | ['Step Dorogov'] | 2021-06-18 06:59:54.866000+00:00 | ['Big Data Analytics', 'Big Data', 'Analytics', 'Business Analysis', 'Business Development'] |
Apply 5 of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Best Techniques to Your Data | Disagreement if this is Leonardo da Vinci’s self-portrait — but most believe it is.
Apply 5 of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Best Techniques to Your Data
You Can Create Mini Masterpieces with Data
Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most influential artists who ever lived. While best known for the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper artwork, he was self-taught in many other disciplines — such as medicine, science, architecture, and even warfare inventions.
Today, you can apply his love of details, curiosity about the world, and inspired beauty to your data communications.
Technique 1: Showing the Data’s Soul
Da Vinci has been described as one of the most gifted and inventive men in history. He was born more than 500 years ago in the Tuscan town of Vinci in Italy. His birth was during the Renaissance period, a time when the Middle Ages started transitioning into the modern world.
During his life, da Vinci kept a journal that had sketches, ideas, and reminders. From these notebooks, we have been able to study his thinking patterns. From da Vinci, we can embrace curiosity, systems thinking, love of detail, and even risk-taking.
“A good painter has two chief objects to paint — man and the intention of his soul. The former is easy, the latter hard, for it must be expressed by gestures and the movement of the limbs.”
Vitruvian Man (Public Domain)
His Vitruvian Man drawing is a man standing inside a circle and a square that shows his understanding of proportions. Da Vinci was described as extremely handsome and exceedingly charming. This drawing is thought to be a self-portrait.
Think about how that might apply to data — every day we have to show the data and explain what it means. Our job is to show the soul of the data from using machine learning and data visualization techniques.
Technique 2: Da Vinci Liked the Details
To keep his art exact, da Vinci dissected human and animal bodies. While he was working to have more exact artwork, his drawings for the internal organs and the body’s muscular structures are some of the first known drawings. These were some of the first anatomy drawings — as you look at his artwork notice how the details in the face and body are shown.
This is our goal with our data communications — show the entirety and the details so the viewer understands the entire picture. Similar to Da Vinci — it means you understand the underlying principles or the anatomy of the data. This is how you communicate the rich insights you find in the data.
Technique 3: Applying Systems Thinking
Systems thinking is the ability to understand how pieces influence the whole. Da Vinci saw patterns in the natural world and applied those patterns in multiple ways. From his study of anatomy, he developed ideas for how gears and levers worked. His ability to interconnect concepts and apply those ideas to other fields enhanced his ability to solve problems.
Systems Thinking applied to a Wheel
This same process of systems thinking can be applied to data communications. By thinking about business issues as applied to the entire process or organization, you can better understand how each question or insight will change the entire process.
In the Data Analytics — System Thinking post, the author suggests how analysts can cause issues when they don’t consider the impact of a single metric. It is easy to isolate that value without considering the upstream and downstream approach, but this is dangerous! The metrics are part of a larger system and changing one can have ripple effects on others. When you think of the system, consider if your insights are valuable.
Da Vinci’s observations and consideration for each element are how we should be thinking of our data communications.
Technique 4: Think Visually for Instant Impact
Photo by Pavel Nekoranec on Unsplash
In one of his notebooks, da Vinci noted how paintings were superior to writing because paintings could communicate in moments that a poem would take hours to say. This is exactly how we think of data visualization today!
None of this visual thinking is clearer than what we learn from the Mona Lisa. Scholars have commented on the Mona Lisa smile. Is she smiling or is she sad? If you focus on the mouth, it may appear that she is only smiling. As you pull away and notice her eyes, she is very clearly smiling and even watches you as you cross the room.
Da Vinci’s sfumato technique, where he blurs the lines and boundaries, brought realism to his work. He didn’t think people saw sharp lines but rather an unfocused smokiness. He said the technique was “without lines or borders, in the manner of smoke or beyond the focus plane”. When translated, sfumato is derived from the Italian word for smoke.
He analyzed everything about the human face to better understand how to paint it. For his masterpiece Mona Lisa he dissected the human face to understand the muscles related to the lips. Da Vinci wanted to impact with his artwork. He wanted to move the viewer, which is exactly what we want with our data communications. Impact!
Technique 5: Finding Unexpected Insights
If you journey to Milan, Italy, you can see one of da Vinci’s most famous paintings — The Last Supper. This artwork is painted on the wall of the Santa Maria Delle Grazie. The painting depicts a story from the New Testament of Christ having what would be his last meal with his 12 followers. Da Vinci wanted to capture the moment that Christ revealed that he would be betrayed by someone at the table. | https://towardsdatascience.com/yes-your-data-communications-are-mini-masterpieces-e8877af1e333 | ['Tricia Aanderud'] | 2019-10-09 22:55:04.721000+00:00 | ['Data Journalism', 'Art', 'Data Science', 'Communication', 'Data Visualization'] |
Django ORM 模型層 OneToOne(一對一) | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/my-back-end-life/django-orm-%E6%A8%A1%E5%9E%8B%E5%B1%A4-onetoone-%E4%B8%80%E5%B0%8D%E4%B8%80-bf4f567b620f | ['承諺 Harry Tsai'] | 2021-01-03 17:01:37.727000+00:00 | ['Backend', 'Orm', 'Django', 'One To One'] |
With Great Technology, Comes Great Need for Cybersecurity | Policy Considerations for the Philippines
The global health crisis has accelerated digital transformation and technology adoption in the Philippines. With limited movement of people and services due to the lockdown, Filipinos have relied mainly on digital solutions to conduct transactions and businesses. The Philippine Central Bank, for example, noted a 25% decrease in automated teller machine withdrawals in May, while one of the banks cited a 160% increase in online and mobile banking transactions. This trend is in line with the already growing digital economy of the Philippines even before the pandemic. The e-Conomy 2019 report, led by Google, characterized the Philippine internet economy as the one with the “most room for growth” in Southeast Asia. Transactions over the internet has risen from $2 billion in 2015 to $7 billion in the last year due to online shops and e-commerce orders, online bookings for travel, online media, ride-hailing apps, and food deliveries. Currently, the internet economy accounts for 2.1% of gross domestic product (GDP), and could rise to up to 5.3% of GDP by 2025.
Economic managers and observers agree that digital technology will be a key factor in the road to recovery after the pandemic. While it may be attractive to rapidly adopt digital transformation, the Philippines cannot have a “build it now, fix it later” mindset. Experts point to the inevitability of cybercrime as one of the consequences of increased connectivity. Hence, the importance of cybersecurity cannot be stressed enough. As industry practitioners always warn: it is not a matter of “if” but “when” users and organizations get hacked. The World Economic Forum, in its latest global risk report, identified cyber threats as one of the main man-made risks for firms. There is a huge incentive for criminals to continue finding security vulnerabilities and exploiting it for profit. Several studies estimate illegal activities in the cyber realm is worth $1.5 trillion dollars annually. To put it into context, it is around the size of South Korea or Russia in terms of GDP, or three times the revenue of Walmart — the top grossing U.S. firm in 2019.
The Philippines, which admittedly is still in its early stages of technology adoption, is no stranger to data hacks, financial fraud, and breaches. According to Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, the Philippines is the most attacked country in Southeast Asia and ranks 7th globally. A Microsoft study estimates around $3.5 billion or 1.1 percent of GDP is at risk due to cybercrime incidents.
As a response, the Philippine government has released the National Cybersecurity Plan 2022 as a framework for the protection of individuals, businesses, and critical infrastructure. However, implementation has been slow owing to the lack of manpower and bureaucratic constraints. On the user side, there continues to be a low awareness of cybersecurity. Information asymmetry also exists as some firms tend to choose not to report breaches and instead firefight the attacks themselves due to reputational damage they may face. While there are current initiatives from various sectors to forge cyber resilient industries, there are key cross-cutting measures the government should consider as urgent that would serve as building blocks to further refine regulations and frameworks for cyber security. The private sector also has a huge role to play in achieving a whole-of-society approach to combat cyber threats.
Cross-cutting Policy Considerations
Increase cybersecurity spending for government.
The Philippines spent around 0.04% of its GDP on cybersecurity in 2017, which is below the ASEAN average of 0.07% and the global average of 0.13%. Between 2017 to 2025, CISCO estimates the Philippines needs to spend around $22.8 billion to be in line with top countries in cybersecurity. The proposed budget for cybersecurity for 2021 is reportedly only at $24 million. This remains a huge challenge for the Philippine government in their efforts to protect critical infrastructure. A target of at least the ASEAN average in the short-term should be prioritized by legislators given the pursuit of digital adoption for COVID-19 recovery. A silver lining to the lagging government spending is the study by Palo Alto Networks noting that 54% of firms in the Philippines are increasing their budget to secure their networks.
2. Develop a Cybersecurity Workforce through Education, Upskilling, and Reskilling.
The Philippine population is composed of a young, tech-savvy population with a median age of 25.7 years old, and is expected to stay young and tech-savvy in the next decade. It would serve as a demographic advantage to create a digital workforce and cybersecurity professionals. On the basic level, information and dissemination campaign on cyber threats should continue, together with the development of a curriculum that would solidify the quality of I.T. and cybersecurity professionals the country produces. As for government agencies, there should be a national cyber readiness survey to gauge the skills bank of existing talent. The private sector will be forced by market competition to upskill and reskill, but the Commission on Higher Education should consider partnering with leading firms in crafting a framework for approving cybersecurity degrees to create a standard across educational institutions, and match the needs of the industry with the professionals education institutions will produce.
3. Certify Cybersecurity Law as Urgent.
As a best practice framework, experts agree that governments should have three legislative pillars to secure personal information of the citizenry and to protect the integrity of the digital economy. These include a data privacy law, a cyber crime law, and a cybersecurity law. The Philippines satisfies the first two legislations by virtue of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The Philippines need to certify a cybersecurity bill as an urgent measure. The Philippines can look to Singapore for best practices in establishing a national cybersecurity agency that would be able to craft cross-cutting regulations for cyber protection.
4. Promote the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics to combat against cyberthreats.
The government should partner with the private sector to promote the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics. Cybercriminals are moving at a faster pace in order to make their tools more sophisticated. A.I. can help detect and combat these vulnerabilities. A.I. can also free up the scarce cyber talent in the Philippines to move up the value chain and focus on more complex cybersecurity problems. The private sector is starting to adopt A.I into their systems and the government should follow suit in leveraging and promoting technology solutions for technology problems.
5. Leverage international cooperation.
Cyber threat knows no boundaries. The best way to stay one step ahead of criminals is through collaboration between the private and public sector, and international partners. The U.S.-Philippines Joint Cybersecurity Working Group, a public-private partnership as initiated by the U.S. Embassy Manila, can serve as a model for knowledge sharing, technical training, and trust building initiatives. The Philippine government should continue to use such mechanisms to develop knowledge and skills, and consider building similar partnerships with ASEAN and other foreign partners. | https://medium.com/@keithdetros/with-great-technology-comes-great-need-for-cybersecurity-3c2dd4100c92 | ['Keith Detros'] | 2020-12-27 03:47:28.779000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Policy', 'Cybersecurity', 'Philippines'] |
HackerEarth Practice Problem {Binary Queries} | Hi readers, I just happen to practice a lot of competitive programming problems, and come across multiple scenarios, which enables me to learn and come up with proper algo, to provide solution in the best complexity possible. I came across, this recent rather easy problem on HackerEarth, and since this being my first post on Medium, thought about sharing my experience here. Without much ado, here goes the same:
Problem Statement:
Some problems appear hard though they are very easy. Today Aakash is stuck in a range query problem. He has been given an array with only numbers 0 and 1. There are two types of queries -
0 L R : Check whether the number formed from the array elements L to R is even or odd and print EVEN or ODD respectively. Number formation is the binary number from the bits status in the array L to R
1 X : Flip the Xth bit in the array
Indexing is 1 based
Input
First line contains a number N and Q as input. Next line contains N space separated 0 or 1. Next Q lines contain description of each query
Output
Output for only query type 0 L R whether the number in range L to R is “EVEN” or “ODD” (without quotes).
Constraints
1≤ N ≤ 10⁶
1≤ L ≤ R ≤ 10⁶
1≤ Q ≤ 10⁶
1≤ X ≤ N
SAMPLE INPUT
5 2
1 0 1 1 0
1 2
0 1 4
SAMPLE OUTPUT
ODD
Explanation
Our first query is 1 2 that means that we have to flip the 2nd bit in the given array so now our array becomes 1 1 1 1 0
2nd query is 0 1 4 which means that if i pick the subarray 1 to 4 i.e 1 1 1 1 then the number formed by decimal representation of this binary number is of what kind ?. Here the number formed is 15 so its odd and ODD is the output
Towards Solution
The problem asks for two things primarily, one related to just updation of a single cell in the array, and the other that of working with a sub-array.
Now, the first part appears to be quite easy (Query type: 1), which involves just accessing the array and updating the content of it. And since we are using our data structure as array, we know this operation will be done in O(1) time for any position { why? coz, arrays are stored as contiguous cells in memory, so trying to access a particular index means just adding the (size of array data type * index) to the base pointer location }.
The second part(Query Type:0), is a bit tricky here, as here we need to deal with the sub-array , convert that to decimal and check whether that is ODD or EVEN, A standard approach can be to read the sub-array from the rightmost location and multiply its value with (2 to power index val) and adding all of them up and coming to the decimal representation.
The 0(N) Approach:
Ex: 1101 in binary to decimal → (1 * 2 to pow (0)) + (0 * 2 to pow(1)) + (1 * 2 to pow (2)) + (1 * 2 to pow(3)) ===> 1+0+4+8 = 13.
So using the above logic we can easily write a loop and calculate the decimal val and find out whether that is even or odd by doing %2 after that. This approach has O(N) time , where N is the size of the sub array.
The O(1) Approach
Though the above approach looks fine, but there is a better way to solve that in just O(1) time. To understand this, we need to use our old school friend ( Number System). From that , we will use two points: EVEN + EVEN = EVEN & EVEN + ODD = ODD . Now coming to our binary to decimal representation , we see that for any such binary set of bits, it is the rightmost bit’s value that represents whether that no will be ODD or EVEN (why? coz, in our earlier calculation , we saw the binary gets converted to decimal using the exploded calculation based on indexing , so in that case for any values up the higher order, starting from 1 to up whether the bit is 0 or 1, will always result in an EVEN sum , and the only concern is the rightmost ( 0 th ) bit, if that is set as 1 then we add {1*2 to pow(0)} i.e is 1 (ODD)to it thereby making the sum as ODD, and if that bit is 0 then we add {0*2 to pow(0)} i.e 0 (EVEN) to it thereby making the sum as EVEN.
Thus our task at hand boils down to check whether the rightmost cell value in the selected subarray has a value of 0 or 1, which becomes an array access problem of complexity time O(1) again.
So here goes the entire solution snippet in JAVA:
import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.InputStreamReader; class TestClass {
public static void main(String args[] ) throws Exception {
BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
String line1 = br.readLine(); // Reading input from STDIN
String[] arr = line1.split(“ “);
int no_queries = Integer.parseInt(arr[1]);
String[] list = br.readLine().split(“ “);
for(int i =1; i<=no_queries; i++){
String[] query = br.readLine().split(“ “);
if(query[0].equals(“1”)){
// flip
int index = Integer.parseInt(query[1])-1;
if(list[index].equals(“1”)){
list[index] = “0”;
}else{
list[index] = “1”;
}
}else{
// ODD or EVEN
int r = Integer.parseInt(query[2]) — 1;
if(list[r].equals(“1”)){
System.out.println(“ODD”);
}else{
System.out.println(“EVEN”);
}
}
} }
}
Just a point to be added from my experience , i first tried solving the problem with Scanner Class to read the input , but that made me miss the time limit at HackerEarth, then switched over to BufferedReader & InputStreamReader. There is a subtle difference between the two, with Scanner taking more time to process, since it does parsing of input data, whereas its counterpart just reads in the character stream.
That’s all folks, hope it helps you in some way. Will keep on posting more future experiences. | https://medium.com/@sapsroy2018/hackerearth-practice-problem-binary-queries-ebc1c95d81f6 | ['Saptarshi Roy'] | 2019-05-11 15:38:11.138000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Binary Operations', 'Computer Science', 'Arrays', 'Hackerearth'] |
Angular — How To Add Jasmine Custom Matchers In Unit Testing | Jasmine is a BDD framework which provides a lot of built-in matchers for unit testing. But, sometimes we have to create our own custom matchers to facilitate all the testing scenarios or to make more readable test cases.
In this post, We will go through jasmine matchers and their usage both in Javascript and Typescript.
What are Matchers
Built-in Matchers and How to use them
Custom Mathers and How to define them
Example Project in Javascript
Example Project in Typescript
How to define Custom Matchers in Angular
Summary
What are matchers
Matchers are nothing but compare functions to actually compare the expected and actual result in the test specs.
Here is an example of one of the Matchers. If we look at line number 4, toBe is the matcher and is always used with expect. It just compares the actual result with the expected result and returns a boolean value. | https://medium.com/bb-tutorials-and-thoughts/angular-how-to-add-jasmine-custom-matchers-in-unit-testing-3edd40f567ec | ['Bhargav Bachina'] | 2019-05-20 02:35:50.150000+00:00 | ['Web Development', 'Angular', 'Programming', 'Software Development', 'JavaScript'] |
Postman + OAuth + Azure DevOps pipeline for API functional/integration testing | I recently had a chance to configure API functional tests and run them under the Azure DevOps pipeline. I struggled a bit and spent a couple of days spotting the way to get the security tokens from Azure AD B2C in the Azure CI/CD pipeline. Also handling the anti-XSRF token is a bit tricky part too. Here I am documenting the steps for those searching for solutions with the below background.
API’s — in our case, it is .net core based Web APIs hosted in Azure. But it can be any kind of RESTful APIs.
The API is secured with Azure AD B2C-based authentication. In your case, it can be any similar kind of authentication mechanism such as Azure AD. The logic still remains the same.
API’s are protected against XSRF by expecting anti-XSRF tokens in the request headers. Doesn’t matter whether this protection is there or not on the API side in your case.
We are going to use the below tools to test the API’s in the Azure DevOps pipeline
Postman as the test tool for Web API’s
Azure DevOps (TFS in old terms) release pipelines to automate the tests
Newman command-line tool in Azure DevOps pipeline to run the automated tests
Replace tokens task in Azure pipeline to replace run-time configurations in DevOps pipeline. We can use this setup for user login credentials, targeting different dev/test sites, and role-based tests.
What all are the main problems we are about to solve?
Making Postman tests compatible for Azure DevOps pipeline
How to securely configure user credentials in API functional tests to authenticate/authorize users.
How to login and receive JWT tokens from Azure AD B2C in the Azure DevOps pipeline
Utilize the JWT token and anti-XSRF tokens for API test calls
How to configure API tests with different user roles
Let's dive into...
Setting up the API
Arrange the API actions protected by Azure AD B2C. Detailed explanation for this is already available here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/security/authentication/azure-ad-b2c-webapi?view=aspnetcore-2.2
Make the Web API protected against XSRF. Here is the documentation for the setup: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/security/anti-request-forgery?view=aspnetcore-2.2
To demonstrate this article, I just exposed two API actions from TodoAPI samples from the first link above.
A GET API action that returns a response with XSRF-Token header. This is needed to make the anti-XSRF token retrieved at once upon user login and use it for subsequent API calls. The second link above will tell you how to configure this on the API side. This action is protected by AUTHORIZE attribute to check valid access tokens from Azure AD B2C. A GET API action to return Todo list by its id. This method is protected by AUTHORIZE attribute to check valid access tokens from Azure AD B2C. It also validates valid anti-XSRF tokens in the request header.
Register Postman in Azure AD B2C
Since there is no user interactive session under the Azure DevOps CI/CD pipeline, we need to have some passive authentication flow to handle this. There is one good article explaining the possible options here: https://www.deliveron.com/blog/three-ways-get-oauth2-access-token-api-testing-azure-ad-secured-apis/
Some of the possible options:
Use Native App to sign on via Resource Owner Password Grant
Send the Client Secret via Client Credentials Grant
Use an automated UI Test to get the access token via Authorization Code Grant
We are going to use the first option, Resource Owner Password Credentials (ROPC) Grant for authentication. An article explaining the ROPC registration is explained here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory-b2c/configure-ropc
Please note that this registration is for registering Postman to request tokens from Azure AD B2C.
Arranging the Postman tests
Let’s start by creating simple tests in Postman. We will arrange the tests by the following steps
a) Set up the environment in Postman
With Postman, click on ‘Manage Environments’ icon in the top right corner of the Postman UI. Add a new environment with the name ‘TodoApiDev’. Set up the following values
Where,
user-name — is the name of the user name to authenticate against Azure AD B2C. The value for this will be configured in the CI pipeline by a secured release variable.
user-password — is the password to authenticate against Azure AD B2C. The value for this will be configured in the CI pipeline by a secured release variable.
role-name — The role of the user against the tests is going to be conducted. The value for this will be configured in the CI pipeline.
b2c-domain-name — The domain name in B2C where the application is registered. The value for this will be configured in the CI pipeline to support different dev/test environments.
b2c-policy-name — The ROPC policy created under B2C to authenticate. The value for this will be configured in the CI pipeline to support different dev/test environments.
Below are few additional variables for the site URL, to store the access token received from Azure AD B2C and to store the anti-XSRF token.
b) Create tests in Postman
When the environment variables are created in Postman, the next step is creating the API tests. We are about to create the following requests against the exposed APIs. Create a test collection to add your tests. Add the following requests under the collection.
i) A POST request to get access token
URL:
https://{{b2c-domain-name}}.b2clogin.com/{{b2c-domain-name}}.onmicrosoft.com/oauth2/v2.0/token?p={{b2c-policy-name}}
where b2c-domain-name and b2c-policy-name are already configured in the environment variable.
Body:
Tests:
var jsonData = JSON.parse(responseBody);
pm.environment.set(“access-token”, jsonData.access_token); pm.test(“Status code is 200”, function() {
pm.response.to.have.status(200);
}); pm.test(“Response time is less than 3000ms”, function() {
pm.expect(pm.response.responseTime).to.below(3000);
});
Where the first two lines will set an environment variable named id-token with the access token received from Azure AD B2C. This is going to be used by other subsequent tests.
ii) A GET request to get the anti-XSRF token from API
We expect a cookie set with anti-XSRF token in the response by calling this API action. This API action is protected by Azure AD B2C.
URL:
{{test-site-base-url}}/todo
Tests:
var xsrfToken = decodeURIComponent(pm.cookies.get(“XSRF-TOKEN”));
pm.environment.set(“x-xsrf-token”, xsrfToken); pm.test(“Status code is 200”, function() {
pm.response.to.have.status(200);
}); pm.test(“Response time is less than 3000ms”, function() {
pm.expect(pm.response.responseTime).to.below(3000);
});
iii) A GET request to get the Todo list by specific Id
As stated before this API action is protected by Azure AD B2C and anti-XSRF validations.
URL:
{{test-site-base-url}}/todo/1
Headers:
Tests:
var roleName = pm.environment.get(“role-name”);
var jsonData = pm.response.json(); pm.test(“Status code is 200 for administrator and 401 for other users”, function() {
if (roleName === ‘administrator’)
{
pm.response.to.have.status(200);
}
else
{
pm.response.to.have.status(401);
}
}); pm.test(“Response time is less than 3000ms”, function() {
pm.expect(pm.response.responseTime).to.below(3000);
}); pm.test(“Content-Type is valid”, function () {
pm.response.to.be.header(“Content-Type”, “application/json; charset=utf-8”);
}); pm.test(“Response returns the expected id”, function() {
pm.expect(jsonData.id).to.eql(1);
}); pm.test(“Response body matches with the expected results”, function () {
pm.response.to.have.body(‘{“id”:1,”name”:”Item1",”isComplete”:false}’);
}); var schema = {
“definitions”: {},
“$schema”: “http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
“$id”: “http://example.com/root.json",
“type”: “object”,
“title”: “The Root Schema”,
“required”: [
“id”,
“name”,
“isComplete”
],
“properties”: {
“id”: {
“$id”: “#/properties/id”,
“type”: “integer”,
“title”: “The Id Schema”,
“default”: 0,
“examples”: [
2
]
},
“name”: {
“$id”: “#/properties/name”,
“type”: “string”,
“title”: “The Name Schema”,
“default”: “”,
“examples”: [
“Item2”
],
//”pattern”: “^(.*)$”
“pattern”: “^[0–9a-zA-Z]*$”,
},
“isComplete”: {
“$id”: “#/properties/isComplete”,
“type”: “boolean”,
“title”: “The Iscomplete Schema”,
“default”: false,
“examples”: [
false
]
}
}
}; pm.test(‘Response results matches with Schema’, function() {
pm.expect(tv4.validate(jsonData, schema)).to.be.true;
});
We are good in arranging the tests now. Let’s make the tests exported in order to make it suitable for CI pipeline.
Exporting the Postman tests
We have to export both the environment and the test collection to make it run under the Azure DevOps CI pipeline.
To export the environment, from Postman, select ‘Manage Environments’ and choose the environment to export. Click on the ‘Down’ arrow to save the environment information as a JSON.
To export the test collection, select the triple dots (‘…’) on the collection name and click on the ‘Export’ option and save it as a JSON file.
Since our tests and environment files now source code ready, let's place those under the source code repository.
Upload test collection and environment files into GIT
For this demonstration, I used the GIT repository to store the source code. But it is of course your choice to choose your repository. I leave this section open without any explanation since instructions will vary based on each type of repository. There are a lot of materials on the internet to configure a source code repository. Hope you will find good articles on this topic on the internet.
Now, we are more closer to get our tests into action. Let’s configure the tests under the CI pipeline.
Configuring Azure DevOps pipeline
If you want to learn how to configure the CI/CD pipeline, please have a look at the DevOps lab in below link: https://www.azuredevopslabs.com/labs/vstsextend/azuredevopsprojectdotnet/
Assuming you are familiar with configuring CI/CD pipelines under Azure DevOps, I am diving into the pipeline tasks directly. Following is the list of tasks to be configured under the Azure DevOps pipeline.
Let us configure pipeline variables as below:
The ‘AdministratorUserName’, ‘AdministratorUserPassword’ should be filled with the actual user name and password for a user with a specific role (Administrator in this example). Similarly, you can configure multiple username-password combinations for different user roles in the variables. For example, ‘AccountantUserName’, ‘AccountantUserPassword’, ‘SalesmanUserName’, ‘SalesmanPassword’ etc., These values are actually going to be replaced in the variables user-name and user-password in the Postman environment configuration at run time. For the role-based tests, we are going to play a trick with the ‘Replace Tokens’ task. We will see that in a moment.
Debugging info: If you leave any variables with empty values, sometimes, the pipeline will complain that the variable doesn’t exist. So, you can see those filled with some ‘abc’ values.
Following are the final list of tasks in the pipeline:
Let’s check those tasks one by one.
Task 1: Command Line
Display Name: Install Newman
Script:
npm install -g newman
Task 2: Powershel
Display Name: Set the user and role
Type: Inline
Script:
# Write your PowerShell commands here. Write-Host “Hooking administrator users for tests” Write-Host “##vso[task.setvariable variable=UserName;]*<AdministratorUserName>*” Write-Host “##vso[task.setvariable variable=UserPassword;]*<AdministratorUserPassword>*” $Env:RoleName = “administrator”
This is the script that sets a place holder names for the user who has that role. In this case, ‘*<AdministratorUserName>*’ and ‘*<AdministratorUserPassword>*’ are going to be replaced as the values for variables ‘UserName’ and ‘UserPassword’ in the pipeline. This is going to be differ with different user roles on each pipeline. The values are going to be replaced with the actual values in Task 4 below.
Task 3: Replace Tokens
Display Name: Replace environment variables
Root directory: Choose your source code folder where the test and environment JSON files are placed under source control
Token prefix: #{
Token suffix: }#
This task will replace all the variables in the environment with the prefix ‘#{‘ and suffix ‘#}’. But this will leave the user name and password variables user-name and user-password with the temporary placeholder values set from Task 2. In this setup, user-name is filled with value ‘*<AdministratorUserName>*’ and user-password is filled with value ‘*<AdministratorUserPassword>*’. This will be updated with the actual values in the next step.
Task 4: Replace Tokens
Display Name: Replace test user credentials
Root directory: Choose your source code folder where the test and environment JSON files are placed under source control
Token prefix: *<
Token suffix: >*
This task will replace all the variables in the environment with the prefix ‘*<‘ and the suffix ‘>*’. In this case, user-name and user-password fields are filled with the actual values for the administrator role.
Task 5: Command Line
Display Name: Run API Tests
Advanced — Working Directory: Choose your source code folder where the test and environment JSON files are placed under source control
Script:
newman run TodoAPITest.postman_collection -e TodoApiDev.postman_environment.json — reporters cli,junit — reporter-junit-export Results\junitReport.xml
The above command line will run the tests and post the test results in xml format using junit.
Task 6: Command Line
Display Name: Publish Test Results
Test results format: JUnit
Test results file: **/*.xml
Search folder: $(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)
In case you want to test more roles, you can just copy the list of tasks, create a new pipeline, configure the roles in Task 2. You can run all different role-based tests in parallel if your pipeline supports parallel runs (it is primarily based on the type of subscription you have).
We are done, when you run the pipeline, you can see the test results published under the pipeline.
Feel free to post your comments/queries. | https://medium.com/@shanmugamchinnappa/securely-configuring-azure-devops-pipeline-for-api-functional-integration-testing-2eba5bbbec91 | ['Shanmugam Chinnappa'] | 2021-06-13 14:00:46.595000+00:00 | ['DevOps', 'Postman', 'Api Testing', 'Pipeline', 'Test Automation'] |
So easy. | Did you find this article interesting?
If you liked it and if you feel like it, leave some claps to help whoever wrote it to pay his Lamborghini Urus.
Thank you! | https://medium.com/the-fluxus/so-easy-3ea4317b3c9a | ['Martino Pietropoli'] | 2020-10-30 12:15:33.788000+00:00 | ['Comics', 'Cartoon', 'Illustration', 'Music', 'Drawing'] |
Class 6–10 Educational Learning App | Class Saathi by TagHive — The Best Educational Learning App for Students of Class 6–10
The world today is a competitive place and our children have immense responsibilities to perform. With exams being a constant source of pressure for both parents, teachers and students, how do we ensure that we cultivate a healthy and independent space for students to learn and enjoy what they do? The answer is simple — download Class Saathi, The best educational learning app for CBSE students of class 6,7,8,9 and 10.
TagHive’s Class Saathi is a comprehensive support based learning platform that encourages students to handle their own learning outcomes outside the classroom while also allowing parents and teachers to participate in this ecosystem and assume the role of the monitor.
Our Class Saathi app, deemed as one of the best apps for NCERT solutions, has endless reserves of mock quizzes, all designed by IITians — the country’s most refined technical minds. Our unique AI system designs and moderates quizzes in such a way that students can transcend levels of difficulty, making them more confident with each stride.
Students can also access video based explanations for STEM concepts over our app.
How to use our best online learning app:
Go to your app store and search for the Class Saathi app. Download and register using any email Id. Enter a world of quizzes, animated teaching guides and success. Our learning solution is currently available only for Android devices.
If you’re looking for a detailed demo for our variants, drop us a line through our infomail. We want to help you leverage the best online learning app, custom designed for NCERT students from classes 6th to 10th.
We, at TagHive, are committed to doing the best for our students and teachers. We would be very happy to address any queries you may have. Feel free to reach us at info@tag-hive. | https://medium.com/@rajatdeshwal350/class-6-10-educational-learning-app-d9f303556f7f | ['Rajat Deshwal'] | 2021-06-17 09:46:10.279000+00:00 | ['Education Technology', 'Education', 'Learning', 'Ncert Solution', 'Learning And Development'] |
It’s Not What You Think | Poetry Sunday
It’s Not What You Think
Tell me how you feel…I’ll still want to play with you.
Photo by Anfisa98 Durnovtceva98 on Unsplash
It hasn’t been the same.
Since…
You know.
The night when there was quiet yelling and polite battle,
When everyone knew this was the last time he was here with us.
Now that you’re awake, let’s go play.
First, give me something good to eat and then make your breakfast
And give me some of that, too.
Now that you’re not wet-faced, smile at me.
You can tell me all the things you think are wrong with the world.
Convince yourself I understand your sounds.
Pretend there’s something more than important than throwing my ball.
I will lick your tears from your cheeks,
Race you up the stairs (no fair running — my legs are powerful, but short),
Share bits of pretzel, gaze up at sky, and sigh over dark coming early.
It’s not what you think — it’s how you feel is what you tell friends.
If so, I am thinking happy because we are together, united in snow play,
Adventures we haven’t invented yet, but will because it’s fun
No thinking is needed to know what feels good,
That we belong together, you and me in mounds of white cold wonder. | https://psiloveyou.xyz/its-not-what-you-think-46c75f869ddc | ['Louise Foerster'] | 2020-12-20 13:04:11.182000+00:00 | ['Breakups', 'Poetry', 'Poetry Sunday', 'Love', 'Dogs'] |
Pressure Cooker | Aside from hostage negotiations and taking a penalty in the World Cup final, I think cooking for other people is the most stressful thing in the world. Admittedly, I have never been in a hostage situation (or a World Cup final, come to think of it) but I have done stand-up comedy, which is basically the same.
I’d imagine if you are a bad hostage negotiator, people would get a bit miffed. Similarly, if you are bad at comedy (and I can tell you this from experience), people will get genuinely angry. If you are terrible at cooking, they will be silently angry and vocally hungry. Hangry. The worst kind of angry. Whole empires have fallen because people were hangry — I am not a historian but I have seen Les Mis and I am pretty sure that is what the French Revolution was all about (also something about hair I think?)
Wait, Les Mis was about the French Revolution, right? (Photo by Pierre Herman on Unsplash)
The thing I simultaneously love and find most stressful about cooking is the preparation to consumption ratio. Often, dishes can take literally hours to prepare and be gone within minutes. In fact, the nicer the meal is the quicker it is consumed. It is like some sort of weird punishment for doing well — to watch your hard labour smashed to pieces and swallowed down in record time.
I reckon I am an OK cook; my meals take a medium amount of time to be consumed. I am not hugely creative, but I can follow a recipe alright. And I follow it to the letter. My fiancée plays a bit more fast and loose with ingredients and instructions and that works fine for her, so maybe I should relax. But then, she did once make a cake explode so…
The fuse is lit… (Photo by Vladas Kalnys on Unsplash)
The reason I am so fastidious in following the rules is that I am not very confident when cooking. Usually this leads to me banning anybody else from being in even the vague vicinity of the kitchen. Just one of many reasons I am not a TV chef — if I am cooking that requires all my attention. I couldn’t even begin to keep up with Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer’s lightning-fast banter!
Maybe it is a sign of my ineptitude but usually there is too much going on for me to have any sort of conversation as well. That said, I do live tweet a pie every year…
#LetsPie is my yearly effort to invite people, virtually at least, into my kitchen. It is almost always the the most stressful thing I do that year. It is absolutely ridiculous. This year was the fifth anniversary of #LetsPie and I decided to put it on my Instagram story as well as tweeting it. Trying to run two platforms and bake a pie from scratch (including making pastry for the first time in my life) was probably an error. I nearly gave myself a heart-attack — although that may have been the amount of butter I was using.
Apart from during The Great Consistency Controversy of 2016 (which we will not be talking about, the pie was fine) — the support people give to #LetsPie is absolutely incredible. I suppose that is why people love cooking — nothing brings us closer than food.
Looks a bit dry to me… (Photo by Rebecca Matthews on Unsplash)
For me, there are certain ingredients and dishes that remind me of certain people. Coffee cake takes me back to being a kid, in Nana’s narrow kitchen after school, reaching up onto the counter to take the lid off a Tupperware whilst my grandad fetches the lemonade and wrangles with some crazy contraption he bought to keep the fizz in.
Every time I cut a chilli I think of my friend Susie (we once had a conversation about keeping the seeds in…), every time I use tomato puree I think of my friend Jon (he once accused me of squeezing the tube ‘the wrong way’…), a Chicken Kiev will always remind me of my friend Ste (we used eat them far too regularly when we lived together and I would wonder why I was single…).
In fact, Ste had the unbelievable idea of cooking the Kiev on top of chips, so that they got coated in any garlic oil that escaped. That was probably 7 or 8 years ago now. I saw Nigella do it the other day. The man was a visionary.
Food has an amazing quality to bring people together. But as the chef you are responsible for making sure they aren’t bonding over their mutual, visceral hatred of you. We have all seen Come Dine With Me. Four strangers might become the best of friends over the course of a week, or they might not. (“What a sad little life, Jane…”)
“I hope you use the money to get some lessons in decorum…” (Photo by tabitha turner on Unsplash)
The point I am trying to make is that cooking really amps up the pressure on a relationship — especially early on. How well do you know this person? How comfortable are you in telling them you don’t like their food? OK, what about a minor critique? Think you could offer that without causing offence?
If that is the barometer, then I am pleased to say I have a lot of people who feel very comfortable around me. But also, I am pleased to say that the 2016’s pie was absolutely FINE and not “too wet” and that it was four years ago and you should all really be over it by now. | https://medium.com/tell-your-story/pressure-cooker-da80221f1baa | ['James Beck'] | 2020-12-26 16:20:16.408000+00:00 | ['Cooking', 'Pie', 'Blog', 'Humour', 'Personal Essay'] |
10 ways to approach new problems | Most of the problems that we see around are familiar. Occasionally, we see new problems that we haven’t seen before. Often this happens at the worst moment — aka crunch time (or interviews). We suddenly get anxious, are unable to understand or break down the problem or forget the various approaches to solve them. I gathered the various methods of doing those things in one place, so that its easier to apply them in a pinch.
Ways to approach problems: | https://medium.com/@ukumar_83904/10-ways-to-approach-new-problems-77a6842314f7 | ['Umesh Kumar'] | 2020-12-26 18:44:48.058000+00:00 | ['Problem Solving', 'Creative Process', 'Analytical Thinking'] |
Avoiding Boilerplate Code with MapStruct, Spring Boot, and Kotlin | Photo by Christopher Gower on Unsplash
Building Spring Boot Rest Web Services might become cumbersome, especially when domain model objects need to be converted in many different DTOs (Data Transfer Object) and vice versa. Writing mapping manually is boring and involves boilerplate code. Is it possible to avoid it?
Yes, it is! Thanks to MapStruct! MapStruct is a Java annotation processor for the generation of type-safe and performant mappers for Java bean classes.
Integrating MapStruct with Spring Boot in Java is well documented (Automating Code with MapStruct), but what if we wanted to use Kotlin?
Let’s see how MapStruct can be integrated into a Spring Boot and Kotlin project.
1. Gradle dependency
Let’s add the Kapt compiler plugin and the MapStruct processor dependencies in build.gradle.kts.
plugins {
kotlin("kapt") version "1.3.72"
} dependencies {
kapt("org.mapstruct:mapstruct-processor:1.3.1.Final")
}
mapstruct-processor is required to generate the mapper implementation during build-time, while kapt is the Kotlin Annotation Processing Tool, and it is used to reference the generated code from Kotlin.
Now, our build.gradle.kts file looks like this:
2. Creating domain model objects and DTOs
We are going to create two domain model classes: Author and Book.
Now, we need to create the corresponding DTO classes.
What if we wanted a special DTO for Author? Maybe, we might be interested only in the first book written by an author, and not in their birth date. Let’s build a special DTO to accomplish this goal.
3. Defining MapStruct mappers
MapStruct is not based on magic and, in order to map domain model objects in DTO objects, requires the definition of one or more mappers.
Each mapper is an interface or an abstract class and must be annotated with @Mapper annotation. This causes the MapStruct code generator to create an implementation of the mapper interface or abstract class during build-time. Hence, implementation is not required. This is where the magic begins and allows us to avoid boilerplate code.
By default, in the generated method implementations all readable properties from the source type (e.g. Author ) will be mapped into the corresponding property in the target type (e.g. AuthorDto ).
Let’s see how a mapper can be defined.
The componentModel attribute is set to “spring” to force the MapStruct processor to generate a singleton Spring bean mapper that can be injected directly where need it.
If you are interested in studying what the MapStruct processor produced at build-time, you can find the implementation classes in build/generated/source/kapt/.
Let’s see an example.
What if we need a custom mapping logic, as in the SpecialAuthor example?
We have to tell the MapStruct processor that a specific field of the source object has to be mapped through a special method, containing the mapping logic.
In order to make MaStruct build a correct implementation class, a mapper abstract class is required. In fact, Kotlin default method implementation in interfaces seems to be ignored by the MapStruct processor.
In the expression field we need to use Java-like setters, since Java is required.
4. Putting it all together
Let’s create a controller and test our work.
The two mappers are injected into the controller, which uses them to produce the required DTO classes. These classes are then converted into JSON by Jackson and used to build the response of each API.
Let’s generate some authors and books.
@Component
class DataSource {
val data : MutableList<Author> = ArrayList()
init {
val book1 = Book(
1,
"Book 1",
GregorianCalendar(2018, 10, 24).time
)
val book2 = Book(
2,
"Book 2",
GregorianCalendar(2010, 7, 12).time
)
val book3 = Book(
3,
"Book 3",
GregorianCalendar(2011, 3, 8).time
)
val author1 = Author(
1,
"John",
"Smith",
GregorianCalendar(1967, 1, 2).time,
listOf(book1, book2, book3)
)
val book4 = Book(
4,
"Book 4",
GregorianCalendar(2012, 12, 9).time
)
val book5 = Book(
5,
"Book 5",
GregorianCalendar(2017, 9, 22).time
)
val author2 = Author(
2,
"Emma",
"Potter",
GregorianCalendar(1967, 1, 2).time,
listOf(book5, book4)
)
data.addAll(listOf(author1, author2))
}
}
Then, these will be the responses of each API:
[
{
"id":1,
"name":"John",
"surname":"Smith",
"birth":"02/01/1967",
"books":[
{
"id":1,
"title":"Book 1",
"release":"11/23/2018"
},
{
"id":2,
"title":"Book 2",
"release":"08/11/2010"
},
{
"id":3,
"title":"Book 3",
"release":"04/07/2011"
}
]
},
{
"id":2,
"name":"Emma",
"surname":"Potter",
"birth":"02/01/1967",
"books":[
{
"id":5,
"title":"Book 5",
"release":"10/21/2017"
},
{
"id":4,
"title":"Book 4",
"release":"01/08/2013"
}
]
}
]
{
"id":1,
"name":"John",
"surname":"Smith",
"birth":"02/01/1967",
"books":[
{
"id":1,
"title":"Book 1",
"release":"11/23/2018"
},
{
"id":2,
"title":"Book 2",
"release":"08/11/2010"
},
{
"id":3,
"title":"Book 3",
"release":"04/07/2011"
}
]
}
{
"name":"John",
"surname":"Smith",
"firstBook":{
"id":2,
"title":"Book 2",
"release":"08/11/2010"
}
}
Extras
DTOs can also be used to define a specific (de)serialization layer in a multi-layered architecture as described here: Designing a Multi-Layered Architecture for Building RESTful Web Services With Spring Boot and Kotlin | https://medium.com/swlh/avoiding-boilerplate-code-with-mapstruct-spring-boot-and-kotlin-50bf5848dc7c | ['Antonello Zanini'] | 2020-12-07 08:21:23.758000+00:00 | ['Spring Boot', 'Tutorial', 'Kotlin', 'Dto', 'Mapstruct'] |
An Overview of Government Backed Cryptocurrencies and How They Will Change the Blockchain Landscape | While cryptocurrency enthusiasts of a more libertarian-persuasion would like to believe that digital assets are designed to exist in a decentralized fashion void of any governmental control, such an ideal can be unrealistic in today’s world. Governments all around the world including the U.S., Japan, China, Canada, Venezuela, Sweden, and Estonia are either actively working on forms of digital currency or on a supporting project.
What this doesn’t mean, however, is that they’re working on another government-backed clone of Bitcoin. To understand government-backed cryptocurrencies means realizing that administrations have a different set of priorities, and decentralization — the hallmark of the blockchain revolution — isn’t necessarily one of them. Rather, government-backed digital assets would try to do exactly the opposite, centralize these assets while still retaining some benefits of blockchain technology.
Background
What makes experts so interested in this newfound development of government-sponsored crypto-projects is that there hasn’t been anything like it in the industries history. Ever since Bitcoin debuted in 2009, the crypto market has evolved from a fringe, tech-niche with a small following to a massive global trend capturing billions in investment.
Only recently have governments stepped into the markets by introducing regulatory legislation aimed at curtailing the excessive malpractices of some of the more fraudulent ICOs. Recently, however, many countries who were once skeptically about cryptocurrencies are stepping into this ecosystem. Russia, in particular, has been working on some ideas about a government-led cryptocurrency. While little detail is known about this “cryptoruble” project, many experts theorize that one reason why Russia has taken an interest in this area is to get around international sanctions and even allow the government to tax its black market.
Paul Triolo, head of geotechnology at the Eurasia Group, would describe the situation by saying that “there have been two reactions from central governments. One is to try to figure out how to regulate the darn things, and the other is, do we figure out how to make our own?” 2017 was sort of a watershed year in that 2017 saw the regulatory response globally really pick up.”
Why 2018?
While some might ask this question, the truth is that the governments have been interested in developing cyber currencies for a while now but simply lacked the technology to make it happen. Since solving these problems at the time was difficult, popularity in this field wasn’t as big as it is today, nor were any such prototype systems efficient or cheap. Since no one was in a hurry to develop a decentralized digital currency for these reasons, there simply was no sense of urgency in making this happen.
However, these problems would largely be done away with thanks to Satoshi Nakamoto, who implemented a Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm as a way to validate transactions. The resulting cryptocurrency — Bitcoin — would end up taking the world by storm. With regulators across the globe finally answering the first question of how to legislate these projects, the next question, how to incorporate this technology into the government, can now become a reality.
Jaboc Eliosoff, founder of cryptocurrency investment fund Calibrated Markets, said that “there could be various benefits…” to government-led blockchain projects, including “preventing counterfeiting, better record-keeping and monitoring of transactions, no printing press, etc.” He also added that “right now some governments, like some companies, are probably just dazzled by the type and making stuff up so as not to get left behind.”
But at the same time, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have demonstrated that it’s possible to create money outside of the central-banking, government-sanctioned financial systems. This has prompted many central bankers and finance departments to ask difficult questions about their role in a possible futuristic, decentralized economy.
As such, it’s easier to try to get in on the market and try to capitalize on any advantage a government-backed cryptocurrency might bring rather than avoid the issue and hope for the best.
Aren’t Cryptocurrencies Non-Governable?
Most cryptocurrency enthusiasts of a more traditional persuasion would agree with this sentiment, arguing that the main feature of crypto is its decentralization and ensuring that no party, agency, or individual can control the system. However, newer generations of ICO investors are more concerned about the potential for profit and innovation rather than the political ramifications of whether something is decentralized or not.
What determines whether a cryptocurrency remained decentralized depends on the architecture of its consensus algorithms. Systems such as Proof-of-Work can be compromised if the majority of miners are under a single authority. Other algorithms such as DPoS and PoA are both capable of creating a more centralized operating structure.
Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Madura, is proposing a virtual currency called the “Petro”, with each token be backed by one barrel of oil. According to him, the country received over $5 billion in investment offers during its first week of presale back in February. As previously stated before, Russia’s central bank has also spoken with countries such as China, India, Brazil, and the former Soviet nations about creating a supra-cryptocurrency between the bloc — a digital competitor to the Euro.
Both examples prove that it’s not necessarily blockchain technology that makes crypto decentralized, but how the underlying architecture is laid out. In theory, a government can have even more control over a virtual currency than a fiat, paper one since it can keep tabs on every transaction recorded on the blockchain ledger.
How Governments Benefit
There are many reasons why governments would want to implement these projects. As mentioned above, one possible advantage to government-backed cryptocurrencies is that it would allow commerce to flow between parties regardless of any economic sanctions. This can even the playing field in nations such as North Korea, Venezuela, Iran, Russia, and others which have historically been unable to skirt around the economic sanctions placed on them by the US.
How sanctions work is that the U.S. blocks banks and companies from doing business with the target country within their own financial system. Any violators get their transactions traced back in the international banking system and are faced with repercussions. However, digital currencies would make transactions with these nations undetectable by authorities.
One question that’s often asked is why a separate currency would be necessary when a plethora of other tokens such as Bitcoin already exist? While governments can conduct transactions in Bitcoin hypothetically, it would be a struggle for any government to get enough of them to conduct large, meaningful transactions. Secondly, Bitcoin’s value is very volatile, making them dangerous to hold onto for any length of time — especially since it would take a while for a government to accrue a significant enough quantity in the first place.
From an international perspective, if enough of the nations of the world begin using digital currencies, they can bypass the already established western/global financial system and undermine the influence of traditional institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve.
From a domestic perspective, however, government-backed cryptocurrencies have their own advantages as well. Digital currencies would cut out a slew of middlemen in the existing financial system, directly connecting buyers and sellers and allowing them to do commerce with fewer transaction fees.
Economists also recognize that there are advantages to cryptocurrencies when applied to the monetary system as well. Central banks regulate the economy through an arcane system in which they tweak interest rates, buying and selling bonds among other major banks in order to control the money supply. This multi-step process is a very indirect attempt at influencing the buying and selling behavior of its citizens. However, since these financial resources are held by major financial institutions such as national banks, the intended effect of a central bank ultimately is filtered through the motivations of these subsequent organizations.
As demonstrated after the 2008 financial crisis, these esoteric measures weren’t terribly effective in stimulating economic growth. Instead, economists believe that a cryptocurrency operated by a central bank would be able to much more directly intervene, compensate, and improve the state of our current economies.
The Future and Possible Downsides
With some experts predicting that cryptocurrencies will replace national currencies as soon as 2030, there are some potential downsides — primarily for consumers and citizens — that need to be mentioned. For one, centralized digital currencies would mean that it’s impossible to hide anything from the government. This total transparency would be opposite to traditional cash, which is anonymous and gives people the freedom to spend money without worrying about outside monitoring. Some civil experts argue that untraceable transactions are an important civil liberty, and a digital fiat currency would end up being in opposition to what many of the original cryptocurrency enthusiasts wanted for the world.
As for the current ICO landscape, the prospect of a digitally-backed cryptocurrency wouldn’t necessarily do much to compete in the market. The demand for altcoins dedicated to solving specific solutions is likely to remain strong in the coming years. Just as how public, government-owned companies compete with private corporations (such as UPS and national delivery services), government-backed crypto projects will still need to compete with smaller, nimbler blockchain start-ups that wouldn’t have to deal with the same bureaucratic grievances.
However, start-ups that are more focused on offering actual cryptocurrencies that solely exist as a means of transaction will find themselves with new competition, potentially leeching away at their user base as these nationally-backed alternatives enter the scene. These types of projects will need to differentiate themselves in some way to stand out.
Either way, whether or not government regulated cryptocurrencies are good or not depends largely upon your point of view. They can serve to decentralize the global financial system away from the traditional, western paradigm while also giving new monetary strategies to play with. However, the end-users and citizens can find themselves with fewer transactions costs, albeit if they are willing to depart with their shopping privacy. | https://medium.com/blocktoken/an-overview-of-government-backed-cryptocurrencies-and-how-they-will-change-the-blockchain-landscape-c3ccffbf66af | ['Genson C. Glier'] | 2018-08-13 01:16:11.764000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin'] |
Relax, Breathe… And Consider These 5 Reasons To Plan A Yoga Retreat! | We’re all a little rushed lately. Life in recent times has been demanding, hectic, and sometimes even a little scary. Maybe it’s time to take a little break, maybe for the whole family or office.
If you’re ready to get away from the world for a bit, but you’re not sure how best to do so, consider a yoga retreat. You can do more than just get away — you can return a calmer, fresher, more relaxed person, ready to take on whatever life can throw at you.
Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash
Here are 5 calming reasons to consider a relaxing yoga retreat.
Return Refreshed
There are a lot of options for vacations and getaways, but to be honest, most of them are exhausting. It’s becoming increasingly common that people come home from a vacation feeling as if they need a second vacation to relax from the first one.
If you’re looking to relax and come back home refreshed, instead of exhausted, take a truly calming vacation and return home in better condition than when you left.
2. Amazing Venues and Views
Just because a retreat is focused on Yoga doesn’t mean you need to be closed up in a studio all day. Some of the venues are absolutely amazing, with fantastic ocean views, and beautiful scenery in every direction.
Photo by Mor Shani on Unsplash
One example is this fantastic place in Oaxaca, Mexico. The Zazil Retreat may be the best venue in Mexico, with a fully equipped studio for up to 16 people.
3. Disconnect From Technology
While you certainly don’t have to disconnect your devices while on a retreat, it can be incredibly refreshing to step away for a while. Many types of vacations or retreats still require you to stay connected, but a Yoga retreat is perfect for anyone wanting to get away from all that mobile madness for a little while.
4. Improve Your Health
We all know what usually happens on any kind of getaway: our wallets shrink and our bellies grow. A yoga vacation doesn’t have to be that way, though. Your wallet may not grow, but it won’t shrink that much either. It’s a much more affordable option than most of the alternatives.
Your belly may shrink too — and even if it doesn’t, you’ll certainly be a bit more limber than you were before. Yoga can be as strenuous or as relaxing as you choose to make it, and may be one of the very few types of vacation where you return healthier than when you left.
5. Connect With Nature
While most nature-oriented retreats would have you hiking through questionable weather, or camping in whatever mother nature decides to throw at you, a well-placed Yoga venue can give you the best of both worlds.
Spend your time surrounded by nature — but not at its mercy.
Photo by Chelsea Gates on Unsplash
Whether you’re looking to disconnect from the world, improve your health, or just relax, I hope this list has helped you decide to take a little time to do all three.
Whatever your reasons are for wanting to get away from it all, you can’t do better than a relaxing Yoga oriented retreat at a beautiful oceanside studio.
Wherever your journey takes you — breathe, relax, and enjoy the moment! | https://medium.com/@mendoza-claire/relax-breathe-and-consider-these-5-reasons-to-plan-a-yoga-retreat-915ae78d0eda | ['Claire Mendoza'] | 2021-06-17 17:19:08.779000+00:00 | ['Yoga Benefits', 'Yoga Retreat', 'Mexico', 'Connecting With Nature', 'Relaxation'] |
Be the Artist, Not the Canvas | Image from Pixabay.com
What I mean is to not let yourself become overly splattered with the paint — *opinions — of other people.
I understand that it’s not necessarily the easiest or most natural thing to do to move throughout your life coloring the world around you with your own personality paintbrush.
Most people don’t feel the need to always be so full of inspiration that it spills over onto everyone around them, and that’s okay. What you don’t want though, is to walk around like an anthropomorphic canvas, covered in the ideas, opinions, and personalities of everyone but yourself.
You see it every day.
You listen to it all the time. People that haven’t taken the time to develop any sense of individuality at all. They walk around like mirrors covered in graffiti. All they do is reflect what is in front of them and let other people write whatever kind of nonsense comes to mind on their faces.
You look at them and can’t help but think, “These influences are great and all, but where are you?” If you actually ask them that, they’ll probably get a weird look on their face like they don’t know what you’re talking about. Those interests and opinions you see painted all over them are them. Who else would they be? What else would they identify with if not their interests, hobbies, traumas, and opinions?
They don’t seem to be able to see that, although the world of experiences has dripped and drawn and scribbled and scratched them from head to toe, there is still something underneath it all.
There is, and always has been, an original being under that mess. Somewhere under those crusted layers of acrylic, under that cracked and caked-on clay that’s slowly covered your entire identity after years of letting outside influence get the better of you, is a real deal true-blue person.
I’m not trying to overly criticize these people. We all have this problem.
Sometimes it’s not even a problem. Really, who else would we be if not the accumulation of experiences and influences we’ve had throughout our life?
My point though, is that instead of simply taking these things and regurgitating them back into the world in a similar and lesser form, we should be doing our best to melt down these experiences we’ve had into something entirely new.
We shouldn’t be walking around like mirrors to the world, only able to show off what’s currently being reflected or what others have painted on us. We should be walking around like we are each unique creators, capable of coloring the passing world with our very own original hue, formed by the blending and solidifying of all past experience and understanding.
Be the artist of your life, and in your life.
When I say be the artist of your life, yes, I mean that you are the only one that can truly shape how you want your life to turn out. We’ve all heard something similar to that before, I’m sure. It’s an important lesson to understand. Just as importantly though, is what I mean by being the artist in your life.
When you become the artist in your life, I don’t necessarily mean it in the conventional meaning of the word “artist”. Not everyone identifies as being creative, or even outgoing to any degree, and that’s fine. The world needs the conventional just as much as the creative or else nothing practical would ever get done. What I really mean is to live strictly as your true self, no matter how you see yourself.
When we live as our truest selves, without allowing the influences and distractions of others to paint our personalities some other shade, we start to have our own influence on the world around us. You may even start to see speckles of yourself reflected in other people. You won’t be able to help it.
Being wholly and completely yourself has a rippling affect on those around you.
Some people will be more susceptible to being influenced by it, others not so much. If they are also being fully themselves, you shouldn’t have much of an influence on them at all.
So, when I say be the artist in your life, I simply mean that, when you find yourself among the masses, you know that you are a producer of something invaluable. A utterly original product. That product is you. It’s so you that if you really were a walking paintbrush, you couldn’t help leaving behind flecks of personality paint everywhere you go.
Just please, do your best to not turn into a strutting canvas, frayed at the edges and covered in another’s ink. It may feel comfortable because you’re surrounding yourself with other canvases, all walking around covered in similar sketches and poorly drawn copies of other people’s portraits, but one day you’ll look in the mirror and not be able to see your face. You won’t know who you really are under all of that inky influence. You’ll have to douse yourself in paint thinner and light a match just to burn yourself clean from the years of allowing other people to throw painting parties on your skin. I’m guessing that won’t be a fun experience, but to each their own
So, take the splattered white board off, shake your arms and feel what it’s like to be free of the weight. Start to make your own brush, dip it deep into the well of you.
And be the artist, not the canvas. | https://medium.com/an-idea/be-the-artist-not-the-canvas-59ee0fc9e09b | ['Scott Leonardi'] | 2020-12-19 05:22:37.574000+00:00 | ['Artist', 'Self', 'Life Lessons', 'Self-awareness', 'Creative Writing'] |
5 Ways Women can Take Charge of their Fertility | Worth the wait.
Over the course of four years, I saw 10 of the best Reproductive Endocrinologists, waited well over 300 hours in their offices, was poked in my vagina over 100 times, injected myself over 400 times with needles 1 to 4 inches long, had 350 vials of blood drawn, and managed up to 20 medications & supplements in a given month. All to pursue my dream of motherhood.
I am not alone. According to Resolve, 7 million US women face infertility. In these modern times, women are waiting longer and longer to have children, where, according to the CDC, now more women in their 30s are having babies than in their 20s. Sadly, many try to conceive (TTC) for three years before seeking help, and data reveals that as of 2012 the median age for IVF was 35, where it took an average of four years for her to get pregnant. And we all know fertility declines with age, and steeply so after the age of 35.
So what can you, your friend, your colleague, or your sister do?
Know the basics. Did you know that basal body temperature (BBT) and cervical fluid can be monitored and charted throughout your cycle, helping you better understand your body? Taking Charge of Your Fertility is like the Wikipedia for infertility and explains how your body clock works and what your personal chart tells you about your body. Admittedly, I learned about all of this at the age of 35! Why don’t they teach this to us in school? (That is for a different post.) Track your body. Whether using a paper charting system, an app, or medical device like Ovusense or the Ava bracelet, be informed about what is going on with you. This will help you and your doctor. (If you ever have a doctor tell you this data does not matter, walk away! This happened to me. Remember, #wematter!) Visit your OB/GYN. According to the American Pregnancy Association, if you are over 35 and have tried to conceive for over 6 months or under 35 and tried for over a year, visit your doctor, who can run basic tests to be more informed of the potential source(s) of your challenges. S/he may even recommend you go to a specialist (Reproductive Endocrinologist or RE), depending on the test results/diagnosis. Ask questions. Gone are the days of “doctor is God.” While doctors are professionally trained and extremely knowledgeable, they are also human. Additionally, our current healthcare environment limits the amount of time doctors can spend with us. Add to that, the constant change within the space of infertility makes it impossible to keep up with all trends. (I learned at a recent conference that there are over 25,000 published papers just on infertility!) And most important, no one knows you better than you! Don’t isolate. Whether you confide in a friend, join a Resolve community support group, or sign up for a Facebook community, build your network. Remember, just because you join, you don’t have to divulge every detail, or any at all. You can learn a lot by just listening and observing.
About Fempower Health
Fempower Health is on a mission to transform women’s health. Check out these great ways to learn and stay in touch. | https://medium.com/@fempowerhealth/5-ways-women-can-take-charge-of-their-fertility-5f2edcca002a | ['Fempower Health'] | 2020-07-17 23:01:03.270000+00:00 | ['Ivf', 'Women', 'Health', 'Infertility', 'Baby'] |
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